Jump for Joy!

This is the new view from our back deck. Fun! I've been trying to convince Greg for a long time now to get the boys a trampoline. Well, on Thursday the Canadian Tire flyer came out and they had this 12 ft trampoline with a full enclosure on sale for $150 off. He couldn't say no! Well that and the kids begged him! So, on Saturday we went and got one. After 2 hours of set-up it was done. Though this isn't going to be it's permanent home, Greg is going to have to dig out some bushes in order to push it all the way back into that corner and further from the pond. The kids have been on it pretty much non-stop since Saturday. Isaiah enjoys getting on and getting off, getting on and getting off. Kind of annoying because we have to help him all the time but that's okay. Zay really enjoys jumping and isn't afraid when he gets tossed by Greg or I or the other kids. Noah is already doing flips. Yikes! All in all it was a great purchase and it will only get used more in the years to come.

Well, that is going to have to be it for back-yard play things for a while. We have officially run out of room. Apparently a veggie garden, shed, deck, pond, swingset, and trampoline can fill up your backyard. Next house.....a bigger yard!

Family Foto Shoot

A few weeks ago one of my old co-workers asked if she could take some family photos of us to add to her portfolio. I said that would be great! So we went up to the Abbey and had some pictures taken. Here are only a few of the ones she took. I'll add more later. Oh, and the new header at the top of our blog is from the same photo shoot!

Noah Graduates!

Noah graduated from pre-school today.....sniff sniff! This means he's off to kindergarten in the fall. I'm not going to lie, I almost cried at his graduation ceremony today. I can't believe how grown up he is. Time has flown by way too fast and now he's big. I guess I still have Isaiah for a few more years which seems to lessen the pain. Anyway, here are some pictures of the graduate. They even wore caps and gowns....how cute!

Here he is sitting with his classmates waiting for their names to be called so they could receive their certificate, medal, and other assorted goodies.

Noah's name was called and he got all his goodies from his teachers. His favourite by far is his medal which he wore to his post-graduation celebratory lunch at McDonalds.

Here's the class photo with the kids in their caps and gowns after receiving thier medals.

They even threw their caps up in the air to celebrate at the very end. I'm not going to lie to you, it was super cute.

And finally, here's a picture of the graduate himself. Since beginning pre-school in the fall he has learned to read, spell, add and subtract in his head, and a wide assortment of other things. He has grown up so much this past school year both accademically and socially it is amazing. I think he's ready for kindergarten but I know I'm not. Way to go Small Fry! WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Motionball

So yesterday Greg and I participated in Motionball the Marathon of Sport which was a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. There was a team of 9 of us and we were paired with a Special Olympian. We competed in 6 events which included ultimate frisbee, basketball, beach volleyball, badminton, soccer, and bocce. The event was held at the EA Sports complex in Burnaby and it was an amazing place. In our next lives Greg and I vow to be computer geeks so we can work there and take advantage of all the perks they have! We had a great day and it was for an even greater cause. As a team we were able to fundraise almost $4000. Which left us in 4th place for fundraising. Not bad for our first year at the event. Next year we're looking to raise close to $10000. Anyway, here are some pictures from the event (mostly of the kids because Greg and I were playing in all the events).

Here's a team shot....almost! We were named Team Meatballs (my brother came up with the name) and fittingly we had brown shirts on. Anyway, our team consisted of (from left to right) Kyle (my brother), Cam, Cody (back), Mike (front), Mica, Shelly, Greg, and in the front row with the hat on JoJo our Special Olympian. I hope she had a great time because we had fun with her.

Here ar our four cheerleaders. From left, Maya, Isaiah, Noah, and Madeline. Maya and Madeline are sisters and live on the street behind us. Hopefully Noah and Madeline will be in the same kindergarten class next year. They had a great time cheering us on and playing with us.

Here's an action shot of Greg playing some Beach Volleyball....nice bump dear!

Noah playing in the sand while we play some volleyball.

Finally here's Isaiah climbing the fence at the basketball court. Don't worry he didn't fall here..... instead he fell later in the day at the soccer field where he scratched his forehead, nose, chin, and cut his lip pretty bad. It was so bad we had to make a trip to the First Aid Tent. Good thing he's a tough guy! All in all it was a fabulous day. We had such a great time. Greg and I even got to play some doubles badminton and bocce together....FUN! It was so much fun we're going to do it again next year!

Camping in Style

So last year (our first year of camping as a family) we camped in a tent.........in the rain.........with two little kids. I really enjoyed the concept of camping but not the "tent" in the rain with kids part. So, this year I have been searching for a tent trailer. I didn't think I had Greg convinced that this was the best thing to get but I must have. I found one on Craigslist in Mission last Friday and by Saturday we were owners of a 2002 Flagstaff Tent Trailer. Woo hoo! I am SO EXCITED! Mostly excited to not have to sleep on the floor with two kids, have a place to go when it rains, and did I mention there is an inside shower and toilet complete with hot water. Yes! For those of you who don't know I am a clean freak....so this shower thing is gonna be awesome! Who says you HAVE to get dirty when you camp? Anyway, here are some pictures of our new purchase!

Here is a shot from the door looking in. To the left is the table, straight ahead is the shower/toilet combo, to the left of that is the stove and sink, and to the right inside the door is the fridge. The white thing hanging up is an extra storage bag to hold stuff. I'm not sure what you are supposed to put in there but I guess we'll figure it out!

Here is a shot of the queen size bed at one end.

Here is a shot of the double bed at the other. On the left is the table and on the right is the sink and stove.

And here it is all opened up.

I'm really excited to go camping this year (way more than last year)! This weekend I worked and next weekend Greg and I are participating in Motionball (a fundraiser for the Special Olympics) but the weekend after is our inaugural trip.....we are heading to Hicks Lake up in Harrison. Should be fun! We can't wait!

Mothers Day at Cascade Falls

So, for Mothers Day the boys (all 3 of them) and I went to Cascade Falls for the afternoon. Noah and Isaiah loved the hike and loved looking at the waterfalls. Here are some pictures from our trip.
Here's Noah looking for the "Grumpy Old Troll Who Lives Under The Bridge". I don't think he ever found him...and we went over several bridges. Crazy!

Here are me and my little boys standing in front of the giant waterfall.

And after looking at the waterfall the boys decided it was time to make waterfalls of their own. I think it is really funny that they are looking at each other. This is definite wedding material!

We hiked all the way to the Upper Pools. Well, Isaiah got a ride with Greg...his legs were just too little for the climb. Once we got there he was pretty amazed with how fast the water was moving and all the big rocks.

Zay decided he was gonna play "Peet-a-boo" (he says Peet) behind the rocks. It was funny watching his face...so funny I had to take a picture.

My boys!

Here is Greg pretending to jump across to that big rock.

Here are the boys watching Greg. Noah knows he is pretending but Isaiah is yelling "No Daddy! No Daddy!" If you look closely you can see the concern on his little face. It was kind of cute!

Me and Zay cuddling in for a close up!

Finally we are on our way back to the car. It was such a big hike and a fabulous Mothers Day. Thanks boys!

Big Boys

So, the boys are getting big....so big in fact that this weekend we went to Greg's Aunt and Uncles house to pick up a Big Boy Bed for Zay. He's been in a toddler bed since he was 11 months old and now that Greg's Aunt and Uncle are moving it was time to get him a bigger bed. The sets came from Greg's cousins (Dan and Ben). Now both boys have matching sets in their rooms. Thanks Johnstones! Here are some pictures of the boys in their beds......
Okay, so they aren't in their beds in this picture but aren't they cute? Here they are waiting for me to take them to Great Grandpa Pops house for a visit!

Finally, here's Zay in his Big Boy Bed....with Sesame Street decorations of course! What you can't see is how much he LOVES his new bed. It must also be comfy since he has been sleeping until 8:00 ever since we got it! He's got a Sesame Street room complete with a 4 foot Elmo sticker on the wall opposite his headboard....there are other Sesame guys too but they just don't rate! Now I have to make his Sesame blanket bigger to fit his big bed.....what a project!

Here's a close-up.....our baby is growing up...sniff sniff!

Here's a shot from the door. The pillow is there in case he falls out which he is likely to do at some point in time. He looks so little in such a big bed.

Here's a shot of Noah's room....well some of it....well mostly just his bed. Anyway, Noah has a green two-toned Dinosaur room......complete with Dinosaurs all over his walls and shelves and even on his blanket. Well, those are some pictures of the Big Boys in their matching Big Beds. Fun! Thanks again Johnstones.....know that these beds will be well loved by the boys!

Noah at Pre-School

Here are some pictures of Noah at Pre-School. He loves going to pre-school and is learning so much. He is reading, writing, spelling phonetically, adding numbers in his head, and even subtracting numbers in his head. Socially he has also learned a lot from Jump Smart, it's amazing to see the difference in him. He now talks to people instead of hiding from them.
Here is a photo of Noah and Ms. Kim. She is the head of Jump Smart but isn't his everyday teacher.

This is Noah and his teacher Miss. Chantel. She is awesome and he is always talking about her. If I could wish for anything it would be that both my kids have teachers like her in the years to come.

Here are some of the kids in Noah's class. The girl hugging Noah is Kaity. They get along really well. On the other side of Noah is Evan, another one of Noah's buddies in his class.

Here are the the 3 Musketeers, Maggie, Noah, and Evan. Hopefully they will all be in the same Kindergarten class next year as they all will be at the same school. They get along so well and they play together frequently.

Here's Noah working on some puzzles with Kaity and Maggie before the class is about to begin. Well, that's about it. Pre-School ends in 2 months and then it is on to Kindergarten...sniff sniff. I'm not sure I'm ready but I know Noah is.

Zay Turned 2!

So, it's been a while but Zay turned 2 at the beginning of March. Here are a bunch of photos from his parties.....yes, I said parties! The picture order is random (I can't figure out how to move them around to make sense)...sorry!

On Zay's birthday we had a party for him and our good friend Julle who shares his birthday (March 3rd).....Julle picked the birthday meal and Zay picked desert. A yummy kit kat ice cream birthday cake covered in smarties and topped with a Veggietale candle. Interesting choice Zay!

Here's the birthday two-some blowing out the candles on their cake.

For his birthday one of his gifts was Sesame Street Kid K'Nex....they are like lego only bigger and easier for little hands. He got Ernie, Bert, Elmo, and Cookie Monster. I think the adults had more fun playing with these than the kids did.

He also got some Sesame Street cars. Can you tell he is a fan of Sesame Street?? He even has a Sesame Street room.....complete with a 4 foot Elmo wall sticker!

Here he is with some of his presents. Sesame wrapping paper too.....wow!

Then came Isaiah's birthday party with all his friends. He really wanted to have his birthday at McDonalds....so we did. The McDonalds in Mission has a brand new playground so we booked it for a few hours and had his party there. It was really fun....and I didn't have to cook or clean to prepare for it....how wonderful for me!

Blowing out the candles on his Big Bird cake (a special request from Isaiah himself) with Malcolm watching.

Noah and Riley helped out in the gift opening, Noah read Isaiah his cards and Riley helped him unwrap his gifts.

Here are most of the kids sitting at the tables coloring on the sheets they were given and wearing their crowns. They all seemed to have a great time.

The birthday boy playing on the slide. I'm not sure who taught him to go down face first but he did!

Olivia and Sabrina are showing Isaiah his Big Bird cake made by Auntie Cindi. As usual she did an awesome job. I only wish I could be as creative as her! But I am not so I will stick to begging her for cakes! Thanks Auntie Cindi for the cake...it was awesome!