Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to you!




2008 has been a wonderful year for us and for our family. The beginning of the year was a typical year. We didn't do anything crazy or exciting. We worked and waited for our little bundle to arrive.

In the spring Phil was laid off from his job (about a month before Makayla was born) and so this gave him some time to pamper me and get some things around the house looked after. Makayla was born June 9 and it was pretty exciting to have her with us. My mom was able to come and be here for the first week to cook and clean and give advice. Phil had a job lined up to begin in July which took him to BC for four weeks of training. Phil's mom and dad were also able to come out and stay with us for two weeks, taking care of all of us.

In the summer my brother got married and we were all able to go to BC for the wedding. I was able to go for two weeks as Phil was in Vancouver for training and I was home alone with a new born. It was great to see family and have them all meet Makayla.

September I went back to work, working from home and a few hours in the office a week. A good friend of ours has a 20 month old and takes Makayla for a few hours on Friday so I can get some things done without her. That has been great. Getting back to work has been hard as I delegated a lot of things and so there hasn't been too much for me to do, so I have been able to do a lot of planning for this coming year. We are excited about some things that will be coming up at church. It has been tough to balance work time, family time, clean house time, etc. Phil has been working very hard and has also begun a course through NAIT for Power Engineering. So, needless to say, life has been pretty busy for all of us.

Makayla has begun to do a lot more now, like eating (very little and she really isn't into things like carrots or bananas), rolling over, sitting up, etc. It has been so much fun to watch her grow and now our life revolves around her. She has quite the little personality and can give a little attitude every now and again (I am not looking forward to her turning two or becoming a teenager!). Overall she is a lot of fun and such a joy to have in our life!

We are celebrating Christmas with my brother and his family and a friend from church who's family are overseas missionaries and are not home for the holidays. Phil's family will celebrate in Toronto and my parents will celebrate at their new place in Terrace, BC with friends from church. It has been a quiet Christmas and I suppose it will be a quiet New Year as well.

At this point we don't really have any big plans for 2009. We will be venturing to Toronto for the first week of February so that Makayla can meet the family, but after that we don't really have too many plans! But we know that life is an adveture and we look forward to whatever God has in store for us!

Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best in 2009

Watch this!

This is a very interesting video. Something that came too late for this year, but maybe we will give it a try next year!

30 minute challenge

This is a little challenged inspired by blogger buddy Elizabeth.

Here we go...

Set the timer for 30 minutes and see how much cleaning/chores/tidying can be done in that time.

Started laundry (load one of three)
Cleaned out the cat's litter boxes
Took out the garbage (and checked the mail)
Emptied out the dishwasher and loaded the dirty dishes sitting by the sink in
Washed remaining dishes in sink
Wiped off counter
Water plants

Times up!

It's amazing what can be accomplished in only 30 minutes! Thank Liz!

Here's your challenge... what can you do in 30 minutes? Post in the comments and let me know.

Dinner Inspiration

I find myself bored with dinner options. I seem to cook a few things and Phil cooks a few things and then we rotate through those few things. Phil is much more creative when it comes to cooking (probably because he has taken some classes and is just creative that way). Growing up my mom taught me how to cook and those are the things that I continue to cook (pasta with meat sauce, stroganoff, chili, tacos, fajitas, chicken with rice, etc, etc.). Kinda boring. I even subscribe to the Kraft emails where they send you recipes and stuff. Phil has also requested sertain things that he likes and somehow the recipes just don't turn out right. I am nervous to try new things in case they taste terrible and I don't like it. Also, some recipes require different ingredients that we don't always carry at home. So, what am I to do? I especially have no motivation to cook and try new things as by the time dinner rolls around I am so tired the last thing I want to do is make supper. Does anyone have any ideas? What are some of your favorite things to make? I need some inspiration!

Three Strikes and You're OUT

Have you ever been at a point in your life when everything seemed to be going real well and then suddenly God throws you one curve ball after the other? That's how I've been feeling lately. I don't really know what to do with those curve balls either. Do I attempt to swing at them? Do I let it go right by me and strike out? Do I hit it with all my might and hope to hit a home run or do
I call for a time out (can you call a time out in a baseball metaphor)?

I guess I am stuggling with why these curve balls are coming now and what am I supposed to do with them. I don't think that I have ever been in such a struggle before. I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband and knowing that he is walking beside me and with me is such a blessing. We know that these things happen in life to strengthen our character and make us the people that God is calling us to be. But why does it have to be so hard?

I guess it is like the refining process for gold and other precious metals. Without the heat and the hard work that goes into making it so beautiful, it would not be gold, it would just be rocks. I know that there is a purpose and a reason for this season in my life. I am just praying that I will get some clarity and that God will reveal His will, sooner than later!

Thanks for bearing with my thoughts!

Just a few pics

First taste of cereal... not too sure what to make of it!


Carmel and Makayla


Makayla and mom pose for a picture


Chillin' with dad

A bunch of firsts

I promised myself that I would find things to write of besides my daughter, but that is my life at this time and she is just too cute to overlook!

So, over the last couple of weeks we have begun to notice a bunch of firsts for Makayla. We have now discovered what makes her giggle and where her little tickle spots are. She has had her first taste of cereal and every day is eating a little more and more. She is also trying to roll over where she gets about half way and then desides that it is too much work to keep going and so just rolls back to her back. She has also discovered her hands. It is the cutest thing to watch her look at her hands like she has never seen them before and she keeps bringing them infront of her face. She also fully knows how to get her thumb into her mouth and enjoys sucking on it at night. There are no first teeth as of yet, but she is in the process of getting them in, that is for sure!

So, there have been many firsts with so many more to come! We can't wait to watch her grow and discover this awesome world around us!

More Pictures of Makayla

Facebook taking over the world

I now firmly believe that Facebook is taking over the world. No one updates their blogs anymore, now one seems to check their emails anymore. Everyone now keeps up to date with everything via Facebook. Even my mom joined Facebook! How crazy is that? Love ya mom!!!

Basically, that's all I have to say at this point. I will upload some more pictures of Makayla, because that is the only reason people stop by to check out this blog!!!

No one cares about me

So after having a baby I have come to realize that no one cares about me anymore. Everyone only cares about my Makayla. As soon as people see me they ask "Where's Makayla?". They never ask me how I'm doing or what's going on. It's all about MAKAYLA. Not that I'm bitter or anything cause I am so glad that people love my baby! We had family come and visit us this summer and now we have more family coming to visit next week and then next month we have friends coming from Toronto. Funny, we have been in Alberta for three years now and it took having a baby to have people come and visit us. So, it's no longer about us anymore it's all about Makayla!

Even when we go out to the mall (like tonight) everyone says, "What a cute baby" and "Look at all that hair". Yes, she is cute and yes she does have crazy hair. It is so awkward because people walk by and stare and make comments yet they don't really talk to us. But then there are the crazy ones who come up and start rubbing her head and saying how cute she is. They talk to her and she gives them huge smiles. What's a mom to do? Phil and I were just talking and we are afraid that one day someone will take her and we will never get her back. Tonight at the mall a sales assosiate comes up to us and says, "She is so cute". Then she rubs her head and says, "I wanna take you home". Oh no you don't! We need to have our eyes on her at all times now! Yup, it's no longer about me... I think I'm feeling a little left out!

Wordless Wednesday (a day late!)

This comes a day late as I was having trouble uploading on Wednesday! Isn't she just so cute?

Baby Hands

I just couldn't resist these cute chubby baby hands!

Life Has Been Crazy

Where to begin? For those that don't know, Phil got laid off from his job in May and so he was able to be around a few weeks before and after Makayla was born. It was great to be able to spend some time with him before we became a family of three. He then was able to get a new job that started the beginning of July. That took him to Vancouver for 4 weeks and now I can say that I understand what it means to be a single mom - truly tiring and exhausting. Makayla and I went to my parents house for two weeks in July and were able to spend the weekends with Phil as he was already in the Vancouver area. Makayla travelled like a pro star and did so well on the airplane! I was so nervous to travel with her by myself, but she did great! While in Vancouver we got to take part in my brothers weddding and we go to drop in on my uncle's surprise 60th birthday. It was a great time to connect with family and a chance for the grandparents to cash in on some time with their new grand daughter. It was also great to see my grandma hold her 14th great-grandbaby and for my grandpa to hold his first! Truly a fun time.

August seems to have come in gone in the blink of an eye! Makayla is getting bigger and more social and so much more cuter! She is smiling, making noises and working on rolling around! She is very social and enjoys being at church with all the aunties and unlces around to hold her and make faces for her! Phil has been busy figuring out his new job with Yellow Pages and getting into a new routine. It is pretty special for us because he gets to work from home and so we get to see him more!

Starting in September I will be going back to work and this is causing me some sleepless nights and afternoons as I try to figure out how to work from home with a little one and get to the office, plus go to the gym, do the chores around the house and the errands that need to be done. These next few months will be challenging as we all try to figure out and create a new routine for all of us. I am looking forward to getting back to work as there is much to do, but I am really enjoying hanging out with my daugther. I guess the good thing is that I can bring Makayla with me to the office and I can work from home at the same time. So, we will see how it goes.

Now to leave you with a few more pictures of Makayla!

11 Weeks

Great-Grandpa Martens

Great-Grandma Gray

Here's more pics of Makayla

This is my favorite picture so far of my beautiful girl! She is two months in this picture.


Phil's getting Makayla ready for the upcoming Leaf season.


Five weeks and sleeping like a log!

My Bro Tied the Knot

We had the pleasure of celebrating with my brother on the last weekend in July as he got married in Beautiful British Columbia! The day was perfect, the bride looked amazing and I think there were more pictures taken of Makayla then the bride! Here are a few pics of the day!

Time flys when you're having fun...

Ok... so tomorrow Makayla turns one month old. It is so crazy to think that she has been part of our lives for a month already. 17 years and 11 months to go... just kidding! We have come to love her so much and are thrilled to have her as part of our family. In the last month we have had only one week to be a family of three. My mom was here for the first week of her life and then we had one week with the three of us and now for the last two weeks Phil's mom and dad have been here. Then I am a single mom for two weeks while Phil starts training for his new job and then we are off to BC for two weeks to visit my family and enjoy my brothers wedding. Wow. So needless to say Makayla's life has been pretty full and busy already.

Well, the other day I was reading a blog (someone I don't know but discovered through a friend) and felt totally moved and inspired. Her name is Kelly and she was writing about the wonderful spritiual blessing of children. I totally agree that children can bring us in to the presence of God without us "spending time with God". It is challenging to find time to read the Bible and pray, but at times I find myself praying for Makayla (not that she would sleep more) that she would be someone who would love God with her whole heart, mind and soul and that she would be able to help others discover that relationship. I can't wait to watch her grow up and discover a love for God! I just pray too that God would give wisdom to Phil and I as we guide her through this life.

On a totally different note, these last two weeks with Phil's parents have been challenging for me. I have come to realize that I like to be in control of my life and my home and what takes place in and around it. Everyone has told me to let people help me while I can and to get rest and care for Makayla. Easier said than done! I need to be in control. So people doing my dishes, cleaning my floor, doing my laundry, etc. and doing it in not the "right" way drives me crazy. I then find after they have done things for me I need to go and redo it because it is not done my way. So, then am I really able to rest and enjoy having people take care of me... nope not at all. Am I crazy for feeling this way? I don't know. All I know is I have been having a really tough time having people care for me and my house. I also have a hard time with people looking after or holding my baby because they just don't do it right! Boy, I really have a long way to go and I have a lot of issues that I need to work out. Many a times I have had to bite my tongue for fear of saying something that may not go well with everyone around me! I am surviving and will become a better and stronger person at the end of all this. Sigh... I have been spending lots of time in prayer... especially for patience. Need I say more?

Feeling the itch to write something

Hard to believe it has already been 14 days since little Makayla entered this world and our lives. We are loving every sleepless moment of it! The last two weeks have gone by pretty fast. My mom was able to come out here for the first week (she actually flew out on the Sunday and Makayla was born on Monday morning). Phil's mom and dad arrived yesterday and will be here for another two weeks. It is hard cause there isn't much to do. Makayla pretty much eats and sleeps all day. We can't really play with her and it is still a little awkward to take her out (especially since you never know when she is going to want to eat and I prefer to feed her at home where there is everything that I need!). So, these next two weeks will be interesting.

The whole birth/labour thing feels so sureal and it is hard to believe that it actually happened. They say that when you are going through the whole thing you will never want to have children again, but then as time goes on and your body returns to normal, those few hours of pain and uncomfortableness seem to disappear and you think, "hey, I could do that again!". See, for me the whole thing went by very fast. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have had such a short labour. The week before Makayla was born I was feeling that she was coming soon (at least I was hoping). I had some contractions for the week but nothing to rush to the hospital with. Sunday morning I woke up at around 5:30 am and started having contractions pretty regularly. They were about 5 minutes apart. So I tried to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. So I got up and let Phil sleep. He got up at 8 and started to get ready for church. By the time he left the contractions slowed down to about half an hour apart. So, I thought well, it's not going to happen today. I called my mom and she was able to get on a flight for that afternoon. Phil came home from church and we had lunch and then he went to go do some things with some guys that afternoon and then he went and picked up my mom from the airport. They came home and then went shopping for some groceries. By that time the contractions were still slow, but they were starting to pick up. We made dinner and ate and by that time I was really starting to feel uncomfortable. We watched a little tv and then I went to take a shower. After that I told Phil and my mom that we should probably think about going to the hospital. So we rounded up all our stuff and left for the hospital. Of course on the way there we had to go through Tim Hortons so that the two could have their coffee.

We got to the hospital around 11pm. We checked in and they checked me out and I was at 4cm dialated. They hooked me up to the monitor and we watched the baby's heart beat and we saw the contractions happening. About an hour later they moved me into the labour room. I got hooked up to more machines and the contractions were coming stronger. The nurse checked again and I was then 9 cm. So they called the doctor and started to get things ready. Pretty soon I was able to start pushing and then 40 minutes later little Makayla Avery joined us at 2:55 am. It had been a crazy long day and it wasn't over yet. They got everyone cleaned up and then took us to the recovery area. Phil went with Makayla to the nursery for her bath and whatever else they did there and my mom and I hung out waiting for them to come back. They came back and then Phil and my mom headed home (that was at like 6 am). So baby and I went to bed and the others headed home. Phil came back in the afternoon for a visit and I just hung out sleeping and feeding baby whenever needed. I was finally able to go home the next day at lunch time! We came home on the Tuesday and life just hasn't been the same since.

She does really well sleeping most of the day and most of the night. She feeds well, but has not gained enough weight yet. The health nurse is a little concerned and so we go every week for little check ups to see how she is growing and if she is gaining weight. She usually only wakes up two or three times in the night which means that we are able to sleep for about a two to three hour stretch at a time. Hopefully she will start sleeping longer at night so that I don't feel so tired in the day. I manage to get some naps here and there, but it is a little difficult when family is here and they want to do things and what not.

Anyway, that's about all the time I have for now. I will write more about our precious addition at another time!

More Pics of Baby Yee

If you want to see more pictures we are posting them in Flickr... so click here, to check them out!

Baby Makayla has arrived!

Hello World!

Makayla Avery Yee arrived in this world on June 9th at 2:55 am. She weighed in at 6lbs 9oz and 19 inches. She is beautiful, but we are a little bias. Here are some pitures of her arrival.

Still no Baby Yee

Well, there is still no Baby Yee. We keep waiting and waiting and waiting. We know that God has everything all planned out and all we have to do is have the patience to wait. I believe that is the hardest part. The baby is moving and getting ready to make it's entrance into the world. I will not give the details here of what is happening as I am sure many of you don't care. If you really want to know more details you can email me!! We have a doctors appointment scheduled for next Tuesday which is the actual due date. So, if no more progress has been made by then I don't know what they will do. We (Phil and I) have commitments on Friday and so we figure this little one is hanging out till we have completd our tasks! So, we continue to talk to the baby and coax it out, but as of yet, there is nothing. We will keep you all posted! Stay tuned to meet the new member of our family soon!

Nothing New

The countdown has begun. As you can see we are just about at 37 weeks which means only about 3 more weeks to go. I have been feeling great and I am not feeling the need to nest, although I have spent some time cleaning lately but that's only because I know that Phil won't do it and if I don't do it now, it may never get done. It has been so hot here the last few days that my ankles decided that they wanted to grow to double their size. The doctor said there is nothing that can be done except staying cool and reducing salt intake. So, that's what I have been trying to do. The forecast is calling for rain for the next few days, so hopefully the ankles will go back to normal! Other than that, there really isn't anything to report. I so wish that I could say that I have felt pre labour contractions, but I have felt nothing. The doctor said the baby is head down so that is good and now we just wait. Everything seems to be pretty much ready to go, all we need now is Baby Yee. So, we will keep you posted as to what happens and will definitely post when Baby Yee makes its arrival! So, that's all for now!

As Promised

Here are some recent pictures. Phil said today that I look like I am ready to pop. Well, I am definitely beginning to feel done with this growing belly. It is starting to get in the way and slow me down. Hopefully not too much longer!!!

Week 32


Week 34

I just can't wait...

- to sleep on my stomach again
- to wear my "old" clothes (especially since summer is just around the corner and most of my maternity clothes are fall/winter)
- to be able to see my feet properly
- to walk as fast as Phil without it feeling so uncomfortable
- to sleep through the night without having to make numerous trips to the bathroom (although I will have to get up to take care of the baby)
- to not always feel the need to want to eat, especially at 6 am
- to not need a hand getting in and out of Phil's Grand Prix
- to go to the gym and be able to work hard and sweat
- to not feel so tired every day (but I'm not too sure that will happen any time soon)
- to eat cheesecake and hot dogs again
- to finally meet this thing that is growing inside of me and damaging my ribs and all my internal organs!

Only 6 more weeks to go!!!

32 Weeks and I've completely given up...

So, Friday night we had our last AWANA theme night. At church with the kids we like to have some theme nights (such as crazy hair, hats, etc.). This Friday it was ugly pants night and since I only have a few pair of pants that fit, I took a trip to Good Will to see if there was anything there that had an elastic waist band that I could deem as ugly. Well, I found a pair and after that evening, I felt like I was a whale. I felt totally unattractive and so I had Phil take a picture so I could show you that I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have completely given up!!! Take a look!!



Pretty nasty isn't it? Well, to make myself better I will have to get a better picture taken. I don't think I look that big, I was sticking my belly out to make the picture that much more dramatic!

On a pregnancy side note, they say that you begin to lose your brain and you start to forget things. So I was teaching the kids on Sunday morning and we were wrapping up a series on creation. The last couple of weeks they had learned about the first five days of creation and my talk was about God creating people. I was asking them to tell me the difference and similarities between things. We started with two rocks (what's the same and what's different). Then we compared a rock and a plant (same and different) and then I had them compare the plant to an animal (same and different). Then I asked them to compare the plant to an animal (same) and they replied that they had already told me. So I had to ask one of the helpers if that was true and she nodded her head. So then I asked them for the differences and they said they had already done that too. Boy oh boy... I laughed, they laughed and we moved on! It was pretty funny. But then we got to talking about how God created Adam from the dust of the ground and then Adam was all alone. He was having fun in the Garden, but he had no one to share it with. So God decided to create a partner for Adam, so Adam went to sleep and God took a rib from Adam and created Eve. When he woke up there was a beautiful woman there by his side to keep him company. I told the kids that now Adam had a friend and one little boy with a big grin on his face said, "Yeah now he has a girlfriend". How true that statement is!! Awe... kids are so cute!

So, those are a few things from this past weekend. I am so glad that there are only about (and by about I mean it could be less, but probably more) 7 weeks to go! I can't wait to meet baby Yee!!! This little beast that has been damaging my insides will soon makes its arrival and we will get to see if it is a little girl or boy! Word on the street is there is a pool taking place at church, but I'm not too sure on the details... so get in touch with Phil, I think he knows more, plus his brain functions much better than mine at this point in time!!!

Whut the February?

Here are some recent photos of the snow that has come in APRIL!!! The first weekend in April we had a little snow. The next weekend we had temperatures of around 20 plus. It was amazing! Then the following weekend 15 cm of snow. So, my questions is, is it really April or is it February again? One of the radio stations this morning started playing Christmas music... hopefully spring comes soon because my winter jacket doesn't really fit any more!!! Enjoy the photos....

April 5, 2008


April 20, 2008

Why won't things just stay clean?

How is it that every time I clean up, things just get dirty all over again? It feels like I just clean something (i.e. the bathroom, do laundry, vacuum the carpet, etc.) and then it is dirty again. I just swept the floor the other day and there is dirt tracked through the house again! The funny thing is it is just me home for these few days and I haven't really done anything and things are dirty... sigh. I guess part of it is that we are living in a construction zone so that would account for the dust and dirt and the fact that the snow has finally melted and now we are left with lots of dirt stuck to our shoes, which ends up coming in the house and then with the laminate floors, dirt manages to find its way all over the house. AND Phil is in the process of framing out the basement and there is sawdust and dirt from the building projects. Phil even said that he swept and vacuumed the basement when he finished, but alas, there is still dirt and dust all over!!! I guess this will be the way it is and all I can do is continue to clean! Boy, isn't that a joy! The only problem is that it is getting more tough to do some of the "chores" around the house. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that it is getting harder! The other day I was cleaning the bathtub and I was worn out after cleaning it. Somedays I think it would be cool to wave a wand and have the whole house spotless... Mary Poppins, where are you?

Thanks...

Just wanting to thank all those who sent well wishes and remedies to me while I was ill. I started to feel better on Easter Monday and from there just got better. I slept A LOT that weekend and I think that really helped.

Nothing much new to report. All is going well. The weather is finally starting to get better which is awesome cause my winter coat no longer fits! 10 more weeks until we meet Baby Yee (it could be less but no more than 12 weeks away!), The anticipation is beginning to drive me crazy! There is still a lot to do in the next two months both here at home but also at work.

Well... here's hoping that you have a wonderful week!

Day in the "Sun"

On Easter weekend we had a friend and her boyfriend come to Edmonton and we were able to meet them and hang out with them for the afternoon. We took a quick trip to the Legislature and took a few pics...

Third times a charm... right?

So this is the third time that I have been sick since being pregnant. Not all that fun as I cannot take anything except Tylenol. They (the doctors) say drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. Well, when I drink lots of fluids that means that I am up every hour or two which means that I am not getting plenty of rest! Sigh. My head is stuffy, my throat is swollen and I have this terrible cough. I feel bad for Phil as he has to listen to this all night long.

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't Easter weekend and if I wasn't in charge of all our kids programs for this weekend. We have a special program for the kids this morning (being Good Friday) and then again on Easter Sunday. What's just as bad is that the majority of our friends have time off this weekend and want to hang out, but I feel so terrible that probably Phil will have to go on my behalf and I will stay home to "rest". If I wasn't needed to do the kids program then it would be fine, but seeing as how that is my job and all, I guess I need to do it. Here's hoping that I have a voice today and Sunday. I guess the good thing is is that we are using mainly a dvd curriculum, but someone needs to MC it and had I anticipated getting sick I would have found someone else to be the MC, but it is too late in the game!

Maybe what all these sicknesses mean is that the baby will have the best immune system in the world (or one of the worst). This definitely is no fun. Sorry to bore you yet again with the blah details of my life... I guess this blogging thing is good just to vent out all life's frustrations!

Hey... if anyone has some good remedies for getting better or knows about safe drugs for pregnant people, drop me a line as I am game to try anything to feel better and get some sleep!!!

Overwhelming

As the baby due date draws nearer I begin to feel more and more overwhelmed. There is officially less than three months till baby Yee makes it debut. I have been reading books, articles and websites to make sure that I know what to do and when to do it. The only problem is that there is so much information that my brain cannot seem to hold it all in. So, I just pray that God will be there with us, to walk us through every day.

The other thing that makes things a little overwhelming at this point is the fact that there is a lot going on at work right now. Easter is next weekend so there is a bunch of stuff that needs to be done for that. Then we are having a soccer camp again this year and I am busy trying to get that ready to go. We are also helping to coordinate a missions trip to Mexico for some of the young people (we will be partnering with HFL). It is pretty exciting but one more thing to help with. Then I have some training workshops to organize, volunteer recruiting, meetings (ministry and non-ministry related), Summer Camp has asked me to find someone to do the kids program and then there is getting things together for the fall... ah. That's just church stuff. Then we have doctors appointments, lab appointments, finding a pediatrician, going to prenatal, hospital visits and then getting the house ready. YIKES, and we only have three more months.

So, this is why the other night I had a mini breakdown. I was thinking about all that needed to be done and wondering where the time was going to come from. I know that stress is not good and I really don't feel stressed, just overwhelmed. We are taking things one day at a time for sure and if certain things don't get done we know it is not the end of the world. We are just trying to do our best to get everything just right. Sometimes being a a perfectionist is not always a good thing. I really want to make sure that everything is just right at work and at home. If you read this post and think I am losing my mind, it's not true. I just needed to write out what's going on inside my brain before it blows!

Thanks for reading!

100 More Days - give or take

Ok... so my friends who blog and others that I have stumbled upon make a big deal about having 100 more days left in the pregnancy... so I thought I might as well join in the band wagon! As of today there are approximately 100 more days left. I say approximately because you know that anything can happen - the baby could be early or late. So, with this baby on the way our life seems to be getting more and more complicated. We have prenatal classes to attend to, CPR courses that we were encouraged to take before the baby comes, a hospital visit so we know where to go and what to do, plus all the doctors appointments and then just life in general. Oh yeah and we also have to get a room ready for baby. As of right now we just have some items that we are borrowing from one of our friends who had a baby last year. We still need to paint the room, order the furniture and set it up and then get other odd and end thing before our little one arrives! It doesn't seem like a lot but we are also trying to finish our basement and there are a few other things we are trying to do and we hope to share more of that in the near future. Plus we are both working full time and we have things at church to do too... SIGH! And like I said it doesn't seem like a lot but with only three months to go well, there are a lot of things to do! So, if you think of us, pray for our sanity and for our allocation of time.

On another note, there are new pictures uploaded to Jenn's Picture Book. Feel free to check them out. They are a bit old - they are from when we were in Banff for Prayer Retreat at the beginning of November. They were on the old camera and I just uploaded them! I am contemplating posting a picture for your viewing pleasure... mmm.... to post or not to post...

I am off to Vancouver on Thursday and will be joining a conference in Washington. I am going to be going with my folks and it should be a good time. We are going to do some shopping on the side and I am excited to check out stuff in the States... I haven't been to the States in a long time, so long I don't even remember when I was there last - other than passing through an airport! I am also going to have a chance to meet up with some friends and that should be great!

Ok... I decided to post the picture... Here is a picture that we took this weekend, only 14 more weeks to go!

I feel...

like I should post something. I'm really not to sure what needs to be said. We are doing well and surviving the frigidly cold temperatures that Edmonton gets in the winter. This past week the weather was about minus 30 and then you add on the windchill factor and it becomes minus 45... nothing too serious, only the chance of frost bite within a few seconds of being outside. Needless to say, we didn't go to work on Monday as it was cold and had snowed on Sunday and the snow drifts were so deep we couldn't even back out of the driveway. I really wanted to take pictures of it, but was not willing to risk going out in the cold for a few pictures of snow! Tuesday was still cold but life was back to normal and then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it began to warm up... minus 30 and minimal to no windchill... awe... the warmth! That's basically been the only news around here for the last week or so. Life is still pretty normal, work, eat, sleep, etc. I think the baby is doing well... not too much movement (at least that I can feel) but since there are no concerns from the doctor, I will just keep moving on with life. Next week is Chinese New Year and since we have no family here in Alberta we will do nothing but sit around and feel sad that we cannot eat Phil's grandmas wonderful dishes. So, that's about it. We need to start fixing up the room for the baby like painting the walls, getting furniture and supplies... approximately 18 more weeks to go! That's all the news for now, have a great weekend.

The Beginning of the Baby Album

These are the first pictures of our new little one. Hard to believe that little one is growing inside of me. To answer your burning question, we don't know the gender of the baby. We were wanting to find out so that we could go ahead and begin to purchase some of the necessary gender appropriate items. Unfortunately the baby decided that it did not want to be known at that point in time and so we do not know the gender of the baby. It will be a surprise, although we are taking guesses as to what it might be! The whole process has been an amazing experience so far and we only have 4 and a half months to go until we meet this little bundle of joy!! We can't wait to show you this new addition to our family!!!

Happy New Year

Wow, it is truly hard to believe that another year has come and gone. There was so much that happened in 2007 that there really isn't enough time to write it all down. Working, hanging out with friends, visiting with family, buying a new home, etc. There are many things to look forward to in 2008.

Just to recap the holidays for you, we were pretty busy with church things over the Christmas season. We had an English Ministry Christmas Banquet, Jenn helped to prepare and organize the churches Christmas Eve Service, we spent Christmas Day at a friends house (with all their relatives that we did not know), Boxing Day we hit West Ed with some friends early in the morning (Phil was also up at 3 am to meet some friends at Future Shop where we got my early B-day present from him family - a new lap top!), after shopping we went out with some friends for Dim Sum (Chinese food thing), meet up with Jenn's bro and his fiance for dinner at our place and then New Years Eve we spent with some friends. There were also a few potlucks in the mix with friends. The holidays were good although they passed by fast but nonetheless it was a chance to catch up with friends and enjoy the Christmas break. Both of us were able to take a few days off and get some much needed rest (everyone keeps telling us to take the rest now while we can because in a few short months we will not be getting much rest at all!).

On that note, the pregnancy has been going very well, so well in fact that I don't even feel pregnant. I have a very little beer gut which just feels really awkward. People want to touch the beer gut and I don't really want them too... get your own! But from what I hear, there really is no way around it. Next week we will go for the ultra sound and see our new arrival. It is pretty exciting that it is coming up so quickly and we are really excited and anticipating great things in June! I think that's about all that is really important to note at this time!

Hope everyone had a great New Years and we wish you all the best in 2008!