A Birthday Celebration and a Visit from Friends

We've had a pretty busy household the last month, first Kelly came to visit us in November, and then our friends, Nathan and Leslee, came all the way from out west to visit us at the beginning of December, and my sister just left yesterday after a great visit. And in between all that, Lyndon turned 29 in November and we had a really fun birthday party with lots of our friends.
Kallie with her GIANT bear from Nathan and Leslee...she loves it:)!

Kallie and Leslee playing and cuddling:)

Nathan and Leslee are friends of ours from college, and the last time we saw them was about 2 1/2 years ago, so it was an awesome visit, filled with catching up and having lots of fun. They were here for about 5 days, so we really got to re-connect and have a blast:) And it was their first time meeting Kallie, so that was really fun too. Kallie LOVED them...she became an insanely hyper child...completely different than she usually is, and it was pretty hilarious. The first night they were here, we were just telling them how great a sleeper Kallie was, and how easy it was to put her to bed (she'd been down about 10 minutes), and then the shrieking/screaming/crying began. We finally got her up, and she then proceeded to do laps around our living room, waving her hands in the air, yelling...and didn't go to bed until 10! She gradually calmed down over the visit, but you could tell she was pretty excited to have guests staying with us:)

Nathan and Kallie hanging out

Thanks for coming guys, it was great having you here:)!

(Nathan...I definitely expect a comment since you're featured in this post;)

For Lyndon's birthday, we had lots of our friends over, and it was an awesome night of JUST adults, with lots of great conversation and fun:) We had LOTS of yummy food, drinks, and a great cake that was just perfect for Lyndon:) We had it made at a local bakery, and it was delicious (as well as entertaining:)!

Lyndon's favourite beer is Stella Artois

The embarrassed birthday boy as we were singing (his comment after was about how no matter how old you are, it doesn't get any less embarrassing when everyone sings 'Happy Birthday':)

Things these next few weeks should be just as busy as we get ready to celebrate Christmas with our families here and in Winnipeg. We've got our tree up and are decorating it tonight, so hopefully I'll get some pics up of Christmas at our house:) Have a great week!

Finally!!!

Well, here they are...pictures of the happenings around here, I hope they live up to all the anticipation:)!

Our little bear on hallowe'en (who didn't nap, and so wasn't too impressed:)

The candy makes everything better though!:) Sidenote: turns out in our relationship, Lyndon is the 'stickler'...I totally let Kallie have a lollipop (and other such not-so-good stuff) and he NEVER does! I always get a very disapproving sigh and look when I let her...oops:) It's not very often, but I definitely give in more:)
Kallie in her new snowsuit from Oma...our little marshmallow baby!

Reading stories with Dad

Hanging out with Kelly, and enjoying all the loot she brought!:) Kelly gave Kallie an awesome book (it was her favorite from when she was little), and a mommy and baby turtle, who Kallie now sleeps with every night:)

Kallie NEVER sleeps on people...Kelly had just the right touch:)
Relaxing in front of the fire with dad, after a long day of work!:)Helping dad finish the floors in the office. They look great!

These are just for you Mandi:) I love letting Kallie feed herself, no matter how messy the food. She still happens to LOVE pureed veggies, and so...

And my favorite, my snuggly little sling baby:)!

My sister is touching down in Thunder Bay in 20 minutes (Lyndon's mom is picking her up, with Kallie, as I'm working today), and I can't wait! It's going to be 5 days filled with lots of fun and bonding! Whenever we go to Wpg. Dana has her life still going on, and I always have lots of people to see, so even though we visit lots, it's never enough. These next few days will be devoted just to spending time together:)! So have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Still no pictures...but a new blog look at least!

So, I know I'm totally lame with no pictures, but I thought a little Christmas makeover for the blog might save a little face...:) Anyways, Lyndon's parents gave us a very wonderful gift, a new printer WITH a memory card reader, so very shortly I will be able to download pics again! Hooray! We have guests staying with us this weekend (all the way from Alberta!:), so I'm not making any promises for pictures to be up before next week...but I'll try:)!
We've had some somewhat interesting things happening in our lives lately, so I thought I'd do the writing update today and then just put a whole bunch of pictures up once I can:)
Our November started out great, my good friend Kelly came for a visit from Winnipeg, and we had an awesome weekend! She and Kallie hung out lots and really bonded, and I just loved having a great friend to spend time with all weekend! She was our very first 'Winnipeg guest' in this house:)
We're really settling into our house, now with winter here we're using our wood-burning fireplace sometimes in the evenings, and it's just wonderful! One of Kallie's favourite things to do is help daddy start the fire (she hands him wood), and then pull up her little chair, or just crawl into Lyndon's lap, and relax and watch the fire with dad:) It's so sweet to see.
Kallie's vocabulary has grown incredibly this past month, she definitely knows more than 100 words and is just starting to put 3 and 4 word sentences together. She turned 18 mo. on the 12th, and I just can't believe it! Another 6 months and we're looking at a 2 year old!:) She's starting to learn songs really well, she can just get past 'enanenopeeeeeeee' (lmnop:) in the alphabet, and does really well with 'the wheels on the bus' when we help her:) She's such an absolute joy and we're both just loving experiencing her growing up!
Some little happenings in our house: A bird flew into our fireplace (during the day...I'm at home with multiple children, Lyndon at work), it was a bit freaky, but Lyndon got him out when he got home, and showed him to Kallie...she just loved it! She was so sad when she had to say 'bye birdie'. The bird was totally fine, thank goodness.
On a bit more of a serious note, last week, Lyndon was coming home from a friend's house with Kallie, and they hit a deer. Or should I say, a deer hit them. A buck ran into the side of the truck, went through the driver's side window, and actually hit Lyndon in the head!!! Lyndon had deer hair stuck in his hat! It was really scary b/c Kallie was there, glass was everywhere (including all over her), Lyndon had a cut on his nose and chin, and the ambulance had to come to check both of them over. They're both physically fine, praise the Lord. I was at a Sunday school meeting, when Lyndon called me and I just broke down. Even though they were fine, it was scary thinking about Kallie (and Lyndon) being in any kind of danger. And we have actually noticed that she's been very emotional and clingy all this week, so we think that the accident definitely had an impact on her. I've pretty much been carrying her around all week (which is a little tricky when you're running a daycare:), so last week I pulled out my sling, and popped her in it. She hasn't been in it since she was about 7 months old, and she LOVES it! She constantly asks to go in the sling, and it makes my life way easier b/c then I have my hands free. She's actually fallen asleep in it a couple of times, which was so precious and wonderful:) I took a picture, that I'll definitely post when I get the chance.
Lyndon and I have both been working lots these past few months, both at home and at our jobs, so we're really excited for Christmas holidays! We're spending Christmas here in Thunder Bay, and then driving on Boxing Day to Winnipeg, to celebrate with my family and go to my good friend's wedding! (on the 27th:) It should be a great time of relaxation and family:)
Hope December is treating everyone well so far!

Working on it...

So, I have lots of pictures to put on the blog, plus some videos of Kallie...BUT in the renos of our office, I somehow managed to misplace my cord to hook up my camera and download pics...so I'm searching for a new one Saturday (can you do that? Just buy them individually? I'm assuming so, but I'm completely out of it where technology is concerned...if anyone knows, please fill me in!). And hopefully I'll have pictures up soon! I know this is killing you mom, I'm sorry!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Happy Birthday And Happy Retirement Dad!

Well, I wanted to write this post awhile ago, but better late than never. On October 20th, my dad celebrated his 60th birthday and his official retirement from the Canadian Air Force. When we went to Winnipeg we got to celebrate with him at his retirement party, but in May (the same week as Kallie's birthday...it was an emotional week), my dad had his military retirement luncheon and we unfortunately couldn't be a part of it. So I wrote a letter to him that my mom read for everyone, and I wanted to post it on here. b/c it was for his retirement, it speaks mostly about my dad in his job...

Dad,I thought I'd have a little more time to write this, but with everything that's been going on, I'm doing it a little last minute...so hopefully what I want to say comes across clearly.

I'm having a hard time writing through my tears...for some reason you retiring is making me really emotional (I'm sure much more so than you:). A huge part of my identity, a part that I'm very proud of, has been as a military kid. I love the fact that I've grown up 'in the military', moving around, meeting people and having experiences I never would have otherwise. I have always loved telling people what my dad does (even though I may not have always known the specifics:). People are always so impressed, and think it's such a cool job (which it is), and the experiences that you've had through your job are things I'll be telling my children and grandchildren. I am so proud of you.

The life you've provided for us, in so many different ways, has been so incredible and such a blessing. I know there have been rough patches (I acted like my life was ending with every move...we all know I have a flair for the dramatic:) but I wouldn't change a thing. I would definitely choose to grow up the same way if I had to do it over again. I love being on the base with you, seeing how everyone respects you so much and just knowing from the way people talk about you and treat you, that you are the best at your job. My sense of pride is huge when I get introduced as your daughter. Thank you so much for everything I've gotten to enjoy and experience through your career, (not too many ppl I know got to 'fly' a hercules when they were 8 yrs. old:). And thank you for being such an amazing dad, I love you so, so much, and I'm excited for you to enjoy this next part of life. I hope you will relax, and travel, and fly model airplanes...do everything you've ever wanted to as much as you want, because you so deserve it.

I love you,Lauren

Dad, you have one of the greatest characters of anyone I know. You are ethical, fun-loving, honest, dependable, hard-working, determined, always strive to do your best, and every part of your life is a reflection of that character. I have learned (and continue to learn) so much from you. Thanks again for everything dad, having you encouraging and supporting me, telling me how proud of me you are, and loving me each day of my life has been the biggest blessing of all! I love you! And I'm glad you're enjoying your retirement:)

Update! On the promised Saturday!!!

...But no pictures, sorry! I'm still without a computer, Lyndon is working hard at finishing our office, so hopefully sometime next week we'll be connected again. My friend Cindy is graciously letting me use her computer, so I thought I'd take the chance to do a bit of a writing post:)

Kallie updates: Her two new favorite things to converse about: 'Kallie, want to sing a song?' 'Yup!' 'What song should we sing?' 'ABC's!!!' I couldn't believe she knew the name of the song, and she gets so excited to sing it!:) Her other favorite thing right now is opposites, I'll say up, she says down, then coming, going and then I'll whisper 'quiet' and she'll SHOUT 'LOUD'!! This is her favorite one, she thinks it's hilarious to yell at the end of it:) I have videos of both that hopefully I'll be able to post.

She dressed up as a little bear for Hallowe'en, it was adorable. Lyndon took her to a couple of houses, and she just loved it! I have some cute videos and pictures that I'll post once we have our computer back up.

Lyndon has been working so hard on the upstairs of our house, we've been sleeping on our couches all week (lots of fun, let me tell ya), but tomorrow we are going to be finally setting up our bedroom!! I can't wait! The flooring turned out beautifully, and I love our wall color. I know I've been bad at posting pics of the house, but hopefully once everything is settled and organized upstairs (it's absolute chaos right now), I will take pics of all the bedrooms and post them.

Tonight Lyndon and I are going on a date, and Kallie's is spending the night at her Oma's (Lyndon's mom). I think we're all pretty excited for this phase (spending nights with the grandparents) of Kallie's life to be starting:)! She's never spent a night away from both of us at the same time, but I think it's going to be pretty fun evening for everyone:)

K, I'm using up someone else's time, so I'm going to run...this is pretty much what's going on in our lives right now...oh, and I'm teaching my first Sunday School class tomorrow, so if you think to pray for me, that'd be great:)

Thanks!

Have a great weekend!

Big, Long, Mish-Mash Post!

As per usual, it's been weeks since I last posted, so this is just going to be lots of random updates:)
First, our trip to Winnipeg. We left Fri. after work and drove straight through, getting to my parents at about 1am. Had a great time visiting friends and family all day Sat. and Sun., had a delicious turkey dinner Sunday night, and then headed home on Monday. We stopped and had a great visit with friends of ours in Emo (right by the U.S. border), and got home after 11. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but so much fun:) And since I am ever so clever, we have a lovely souvenir...I knocked over the container of milk that was at my feet (without noticing) and so we are now struggling to completely eliminate the smell of sour, rotten milk from the truck. Awesome. :)

Kallie and auntie Dana enjoying some apple crisp

Handsome little guy:)Kissing (aka squishing:) sweet little Anthony, Kallie loved him!

It was tough to get a good picture of these active toddlers!

Lyndon and 3 mo. old Sadie...someone looks ready for another one:)

Next, Kallie! I really and truly cannot believe how much she is talking, doing and understanding. I'm sure that this is the age where it's supposed to happen (she just turned 17 months) but seeing your child grow up like this is truly awe-inspiring! She started doing two new things on the trip home: 1. She fell in LOVE with her dolls! We've had dolls for her since she was 7 months old, and she calls them baby, and will kiss them, but that's about it. Well! On the way home, for at least 3 hours, she couldn't stop hugging, kissing, swaddling (with some help from mom), and giving her baby her bottle and 'choochie' (Tbay word for soother). It was so adorable! And still is! She hasn't let up, she's always looking for her baby, so she can love and take care of it. And 2. She started to pretend to be asleep:) It is so ridiculously adorable! She'll turn her head to the side, close her eyes really tight, and try not to smile:) And then we'll say 'Kallie! Wake up!' and she'll pop up with her eyes open and yell 'wake up!'. So funny!
Some of her newest words: cup, opa and grandpa, with a tiny bit of oma and grandma thrown in there, Jacob, Owen (children from daycare), hot and cold (which by the way, whenever she doesn't want to eat anything, she informs us that it's 'hot! hot!':), water, pizza, pop (NOT b/c she's drinking it, but b/c she saw someone with it and called it water, so we called it pop:), ice cream (again, NOT because she's eating it...well, maybe a little;), she's very good at saying please and thank you (peeeese, tank-oo!), there are probably more, but those are the ones she's added in the last few days. I was reading some updates on language progression, and around 18 months, toddlers can start adding a new word as often as every 90 minutes! Isn't that amazing?
Lyndon and I are doing well, he's still working hard on the house, in the next few weekends we're hoping to having the entire upstairs done (flooring and trim), which will really make life a lot easier! The only bedroom that's finished is Kallie's, so it's a little stressful right now.
This past weekend I got to go on a girls' getaway to a cabin with two of my friends. We went out Sat. evening and came back Sunday afternoon. It was such an incredible time of visiting, sharing (until 7am!!!), and just relaxing together. I had such a wonderful time:) And while I was gone, Lyndon, being the awesome dad that he is, took Kallie fishing. It's something he's been wanting to do since she was born, so he finally got the chance! They went out to the Nipigon river, and Lyndon fished while Kallie played on the shore and chilled in the backpack (see pictures:). She even fell asleep for awhile back there:) They both had so much fun, Lyndon was just so excited to tell me all about it when they got home! They were gone for over 5 hours, so that was a pretty big day for Kallie! Lovin' the food and backpack...although she asked to get 'out' a few times while she was on Lyndon's back:)Finally out and running free!
I think that's all the updates in our life for now...have a great week!

Inconsistency is my middle name:) (when it comes to blogging anyways:)

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the delay in posts again...there are too many things to stay on top of:)! I'm going to try and make Saturday my blog update days...hopefully having one specific day each week will help me stay on top of it. We were in Wpg for Thanksgiving this past weekend, we had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends, and as usual the trip went by way too fast!

Kallie is talking non-stop now, I can't believe how many words she knows and how well she understands everything. I'll post some pics this weekend, hope you're all having a great week!!!

Our big girl:)

One of her favorite places, looking out the window into our backyard

Here are a couple of random pictures of Kallie, and a video of her feeding herself. Disclaimer for the video: Yes, she is strapped into the chair with my housecoat tie, I'm getting her used to eating at bigger tables b/c we don't always have high chairs available, and she's doing really great! I know it looks ridiculous though:)

Our little ski bunny! In all new clothes from Oma, so adorable! I got her boots at the mother's market here (an awesome sale of second-hand kids stuff) for $2! They are SO CUTE! There are bright pink pom-poms on the front:) Sorry it's not the best pic, she refuses to pose these days:)

Our big girl feeding herself yoghurt, it's always pretty messy, but a great learning experience, and let's face it, stinkin' adorable to watch!

Workin Out!

Some cute little pics, that were hilarious at the time:)! My friend Sheena and I were working out this week, in my living room, and Kallie was absolutely fascinated. She tried to copy everything we were doing, from lunges to push-ups, and then would just laugh and laugh afterwards. When it came to the leg stuff, we were actually pretty impressed, she can lunge, kick and jump like someone months beyond her age;)! It definitely made our workout a lot longer, because we kept stopping to laugh.:)

Push-ups!

Finishing up with some stretches

Relaxing and getting ready for bed with Sheena, that was a tough workout!

Home Daycare

Avery and Kallie having fun (yes, Kallie is in the toy container:)

I get a lot of questions from people about what I do (home daycare), which surprises me, because really, it's not that interesting or unusual of a job. But I just thought I'd post a little bit about it, because it has it's ups and downs just like any other job, and if a SAHM is thinking about doing it, maybe this will help.

First, I really really do enjoy providing daycare from my home. I love the children that I watch, I love the opportunities it provides for Kallie to be at home with me and also have great social interaction, and I love that I'm able to work with families and provide great care for their children. I think it would be very stressful having to leave your child in someone else's care for the majority of their day, and I'm thankful that I can contribute to society/the world by doing my best to positively impact these children. Here's a list of some things I love about my job:

1. I love the kids! It's amazing how attached to someone else's child you can become, I love knowing them and watching them grow, change and learn. It's really fun and rewarding.

2. I love the fun! Singing songs, playing games, doing crafts, etc. really does make for a good time:)

3. I love laughing! Kids are hilarious, and when you're with multiple children on a daily basis, things are said and done that can just have you rolling on the floor:)

4. I love staying home with Kallie! Obviously one of the reasons I considered doing home daycare is to be able to stay at home with her, and it's a huge benefit (for both of us!)

5. I really enjoy not having to go anywhere to work in the morning. It's nice to just roll out of bed, quickly get ready, and I'm ready for work. If I'm having a late morning, I can have breakfast after kids start arriving, it's nice.

6. I love impacting the children. I'm not sure if this sounds like I'm full of myself, but I just have such a strong passion about building children up, praising them, loving them, and encouraging them, so they feel confident, secure and happy, and it is such a blessing to be able to do that on a daily basis.

While home daycare is great, it also has it's downsides (like anything). Here are a few of the things that I struggle to LOVE every day:)

1. The mess. Kids are messy. It's a fact. Food, toys, drool, mucus, poop, whatever the medium of choice, it's messy and can be a little overwhelming during and at the end of the day.

2. Spending so much time in my house. As nice as it is to not commute, it can be a little much to work and live in the same place EVERY DAY!
3. Lack of adult interaction. I love spending time with each of the children, but I definitely crave adult conversation at the end of the day.
4. This one is just more of a pet peeve...being called a babysitter. I am a daycare provider, not a babysitter. A babysitter is a teenager you hire to 'watch' your child. A daycare provider is someone who is completely invested in the well-being and growth (in all aspects) of your child, and has made a career choice in order to do that to the best of their ability. So for anyone reading this, if you have or know a home daycare provider...please don't refer to them as a babysitter, it can be insulting. K, that's my rant, I'm done;)~

Here are a few pics to show you a small snapshot of the mess the little munchkins can make:)

All in all, I love my job, which I'm thankful for, because that's what I spend most of my time doing. And if anyone else out there is thinking of starting a home daycare, please feel free to email me, tinytreasuresdaycare@hotmail.com, if you have any questions. I'm still in the learning stages of running my daycare, but it definitely gets easier and easier the longer I do it and more established I become.

Updates Coming...

I know I'm overdue for a post...again...so tomorrow is going to be my blogging day. I have a couple of posts to do, so check back tomorrow night or Sunday, and I promise there will be new stuff...pictures AND videos (oh my, perhaps I'm aiming too high, it's been months since I've posted a video:). Anyways, just thought I'd write this b/c then it commits me to upating tomorrow, which I will! Have a great Friday!

Looking For Your Thoughts on the Matter...

So, I just have a quick question for moms (or anyone really) about food/nutrition. Here goes:

Kallie has always really loved pureed vegetables, any kind really. I buy organic pureed vegetables, and have always really liked the idea that she's getting organic food, as not all of our vegetables are organic (although we try as much as possible). Anyways, here's the dilemma. I find it difficult to get in enough vegetables each day for her when I serve them like we would eat them. And b/c Kallie loves the pureed ones so much...I still feed them to her! Is this crazy? She's 16 months old, and I can't see stopping anytime in the future...is it weird to feed pureed food to a toddler? Does it matter? What if she always likes it (even when she's, like, 5?) Does it matter then? I know we can get hung up on funny stuff, the way I look at it, she gets lots of veggies in this way and likes it, but I'm just wondering if I'm weird or if it will become weird the longer it goes on? I probably sound silly...but it's been bothering me lately, so I just thought I'd ask:)

Thanks for your grace and advice:)

SO Much To Catch Up On...And Therefore REALLY Long

Kallie learned how to say 'cheese' for the camera, this would be mid-'eee'

Well, not SO much, but I haven't blogged in awhile, soI figure our lives must be exciting enough to have SO much to fill you in on:)

First, Kallie turned 16 months old today! Not really a 'milestone' age, but as I'm sure every parent can attest to...EVERY age is a milestone:) I thought I'd take the chance to do a quick update on Kallie, in the form of a list...not necessarily new things, but just facts about her:) We'll go for....10!

1. Kallie LOVES (I'm all about the caps today:) SHOES!!! She is obsessed! Anytime she's sees them off feet, she talks about them and MUST wear them!:) It's pretty cute...but can also get tiresome, when she wants to put on 5 pairs at the same time, or ones that are ridiculously small or big. And she does not give up easily.

2. Kallie loves singing. In daycare we sing lots of songs, and lots with actions, and she's always right in there singing and dancing away:)

3. Kallie loves playing with older kids. In daycare each day she has the chance to play with pre-schoolers, and she's just fascinated! And thankfully, for the most part, the 'big kids' have a lot of fun with her too:)

4. Kallie is a social butterfly. She loves meeting new people, playing with any child who will look in her direction, and she's always a little sad when the kids leave at the end of the day. It's really nice for us, b/c we can drop her off in the nursery at church, or leave her with friends, and there are no problems.

5. Kallie has FINALLY started getting more teeth! She only had FOUR TEETH when she turned 15 months, but has gotten at least 3 more that we can see (two way in the back...which I found odd), and she's definitely still teething (lots of drool and sleepless nights;)

6. Kallie has learned almost all of the kid's names in daycare and uses them properly! In fact, she woke up at 6:30 this morning asking for 'Izshy' (Izzy:), and was just thrilled when she arrived almost three hours later...it was a long three hours:)

7. Kallie feeds herself with a spoon. It can get a bit messy at times, but she will eat entire meals all by herself.

8. Kallie loves snuggling and kissing her baby doll. She always says, 'awww, baby' when she sees it, and then proceeds to kiss it over and over, and encourages us to do the same:)

9. Kallie is, and I'm sure will continue to be, a daddy's girl through and through. She and I enjoy lots of time together, but daddy is definitely the one she holds most dear:)
10. Kallie has had a major growth spurt! She now weighs 25 lbs! and I'm not sure how tall she is (she still doesn't seem that tall compared to the kids around her), but she's outgrown all of her 12 month pants, and I just bought her 18/24 month ones, which are still pretty long, but she can get away with wearing them! 24 months...that's a TWO year old!

K, that was the longest post ever...I was going to write more about my trip to Wpg. a few weeks ago, but at the risk of boring everyone to death, I'll do a very brief summary. And for more pics, check facebook, they take way less time to upload;)

Spending time with Kelly and Patti-Ann

Our trip was truly amazing, it was a real vacation for me, as I don't believe I changed more than 2 diapers all week, and I got to sleep in almost every day (thanks a million times mom, I love you!). I got to spend time with my absolute best friends, have really amazing conversations and meaningful times (and lots of fun of course:), and two of those friends had just had babies (Sadie was 7 weeks old when I got there, and Anthony wasn't even 1 week!) so that was really amazing, getting to spend time with 'new' (again) mommies and love on those little babies:) I was able to spend time with friends I hadn't seen in a long time, and catch up and re-connect. I got to spend lots of time with my family, go out with my sister on more than one occasion (mmmmm.....Romaritas!), which is always so much fun:) I love my family so much, it was just amazing to hang out and talk...and talk...and talk:) And I actually got in a decent amount of downtime for myself. Our trips are usually so rushed that I never relax, and with a full daycare waiting for me here, I needed that time to myself.

We went to Stonewall and visited my great-aunt Geordie on my mom's side, it was a good time together with family.

Making a break for it after Grandma gave her a bath!

I know I'm not being brief, but I figure ppl can stop reading at any time:) The other AMAZING thing that happened while I was 'home', was that for the first time since I moved away, I was in Winnipeg, and didn't wish that I lived there. Don't get me wrong, I love everyone there so much, and I miss my family and friends on a daily basis, but I am so settled in Thunder Bay, and finally truly happy here! I have been happy here all along, but it's been a process to totally adjust. And it was a very peaceful and settling feeling to realize that I was ready to go HOME at the end of the trip (although I do wish everyone would move out here...think about it, inexpensive houses, beautiful scenery, Lake Superior, it's calling your name:) I'm starting to make some really great friends here, we've found a home church that we absolutely LOVE (and has made all the difference in the world), and I just know that we both know we're going to be here, and happy here, for a veeeeeeery long time.

Kallie and Grandpa reading the paper together:)

Well, enough of all the rambling, sorry my posts are so sporadic, life as usual is still crazy, but again, I know it is for everyone else too:) Hopefully now that we're settling into fall, and more of a routine, life will follow suit:)