can anybody relate??

you may need more sleep when you are in the shower and can't remember if you washed your hair yet or not!

you may have a rambuntious boy when you go into the nursary at church and he has ripped off his shirt and is tackling one of the nursary workers!

you may need to re-evaluate your speech when your toddlers most common response is "are you kidding me?"

you may be the wife/mom to a redneck when you go downstairs to see they have set up a hunting zone in the basement complete with deer antlers and moose slippers hidden throughout and are shooting them with a vaccum cleaner piece one by one!

you may be a little emotional when the happy ending to monters inc. makes you tear up!

and to top it off.....Dexter has his finger up his nose
Me: dex stop picking your nose
Dex: I not!
Me: please take your finger out of your nose!
Dex: oh, i just buggin' you mom!

Classy Chicken!

This is for you Katie!

3 chicken breast (cut into bite size pieces)
some pepper
some olive oil
(cook in your frying pan)
Broccoli (enough to generously cover the bottom of an 11by13 dish)
(cook so it is still a bit crisp)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
(i don`t usually have this so I make a white sauce and add some epicure chicken stock)
one half cup mayo
1 tsp (or more) curry powder
1 tsp (or same amount as curry) lemon juice
about a cup of grated cheese

cook the chicken, and broccoli (just until it is still a bit crisp) then mix soup (or white sauce) mayo, curry and lemon juice. Fill dish with broccoli, top with chicken, then pour sauce over and top with grated cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 mins and serve over rice! enjoy!
p.s. this fits in an 11 by 13 casserole dish!

a lot to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving was such a great weekend for us! On Sunday we had thanksgiving dinner at my grandmas house with the family, which was amaing food as it always is when grandma cooks! (I am thankful for my grandma and the fact that daniel and i live the closest to her right now and therefore get lots of good leftovers!)Then, on Monday Daniel decided we were going out for the day! (I am thankful for my husbands spontaneous side even though we rarely see it!!) We left the house mid morning with a few plans made and didn't get home until bedtime, it was the best family date day we've had in a while (I am thankful we made it all day without any meltdowns!!) Our first planned stop was DeMilles to check out the pumpkins, the animals and the corn maze, but as I went to unbuckle Lexi I smelt an all to familiar smell!! Yup, she blew out all over her undershirt and down the leg of her tights!! So instead of getting out, we jumped back into the van and went to zellers!
(I am thankful for sto and go seat that lay flat and make it really easy to change a messy diaper! and that Zellers had a sale on baby clothes!) after using all the wipes and re-dressing Lexi we headed back to DeMilles! The animals were really fun to pet and feed, Dexter never gets tired of animals and tractors and I think Lexi is following close in his foot-steps! Everytime an animal came close she got so excited and kicked her feet and giggled! We went a little ways into the corn maze but Dex got distracted and just wanted to take the corn out to feed the animals!
Next stop was lunch! We picked up a couple of little caesers pizzas and walked down the peir in salmon arm for lunch. Eating pizza on th dock has been a date that Daniel and I have done since before we were married! (I am thankful for good memories! and a long dock for Dex to run down and burn off his energy!) By the time we finished eatingand playing on the dock it was time for the kids to nap so we packed everyone back in the van and grabbed McDonalds coffee to-go and headed out to kingfisher to see the sockeye run. When we first arrived the smell was pretty strong (I was very thankful i wasn't pregnant or I'm sure i would have gotten sick!) Then we noticed that Lexi blew out once again! So we had no more wipes and no more clothes, so we improvised as we knew Dexter would not be impressed if we missed the fish! We used McDonalds napkins and did a pretty good job cleaning her up, then wrapped her in the sling to keep warm! once we headed down to the river, the smell wasn't bad at all! Needless to say Dexter loved the fish and continually informed us when he saw any dead ones on the beach (which was often) and that the fish in the water were red sockeye! (I am thankful that we really do have the smartest kids around! haha!)All in all, we really had a wonderful day, and all I could think of was how incredibly blessed i am, a beautiful family, surrounded by God's amazing creation! It doesn't get any better!

New outfit for Lexi = $15
Pizza = $10
2 McD's coffee = $3.45
Making Family Memories = PRICELESS!

p.s. I had some great pics to attach, but i have tried for a week to attach them and its still not working so I am going to post it anyway,

boys vs. girls!

So today i had Bella and Emmy over for a bit and never get tired of watching the differences between boys and girls. We are downstairs at one point while emmy and bella are pretneding to be babies and dexter thinks he's playing right along with them only he is calling moose and on a hunting trip. Next I come down to catch dexter tackling bella to the ground (i never stopped it cause everyone was laughing) and as they get up dexter says to bella "taco me" asking her to tackle him in return and bella's sweet response it "tickle, tickle!" as she strokes his belly and arms! Finally I am watching as Bella coddles her little lamb and finds a cute teddy bear recieving blanket to wrap it in then lovingly rocks her "baby to sleep" I notice dexter watching her so he goes and grabs this big ugly moose slipper, wraps it in a ginormous fleece fishing blanket and shakes it to sleep then throws it into a box for a nap! I wish I had my camera, it was so priceless! Ovbiously God made man and woman different and it shows up at such a young age!

keeping up with the boy already!

Well, Lexi already is working so hard to keep up to her big brother, I can see her competitive side coming out already! (don't know where she got that from!? haha!) she has reached so many milestones around the same time Dexter did, and some even before!

Smiling - both by 3 weeks for sure (and yes I know it wasn't just gas!)

Sleeping- neither slept thru the night by 7 months, but Dexter did sleep better then Lexi does

Rolling from front to back (consistantly)- Dexter 8 weeks! Lexi 12 weeks

Rolling from back to front (consistantly) - Dexter 12 weeks, Lexi 14 weeks
Commando crawling - Dexter 5.5 months, Lexi 5 months

First tooth - dexter 7 months, Lexi 5 months
Furnature walking - 7.5 months for both
First overnight youth trip - Dexter <3,>

Clapping - Dexter...don't remember, Lexi 7 months

Hand and Knee crawling - Both 7.5 months

First BC Lions game!! Lexi 7.5 months, Dexter...still waiting!

He caught her!

playing in the crib!

Lexi is just over 8 months now and she is such a doll! She can be so girlie and sweet one minute, and the next she is right in there holding her own against Dexter while fighting for a toy! She loves her brother so much, he can not only make her giggle, but full out laugh at times. It is so fun to watch them start to play more and more together. Already Lexi is showing that she is very strong willed, she is nearly impossible to get any food into! She refuses to le me feed her almost anything (although she has not problem eating ice-cream off a spoon or from a cone!) The only way I can get solids into her is cheerios (that she feed herself) some fruit in those little netty chewer things (that she does herself) some grated cheese (that she feeds herself) notice a pattern here! I know soon it will be nice that she is so independant with her eating, but right now I feel like she is not getting enough solids into her (never mind the huge mess she leaves behind!) although I am not too worried as her height is in th 97th percentile and her weight is not far behind in ariound the 80th percentile (which is far bigger then Dex was at this age!)

Lexi continues to be a daddy's girl, but I would say I'm a close second! And she just makes us smile and feel so blessed to have her every day! (although if we were getting more sleep we may remember more of these milestones!!)

chewing on some raspberries!

Lexi LOVES bath time!


Too young for this!

Well, I just felt I wanted to remember a few of these milestones, so I will finish with a few more pics!

6 Month pics

and just like that, summer is over!

Well, I have completly neglected my blog this summer as we have been so busy! Today was the first day of school, and back to reality begins. I have thoroughly enjoyed having Daniel around more the last couple months while school has been out, but he was back at it today and already has more days booked this week and next! (thank you Lord!) We had such a great summer although I would have been fine to enjoy another month of it!

We started off our summer with a trip to Calgary for a Derksen cousin wedding (which was beautiful!) We began our first real road trip with both kids which ovbiously didn't go as planned but actually went better then we expected. Our kids travelled wonderfully and Dexter didn't even need to watch a movie, he was content to sing and play farm and babble our ears off pretty much the entire trip. Lexi also travelled amazingly which was great!

Thanks to my dad we got to stay 2 nights in a hotel (he gets some free stays for staying so much with work) which although far less romantic then it used to be was still a lot of fun! The first night Dexter woke up, made it over to my side of the bed, found my cup of water and dumped it in a suitcase all before we even woke up! Thankfully it was daniel's suitcase and not mine! haha! The second night was a little less eventfull although still entertaining to hear Dexter talk in his sleep. And even though we had a king size bed, it felt like a twin because we had to sleep with Lexi in between us and even then (at 5 months) she moved so much that w were literally hugging the edge of the bed while she slept sideways up-side down and whatever other way she could!

That Sunday, the kids and I carried on to sask while Daniel flew home to work. The kids and I enjoyed a week and a half hanging out with family (although I do not want to spend that much time apart from my hubby again!!) , then Daniel joined us for the last week to celebrate grandma and Grandpa Douma's 50th. What a beautiful celebration we had! You can definetly see God's faithfulness throughout the generations in that family and I feel very blessed to be apart of it.

What a blessing to have so many believers in one family!! Grandpa Douma spoke at the 50th and shared this verse. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain." Psalm 127:1a This blessed me so much because I just came to that realization (once again) that its not about us,but all about HIM.

Shortly after we got home from sask, we went on 9our first family camping trip. With our car literally full to the brim, we took off to good ole' noisey creek! I have so many great memories there as a kid and it seemed like the normal thing to do to bring our kids out there too! We really had a blast even though it was a short trip, we cooked over the fire, swam in the lake, played with some cousins and ate a lot of s'mores!! Dexter and Daniel even caught a little fish (i'm not sure which one was more proud of it!)

Just after we got home from camping our first of many company this summer arrived!! We really enjoyed the different family who came to stay and the kids definetly loed the extra attention! While the different groups of company came and left we spent A LOT of time at the river where both Dexter and Lexi loved to play and splash a round. Pretty sure Lexi ate way too much sand, but it didn't seem to bother her! We also did a lot of raspberry picking (yum!) froze and canned peaches and just enjoyed sweet memories as a little family,

Another priveledge we had this summer was going out to Gardom Lake Bible camp where Daniel was the camp speaker for a week. It was so encouraging to hear Daniel speak and see lives changed for the Lord. He has a wonderful gift of not only speaking to the kids, but building relationships with them (and the staff) and being an encouragement to them also!

and just like that summer is over!

my dedicated fishermen catching walleye in sask!

Dexter's birthday party and beautiful Lexi!

Well, i know this is about three weeks behind, but while we were in sask I used up my spare time wishing Daniel was there already, and when he got there we were just to busy! But I am posting this old(ish) news anyway because its some fun stuff to remember!

So, like I said we celebrated Dexters birthday a week late with his twin-cousin Bella and it was a blast. A small bunch of kids in the granparents backyard makes for lots of fun, and crying and mess and more fun! We decorated some giant birtrhday cards for Dex and Bella and ate a lot of pop-corn, spilt a lot of juice, played in the yard, sang and ate cake and finished off with Daniel and Micheal doing a fish pond for the kids' goodie bags! Here's a few pics!
Since turning two, Dexter is not only potty trained, but in the last week he insists on taking himself! (thanks a lot Bella!) although he acually does a great job, while commentating the entire process to us including "shake, shake shake" and "my flush!?" He has also decided he is going to be independant in many other areas like getting into the car, brushing his teeth and more. One of his sweetest new lines is "rub my back mommy" (when he crawls into bed and lifts his shirt for me!) along with "where my apple pie!?" (yes he is his father's son in many ways!)
And beautiful Lexi! At five months, she really is beautiful! I already think about the boys who are going to be lining up for her as she is not just beautiful to look at, but she has this wonderful little personality! Though she does play a little strange when people pick her up, if you just look at her and smile, she gives you back this amazing grin from ear to ear and somtimes she hides into a shoulder and plays shy. She talks, and talks and talks! and its not all the same, she has differenbt tones and pitches and volumes including loud, very loud and loudest! She already fits in to both sides of the family well! Lexi has no real interest in sitting on her own because as soon as you try to sit her up, she rolls onto her belly and starts to scooch. She is not what you call crawling, but she is scootching all over! She already can get to wherever the party is which means we need to remember to keep the door to the stairs shut! And finally, she has two teeth. It almost made me cry when i saw them (and not because she bit me) because it means she is growing up and just about ready to eat! I can't believe how fast these five months have gone and I am really trying to enjoy every minute! (although those many minutes in the middle of the night are hard to enjoy as she is a terrible sleeper!!) so I will finish these memories with some more pics!


p.s. for some reason i have the same pic of lexi three times!! anybody know how to delete a picture once you've put it there????

Our little boy is 2!

I know people say this all the time, but I can't believe how fast time goes!! It feels like last week I was pregnant with Dexter wondering how I would manage with the lack of sleep coming my way?! And now he is 2 today! I often feel like he is still that little baby just learning to walk and starting to talk when in reality he is a full out little boy! Today he was walking on a ledge and counting his steps and he counted to 11! I know everybody thinks their kids are smart, but mine really are! (haha-minus the toilet bowl diving!) He can also sing happy birthday and Jesus loves me like a champ. Well, i just wanted to make a point of recognizing Dexter's birthday today because we are officially celebrating next week, so i have no party pics to post but here are a couple of my handsome, smart, energetic little boy!

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6

Indoor Dogs vs. Kids!

So, I have never been a fan of indoor dogs, I would love to have one outside one day, but I don't want to deal with all the "dog-stuff" inside. On the other hand, I have always wanted kids, and just recently I am noticing so of the similarities, and why some people urge you to get a dog first to see if you are ready for kids! Let me share with you a few similarities between indoor dogs and kids!

- They drool; Both my kids started drooling a lot by 6 or 7 weeks (even though Dexter didn't pop a tooth until 7 months and Lexi doesn't have one yet either!) If you come to my house or hold my kids you can expect a drool pool on your shoulder and dried drool spot on the couch d floor! (that's why we have leather!)

- They both will "do their business" on the floor! Potty trained or not, accidents happen!

- They both get into things!; I like to think I am pretty good at knowing where my kids are most of the time, but every now and then when i cange the laundry or use the bathroom, they are unattended for a momnet. Dexters favorite thing to get into right now is the diaper bag! He knows in there he will find some sort of chapstick or lip gloss and gum. On several occasions I havcaught him with 2 or 3 pieces of fully wrapped and partially chewed gum in his mouth stating "ummm, goood mommy!"

- They smell! Both dogs and kids have no inhibitions when it comes to passng gas! and it always happens at awkward times like grocery shopping and church, to which I try to say loudly enough "Dexter say excuse me" or "Lexi, you little stinker" so people know it was the kids and not me, but then is followed by Daniel saying "aw Renee!" so by now everybody is convinced it was me and I am trying to pass the blame to the kids!

- They both like to make their presence known; Lexi is not even 5 months and for some time now already she likes to be heard! If we leave her to play on the floor or she is sitting on my knee she is usually babbling and gurgling just to be a part of the conversation. (yes she will keep up fine at family gatherings on both sides!)

- They will eat anything once! Dexter likes to taste everything he sees (including his cousin Bella and excluding vegetables) He will take a mouthful of flour when we are making cookies or a mouthful of lemon juice cause he thinks he will like that!

- They both drink out of the toilet! Dexter has graduated from throwing toys and garbage into the toilet to nearly fully submersing his head into the toilet! You'd think he would know it's gross because he uses the toilet, but I think that just intriges him more as to "where does it go?"

OK, I know that last one might just be my kid, but if you have kids you must recognize some of the other similarities and more! However, I still do not want an inside dog, and I wouldn't trade these moments with my kids for anything! It is far easier for me to extend grace to my kids then to a dog!

A couple verses that I have been challenged with in these situations are...

"But you, O Lord are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in Love and faithulness." Psalm 86:15

because that is how I want to react to my kids and husband! and...

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come"

because even when cleaning "accidents" up off the floor I want (me and my kids) to remember these days at home together as fun and remember that God has given me the strength to do it!

and the last one is in honour of our anniversary! It was our big 04! last friday was our 4th anniversary and though we didn't get to go out and celebrate just the two of us (yet!) I, along with the rest of Enderby, got to hear Daniel deliver an address to the graduates at their ceremony on Friday. He did such a great job encouraging them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, challenging them to find their potential and purpose in life and to run the race in a way that they will win the prize! It was so neat to see Daniel speak to them as a teacher and youth pastor and be respected as both!

I jumped on the blogging wagon!!

Well, here goes! I have never been anti-blogs (as i really enjoy following other blogs!) But I always felt like I had nothing "blog-worthy" to write about that anybody would want to read....I still kinda feel that way, but my sister started a blog with the idea of having a record of this stage of life, and I LOVE that idea! (I geuss I still am that pesky little sister who likes to copy my older sister! lol!) I LOVE the stage of life my family is in right now! Daniel is enjoying his work, i get to stay home with the kidlits and everyday something happens that makes me think "I want to remember this!!" I know my "mommy years" are just beginning, but I already feel like they are flying by, and I want to remember so many of the "little moments" that happen! One day I want to look back and share with our kids the things we experienced and learnt in this stage of life. I want to beable to share some of my thoughts and feelings with them and help them remember a few of the "little moments" we had during these precious years. But for now, you are welcome to share a few of our "little moments"

Meet my family!

Well, i will finish off my first post by sharing one of our latest moments! I decided Dex and I were going to make cookies while Lexi was napping. I would measure the ingredient while Dex dumped it in the bowl. We had the butter, eggs, sugar and flour in the bowl when I turned to get the baking powder from the cupboard only to hear "Dexter dump!" in a very proud little voice. As i turned around I saw he had dumped half a cup of dirty dishwater in the cookie batter! SICK! (Although I have to admit I just dumped out the dirty water and cooked them anyway!)