Victoria Day!!!

We took the Kids out on Victoria Day to Fort Steele (which is a heritage town just outside of Cranbrook). We were watching Grace Bevans for the week and decided that since it was a nice day(26 degrees) we would attempt to go out with two toddlers. The girls learned to pann for Gold and thought it was pretty cool.

This was the Dental Office! It had some pretty old equipment in it, good thing there has been a few updates since then. (1898 is when this town was build)

Here are the girls already for church. Ry and Taya just love Grace and now have decided they want another sister, not brother. She is such a cutie and very easy going. We had a lot of fun with her while she was here.

Walker not wanting his picture taken! But he always looks so handsome on Sunday that I tried my best to get it.

Easter!

Here are a couple pictures from our easter egg hunt! Walker showing off his chocolate. I couldn't get him to look at me he was too happy. Duke in the background loved it. The girls and Rueger with all there eggs. This was like the first nice day so the kids were just happy to be outside. Ry and Taya are going to miss Rueger and Briggs (not in the picture). These kids have grown up together so it is going to be sad when we will be 6 hours apart.

In 10 days...

I always put these in the wrong order, but here it is.... This is a picture of our house!!! This is an angle shot and I love that we are not surrounded by neighbors. It is nice to have the trees right behind us too. This was taken back in March so hopefully it is a lot green by the time we get there. This is about double the size of what we have been living in, so I am looking forward to a lot more room. The yard is fully landscaped with a play set in the back. (the kids are super excited). And finally our dog is going to be an outside/garage dog and not an inside dog. It has a huge heated garage for storage, 5 bedrooms, an awesome en suite to our bedroom, a/c, and much more. We will definitely miss Saskatoon (not our tiny condo), we have made a lot of great friends here. 7 years of -40 degree winters did us in so we are looking forward to the mild winters of BC. We our lucky to only be two blocks from Brett and Christy, and approx. 8 blocks from Scott and Heidi.

UNEXPECTED SURPRISE!!!

We have been so busy this last month and a half! After showing our condo many many times, it finally is SOLD!!! What a relief this has been. It is no fun cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning and then having to get rid of three kids and a dog. Thanks to my great friends for the help. Eric spent two long weeks up in Northern Sask. for school. So the kids and I headed home for two 1/2 weeks. Thanks Mom and Dad I know we over stayed our welcome but we really appreciated it.

Then off to Cranbrook to find a house! After two long days of seeing house after house we finally made an offer!!! YAY. I never new that it was so hard to find a five bedroom house...Yes that's right we have to make room for our UNEXPECTED SURPRISE coming early October.

So we move May 1st to Cranbrook, BC. I will be sad to move away from Saskatoon and especially good friends, but we are lucky to be moving close to other good friends. We are excited for warmer weather, and to finally start paying off the debt we have accumulated over the past 7 years.

25 Random Things About ME!!!

1. I think I can finally admit that I have OCD with cleaning my house. I also know it drives Eric nuts.
2. I am not an animal lover but I hate to admit that our puppy DUKE is growing on me everyday.
3. I hate feet especially foot rubs!!!
4. I wear my socks to bed. (this goes along with #3 I don't like my feet touching while I sleep)
5. I stress about everything.
6. I get really nervous while flying and always imagine the worst possible outcome. I hate flying without Eric.
7. Saskatoon has really grown on me. It has taken my 7 years to realize that I will really miss it when we move.
8. I don't like to try new things. I stick with what I know.
9. I hate wearing jeans during the day. I only put them on when I have too.
10. I also hang my jeans to dry because I love them crusty when I first put them on. Thanks to my sis. for introducing this to me. I also IRON everything, this comes from may long hours of ironing clothes as a child.
11. It drives me crazy when Eric sleeps in! I am definitely a morning person and he is the complete opposite.
12. I am usually open and honest with my opinions and tell people what I think! I inherited that from the Schaffer's.
13. I call home usually once a day! (sometimes every other). Eric thinks that between all of us girls we probably drive my mom crazy.
14. I rolled the Driver`s Ed. car in high school, and still passed!
15. I drives me crazy when women act like they are still in high school. Get over it and grow up we are all adults.
16. I love to run and spin.
17. I weight myself daily and only first thing in the morning.
18. I still bite my nails as a nervous habit. My parents tried breaking it many times.
19. I have to do my kids hair everyday, I can`t stand it when parents don`t comb their kids hair.
20. I love to shop! But there is only an elect few who I can shop with. Otherwise I prefer to shop alone or with my kids.
21. I love dessert!!! Anything with chocolate and cheesecake. I will cut my calories on the main dish so that I can eat two of dessert.
22. I am definitely not the cabin girl that Eric probably wished I was!!! Lucky for him he has two daughters that love to camp, fish, & horseback ride. I hate camping, and will only willingly go if it is at the cabins (which if anyone has been to the cabins it is like high end camping). I only like to fish if it involves a long hike to begin with. Horseback riding is not really my thing. I do usually ride once a summer to keep Eric happy.
23. I don't have a good sense of style! (hair, clothes etc). I am just lucky I have three sisters and my mom who keep my updated.
24. I love staying home with my kids, and have a greater appreciation of how lucky I am going from a full time working mom to now a stay at home mom.
25. I love to stay home on a Friday night, watch a movie with Eric and eat popcorn and smarties. The perfect date night CHEAP!!!

Quilting 101

One of the goals I made for myself this last year is that I was finally going to learn how to sew. I took a quilting class with a few friends. I made a patch quilt and it turned out pretty good for my first time. I don't have a picture yet, but it is on display in my mom's living room. This is my attempt to make my second quilt with no help. Thanks goodness this photo is very forgiving. I am not sure how one end ended measuring an inch longer than the other. I am sure Rylee or Taya won't notice. The girls have been begging me to make them blankets. They love to cuddle on the couch. So here is one of them. The second one will be coming soon. It isn't quite finished I have yet to learn how to applique. Hopefully Heather will give me a lesson next week. She has been my mentor in sewing. So Christy this picture is for you. I spent about 5 hour sewing tonight so I could post it.

Believe it or Not...

Believe it or not but this is only 4 weeks worth of Growth. This kid's hair is way more high maintenance than both of my girls. I usually take him to get it cut but we can only visit each salon once because usually it is traumatizing for both walker and the hair dresser. My friend Amy has cut it a few times but was happy to here that his Dad is his new hair dresser. Surprisingly he was very good, no screaming or crying. Taya found it funny that he was growing hair on his back!!!

And the Finished product. He is so handsome with his new cut (which looks exactly like Eric's), but what else should I expected. Just call him Eric Jr.

We are BACK...

Yes we are home! I am a little slow in updating my blog but here it finally is. We celebrated our Christmas holiday in Hawaii this year with our kids and Grandma And Grandpa Schaffer, and Ashley and Ryker. It was a lot more work than with thought but overall we had fun. Eric started off sick before even reaching the Calgary airport. That sickness then travelled through out almost all of us. Grandma, Grandpa, Walker and Ryker managed to stay healthy. After an almost 9 hours on the plane with two babies screaming 75% of the trip we were happy to finally land in Hawaii. We spent the next ten days playing on the beach, shopping, and touring the island. The girls had a blast!!! I think on the plane ride home we beat our record of screaming than on the way there. We were happy to return home to our Canadian roots, only to find out that after sitting in -30 degrees for two weeks both of our cars would not start. We spent New Years in Mountain View with the Nelson's. The girls (and Eric) received their long awaited puppy "DUKE". We are happy that after all the fun and caois to finally make it back to Saskatoon. Grandma and Grandpa made new rules after spending the holidays with us that 1. Grandkids have to be ten to travel. 2. That they support Eric with his decision to stop having anymore kids, that 3 is enough!!!

We are excited for these next few months!!! Eric is done school in the middle of April. We haven't seem much of him lately as he is studying for boards in mid-March. Thanks to Nathan Wolsey we came home to a freshly painted house. Which we will be putting up for sale early spring, (cross your fingers it will sell). We will be off to Cranbrook, BC this spring where Eric will associate for a Dentist for a short while and then buy the practice in the near future. We are excited to move closer to family and a lot warmer weather.

Christmas...

Christmas in Hawaii

Halloween!

This is what happens when the girls go with their DAD!!! Taya is so proud of her candy.

Walker stayed home to hand out candy with mom! We had a total of 7 trick or treaters.

Ry was a fairy, and Taya Princess Sleeping Beauty.

The kids went to a Halloween party at Ruegers and Briggs house. They had a lot of fun making ghosts and decorating cookies. Thanks Becky for the party.

Fall Pictures of the Kids

Here are the Pictures that my friend Erin took of the Kids in September. Thanks sooo much Erin you are so talented.

MY LITTLES MODELS... Rylee

Taya

My Baby At 1!!!

Walker is all packed ready for Grandma!

What MOM couldn't love a Face like this. I just can't get enough of this boy! He is finally walking everywhere and it is fun to watch. He is so proud of himself.

Our Newest Edition...SHHH!

So Eric and the girls long awaited puppy is finally here! He did arrive a few months before planned. I was kinda hopeing that it would be after we moved in the spring, but when do things always go as planned. Mark and Rach took in Bear for us two years ago and ever since then Ry and Taya have talked about these puppies. They don't actually know that they are finally here. So don't tell!!! What a way to top off a Christmas in Hawaii then coming home to a cute puppy.

Eric has picked the Male puppy, and here he is. Sooo cute I hope I still feel that way when he is peeing on my floor, needing to go for walks in -40 weather, and all the other joys a puppy will bring. (I am not a dog person.) I must not of clarified this before I married Eric. The girls were discussing names for the dog the other day (not knowing that he is going to become a reality soon) Rylee decided that she would pick the last name and Taya the first. Rylee chose Nelson for the last, which is very appropriate. Taya was not in agreeance with Nelson, but decided that Lassa would be the first. After arguing for a few minutes they decided that instead the name would be Dora Explora!!! I laughed and said sure just run that by your Dad. I was telling Eric about the conversation he then said you know that the dog is a boy. So good luck with that hun!!!

Here is a picture of the belly up!!!