Karen and James make 8

Time to start updating again...

2012-01-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a very long time since I have wrote anything here on our blog.
So much is going on in our fast and very busy lives.
The kids are growing up so fast. This month we had Colby's birthday, he turned 11 and Jaden's as well. She turned 9.

Insane that my baby(Presley) of the family is now 8 years old. A baby no more.

I have recently retired from volunteering from my adoption agency..although I love that role and have been doing it for the past 15 years, I just don't seem to have as much time these days to dedicate to that so I decided to hang up my hat for now.

My Mom is not doing well and has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now. Her heart is not working well and causing her many problems. A little prayer for her would be welcome for those that beleive in prayer. My dad has been an angel taking care of Mom for the past 5 months(24 hour care) all by himself for the most part. I think big changes are coming for the both of them in the near future. Sad but it happens as we get older.

Jaden is trying out for inter-city soccer tonight and is so excited to have been asked to try out. She really loves the sport and did very good during the summer. Almost every game she got a goal and was so proud of herself. She is very competitive and always tries her best at everything she takes on. She loves a good challenge.She is in Cubs with Colby and her cousin Kate and always looks forward to it. Her newest challenge is she wants to learn how to snowboard..Lord help me!

Presley had her tendon lengthening surgery in September and has recovered nicely. She is walking flat on her foot and we are happy with the results. She does her exercises every night and wears her brace to bed each night. She doesn't like having it on..but it is very important to keep her tendon pulled to ensure that the results of the surgery remain for as long as possible.She goes for Physio and is a real trooper.

James is doing well...his braces have been on for a year now and his teeth are nice and straight...What a difference. He has about a year to go and then we get to see them beautiful chicklets sans metal. He is enjoying his job at the school and is doing good overall. He too is waiting for surgery..sees the doctor at the end of the month. Hopefully surgery will be soon and he can be on the road to recovery.

Colby is doing good...he has his challenges but overall he is your typical 11 year old who challenges everything I say. He loves playing videogames on his laptop and can spend hours on there. He loves going to Cubs(he is a leader of a group) and really enjoys it. He moves onto Scouts next September officially.

Jagger is 11, going to be 12 in March. Jagger is starting to show the attitude that comes with being that age. Somedays I find it hard to deal with as up until now he has been such a great easy going kid. Attitude starts and my stress level goes up. Funny how they start tuning you out at that age. Hmmm maybe I should start doing that. Jagger loves going to Scouts, he is off this weekend going to Winter Camp and is really looking forward to it.

Kennedy is now 16 and is growing up to be such a great young lady. She is trying hard in school and has decided she wants to go to Dawson and study Illustration and Design. I am thrilled she has an idea of what she would like to do and my god is she talented. I will take some pics of her work and post it here later. Driving lessons are coming soon....my baby will be driving a car...oh my!

Madison is 14 and in grade 9. She is in the enriched program at school and is doing good. Now can we talk attitude....she definintely has that. She has spunk and charachter and that makes up who she is. She has a strange sense of humour like her Dad and is definitely the sweet lover in our family. She is my dessert hoover. LOL.

So that is it in a nutshell...when the stress hits max I look at my picture of Jaden writing in the sand in the Bahamas..and the stress melts away. Oh..to be in the Bahamas again.

St Lazare Cooking Classes - CHECK IT OUT!!

2010-09-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Learn to be a better cook

A La Clementine

2576 Bonaventure St., St. Lazare; 514-799-5570; sst41@yahoo.com; www.alaclementine.com

Topics: Mediterranean and French cuisine, and special-occasion cooking.

Instructor: Sherry Egerton, experienced home cook.

Format: Single sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings, three or four-course lunch. English or French. Demonstration and some participation.

Time: 10 a.m.

Number of students: Eight to 11; groups, minimum of eight.

Price: $80; $340 for five sessions, including meal cooked in class and a glass of wine.

Starting: Oct. 2, 2010

This course is given by a good friend of mine. She is an amazing cook!

Well Summer comes to an end soon...

2010-09-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

And they are back to school. Everyone is starting to get back into the school morning routine. Bags- check, lunch box downstairs-check, papers to be signed-check, clothes on-check, hair-check, teeth brushed-check, washed face and hands-check, lights off in room-check, bags packed=check, homework done-check, breakfast eaten-check, shoes on-check and of course cheque book on FIRE-check and all this before 7AM in the morning...call it crazy...call it our HOUSE!!!!!

6 kids and 4 different schools...YIKES!

Meanwhile I am getting ready as well to leave for 7:15am...

Pictures and more info to come.

Karen

Summer is creeping in...

2010-05-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well the warm weather is here...and the pool is up and ready. We had our first dip this past weekend. Lots of work going on in and outside of our house. Always something to be done.
Here are a few pics I snapped from 2 weeks ago and on the long weekend.

Here is a picture of our friends twins..aren't they adorable? They are waiting for Mom and Dad...who should be heading to China in July we are hoping. How exciting for the girls and their new family who is waiting for them.

I will post some more pictures and updates soon...we have the kids in soccer and with practices and games..we are busy most nights....

School is almost done...can't believe another year has already flown. Kennedy heads to Sr High School, Madison heads off to Jr High School..Jagger grade 5, Colby grade 4, Jaden grade 2 and Presley in Grade 1.

Fun stuff up ahead.

More updates I promise.
Hugs!
Karen

Our Baby is Graduating....

2010-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

And what a beautiful baby she is...Madison is going to High School...ahhhh I am getting old.

Just had to share,
Karen

Olympic Fever starts today

2010-02-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well the week is almost up and we are ready to celebrate Chinese New Year this weekend.
Wanted to wish all our family and friends a Happy Chinese New Year. Tonight starts the Olympic games in Vancouver. All those medals you will see on the winners, the Gold, Silver and Bronze...were made by my brother and his team at the Mint in Ottawa, Canada. How cool is that.

May they shine brightly...hopefully many will go to our fellow Canadian athletes.

A little bit about the medals..

Medals by the Numbers

2.05 – kilograms of gold used in production of medals
30 – number of steps in fabrication process
95 millimetres – width of Paralympic medal
100 millimetres – diameter of Olympic medals
399 – medals for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games
500 grams to 576 g – weight of medals, among the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history.
615 – medals for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
903 – kilograms of copper used in production of bronze medals
1,950 – kilograms of silver used in production of medals
1976 – the last year the Royal Canadian Mint created medals for the Olympic Games

More facts:

All medals for the 2010 Winter Games were manufactured in the Mint's Ottawa facility.
It took one year of planning, innovation and prototype development to bring the ambitious design of the athlete medals to life and proceed to production.
There are a total of 615 athlete medals for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
There are a total of 399 athlete medals for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Weighing between 500 and 576 grams each, Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medals are among the heaviest in Games history.
34 Mint engineers, engravers, die technicians, machinists and production experts have combined forces to create an unforgettable series of athlete medals.
Over 30 steps, representing 402 days (2817 hours) of precision manufacturing, were taken to produce the medals.
The undulated (wavy) form of the medals for the 2010 Winter Games is a first.
Every Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medal is unique – no two designs are the same.
To strike the medals into their unconventional shape, a total of 12 undulated dies had to be computer-sculpted and milled.
Given the undulated (wavy) form of the medals, the motifs and text had to be individually laser engraved.
The undulating form of each medal for the 2010 Winter Games was inspired by snow, the sea and the breathtaking natural environment of British Columbia.
The unique design of every medal for the 2010 Winter Games reflects the athlete's individual story and achievement.
The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games medals include Braille on the reverse.
A clear, protective coating has been applied to prevent tarnishing of all medals for the 2010 Winter Games.
Each medal was struck nine times with 1900 tons of pressure – that's the weight of 760 cars piled on top of each other.

Check it out: http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/vancouver-2010-medals/

Proud of my baby brother and all his hard work. Bravo Jason!

Hugs,
Karen

Those dancing inmates..check it out!

2010-02-01T17:36:00.001-08:00

Our week..

2010-01-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

So the days are flying by since I have been back to work. It has been almost 4 weeks and I am enjoying my new job. Lots of challenges but it is interesting, educational and working on many projects. I am glad to be there.
With the hours in the days flying by James has been amazing and does the groceries and prepares dinner so as soon as I walk in the door supper is served and we eat together.
I was worried that eating together every night might happen less and less..but I enjoy our family dinner where we laugh, talk and share what happened over the course of the day. Sometimes of course it doesn't always turn out that way and we have crying, fighting amongst other emotions..

This weekend the kids are busy and we are driving. I should have a meter installed in my car now.

Kennedy has a sleepover with her good friend, Jaden and Presley are having a few friends over for a play date. They are looking forward to it. We will make cookies together for their snack. They will love it.

Madison is away on her grade 6 Grad trip at Jouvence. She has been looking forward to it since September. She was all packed and ready to go on Monday...even though she wasn't leaving until Wednesday. She comes home on Friday. The house has been much quieter without her smiley(wink wink)face around. We love you Maddy...and miss you ..

Had dinner with some friends this week..always a good time...talking about adoptions and helping in any way I can.

Thinking of the people of Haiti as I watch CNN each night. So happy that some of the orphaned children have been brought home to be with their families who were in the process of adopting them. My heart goes out to all those who are now without their families, without food and a home to call their own. It is so horrible to watch but incredible at the same time to see the resilience of so many who are trying to go on with their lives regardless of the devastation around them.

I have 2 friends of mine who had just arrived in Haiti, arrived in their hotel and the earthquake hit. They were so fortunate to make it out of the hotel that collapsed on top of them and find their way to the Canadian Embassy. They are home safe and sound. Thank God he watched over them!

Presley gets her new brace(sporting kitties and hearts) tomorrow. She will have to wear it all day day..and she is not a happy camper about it. She needs it though as her right foot has been getting worse. Her knee is always hyper extending and with the brace they are hoping this will help with that.

Always a busy life...but it is all good...we are so fortunate...we are alive...we have a home..love, family, friends, food, clean water.....we are so lucky to have what we do.

Hugs,
Karen

Adopting a child with Special needs-What lies beneath that label..Check it out!

2010-01-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from Colby's birthday celebration

2010-01-15T16:55:00.001-08:00

I thought I would share some pictures from our crazy home.

A weekend of Birthdays!

2010-01-15T13:00:00.001-08:00

Well today is our Colby's 9th birthday! WOW! 9 years old I can't beleive it. That means I now have two six year olds until Sunday and two 9 year olds. I love you Colby and hope that you have a wonderful birthday. Colby has cubs tonight and he loves going..so we will have a quick supper(his favorite-Shepherd's Pie) followed by his birthday day (cake with ice cream cones all around) and than of course presents.

My niece Kate also celebrates her 8th birthday today and a party will be held for little miss tomorrow. Our girls are going to the party and than the rest of the family will head over to Nancy's for Kate's favorite meal of Spaghetti. We love you Katie..Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Sunday brings Jaden's 7th birthday and both Colby and Jaden love bowling so we will go to play bowling(our family and Nancy's as well), have lunch there and finish things off with Jaden's birthday cake. She has chosen Sponge Bob this year. I hope you love your presents Jaden. Big hugs to you my baby girl.

My babies are no longer babies and are growing up so fast. Time just goes so quickly you don't see them growing up...you turn around one day they are 2 and than you turn around and they are 7. I just can't beleive it.

Jaden and Colby..we love you so much. You are so special to me and Daddy and life would just not be the same without you both in it. I thank my lucky stars everyday that you are part of our family..

Enjoy your BIRTHDAY weekend. We love you!

Mom and Dad

10 years have flown by...

2010-01-12T17:13:00.001-08:00

This Friday was our 10th anniversary. We celebrated with a ring for moi and Wee Fit for James. Hmmmmmm...I still like my gift better. LOL
Anyways we celebrated at one of my favorite restaurants "La Perle". They have the best Hunan Dumplings aside from the ones I make. We had a nice dinner and were finished by 8pm. Kennedy was holding down the fort while we were out...we headed to the video store and ended up with a family movie for everyone. We came home..the kids were excited to see us. We had hot chocolate, watched "9" which was pretty good, we made a fire in the fireplace and just vegged out. It was a nice evening...and we ended up where we belong..home sweet home.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband James...who has helped me with our brood...we are a pretty good team. I love you honey! Are you ready for 10 more? The picture below is too funny...he makes me laugh...we were at the museum where there were some unicorns...

Next year we will celebrate out 11th anniversary, standing by my brother in Miami while he says his " I do's" to his lovely lady. We will than leave for a week in the Carribean. We are all looking forward to it. A nice way to celebrate our anniversary I must say.

Hugs to all,
Karen

First day on the job...

2010-01-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Well my first day has come and gone and it went very well. I think I am really going to like it there. The people were warm and welcoming, invited me to dine with them at lunchtime...and with meeting new people and finding out about what I will be doing and what projects are in the pipeline for me. I recognized a few faces who I had worked with before and knew a handful of people as well so that made things easier. All in all a great first day. Day 2 tomorrow...looking forward to it! Thank you to those who were thinking of me today. Appreciate the kind thoughts!

Karen

The end of the year...

2010-01-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well I cannot say that I am sorry to see 2009 go...it was a tough year for us...or should I say challenging. Anyways..onto bigger and brighter things and challenges in 2010. Happy New Year to all our friends and family. We love you so.
We have spent time this holiday season with family and friends and that is truly special to us. There is never enough time in everyones' schedules except for holidays and we took advantage of that this year.

We visited Colleen and Alan's and had a great afternoon with the kids. Thank you for the invitation and we hope to see you very soon. We headed up to Jason and Deanna's in Ottawa for the day. Nancy and Kevin and their kids came as well and my Dad joined us too. We spent the afternoon at Jason's place and than all went out for a nice dinner. A great time was had by all. Thank you both!

New Year's Eve day we headed up to Burlington, Vermont for two nights. The kids loved their time swimming and playing and shopping. Nancy and Kevin were there and what a nice surprize that Sue and her 3 kids joined us there as well. The kids played together for hours and enjoyed each others company. Hot chocolate was had by all. There were many Montrealers's at the hotel that we had recognized from past years. Seems like spending New Year's with family in front of a roaring fireplace or by poolside is the way to go.

And now...the time has ticked away and this week we are heading back to work and school. The time off has been amazing.

Tomorrow I start my new job and am really looking forward to it. My new company is located about 3 buildings down from where Nancy works so perhaps we can meet up for lunch once in awhile. It has been almost a year since I have been in the work and home routine so I am expecting a bit of a tough week..but it is time for me to get back to work. Bills have to be paid.... My job is something I have not done before (Education) and I am really looking forward to the new challenges. I have a friend who works at my new company so that will help. New year, New start...great way to start the year off.

Should be a challenge as I will now leave before the kids get on the bus and will be home around 6pm (weather and traffic permitting) so James will be holding down the fort in the AM as well in the PM...thank god he loves to cook.

We will have to change our routine a bit as we will need to make the mornings go a little smoother and less stressful.

Anyways..here are a few pictures from the past week or so..

A little taste of Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T16:26:00.001-08:00

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I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus

2009-12-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

Karen
AKA Mommy

An adult evening out...

2009-12-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we were lucky to get out and have ourselves an adult only evening. We shared dinner with my cousin Colleen and her hubby Alan and my sister Nancy and Kevin. We had a great evening catching up and just being together. Definitely have to do that more often. As you can see in the picture my sister loves having her picture taken and was trying to be mysterious....LOL

Thank you Colleen for the great cookies...they were quickly eaten and enjoyed.

Love you guys!

Pictures this Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T19:37:00.003-08:00

Here are a few shots taken this evening. We had Nancy and her gang over...we played Charades and we had a lot of laughs...Santa is on his way...and you can see some of the letters that were made for Santa..Cookies(peanut butter and chocolate chip) were made tonight...and Milk of course for the big guy.

Pictures from my Christmas Party last weekend

2009-12-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

Presley and her wishes for Santa

2009-12-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry that the quality is not better..but I thought she was too cute...I had to share.

It is Christmas Eve....Santa is on his way...kids are asleep....everything that needed to be done is done....a huge sigh of relief...

Hugs,
Karen

Friends in Beijing

2009-12-21T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have some friends of mine, Doris and Dan who are in Beijing with their new daughter. They have been together for a week now and things are going great. I thought I would share this great picture.It is just amazing that I get to help wonderful people with their adoption journey's and finally get to see them holding their precious children. Who could ask for anything better in life..they will be making their way home on Christmas day.

This is for James

2009-12-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like to rock n roll all night and party everyday. This is James' most favorite band. I thought it was funny.

Snowball Fight - Too funny

2009-12-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

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My 2009 Christmas Party

2009-12-15T06:46:00.001-08:00

Well it was a great weekend and already the week is upon us. We were running from one thing to another all weekend but we had a great time. Saturday morning we got up early and had breakfast with Santa. We than headed off to Quinn's Farm as they were having a Christmas Craft Fair and they also have a wonderful bakery on site where they make some amazing stuff. We bought some decorations for our home...some little pictures made out of wax..which I will have to frame sometime...as well Grandma's tortiere. We will be dining on that tonight actually.

James and the boys than went to film their play that they are doing as part of their Christmas show which is coming soon. Once done with that they started to deliver their popcorn that they had sold over a month ago to fundraise for Scouts Canada.

Once that mission was completed..or almost...we had dinner...and than headed out to skate. They had a great time and than proceeded to check out the lights and decorations around our beautiful little town.

Sunday came and it was my annual Christmas party for my families who are or who have adopted from China. We were about 100 people and it was so nice to see all my great friends and of course all the kids. Lunch was served, crafts were flying everywhere and the kids shouted Santa Santa...and the jolly man in red made a guest appearance.
Each kiddie sat on his lap..or tried to...and all received their gift. We played musical chairs and fun was had by all. These parties are so special to me as I get to see all of the children as they grow. Each year we have some families whose children have just come home and that just melts my heart. To see a couple or a family who have waited so long to hold their child in their arms and finally have her or him..it is just precious.

Just recently Hannah, Emily, Milana, Georgia, Taiga and Daphne have joined our big family...and we are so happy to have them home.

Here are a few of their pics..

Afer the party we headed home where we just vegged out and got ready for the week ahead. Homework was started..at least we tried to..but everyone was still very excited about the party and the fun they had. So much for homework..

This week is my last full week at home alone...as next week the kids start their Christmas vacation and than January 4th I start back to work.

This weekend we head off to LIttle Red Riding Hood.

Hudson Village Theatre presents its 9th annual Christmas Pantomime! Fun for the whole family! Farmer Hood's Chickens are being whittled down by the big bad wolf, Granny Hood needs her cottage decorated, and Red needs a new dress to go to the village dance. Tom the Woodcutter wants to take Red to the dance. All these things collide in the wood, ending with the wolf caught, Granny's cottage done up nice and Red and Tom on their way to the dance.

This will be our 2nd year that we will be attending their Patomime. It was very funny last year and we all enjoyed it. Even poppie is attending(aka My dad)

And than next week is Christmas...can you beleive it.....so many things left to do..

Have a great week,
Karen

Our Motley Crew...

2009-12-15T06:43:00.001-08:00

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Madison and the snowman

2009-12-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Run for your life

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Check out what we have been up to..

2009-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

We have been putting on our dancing shoes or should I say elf boots and having a great time.

Check it out: http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/eDsleyfaKO7jovhuFW5M

Hugs
Karen

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer -Too funny

2009-12-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our world...the kids are excited for Christmas...they were so funny tonight.
Here is a peak into my night.

Karen

Maria's big house of Hope

2009-12-10T13:24:00.001-08:00

This was done in Memory for Steven's daughter who was adopted from China and who passed away a year or so ago. He has done such incredible work to help those children in China who are waiting for a family to call their own.

All I really want for Christmas...

2009-12-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Every child deserves a family of their own......adoption is such a wonderful gift...embrace it!

Karen

The hustle and bustle of Christmas

2009-12-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend we are having Breakfast with Santa at a local church. Presley is just so excited and sometimes cries at night that she misses Santa. She received her personal message from Santa yesterday and she was thrilled to watch it as he spoke to her. She waved to him and wanted him to come and visit NOW! All of our kids received one from Santa including James..who was on Santa's naughty list. Hmmmmm Santa told him he had to be nicer to his wife..LOL

You can check it out at: http://santa.sympatico.ca/watch/03c61487d09dd3fd1844989f34889e60

Sunday will be my yearly Christmas party. There will be about 100 people there. So lots of fun this weekend. I think we will take a drive as well on Saturday night around our neighbourhood. We do this every year checking out all the pretty lights and decorations.

Happy Holidays from our Family to Yours!

2009-12-07T10:55:00.001-08:00

Well time to update the site....November was Kennedy's 14th b-day ...can't beleive it. My baby girl is 14 already. God I am getting so old. Kennedy wanted to see New Moon so off we went to drool I mean watch Robert Pattison and Taylor Lautner. These boys are too cute...and of course with every shot of no shirt on in the movie the girls hooted and hollered. Was too funny...

The house is decorated and we are almost ready for Christmas. Outside and inside it is very pretty. The kids are getting excited and I can't beleive that in 18 days The big man in red will be making his appearance once again.

December is filled with parties and get togethers with friends and I do enjoy that part of the holidays and this time very much. My sister Nancy will be holding the 25th dinner celebrations this year. I will be having Christmas Eve at our place.
I think a round of family BINGO will be in order as well as loads of hot chocolate and lots of little goodies.

The new year looks like it will be starting off on the right foot as I have a new job. I will be working for a company called Raymark. The job is something that I have not done before but I really look forward to the new challenge.

The kids went skating this past weekend with Santa and they had a blast. James indicated he was going to try and make this an activity that they do every weekend if we can.

This weekend I host my 5th Christmas Party for the families and kids that I have come to know over the many years. I volunteer my time helping families through their adoption journey and it is something that is near and dear to my heart. This Sunday we will once again come together(about 120 people) to celebrate the holidays. I love to see all the kids..they all hold a special place in my heart. Good times.

My friends Dan and Doris will be heading for China tomorrow to begin their journey to their daughter Daphne who is waiting for them in Jiangxi, China. It does my heart good knowing that they will be holding their little one in their arms when we are having fun at the party this coming Sunday. To them I wish them a wonderful trip and may everything go smoothly.

To our friends and family who follow our blog...we thank you for following along and hope to see you over the holidays.

May this holiday season bring good health, lots of love, laughter and good times.

As 2009 rings out...we hope 2010 will be a spectacular year!!!

Hugs from our family to yours!

Karen & James, Kennedy, Madison, Jagger, Colby, Jaden and Presley, Bailey, Piper, Jynx and Esme.

Jason and Deanna..my little brother & his girl

2009-11-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Many have asked me if I had only a sister and when I said I have a little brother as well they were surprized. I don't have many pictures of my dear brother...so I found this one and thought I would share it with you all. It is a beautiful one from their cruise in 2009.

Deanna and Jason will be getting married on Jan 8, 2011 on a cruise ship...we are so hoping that we will be able to attend.

Here they are....what a nice couple. Congratulations to them both once again!

Hugs,
Karen

Missing Teeth, Park Omega, Madison's 12th Birthday, Jagger's Surgery and Halloween...

2009-11-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from October until now...we visited Park Omega which is a wonderful park about an hour from our place. We head down there every year as our family loves to go there...you drive through the park, you can walk on some trails, rent a golf cart and go through the park on designated trails...just a lot of fun.

Madison's 12th b-day also came October 15th and she had a skating party and a sleepover with some of her closest friends and family. We had dinner and a cake and she enjoyed her special day.

And well...Halloween...gotta love it...the kids dressed up..and so did James and I..Presley wanted to be a rock star so Gene Simmons and Kiss became our theme(James favorite band of all time).and we had a wonderful time. Of course Kennedy and Madison don't want to hang out with Mom and Dad and family..so we drop them off to hang out with their friends..so we didn't really see them dressed up..hence no pics of them really. Loads of candy is now everywhere and can you beleive it....Christmas is next...7 weeks to go. Time to get looking at those decorations.

We have had 5 teeth go missing in the last 2 weeks. Jaden has lost 3 and Presley has lost 2. The tooth fairy is tired of coming to our house so often. LOL.

Jagger had surgery this month and came through like a real trooper. He was so brave. He has stitches in 3 spots and you would hardly know he had anything..other than he is walking like he rode a horse for a week. We are so proud of you Jagger...you came through with flying colors. Thank you Dr Jednack and the Children's hospital once again. I think we have a gold pass for that hospital.

Below are some pictures of the great little fort Colby built in our backyard last week..it is still standing and it is pretty neat I must say. He goes to Cubs and he is very excited about camping and building forts. He is so good at doing those types of things. My little engineer in the making.

Some pictures of the week!

2009-09-29T18:17:00.001-07:00

You will see below some shots I took of the kids this week. I bought second hand a bunch of dress up clothes for the kids to play with..they are having a good time with them. Even Madison and Kennedy.

Until we chat again..
Karen

A busy week...

2009-09-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well we had a busy week last week...my boys started Cubs...and they are loving it...they just got their uniforms and were quite excited about it all....so nice to see. James has volunteered to be a leader so the three of them will be involved. So summer they are all in Soccer and now Cubs. I used to be a brownie and a Girl Guide myself when I was young...way back when. They have both already finished the tasks needed to be done for their house keeping badge. Very gung ho they are!

It has been pretty quiet on the job front...not much out there of interest but I have been applying to a few companies so hopefully something will come of it.

James and Madison are off to an Impact Soccer Game on Thursday at Saputo Stadium(they have made it to the semi-finals)...last week they were lucky enough to go as well...and as they pulled into the parking lot..my car decided it was time to release some antifreeze and go up in a puff of smoke....so although they enjoyed the game...they were thinking..tow the car...late night...fun fun...and so far from home..CAA only covers the first 5 kms to your place of choice. Of course our car was in the east end of Montreal..and we had to bring it to Pincourt...which is about 44 kms away. Well it was a late night for them as well for me..as I had to go and pick them up at the dealer(1:30am). My car had been in the shop the week before for air conditioning problems...they replaced the compressor and we came to find out they never connected the hose to the fan...and voila..the liquid and smoke show at the game..things are fixed now and they will attempt to have a great evening one more time.

I headed up to Quebec city with my 2 older girls for the weekend as I had a yearly get together with all the volunteers from our adoption agency. I am a volunteer as most of you know..and I help families through the paperwork, the long wait, I am the lucky one to call the family and tell them of their new daughter or son, help with the travel and be there when they are all safely home..for more paperwork and for moral support if any is needed. It is something that is a passion in my life. I love doing it.

My girls had a nice time...and we enjoyed our night away together. We laughed and laughed and had great bonding time. Note to myself...need to do that more often...just me and the girls...

So my weekend flew by....it was my niece's 6th birthday on Sunday and my sister in laws as well...we could not get together as I was out of town..but I am sure we will do something soon. Happy B-day guys.

The crazy life we live..

2009-09-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

So back to school has happened...doing homework with 5 kids...holy mackerel...nights just fly by even faster now. We try and do our best but there will be nights we won't be able to do everything.

Kids are doing well...most of them like school...always have to have one or two right..LOL...they like their teachers and the school year if off to a good start.

Kennedy is in grade 8, Madison is grade 6(graduation year), Jagger-grade 4, Colby-grade 3, Jaden-Grade 1 and Presley is in kindergarten. The million papers that need to be filled out have been done and sent back in...my cheque book is once again on fire and the 12 pairs of running shoes have all seen their first day...school supplies..oh my gosh...I have never seen so much stuff...and of course never to be seen again..LOL...I need more pencils already is what I am hearing..can you beleive it.

James is back to school and loving his new challenge. He has spent most of his career with elementary aged children who have autism and has now had the opportunity to work at the high school level..as he tells me...it is another world completely..but he is really liking it. I knew he would.

Me...well I am looking for a job...not that many out there so I keep looking daily. I am busy almost everyday with speech therapy, physio, occupational therapy or some doctor appt or dentist appt. Never a dull moment.

Challenging things in the past weeks for us have been Colby being diagnosed with High Functioning Autism...finally now we can try to pinpoint on how to help him better. He is going for speech therapy every week now and we are starting to see him improve. Finally after so many years. Thank you Debbie!

Jagger is waiting for a surgery date. We recently visisted the doctor and he needs some additional surgery for some manly issues. So within the next 6-12 weeks we should be heading to the Children's to take care of that. It will be day surgery and hopefully he will be feeling no pain in no time. We hope...

My Dad was in the hospital as he woke up and could hardly walk. His leg was in such pain. James brought him to emergency and after many hours they diagnosed him with a torn hamstring....he was put on bed rest for a few days and is now feeling a bit better. Very happy he is doing better..

Our basement (post flood) is almost complete...we have only 1 door left to be installed and we are done. It looks very nice. The kids love their rooms and are happy to have their own space once again. We are still working on setting up the office...but it too is a work in progress...one of my glass tops for my desk were broken so I am working with half a desk..but the picture gives you an idea. the little frame with 3 pictures I put together with some pictures James had bought while he was in China for Jaden..it came out very nice and is now hanging in our office as a reminder of China and how much we loved it there.

So much is always going on...and can you beleive it we are about 12 weeks away from Christmas already. My shopping has already begun...as there is just to much to do and Christmas dinner etc is usually at our place, so I don't want to wait til December to start shopping.

So much to do....it is my mantra..

Hoping that our friends Dan and Doris finally get to see their little girls' face in the next week or so...they have waited for almost 3.5 years for this moment..and I will be the lucky one to tell them of their darling Daphne...I look so forward to that. They will be amazing parents.

Take care all and talk to you soon,
Karen

Presley's 6th Birthday - September 21st

2009-09-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well we celebrated Miss Presley's 6th Birthday on Sunday and Monday. Sunday we had my parents, Nancy and her kids and Anne and Brianna over for dinner and cake. The kids got to play togeter during the afternoon and had a nice time. We opened presents and Presley was thrilled. She got playdoh kitchens and all the kids were playing and making us food.

Monday Presley had her favorite supper...Ramen noodles..LOL...I try to make them their favorite meal..so Ramen noodles it was.

She had her cake..a hugely decorated muffin...and loved all the attention.

She is growing up so fast, doing well and such a funny kid. She keeps us laughing all the time.

We love you Presley...Happy Birthday. 6 already..time flies.

Here are a few more pics from her day.

Karen

My Little Girl....check out the video

2009-09-22T06:11:00.001-07:00

James took some time to put this together...he loves his little girls...his boys too..but he also is a fan of Tim McGraw who sings the song..

A new member of the family...

2009-09-07T19:21:00.001-07:00

Well we have a new 10 month old kittie who has joined our family. I heard of this little gal who as a kitten had been outside and cried at someone's door in February..she was frozen...poor baby...she was taken in and her ears were frozen and the tips fell off. She was taken in by a local cat rescue organization and has been in a cage since found as there were no homes who wanted her...well that is all I needed to hear and now she is running and playing with our other 3 furr babies...and is loving all the attention and love she is getting. She is a real sweetheart and the kids adore her. We have decided to call her Esme...a charachter from Twilight..and which also means "To be loved"...and that she is.

The crazy summer..

2009-08-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

Here I am with my kiddies close behind....as most of you know who live near us the weather has just been terrible this summer. One word can sum it up. RAIN.
The summer started out with us heading to Old Orchard Beach in Maine...

We rented a beautiful place(got a great deal) about 10 steps from the ocean but the rain followed us and everyday all day it rained. In all my years going to Old Orchard(over 40 yrs) I don't remember anything like it. On the Wednesday I had emailed my sister who was watching our 3 cats at home to see how everything was going..she indicated back to me..that she didn't want to ruin our vacation but there was tons of rain and loss of electricity back at home and when she went into our home in the morning..there was about 8 inches of rain in our basement. Our basement is the place where our kids spend their time when they are home. Our 2 oldest girls have their rooms down there, our office is down there as well as a small family room. So...needless to say...we packed up and headed home. 8 hours later we arrived home to a house full of people moving stuff and sucking the water out from the basement. The place was a disaster. This was July 2nd. The following days were filled with cleanup and removal of everything in the basement..to see if it could be cleaned, saved or was to be thrown in the garbage. Our sub pumps were changed and finally days later, the basement was being dried out.

A few days later we had another wicked rain storm and when we went downstairs water was starting to accumulate. Oh god....not again. This time it was not the sub pump but coming from the footing of the foundation. We called a specialist in foundations and he came to tell us jaw dropping news...that our french drains around the house were not working and water was just rising around the house. It had no where to go but inside our house. The job that needed to be done was to dig all around the house, remove the old french drains and replace them as well as water proof our foundation so no water would come in again. This job is very expensive and we had quite a time in finding the $$ to have this done. We had to find a way or we could not continue with the re-building of the basement. I didn't want to put in all new stuff, walls, carpet etc only to have water coming back in. So...we arranged something and the job started...

So in order to get the job started we needed to pull down half of our gallery in the back, rip out all our flowers and trees around the house, remove the air conditioning units on the side of the house to prep the house for digging. Our driveway had just been paved in early June(we had been saving to do this for a year) and now we were about the have big machines, dirt and stones all over it. Our walkway had to be pulled up as well during all of this..

Anyways...we had to do what was necessary and the job started. It took about a week and finally the outside of the house looked like a war zone...but we had new drains..yeah!

With the basement flooded we have been confined to basically 1 floor in our house. The girls are sleeping on a blow up mattress in the living room and the stuff that they needed to keep from the basement is all over the place. So my house is a disaster.

The basement was finally restarted once the outside had been completed and now we have gyproc once again, the rooms have been painted and this week the doors and molding have been cut and installed.

Next week the carpet goes in and hopefully by the end of August they will be back in their rooms right before school starts. It has been hard for them as well as they feel they have no place to call their own.

Here are a few shots from the summer:

This was Madison's concert before school ended.

Here are some random shots taken of the kids over the summer:

Colby got his new braces - looking pretty nifty

Presley pondering life...

Presley getting ready to garden..

Jagger and our furr friend Piper..

The boys are starting a yearly tradition of heading out and doing some camping for a couple of days. This summer James took the boys to Morin Heights and they camped for 2 nights and did some zip lining in the trees...the boys loved it.

Here are some pics of their trip:

Kennedy, Madison, Jagger and Colby went to sleep away camp again this summer and had a wonderful time. Cousin Hope joined them as well. They stayed a week at Camp K in the Laurentians.

While they were there we(James, me and Jaden and Presley) headed up to St Saveur for one night and relaxed...credit card here we come...it was not that expensive at all...and we enjoyed our day around the pool and checking out the sites...

We then headed to St Agathe for another night away once all the kids were home..they played on the 80 ft waterslide and had a great time.

After their day in the pool and running here and there they were pooped.

This past weekend we headed to Ottawa for the night to have some fun with my sister and her family and my brother Jason and his fiance Deanna who live in Ottawa. We stayed at a hotel with a waterpark inside. The kids had a blast. We visited the museum during the early part of the day and than waterpark here we came..of course after their bellies were full. So nice to see Jason and Deanna and have a chance to sit and chat. They were excited to share their plans for their wedding which will be on a cruise in 2011..We are hoping to be able to celebrate with them.

So now the summer is coming to an end already...soccer is almost done..the boys are finished, Jaden finished this weekend and Madison is in the playoffs in the number 1 spot. Let's go Maddy. James is her coach and so proud of her and the team.

And now it is back to school....this is exactly how I feel..the kids are not thrilled at all to be heading back..but I remember I felt the same way when I was a kid.

Thanks for checking in...we appreciate you dropping by. My plans of having a few BBQ's and pool parties were thrown out the window...but hopefully with Fall..I will find a great job, James is starting at a new school (5 minutes from home) and the house inside will be completed..how nice does all that sound.

Take care,
Karen

Surgery and back to work!

2009-06-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Well James had his surgery and so far so good. He started back to work June 1st and he is very happy about it. He knows 100% if the surgery was sucessful tomorrow when he goes to the doctor. Tomorrow he most probably will have his catheter removed and in 10 days will be healed completely and be able to swim. He was so hoping that he would be able to swim this summer...since he is home and we got a pool a couple of years ago.

The kids are playing soccer everynight of the week almost and loving every minute of it. James is a coach for Madison's team and is a convenor for the soccer league..so busy busy.

Colby visited with our wonderful orthodentist on Tuesday and he will be starting with his braces on June 18th. I think he will be starting with 2 on his front teeth and they will be added as his adult teeth start to grow in.

Presley had her cast taken off on Monday...after having it for 17 days(2 different casts- one blue the other red)...she was a real trooper and she is happy to be cast free. She has to wear her brace every night..but the botox shots in her leg and the cast really pulls her muscle in her leg, making her able to walk more flat footed...you can see the difference.

Presley has started her meds for her ADHD and we are seeing some improvements...her teachers indicated she is able to focus more...she is participating in class discussions and activitites more...raising her hand and dancing and singing to their songs in class...so things are looking good...at least I feel a little more at ease with my decision to try her on the meds.

Kennedy finishes classes next week...I can't beleive the school year is almost over..
She will be heading to grade 8 in September..she has some exams over the next 2 weeks and than she is finished..
The rest of the gang finishes at 1pm on June 23rd...and than they are home for the summer.

No real plans for the summer..will hang around and enjoy the summer with the kids.

So much always going on.....there is never a dull moment in our house.

That is it for now...off to watch "So you think you can Dance"....

Hugs,
Karen

Some of what is happening lately...

2009-05-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an exciting few months to say the least. Kennedy and James were able to go to the Yangzhou Celebration in March and they had an incredible time.

Right before they left I was layed off from my job where I had been for almost 8 years.

James in January had to go into the hospital for a week..he left needing surgery. We have been waiting for awhile for the date and finally it will be next Wednesday, May 13th. It is day surgery(hopefully) and recovery will be about 3 weeks if all goes well. He has been out of work since Jan 2nd and he is looking forward to going back to work. He will hopefully start early June(for a few weeks) and than will be layed off for the summer.

So both of us will be home with the kids over the summer months. I hope our $$ situation stays pretty stable so we can make it through.

I am looking for work...but with these economic times...there are many people out there who are in the same boat as me.

Presley is doing well and has her 3rd round of Botox injections in her leg this coming Friday. Hopefully all will go well and it will help her to walk flat footed...for awhile. She has also been diagnosed with ADHD and we have made the tough decision to start her on medicaton for it. We need to try and help her to be more focused which will help her in many areas. I am nervous about it..but feel we have to try for her sake.

Madison has an appt with a local agency...her latest thing..she wants to try to be a model/actress. So we have an appt on Thursday to meet the agency and we will see from there. We have to bring some pictures with us wearing different clothes with different hair styles etc. If it is too expensive than this will have to wait til good ole Mom and Dad are both working again. Madison is excited about it. I figured if she wanted to try now is the time..as we are home to take her if she is called. Here is a recent pic of my girls...the two of them we are so proud of.

Kennedy is loving high school and doing well. She is 13 already...and looking forward to driving our cars....oh my god..in 3 years she will be driving...YIKES!

Colby, Jagger, Madison and Jaden are all signed up for soccer this summer...and James is a coach for Madison's team. They love soccer and are looking forward to it.

The days are never quiet in our place....we love having friends and family over on the weekends...never a dull moment. With all that is going on...Life is good!

Let's just hope in September I can find some work and than Life will be even better..

Hugs,
Karen

So long....I know I know..

2008-12-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

HI all,

Well it has been awhile since we have had an update. I know...I am so bad at this blogging stuff. I know I go to all my fave blogs each day and say to myself..gee whiz..it hasn't been updated in days...and here I am ..having not updated it for months. I love following up with my friends and their families.

So much has happened since my last post..Madison's 11th Birthday, Kennedy's 13th b-day, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas.

I will attach some pics and give you some updates along with them.

Sorry for being so delinquent!
Karen

Colby Colby Colby

2008-09-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

I had to share these pics we took the other night ..as we were heading up to bed I came across our Colby who had tucked himself into his toy bin as comfortably as he could..he was just too adorable and so content...I couldn't resist snapping a few pics of him...did I say he had the bin in the hallway near the night lite...and he had his favourite stuffie BLUE with him.

Dress up Time!!!

2008-09-20T20:53:00.001-07:00

The girls were having fun dressing up so took a few pics...Girls just gotta have fun!!

Pictures from the First Day of School

2008-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Presley and Jaden started in kindergarten, Madison, Jagger and Colby were switched to a new school with is mostly French all day and Kennedy started in High school. So there were many changes for all the kids.

Here are some pics of their first day...

So far everything is going very well and the kids love their new schools and teachers..so we are off to a good start.

Some pictures from Old Orchard Beach August 2008

2008-09-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

Hi,

I know I am slow in posting..but here are some pics of our vacation and summer.

Our Presley turns the big 5 tomorrow!!!!

2008-09-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well today was a wonderful day. We woke up and declared today was pancake day...everyone had pancakes to start their morning...everyone than got dressed and ready as we had fun plans for the day. We had planned in the summer to go to Parc Omega for Presley's birthday weekend. Finally the weekend was here!
This is one place our kids love to go. They look forward to our yearly trip to Montebello and visiting the park.

We hoped with all the rain we have been having all summer that this weekend would turn out to be a nice one and we couldn't have planned it better. The sun was out it was nice, not too hot or cold. The park is so nice, you drive through natural areas where there are animals all over, they are in your car windows and the kids can feed them. There are deer, elk, buffalo's, geese, beavers, wolves, bears and so much more. We bought 10 pounds of carrots before we left to feed our animal friends and headed home without a single one left. The park midway has a stop where you get out of the car and get picked up in a hay wagon..where you are than brought to a small farm where there are more animals, a tree house for the kids to play on, pony rides, a pumpkin patch and beautiful relaxing views.

We then headed back to our car to drive the rest of the way through the park...once done one time...of course we headed to the bathrooms and then turned around and did it again. It was so much fun and the day just flew by at warp speed.

Tomorrow is our Presley's 5th birthday. Everyone in the family is coming to spend some time with her tomorrow and she is very excited about the visit. She especially loved it when her Nanny and Popie come. She loves my parents so dearly. A special day for our big girl. She was given a choice on any cake she would like and she chose cheesecake. She defintely has great taste but not a choice I thought a 5 year old would make. So a cheesecake it is...and singing will be happening.

Presley is a true joy in our lives and we are so thankful every day that she joined our family.
Happy birthday sweetheart.

Here are a few pictures from today's adventure.

Our girls

2008-08-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Jaden has lost her first tooth and she was just so excited. The girls are getting so big and in a few weeks both of them will start in kindergarten. Tomorrow marks a huge day for us as it will be Presley's last day at daycare. I have been dropping my kids and picking them up there almost every day of the week for the last 12 years. I can't beleive September 2nd...I will be driving solo and no more morning chat with my girls in the back. I should say my back seat drivers...telling me what songs to play and where to drive. A new chapter will begin for this mom...

All of our kids will now be split over 3 schools...junior elementary for Colby, Jaden and Presley. Senior elementary for Madison and Jagger and High School for Kennedy. I am getting soooo old!

Big changes ahead...

Vacation time...let's see some sun

2008-08-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time of the year when we make our way to our favorite place. We look forward to it each year.

The kids are all looking forward to our time away..and so are we...YEAH!

Colby and his cat..night night!

2008-08-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

I thought this was the cutest thing. About 2 weeks ago as we were heading up to bed..we came across Colby lying in the hallway with our cutie pie Bailey lying on him..it was too cute I had to take some pictures.

More pictures

2008-07-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Kennedy's Grad Dance - Grade 6

2008-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

So long since we have had an update!

2008-07-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

HI all,

Sorry for the lack of updates..but life just gets so busy and sometimes blogging isn't the first thing on our minds.
Well as you know..summer vacation is here..and the kids are home this summer with dear ole Dad. As James calls it "Chez Papa" LOL.
Our kids will be changing school this September and Presley and Jaden will be heading to kindergarten. So August 8th will be my last day dropping off a child and picking them up from daycare...What a wonderful feeling that will be. It has been 12 years that I have been going to that daycare in the morning and night. I can't imagine what it will be like to head off in the morning..with me just listening to the radio in peace and quiet...oh who am I kidding...it will be heaven. LOL

I will miss my little passengers in the back..but they are thrilled to be going to BIG school and taking the big orange bus.

Time soon for all the school supplies and the 18 pairs of running shoes that will need to be bought. September puts me in the poor house. LOL

Anyways...a small update..Presley had her 2nd round of Botox in her leg..she was sporting a very sexy cast for 1 week...and than was fitted for her new brace with pretty daisy's on it. She wears it only at night.

She recently had her surgery on her eyes for her strabismus(weak muscles in her eyes) and she is recovering nicely from that. Her eyes are much better.

She has been a real trooper and continues to do amazingly well..

Kennedy will soon not be sporting her braces as they should be coming off in September. Her teeth are just georgous...she is growing up so quickly and is heading for High School this September.

Madison, Colby and Jaden are in soccer so that keeps us busy most nights of the week and Saturday morning.

Jagger is growing like a weed and is enjoying his time home with Dad and swimming in the pool.

Jaden lost her first tooth last week..she slept with a zip lock bag and a piece of kleenex for 2 days..just in case it happened to fall out. When it did she proudly put it in the ziploc and forgot to seal it. She went out in the backyard with it..holding the bag upside down...and you guessed it...the tooth was gone.
She was upset that the tooth fairy would not show..but Daddy took quick action and called the Fairy and she said..that her magic wand would find any missing teeth and not to worry. So Jaden was thrilled to hear. She waited and that evening was the proud owner of 2 dollars.

With summer brings vacation..I have 2 weeks off and can't wait. We are heading to Old Orchard Beach...time for beach and sand and fun together..everyone is very excited. THe 2nd week we will be going here and there.

Last night brought a new member to our ever growing family...a new kitten..his name is Mr. Jynx. He is a dark tabby and is just too cute. My sister rescued 6 kittens and well one of them had to come home with us. So now we have 3 cats..Bailey, Piper and Mr. Jynx.

So much going on...it is so tough getting up in the morning when everyone else is home and sleeping...me and Presley try and sneak out without waking up the house.
Hard to concentrate when it is sunny and warm and everyone is home enjoying their time off and the pool is calling my name.

Our friends D & M came home with their little K...we are so happy for them! Finally K is home where she belongs!

Well I am off for now..Madison is getting streaks in her hair this morning..she has always wanted some blonde in her hair..so I figured why not...

Oh yeah..for my b-day in June..I got a tattoo...it is around my ankle..with each of my kids name seperated by a flower...it turned out very nice. They will be forever with me! I love it. Thanks for D&M for holding my hand.

Have a great day...I will add some pics to the blog shortly.

Our Spring Break Vacation

2008-03-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well it was indeed fantastic....weather was 80 degrees and sunny every day. Check out the video...James finished half of it...so I thought I would post so you could check it out.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-22T18:57:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-22T18:38:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-21T19:20:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-21T18:59:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-21T18:44:00.001-08:00

The big Jam Session tonight

2008-01-21T18:03:00.001-08:00

After dinner tonight...Bon Jovi played and my kids started rockin and a rollin...it was too funny. They had a blast..guitars were blazing all over the house. Enjoy!

The BIG BIRTHDAY's of last week #7 and #5

2008-01-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well,

Tuesday brought Colby's 7th birthday and Thursday brought Jaden's. We celebrated with them choosing their favorite dinner meal..so Tuesday it was Pizza Hut and Thursday it was McDonald's. Sunday we headed to play bowling at the local lanes and we all had a fun time. I think we will start doing the bowling thing once a month or so..especially in the winter. The kids were pretty good I must say(even though I won both games) LOL....they all were so excited and we really had a nice afternoon. Thanks for the wonderful gifts everyone!

More Christmas Pics- I KNOW I AM LATE!!!

2008-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

The joy of Christmas...the pitter patter of little feet....Family...that is what holidays are all about!

Karen

Great news- No surgery for Jaden

2008-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you who knew...Jaden was scheduled for surgery once again January 30th for her larynx ...but Friday we visited her doctor/surgeon and he put the camera down her nose to check her throat to check out how things were looking..and I am happy to report that he indicated it looked the best since he has been following Jaden. She had a very severe case of Laryngomalacia when she first came home and has had surgery 2 times in the last year and a half.

So he told me he was going to cancel the surgery and that he would see her again in 6 months with the hope that with her growing that she would not need any other surgeries. Of course we will have to see..but I was so happy she wouldn't have to go through that again.

If anyone ever needs an ENT specialist Dr. Sam Daniel at the Children's in Montreal is the man. He is great with the kids and such a kind soul. Jaden just loves him.

Karen

Kennedy is our Volleyball Champ!

2008-01-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well I have to report that last Thursday Kennedy attended her first volleyball tournament. James attended as well but for his school. Thorndate Elementary in Pierrefonds. Kennedy did an amazing job and was the MVP of the game. Her mates were chanting her name and well James said she was just beaming with the adoration from her teammates. Kennedy is excited about possibly joining the volleyball team in High school at Westwood where she will be starting in September..my baby is heading for high school. I will post some picures tonight. Keep up the Great work Kennedy-we are all so proud. Job well done!

Mom and Dad

Some pics I thought I would share.

2008-01-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

I took some shots today..thought I would share. My girls are so adorable!! I love you all so much.

Our 8th Anniversary Already

2008-01-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

Wow can you say time just flies by...today is James and I 8th wedding anniversary. It has been a wonderful ride...he surprized me with some flowers today..then he and Jagger were off to the dentist.

Here is Madison's song for us on our special day!

Check out our video...Cool!

2008-01-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year - 2008

2008-01-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well the New Year is here and the holidays seem to have passed so quickly. I will try and give you a brief idea of how our holidays went. We finished work on the Thursday and I had Friday off and the kids and James finished school at 12:30pm. We all went for Fu Lam (our kids most loved Chinese buffet) and then we headed to Upper Canada Village for the Alight at Night. The weather was beautiful, huge snowflakes falling, not many people and just a wonderful magic evening.

This is what the website says "Bundle up for an evening stroll around the Village, and see heritage buildings all magically lit, with over a QUARTER MILLION lights … a true winter wonderland! " and it truly is.

That Saturday my Mom and Dad, Nancy and Kev and my nieces came over for a nice visit and we had a great dinner of Roast Beast Grinch Style. It turned out great and my folks really enjoyed it. It is always so nice to spend some time with them.

Sunday night we were up wrapping gifts until 3:30am. What a feat that was!

Christmas Eve came and Santa was preparing to make the big visit to our house. The kids were so wired they could light the Christmas tree if you could plug into their energy. We made fresh cookies for Santa and we ate a few and left him some along with a big glass of milk.

As we tucked them all in they were just so happy that the long awaited day was so close. Presley was lying in her bed with her cozy blankets up to her chin singing Santa Claus is coming to town and kept asking..is he coming? It is so great to see her get into Christmas and being so excited.

Each one tucked in and kissed, James and I finally had a bit of time to relax and talk and laugh about the kids and all the excitement that was to come the next day. We reminisced about when were were that young and how we remember being so thrilled.

Here is our tree after Santa finally visisted.

Our tree is a 9 footer and was just so beautiful with all our decorations..many of which were given to us by friends or many we have made ourselves. Each one as they are hung brings back such memories. I love getting new ornaments.

Thanks Jen and Kev for our Reindeer family of 8. Great addition this year.

The tree has 1500 lights in there so is truly georgous when the lights are low in the living room and the tree is just glowing. I love it!

Christmas Morning finally arrives..the kids are up and excited at 7am.

To tie our secret in with Christmas, during our summer vacation we brought home 2 bags of sand with us from Old Orchard Beach. We spread it in front of the tree with sandals, flip flops and sunglasses for each of them. They wondered what that was all about..I just played dumb until the time came to share the news with them.

Here is Jagger with his flips and sunglasses on.

Funny as they grow how the gifts change, Kennedy a few years back would hate clothes or anything like that. If it wasn't a Brats doll or a toy you could tell she wasn't happy. We have now moved up to high heel black boots and she was so happy to get them.

Here is Presley just after waking up and opening her stocking. She was so thrilled with all that was going on and all she could keep saying was more presents for me?

Madison opening her first gift..her wheelies or as she calls them Speedies..kind of like Heeley's with wheels in the shoes. She has wanted a pair for the longest time.

Here Jaden has just opened her Furr Real baby dog that moves and cries. She wanted her own pet as our kitties belong to all of them.

Sorry Colby I didn't have any good pics of you sweetie..Mommy was too busy helping everyone to take lots of pics. The ones I did take were the first 5 minutes when the chaos had just begun.

How did we tell the kids about the secret we have been holding onto since July? The Big cruise and Disney you ask? Well we put 2 envelopes in the tree one indicating Puzzle 1 and Puzzle 2. Each envelope had letters in them and their task was to figure out what the letters spelled.

Here they are starting to piece it together.

And here is the final results:

The surprize for the family is we are going on a 7 day cruise out of Miami for Spring Break and then heading to Orlando for a few days and going to DisneyWorld. They were screaming when they figured it out. Kennedy was crying with excitement. We will be taking a plane which will be a first for most of the kids as they don't remember their journey's home from China.

The big Christmas Feast was at our place and my parents, Nancy and Kev, Jason and Dee, Anne and Brianna, Doreen and Faith and Mia joined us in our celebration. We had a wonderful evening and yet another round of gifts.

The kids went to sleep that night so happy and content with all their loot.

The 26th arrived and we basically spent the whole day in jammies as the kids opened their toys and got to play with everything. Can you say "What a mess".

The 27th and 28th we headed to our Home away from home...Burlington, Vermont and spent 2 nights at the Hawthorne Suites. Presley had started to have a fever and was coming down with a cold.

We finally headed home on the 29th and Presley was getting sicker. I tried to get her an appt at the clinic but had no luck. So guess where James spent until midnight..the hospital. Presley was diagnosed with acute sinus infection. Poor Baby! So antibiotics for 14 days. Withing 24 hours she was a much happier camper and so was Mommy. She is almost back to herself and Mommy has recovered from the 2 nights of crying and high fever as well.

New Years Eve we had some great friends over, Jimmy and Laura and their kids Katie and Benjamin, Anne and Brianna as well as my sister Nancy and Kev and the kids. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing evening ushering out the old year and welcoming the new one.

Fun and some serious Bingo games was enjoyed by all. LOL

Cleanup and cleanup and laundry and snow filled in the rest of the gaps I have left out and now it is time to head back to the real world of work and getting ready to head back to school.

The holidays were wonderful and passed to quickly.Spending time with Family and Friends is so enjoyable.

May all our friends have a wonderful 2008. Be safe, be healthy, have endless amounts of love and lots of laughter this year.

Hugs from all of us to all of you,

Karen, James and the gang.

Great Christmas Link from my 2007 Family Party

2007-12-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Thanks to Dan and Doris..they made a great little video of our family party this year.
Thanks! I thought I would share.

http://www.youtube.com:80/greeting_view?s=jm9oVIg0rHI&p=953DF8F9A7BF0A5F

Christmas is almost here!

2007-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Well Christmas is only 11 days away and everything is starting to come together. The festivites will be at our house this year. Nancy and her family,Jason and Dee, Anne and Brianna, Doreen and Faith and Mia will be coming over to celebrate. It will be nice to get everyone together. I wish the family visits were more frequent but I know everyone is very busy with life.

We are happy to hear that Dee is feeling better as she just had her gall bladder out. Glad to hear you are doing well Dee.

I am happy to report that I am almost done shopping and I can feel the stress level starting to drop. I finish up with work on Thursday and then I am off until Jan 2. The kids are off until Jan 7th or 8th I beleive and so is James. So lucky they have those extra days.

We are all looking forward to our visit to Upper Canada Village next week..check out their site.it looks amazing http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/night.htm

I can't beleive it is almost here already. It is indeed one of my favorite holidays of the year.

We had my Christmas party for my friends and families that I have met through Formons Une Famille. They are a wonderful bunch of people and over the years we have created a wonderful connection for ourselves as well as our kids. We had music,games, Santa came to visit, craft making and many door prizes. That party is indeed one of my favorites as we all come together and enjoy the afternoon together. To see all the angels who have joined their families this year is just a wonderful thing. To see all the kids so happy, growing and turning into toddlers and heading to the teen age years is something I have been blessed to be a part of. It gives me a lump in my throat to stand there and see them all.

So this coming week everyone has their little parties at daycare and school, work wraps up and then we count down til the big day. We open our gifts normally Christmas morning. Presley has really gotten into the holidays and loves Santa. She loves singing Santa Claus is coming to town and has no idea what is going to happen Christmas day...it will be a zoo...but that is what Christmas is all about. FAMILY.

To all our friends and our families who read our blog...we would like to wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas and may 2008 be filled with health, peace and lots of love and laughter.

May 2008 bring more children home to their families who are waiting ever so patiently. Every child deserves to have love and a family to call their own.

We send our love to you all. Happy Holidays!!!

Karen, James, Kennedy, Madison, Colby, Jagger, Jaden, Presley, Piper & Bailey.

The family is growing once more...

2007-11-25T17:36:00.001-08:00

So are you saying to yourself...what another baby? Nope not one but 2...here they are...introducing Piper and Bailey. They will be coming home December 7th....we are so excited.

The kids are just so thrilled and are counting the days!! We hit Walmart today for litter and kitty food and all the accessories, cute little collars with little bells..one red for Piper(black one) and one purple for Bailey(grey one).

Just in time for Christmas and our 9 foot Christmas tree...Happy climbing kitties.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2007-11-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Well this time last year as we put our Christmas tree up we were happy but in our hearts we were saddened as we knew that we would not have Presley home for the holidays as we were hoping. We originally thought that she would be home in October..and for whatever reason which we will never know...I guess it was just not the right time...when Christmas finally came we missed her not being there. We put an ornament on the tree with her picture on it as we have those ornaments for all our children. Even though she wasn't physically going to be home with us...she was in our hearts and was a part of our family.

This weekend we put up the tree and it was sooo wonderful to hand Presley that ornament and tell her to put it on the tree...she looked at the picture and said that is me. James was saying what a big difference there is in Presely since than. She has come a long way in the 8 months since she has been home. Glad this year we were all together to start the decorating in our home.I love Christmas, the beauty of all the lights, the excitement of the kids, the music, the smells of turkey and stuffing and I could go on and on.

Here she is....

Here you can see Kennedy and Madison giving ole Frosty a wet one..LOL Pucker up Frosty!

School Pictures for 2007 are in.....check em out!

2007-11-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Kennedy (Grade 6-Graduation Year)

What a bunch of coconuts! But I love em!

Madison (Grade 4)

Jagger (Grade 2)

Colby (Grade 1)

Jon we are coming!!!! You are no longer lost on that highway..

2007-11-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

What a performer......I AM GOING TO BON JOVI....
I caved in and spent a little more than if I would have bought 2 tickets and waited in line...but good ole ebay came through and I am going to see Jon and the band. We are going Thursday, November 15th.....It has been a few years since I have been to a concert. I have seen Bon Jovi before and I know me and James are in for a real treat...Now to find a sitter...any offers? We are sitting in section 119 facing directly in front of the stage. Now I have to learn all the words to their new CD which James bought me a couple of weeks ago...Gonna make a memory that night!

I am going to Bon Jovi...Yah! I am going to Bon Jovi...sing it with me.

Adoption - Jen and Family

2007-11-04T18:33:00.001-08:00

Adoption - A Korean Adoptee Thinks She's White

2007-11-04T18:31:00.003-08:00

Adoption - The Exotification of Asian Women

2007-11-04T18:31:00.001-08:00

Again take a listen...

Adoption - An Adoptee Talks about Intl Adoption

2007-11-04T18:28:00.001-08:00

Interesting!

Adoption - An Adoptee on her Mom's Perspective

2007-11-04T18:27:00.001-08:00

Check it out!

A couple more Halloween pics!

2007-11-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here she is before hitting the streets for candy. She is a chocolate fiend so Halloween was easy for her to take.

She took everything in stride..

I love my little pumpkin!

Karen

Trick or Treat Smell my feet!!!!

2007-11-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well it was a successfull Trick or Treat this year. It was Presley's first time out and we didn't know what to expect. She did great as she squealed with delight as she ran up each driveway with her pillow case in her hand. All the kids had a blast as we went from house to house. Here are a few pictures of them. Kennedy was a cat this year, Madison a dead rock star(looked like Alice Cooper), Jagger was a Ninja, Colby was a pirate, Jaden was a ladybug and Presley was a pumpkin.

Here they are...

Now isn't that a face only a mother could love?

November is here already and we are looking at Christmas in 7 weeks. OH MY GOD! Christmas tree will be going up soon as we normally start working on it after Kennedy's Birthday. She will be 12 on November 16th.

I can't beleive she is going to be 12 already. The years have just flew by...next year officially a teen ager. I am getting so old.

One more day of work and it is the weekend. Looking forward to it.

Take care,

Karen

Very sad!

2007-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am sad to report I was not able to get a stinkin ticket to Bon Jovi...I have scoured the internet and the cheapest ticket is about $200 ...and I need 2....so I guess I will have to listen to my new CD instead...I was so looking forward to seeing them.

Boo hoo! Anyone have any connections in higher places?

Karen

The week ahead

2007-10-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

Oy! Can we say I am using this stuff big time today! I am home with a big cold. I guess it is the time of the year. The kids have been sick on and off so I was expecting to get something soon. I am glad I got it now though as this weekend I am heading off to my 1st annual Cross Border Girl weekend away. Can you say SHOPPING!!! Knew you could

These bags will be ours come the weekend..

We are heading to my favorite place "Hawthorne Suites" in Burlington.

This is the place our family loves to go to except this time around Mommy is going solo with some of her girl friends...I look forward to it. We will take in some shopping, eat at my sisters fave restaurant "Olive Garden" and might even take in a movie. Too much for this mom to handle but I am so willing to try.

Have a great Tuesday!

Karen

What a Georgeous Day!

2007-10-21T17:31:00.001-07:00

Well Happy Sunday everyone,

It was just the most georgeous fall day here today! I walked out into our backyard as we have started to put all the summer stuff away and it was just beautiful. The trees in our yard are just something else..I love this time of year. The kids wore t-shirts and jeans and were so happy to be out and about and just enjoying the day. Once I was done with what I had to do I snapped a few pictures of them as they were playing. I hope you enjoy!

Anne came over this afternoon and we had a BBQ for dinner. It was very nice. The day just zipped by so quickly and now we are quickly approaching Monday and the busy week ahead.

Until next time!

Karen

Why some pets hate Halloween

2007-10-17T18:02:00.003-07:00

With Halloween quickly approaching..I saw these pics and wanted to share..I thought they were hilarious!

What some people do to their doggies...LOL

Karen

Jon is coming to town!

2007-10-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Well look who is coming to town....

Can you say "OH MY GOD!!!!" Isn't he the cutest thing..I sound like a teenager...but I have like Bon Jovi for many years...and this Saturday tickets go on sale...and I want to go!

Hopefully I can get some tickets.

Looking forward to seeing them again!

Karen

I know I know...here is a picture of Us!

2007-10-17T17:07:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

Well I have heard many comments that we have all our kids but no pictures of me and James. Well here we are...our wedding day in January 2000.

It was a great day! Our wedding ceremony was done in chinese and English and the church was all decorated in red and gold. We had a minister who sang us a song..supposedly a tradition for chinese weddings...Kennedy and Madison were my maids of honours...the firecrackers went off as I went down the aisle...it was a very special day.

James looked so handsome in his tux and well my dress I didn't like it..but what is a girl to do...We had a lovely reception for our families and than left for a week long cruise...funny how is is only 7 years ago but it feels we have done so much in those years and have come such a long way.

James is a great guy, he helps me so much with the kids and the house or else I wouldn't be able to handle it all. Together we do all right!

I hope you are all having a great day..Friday is quickly approaching and happily I have Friday off...co-incidence that all the kids are having a ped day and I have 2 doctor appointments..so that should be interesting dragging them all with me. Well we do what we have to do!

Saturday I have a conference to go to and really look forward to it. It is about adoption , one of my favorite topics...I wonder why!

Have a great weekend everyone..and drop in again...I will leave the light on for you!

Karen

Our Presley - Then and Now

2007-10-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Well it has only been 7 months since Presley's arrival but here we go:

The 2 little trouble makers...So innocent looking aren't they!

They certainly keep you hopping.

Here is Presley at Zig Zag Zoo..her first time at a big indoor playground. Huge tubes and slides to climb and slide down. She had a blast!

Here is Miss Presley on her 4th birthday. She was so taken with the singing and the cake. Our baby is 4! Whaaaa!

This Halloween thing is all new to her. She picked her own pumpkin and was so thrilled to have done it.This year she will be dressed as a pumpkin. Nothing to scary for her this year. I think she will love getting all the candy..but the scary ghouls and ghosts walking the streets should be very interesting..we shall see!

Our Jaden - Then and Now

2007-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here she is at 3.5 years old

This was 2 weeks after she arrived home. We were in Old Orchard in Maine.

Here she is:

Jaden is a ray of sunshine. She is always happy and full of energy.She is my little love bunny!

And here she is now:

She was very excited to start decorating our home for Halloween. It is one of her favorite times of the year. She will be a ladybug this time. She picked this pumpkin herself when she went apple and pumpkin picking.

What an angel!

Our Colby - Then and Now

2007-10-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here is our Colby

Colby at 3 years old: what a cutie pie!

And here is Colby today:

Colby loves the water. He has progressed so much in his swimming. He is a big helper in our house and is always trying to please. What a smile little man!

And the best thing we could have ever done for Colby and Jagger:

These two could not live without one another. They hit it off the moment they met! Brothers who are constantly on the go and will "Keep the Force" forever..

Our Jagger - Then and Now

2007-10-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Jagger at 3.5 years old in Xinyang, Henan

Here Jagger is in 2005 (5.5 years old)

Always a smile on his face-he is such a great kid.

And now today:

He loves swimming, Boogie boarding and skim boarding. He has a natural talent and is quite the dare devil-always willing to try anything and everything.

Our Madison- Then and Now

2007-10-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here is Madison at 7 months old:

Here she is around 3 years old:

Oh what fun we had in New Hampshire!

Bubbles for everyone....

And here she is today:

Lounging in Old Orchard Beach this summer(2007)

Our Kennedy- Then and Now

2007-10-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Here she is when she came home...just 6 months old.

What a sweetheart!

And here she is at our wedding; January 2000 (she was 5 years old)

And here she is today at almost 12 years old:

Welcome to our First Family Post!

2007-10-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well Fall is quickly approaching as the leaves are changing and Halloween is right around the corner. Our house is starting to show the signs of Ghosts and Witches and 8 feet tall headless creepy thing(we have one in our entrance) waiting for the little children to shout "Trick or Treat". I love this time of year. We live in an area that is still quite "Country" if you would call it that and we have lots of trees which are just in beautiful red, yellow and oranges right now.

Time to start putting the summer stuff away before ole man winter arrives.

This weekend we spent Saturday celebrating our Madison's 10th birthday. She had 3 friends over and of course had her cousin Hope and Kennedy tag along as well. We went to see the movie "Game Plan" with the "Rock"...boy is he something to look at...anyways I digress....

The girls and Madison had pizza afterwards followed by cake and the opening of presents..don't we all love presents..

She received some money(which she loves) and some bead kits and a beautiful soft fluffy blanket which she quickly wrapped around her...it is so nice..I wanted to sleep with it.

She also got a student size guitar with case from her Auntie Anne which she loves and has been walking around with for most of the day on Sunday. She has been practising on James electric guitar for the past few months...that one though is too big for her and the one that she got for her b-day is a perfect size...so she is gung ho about learning how to play.

Sunday I re-modeled an armoire that I had bought which was for the girls room to hang up their clothes as they had no closet in their rooms...well I bought some shelves and took the drill and voila I have now made it into an armoire with 5 shelves..and will now use it for the boys room. Shortly we will start re-doing their room as it is time. The little train and car border has had its' day..after all my boys are almost 8 and 7 years old.

We had a busy weekend as usual.

Today is officially Madison's 10th birthday. I love you Madison and wish you many more wonderful years ahead of you. Madison is my little "Avril Lavigne", for any of you who know her you know what I mean. She is the Tom Boy of my girls. She is funny, loves life, is very laid back about things(a good trait to have) and loves it when I shop in the boys section for her. She likes nothing pink or too girly. We love you Maddy...Happy Birthday!