The Year in Review -July

July was a pretty quiet month for us for several reasons...first of all...July is a really busy month at work for my husband, as some of the other guys at his job go on holidays, and he ends up covering their weekends so he can take his holidays in August....but we also haven't really had the money for one reason or another to take any kind of vacation since we moved here from BC five years ago... :( Also...I have chronic problems with my ears and have for about ten years now...it was mostly better until this summer when I got sick with some virus, and I was so dizzy for 10 days that every time I tried to get off of the couch, I would be sick to my stomach....my ears hurt, and then on July 27 after my second round of antibiotics...my left ear started ringing, and still rings to this day. Sometimes it is a high pitched squeal and other times it is a dull roar...but it never gos away......Has anyone else had this condition?? I believe it is called tinitus...I am afraid I may have to live with it for the rest of my life....
However....we did have fun on Canada day...we went to the community celebration at our local Wascana park...We usually do...and I really enjoy it..

These slide show was taken in the evening during the fireworks show at the lake...

Shawna with Jeremy

During the day they all kinds of free entertainment for the whole family...It was a good time! It was also a very hot day....

Photo Friday-Breathtaking...

My wonderful baby boy.....
Is there anything else more breathtaking then new life at peace?
If you would like to see more photo Fridays...click here.

June 2007

June! We made it half way through the year! Jeremy was now 5 months old,and weighed in around 14 lbs....he was still wearing 3 month old and new born clothes, and he was only in the 10th percentile of growth, but he was healthy and active. He started on his first solid foods this month, but it didn't go so well, as all he wanted to do (and still wants to do) is nurse...

Mr. Talon Balon was 7 months old....and getting bigger and bigger...nothing wrong with his appetite....LOL! However, we were concerned about him as he had been congested
since he was about 3 months old...We were unable to find out what was wrong..and doctors just kept giving him more and more antibiotics...Finally we did find a doctor who sent him to a pediatrician, and we were able to find out that he actually had asthma...a relief, because at least he could now be treated....

In June we also took some time as a family to do some of the fun stuff we like to do in June...Every year, we have something we go to called Mosaic...It is a blast...and relatively cheap....It is a multi-cultural event. They have sometimes upwards of 30 different pavillions from all different cultures, and each pavillion trys to show you what their culture is like through food, music, dance and craft....It lasts for three days, although Kendal and I usually only go for one or two depending on how we feel...This year, we brought Brandy (and her "friend") and Bree one day and then the other day Kendal, Jeremy and I went with our friends Brenda and Jason, and their daughter Mercy....I thought Jeremy was going to stress out, but he was really good, and seemed fascinated by all the music and sounds....

Brandy and friend Ben

Bree eating Mango ice cream


something on a banana leaf....

Brenda

We also took the girls to Moosejaw which is about 45 min. away one day in June last year...We had lots of fun...there was some kind of street festival going on, so we hung out there for a good portion of the day...and then we went for a river boat tour in the evening(which took about an hour) Captain Jack always makes it interesting..and figured out Bree was nervous in a boat, and kept making it rock...hehehe
and then we went out to supper.

Not a bad start to the summer...

Edition one!

Today's Thursday Thirteen will be about the New Year's Resolutions I would make...if I made New Years Resolutions....which I don't....but I guess if I am writing them..I am kind of making them too aren't I?...now ... if you have made it through that muddle....

1. SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD...more time reading my Bible and praying....I miss the amount of time I used to spend in God's word....

2. SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY TEENS...they are teens and don't REALLY want to hang out with me...but we only have Brandy a max. of another 7months..and Bree is 15...so they can just suck it up and hang out with the old lady....LOL!

3. Have some me time with Kendal before we are expecting the next baby. We haven't had any since Jeremy arrived on the scene....of course.....Kendal and I spending time together could end up with Jeremy having a sister sooner then we want.....

4. Play Guitar much more then I have the last two years...I am missing my music.

5. Sing more often. Something I haven't done quite as much the last couple of years....

6. Get back into painting. I have a whole series in my head...

7. Lose about 70 lbs....:) Yeah...I am sure that one will happen.....

8. Try to post a blog a day for a year....

9. Get my photographs taken care of....we have tons...and they are EVERYWHERE and need to be put in books, or on walls or sent to people...ect.....

10. Excercise....nuff said.

11. Keep my house cleaner? Yeah...right....put that one in behind lose 70 lbs.....

12. Finnish writing my kids book....Kendal keeps bugging me...but a girl only has so much time after all that excercising and keeping the house clean.....

13. AND big final thirteen...ok...has to be good....hmmmm....keep my house clean..

oh.. I said that already....

(LOL!) ok...I just asked my youngest daughter what it should be.....and ....she said "Keep your house clean!" I rest my case. I guess it will have to be #11 and #13!

Don't forget to read my post below about May.....

To see more Thursday THirteens.. click Here

May 2007

A very tired mommy with Jeremy...

May all of a sudden seemed very quiet to me after the first several months of Jeremy's arrival...With Talon gone, the house seemed very quiet...but it was also nice...We were able to start doing some things again, and were able to visit with friends and hang out at places....(Like my favorite ice cream store in the world...(Dessart) Our friends Jason and Brenda even brought us out for dinner to an East Indian Restaraunt...(one of my fav kinds of foods....)

Jeremy's favorite toy... a red bird...

We discovered by accident one day that Jeremy was a book fanatic....already at 4.5 months. We were in a bookstore at the mall...and he just went nuts..When we left he had his first book, and he never put it down. He even went through a cookbook with me one day for half an hour because he liked the pics of the food.! At one year old- today...he still loves his books best. He turns pages and looks at them by himself...

By now, Talon was a big boy of around 7 months old...we still spent time with him a couple of days a week, but now I was able to relax more when he was around, and have some fun with him...Compared to Jeremy he was huge....He was at the top of his growth scale, while Jeremy was at the very bottom of his....LOL! I think Jeremy was at a whopping 13 lbs at 4 months while Talon was over 20 lbs at 7 months. It was like having the biggest and smallest at the same house!

If this month had a difficult point...it was adjusting to the idea, that our best friend Jeremy (above) had been gone for one year this month as of the fourth of May....
(Jeremy is the guy we named our son after.) If you would like to read some of my memories of Jeremy...Click HERE

One of the fun things we do every May is go to the Cathedral Arts Festival...We have done it every year since we moved to Regina. There are all kinds of buskers, tables set up, food (how can you not like something when food is involved...) and entertainment. Best of all...it is FREE!!!

This year we had a special treat, as the girls met someone famous....

Lacy off of Corner Gas!!!

Jeremy enjoys some entertainment

Wordless Wednesday!

Baby Blue Eyes

How come all my Wordless Wednesday posts are about my son??LOL!

April 2007

Brandy and Jeremy (dedication day)

So far the New Year had proven pretty eventful for us as a family...We had successfully cared for two little ones and not gone completely insane....but the time had come for little Talon...now 6 months old to go home to his mommy....It was the first time since Jeremy was born (He was now 3 months old) that I would only have one baby on a full time basis...and I was excited to be able to concentrate on just him for a little while...He was actually starting to wake up once in a while as well...the first three months he did nothing but sleep most of the time...We were now getting little baby belly laughs as well as sweet smiles....and he was showing more interest in his toys and the world around him....

Unfortunately I was losing the battle of having Jeremy sleep in his own room though. Due to having Talon with us and Jeremy needing to nurse so often...he didn't think much of his own room...LOL!

In April we were also able to have the boys dedicated together....That was a pretty cool experience..having both my son and my grandson dedicated to the Lord at the same time. We were also able to have a lot of family down for the event which was part of the reason we chose that particular time. Our family took up three rows of the church!! Afterwards we all went back to Anna and Geralds house for a lunch. It was a memorable day. If you would like to see more pictures you can look at them here, here and here....oh...and here too!(LOL) Never a shortage of pictures in this family!

Uncle Marky and Jeremy

Daddy and Jeremy (dedication day)

The timing was such that we were also all able to go and see the passion play while they were here too! I love the Passion Play...For those of you who haven't seen it...it is about the life and death of Jesus..and they use live animals for it...All their effects are well done...they have lightening....when they whip Jesus blood appears...I have never yet watched it where it hasn't profoundly affected me, (which of course is the point...)
I was able to see it with Jeremy...he mostly slept through it, but LA had Talon and ended up in the nursery for most of it....

Friend Scott playing Judas (with Jeremy)

April was also my 38th birthday....Kendal threw me a party...and we went for dinner, pool and a movie.....

So mature Kendal....LOL!

and onto March....

March 2007

My son and grandson are wonderful...

Wow! Somehow we made it to March with a new little one, now two months old, and a five month old. However I was finding it difficult, and actually was suffering from some depression, as the result of post partum, and just sheer exhaustion. By now, I was asking for help from my MIL who started taking Talon on Sat and from Krystal who was now able to take him a night as well...I just could no longer cope on my own....I took full advantage of those days to get my shopping done, and also to go out and have some visiting time with friends....
By now...Jeremy was smiling and Talon was sitting...hard to believe the boys were getting big so very fast....

Stunned

Taco is suffering from Middle Child Syndrome...

The weather warmed up dramatically one day in March and was actually up near twenty degrees, so we went for a walk in Wascana Park...It was Jeremy's first outing...and we really enjoyed it after being so cooped up....

We really didn't do much in March...but survival seemed like enough at the time...LOL!

BTW...Happy New Years.....