Wow, how much time has passed since I updated last? I guess it's just not been a priority these days...what with me sleeping all afternoon and all. :-) Not really, just dreaming. But really, I am quite unmotivated these days except for doing what I really really HAVE to do!

The girls have been behaving remarkably well recently. That is the biggest news. Not always in relation to me and daddy, but when they are playing they can play for hours and keep themselves entertained. They've been playing a lot of "school" and "swimming lessons". I also bought them pink and purple "cell phones" for $2.47, and let me tell you, it was $2.47 well spent! They have provided hours of entertainment! The other day I even found myself feeling a tad guilty because I hadn't heard from them in about 2 hours! So anyway, I was also wondering if anyone has any creative projects/crafts/etc that I could do with them. Please give me ideas, I know you have them!!!

It is so nice to have warmer weather. The kids are asking to play outside again and we went for a nice walk today. Yeah! I'm SO ready for spring.

Yesterday AC had Storybook Parade at school, where they all had to dress like their favourite character. She dressed as Fern from Charlotte's Web (we just finished reading the book). I will try and post a picture of her later tonight. She was quite pleased (and I must admit, I was too) that no one else was dressed as Fern. She almost dressed as Laura Ingalls but we couldn't find a dress that seemed appropriate. Anyway, she had fun.

Adrienne attempts to do her part in baking her birthday cake...

Happy Birthday, Adrienne Grace!

What could be better than this?!

This is at the beginning of the gondola, looking waaaaay up.

The view from the summit of Tunnel Mountain

Banff

We had a wonderful time in Banff! The only problem was that is was 4 days instead of 14! But hey, I'm not complaining. It was so good to get away, and so good to spend some quality time with the love of my life. I was "nameless" there - I could go into a coffee shop (or 2 or 3) or any store, etc. and no one knew me! No deadlines, no time frame of any kind, no phone, etc. Daryl had meetings from 7 am until noon, and then we would meet for lunch and have the rest of the day together. The first day we did a bit of a hike - nothing too strenuous, but a good enough distance that you know you're on a mountain! It was up Tunnel Mountain, about 5.5 km round trip. We also did the gondola one day. Neither of us thought twice about it, until we reached the parking lot and looked up the mountain to see how high it really goes. We were both a little weak in the knees on the way up, but were really glad we did it. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, so the view wasn't the greatest, but it was still breathtaking to be that high and be at the actual summit of Sulpher Mt. So all in all, we had a wonderful, relaxing time. I'm so grateful to my mom for coming out to watch the kids. I think she even survived. :-)

The News is Out

Well, here it is. After you tell your kids this kind of news, there's no point in trying to keep it a secret to the rest of the world! Yes, we're having (another!!!) baby in September. Wow. Amazement? Fear? Shock? Happiness? Dismay? Excitement? How 'bout all of the above! We've had a little time to process the idea now, and I'm actually starting to get excited. :-) I guess God knew that we needed an answer to our question of whether or not to have a 4th child! At least we are laughing and not crying, dismayed but not overwhelmed... (how does that go again?). Well, at least now I know I'll get a few comments. Sorry to not tell everyone personally, but you know, it's a little different when it's #4. Hurry and leave your comments because we're leaving tomorrow!

A Good Read

I just finished an interesting book (yeah, I actually finished it!) that I think a lot of "you" would enjoy. It's called Mommy Guilt by Bort, Pflock and Renner, and you can be part of their studies here . I wouldn't say I agree with 100% of everything they say, but I really enjoyed the read and it gave me a fresh perspective on my parenting. Their theory behind "The Seven Principles of the Mommy Guilt-Free Philosophy" is not that you should stop your guilt, but that you should rearrange your mindset and parenting style so that you don't have to feel guilty (or else tune in to it and listen to what the guilt is saying and do something about it). Anyway, I got the book for Christmas if anyone wants to borrow it someday I would be happy to loan it out. I think every mom should read it.