Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Summer and More Summer?

Summer has come and gone. I really can't believe it, why does winter seem to last SO long, but summer is gone in a blink of an eye?
One big event in the life of the crazy boys, they each got their own rooms in June! We moved Owen in to his own room and Griffin into a big boy bed. They both seem to enjoy the peace and quiet of having their own room. Best decision ever.

We spent the entire summer in the Maritimes. We left a couple days after school was done and got back just in time to go back to work. Literally, we arrived home and Chris had to go to work the next day! We had a wonderful time getting to know Julia, enjoying some beautiful Saint John weather (which is actually pretty rare!). We had a blimp in our fun when Chris' wonderful grandfather, Paul Abraham, passed away mid July, but we still got to enjoy some fun times in Halifax. Chris and I got away to PEI for a couple of nights (Cavendish Country Music Festival!) and saw Brad Paisley, Toby Keith and Eric Church (plus a few more) live in beautiful PEI. We went up to visit Chris' cousin Jimmy Joe (he spent a few months staying with us just after Owen was born in 2008) and his family in Cape Breton. We ended our stay with Katharine and Justin's gorgeous wedding back in Saint John.

Here are a few pictures from the summer:



I guess some of the pictures are not actually on my iphoto, so here are links to the rest of our summer pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150740519870434.726390.548170433&l=73b61b39c0&type=1

Monday, May 30, 2011

Spring time in the north :)

Spring time up north isn't really spring time, it's like winter then summer in a day!  We had a very cool and depressing April, but May has really made up for it.  We have had NO rain all month and temps in the mid to high 20's every day.  We would all be in heaven if it weren't for all the crazy wild fires burning around us, there is one burning not too far away that is the largest in 50 years.  So please please please do a rain dance for us!

The kids are enthralled with our back yard.  With some gift cards Griffin got for his bday I picked out a climber/slide from Toys R Us.  They LOVE it.  Griffin loves to climb up, slide down, and repeat!  Owen is finally starting to enjoy both his sand box and water table, only took 2 years!  They both LOVE the pool and end up soaked almost every afternoon.

Owen keeps asking if it's "summer" yet, he has seen commercials for Cars 2 "coming out this summer" so now he's obsessed with summer.  Just less than a month to go before it comes out, although we probably won't take him until we are in Saint John, much better movie going experience.

Things at school are busy for Chris with year end wrap up and fund raising events for Angela and Jamie. https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=155435767855531 I'm on sick leave until June 20 after having my gall bladder out about 10 days ago.  I'm feeling good but get sore by the end of the day.  I'm going to have a hectic last week of school, writing report cards in a SHORT amount of time and moving my classroom :(  As you can tell, I hate that.  I have been in the same room since I started at Timberlea School.  It's MY room!  Now with gr 7-8 leaving for Ecole McTavish, we are moving down the hall in to the jr. high classrooms.  Yay for lockers for the kids, boo for having to move.  My classroom was one of 4 in the whole school that I could control my own heat.  The new ones are controlled in Edmonton or Calgary somewhere, seriously?  They are always FREEZING in the winter.

We had a super quick but nice visit with Beth, Shawn and Julia in April.  Their trip was cut short due to a family emergency on Shawn's side.  I was very happy to finally get some cuddle time with my niece though!

Owen and Chris have started soccer and they both are loving it.  Owen loves to run and kick the ball, he needs to work on understanding which direction he should be running though ;)
All in all, we are having a pretty good spring :)  Looking forward to our trip home this summer though!






Wednesday, March 30, 2011

In like a lion, out like a lamb?


Griffin is 1!!! He had a great birthday in February with his little buddies (finally, after it had to be postponed because I was quarantined~ thought I might have the mumps, but it wasn't!).  He had so much fun playing with balloons and eating cake.  Actually, he's not that in to cake, lol. 




Spring is finally coming!  Well technically it is here, according to the calendar, but really, I live in Fort McMurray, spring isn't here until I see GRASS!  The weather has finally warmed up (it's hovering around 4 C as a daily high) and it seems to get nicer and nicer every day. 


Finally warm enough for rubber boots and vests :)

February and March are horrible months for teachers.  Everyone is going stir crazy and just wants spring to come.  We had a good convention week, enjoyed a couple days at home with the kids before Chris and I headed to Edmonton for 2 nights and 3 days of alone (unless you count the 1000 other teachers at convention, lol) time.  We did some shopping, got some great deals such as an entire winter wardrobe for Owen (for next year) for $40, a dining room table for $150, and a few other odds and ends for the house.  Of course Ikea cost us twice what we had budgeted for, but that's the way it always is!  We got to have dinner alone at Red Lobster and saw The Kings Speech in a nice large, stadium seating theatre.  Oh the little things that can make a girl happy, lol. 
I guess new living room furniture also makes a girl happy ;)


March has been busy with report cards, swimming lessons, a funny little toddler and Chris settling into his new role as Vice Principal.  We are finding it a bit hard juggling his new repsonsibilities with life with 2 kids under 4. 
Owen is signed up for soccer!  So I am officially becoming a soccer mom in May.  Chris took an all day coaching clinic on Saturday, so he is now certified to coach soccer to children under 4, lol.  I laugh, but apparently it was quite intense, kid's soccer has outcomes!  Just what a teacher is looking for ;)
We decided not to enroll Owen for swimming lessons for the spring session as I swore I would never be that parent who over schedules her kids.  So, even though he is enjoying his lessons with Maguire and their teacher, Callie, they will be over mid April.  He can start up again in the fall.


Griffin gets funnier and smarter every day.  He isn't saying a whole lot yet, we have Mum, Dad, Chris (which is hilarious--even if Chris doesn't think so), Nenna (Brenda), car, up, what's this?, What's that?, but that's it.  He still manages to communicate what he wants though, every night at bathtime he heads to the stairs (or the gate if it's up) and says up!  If you don't respond right away he gets mad, lol.  He starts to climb the stairs and keeps looking back to make sure you are following. It's so cute!  He loves the dog and loves to give him hugs, cuddles and tease him by getting in his bed.  I think Buddy realizes there is an end in sight to the toddler years and just puts up with it.  He is also clapping now which does wonders for a girl's self esteem, lol.



mmm....my first Girl Guide cookie!


Owen has really become affectionate toward Griff.  He tells him he loves him all the time and hugs and kisses him.  They share pretty well and rarely fight (knock on wood).  Hope that lasts.  I asked Owen yesterday if Griff would be his best friend when he gets older and he said no, because Liam is his best friend.  lol, too funny.  He is all registered for ECDP for the fall!  He is getting excited to go to school :)


Spring break is coming!  16 days until my sister and her family come to visit and I get to meet my beautiful niece Julia!!!!! I am beyond EXCITED!



Beautiful girl :)


A friend of mine started a blog recently and called it "Moments Full of Grace" (a play on her little girl's name~ Grace), after reading it I thought I would share my current favorite moment full of grace.  Owen asks me to lay down with him when he goes to bed at night, lately, as he gets ready to drift off to sleep he will say "I love you Mommy" and stroke my hair and snuggle in.  That's my moment.  I love it, gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it ;)

Friday, January 21, 2011

Who needs to walk, when you can run?

I now fully believe I have named this blog appropriately.  Griffin has gone from taking a few steps to walk from mom to dad, to pretty much walking whereever he needs to go.  Actually, not just walking, he wants to run!  lol, it's so funny, he is just so fast!  Who knew such a chunky boy could move so fast?  Although I think his shins would like a break!

Owen is still growing like crazy, I think he gets a little taller every day.  His tantrums are starting to be fewer and farer between, I'm really hoping Griffin skips the tantrum stage, a mom can hope right????  Owen is getting such an imagination and I just love watching him play.  He makes everything talk, yesterday on the way home from daycare, his oreo thinsations were having a great conversation!  Also, anything that happens that is bad, seems to be Bubby's fault.  Poor Bubby.

We got a new ride!  We realized that we could get pretty much our van, with all the add ons I originally wanted (but couldn't afford on mat leave) for the same monthly payment we were paying, so off Chris went and came home with this:
Basically the same van we had, but red, lol.  It has remote start, remote sliding doors and gate, sirius satellite, bluetooth, all the goods :)  It will be a nice comfortable ride for all when we drive home for the summer this July!  Oh, and the best part, dvd screens in the middle and back rows, whoo hoo :)

In other news, the back door is still not fixed,  the construction company is saying next Tuesday or Wednesday, Tuesday is a month to the day from Christmas, that's Fort Mac for you! 

It has been crazy cold here, I'm thinking about starting a count down for spring, but that might just make me depressed :(

Griffin is a model

A local photographer was looking for some babies for her portfolio, a free photo shoot for my little man?  Sure!  Here are the shots she sent.  I love love love them :)  If only someone in our house had remembered to feed the child some lunch, then she really would have got some great smiles!  Check out her site: Retrospect Photography.  Hmmm...her blog isn't working, so here is her business website: http://www.retrospectsphotography.net/




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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Our year in photos :)

 January- 34 weeks Pregnant
 Welcome Griffin Bruce Edward Organ- February 9, 2010
 March- doing some bed time reading.

 April- A visit home to New Brunswick and then our final snow storm of the winter
                                                                Happy Mother's Day- May

 Mommy and Griffin in June

Celebrated Canada Day in Fort McMurray then off to the Maritimes--July
August in New Brunswick
 September, the boys started to play together and Griff learned to sit up!



 October- mom and dad went on a mini vacation and saw the Oilers play the Flames at the Saddledome
 November- our first family portraits

 December- Owen turns 3 and Mommy makes her first fondant cake :)


HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL THE BEST IN 2011 :)