Jamaican Getaway

A week ago we took a trip to the sunny island of Jamaica, on it was certainly sunny.  The average temperature most days was 34 degrees.  Add in the humidity and we had some very warm days.  The kids got in hours of swimming both in the pool and at the beach.  Jenna, Nolan and I tried snorkeling.  The breathing was a bit hard for Nolan and he didn't last too long, but at least he gave it a shot.  Jenna also got to use a stand up paddle board, which she had been wanting to do for a while.  Since it was an all inclusive resort, we all ate way too much, and the kids had an ice cream sundae almost everyday for dessert.  Now that we have arrived back home and the weather has cooled off a bit, I find myself longing for a lazy afternoon by the beach.

Of course, if you want to see more pictures, we have a whole album, but you have to come visit us!

finally at the resort after about 15 hours of travelling and a 4 am wake up call



 



the view from our patio

playing on the beach



our first time snorkeling

Archery - Brooklyn can check it off her bucket list

I always find all sorts of pictures on my camera after a trip

the kids played for hours on this afternoon

at the airport waiting to go home





AWESOME!!!

Frank Slide Field Trip
Me and Mom went on a field trip with my class.
I took a picture of this doll house because I thought it was cool!
Even the back porch had some tiny decorations.
We learned about plants we grow in Alberta.
Do you know the difference between straw and hay?   Straw has no nutrition in it so the animals lay on it rather then eating it.  On the other hand hay has nutrition in it so that is why the horses  eat it.
My favorite room is the attic room with all the ribbon and thread.  I think the hat on the mannequin is pretty cool too!  I like where they put the cat.  Right on the rug by the chair, see?
By: Jenna
hope you liked it!

Montana

August long weekend we decided to head to Great Falls, Montana for a little shopping and relaxation.  We had a great time.  Montana was very nice.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Although the shopping was a little lacking, our weekend was very nice.  They had a great waterpark, and since it was a city park, it didn't cost us a fortune to get into.  We also took a boat tour call the "Gates of the Mountains"  I really enjoyed it, however, it was almost 2 hours long and the kids got a bit bored.  On the way back we stopped in Waterton Lakes, which was also really nice.  I would love to go back someday.  It is a shame that it is so close, and I had never been there!

Splash Mountain

I will post more Disneyland pictures soon, but I had to post this one picture.  I just love the girls faces.  And yes, that is complete terror on Billy's face.

She's the Queen of the Waves

Here is a couple of video's of Jenna surfing.  Brooklyn tried too and did really well, but didn't last too long because she swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of sea water.  Jenna did really well and wants to go back again.

Jenna's Piano Recital

Here is Jenna at her first piano recital.

Brooklyn's Birthday

Brooklyn turned 5!  She has been pumped about turning 5 ever since she turned 3.  This is a big milestone for her.  She is already wanting to count down sleeps until Kindergarten, but I think we have a few too many to go before we do a countdown.

She had a great time at her birthday party and I hope that you enjoy the pictures.

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Christmas Pictures

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This is the happiest birthday boy ever!

countdown to Christmas

My sister reminded me that I have not got any pictures of Halloween up or Nolan's 2nd Birthday.  I thought I better get some up before Christmas.

Nolan turned 2!  We celebrated with a Cowboy Birthday.  This boy was excited to have his birthday.  I wish I knew how to upload video because the smile on his face is priceless.  He is still singing Happy Birthday Nolan two weeks later.  Brooklyn likes to remind him that his birthday is over so he can stop singing.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.  There are a couple from Halloween.  Nolan refused to wear his costume - he was supposed to be a scarecrow.  Jenna was Claudeen Wolf from Monster High and Brooklyn was Sharpay from High School Musical.  They had a great night of trick or treating. 

Hopefully I will get the Christmas pictures up a little quicker.

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our big move

We are settling nicely in to Okotoks. Jenna has started Grade 2 and seems to be enjoying it. Brooklyn goes to preschool M,W, and F afternoons. She loves it. Both girls are enjoying gymnastics as well. Nolan tags along where ever we go, sometimes not very willingly. He is learning to talk and amazes us with some of the words he can say.

Our summer was beautiful, and so was September. However, once we turned the calendar to October, we have been reminded that it is fall. Brooklyn still insists on wearing her flip flops (I have gotten my monies worth on those!) and Jenna asks everyday if she can wear shorts to school. It seems just when you get them used to one season it changes again. Oh well!

We hope that you enjoy the pictures from the last couple of months.

October 6, 2011

It has been a while since the last post. I read other blogs and everyone seems so whitty and interesting. I always think I will have some wonderful words but nothing ever comes to me, so I better just get something up.

We are almost half way through 2011 (yet I still find myself writing 2010 at work). Jenna is almost finished Grade One. She had a great year and did very well. However, she is ready for summer holidays and waiting for sleep-in days. Brooklyn is also waiting for summer holidays so that Jenna can stay home and play with her. The first question Brooklyn asks me each morning is "Does Jenna have school?".

Brooklyn had her first dance recital at the beginning of May. She did a fabulous job and looked beautiful. She had a great day, and for a girl who I can hardly get to sit still long enough to eat supper, she was more than patient when I had to French Braid her hair. She even refers to the day as `Brookie`s Dance Day`.

Little Nolan is not so little anymore. In fact he was 18 months on the 1st of June. His new favorite past time is driving the car. Which, has actually worked out ok because if I am doing something in the yard, he is contained. He likes to keep up to his big sisters too, and they are usually pretty good about letting him in on the action.

Here are some pictures for you to see what we have been up to in the last few months.

June 2011

Nolan is One!

Well, our baby is one! So exciting, but sad at the same time. He is cruising around all the furniture and loves the phone, remote, tv, and stereo. Pretty much anything he is not supposed to touch is what he wants. The girls still adore him and are wonderful big sisters. They were very excited for his birthday as well. Brooklyn was particularly worried about whether or not he would be able to blow out his candle. In the event that he was unable to blow the candle out, she wanted to be first in line to carry out the task. We did a count down and everyone blew at the same time, so it all worked out.

Here are some birthday pictures, along with some other ones. I hope you all enjoy.

December 2010

Fall 2010

Today is October 31. I always feel like Halloween is the end of fall, even though winter doesn't officially begin for a couple of weeks.

Fall has been busy. Jenna started Grade One and has been pretty excited about school everyday since. She loves it! Brooklyn would also love to go to school, but unfortunately, they don't allow 3 year olds in Grade One.

Nolan will be eleven months old tomorrow. He just finished off his first Halloween. He made it out trick or treating a bit, but was home early and off to bed. He is walking around all the furniture, but hasn't taken a step on his own yet. He is constantly entertained by his sisters, especially Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is also a pretty busy little girl. She started dance this fall and is really enjoying that. There is a tap class after her ballet class, and she tells me every time that she wants those clicking shoes. I told her we would keep that in mind for next year.

Anyways, here are some new pictures. The Halloween costumes were done by Grandma again and looked fantastic. Thanks Grandma!!

Fall 2010

Jenna's 6th Birthday

Our little Jenna turned 6. For her birthday she wanted her ears pierced, so we went to Merle Norman. After the first ear, her face got really red and I think there were a few tears just waiting to fall. However, the second ear was done. She was a pretty happy girl. We had a cake that night, since I believe you need to eat cake on your birthday.

She had her party on the following Sunday. She was hoping for a backyard pool party with the Slip N Slide, but the weather did not co-operate. We still had snacks, cake, and presents. The girls did toss some water balloons. She was a lucky girl and has some wonderful little friends.

Jenna's 6th Birthday

Summer 2010

The summer is quickly coming to an end. Jenna is counting down the days as she is anxiously awaiting the start of school. Brooklyn is not liking the cool weather as she loves to wear dresses and it is almost impossible to get her to wear pants. She will also miss Jenna dearly when she is in school all day. They play together very well and I will have to find other things to preoccupy Brooklyn with while Jenna is in school.

Nolan keeps growing and will be nine months on September 1. He has just started to get the hang of crawling. The other night he even pulled himself up on the bath tub to watch Brooklyn (she makes a lot of noise and mess while in the tub, so I can see why he was so interested).

Here are some pictures of the summer highlights, which include the Leduc Rodeo and Ponoka Stampede. Jenna loves to wear her cowgirl attire, Brooklyn isn't as fond of the outfit. We got Nolan dressed up too, although he is a little to little to complain yet.

We also took a trip to Drumheller. I thought the kids would really enjoy the Dinosaur Museum, but I don't think either one of them was too interested. We did stop at the Atlas Coal Mine Site. They both seemed to enjoy that much better. They also walked the suspension bridge with Billy. Goes to show you just never know!

There are also some picture of Jenna's Kindergarten Graduation. She was very pleased to win the ECS Young Artist Award. She is a very talented little artist and pays a lot of attention to details.

Jenna also went to visit Grandma Brenda for a few nights, all on her own. She particularly liked swimming in the outdoor pool. She thought they should rename the town to "Treat Ville" because you get lots of treats there.

We also visited a corn maze. First time for all of us. It was kind of funny, Jenna started off full throttle but quickly tired out and just wanted to leave. However, when you are in the middle, it is really tricky to turn around and go back. Brooklyn on the other hand had a fantastic time, she was busy finding all the numbers so she could tick them off the checklist. Nolan started getting fussy at the end, as it was getting close to supper. I think I could wait another couple of years before going back again.


Enjoy the pictures. We do!

Summer 2010

Disney and California

We took a trip to Disneyland and California this year and had a fantastic time. We spent 4 days at Disneyland and visited the Princesses and took in some of the rides. The park was good but the girls tired out by early afternoon, so we spent some time back at the hotel pool. The girls were extremely impressed with the Pirates of Caribbean ride and immediately rode it again. The other highlight was dining with the Princesses at Ariel's Grotto. They visited with Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, and Mulan.


After we visited Disneyland we spent some time at the beach. We were at Long Beach, Laguna, Dana Point, and Huntington Beach. The kids loved it! The beaches were very quiet and there were not too many locals in the water. However, Jenna and Brooklyn couldn't get enough of it.

Nolan was an excellent traveler for only being three months old. He did great on the plane and spent his time between the baby carrier and the stroller.

All in all, it was fantastic. I would go back tomorrow. I guess that is a sign of a great vacation.



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Brooklyn turns 3!

Brooklyn turned 3 at the beginning of March. She celebrated with her little friends and had a great time. I think we have a future party girl on our hands. Here are some pics. Enjoy!

Christmas 2009

Another Christmas come and gone, but a good time was had. We were lucky to have Grandma Marsha and Grandma Brenda here. Mandy also arrived from Mexico. Jenna & Brooklyn were happy to have all the company. Christmas is a busy time for them as they were busy baking & eating, making gingerbread houses and ornaments for the tree.

We had a very relaxing Christmas day. The girls opened their presents and played with all the new things. Jenna was a little perplexed and wondered why Santa didn't bring everything on her list (and she did have a long list). Nolan spent most of the day sleeping. He got a swing from Santa and really enjoyed it.

Once our company was all gone, it was kind of quiet and the cold weather did not help. However, the last couple of days have been beautiful. We were at the toboggan hill both today and yesterday. Both days ended with Jenna taking a bump to the chin. Her chin is going to be a little bruised for school tomorrow.

Nolan is doing well too. He is 6 weeks old this week. Brooklyn can't keep her hands off of him and is always petting him. So far, he doesn't seem to mind. He is still getting up twice through the night, but goes right back to sleep, so that has been good as I don't feel too sleep deprived.

Anyways, here are some pictures. Hope you enjoy!

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Nolan Edward Walker

We are very pleased to introduce Nolan Edward Walker. He was born December 1 at 10:57 pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs 12 0z and 20 inches long. A perfect little bundle. We are all home safe & sound, and considering the weather, we are all very happy about that.

Jenna and Brooklyn are very pleased with their new brother. He has been a sleepy little boy, but I am sure that once his appetite picks up in the next few days he will some more noise.

Here are some pictures to enjoy!

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