First ice-fishing trip as a family of 5!

Sunday was a beautiful sunny +5 day and we decided it was the perfect afternoon for a family ice fishing trip! I was a little worried that there would be too much slush on top the ice because it has been so warm and that we would get wet, but we decided wew ould go and just see how long we lasted! Turns out it was perfect! There was a solid 4 inches of ice topped with snow, lots of it untouched and no slush! We had a great afternoon mixed with fishing, snacking, strolling and playing fox and goose in the snow!

Classic family photo:)

getting the rod in the water

let the fishing begin!

going for a stroll in the sun

playing a little goose chase

checking the line

the classic "us" pic

headed for home!

unfortuantly we didn't catch any fish, but our kids sure made a few older guys feel good about their catches when they ran over to see them and continuously oooooed, and awed over them! Maybe next time we will catch one, but I still consider this a successful fishing trip:)

Baking Day!

So the other day, my house was clean and I had the last bit of cooked pumpkin in my fridge and decided we would bake pumpkin cookies! I brought the mixer over to the table and let the kids take turns measuring ingredients into the bowl! It went well, a little messy as it usually is when I bake with the kids, but not bad. This batter was a lot stickier then normal cookie dough so after they were all mixed, I decided I should finish by myself. However the kids still wanted to bake, and do what "mama-yama" does. (A funny little sweet potatoe cook they watch on cbc kids sometimes) So I figured why not! I filled a few little bowls with small amounts of flour, oatmeal, bran, rice and rice-crispies and let them measure and mix and pretend to bake! They had a good hour of fun with it, and have asked everyday since to do it again! I knew it would be messy, but I greatly under-estimated just how messy, and due to that, I think this will be a "special time" activity that we only do once and a while!

Halloween and Harvest!

This year was proably the first year Dexter actually understood the whole dress up and trick or treating! He had a retro batman costume from his cousin Brodie and LOVED it. He did not want to take it off! Tara threw a kids halloween party and after we took Auntie Cheri to the airport and stopped at the mall and Dexter had to wear his costume! He also wanted to sleep in it and wear it to church the next day, but we convinced him it would be too dirty for trick or treating if he did! Lexi dressed up as a cow and loved every minute of it as well!

batman and catwoman!

The farmer and his cow:)

what's a halloween party without

Barbi and Ken!

Here is a picture of the 9 cousins. With the oldest ones being six and the youngest only a few weeks. its always fun to get a good picture!

9 on a couch:)

the last month or so......

Well Lyla is officially past the one month mark (5 1/2 weeks actually) and continues to do well and fit right into our little family! She loves the attention she gets around here but can also tell everybody to back off and give her some space when she needs it too!

Lyla is very much like her brother and sister in so many ways. She loves to be talked to and held and cuddled. She doesn't mind being passed around from brother to sister, to cousin, to aunt, to uncle to grandma, to grandpa, to little friends and big friends (the list goes on and on....) She will never have a shortage of love as they all tend to cuddle and hug and pile her with kisses and she often returns the favor with a beautiful smile! (that we have had a hard time capturing on camera!)

The biggest differences so far is that she is a better napper then the other two (but about the same at night, tho i still have big expectations that she will become a better sleeper sooner then they did!) and she LOVES her bath! Our other kids would tend to like it one time and hate it the next, where Lyla just loves every minute of every bath!

Our fall is continuing to be very busy! Daniel's volleyball team has just finished, but things haven't slowed down yet! The kids and I are pretty busy as well with 3 mornings a week we are out! I just about dropped one as I was starting to feel like too many good things don't always equal a good thing, but decided to keep going as each of these three commitments I can sit and hold my baby for a couple hours without feeling like I should be doing housework instead! Dexter and Lexi also very much enjoy the outings!

Dexter has finally gone back to farming the majority of the time with his cows after a long break from it to rodeo with them. We still have the odd rodeo here and there, but he usually asks me to milk and feed the cows with him now. His memory is quite amazing as he will sit and "read" books to whoever is around (mom, dad, grandpa, grandma etc....) by memory and when you read to him, he will correct you if you miss a part! He has had two black eyes recently and many other bumps and bruising as he has been especially rowdy these days! We inherited a ittle outside playhouse from friends and he has loved the soccer/basketball side of it. He loves to play a mixture of soccer/basketball/football and lately when he score he shouts a big "HOME RUN!" In the house, his favorite sports are still football and hockey. Dexter LOVES Lyla! He is often caught just laying beside her singing to her, or helping her play with a toy. He often tells me that one day Daddy and mommy and Lexi will go out somewhere and he will stay home and babysit Lyla!

Lexi continues to leave us in awe of how fast she is growing up right now!! She is talking non-stop, potty trained, trying to give up her nap, and getting into all kinds of mischif! Her favorite thing to do right now is pretend she is a puppy or a pony and follow you around until you pet her, or take her for a walk. She also likes to play fetch and get puppy snacks when she is in character. She also has a great memory and will sit and read you bits and pieces of a book. Lexi is still a very early riser and with the time change it has been worse! Today (almost a week later) was the first day we made it past the "fives" before she was up and in our room! Lexi also LOVES Lyla and wants to hold her and tell her all kinds of stories. Often I find her laying on her tummy right up over Lyla's face so she can kiss her and make "baby sounds" to her!

I can't believe how fast this time is going, but I am really learning to "slow time" by trying to be present in each moment and give thanks for each moment! (easier said then done when many of those moments include cleaning somebodies behind, wiping anothers nose and breaking up wrestling matches inbetween!!) But I am finding that when I can be fully present in each moment I really do have more time for everything that needs my attention right now......well, not necesarily more time, but more efficiency with my time!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name" Psalm 100:4

Our Sweet Lyla May!

"How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy she brings,

but greater still the calm assurance,

this child can face uncertain days because He lives"
hymn -Because He lives

Finally (only 2.5 weeks after she arrived) we so thrilled to welcome our sweet Lyla May to our world!

only moments old! not even weighed yet!

She arrived right on time, October 2 @ 220am. This labour and delivery was a lot different then the first 2, and I would have to say my best labour experience! ( not to be confused with easy, but best:) She did come out sideways with her hand up over her face, which is how she looked in the ultrasound the day before, and still 2.5 weeks late constantly has her hands up in her face! Maybe being in the new hospital with a room to myself and knowing Daniel would beable to stay the night with me was what made the labour and delivery better, or maybe that we were barely at the hospital an hour before she was here did the trick! We may have stayed at home a little too long as everything progressed so much faster this time! Good thing we left when we did tho!

We were a little worried about the size this baby would be as the first thing our doctor said after Lexi was born (face up and 10lbs) was "oh my, well the next one is usually bigger!" However she was a perfect 8lbs, 2oz and 20.5 inc long. She defiently has her own look, we see bits of Dexter and Lexi in her in different expressions, but she is all Lyla!

People ask if she is a "good baby" well, babies cry, eat, poop, snuggle, sleep, wake up in the night, and melt your heart by just being them, and she is wonderful at all those things, so yes she is a great baby! As far as the adjustment to having 3, I love it! There has definetly been crazy days, and days where I am counting seconds till Daniel gets home, but I am loving this stage of life! I feel like the adjustment to 3 has almost been easier then 2 was. Dexter and Lexi are starting to play together better now, so I have done all I can to soak up every minute of the newborn stage with Lyla, (which you could tell that if you saw the state of my house these days!) while they take turns playing farm, babies, rodeo, bouncy (wrestling on the spare bed.....probably not the safest, but we've had no major injuries so far, and I love hearing the squeels of laughter coming from there!) They also love hide and seek, dance parties, colouring and playing puppies! Going out tends to be a bit more work, however after several days of Daniel being extremly busy and having several evenings of the the kids and I by ourselves, I braved a grocery trip to Vernon with Dexter and the chicklets by myself!! It went surprisingly well, but after the 3rd stop we were done and ready for french fries for the ride home!
As for me, I can get a bit teary these days as I try to enjoy every minute of this stage rather then mourning every change and becoming overwhelmed with how fast it all goes! (And the lack of sleep doesn't help these matters either!) Also, I can't get over how much easier eveything is when you're not pregnant! I really do enjoy being pregnant and feeling the baby move inside of me, and knowing that a sweet little person is being carefully knit together inside of me, that I don't realize how much more effort little tasks take, and how much energy is being used up to carry that little person. Things like taking Lexi to the bathroom (even when I have Lyla in one arm!) carrying laundry baskets, playing with the kids and much more are all so much easier now!
I truely just feel so blessed to have 3 beautiful kids, a wonderful husband who is loving father too, and the ability to stay home with my kids! Eventually I will get caught up on laundry that needs to be folded and floors that should be washed, and toys that need to be organized and bins of clothes that need to be gone thru, but right now I am just soaking in our sweet family and the last little bit of outside play before the winter coats and mitts come out!

and then there were 5!

all the grandparents were there to meet her!

even great grandparents!

she had many more visitors as well!

going home sweater set made with love

by great grandma Oviatt!

heading home!

Summer.....

Our Summer started out great with a family trip to Northern saskatchewan for a much anticipated fishing trip! It included 9 days off, 6 days of driving (a total of about 42hrs!) and 3 days in the boat fishing! It was a wonderful time for our little family to be surrounded by so many grandparent, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles. Everybody caught fish, ate fish and brought home fish! Our kids did wonderful in travelling and playing in the boat.

Celebrating Dexter's 3rd birthday with candle

lit pancakes before heading out in the boat!

He got his first fishing rod!

He loved the whole fishing experience!

everything from catching fish to eating them,

to the snacks in the boat to just playing

and being together!

Lexi enjoyed the trip as well!

We made lots of good memories!

Hanging out with Aunt and Uncles!

OUr kids were so priveledged to have so many grand-parents

on this trip! all but one great grandma we here!

What a blessing for our kids to be so loved!

We carried into July with lots of company which included a variety of family and friends who stayed with us, unseasonable cool weather (which this is probably one of the few summers i won't complain about cool weather;) and spending time at kids bible camps. First we spent a week at Gardom Lake Bible camp, where Daniel was the speaker, then went to Ness Lake Bible Camp in Prince George where Daniel spoke and I was camp nurse. Dexter's favorite thing at Gardom was catching frogs etc with the directors boys, while Lexi enjoyed all the "high-fives, and pound-its!" At Ness Lake Dexter loved shooting pellet guns and the zip line, while Lexi liked dancing to the music. Both weeks were full of lots of fun, cool weather, watching kids be loved and witnessed to, and time together as a family.

July ended with the biggest shock and greatest loss we have ever experienced. A dear man who we consider family (and who is family to my sister and brother in law) lost his life in a farming accident. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a pillar in the church, an example to the farming community and a mentor figure to many of us. His love for the Lord, his family and for others was mirrored in his everyday life. He truely lived out what he believed and was an encouragment for us to do the same. He always made our family and Daniel especially feel valued in the church and he supported us in so many ways that you usually only expereince from family. It breaks our hearts to know the loss us and our kids are experiencing, but is more then we can bare to think of what his dear family is experiencing. They are a family of unbreakable faith, they have always loved, lived, laughed and lossed together. God will bring them thru this together but it is so overwhelming right now. He left a beautiful legacy!

Now, we are less then 2 weeks away from school starting and its hard to believe summer is coming to an end. It was far from the summer we expected and anticipated, but we are looking forward to the fall with excitement to meet our new little munchkin! This pregnancy is flying by and there is still a few things on our list of "things to do before baby arrives!" We are looking forward to having Daniel's parent around for September along with his grandparents as well! We appreciate so much having family in our lives!

moments in may!

May has flown by! We have had a very busy month filled with many moments to remember! It started off with me getting to take a trip to abbotsford with some old friends to meet my dear friend's baby girl. It was so sweet to meet this beautiful little gift at such a young precious stage of life. I could hardly wait my turn to hold that little peanut, and got to hold her extra long as she just happened to have a good nap on me. It was a sweet moment to hold this little peanut and feel my baby inside move around at the same time, pretty sure they were playing together already;) Mother's day was sweet to be reminded of how blessed I am with my precious family! My favorite quote these days is "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!" So true!! We often make parenting mistakes, our kids "act out" and we miss the mark over and over, but together as a family we have it all, and are continually reminded that God has blessed us with immeasurably more then we couls ask or imagine!

Later in May Daniel and I took a crew of youth back down to Abbostford for History Maker! It was a great weekend to be encouraged and refreshed in the Lord, however I did realize that I am a different generation then our youth today! Their favorite bands, I hadn't even heard of, while my favorite group there (Downhere) they were all like "Down-who??" haha, but overall it was sweet to beable to look around and see a generation worshipping the Lord regardless of the music style being played. It was also sucha blessing to have family (GREAT uncle and GREAT aunt and some cousins) hang out with our babes for the weekend. They all did great, Dexter talked about what he did and ate there for days after, Lexi had no complaints either, and it was just nice for us as parents to know our babes were in good hands:)


We celebrated Grandpa O's birthday as a family, during the picture just about all the grand-kids either poked the cake, stole a strawberry, licked the ice-cream bucked, sneezed on the cake or helped blow out the candles with a mouthful of spit. But it was a special celebration for dad to celebrate another year with all his gran-kids around him:)

The infamous "olund" rendition of
Happy Birthday;) haha!
if you heard it, you know what I'm talking about;)


Daniel also turned a year older this month!! Which is always fun to celebrate, not only the fact that he was born, but that we are now the same age again and the old lady/cougar/mature jokes come to an end for another 9 months! We had a quiet birthday dinner celebrated along with my grandma who shares the same birthday as Daniel. Dexter and I did a bit of decorating which made Dexter more excited about celebrating a birthday that wasn't his! (every birthday lately he is kinda sad that it is not his yet as he is still anxiously awaiting his birthday fishing trip!) Daniel and I did get an evening out to clebrate his coming of age just the 2 of us as well, which is always a treasured time these days;)


In the moments in-between the events of May, we have continued to enjoy digging worms, discovering gardner snakes (while i try not to act scared to it doesn't become a game to scare mom with them) planting flowers, playing in the kiddy pool, walks to the park in the sunshine, day trips as a family and just enjoying our times together!

eating "little caesers" pizza in the park


and feeding geese at the park!


loving the "big kid" swings


buddies at the park





and this is the munchkin at 22 weeks!