Year end show

 so...SOOO much has happen...so much time has passed...not a clue where I ended or where to even begin...

I came across these pictures...thought i'd share them

Another year end show was survived...and enjoyed!!

My girls L.O.V.E. dance...and especially the performing part!

This year was no different...other than they stayed late every show to take part in the finale!!

My little genie

 Mary and her little lamb

the girls in the tent...ready and set to perform!!

gorgeous weather again this year!!

so...it's been over a month since they were on stage and they have NOT stopped choreographing and performing at home...it is so enjoyable to watch them progress in something they both love!

Karys is now counting down the days until she is able to take part in 2 different summer dance camps!!!

...and they are both looking forward to the different classes Fall will bring!

glo sticks

my girls have been so awesome with the adjusting we've done in the past two months getting used to being a family of FIVE!! it still gets even me sometimes!

so i wanted to do something special for them that i knew they would enjoy, just as a little treat for being such good girls and HUGE helpers to their muma and awesome big sisters!

so....for two whole dollars...

we made what usually is a chore

into something very fun!

silly girls

 the girls got a hold of my camera and had some fun...

life...these days

well...i'm still standin'!

we are busy around here enjoying life...

i feel as though growing this bebe is taking up more than my torso section! my mental capacity is greatly diminishing and i honestly feel as though i've got nothing to share with you.

let's see....

so far this summer we've enjoyed the sunshine every minute it's showed it's face...

we've gone to VBS - first time for Avery, and a greatly anticipated second time for Karys...and as much as they say they enjoyed themselves, sometimes it's hard for me to "see" it because they are VERY reserved in large crowds...

we enjoyed taking part in the Canada Day Parade

me...the girls...and their spiffy decorated bikes

karys bravely cruising along on her newest set of wheels!!

me trying hard to keep up with Bean on her run-bike - we {heart} run-bikes!!

we've been blessed with some work for Jim - and, in turn, have been able to bless my Mum...as he "job" was to work for her landscaping her front yard and painting her entire house

and most recently, the girls and i were able to get away for a MUCH NEEDED visit with one of my nearest and dearest kindred friends - Karleigh Jane...our ties extend way back to a time in life when we were both young and naive and has continued through all the valleys and mountains our lives journeys have contained...we are no longer younger, or naive, but our bond has grown closer in spite of the physical distance that has always separated us...but has been greatly diminished in this past year!! yipppeeee!!

so far...sooo good!!

i've also gotten to the point in this pregnancy that i am down to a prenatal visit every 2 weeks!! instead of every month! so...that has really brought it home to us - how close the arrival of our long awaited miracle actually is!!

and - MUCH to my excitement - my midwife upped my due date by 6 days!

so i am officially 31 weeks and 3 days

NOW - by my calculations this could mean ONE of THREE different things:

compared to my due date, 31+ wks would mean i have 8+ left
compared to my first pregnancy, it would mean i have 5+ weeks left
and compared to my second pregnancy, it would mean i have 3+ weeks left

looking forward to seeing the story unfold!!

so...that's us...in a nutshell...these days!

hope you too are out there savouring these "summer" days!!

prima ballerinas

last weekend we were all very busy with the girls year-end dance recital!

it was SO MUCH fun...and the girls can't wait to do it again! they are already asking when they can go on stage again!

karys was in two different dances and avery was in one...

getting ready...for her shirley temple "animal crackers"

waiting patiently in her jazzy ballet outfit

before the show poses...

and they're done!!
(i think their favourtie part was getting to wear make-up!)


we're glad for a little break this summer, but very excited for next year's dance already!!

project31 - day 16

16:: Write a letter to your daughter, or a young girl in your life. Tell her what beauty means.


Dear Karys and Avery...

Oh my...what a treasure you two are to me. The amount of love I hold for you two goes beyond anything I can even fathom...and my love is flawed! Imagine then the perfect, flawless love that your Father in Heaven has for you! I pray that you come to know that love as your own one day. I pray that through my flawed perspectives and abilities that I am still able to instill in you both the depth of your beauty as a woman, and more importantly, a child of God.

I pray that you will never know the depth of pain this world can cause an insecure girl who feels like she could never measure up...but please know, that if that time comes, Mummy will ALWAYS be here for you...to cry on, to vent to, and to remind you of your incredible beauty.

The idea that my body housed and grew you for the first nine months has certainly helped me in the realization of what TRUE beauty is...what a beautiful miracle to behold the formation of a new life...

I take on this challenge as your "Mummy" with open arms and a open heart...to hold you when you're hurt, to cry with you when your broken and to laugh with you along the way.

Mummy loves you my beautiful baby girls...to the moon and back!

XOXO

::wordless wednesday::

::Merry Christmas...::

...to you and yours!! And a very blessed 2011!!

love, US xoxo

::Sissy is Five!!::

okay, to be honest, this on snuck up on me! i mean, i KNOW, i have been teaching this girl Kindergarten for the past 4 months...but FIVE?!?! Already?!?!

i'm still in a bit of disbelief, but we DID enjoy Karys' day...fully!

it all started the week before the girls' birthdays when we headed into town for, what the girls thought, a trip to Costco!

and although we DID fit in a much-needed visit to the big-box-suck-your-bank-account-dry-store...our main intent for the trip across the water was....

Stanley Park's Bright Nights...with our favourite girls!! Unfortunately, we failed to snag a picture of all five girls...but fun was had by all! An event most certainly needed to be repeated next year!!

it was crisp and cool, a perfect addition to a wonderful Christmas event...and a great way for us to celebrate their birthdays...doing something simply... enjoyable!!

so, once their actual birthdays rolled around, it was nice to be able to just focus on the day and what we were going to together to make the entire day enjoyable and dedicated to the girl at hand:) (in case you're not aware, our girls birthdays are 5 days apart, and then our anniversary falls 9 days after that, so this is an expensive, blessed month, to say the least:))

Karys birthday comes second, but certainly not the least!! she has come to the age where she can remember the traditions we do for birthdays, and get excited with anticipation about what's to come!!

so...here she is, with her birthday pancake...and early presents from Gram


and later that day, we had set up a surprise for her!!!


4cats just opened a new studio here in the local mall, and i could not be more excited!! I thought it was a perfect way to allow Karys some alone, big-girl time on her special day! so i signed her up for a 2.5 hr course and we told her right before!! she was so excited!! and had a great time!!

Later that day, we had some family over for cake and presents...and Karys liked nothing more that to have undivided attention!!


the shirts suits her perfectly...and she LOVES her new game!!

all in all, it was a great day celebrating my first baby...turning five!!

here's my baby, 5 days after her little sister was born!!

so cute!!

mummy loves you Sissy, i love seeing you become such a little lady, a better sister each day...and such a big helper to me!!

::beanie is three::

so, the birthday girl's morning started as all birthday mornings do in our home...with a birthday pancake, or two:)

in this collage we have the birthday girl patiently waiting for her #3 pancake to cook, posing for Muma in her birthday "outfit" - chosen and put on my the big girl, herself! And, an excited face ready to eat a yummy pancake!

(remember to click on the picture to get a bigger image)

the rest of the day was dedicated to Beanie...she chose what we did, she chose what we ate (to a certainly extent!) and she chose her guests for her special birthday dinner! Funny to think her favourite people are all 10x her age...or more!! So, we had the requested "noodles" for dinner...was that at ALL a surprise?! nope...

and here she is tearing into her presents and munching out on some birthday cake!!

all in all, it was a great day celebrating our baby...

what a different a couple years makes!!!

baby girl, mummy loves you and looks forward to celebrating many, MANY more days dedicated to YOU!!

::dance, dance, dance::

yes, the birthday posts are coming...i have the pictures uploaded and just need to do the posts:)

but lookie what we've got heeeere!!!

last week we had the privileged of sitting in on our girls' dance classes (3) to see what they've been learning this term!!

avery, i believe, is the youngest in her class, and has had quite a difficult time letting me go...but she has stayed a few times and certainly enjoys the class when she does decide to let go of her inhibitions.

all the little "ballerinas" in her class are SO.CUTE!! and...SO.TINY!! so, it's extra special to see them....




Karys is in her second year of ballet, and is a natural!! She LOVES her class, and LOVES her teacher! (which i was happy for, because it's a new teacher this year)



she is also in her first year of a combined class of tap and modern dance...this one was SUPER fun for us to watch as we had NO idea what she did in this class...or how she was doing!


she likes this class too...but maintains that ballet is her FAVOURITE!!

we love our girls...and love getting to be a part of what they love!!