Paxman Family

Oh Baby....

2011-12-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

So once again....here I am after a month and a half, but life is so busy that things go on and I don't know where time goes. We have had a busy December, as always. There has been work parties, school performances, dance shows, ward parties, choir practice, chocolate making and of course shopping. Once you mix that all in with work and such- it makes for a CRAZY month.....but also, my favorite of the year.
I love love love Christmas- even through all the business. It always makes me reflect on our Savior and the many blessings we have in our lives right now. Just to name a few- Cody's business is going well- hooray! Ali and Mary are healthy and happy. I have a good job and have had some fantastic babysitters- I am so grateful for Marissa and now for Laurel who have opened their homes and hearts to my girls. It makes me so happy that they are happy and well cared for when mom can't be there. We have a happy home and great family. What more can we ask for?
One more major blessing that we are going to have in our home in 2012 is baby #3! It took us a while to get here, which makes it that much more wonderful! This week we had a peek at baby at our ultrasound. It was fantastic! I love the ultrasound- seeing baby move and suckle and jump around. Watching that little heart beat super fast. It is truly and amazing experience and I think I love it more with each one. We are so excited to welcome baby and so are the girls. Ali has been excited right from the moment we told her she is going to be a big sister again. Mary took some convincing that it would be a good thing to have a baby around, but she has decided it will be okay now- although fully giving up her room might be another story- even though she has not slept in that room for about 6 months now- she still claims it and the bed as her own, so we will see how that goes when the time comes to welcome baby.
I hope everyone is having a fantastic Christmas season and enjoying the parties, the joy, the friends, the lights, the magic and all the love that is floating around! Merry Christmas!

Trick or Treat????

2011-10-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ha! It is not a TRICK! I am actually blogging about an event right after it happened! What a TREAT!
Happy Halloween 2011. We had a fantastic few days enjoying all sorts of Halloween fun. I would be lying if I said that I wish it would go on and on because this momma is definitely all Halloween-ed out!:-)
We did lots of fun Halloween-ish things over the last few days.
Ali and I went to her school Halloween party. I was parent helper that day. It was a lot of fun, but madness as well. I do love going to school with Ali though to see how much she is learning and growing there.
While I was away at school with Ali, Mary got to join our neighbor and her little girl who is just about the same age at the Kayben Farms Pumpkin Patch. They had all sorts of fun playing and running and having lunch.
We ate Pumpkin Pancakes for dinner.

We carved pumpkins. Mary was very particular that her pumpkin would be carved with a happy face- she likes happy- not spooky.

We got all dressed up.

We went trick or treating.

We enjoyed the spoils of said trick or treating.

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope is was great and everyone is now tucked into bed safe and sound and asleep after only minor sugar rushes. Mary definitely had the sugar rush- bedtime was a little bit of madness. Okay, a lot of madness.....Happy Halloween!

I Love Skype

2011-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got to talk to my dad.....he is in Tahiti on a mission for our church. It was so great! I love the technology that we have now that allows us to have a video chat with someone thousands of miles away. The girls were so excited to talk with him
He showed us his banana tree in their yard. Wouldn't we all like to say we have a banana tree in our yard? I think we will be relocating inspectaCAR- Tahiti sounds like the perfect location.....you can all come and visit!

Why I love Calgary....

2011-09-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ha! I have probably spooked the lot of you! "Who is she to talk about loving Calgary! How dare she!"--- that is probably what you are all saying right now. Actually I think I want to change the word to "like"- Why I like Calgary!
To be honest I am writing this post because in a couple of months when it gets cold and snowy again I will be feeling like I need to read over this so I can remember why I do like it here.....and I actually do---sometimes.....and here is why:
1. People come visit you here-
I don't know if we have ever had so many visitors! Calgary is a good place to shop and get away, but is not too far. So to all you visitors who came this summer- keep coming! We love having you. It definitely helps so we don't miss home as much.
2. The Zoo-
I bought a zoo pass for Ali and I in March. Mary is still free, so that is a bonus. We have definitely paid for our passes and then some. I love going to the zoo for the morning, packing a lunch and eating it there and then coming home in time for Mary to have a nap. This is the best way to see the zoo, no doubt about it!
The girls have actually gone way more than me too because I have an awesome sitter who takes them while I am at work! We love her!
3. The Beach-
Five minutes away. Sand and sun and fun. We have really enjoyed the beach this summer and we have had some great weather for it.
We actually are enjoying the beach even now that it is September seeing as how we are sporting some great summer weather still. Oh, and this is when I love it most because most kids are back in school so it is not crowded at all!
4. Calaway Park-
This is probably Ali's #1 favorite thing to do. We got passes for this as well and definitely made use of them- I think we went 6 times and we still have some Saturdays to go as well.
5. Lots of indoor swimming pools-
Sometimes the weather is not all that great and you still have lots of rec centers at hand to go and spend the day at.
6. Cody and the Girls-
They are my family and they are where I want to be. Right now, we have to be in Calgary and we don't have any other choice. We have a great time together no matter where we are and if that is Calgary- I like Calgary.
So there you have it- why I LIKE Calgary. It is not that bad of a place- it is really big and busy, but it does have its upsides and is definitely an okay place to call home, and we can deal with that!

The Good Old Summer Time

2011-08-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

I guess it is time to write about vacation. What a vacation it was. I had 4 weeks off from work. I have never worked for a dentist that took over two weeks off at a time. 4 weeks was fabulous- although it kind of made me feel like I wasn't working at all, so I had a difficult time going back this week.
It was a great month and we got to enjoy doing lots of different things...
WEEK ONE-
Calgary, AB.Potty training- as per last post....thank goodness! No more diapers at our house! We did manage to get in a movie on one of the rainy days that week. It was a fairly relaxing week. It was nice to just hang out around home...
WEEK TWO-
Little Bow Provincial Park, AB.
I decided I was brave enough to camp for the week without Cody. He had to work and was already taking a week off, so couldn't take additional time. He came down on Sunday after church with me to help me get all set up and then went back home. I did make a quick trip back home during the week as well to make sure that I was prepared for the talk that I had to give that Sunday.
We had a fabulous week though, despite a few rain showers and a bit of wind. We spent the week with the Paxman crew. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time out on the lake, as well as riding their bikes like mad through the campsite. It also didn't hurt that we had lots of delicious food and great company besides (please refer to above photo- they are NOT going to like me!).
WEEK THREE-
Calgary, AB.
This week was a recoup week. I spoke in church on Sunday, as I already said. Cody told me it was a good talk, but I was rude to the people of Calgary when I told them I didn't like them well enough to live here forever. It came out wrong. Oh well, I will have to apologize sometime, I like the people in our ward, just not the city. Haha. Good one, Em.
Monday was a holiday so Cody was home. It was a super nice day, so we took the kids to the zoo- they had a great time. It got too hot in the afternoon though, so we came home in good time. I love our zoo passes- well worth it!The rest of the week I got the laundry done, the house cleaned and got everything packed for our trip down south.
Janae made a last minute trip up here on Wednesday and stayed overnight. Ali and Mary were so excited. We didn't do a whole lot, just a park trip and a quick trip to the mall and lunch. It was fun to have them though.
WEEK FOUR-
Spokane, Washington. Sandpoint, Idaho. We left Friday after work and started on our way. Well, let me tell you, what a trip. I had previously done priceline so that we could stop in Cranbrook. By our estimations we should have arrived in Cranbrook by 10:30pm.
"SHOULD HAVE"- key words there. We were headed south when I got a text from my little brother, Fraser. He had left our house that morning for Spokane at 11am. He was still in Sparwood. What????? So there was an accident at Sparwood that closed down highway 3 for 6 hours. Fraser with his wife and baby were 2kms away from the accident, they barely missed getting through before it happened.....they sat on the road for 5.5 hours. CRAPPY!
We got off lucky, we only sat on the road for 3.5 hours.....I don't really call that luck. It took us 3.5 hours to get from the BC border to Sparwood- which is 20kms. Once we got through the accident site, it was bumper to bumper until Fernie. At this point it was one o'clock in the morning and I would have given anything for a bed. The hotels in Fernie looked packed so we didn't even bother trying to get one. And I had already paid for our hotel in Cranbrook, so we went on. It was just after 2am when we pulled in to the parking lot. And we were lucky we had a reservation or else we would not have had a hotel at all. By the time we got settled it was 2:45am and I then had a difficult time falling asleep- so all in all, the morning came way to early for my liking.
The rest of our vacation went much better that day 1. We spent the week with my family. We were all there, minus my dad's wife Emma, who didn't get her passport back from the french consulate in time (They were waiting on their visas for their mission).We spent the weekend in Spokane and then went to Silverwood on Monday and up to the cabin we rented that night. It was so fun. Silverwood was great- Ali was brave enough to ride the big tube ride and a roller coaster that scared the heebidee jeebies out of her (by the way, the BEST tube ride ever, they also have an AWESOME roller coaster if you are in to that kind of thing- if you haven't been to Silverwood- go, it rocks!)Our lake time was phenom! The weather was fantastic- the lake was warm by lake standards and we all enjoyed ourselves. Lake Pend O'reille is beautiful. Oh and the "cabin" I would not call it that- It was amazing! The girls enjoyed their cousins and I enjoyed my siblings- and I only got told that I needed to go to bed earlier one night due to a raucous game of Settlers. I wouldn't call that half bad.Loved every minute!Above Picture- a good depiction of how we all felt! The only down fall to vacation was the fact that I needed a vacation from my vacation when I got home. I didn't even have a one day break before I had to go back to work. Tough, I know.
This week we are home again....back to work, back to every day life. School starts soon and so life will get busier with that. I guess I am always just looking forward to the next vacation.....hopefully soon. And you might need a vacation from this post.....Later!

Potty Talk 2.0

2011-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I wrote this post- hence 2.0. Last week was the first week of my weeks off for the summer, so I thought I would dedicate it to potty training Mary. A few months ago I got very frustrated and gave up- I don't really like to admit that I am a quitter- but I was. You can call me a big fat quitter!
This time round I had high hopes- Mary has shown tons of signs of being ready.....my high hopes took a major decline after day one and two- she didn't have a ton of accidents, it just seemed she was not getting it and getting as frustrated by the whole situation as I was. Day three was equally as frustrating and then day 4 rolled around.
The morning was the same- she fought me the whole time. She took a nap after lunch and I don't know what happened during that nap but she must of dreamed a dream about the toilet because she never had a single accident that evening. We even had a number 2 success- of course it had to be at the park. Yes, I am one of those moms who totes around my little potty everywhere. I put it in the back of my bike trailer and took it with me to the park. There must be something about the great out doors because magic happened at the park.
Friday was success all day, we were even out for the whole afternoon and evening and she had no accidents!
So there you have it. Potty Talk 2.0- hopefully 3.0 won't come out anytime soon- I am pretty sure no body really wants to hear about this! I guess I just wanted to share a success!

P-A-R-T-Y

2011-07-10T16:25:00.001-07:00

I feel like my life has been one big party from the beginning of June right up to today. Just like everyone else, the last month at our has been packed with all sorts of fun things- ending of activities and school, visitors at our house, July 1st, and all the fun things that you get to do when it is summer. And I never got around to blogging about it because I was having too much fun doing it all. So point form is what you get folks- here goes a marathon picture post.
We went down to Lethbridge for a weekend at the beginning of June. I wanted to see my niece Lauren in her final ballet show for the year- Peter Pan. It was amazing. She did such a great job. She is really talented. We also fit in a trip to the temple, something that is not as easy to do now that the temple isn't 45 minutes away (soon though:)). Cody also helped his brother build a deck while the kiddos got some cousin play time in at the park. It was a fun filled weekend.
Ali had spring fun day at school- it was only rained out twice......haha. She did have fun in the relays and taking part in the activities- the last pic is of Ali and her BFF, Raiva- they loved each other and had a great time spending time together at school and for play dates. Ali finished her dance class and took part in a recital. She did a tap number to Lollipop- now she won't stop singing Lollipop and neither will Mary. Lollipop, lollipop, oooo lolli lolli lolli lollipop.... over and over and over and over.....I am definitely missing her old dance school in Magrath though- way more organized, cuter recital and cheaper$. Who said the city offers more than small town? She did do great though and we were very proud.
Ali learned how to ride a two wheeler mid-June as well. She took off so fast- she has practiced alot over the last couple of weeks and has gotten really good. She is really starting to be a kid now- not my little girl any more.Preschool graduation. She graduated at the end of June. I LOVED her preschool. Her teachers were awesome. She really learned a lot and grew up and matured. Now to decide if she will head to Kindergarten or not. In Raymond she never made the cut off so would just be starting preschool, but she makes it here. I just don't know if I want her to be the youngest in her class when we move back to Southern Alberta. And there are so many schools to choose from here- it is so stressful! What do I do? A day trip out to Banff. It was a little cloudy, but we had an awesome day wandering the streets, going for a hike and riding the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. We will definitely go back to check out a few different hikes. It was a great day- I love family time.Like the smile? Her official soccer picture was way cute, but this is what I got on camera. She finished up on the last day of June. She had a good time playing with all the kids, but I don't know how much soccer she actually learned. We had a coach who wasn't always there, so it made it difficult to be consistent with practice. She did enjoy it though and had a good time running with the pack. We will see what next year brings if she is still in to it.We visited Calaway Park twice in the last two weeks. I ordered seasons Passes for myself and Ali- It was dirt cheap and has already paid for itself and I get coupons for whoever goes with me so it saves everyone else money too- so if you want to go, just let me know! We went the last weekend of June with my brother Luke and his family who came to stay for 4 days, and then we went this week with my sister Jess and her kiddos who came to stay for 4 days as well. The last time I had been to Calaway park was when I was about 11 years old, so I remembered it being so huge- its not, but it is still alot of fun- the kids had a great time and we will be going again for sure.July 1st- new Canada tees- this is my favorite picture of the bunch- I L-O-V-E these girls- they make me so happy!Ray-town parade. All the cousins lined up ready for the show. It was cold though! that wind was chilly- we still enjoyed it though.After the Raymond parade it was out to beef and beans in Hill Spring. Cody and I have this conflict every year about where to celebrate the 1st, both home towns have a party going on, so we try and do a little of both. This pic is of Ali running in the races. This is a Hill Spring tradition- every year after the beef and beans picnic everyone gathers and races. They do the races in age groups. Mary was so funny. She started off running her little heart out and then stopped in the middle and started to cry, I couldn't help but laugh. Ali raced her race and then about 4 others too because she liked it so much. Even a few of the adults got in on the racing action.....I love July 1st!Beach days- we have had quite a few of these. We live in a lake community so have a great beach 5 minutes away- we took Luke's family and Jess' family and the kids had such a good time. I am pretty sure Luke and Mel will be moving here now....;) There is something about beaches that makes kids happy for hours. There will definitely be more beaching this summer.

Well, I guess that it it, the marathon post- I am impressed that you made it to the end.....don't worry, I am sure there will be another because we haven't even done any vacationing yet and there is definitely more partying to come!

Where the Wild Things Are....

2011-05-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

They are in my house....just thought you would like to see what my wild things came up with to keep themselves occupied this week....This week has felt like a long week, even though it was actually a short week because of the long weekend.
A few things contributed to the long week:
1- Cody was so busy at work that we didn't see him very much- not complaining about the busy-ness part, just the not seeing him.
2- The rain. A LOT of rain. Last night the city had pumps going all night long on the deerfoot and 22X junction- there was water all over the road. We never really hear the traffic from the deerfoot, but those pumps were SO loud. It rained all week. Non stop. I don't mind a couple days of rain, but after a while it gets old.
3- I had to work a Friday. These make my work week longer. I don't always work Friday's, just sometimes.
I am glad that it is almost Sunday. My wild things are glad that this is out today...

Why my Mother's Day was great....

2011-05-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

1. 1 blissful hour of sleeping in with no one else in the bed

2. 1 wonderful husband brought me breakfast in bed- french toast and fresh tomatoes.

3. 2 homemade cards from my 2 best girls

4. 1 homemade giraffe recipe card holder

5. 12 roses from my guy

6. 80 reverent primary children

7. A call from 1 marvelous mother-in-law

8. A long chat with 1 spectacular sister

9. A quick conversation with 1 Fabulous Father

10. 24 hours dedicated to honoring my funny, talented, spunky, creative, inspiring, loving, giving mother.

Happy Mother's Day!

Why Cody needs a boy.....

2011-04-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I walk into the house from dropping Ali off at dance, go upstairs and this is what I find.....Shaving...really, Mary is NOT a boy Cody. Mary wanted some shave cream too, so Cody gave it to her. She knew right what to do with it, put it on her face and.......... lick it. Yes, lick it.
She didn't like it so much after that.
Mary has decided shaving is overrated.
Cody had decided he needs a boy to teach man things to.
Maybe someday.

B-B-Q

2011-03-18T14:45:00.001-07:00

Sunshine +
Burgers and dogs +
All the fixens' +
Good company =
The first BBQ of the season

I'm lovin' it.

Although the temperature was no where near the summertime range, or for that matter the true springtime range, BBQ is what I wanted when I woke up Friday morning and that is what we did. Cancel pizza night boys and put some shrimp on the barbie! Summertime here we come!

Too bad today looks like this.....

Two

2011-03-07T08:52:00.001-08:00

Last Friday was the big day. Two. The age of my youngest daughter. CRAZY. I know everyone says it- so I will echo their sentiment- I can't believe she is two already.Cody and I woke up on Friday, which was Mary's birthday and reminisced about the morning, exactly two years ago when we dropped Ali an grandma's doorstep and raced to Lethbridge, arriving only a short 25 minutes before Mary made her grand entrance. We also remembered the kind of day it was- it was a cool Wednesday March morning, but spring was definitely in the air. This year- not so much, we are still caught in the dead of winter. GRRRRR.
This years celebrations were pretty laid back. I like doing 2 year old b-days because they really don't have a lot of demands.
I made pancakes for breakfast for the girls, Mary got to choose- "cacakes, mom". Ali was mad because she didn't get to choose, but when I asked her what she wanted it was pancakes anyways, so catastrophe averted.
I took the girls to the pool for a couple of hours that morning. They had a great time swimming and playing in the water. We showered and got dressed and then ran some lunch to dad because he didn't have time to get lunch. Both the girls fell asleep on the way, so they missed lunch and had it late when we got home. Mary napped for the afternoon and then we did our normal Friday night thing- pizza night and then we had to make a run to get a few groceries. We were back for regular bedtime though and then I baked cupcakes for the b-day festivities the next day.We celebrated on Saturday evening because that's when grandpa and grandma could come- thanks for making the quick trip- we love to have you. Dinner and cake- pretty simple.
Mary was delighted with being the center of attention- she discovered her trike early- which was much to my dismay, more than hers, I can assure you, but all the same, she hasn't got off it much since she got it. We sang, she blew out her candles- it took her about 20 tries to get candle number two out, she ate a delish cupcake and then she played some more with her fun things she got.Mary is really a wonderful little girl and makes us laugh every day. Here are some things about her, some you may know, others, you may not.
1- Mary is a rock star sleeper. Lay her down, give her her blanket and to sleep she goes. Naps- 1 time daily- between 1.5-3.5 hours. Night time- 11-12 hours. Rock it Mary.
2- She loves her "su"- now only if we could get rid of it. (If only I could bear to get rid of it is more like it)
3- She loves books- ones with animals are her favorites.
4- She only weighs 23 pounds. She is pretty petite- just right for a little girl.
5- She loves nursery. She asks all during sacrament if she can go to class yet.
6- She does not eat dinner. She very rarely eats anything we have for dinner, except for the cucumbers we put on her plate. She LOVES breakfast and loves to snack, but dinner, I don't know what to do about it.
7- She has brown eyes and reddish-blondish-brownish hair. I hope it stays reddish- it is a really pretty color right now.
8- On that same note, she recently got her first hair cut, just some bangs, but she needed it so bad because she could not see us due to the hair being in her face- she wouldn't keep elastics in and so then she always looked like a little orphan child, at least now she can see.
9- She throws major tantrums, but then stops just as quick as she started. Something sets her off and she is NOT to be consoled. She screams and screams and screams, until all of the sudden she stops. I have learned to ignore it.
10- She is a tease. She is spunky.
11-She has the worst camera pose. She makes the funniest faces- please refer to the pic at the top. She won't look straight at the camera, hence, bad photos 90% of the time, oh well, we will work on that.
12-Mary gives the BEST hugs. She grabs you around the neck and squeezes. Oh how I love it- whenever she is in trouble or wants something she has learned that if she comes up, hugs me like that and then pulls back a little and looks right in my eyes, she is rarely refused anything.
We love Mary, can't imagine life without her. Happy Birthday Mare-Bear! We love you.

An Un-winter Picnic

2011-02-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite childhood memories was going up to Waterton in the dead of winter for a winter picnic and occasionally some sledding- if there wasn't hurricane grade winds blowing (which, lets admit it, in Waterton in the wintertime is rare).
We would pack up our hot dogs, veggies and dip, chips, marshmallows, hot chocolate and some firewood and go for a wienie roast. Most times we would hang out in the largest camp kitchen and then make our way over to the side of the hill to sled until we couldn't feel our extremities any more. It was a good time and I have so many good memories of fabulous winter picnics.
Well- we have carried on this tradition. Whenever the Peterson's manage to get together- okay, not manage, we have Peterson parties regularly. We congregate at the old Peterson homestead and let the kids run wild. It usually only takes one of us to say we are going home to convince at least 2 or 3 of the others to make their way home too. I love getting together and going to H.S.-it will ALWAYS be home to me.
For family day this year we spent the weekend in H.S. Jess and Fra were their to party. It was cold. Like -20 cold for the first couple of days. the kids did manage to go outside though- even in that cold and Uncle Fraser helped them to build a pretty awesome snow cave. Mostly we just visited, stayed up late and played games and yapped and laughed. There is always a lot of laughing.
Monday was warmer so we decided that that was winter picnic day. The boys went out hunting in the morning and were sent up early to get the fires started. The rest of us were on our way to Waterton when Jess had van troubles. We called the boys and told them we were going back. this was much to Ali's dismay and she wouldn't stop telling me how much she loves Waterton for about 2 hours after this. Oh well. We made it work.
We had a fabulous hot dog lunch at home- in the warmth of Grandpa Pete's house- where I am happy to say- we had NO wind and NO cold and NO crying from the kids. We fried the hot dogs and did oven s'mores and drank our hot chocolate and then the kids went outside and played in the snow fort. Honestly- I kind of appreciated the un-winter picnic. Try it some time. It will bring warmth to your heart.

Show me some love

2011-02-14T13:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! I hope everyone out there has had someone show them some LOVE. I have had heaps of LOVE shown to me over the last couple of days and I have been able to return the favor too. So, happy LOVE day! Here's what we did:
Valentine crafting extravaganza 2011. Last week, Ali helped me make all her Valentines for her preschool class party which isn't until tomorrow and I made Valentines for my little primary class which they loved. This morning the girls also got out their crafting supplies to make valentines for Dad. Crafting is such fun business for them, but it is stressful for me. Ali is a wonderful crafter- Mary, not so much. Mary's hands were plastered in glue and stickers and red stamping pad ink. They turned out cute and the girls where so excited to take them to dad.Date night. Oh my gosh, I forgot how much I LOVE date night. Since we moved to Calgary we have not been out on a date alone. Actually I really can't remember the last date I went on with just Cody- we have been out as a family, and without kids, but with friends- which is so fun too. But you know what, I think it is a great thing when you can go out with your best friend and talk and laugh and just have fun hanging out. It was so so so fun- dinner at the Keg- D..LISH..US. It was so so yummy. And then we went to a movie- Just go with it. It was a great night and we had a great babysitter-thanks S.
Lunch with dad- after we made our valentines I whipped up a pizza and we went down to the shop and had a LOVE lunch with dad.Dad surprised us with flowers when he came home. Roses for me and a mixed bouquet for the girls. You should have seen the look on Ali's face when Cody told her the flowers were for her and Mary- she loved it.With all this LOVE going around I can't help but think of all the things I LOVE. So here goes my 11 things I LOVE in 2011-
1. I LOVE my family-oh you make me smile. I may get upset or annoyed or impatient sometimes, but I LOVE you in every way and you are what makes me want to laugh and cry and sing and dance.
2. I LOVE music- a little of everything, depending on my mood.
3. I LOVE that Ali said to me today, "Mom, you are my best friend in the world that I see". I hope I am always her best friend. My mom was mine.
4. I LOVE the gospel.
5. I LOVE my bedroom. We just painted and I got new bedding and I love it. It is a little hotel-ish, but hey, most days I would like to live in a hotel- only so someone would make my bed and clean up after me.
6. I LOVE books. I am reading the Harry Potter series right now- again. I have read it before, but I could read them over and over again.
7. I LOVE the rest of my family- you know the ones you call brothers and sisters and grandma and grandpa and nieces and nephews- yeah I love them- they seriously rock.
8. I LOVE to travel. I get the itch to get on a plane and go somewhere every couple of months- we have a vacation planned for the summer, but I want to go now. Not going to happen this year though- InspectaCAR trumps travel right now.
9. I LOVE the Internet. I think I am a junkie. Not like facebook and that, but just random DIY sites and cooking sites and things like that- they make me want to be more crafty and things- I'm seriously not.
10. I LOVE warm weather. I can't wait for spring. I LOVE sunshine and lakes and parks and walks.
11. I LOVE that people, for one day, show so much LOVE. I LOVE that there is a holiday to celebrate LOVE. I know it is a over commercialized, just like everything in this world. It doesn't have to be though. It can be a dinner with your hubby- or family. It can be a card. It can be a kiss. It can be a LOVE lunch at the shop. I LOVE LOVE. It is the greatest feeling. I hope you spread it around and show a lotta LOVE this Valentines Day!

Potty Talk

2011-02-12T11:45:00.001-08:00

I have concluded that you can know that you have truly become a mother when you are more obsessed with your child's bathroom habits than anything else AND you will discuss it with anyone that comes along.
I am so worn out. I am tired of patty training. I have decided that I have an incredibly stubborn almost 2 year old. She will not be persuaded in any way to consistently use the toilet. After four days of constant and vigilant potty training- it still hasn't stuck and I found myself making an excuse to go out so that I could put a diaper on her and so I could have a break.
She can do it and does really well sometimes. She gets excited about it when she goes, but couldn't be bothered if she has an accident. I tried treats, stickers, high fives, singing, dancing, and whatever else I could think of, but no such luck. She just couldn't be bothered sometimes and other times she asks to go every two minutes which is equally as draining because she doesn't go at all.
I am taking a break for the weekend. Maybe Monday will bring a fresh start and new hope in the bathroom.

The Fortist

2011-01-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

You are probably wondering what a fortist is. I will give you a definition to the best of my ability...

FORTIST- someone who likes to make forts that are gigantic in size and pretty high on the awesomeness scale.

This weekend we had my SIL's two girls here, Mikah and Shaylee. They are probably some of the best house guests I have had yet-don't worry all my other house guests, we love you all and want you all to come back! My girls L-O-V-E them. I don't know if they love my girls quite as much, but I do think they like them. My girls love having someone to pack them around and play with them and give them their full and undivided attention. It was fun to have them. We did some fun things. We went sledding at the park, which was really fun until Mary started to cry and wouldn't stop. We went out to lunch with Cody and yes, we built a huge and gigantic fort that was super duper awesome, we also had a pretty fun movie night with popcorn and jammies and Despicable Me, probably my favorite movie of the moment.
I was in the midst of making the fort, trying to be as creative as possible because we have only one box of crazy forts- not enough. The girls love it, but I would recommend 3-4 boxes to make a decent size fort. But no matter, I just got out my ladder and chairs and clothes dryer hanger and about 4 sheets and multiple blankets and went to work. as I was working away, Shaylee asks "Hey, are you a fortist? You are really good at making forts."
So I think when I reach my mid life crisis and no longer was to be a dental hygienist for a living, I shall become a fortist. I think it would really be a lucrative job. Really, who doesn't need a fortist around?
Here are some pics of the fort and the the girls playing in it. We did have to dismantle in order to watch the movie- next time I will build the fort in a different way so that it can stay up longer. Thanks for coming to stay Mikah and Shaylee- come back soon!On a side note, I had a couple requests for some pictures of the girls. They are growing and getting more personality every day and doing all the things that kids do best. I snapped a couple of pics prior to going to church today. I sure love them. They make my life shiny and bright!

Oh what fun....

2011-01-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

So there is some bonuses to living in a big city...oh yeah, I can't think of any right now. No, we have had a great week around here. Do you want to know how to get 2/3 of your house painted in a very fast and efficient manner? Invite your in-laws to stay! They didn't even run out on me when I was at my pickiest. I try to say that I am not fussy- I think I am kidding myself if I believe that.
THANK YOU Mom and Dad Paxman. You guys royally rock! We got so much accomplished and my house is being transformed. I am loving it. We also got to have a little fun as well- they treated us to dinner and we went for a bit of a drive around the city. Actually we went for a long drive, mainly because we got totally lost in the northwest trying to find some lady's house. Just so you know, the GPS lady does NOT always know what she is talking about. Anyways, thanks again Grandma and Grandpa- come back soon. You are the best!
Next question- how do you teach your 4 year old to skate? She was so so so excited about trying to learn to skate....until we actually put her skates on. She just doesn't quite get it. I don't remember how I learned how to skate. I am at a loss. We will just keep on practicing though. I did get a rockin deal on some skates off kijiji, they are super nice and I actually enjoyed skating this morning. I guess that is a bonus to where we live. We have this awesome community center and gated park- you have to have a residents card to get in, so not everyone in the whole city can barge in. It has a lake that they have a couple of shinny hockey rinks on right now and a pleasure rink and a great tobogganing hill. We had so much fun this morning. Cody and I worked in our new skates by skating around the lake- they Zamboni a path all the way around. We pulled the girls in the sleds. It was great. We went over to the sledding hill for a bit too- Ali LOVES it. It is so fun to watch her fly down the hill over and over and over again. Today she hit the jump in the middle of the hill. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I am pretty sure got about 4 feet of air and she landed right back in her sled and kept on going right to the bottom. It was great.
Oh yeah- and added bonus today...it is above zero. Thank goodness. I needed a break from the fridged Canadian weather. Oh...I just came up with a bonus of living in Calgary- NO WIND. A huge bonus. The no wind alone is worth it. That makes fun things that we do outside even more fun. I hope you all have a good weekend!

Turning over a new leaf...

2011-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

I am turning over a new leaf. Isn't that what the new year is about? So here it goes. I am blogging today. I am not going to make any promises, but this is mainly for Grandma's benefit and so I will try my hardest. I think that she is having a difficult time with the fact that we aren't 5 minutes away, so I am going to try and make it feel like we are.
Yes, we have had some big life changes in the last couple of months. Some may know, other may not, so here is the story.
Cody started a new business last May with a couple of guys from Southern Alberta. Oh wait, lets back up. Cody had a great job, with a great boss and he loved his job.....but... and yes, there is a but, we weren't getting anywhere. So we put ourselves out there and invested in this new business. It is called InspectaCAR. Go check out our website here. We do vehicle inspections of every kind- insurance, used car lots, if you want to have us check out a used vehicle before you buy it or have your vehicle inspected to help sell your car- we are your people.
So it went well in Lethbridge and we thought from the beginning that if it worked in Lethbridge, why not Calgary?
So last summer, we put our house up for sale in Raymond- so sad, our first house....and it sold within a month, when nothing else was selling in Raymond, we sold. It was a little scary, but exciting at the same time.
In November we moved into southeast Calgary. We are adjusting to city life.....someone at church today told me that living in the southeast is like living in a small town...no its not. Not that I don't like it, I am learning to like it. I am still adjusting.
There are some upsides....Ali has started preschool here in the city and LOVES it. She also has a dance class each week. She said "Oh mom, I just love dancing...".
We have more space and are trying to make our home our own. Well I am, Cody is putting up with my constant urges to help me paint:). It is coming together though and I will post some pics when it is all done.
Cody is still working at trying to get the business up and going. We are finding that there are some huge differences between Lethbridge and Calgary. We are definitely learning as we go. But I guess that is what happens with a new business.
That is what my year is all about- learning and growing. i want to be better. I have so many things that I want to be better at- now is the time to go for it. We have had some big changes and so my goal is to accept the changes, learn from them, keep growing, give more and love every minute of it.

One year older and wiser too....

2010-03-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mary Ellen! She is one! I can't believe it. I am positive that the last year was the fastest of my life. She doesn't even look like she should be one, she is so small.
Last Thursday was a pretty good day- who wouldn't like to have cheerios for breakfast, two- two hour naps, and then have Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles over to dote on you?
It was a wild and crazy party- which I think is the reason for Mary hating her gift- a ball pit. She seriously screamed at it every time she saw it for 4 days. She likes it a little bit now, but still won't do over to it by herself. I am still thinking I might just take it back.

Now for a few things about Mary:

-She is the best eater- she loves almost everything we give her.

-She doesn't weigh 20lbs yet, so sorry baby girl, no forward facing car seat for you!

-Her favorite thing to play with is the dishwasher and all the dirty dishes in it.

-Her favorite game is pat-a-cake, with "toss it in the oven" being her favorite part of the song.

-She loves to tease Ali.

-She loves dad and makes a bee line straight for him when he walks in the door.

-She loves Grandma Paxman alot too.

-She will take 8-10 steps, but as soon as she realizes what she is doing, she plops down and crawls.

-She LOVES animals- the calves at the farm, horses, the neighbor's cat, Aunt Jess' dog Rusty...just to name a few.

-She loves to be cuddled to sleep.

-She has the most beautiful brown eyes and reddish,-brown hair. (I hope her hair stays the color that it is)

-She DOES NOT sleep through the night. ugh....

-She is sweet and loving and generally a very happy baby.

Happy Birthday Mary Ellen, we love you!

Olympic Fever

2010-02-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else have Olympic fever? Does anyone else find themselves turning on the tv more often just to see what sport is on? Does anyone find themselves shouting for joy when Canada scores or wins the gold? Does anyone else feel a huge sense of pride when Canada wins a medal?
I do. I don't know what it is about the Olympics, but I love them. I know Canada doesn't have the most medals, but we aren't doing bad, and you have to be proud seeing as how our country is, population wise, quite a bit smaller than others.
I love the snowboarding(did you see Shaun White- he rocks), the hockey (pull it together Canada), the speed skating, the skiing, the skeleton, the bobsled, well, I love it all.
I love how when it is on, Ali cheers for the athletes. Today she told me that she was cheering for dad. It was speed skating. I told her that it wasn't dad and that he was just at work, but I was sure that he would be quite a good speed skater. Even if he wasn't, I am sure that he would love to strap on those skates and put himself into a spandex unitard.
I can't wait to see the rest of the events- Go Canada!

Attitude

2010-02-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

3 females in the same house = way too much attitude.

I guess I will try to be the grown up and act mature- like I always am of course! My, how I love my little ladies! I just think that sometimes they may be a little too much like their mother....

Very Special

2010-02-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have alot of things that I think are special. But, alot of things that I have that are not really special have become special to me. Only because Ali then doesn't touch them. Thank goodness. She just looks at them and then at me and says "Are these very special mom?" "Yes Ali, please don't touch them." "Okay, mom".
Well, today I over heard her telling Mary in the other room. "No no Mary, these are very special to me." I kind of laughed and went on doing what I was doing. Pretty soon- there it was again- a little louder this time. "No Mary- that's very special." I went in to check it out and I think that every one of Ali's possessions were in a heap on her bed and she was guarding them. I told her that she needed to be nice to her sister and sometimes she needs to share. She replied, "But they are very special to me-like yours things"
I guess it backfired. I guess I will now have to go into lengthy explanations so that Ali understands why she can't touch some things. When did my 3 year old start to be so aware?

Chrsistmas....a little late!

2010-01-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

So this morning I was vacuuming and I found that I am STILL vacuuming up needles from our Christmas tree so I am taking this as a sign that I can still blog about Christmas-even though it is the middle of January.
We had a good Christmas. Did you? And we had a good New Years. I hope you had a good one too. I will post a few pictures of the fun things we did- of course I forgot to get out the camera at some key moments- namely winter picnic and sledding in Waterton(and just a note on this- the wind was NOT blowing a million miles an hour and we did NOT eat and rush home because we were all so cold that we couldn't feel our extremities), oh and New Years- no pictures there either, but it wasn't anything crazy or wild- the kids went to bed about 9:30 and we went to bed at 12:30. You know we are party animals.

We did have a good Christmas- to sum up, Santa found us at my dad's house, but we aren't going to confuse him anymore because Cody and I decided that driving two vehicles to fit all the junk in is NOT worth it and that joining the family for dinner later in the day will be much more relaxing. Santa was good to us none the less leaving a leapster2 for Ali, a giant stuffed elephant for Mary, a watch for me and some new binoculars for Cody. All in all it was a great day and we enjoyed staying up too late and hanging out with the Petersons for a few days.

We also enjoyed hanging out with the Paxman's on New Year's day. It was fun the play at the church- lots of room to run in the gym, play some wild games of speed, play board games and eat yummy food. We sure have awesome families!

So now it is the new year and life has slowed down a bit, although I am sure it won't last- it never does. There are always things to do- kids to run around, church callings to keep up with, preschool, ballet, and all the other things that seem to come up. Life is okay though-even though time goes by way too fast. I guess that is it. Till next time.... see ya!

Winter storms, dinners galore, a visit to St. Nick and a crazy Christmas Sunday...

2009-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Alot. I know- that sounds like a lot. And yes, December has been wild and crazy and fun and everything that December brings- so I will update you on some of what has been going on around here.

So every year we go and cut down a tree at my dad's land up by Beazer. It is usually really fun. Jess and her family come and my dad and we all go and cut the tree and ride the quad around and pull the sled and have a picnic and such. But- like I said it is USUALLY fun. Last year- it wasn't fun. I sat in the truck with Ali because it was -30 and there was so much snow. Okay, wait, back up- it wasn't fun for me- Cody had fun plowing through the snow- so I guess that is okay. This year we had high hopes. Well, it so happened that we set the day, the first weekend in December and what happens- a weather warning! It was pretty bad- for those of you who live around here, you know. There was a lot of snow and a lot of wind. We stayed home. Church was even cancelled- crazy huh? Ali wanted to go out with Cody on Saturday to shovel. She did not like the blowing snow and didn't last very long. Needless to say- no tree hunting for us this year. Cody was disappointed. Me, on the other hand, not so much. Don't get me wrong- I like the tree hunting- when it isn't -30 and blizzarding. But- I also like the tree that we bought at save-on-foods for $35. It is pretty with no holes and smells delicious and I like tree hunting in Lethbridge- it is fun.
Decorating the tree was fun- except that Ali thought every ornament should go on the same branch and now my tree doesn't look quite the same due to the fact that I have a nine month old that LOVES the tree and the ornaments and wants to eat them and the needles that are on the floor and the bows on the presents. Gosh- I need a fence around my tree.

We have also had a few Christmas dinners- Cody's work party- thanks J&D. Dinner at Jess' with F&W, and dad, Cody's mom's birthday, neighbor Christmas get together, dinner with the bishopric, dinner at S&K's- all delicious and fun. Thanks everyone!
And even with all the goings on I managed to finish my Christmas shopping early this year, attend Ali's parent viewing day at ballet, make chocolates and enjoy the season.

Friday was loose ends day. I went to Lethbridge and finished up my last minute things and took the girls to see Santa clause. Mary wanted to yank his beard right off and Ali was mostly concerned with the candy cane that she got, but she did manage to tell him what she wanted for Christmas- "I want, um, alota presents!" It was pretty cute.

Yesterday was Christmas Sunday and I have to say I think that Ali has never had such a bad day. She was a grump- didn't want to get dressed (even though she had a new Christmas dress), didn't want me to take her picture once she was dressed, didn't want to go to church( I didn't make it on time for our YW song practice), didn't want to sit with me (wanted to sit with dad on the stand), didn't want to go to nursery ( she went and had fun, they even went to primary with the big kids and she loved it), didn't want to eat dinner( she wanted cheerios, no big surprise). She did all of the above(mean mom made her) and she went to bed early with only two threats that Santa wasn't going to come to girls who act badly- so I guess it wasn't that bad of a day. I did mange to get a couple of cute pictures of the girls- so here they are. Oh- and I wanted to give a shout out to our ward choir- they were awesome yesterday. This one was before church- both girls not happy.
At least one of them is happy now

So I guess that's it- we've been counting down and it is only 4 sleeps till Santa arrives- we hope he finds us this year. I can't wait- I love Christmas. I love the lights and the trees and the wreaths and the food and the colors and the shopping and the kindness and joy and feelings of love that everyone has. I love the traditions and the stories and especially the nativity story because I love our Savior. I feel so grateful for my knowledge of him and for his example and love for all men. Merry Christmas everyone!

Why does time fly?

2009-11-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today I had to teach my young women about time management. Well, I was supposed to teach them about time management, but since I had no miamaids, I didn't teach. I listened to Jackie teach the Beehives. It was a good lesson, especially after a crazy week. I swear I didn't sit down to relax all week long. So here I am, Sunday night, feeling like I can finally just breathe. Do you feel like time is moving in fast forward? I do lately. I look at this year- it is almost December! I mean, where did the rest of 2009 go? What happened to my brand new baby? Mary will be 9 months in a couple of weeks and Ali is 3? What? How did this happen? So- my new goal for the rest of 2009 and beyond is to slow down- accomplish what I need to, spend more quality time with my girls, avoid wasting time (yes I am guilty), and still get time for myself. Oh- and I am going to write about it. My journal has too many holes in it. So there it is, my new goal. Hopefully I can live up to it! If you have any brilliant ideas on how you manage your time- a system that you follow, a way to stay on top of things, let me know. I love new ideas.
So I will leave you with a pic of my girls. We went and had family pics done, you could probably tell from the one at the top of the page. It was so windy, but we got some cute shots- thanks Ashley- we loved them. oh- does anyone know why my pictures that I upload on blogger go fuzzy? Help me out if you know, because I didn't even take this picture and it still looks fuzzy. Anyways- I love my girlies- they make me smile!

I love...

2009-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

yoga. Well, I love a lot of things, but tonight I just wanted to give a shout out to yoga. I love it and I just got back from my class and Norma is awesome and I love it. Did I say I love it?
Anyways, for all you people out there who want to try it, just do it. Take a class, get a video, do what you have to do, but do it. It is relaxing and challenging and invigorating. Yoga. Yup, still love it.

Random Sampling

2009-10-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

So you know how you read people's fabulous blogs about the wonderful things that they do and the write these wonderful things that are funny and sweet and that? Well- This isn't one of those blogs. I am not an eloquent speaker, I can't edit my pictures to look like a million bucks and most of the time I don't have much exciting to say. We have a regular life- I wouldn't say boring, but regular. And you know what. I am thankful for it. I am thankful that my husband has a regular job and that I get to see him each night. I am thankful that he works so hard for us. I am thankful for my girls- they are great and make my life alot more interesting. I am thankful they put up with a mom that is way less than perfect and definitely not as fun as other moms. I am thankful for my house, for my ward, for the town I live in. I am thankful for the rest of my family and Cody's family. They are great in so many ways. I love my regular life. It is busy, there are not many days when I don't have something on the calender, but it is regular and I like it. I like being regular. But I also like to get better. Yes- I would like to be a more eloquent speaker, good at more things and a more ambitious mother. So I am going to work on it- being regular with a hint of spice. Spice in life is never a bad thing. Now I just have to figure out how to get started.......

Happy Belated Birthday!

2009-10-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

No- we didn't actually forget her birthday, we celebrated for a whole week. Ali didn't mind.

She is 3! Can you believe it? Happy birthday my not so little any more Ali bean!

It was a fun week. We started the Saturday before her birthday with a party- all in all we had like 48 people at the pool, swimming was so fun, cake was crazy, And presents were a frenzy- but she thought it was great!

Ali and her fish cake and school of fish- she was so stoked about the cake. Me, I had bad feelings towards it half way through icing it.
Ali and co. opening presents, she had cousins and friends more than willing to help out.
On her birthday we just hung out at home for most of the day. I asked her if she wanted pancakes or french toast, but she requested cereal- cheerios. I made dinner for all Ali's Grandma's and Grandpa's. We took it to Grandpa pitcher's house because he has a bigger table than me- hint hint Cody. Once again she was in heaven and even more so during presents this time because she did it all by herself.

Yes- she is singing to herself.
The next day we went to Calgary. We stayed at the Sheraton, a childhood favorite of mine, waterslided (is that a word?), went shopping, to the zoo, and visited with some good friends. It was a great end to Ali's birthday week. Ali with the camel- she actually liked the elephants best, but wouldn't sit still for a picture.
Dad and Mary.
In the kangaroos pouch- I was nazi mom and kicked out some teenage girls trying to get in a tkae a picture and then I kicked a cub scout out who was trying to budge in line- I feel a little bad now, but not really. And after all that Cody didn't even get both girls looking at the camera, but oh well.
A few fun facts about Ali-

-she loves pink- aunt tiff gave her a book called pinkalicious- she would read it over and over and over...

-she loves to ride her bike

-she takes ballet( and her moves are great, ask her to show you sometime...)

-she finally likes nursrey, now that she is leaving in a couple of months

-she will not use her in between words- like the and and and in and can and all that- she only uses the major words in her sentances (please tell me if you know how to remidy this)

-she loves princesses, but cars as well, she loves to paint and draw and play with playdoh, but loves beign outside too- a good mix of girly girl and regular kid.

-she is a great big sister, she LOVES Mary.

-is a daddy's girl, she loves his truck- at least one girl in the house does!

-is the official greeter in any social situation- "Hey guys!!!" and then proceeds to go around and greet everyone by name. In fact, she often recites who is going to be there. I tell her where we are going and she then repeats everyones names- for example, to Aunt Jess's house. Ali: "mom- Aunt Jess and dustin and Drew and Abi and Matt and Lauren and Sam be there." Me- "Yes Ali, they will all be there." ....over and over till we arrive.

-loves to pretend, lately she is a horse.

-favorite foods: macaroni and cheese and cereal- and lately bananas.

-has some pretty fine jumping, somersaulting and other acrobatic skills

-loves to sing or be sung to

-still loves to cuddle

I am sure there are some I forgot. So until next year- Happy Birthday Ali! We love you!

Can you believe it?????

2009-09-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

Here we are!!! Back again!

Yes- a new post, I know it is kind of unorthodox, but hey, why not keep everyone on their toes?

here we are, labor day weekend and I have to say we have had a fabulous summer. So much to tell, so I am going to go with the old point form post and pictures because it is easy and fast and works well. So here goes....

Paxman family doings from June 1- September 4

-Garage Sale( on the coldest day of the year mind you, but still a good turnout and I got rid of junk, who doesn't want to do that??)

-Trip to Kalispell for our anniversary (just Cody and I- oh and Mary, because she is still attached)

-We watched a few little league games- GO SAM!!!

-Played a little golf (Cody every week, me only a couple times)

-Birthday parties- alot of them....let's see

Will- no we weren't at his party, but we phoned him!

Tiff- Happy birthday!!

Abbi, Brianna and Cadence- Happy half birthday. This was Ali's first real party all by herself, now she won't stop talking about her birthday party- I guess we will have to plan one for her.

Dad and Cassie- on the same day in June. The whole Peterson family was there- minus Will. We had fun in Waterton and then continued the party on to the next day.

Richard- How many is that?

Dad Paxman- went out for dinner with him and mom Paxman, since we have to share- it is Jess' birthday that day too.

Jess- Party at the Paynes- she begins birthday season for them. Thanks Denise for hosting.

Brenty- Happy birthday old man.

Lauren- her 8th. Congrats to her. We got to go to her baptism as well. We love you Lauren!

Sam- Yummy dinner at the Paynes again. Sam chose soup for his dinner and Jess thought it would be funny to have soup in August, turns out it was a really cold day- as has been all summer...

Luci- one year old- where does time go?

Dustin- We went out when we were on vacation in Idaho and Washington. golf and dinner- what more can you ask for?

-no we can move on- we have alot of family with the birthdays.... next was July 1st. Another time we have to juggle things. We went to the parade in Raymond, which was pretty good this year and then off to Hill Spring for beef and beans- classic. I stayed in HS to hang with my fam while Cody had to work.

-We had multiple trips to Waterton
-Friends from Edmonton came to stay-brought their pit bull, I know crazy, but Ali loved her!

-Went to Great Falls for a day of shopping with Mom Paxman. While I was gone, Ali swallowed a penny- we never found it( didn't look too hard), but everything is working OK.

-Went to Magrath Days- parade, races, petting zoo, beef on a bun, etc.

-Made raspberry jam
-Got my hair chopped off

-Went to Sand point and Lake Pend O'reille-which included boating, playing on the beach and a trip to Silverwood- where I rode the most amazing roller coaster and the funnest tube ride. By the Bay rocked- I love my family.

-Continued on to Spokane to shop and continue the Peterson party-this included taking Ali to the carousel and feed the ducks- I did this when I was little. Thanks Brady and Erika for letting us hang out at your house!

-Took CPR- random? yes.

-Went to Little Bow and camped for a week with the Paxman clan- stayed up too late, got too many bug bites and didn't even get my big bum out of the water when I was skiing- too sad! (I haven't uploaded these pics yet....

-Mary had immunizations- sad I know.

-between all that we had a few trips to stay and play, lots of trips to the new Raymond pool- which I love by the way- you should all be jealous, lots of walks and bike rides and fun at the play ground and at the spray park.. the fun never ends

-Happy 6 month birthday Mary- I hate how fast they grow!

Wow! We are worn out.

Now here we are, its fall- not really since it has been 30+ all week long and life is settling back to normal. We have fun fall activities to look forward to- Ali has ballet( she won't stop with the dance moves- not so graceful, but maybe after dance...) and parent preschool and Cody is excited for hunting season. Me- I have a few projects that need doing, but other than that I will keep enjoying my mat leave hanging out with Mary and Ali. OH- and blogging about it more often!

It's beginning to look alot like.....

2009-06-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

JUNE!!!! Are you kidding me? Yes, I know I live Southern Alberta and there is bound to be snow in all the months- but for real, we haven't had spring yet and it is almost summer. My sister told me not to put this on in case Melissa sees and swears off moving to Canada for good, but seriously, I am about to move south with her! I hate snow. I hate cold. OK- I hate snow and cold in June! I am going hang my stockings by the chimney with care- talk to you soon....

Bedtime Blues....

2009-05-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

So I am pleading with all you parents out there for help. I don't care if you know me super well or are just a random friend....please please please feel free to give me your ideas and thoughts on a case of bedtime blues that floats into our house every evening at approximately 8pm. I have a wonderful, full of energy, spunky little two and a half year old that is fun loving and full of energy and smiles......until bedtime.
She is an excuse maker...I need water, I need to go potty, I need my blanket, I need a different blanket, I need the green pillow, I need my puppy, I want to read books, I need a band aid....the list goes on. She gets out of bed and comes out of her bedroom, she gets out of bed and lays on the floor, she gets out of bed to just stand there so she doesn't have to be in bed anymore. She fiddles and plays and kicks the wall and talks to herself and distracts herself, anything to avoid sleep.
We close the door, we offer bribes, we scold gently, we scold a little not so gently, she doesn't respond.
This process begins at 8pm, it finally ends at 9:30 or 10 when she finally decides to give in.
What do we do? Help. I hate the bedtime blues.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

I know its a day late, but I wanted to pay tribute to all you wonderful mothers out their that influence my life. You all know who you are- you are friends, you are family, you are acquaintances, you are people that I know and love and admire and I only hope that I can become like you.
Before I became a mom, I knew I wanted to be one. I had nieces and nephews that I adore and I couldn't wait to have my own children. I got married to a wonderful man and now I am there, I have two beautiful girls- Ali and Mary. They are wonderful, they are sweet, they are spunky, they are cute, they are funny, they are smart, they are all I could ever hope for. They make me want to be better- yes I am working on my patience, yes I am working on being a better mother, yes I will never be perfect, but they love me anyways.
I know many mothers that influence my life- I am blessed be surrounded by so many awesome moms.
I have a wonderful support system in my friends. My closest friends are mothers or will be mothers eventually. They give and give and give. They are examples of enduring love and kindness.

I have a mother-in-law who is there at the drop of a hat. Who is adored by her granddaughters, who lets us eat at her house every Sunday if we want to, who is always willing to help, give advice or just listen to my rantings.

I have sisters in Cody's family that accept me as one of their own. They allow me into their homes and hearts. They put up with my strong opinions and give their all in what they do.

I have an amazing grandmother- she cares about everyone genuinely. She calls just to hear my voice and opens her home to us whenever asked.

I have 3 great sisters that married my brothers. I don't always know how they put up with our family, but they do and I love them for it. They have fun personalities and fit well- I hope they know I love them and wish they all lived closer, because we have so much fun together.

I have the most wonderful sister ever! I know many of you probably want to say this, but I would bet you can't top my sister. She may not know it, but I go home from her house with ideas to put into action in my house. She supports and loves and cares and gives and is the most amazing cook. She is always there, even though she has her own busy family to care for. I love her.
Last of all, I have a mother, who, although she is not here anymore, is the ultimate mother. She kept an immaculate house, she taught me, she stood up for me, she made me feel special, she planned fun things, she took the time to talk to me, she shopped with me, she disciplined me, she cared about me, she ensured that I was given the best, she made sure that I acted my best, she loved me for all that I was and I never once doubted that. She was amazing, she was funny, she was smart, she was competitive, she was beautiful, she was witty, she was a good teacher, she was everything that I could ever hope to be. She has helped me become what I am today and she inspires me to be better in the days to come.
So thank you moms- you are great examples to me.
I love moms. There is no one greater.

Finally

2009-05-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

So here it is. The last 2 months have been crazy adjusting to a new baby in the house, trying to finish our basement, visits from family, Mary's blessing and a trip to Vegas were all on the agenda, amongst staying busy with church callings, work and being a mom. Man time flies, so here are some pics of the happenings. Enjoy!

Our family after church on March 29th. We blessed Mary and were lucky to have all of Cody's family there, most of my family, grandmas, grandpas, and some great friends. It was a wonderful day- thanks mom and dad Paxman for letting us invade your house for dinner!!

Mary looked beautiful. She wore the same dress as Ali - Hazel Gibb made it and gave it to my mom, it is crocheted. She looked awesome and was so good for her big day.Dad and Mary prior to the blessing.We are so lucky to have our best friends live right next door. We love being able to hang out all the time. Fun with the neighbors- the FHE activity was coloring Easter eggs.On the Thursday before Good Friday, we headed out on our road trip- we decided to head to Las Vegas to find some fun and sun with Jess and her family. The sun, we only found temporarily, the fun was never ending! We hauled our Easter eggs to Utah to roll them. Will and his friend Steph were kind enough to find us a hill. We had fun. Steph had never rolled Easter eggs before, hopefully she enjoyed it. Ali never stopped talking about "frowing eggs" the whole trip. I think this was her highlight.

The Easter bunny found us at Uncle Will's house- man that rabbit is smart!The girls looked cute in their Easter dresses- they even behaved at the student ward we attended- I was a little worried, but they did good.

Ali when we were on the road. My girls travelled like a dream, they were awesome!

Mary chillin in her car seat during a walk in the sun shine.Can't go to Vegas without stopping to see the fountains at the Bellagio.If it would have been nice every day- this is what we would have done. We did get to do some swimming at Jess' hotel- Ali loves swimming! I can't wait for the new Raymond pool to be done, if you can't find me this summer- that is where I will be!

Ali getting wet (yes, I forgot her swim suit when we went here) at the spray park at Las Vegas town center- awesome place!The kiddos on the frog hopper at circus circus. Ali loved the rides- she is a maniac. We had to drag her off this one, and the carousel too and the balloons... Mary all wide eyed on Fremont street, the lights were crazy and Mary was amazed. Cody and I on Fremont street, our last night in Vegas. We had an awesome time, Cody even took me to the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian- thanks Jess for watching the kids. It was so fun. We really had a good time and it was fun to get away for a while...I love vacations.
I am glad we are home though. We are still doing good. I finished my spring cleaning, except the basement. I am just waiting for the carpet to go in so I can organize. HOORAY!!! I will post our before and after pics for you soon! Soon- I promise- See ya!!!

I have to catch up

2009-04-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

BUT.... I have no desire- I keep thinking about it and reading all these cute blogs about what people are doing and here I am just reading, never posting. So- I am currently uploading photos because I need to post about Mary's blessing day, Easter and our trip to Vegas.
So there will be alot of pics, few words. I guess thats okay huh?

whats up

2009-03-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

So whats up at the Paxman household you ask? Life has changed a little since we welcomed Mary Ellen into our lives. The laundry has expanded, our car is a little more crowded, sleep is a little harder to get...what else can I say? We are all doing well though.

Ali is adjusting wonderfully to a new sister. She has accepted her and loves her a lot- "mommy- I holder???" (Yes hold-her is one word) is Ali's favorite thing to say. And she is wonderful at "helping" to bath Mary. She only has the occasional moment of yelling "My mommy!!" at the top of her lungs now- so that is good. We ventured out to Lethbridge last week, just mom and the girls. We survived and Ali behaved and didn't run off. It was fun to get out and just do things that I wanted to do.
Mary is good- getting bigger already and that makes me sad. She has figured out night and day for the most part, but continues to have a screaming fit every evening- her fussy time. Gladly, Ali has become a more sound sleeper since we brought Mary home. This last weekend we were able to attend Tamanda and Jesse's wedding. Thanks Stacey for watching Mary and Ali while we went to the temple. It was a good day and we are so excited for them- congratulations you guys. And yes- Tamanda did look beautiful as you can see from the pics. We also spent some time with the Stewarts. Thanks for letting us hang for the day- it is fun to have family so close. We are sure blessed in that way.
I know this is just a quickie- but its all I got in me tonight. long day. You have all had them- I know you understand.

Look whos here.....

2009-03-10T13:20:00.001-07:00

Mary Ellen Paxman arrived March 4, 2009 at 9:07am. She arrived kicking and screaming, which is a very good thing- so I have been told.
So- it all happened like this. I woke up about 2:30am due to a contraction. It wasn't super strong, but it was there and I continued to have them for the next couple of hours. They were sporadic, but there none the less. About 4:30am, the contractions got a little stronger and moved into my back. For those of you that have had back labor, you will understand the pain that this causes. About 5:30, I was kneeling on the bed and Cody rolled over and asked what was wrong. I told him that I was having contractions. As all good husbands do, he asked if he could do anything for me. At that point, he couldn't and I wanted to sit in the bath for a while, so I did just that while Cody went back to sleep- no- I don't hold it against him, one of us might as well get a good sleep. At about 6:30, the contractions were pretty frequent and painful. Ali and Cody got up. Ali was so worried about me, and Grandma said she was worried all morning too. What a cute girl! We slowly got things together and got organized. Cody started to feel a little more stressed because the contractions were coming 2-3 minutes apart. We got things in the car and then went out to Cody's mom and dad's to drop Ali off. Cody took her out of the car and left her on the doorstep and knocked on the door and an to get the car seat. Cody's mom opened the door to Ali- "Hi mama!!!" and Cody running away- she was a little confused to say the least. Cody dropped everything else and then we headed to Lethbridge. Every time I had a contraction, Cody would go a little faster as I would squeeze his leg a little tighter. We got to the hospital at about 8:30am. We checked in and Cody wheeled me up to labor and delivery. The nurse that met me was all calm and had me go to the bathroom and then hooked me up to the monitor. She came back in a couple of minutes to check me. As she checked me her tone changed and she yelled to the other nurses to get a room ready- I was already 8cm- HOORAY!! The next 20 minutes were all that labor is cracked up to be. Dr. Adolph came, broke my water and then we had the baby. Three pushes and she arrived. It was awesome!!! I told Cody I felt like a rock star. I did. I felt like a rock star. And now we have a wonderful new baby girl to make our lives a little more busy, a little more sleepless, but most of all, a little bit- or a lot- more wonderful!

Some facts about Mary Ellen-

-She is named after her Grandma Peterson, my mom, who passed away January 2008 from cancer. My mom was the most wonderful person that I ever knew and I only hope that she is proud to have a grand daughter named after her.

-She was 7lbs 8oz and 21.5 inches long

-She has a full head of hair, where did that come from????

-She has really dark blue eyes and some say they may turn brown. Who knows?

-She has a big apatite, she came out searching for something to eat

-She looks like her big sister Ali did when she was a baby, a wonderful mix of Paxman and Peterson

-She likes her soother already- hallelujah!

-She has long skinny fingers and long skinny feet

-She does not like her bath or getting her diaper changed

-She has a good set of lungs, she can scream very loud- very loud.

We are so so blessed to have added another daughter to our family. She is wonderful and we love her. We can't wait to get to know her even better. We love you Mary!!!

39

2009-03-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Today, 39 is my number. This is the number of weeks that I have been pregnant for. It is getting a little closer, a little more nerve racking, and a little more real day by day, minute by minute.

It has been a relatively good 39 weeks though. I guess I can't complain. You know, feeling nauseated 24 hours a day for 4 months isn't that bad if you think about it. Throwing up repeatedly isn't so bad either. I guess I have to look at the big picture- it is only a few weeks. And- for me, after that comes the good part of the pregnancy, well, minus the awkward time when people don't know if you are pregnant or not and they don't want to ask in case you have just notched up in your belt size due to excessive eating or something like that. I guess that part of the 39 weeks isn't so good.

But really the 5-7 and a half months part of the 39 weeks was great. I felt good, I wasn't so huge that I had a hard time sleeping or sitting or doing normal everyday tasks. People know your pregnant and are excited for you. I liked that part alot.

Really, the end of the 39 weeks aren't so bad for me either. I guess that waking up multiple times to pee at night comes with the territory. And having a hard time shaving my legs and cutting my toenails is normal too. I guess I don't really like cleaning the tub. It is hard when you have to kneel on a stool to do this. Rolling over in bed has become an event. Bathing Ali is a little bit of a challenge- and sitting in church for three hours yesterday wasn't the greatest, but I managed.

The last 39 weeks really have been good- I promise. I feel blessed, like I can't complain- even though I just did. There is nothing like the first movement of the baby or the many subsequent ones- the way your tummy rolls and moves and distends all over. There is nothing like your 2 year old daughter telling you your baby is cute and kissing your tummy. There is nothing like the anticipation of when or where you are going to go into labor. There is nothing like not knowing what the baby will be- boy or girl and what it will look like. There is nothing so wonderful as being pregnant for 39 weeks. There is nothing so wonderful as the anticipation of a new baby.

I am excited. I can't wait to meet Paxman baby number 2. 39 weeks- how things change in 39 weeks.

A Quick Question....

2009-02-05T15:20:00.000-08:00

So I forgot to add this on my last post. I need opinions on double strollers. I don't know what to go with for the transition to two kids. I have asked for a bike trailer- jogging stroller combo for my birthday, so i am looking for an everyday stroller to use- you know for the mall, errands, etc. I don't know what is best- the sit and stand kind, the side by side umbrella type, the tandem kind...... I just don't know what to do.
So for all you moms of two or three or four out there- give me your opinion and what you have done or seen done. Thanks a bunch!!!!

A little treat

2009-02-05T15:03:00.001-08:00

So here is a little update- no we haven't been hiding out and yes Cody, Ali and I are all good. The last couple of months have been crazy and wild and fun and busy all at once. Life never seems to slow down, but I think that it has a little because....I AM DONE WORK!!! Yea! Last Thursday was my official last day. I am taking a little earlier maternity leave this time. With Ali I worked Friday and then went into labor Saturday morning. I have been off for a week now and no baby, so that is good. It will be nice to have a month to recoup, rejuvenate, and relax before baby comes and it will be good to spend some time with Ali. Lately she has had some serious mommy moments- I don't know if this is in anticipation of a new baby or what, but hopefully me being home full time will help.
I did want to give a huge thank you to those who helped us out with Ali while I worked- grandma, Aunt Jess, Josie- you are all life savers and made my year and a half back at work bearable because I knew Ali was loved and loved being with you all! So thank you thank you!
So this week I have been starting on my list of things to do before baby comes- organization of Ali's room, soon to be Ali and baby's room, quilts and such. My fingers are killing me by the way. Quilting is hard work. we have also got in a few fun things along the way. Today Ali and I went to stay and play. She has tons of fun there, but is kinda crazy. The listening skills of my two year old a lacking- any wonderful suggestions????
I guess that is it for now. I know it wasn't much, but Ali is sitting on my lap, making this very difficult- I will work on uploading our pics- I know, no pictures, how lame.... It will come when I get myself more organized! See you all soon!

Its not here

2009-02-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

I know the update isn't here and it isn't going to be so you can all spit on me and ridicule me and whatever...... I am working on it.

BLAHHHHHHHH

2009-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

The dreaded blogging blues have overcome me and I don't know what to do. I have little desire to blog and I need a serious attitude adjustment. I have so much going on and our lives are exciting, sometimes- but I can't break through. SO- I am setting a goal to blog this weekend at some point. Let you all know what the Paxman's are doing. So there you go. You can hold me to it!

Change

2008-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like we have has quite a few changes in our lives over the last couple of months, most of which have taken some getting used to, but have been okay. They say change is good- I don't know if I always feel this way. I think sometimes I would like to always stay the same. Staying the same isn't always bad....right?

I guess the biggest change will come in the form of a new addition to the family. A lot of people already knew this, but alot of people don't. So here goes the official announcement to the world- Cody and I are expecting another baby. It is kind of hard to hide it due to the large protruding belly that is forming around my midsection. And yes that is a wonderful change for us. We are so excited to welcome Paxman child number two into our home somewhere around March 9th. I think Ali is excited too- or maybe she doesn't fully comprehend that mommy's baby will be here to stay in a few short months.

This week we had a routine ultrasound and things look good. The pics are below and the only thing I couldn't get over was how long the baby's leg looks! WOW! I guess all the better to kick mom with. These are just a few of the pics- and isn't the most beautiful baby you have ever seen? I feel like the baby is beautiful, even if we haven't met baby yet. No- we don't know what the baby is. I chose not to find out, much to Cody's disapproval. We haven't agreed on whether we want to find out, so for now, it is a secret, but the doc said if we want to know, it is always there in the report. So I guess that is it, the big change for us. I can't wait to see how much life will change with a second little rascal running around. Change is good - I think...

TRICK OR TREAT

2008-11-04T18:11:00.001-08:00

Halloween was alot of fun this year. Ali figured out that just for dressing up and saying "tick-a-teet" she received way to much candy for her own good. I am sure that Halloween will be on Ali's list of favorite holidays from now on.

We hit our ward's trunk or treat early on and then went to friends and family that we wanted to show our little fairy off to. She loved the wings and the tutu and if you look close, she has makeup on too!! I had to hide out in the bathroom so Cody wouldn't see me applying the mascara to her long beautiful lashes! Thanks Jess for the ballet costume- add dollar store wings and I think she turned out a pretty cute fairy!

A random post about a trip to the park, a pirate pumpkin and WHAT!!!?

2008-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, in celebration of the fabulous end of October weather- for those of you not in Southern Alberta at the moment, that would be 20-23 degrees Celsius, Ali and I went to the park today. We didn't even have coats on until the wind came up a bit. It was a beautiful day and so we decided to enjoy it.

Now- on with the pirate pumpkin. We, in the spirit of the Halloween season, bought a pumpkin and went over to Matt and Josie's last night and had ourselves a pumpkin carving party. Ali had nothing to do with cleaning it out and did not really care about the whole carving process, but she thought that the whole pumpkin thing was cool once we had the finished product. Since Cody and I are the world's worst decision makers, it took us longer to decide what to carve, than clean the pumpkin and carve it. After all the discussion- should we do scary? should we do a pattern? should we do a face? should we do this? should we do that?- it came down to a pirate pumpkin. So the pics are of the finished product, I think it turned out pretty cute.

Ours is on the left and Matt and Josie's werewolf is on the right. Below is all of the kids with the pumpkins.And in going on with the randomness of this post, I will talk about WHAT? means. This is Ali's latest thing, and I decided it makes her sound like an annoyed teenager, like her mother is causing her grief and just inconveniencing her in every way. If I ever say "hey Ali" she responds with "WHAT"? If she is closer to me, it is usually pretty polite, as polite as "WHAT" can be. If she has gone downstairs and I call to her- she just yells "WHAT?!" as loud as she can and goes on doing whatever she was doing because I guess whatever her mother has to say is definitely not that important. It just sounds pretty funny coming from a 2 year old. I hope the annoyed intonation of her voice isn't a sign of things to come later in life. I guess she is growing up and I have to accept that- I just don't want it to be so fast because she is so fun right now. What would life be like without her?

Thanksgiving

2008-10-09T19:13:00.001-07:00

So I just have to tell you all why I am so excited for this weekend and why I love thanksgiving. I LOVE that I don't have to work on Monday. I LOVE that we get two thanksgiving dinners and get to enjoy the company of both Codys family and mine. I LOVE that my whole family is going to be together on Saturday. I LOVE the food- Dad's turkey and stuffing, Jess' sweet potatos, grandma's pies- need I say more. I LOVE that we get to dedicate a whole weekend to be thankful for our blessings, and I have a lot. It isn't always easy to remember them all, but for some reason on this weekend, it is easier. I have alot to be thankful for. I LOVE thanksgiving.

The Number Two....

2008-09-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

What an awesome number. Last Wednesday we got to celebrate this number for Ali. Our little girl turned two years old. I just can't believe that two years ago, I was bringing home the most beautiful baby in the world and now she is celebrating her second birthday. She is awesome and we often marvel at her little spirit that brings so much life and wonder into our home. We had an awesome day. I didn't have to work, so I dedicated the day to her. We had her favorite breakfast, had a bath (she LOVES her bath and would stay in it for hours if I let her), went to visit Aunt Jess, had a long birthday nap, and then rounded the evening off by inviting 22 Grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles and cousins over for dinner and cake. The house was a little crowded, but we fit everyone in and Ali was in heaven with all of the attention she was getting. On Friday we continued the celebrations with our friends, the Bevans' and the Harkers. It was all in all a good week. Here are the pics of the day.

Ali eating her cake-cakes (what Ali calls pancakes or french toast, both of which she loves), don't forget to note her party hat, we started early.Tub-time!A few of the cousins singing happy birthday.

A close up of the cake! Ali loved it- she is so into animals, so I showed her a picture of a few animals and asked her which one she wanted. she said kitty, so thats what we went with. It took a long time, but it turned out cute!Blowing out the candles took her a couple tries because she couldn't get close enough, but she did awesome!She was spoiled. Dolls and a stroller, a fisher price bus, coloring stuff, and a new table and chairs were a few of the things she got. She loved it all!Ali eating breakfast with dad at her new table the next morning.Sharing birthday cake number two with friends. She blew these two candles out in one big blow.Happy birthday baby girl, well not not baby girl- big girl! We love you!

Here it is...

2008-08-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Paxman family summer pictures are finally here for all you have told me time and time again to update my blog. we have had an awesome, but busy summer. It has been fun but we are looking forward to a more scheduled fall.
I have to apoligize because I haven't been able to upload all my summer pics because we borrowed a camera from TJ and Megan while ours was out of commision and they haven't been able to find the USB cable so I don't have the first part of July and our trip to Kalispell. So I apoligize.

We had the traditional July 1st celebration in Hill Spring and Raymond this year. We were able to celebrate dad's birthday with him and Brady and Erika and their kids, so that was fun. I went to Edmonton for Trisha's (a friend from hygiene) bridal shower for a weekend with just Ali and had a good time there and the very next week we headed out for Kalispell. July was crazy and we weren't home for a single weekend, and we worked alot during the week, so I was glad when it was over. The rest of the pics show what else we have been up to!

Cody had his fill of waterskiing at Little Bow. we camped with our neighbors for a couple of days and enjoyed the hot weather and the water.

Ali and I hung out on the beach alot. She had so much fun and was had sand EVERYWHERE at the end of the day.

This is one of the many Payne birthday parties we attended. It was a good time. Ali is obsessed with helmets and I guess just to be safe she needed one on while she was eating her cereal before bed.

These are all pictures from the wedding in Edmonton. Both cody and I were part of the wedding party. It was an exhausting and hot sticky day, but we had a good time and Ali was a champ. When Colin and Trisha get us the pics I will post them, because their photographer was amazing!We tired to hang out in our air conditioned car or the limo as much as possible because it was so hot that day.

This all the bridesmaids just prior to the wedding. Congrats to Colin and Trish!

Last weekend we finally got to stick close to home for once. We did go to Taber all day on saturday to hang out with our friends, Ryan and Amy and their daughter Lily. we had a great day hanging out with them and partaking of the "Cornfest" activities.

Ali loved the rides, well, actually mainly the car ride. She screamed when we took her off. But then she wasn't so sure about the flying airplanes!

Well, that is a quick update. I promise to post some more sooner rather than later.

OH- I can't forget. the greatest accomplishment of our summer has been the dreaded potty training. During a week off at the beginning of August, Ali and I went hard at it and i have to say that she is almost there. Accidents are getting rarer and rarer! YEA!!! I am so excited not to have to change a bum anymore! So Yea Ali- you are the best!

It's coming

2008-08-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

the greatest Blog post ever! Just kidding! but the pics are on the way with a summer full of Paxman fun!!!

Broken.....

2008-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

So... I am the biggest tool. Gosh I am frustrated! We went to Waterton camping on the weekend and yes- we remembered to put the camera in the car. BUT- it didn't make it to Waterton because I must have knocked it out of the car when I ran back in the house to get something AND it got run over! Either by me or someone else, but I am such a tool for letting it fall out. So- until we get a new camera, no pictures. The memory card was okay though, thank goodness!

Forever, I know...

2008-05-26T20:50:00.001-07:00

So I feel like I have not had two seconds for my own life the last little while, between work, weddings, church callings and other fun things, life has been busy. BUT- I am happy to report that we are alive and well and having alot of fun as a family staying busy. To update you on all that has gone on around here this month would take an entire day, so here are the pics of the fun we have had!!

Shelley's wedding was at the end of April. Congrat's guys! We love you! I am sorry Travis that Ali wouldn't sit on your lap- she has an issue with pictures!Family Home Evening out at the Ridge Park. It was so windy and cold, but we still had fun!Fra and Whitt's wedding. It was an awesome, but long, day. It was so fun to see all my family. It seemed like we had one party after another all week long. Congrats Fra and Whitt!Cody's birthday, I won't tell you how many candles were on that cake. It was so much fun. I threw a BBQ for my family, his family and some friends of ours. It was a good time had by all. We celebrated all weekend long because it was May long weekend here in Canada. We stayed in Waterton in a cabin on Friday, had the birthday BBQ Saturday, relaxed on Sunday after church, and went to Lethbridge Monday with Josie and Matt. What a weekend!We picnicked at Indian Battle Park on holiday Monday. Ali was beside herself because she absolutely adores swings and slides, or in her words- wings and laaads! She climbed up those slides over and over and over again!That's about it- things are good. Ali is growing like a weed. She surprises us everyday with the things that she says- she has quite the vocab-and not all words you want her to know. It is so awesome to be parents- Cody and I love it! You definitely learn something new as a parent every day.

See you all later!

tagged...

2008-04-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

So I guess I was tagged and I think that I am supposed to tell the info about myself that the person who tagged me did, so here it goes.

10 years ago I was....in grade 8 at the Hill Spring school hanging out with my totally cool 17 classmates that had been my classmates since I was in Kindergarten. So fun. Stakes dances were to die for and I was learning how to be a girl- you know, the whole hair and makeup thing. i had to figure this out, but I did have a great mom and older sister to help a little. I loved basketball and was actually pretty good at it. I don't know what happened there- I still love basketball, but the skills are sliding even though I play every week.

5 things on my to do list today... it is 8:15pm, and I have got most things done, so I will tell you my to do list for tomorrow...
1. Get up, be a person, shower and feed myself and Ali
2. Clean house- it is in need.
3. Finish the 'song' for Fra's wedding- watch out Luke, Mel, Brady and Erika, I may be calling you!!
4. Go visiting teaching
5. Go to yoga

What are my favorite snacks.. the healthy ones or the not so healthy ones? I actually love smart pop popcorn, and Ali loves it too, so we share.

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire...well, lets see, pay off all my debt, sell my house, buy my acreage outside of town, build the house which I have plans for, buy a boat and a lake house, invest and save, and help those in need.

5 places I have lived...
1. Cardston, Alberta Canada (for the first 4 months of my life)
2. Hill Spring, Alberta, Canada
3. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
4. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
5. Raymond, Alberta, Canada

5 things people don't know about me... I am pretty open, so this might be tough...
1. I prefer dark chocolate to milk- except in chocolate chip cookies.
2. I am going to three weddings in the next month- all family.
3. I have 22 nephews and nieces- all totally beautiful!
4. I have size 11, but sometimes 10 feet, I mean skis...
5. I love to buy pyjamas. I love them. I think that every time I go into a store that has pyjamas, I buy a pair. I am a nut- but I can't stop!

3 Bad habits...
1. I bite my nails- I can't stop.
2. I occasionally have a bad habit of bossing, sorry Cody.
3. I am the worst at phoning people back when they leave messages. I apologize profusely!

Introducing Andrew Myron Payne....

2008-04-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce to you my 6th nephew, one of my 22 nieces and nephews. Jess and Dustin had him yesterday about 10:30am and I finally broke away to go see him last night. I have had a very sick girl on my hands, so once daddy came home to hang out with Ali, I went to check out Andrew.He was 8lbs 3oz and 22 inches long. I just want you to know that I guessed 8lbs 6oz and 22 inches long- so Auntie Em's intuition is pretty good! Anyways, he is a sweetie and is definitely marked as a Payne baby. Congrats Dustin, Jess, Sam, Lauren, Abi and Matt. We love you guys!

Our Lives as of Late...

2008-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

So I have had more than one person give me a hard time about the updating issue that I seem to have. So I officially apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you. To make it up to you I am posting for you today.

Life has been a little wild lately. I have been picked up quite a few extra shifts at work, which seems to throw life into a tail spin because then schedules get thrown off, but it has helped out for sure! Work is going well for both Cody and I. We both stay busy.

March was full of busy weeks and weekends. the best of which had to be the Easter long weekend. It is always nice to have a long weekend with Cody home for an extra day. We also got to spend time with family which was lots of fun. We had Easter dinner on Friday at my cousin Jeff's house. We also went Easter egg rolling, which was a ton of fun for Ali. She has already perfected the art of throwing the eggs on Monday night when we colored our Easter eggs for family home evening so she was a pro as chucking them down the hill. She would throw the egg and then go get it and throw it again because she never threw it hard enough to break it. She went up and down that big hill multiple times and never wore out. It was freezing with the wind as well and Ali never complained once! It was a fabulous Easter party!On Saturday morning the Easter bunny visited our house. He hid Ali's Easter basket, but had left a path of plastic Easter eggs leading to the basket. Ali thought it was fabulous to see the eggs again. She ran up to them yelling "Mom- egg! Mom- egg!" And then she proceeded to start throwing them around because that is what she had done the day before. She was definitely more excited about this than the basket- which goes to show, you don't have to go overboard because lots of times kids don't even care about most of it. It was fun to watch her though with her Easter basket- last year she thought the Easter grass in the bottom was the best part, this year she appreciated the treats a bit more.
On Sunday Ali got her new Easter dress out. Ali loves to get all dressed up. Sundays are so fun because she gets her dress on and prances around and checks herself out in the mirror and shows off. She makes us laugh with her attitude and escapades. Sunday was also Ali's first Sunday in nursery. It could have gone better! She loves to be in there, but out church time is 11-2 which makes it smack dab in the middle of nap time, so she was not a happy camper unless we were there with her. Hopefully it gets better!So that was Easter. the last few pics are just a few to update you on our lives and remind you that we are alive and well and that our 18-month old little terrorizor is doing fabulous- we love her so much! I apologize again for not updating. I will be better!

See ya!

Date Night

2008-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Cody surprised me this weekend and told me we could go to a movie and dinner. So, he enlisted Megan and TJ to watch Ali and we went out. It was so fun to go out and have some time alone. I was over due. we went to "I am Legend". It was an okay show the things were freaky though. i do love my hubby and how good he is to me. He is the best- he just is.

Well, I just wanted to apologize for my lack of posting. Life gets busy and then I am a slacker. We are all doing really good. Cody still works way too hard, but we appreciate what he does for us. I am working a couple of days a week and we are grateful for Grandma Paxman and Auntie Jess who are so willing to help us out with Ali. Ali is doing awesome. She says more things every day and gets more personality and attitude along with it. She constantly keeps me on my toes as she loves to get into drawers cupboards at her level and moving chairs around to get to the ones that aren't at her level. We sure love her and think that she is the greatest blessing in our lives.

Well, that's a quick update. I promise to get some pics of Ali uploaded to my computer and posted this week. It is a goal for the week. Love you all! Oh yeah- congrats to Whitney and Fra. They got engaged on Valentines Day and will be married in May. It is exciting to add another person to the fam! We love you guys!!

Love you all and hope you are all good! Talk to you soon!

Phases

2008-01-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Ali's newest phase is the "I am not going to eat anything that you make for dinner or lunch unless it is Kraft Dinner or Rice Krispies. This is the most frustrating phase ever! AND I know she likes the things that I have been making because she ate them two weeks ago. I just don't know what to do. It is this screaming fit every time we sit down to eat. She won't let me feed her because she wants to do it herself, but she won't feed herself she will just play instead of eating and then it is just back to the screaming fit when I take her spoon and help her put food on it. So, if anyone would be so kind as to give me a suggestion, that would be great! This is Ali working up to having a fit. Soon it is a full blown scream. Yikes!

At lunch time the other day I did manage to get her to eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich, which she usually loves, but the whole time I was getting this face. The glare that reads "Don't push it mom, you are lucky this time...".

Well, other than the eating issue, we are all doing okay here. life has finally just started to slow down a bit. I am back to working a couple days a week and staying busy with primary responsibilities. Cody is working as hard as ever and his newest project is the basement. He started a while ago, but just got back to it. I will keep you all updated on the progress.

Ali is doing good as well, minus eating. She keeps us entertained and busy . we sure love having her around. What did I do before I had kids???

How did it happen?

2008-01-14T20:14:00.001-08:00

Hey- so I can't get the writing on my last post to be a normal size. I hope that someone can help out- i have tried everything!!! HELP!

Life changes

2008-01-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

So yes- I know it has been a while and yes I know that I haven't even blogged Christmas, but I have excuses and all that to go on. So here I am, updating on our lives that have been crazy and hectic and sad all in the course of a few weeks. I just wanted to first of all say thank you to all that cried with us, called, sent food or flowers, prayed for us, or were just a friend at this time in our lives. It has made me realize how grateful I am for my life and my blessings. And I want to pay tribute to my mom who was truly the greatest woman that I have ever known. Her life was truly an example to me. She provided me with everything a person could ask for and taught me more life lessons in her life than anyone else ever has. She was a wonderful woman and words cannot express how much I will miss her. I also want to pay tribute to my dad. He has provided me with all of life's comforts and my respect for him has expounded greatly as I watched him care for and love my mom until the day she passed away. I love them both with all my heart!
We did have a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We were able to spend time on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Cody's family and then we went to mom and dad's Christmas evening to see my mom. Ali was a lot of fun. She really enjoyed Christmas morning. she continues to amaze us with the things that she comes up with and the things that she does. For New Years we pents time out at mom and dad's with my brothers and my sister and their families. It was a blessing to have this time together. The following are the pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Talk to you all soon! See you!

December

2007-12-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

So I love December- have I said that before. I know it is crazy and stressful and all that, but it is also tons of fun. We have had fun weekends and busy weeks, but I love the spirit of the holidays and all the Christmas fun! I haven;t updated in a while so I will tell you all about what we have been doing this December so far. I think I did tell you all about the shopping trip with our neighbors to Great Falls. That week was also busy. We had two Christmas parties in a row. One was a ward Christmas party, which was fun. We got our first real babysitter we are crazy I know. We have only had family watch Ali before this. She did awesome of course and Ali was so good for her. Ali is really good for babysitters. The next night it was my work Christmas party. We went to the German Canadian Club in Lethbridge and had the most amazing turkey dinner. Cody and I even got to dance together which was fun!

A week ago Saturday we had our second annual Christmas tree hunt. It was so fun Ali got cold, but after a few minutes in the truck she was good to go. Jess and Dustin came along for the ride and Grandpa brought the quad and sled for us to play on. We had a winter picnic- nothing like wienies over the fire and hot chocolate! It was a good day.

I have decorated the house. I am a December 1st to January 1st decorator and I love it! I have pics of our tree and mantle as well as our Christmas lights which are a new addition this year! Thanks Cody for putting them up!

This last week I have been finishing christmas shopping completing some primary responsibilities and working. Cody and I delivered Christmas cards on Friday and stayed around home last night.
So there you have it- my life is constantly on the go. I can't wait for Christmas, Ali is going to be so much fun! She loves the decorations. I have a Santa that climbs a ladder and she can't get enough of it. Every morning when she wakes up she is also excited to see that our Christmas tree is still in the house. We took her to see Santa yesterday- no she wouldn't sit on his lap, but she will say HO HO HO.

Well, that's about it. We hope that you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the season!

Christmas Craziness!

2007-12-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

I feel like as soon as December hits, I have no time for anything and life gets 10 times more busy. But I do love the Christmas hustle and bustle. I actually feel like I haven't even had a weekend to think about relaxing in a month now, but that is okay I guess. I haven't updated in a couple of weeks, so I will tell you what we have been doing. On US thanksgiving weekend, I played basketball in the CHS alumni tournament. It was tons of fun as usual, even though we didn't win. I had a really good time. It is always fun to go back and play with old high school friends. Last weekend Cody, Ali and I went to Great Falls with our neighbors, Matt and Josie. We decided to make a shopping trip together. We stayed over night and accomplished a lot! We had an awesome time. Gotta love Target!
Well, this week I have been to Lethbridge on Monday to get stitches removed, to Hill Spring yesterday to visit mom and dad and so finally today I can relax- well not really. I need to clean up the house. I put the first of our Christmas decorations up so there are things all over the floor and such! I love Christmas! Well, that is a quick update on life. I know its not much, but I will write again soon!

Body Parts

2007-11-18T20:15:00.001-08:00

So Ali and I try to work on new things each week. This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I think it is funny. So we were working finishing learning all our body parts, you know, labelling them and pointing to them- eyes, ears, belly button, knees, feet, etc. Well, this may have not been good and it may have started a bad habit because she knew where my nose was, but she wouldn't point to hers for a long time- but she has now discovered that it has two little fun holes in it, just the perfect size for sticking fingers into. So you ask her to point to all these body parts and she does good with most of them and then you ask her to point to her nose and she moves very slowly up with her finger and heads straight for the nostril. So my kid is a nose picker and now she can't shake the habit. Oh well- exploring and learning is what it is all about!

Mighty hunter

2007-11-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

So this is not my story to tell, and I won't get it right so I won't try, but I had to post the pictures. Cody has taken up hunting this year, I guess that is what happens when you buy your husband a gun for Christmas. It wasn't a deer gun, but he borrowed a gun and got an old shotgun of his dad's cleaned up. So he has been hunting birds and deer this fall. On Friday he took half a day off work and went hunting with Matt- our neighbor. They had a good time, until shooting the deer and having to drag it back to the truck. It took them 2 1/2 hours! But when he got home he was ever so excited and I was very happy for him. We took the deer up to get butchered in Glenwood on Saturday and should have some meat in a couple of weeks. So congratulations babe! I am ever so proud of my mighty hunter!

All Hallows Eve- WITH NO SNOW!!!

2007-11-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween yesterday to all you ghosts and goblins- no snow in Canada on Halloween, must be a record or something! We have had a very busy week here at the Paxman household. Monday night we had a pumpkin carving party with all the young families in our ward. Just to show you how much our ward has grown, listen to this. Last year we did this same thing and invited all the families with children 5 and under-we had 9 families. This year we did the same thing except that we had 18 families! It doubled. It was fun though. we did it at Matt and Josie's house across the street. I was busy helping Josie all day getting ready for the mayhem. All in all we had a good time. Josie got pics of all the pumpkins, but I forgot to take my camera, so missed out on that one.

Tuesday I had a primary meeting in the morning and then I had to run to Lethbridge to run errands. in the evening I made Cody dinner and then we hung out until it was time to party again. We went to some other friends for a party and had a really good time there as well. Thanks Uncle David and Grandma Paxman for watching Ali for us so we could go out.
Then came Wednesday- Halloween. It was a fun day. Ali was just a few weeks old last year and on Halloween she wasn't feeling well, so we just stayed in. This year we had a ton of fun. our ward held a trunk or treat, so we decorated our hatch of our car and then went to the church. It was perfect for Ali because it was early and it was only 45 minutes long. then we came home and handed out treats for a while before heading to Grandma's and Lee and Kelsey's house to show off our bumblebee and deliver Halloween cinnamon buns. It was fun. Ali loved her costume and just pranced around in it. What a cute bumblebee!Our hatch for the trunk or treat- crazy monster! (Missing and eyebrow, the wind blew it away!)Our pumpkins- a witch that was Cody's carving work and the devil vampire pumpkin was my carving work.Today was the dreaded day....I had to go back to work!!! it actually went really well, it was like I never even left. My first patient was even one that hadn't been in since I saw him last. I think that it will go well. I am excited to go back to an office that I liked and am comfortable with. Ali was awesome for Auntie Jess- thanks Jess for watching her. She had a good day and it wasn't quite as traumatic as I thought it was going to be. Only a couple of sleepless nights for me and just a few tears- but all in all, I did it!
Well, that is the update from the Paxman household. Talk to you again soon!

My champ...

2007-10-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

So Ali has been a champ today. This morning, her car seat was sitting in the hallway because Cody picked her up from Grandma Paxman's last night after work, I had CPR. So it was sitting there and she has this thing about chairs, so she climbs in and low and behold she slips because she was wearing her bear slippers and corks her head on the floor- but she got up right away and got back in- successfully this time!!
Then, this afternoon was shot time. We haven't been since her 6 month shots, so I think Ali thought it was great to go to this place where she can run and play and there are toys and then wham-o the lady sticks her with a needle. Actually three needles. And I have to tell you, the lady is awesome who does it, I really like her. And Ali was awesome. She didn't even flinch when the first one went in and it wasn't until the last one in her arm that she even started to cry. What a champ. I guess I have a pretty tough girl!
Well, that is the update. I am going to start sewing my quilt together now, just because I haven't had time to sit and do something that I want to do this week yet, so that is what I am going to do. Talk to you all again soon!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2007-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, this is finally happening, a week later than it should have, and I apologize to all of you who I have talked to and told you that I would post the pictures on the blog. I feel like I have a thousand and one things on my plate. Between business plans, job hunting, and primary presentation planning- I have not found the time to sit down and do this. So- I am sorry this is late, but I hope you all enjoy the update.

Day two of vacation, day one at magic kingdom- Ali and I in front of Cinderella's castle. So dreamy!

Ali all dressed up in her princess dress Grandma got for her. All the girls got them to dine in with the princesses. Ali didn't go to the lunch with the princesses, but she looked so so cute all dressed up!

The whole family, 22 of us, on "It's a small World".

So we joined the Peterson family vacation 2007 in Florida this year. We had so much fun. We were so grateful that my mom was able to make it and count it as a small miracle in our lives. We stayed not too far from Disney world and so we hung out with Mickey Mouse and pals almost every day. We did Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the beach, Animal Kingdom, MGM and Magic Kingdom again. Oh what fun. I loved the whole trip. It was so hot and humid that I was pouring buckets of sweat every day, but we still had a good time. Cody even flew well and enjoyed himself. It was nice to get away for the week and unwind.

Our little family at Disney-MGM Studios.
Ali meeting Minnie for the first time.

Ali was so so so awesome the whole time. She flew like a dream, sleeping for the majority of the flights. She loved the parks too. The characters were her favorite thing. She wasn't even scared. She was so excited whenever she saw the princesses, Mickey or any other character. She would wave her little heart out during the parades and dance along with the music. The beach was so so, it was okay one minute, but she was grouchy the next. i don't think that she liked that white powdery sand all over the place. she did have a good afternoon siesta on the beach that she really enjoyed. Ali celebrated her first birthday there as well. We decided that it is good that she probably won't remember her first birthday because next year she won't be saying, "This party is lame, last year we went to Disney World!" She like her cake that she got. Since we had already opened her presents, she opened a book from Aunt Mel and Uncle Luke and fam and Grandma and Grandpa bought her a Minnie mouse doll and a T-shirt. Spoiled girl. I can't believe that she is one. It is nuts to have people ask me and tell them that she is one!! What a big girl. She surprises me every day with the things that she does. She is busy and I am constantly running to catch up with her. She has been a blessing in our lives though. Ali's birthday cake- I made her a princess castle cake for the occasion. And she is wearing the ears- oh so appropriate!

And this was Ali, at park closing on the last day in Florida- so tuckered out! It was good to get home!

There is the update, hope you enjoyed it and I will talk to you all again soon!

Ali's 1st- 1st Birthday Party

2007-09-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Our Ali is almost 1!!! Can you believe it. Since we are going away during Ali's birthday with my family, we decided to celebrate with Cody's family early. On Wednesday night we headed to the Paxman's for a combined birthday party. It was Shelley's birthday on Wednesday- Happy birthday Shell!! Grandma Paxman made lasagna and everyone except Stacey and Steve made it for the festivities. Ali slept through dinner and then was a little overwhelmed when everyone was singing to her, but she did get into the eating cake thing pretty fast.

After dinner and cake we did presents. Ali like everything that she opened- even the cards. She was so excited about everything. She would look at it and then laugh and pull it close to her. She was very entertaining. Happy 1st birthday a little early Ali-bean!

A New Hair-do

2007-09-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ali has reached a major milestone in her life. She can have pigtails! Now, I have put clips in her hair before and they stay fine, but Ali started pulling the clips out and putting them in her mouth. So, as the clips were a choking hazard, I stopped putting anything in her hair. Well, now Ali can have pigtails. Her hair long enough, finally. Now, this was not an easy feat. It was actually quite difficult- but I am proud none the less and think that she looks ever so pretty.

A fabulous end to summer...

2007-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Goodbye old friend- where did you go? oh summer oh summer, I will miss you so!!!

So I decided that it is funny that summer is over, because I totally don't have anything that makes it seem like fall, except the nights are cooler. I don't have to go back to school or have any kids that are in school, so when I call to invite people to do stuff, I forget that they may have children that have to be ushered to school and such. I am still working on getting back into a schedule, at least a little bit of one before our vacation.

Our last weekend of summer, the labor day weekend, was so much fun. It was relaxing, but we still went and did and had a lot of fun. We affectionately named it the weekend of "the path of least resistance". Now, this name did mot happen till Sunday, but I still refer to the whole weekend that way.

On Friday, I went to Great Falls with Josie and her sister Michelle. we were a spectacle with three women and three babies, and besides getting hung up at the border and getting called a naughty name by a crazy lady that thought I was budging in line, (I just needed to get into the bathroom and it was locked) the trip went by without incident. We didn't arrive home until 1am, but we had a fabulous day and I think our husbands forgave us??!!

On Saturday we attended a wedding and then went to Lethbridge to run a bunch of errands. I felt like we accomplished a lot which was good. We came home and went for a walk and watched a movie while i got my sharing time for primary ready (no, it wasn't last minute, well it was, but I didn't know i was doing it till Saturday morning).

On Sunday we went to church and then came home and got ready to go to Hill Spring. We went out for dinner and hung out with mom, dad, Luke, Mel, Lilly, and Ellery. Oh and Grandma Bectell. It was fun. We chatted and ate and played Settlers and then slept over.

On Sunday night we were trying to decide what to do and so that is when we adopted the motto of "take the path of least resistance".

On Monday we spent the day in Waterton. It was a lot of fun. One tidbit for you though- don't rent a 4 person paddle boat and put three kids on your lap and expect to get very far in the lake. AND if you do decide to do this. Take snacks and books and toys to play with- this greatly helps to entertain the kids while you float so that you feel like you get your monies worth!

After Cameron Lake we went and ate dinner, and let the kids throw rocks in the lake and then we got ice cream- of course. It was a lot of fun.Well, Luke and Mel stayed till Wednesday so we continued the party on Tuesday. Cody had to go back to work, but Ali and I packed i dad's truck with Luke, Mel and the girls and we went to the Calgary Zoo. It was a good day. Ali loved the animals and thought they were funny to watch. I think next year I will buy a seasons pass to the zoo, because you only have to go three times to make it worth it. We also made a stop at Peter's Drive in- YUM, where we ordered so many fries that we all had belly aches and then dropped in at IKEA for Melissa.
Well, that is my update. Life is still busy. This week hasn't slowed down for a second, but why would I expect it to?

So come again my fair summer, at winters end. But for now, on to the fall and winter again....

11

2007-08-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

So Ali has reached 11/12ths of a year old. So fun. She does the funniest things that surprise us everyday! She is working on walking and is getting more and more steady everyday. Just this morning she was walking in between Cody and I and she fell, so she got up in the middle of the floor and just stood there for a minute and then walked the couple of steps to Cody. What a big girl.

Her latest face is what I call the "oooooo" face. When somebody throws a ball or when the phone rings or when she drops something on purpose, she does the "ooooo" face. It is hilarious. She is so funny. The things that she says and does crack me up. I will have to do a video of her doing all the signs she knows- smart girl!!Well, this week has been good. I have been in visiting my mom everyday this week, so that has been busy and I feel like my house is in disarray, but it is a small thing. And last night I did a bridal shower for Sarah. It was a ton of fun and it was good to visit with her. She gets married today, and so we will be going back up to Cardston to the dinner and such. She seems so happy! Congrats Sar and Mitch!!! I will post some pics when I get them!

I'm back

2007-08-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Did I go somewhere- no!! BUT, have I been neglecting my blog, yes! Sorry about that. Summertime is exhausting!! I feel like we never stop. We have been as busy as ever, but having fun too. For about 2 weeks I felt like I was in the car everyday travelling to Lethbridge, Cardston or Hill Spring to see people go to appointments or get things done. Now all of the sudden it is the last weekend of August and summer is going to be over just like that! Crazy. I guess I will update you a bit on our lives.

The whole Peterson family was home for Sam's baptism a couple of weekends ago. It was good to see them all- we miss them so much when they aren't here. It is always a riot to get everyone together and my mom and dad's house becomes a madhouse for the few days when everyone is around. Sam was baptised on Saturday and we had family pics that day, so when I get them back, I will let you know so that you can see a few. The weekend was busy, but fun.

Cody has got a new job, not somewhere new, but within the shop that he works at. His boss took a job teaching at the college and so offered the business to Cody. We are hoping to buy the business soon, but due to the rushed decision, and the amount of work this takes, we will have to continue to work on that part of things. In the mean time, Cody will be managing the business and running things there. We are so excited for him and hope he does well.

Last weekend we hung out at home on Friday and went golfing and to dinner with Jess and Dustin on Saturday night. My golf game was awful, but dinner was great. It was a fun night out with them. We have been in to see my mom everyday this week and it has been good to be able to visit with her and keep her company.

Today is another day, woke up, tidied up the house and now I am working on more business things and updating everyone on our lives. I guess I haven't mentioned Ali yet, which must be a record because she is absolutely the center of our lives. She is growing like a weed and has got quite the sassy little personality. She is into everything and has discovered that the water in the toilet is fabulous to splash in! GROSS!!! She is working on the walking thing and will have it down sooner rather than later at the rate she is going. Then we will be even more on our toes- that is for sure. I have included a few pics for you to see of her. I hope you enjoy and I promise the updates will come more often!!

So this is Ali's new favorite toy- her Bumbo has become the thing that she likes to get in and out of. Sometimes she gets mad because her feet get caught under her, but she sure is proud when she finally gets in- even if is is the wrong way!So this is Ali in her pool in the backyard- she doesn't last too long and now it has been too cool to use it. She loves swimming though.

One last one. I love this pic. We went for a picnic with Cody's family and Ali was off exploring- what a cutie!!

Summer fun!!

2007-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

My pics won't load, so I am sorry, but I will have pics next time!
So Ali has been really sad the last little while. She is getting three teeth at once and it is making her irritable and then we have really been on the go this week- which makes her more irritable. BUT, she is still cute as ever and growing like a weed. She is trouble because she is into everything and has a very mischievous side to her, but it is hard when you can't help but love her because of who she is and those faces that she gives you.
Last weekend we hung out as a family. We went out to dinner on Friday and then went to the drive range- Cody is starting Ali young. On Saturday we got things done around the house and then we went for a picnic at Henderson in the evening which was fun.
Ali loves dogs. At Henderson every dog she saw she would freak out and try her hardest to get to them as fast as she could. Cody's parents have a dog- Macy, and I want to get a video of her with this dog because it is hilarious how she reacts whenever she sees Macy. Cody takes this as a sign that we need a dog, but her doesn't have me convinced yet.
On Sunday after church we went to Cody's mom and dads for birthday celebrations. Dad Paxman had his birthday during the week, so we celebrated when everyone could be there.
This week we have also been on the move. We have gone swimming at the pool and in our backyard- Ali got a new pool on sale at Canadian tire. We went to Calgary on Wednesday with Jess and then yesterday I had Jess's kids all day. It is so fun to be close to her and be able to help each other out.
Well, that is my update. Sorry again about the pics- next time, I promise!

Happy summer!!

2007-07-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love summer! So I guess that makes it all the more sad that it is already the 17th of July and summer is going to be over in a month and a half. summer makes me busy or something like that, but it also makes things super fun! We haven't had any hard and fast plans for the summer, but let me tell you- we sure have been on the go. July first weekend was awesome! We got to make it to both the Hill Spring festivities on Saturday and the Raymond festivities on Monday. In Hill Spring it was just a small group of us, but still fun. Can't beat the Hill Spring parade- 10 minutes and then a 20 minute break and then another 10 minutes because it comes back up main street. It is always great to eat the beef and beans as well. On Monday it was Raymond party. It was great to see Tamanda and Traci. They came down and spent the day with us. I love seeing old friends.We also celebrated the fourth of July on Wednesday with a barbecue at my parents. We finished up the night with fireworks from the Hill Spring store- I will tell you, they were fabulous!

The next weekend, Cody had a softball tournament and so I went to Spokane with my mom and dad. Cassie, my oldest niece, we baptized on Saturday. We had a really good time and got to spend time with Brady and his family and we stayed with Luke and Melissa and so had a good time visiting with them. We didn't arrive home until late on Monday, so I just stayed the night and my mom and dads and then my dad took me home Tuesday. Cody was delighted to see Ali, he sure misses us when we are gone.

Just this last weekend we made some last minute plans and went and stayed at Kimball park. Stacey and Steve brought their kids down as well. We slept over and then played in the river all day on Saturday. Cody and I both burned to a crisp, but we had so much fun. The water was awesome because it has been so hot. Even Ali played in it for a little while. Other than that I have been busy with primary, babysitting for Jess, and trying to accomplish other odd jobs. Summer is time for fun and we definitely have had that. Hopefully that rest of summer won't pass too quickly- It always makes me sad when September comes. Well, that is it. I know that is just a quick update, hopefully I will soon have more stories to tell! See you later!

Movin' and Shakin'

2007-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

So Ali did it! She finally started to crawl. She has been working hard on the feat for quite some time, getting on her knees and rocking and then doing a London bridge move where she stood on her feet and hands. But this morning, she crawled all the way across the room! Way to go Ali Bean! We love you!
This morning I had a primary meeting and then I came home and baked a cake. It is my dad's birthday tomorrow, so Jess and I planned to go out and have a bit of a birthday party a day early for him. It was fun. I went and saw my grandma Bectell first in Cardston. She is the sweetest grandma ever! From there I headed on to Hill Spring. I usually go across the Saint Mary's dam when I go to Hill Spring because it is quicker, but today I got the take the old root via Leavitt and Mountain View- And what a drive. I love that drive, close to the mountains and such. I love going home to visit. Anyways, we hung out for a few hours with mom and dad. Ali got to crawl for them and show off her tricks. She played with the kittens and hung out outside. We had dinner there and cake and then headed home. Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Cody wasn't able to come because of work and then he had softball tonight- but we came home and he arrived not long after. Well, that's about it for today. I have included a bunch of my favorite moments from the past couple of weeks because I haven't updated, so I hope you enjoy the pics. Of course, they are pretty much all of Ali, but I thought I would let you know what she is doing. I hope you are all well and have an awesome long weekend. See you all soon! Ali loves to play with the laundry basket. Except she was up perched on the basket and it tipped over, so she was covered in my laundry, that was folded- before this happened. And the basket. It was cute though. She really gets into everything she can get her hands on now!Hello! Ali has started to babble at the phone. She loves when people talk to her on the phone. She just listens ever so intently. I am sure this is only the beginning of many hours on the phone for this little girl!This is dad's doing. She got one puff stuck on her chin and then Cody had to take it from there. Ali loves to play with her food, and apparently, Cody does too! Peek-a-boo! This is the cute face that I go into see when I get Ali from her nap. How can you resist this?Well- this is it. Nighty night Ali Bean! How awesome to be so relaxed. Blanket on you, but not really and foot up high! What a crazy girl. We love her though- can I say that enough?!?

So its been a while...

2007-06-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yes it has. Things have been crazy. I totally feel like at the beginning of every week I have a list of things to do and it isn't that big and then, just like that, my calender is full and all marked up and I have a thousand things to do! I don;t know if anyone else feels like that, but anyways. Things are good and we are alive and well. We are excited for summer and the fun that it brings. Not that we have a ton of things planned, but I am sure that we will stay busy busy, as always. Anyways, I promise to stay more on top of this. And I will post some more pics soon. Ali is definitely getting big and is the highlight of our lives. Everything we say and do revolves around Ali.she is awesome! Anyways- more to come- ASAP! See ya!

a fun weekend....

2007-06-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

So I had a pretty good weekend. On Friday I just hung around home and did a few things here, but in the evening I was packing to go to Hill Spring. Our stake had a father and son camp out at Spring Glen Park, which is up by Hill Spring for those of you that don't know. I decided to go up with Cody and just stay at my parents house for the night. I love to spend time with them. when I was getting ready to go, I was packing some things in my room and Ali was sitting on the floor. I came into the room and saw her poking out from under the bed. sh e does the London Bridge thing where she gets up on her feet and hands and then pushes herself backwards. It is pretty cute- so she ended up under our bed.

Up at mom and dad's they have baby kittens so my dad brought three of them in to see Ali. She loves dogs and so I wondered what she would think. I think that she was a little nervous at first, but then she got excited and the kitties didn't like her anymore. She was a little rough, banging them on the head and grabbing their fur. The whole 'be soft' thing isn't a concept she knows yet! It was fun though. Mostly I just visited, but we did get in a couple of games of settlers, which was fun. Yesterday we had church and then we went to dinner at Lee and Kelsey's. It was a good day. our primary kids at church were awesome. We tried out a new concept of reverence hats. I got a bunch of hats from my mom and dad's house and whichever two classes are the most reverent for sharing time get to pick a hat for their teacher to wear the rest of primary. They were awesome, hopefully they keep finding it fun. I love primary so much. It is a ton of fun.

Well, that is about it. I have a few things to work on, so I better go! I hope everyone has a good week!

Surprise...

2007-06-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today I was in my bedroom. I was stripping the sheets from the bed because I was cleaning the house and doing a bit of laundry. Ali was sitting on the floor playing. I went out to throw the sheets in the wash when I heard Ali whining a bit. I went into the bedroom and this is what I saw....She loves to look at herself and dance in the mirror. She got up there all by herself. I have no clue how she got over there because I wasn't there to see it. I think that is how it always goes. The last little while she has started getting up onto her knees and rocking back and forth and then doing a face plant. She can't quite figure things out yet, but I am sure she will take off pretty quick. It is fun to watch her figure out the workings of her own body. What a big girl! Oh yeah- she was whining because she didn't know how to get down from the mirror. Well- hope you are all having a good week. I know I am. It finally cooled down tonight which is awesome. It has been super hot. Nice to get out and go for walks and do a bit of yard work though. Anyways, better go! Talk to you all soon!

Happy Sunday!

2007-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

So we have this lady at church that greets us at the door. She always wishes us a "Happy Sunday". I was thinking today- it really is a happy day. You go to church, I go to primary and get to see all the kids- which I love, and then you get to eat a good meal, take a nap, see family or friends, play games. It is all fun stuff, and you don't feel pressured to do anything. All fun stuff! Anyways, I was just thinking about that. Well- my week has been good. I always say that I won't have much going on, but I always end up staying really busy. The beginning of the week was cold and rainy, but it ended up being super hot and so we spent time outside. We watched Cody play softball, went to Jess's for dinner and I went and played basketball on Thursday and we went to the temple on Friday with Matt and Josie. It was a fun week- until yesterday when Ali had a fever all day. I think it was just because she was cutting her second tooth, because it is there today! Finally. Anyways, not much to post, just thought I would show a pic of Ali and her crazy sleeping habits. This pic was of her when I went to get her after a nap- what a sweetie- she is the best in the world!

Playing catch up...

2007-05-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I think that I have been doing this alot lately, the catching up thing, but it happens. I feel like I don't know where May went. It has flown by for me. It has been a good month though. I thought I would update you on life in the Paxman household.

Mothers Day was awesome. It was my first as a mom and I enjoyed it. Mostly because I got to spend the day with my mom in Hill Spring. Cody and I as well as Jess and her family all went to Hill Spring for dinner. It was fun to visit, play games and laugh. I think I say it all the time, but it is definitely a blessing to live so close to family-both Cody's parents, who are awesome and my parents, especially my mom! I love her so much. She is an amazing woman!
On the 18th it was Cody's birthday. That was a Friday and we were leaving for Spokane that day so we celebrated the day before. I took him out to dinner while Grandma Paxman watched Ali and then we had cake at Paxman's when we got back from dinner. I made an ice cream cake as per Cody's request. I was proud of it. It tasted awesome, a bit rich, but very good! I think everyone enjoyed it. Cody got some new shirts and money for his birthday. He has to buy dress pants, but then he is free to do with the rest of it what he wants- we will see what the big spender does! Friday was, as I said, Cody's birthday. He did get off work a bit early and we headed down to Spokane for the weekend to visit with Luke and Mel and Brady and Erika and their families. It was fun to visit them and hang out. We got to see Luke and Mel's new house. It is awesome- I love it so much. Congrats you guys, we are excited for you! And we saw Brady and Erika's new couches and piano. It looks great. We also went garage sailing and watched Cassie play soccer on Saturday. Then went to church and had a family dinner on Sunday. Of course, I couldn't leave Spokane without making a trip to the mall to do a bit of shopping. We made it home late Monday night and we were back to the grind on Tuesday.

Last week was busy, but a good week. I worked on primary stuff alot of the week as well as cleaned up around the house and did some organizing. On Saturday we painted our basement, FINALLY- because we got new couches for downstairs. We were using Stacey and Steve's, but since they came home they needed a place to sit so we decided to give them back. We were lucky to find a great deal on the one's that we liked and so they came on Wednesday. I will have to post some pics later of the couches and basement, because one of my pics isn't hung up yet- so after I am done that, I will show you how it turned out. It is all a work in progress and the room isn't finished, but it will be eventually. It just takes a while to save for the little things.

Last of all- shout out to Ali Jo. She is eight months old. It is so fun to see her learn and change and try new things. She is growing and getting bigger and her personality shows through everyday. Oh what fun she is!

Well, that is about it, I think, at least the important stuff. AND- I promise not to leave you all hanging for so long next time, even though the suspense kills you, I know! See you all later! Have an awesome week!

lovin' the grass

2007-05-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

The grass is a new thing for Ali. Ever since it has started to get nice, we have been hanging out in the yard. Last Sunday I took these pics and forgot about them, but wanted to post them. She is funny in the grass. She likes to pick it, and then eat it if she gets the chance. Anyways- Ali and I are definitely grateful for the sunshine and spring time and the opportunity to be outside. I am sure that there will be more rotten days, but the majority should be nice from here on out.
This was my favorite pic- the tongue hanging out, squinty eyes. She is getting to be so much fun!

Ali meets the Stewarts

2007-05-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! So, Ali got to meet her new cousins on the weekend. We went up to see them on Friday. It was fun. The kids are getting to big. It was really fun to see them and visit with them for the evening. Here are some pics of Shaylee and Mikah holding Ali for the first time.
The rest of the weekend was good as well. We barbecued with family on Saturday and went to church and celebrated Cam's b-day on Sunday. We had a good time, but of course it is always back to the grindstone on Monday. It has been super nice here, so Ali and I have been enjoying lengthy walks each afternoon. I love spring time. It is an awesome time of year. Well, hope life is treating everyone good! See ya!

Finally...

2007-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Finally, an update. I hope you are all happy! Janae- this is for you, because I am a little slow on the uptake. I didn't even realize it had been that long. I am a nut sometimes. I guess time just flies when you are having fun. So, I will catch you up on the month of April. We came home from Edmonton, which you all knew and saw. We had an awesome time and decided we could travel with Dustin and Jess again! I had church responsibilities and have been keeping busy with that. It always seems that just as you get one thing over with in Primary, you have to start planning the next. I am grateful for my calling though. I love it and it keeps me busy.

Vinnie came to Canada and I had missed the girls get together due to being away in Edmonton. I was sad that I missed you all! I hope that it will happen again soon! AND- shout out to Carrie- congrats on getting married! Anyways, like I said, I ran into Vin at church and so she brought Scoty over the next day to play with Ali. They are just under a month apart for those of you who don't know Vin. They were cute. Ali woke up from her nap and Scoty screamed at her- in a happy way and Ali didn't like it, what a girl I am raising. It was fun to visit though.

The seventeenth was my B-day. Yeah- 23! What an accomplishment. It was an awesome day. My mom took me out for a pedicure, the ultimate in spa experiences. We then did a little shopping and then she took Ali home and Cody met me in Lethbridge and took me to the Keg for dinner. YUM! If anyone hasn't been to the new Keg, make a stop. Good food and a really nice restaurant. We came home for B-day cake. Jess and the kids came, my mom, Cody's fam and Lee and Kelsey, all in shifts due to mutual activities. It was a really good day. Cody bought me a bike. It is pretty sweet and I am excited, now I just need a bike trailer for Ali. I will have to post pics of the bike sometime.

Last week was busy as well. I spent my time doing the regular things, as well, I babysat for Jess and helped to get Stacey and Steve's house up and running again. Another shout out to Stacey- graduated from hygiene! And to the whole fam- we welcome you home, even though we haven't had the opportunity to see you yet! Can't wait for you to finally meet Ali.

On the weekend we hung out with Lee and Kelsey and Brent and Tiff. Always fun times. We had stake conference on Sunday and went to Cody's mom and dad's for dinner because almost the whole family was there. Always fun to hang out with the fam. On Monday we had FHE with the Bevans'. We went out to the ridge to let the kids run around and then had some watermelon back at our house. It was a bit windy up at the ridge, but it is always to pretty up there, so I took some pics.

Oh yeah- and another shout out to Ali- of course, who could leave her out. She turned the big 7-12 last week. 7 months- hard to believe it has been that long. She is happy and growing as big as ever! These are pics of Cody playing with Ali and her diaper box, she thought that it was pretty cool!

Well- that's the happenings here. Sorry it was so long! I need to work on doing this more often! Anyways! I will see you all soon! Later!

Easter Vacation

2007-04-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Wow what an awesome trip we had. Cody, Ali and I went to Edmonton for five days with Jess, Dustin and the kids. It is kinda funny that we went to Edmonton on vacation seen as how we actually lived there for school- but Jess's kids had never had the West Edmonton Mall experience so away we went. It was so much fun. The kids were all so good. Ali was awesome even though her schedule was thrown off. The only day we had a bad day was Tuesday at the waterpark when Ali had an upset tummy and so was not able to swim at all and Cody and I took turns holding her on the side while the others swam went down slides and played. Anyways- here are some pics of the trip. I hope you enjoy them.

Rolling Easter eggs at Conner's Hill

Chillin' at the hotel with dad!
Sam, Lauren and Abi helped me find my Easter basket- fun things inside. Although my favorite part was the Easter grass inside!

Matt and Abi love to hold Ali every chance they get!!

The balls at West Ed- I wasn't completely too sure about them, but I did have fun. I also got to ride the carousel.

Visiting Trisha and Colin and their dog Sammy. I loved their puppy and so now Dad thinks that that has sealed the deal on us getting a dog. Mom isn't so sure.

Ali's first visit to Chuck-E-Cheese. Can't go wrong with cardboard pizza and so many games. Well- we definitely had fun. It was good to get back home though. Good to go, good to come back. I hope everyone else had a Happy Easter too! We will talk to you all soon.

I owe you...

2007-04-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I definitely owe you all a post due to my lack of getting things together. Last weekend was so awesome with the whole family being home. I really enjoyed it. It was busy though and life has definitely not slowed down this week. We are going out of town for Easter so I will be sure to post and update you on Ali's first trip longer than to Grandma's or Calgary when we get back! Miss you all!

Shots.

2007-03-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

I hate shots. Well, I don't hate them, but I hate when Ali has to get them. She got her third set of shots this morning- the 6 month ones. She actually did really well. She screamed for a minute, but them was easily distracted by the bell that they ring and grabbed it to play with. For the next few minutes she complained and grumbled a bit, but all in all, she was a brave little girl! AND, the plus is that now she doesn't have to have any shots until she is 1! Yea!!
Well- now Ali is sleeping and I thought that I should update, since I haven't in a while. I seriously feel like I have not had two seconds to sit down in the past two weeks. We have something going on every night and during the day I have been trying to do a bit of an overhaul on the house and spring clean, so busy busy busy.
The spring cleaning is nearly done. The upstairs is finished- minus the windows and the blinds, but the cupboards and closets have all been cleaned. The downstairs will be a bit of a chore because nothing is in its exact place since we started working on the basement. And it will take a while for that to get finished, so it will still be in an upheaval for a while. Or at least until we are forced to change things up and get new couches due to the arrival of the Stewarts (now we have to use our own stuff Stacey and Steve, thanks alot!) It will come though. And we are super excited for Stacey and Steve to come home!
Well, I better sign off. I have some organizing to do and a sharing time to plan. Brady and Erika and Luke and Mel are all headed this way for the weekend. We are so excited to see them all. It has been almost 6 months since we saw Brady and Erika and their kids. So- I guess we will invade Hill Spring for the weekend. I am excited. Well, gotta go! Catch up with you all later!

6

2007-03-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ali is, yup you guessed it! Half a year old! I can't believe it. My how life has changed since she came around. Our bishop always asks us how the boss is doing, referring to Ali. She definitely is the boss- she screams, we run! I guess that is okay. We are always ready and willing to run for such a pretty girl. We all had a great 6 month old birthday. We got up and did a few things around the house, then we went to visit Josie Bevans. I serve with her in Primary and she had her baby on Wednesday. She had a girl. She is so small compared to Ali. It felt like I was holding a pile of blankets. she is cute and we are super excited for them. We went out to Cody's mom and dad's and Cody shot his first gopher of the season. He was pretty stoked. We came home, Ali had a nap and then we all went for a walk. I would say we have had a pretty good day so far. Hopefully the rest is just as good. Anyways. I will see you all later! Thanks for the comments- keep 'em coming!

Just Like Dad...

2007-03-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Cody's mom dropped off this zip up bag, blanket thing. Cody used to use it when he was little. How cute! So, we put Ali in it to see how she liked it. She was pretty awake so she was wiggly and didn't want to be trapped in it for long. Just long enough that I caught a pic of Ali and her dad to share with you. Such a smiley girl! It is fun to see the toys and blankets and things that we used to play with as kids. So many memories!

This pic is just of Ali in my arms. We were cuddling and I couldn't resist taking this pic. What blue blue eyes! I guess that is another thing she gets from dad, because I definitely don't have those eyes. Pretty cute! today we went and showed off those pretty eyes to Grandma Pete! It was fun. We went out to Hill Spring for the afternoon. My dad even sent us home with some homemade bread! What awesome parents I have and awesome grandparents Ali has. We rounded off the day with a fabulous enrichment party. It was good food and I had a good time visiting. Overall, it was a good day. I hope yours was just as good!

Ali's new chair...

2007-03-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Ali and I went into Lethbridge because Cody had to help his dad out and do a few things on the farm. We had been using one of my mom's high chairs that she has for the grand kids because we were waiting for a high chair to go on sale before we bought it. So Ali's St. Patty's Day present was a new chair. She looks so small in this one compared to the other one that we were using. She really likes it though. She loves to sit up to the table with us at dinner time and when I am busy working around the kitchen she is really content to just sit and play in the high chair. What a big girl, she is definitely the best part of our family. I feel like my life has been a bit wild lately. Every night this week I have had or will have something going on. Our weekend was just as busy. I did my first sharing time on Sunday, and the stake primary presidency was there. It went well though and the kids were good. I love how excited they are about the littlest things. Tons of fun. Sunday evening we had a fireside for the kids turning 8 this year and that went OK as well. Then, just like that the weekend was over.
Yesterday, I started on the spring cleaning of the house. It feels so good to get it done. I finished the kitchen and will move on to the bathroom and the bedrooms. Last night we had a lady come to talk to us and tonight I had a meeting and the week will keep getting busier- should be fun though. I like being busy, but sometimes it is nice to take a breath and relax. I am sure you all feel the same. See ya.

Feeding Frenzy!

2007-03-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

This morning Ali got to try rice cereal for the first time. It was entertaining. She was so funny about it. The faces she made were priceless. I couldn't catch all of them on camera because I was feeding her by myself, but I am sure we will get those faces again tomorrow and Cody will be here to catch it all. I included some pics of this morning for you. This is right after her first bite. Not alot of it went in- most of it came out! It is funny to watch her because she doesn't understand the way to eat food yet, she is just so used to the sucking!

Blah!!! Get that out of here. I think that she was more interested in holding the spoon than anything else. She did manage to get some down though, so that is good! I am sure that she will continue to get better and will be an expert in no time flat! I really can't believe that she is already to this stage! I think that I say that all the time about how she grows- but she is so fun in every stage!
Another big bite!! Once she got used to the taste she went at it pretty fast! But the faces kept coming. We threw her for a loop with this yummy (or is it yucky) cereal stuff!
And of course she was happy afterwards- sorry this pic is so dark! She loves the praise we give her and, yes, she gets that alot!
Anyways, that was the major event of our day. The rest of the day has been normal. we did go for a walk this afternoon. It is overcast here, but still 10 degrees so we ventured out. I love that it is getting nicer. It gives me spring fever. It will be so fun to hang out with Ali all summer long! Well, gotta go! See ya!

Jolly Jumpin'

2007-03-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in forever! We have been out and about and pretty busy. I figure that I should update you on our lives- even though not much has changed and we haven't done anything overly exciting. Last week was the week of basketball. I think I have already told you that David played his first two zone games and won. We went to the rest of zones on the weekend and CONGRATS TO DAVID!! They beat Cardston in the final game by 5 points. It was a very good game and it was fun to watch them battle it out. We watched a couple of other games, but left early because Ali had enough of basketball. She was so good for the games, sleeping through alot of them, but it was so loud that I think she may have gotten a head ache! We went out for dinner with Dustin and Jess afterwards- it was fun to visit with them. On Sunday it was church- ever so early, due to the time change. Our church is a nine and Cody had meetings at 7am, so really that was 6am, so he was up at 6:30, but really 5:30, if you know what I mean! so after church, we came home for a family nap because we didn't get much sleep between Ali wanting to stay awake into the wee hours and early church and the time change. We are used to it now though and we like the extended day light in the evening- we can go for walks in the evening now!
We went out to mom and dad Paxman's for dinner because I wanted to see their new carpet, hardwood and lino. It looks really good! It makes me want new carpet, even though our carpet isn't very old.
Yesterday I did the major grocery shop in Lethbridge. It was insanely windy though, so it was hard with Ali, trying to keep the wind out of her face, but we did get it done, which was good. We went over to Dave and Ashley Powelson's to pick up a form and see their house- it is cute, they have done a good job on it.
Today I have been busy as well. I went to the elementary school this morning for the roots of empathy program I do with Ali for one of the grade 5 classes, then came home for lunch with Cody. Then I made lasagnas to put in the freezer for a couple of families in the ward. We did a service auction and a lady bought a lasagna and then I thought I would make up a few meals for Josie who I serve with in the primary- she is having baby #3 any day now.
So, that was my weekend and week so far. I am sure that there will be more business to come. to end off, here are some pics of Ali in the Jolly jumper. she has had this for a while, but I forgot to post the pics. It is pretty funny because she's not really big on jumping yet so the coordination isn't quite there, but she still likes to kick and launch herself around. It is pretty cute- I think that I say Ali is cute every time I post! Oh well, anyways, Ali and Cody say hi and we will talk to you all later!

Long Locks...

2007-03-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

...Kinda. Yesterday I was going through Ali's closet, because you know they grow out of things so fast! It is crazy. I found these clips that people had given me for Ali's hair. I know her hair is so fine, but just a few strands did it. I clipped it in and it stayed, so I put another one in today because my mom came this afternoon and I wanted to show her. It is cute huh? She was sitting on the couch beside me and I though that I had to take a pic of her clip- I think it makes her look more grown up. It is fun to see her grow up! Well, other than my mom coming today we haven't done a whole lot. Ali hasn't been sleeping so well, so I slept in a bit, exercised and then had lunch with Cody. My mom was here for a while and now I am blogging and updating a few thing on the Internet. Well, gotta go. I hope everything is going well for everyone. We hope to hear from you all soon!

Tubby Time!

2007-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here is my Ali in the tub. I just thought that it was such a cute picture. She has really got into kicking in the tub. She likes to splash, except when the water hits her face, then she coughs because she thinks that that will get it off. It is pretty cute. Today was an okay day. I didn't do all that much. I picked up around the house, had lunch with Cody, went to cubs this afternoon and then we went and watched David play basketball. They won, so they are in the final on Saturday. It is exciting for them. I hope they do well. Well, gotta go. Just wanted to say a quick hi and share my Ali with you once again. I will see you all soon!

Once there was a snowman....

2007-03-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! so we had an awesome weekend. Will was home from Utah for the weekend to go to Jason Low;s wedding reception, so we got to hang out. We had an awesome time! I was excited to see him. Will arrived Friday morning to Jess's house, so Ali and I went over to spend the afternoon with him. When Cody was done work, we went up to mom and dad's to spend the night. We spent all day on Saturday in Hill Spring. We had planned a winter picnic in Waterton, but had to change plans when one of the kids got sick. Sam, Abi, Will, Cody, and Grandpa still headed out to play in the snow in the yard. It was windy, but they still had alot of fun. This is just a pic of the snowman they made. I think that he looks kinda mean! Oh well, he was cute. After hanging out for the day, mom and dad made us dinner and then Cody and I headed back to Raymond to watch a little basketball. David's team beat Cardston and we watched the varsity game as well. I still have a place in my heart for the Cougars, but they sure didn't have it on Saturday night. Raymond won by quite a margin. It is zones this week though, so we will go to watch and see what happens. We hope David's team does well and we wish him luck! Yesterday was Sunday- primary is getting better every week. I love my calling! We just hung around at home yesterday and relaxed because we had a weekend on the go. Well, that is about it! I will update later in the week!

Happy Valentines Day???

2007-03-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

So I'm a ninny. I bought Ali some Valentine PJ's a while ago, and of course, put them in the top of her closet and forgot about them until this week. So, tonight, I put them on and decided to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day. Oh well- I have mommy brain, I think that it is a little loopy sometimes. So, I hope you all had a great Valentines Day two weeks ago, hey this isn't that bad, shouldn't we be loving all year long?
Well, this one is going to be short. I have Ali on my lap and she is a grabber, going for everything, the camera, the keyboard, whatever is close. I guess she is just exploring the world and figuring things out. Today, Ali and I have had a busy day. I went to a primary meeting. I think that we are finally starting to get things together as a presidency, thank goodness, and hopefully things will just get better and better. I love the calling and am getting the hang of it. And I know almost all the kids now!! YEA!! Anyways, I guess I will check with you all later! See ya.

Ali's got game!

2007-02-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

So a couple of weeks ago, Cody, Ali and I went bowling with Lee and Kelsey. This has taken me a while because I didn't have the pics. I had forgotten my camera in the car, but luckily Kelsy had hers. She took some pics- emailed them to me and I just took my time downloading them and posting them. I was cute. It was a Saturday night, so it was really loud because of the black light bowling and the music and stuff. Ali just screamed right along with he music, it was pretty cute. we had a really good time. Thanks Kelsey for taking the pics for us! Oh yeah- Cody did get a Turkey! He was so excited- it was his first turkey. Now he thinks that he is a pro bowler. He is pretty much amazing. Ali was cute. She wanted to lick the bowling balls when we were taking pics- sick. we had to wash her hands and play referee. It was a good night.
Well- better go. I have to finish folding laundry. Ali and I went to Lethbridge this afternoon, home teachers came tonight and then I went to yoga so I am working on finishing up a few household things that I needed to get done. So, I will update soon! See ya later!

A good weekend

2007-02-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. We had an awesome and busy weekend. I thought that I would share a couple of my favorite moments from it.

The first is our Saturday evening trip to Hill Spring to visit the Peterson parents. It is cool to have parents that are okay with their children inviting themselves over. Cody and I are like that I guess. They treated us to dinner and a great game of settlers. It was good to visit with them before they left for the week. When they are gone- I just don't know what to do with myself. I love being able to talk to them often and see them every week. The pic is of Ali and my mom- Grandma Pete. It is so great to have family close.

Sunday morning comes early for us at the Paxman household-well, earlier than usual. We have switched to 9am church on Sunday mornings. Cody has to get up by 6:30 or so to be to 7am elders quorum meetings. He usually gets home just on time to wake me up and get Ali dressed for me while I get ready. Yesterday when I was getting ready, it was just about 9 and I came out of the bathroom and looked at Cody and Ali on the couch. I think that they both didn't get a full nights sleep, so they had to take a snoozer before church. It was cute.

Anyways- the rest of the day was good, we had dinner and went to Richard and Janae's for banana spilts and a couple of games of Settlers. They are definitely hooked. What a great weekend.

And then she was Five...

2007-02-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

...Months old that is. Yea! We made it to the five month mark with remarkably little mishap. Thank goodness. I can't believe that it has already been five months. It is amazing to me how time flies by. What a big girl she is. She is so much fun. She is happy and bright and loving life. Hopefully she continues to grow and be healthy. We have really been blessed so far.
The weekend has been good so far. I love when Cody gets to be home with us on the weekend. Last night we went to David's (Cody's little brother) basketball game at CCHS in Lethbridge. Afterwards we went to BP's with Brent and Tiffani and then to their apartment to play a wild game of The Settlers of Catan. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to play that game, find it and play it. The Peterson's are hooked and Cody and I have introduced it to the Paxman's who are learning to love it as well. We had a lazy morning this morning until I finally convinced Cody to finish the last of the painting upstairs in our house. I am excited to have it done. Our house is a work in progress. Little by little we are outfitting it, decorating and getting all the little things organized. this afternoon we are going to run to Lethbridge to get some more paint and then we are going to look for furniture for our basement because I heard about a sale. We do have couches down there but they aren't ours. They are Stacey and Steve's and they come home in, what is it now guys? Eight Sundays or seven? Aren't you excited? Needless to say- we have to finally get our own couches- so we thought we should start looking.
Later tonight we are going to Hill Spring to visit my mom and dad for the evening. It is always fun to go and see them. It is so great to be so close to family. I love it! Well- I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. See ya later!

Sitting Pretty

2007-02-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

So Ali's newest trick is sitting up. We have been working on accomplishing this for a while. This time she did it long enough for me to go and get the camera. She does pretty good, just a few wobbles here and there and the swan dive to the ground now and then, which she just can't seem to get up from because of that heavy little head! It is so fun to watch her because I think that she just loves the new perspective she gets on the world when she is upright all by herself. It is hard to imagine the growth and learning that they go through in the first year- if my brain could only take things in that fast... I would never have those duh moments- which I have quite often.

It is so rewarding to get those smiles from our girl. Cody just commented tonight when he got home how much he loves it when he walks in the door and gets the biggest smiles and loudest squeals from Ali when she sees him. She has also started to raise he arms to you when she wants you. How awesome to be loved so much by the tiniest person!

Anyways- that's my pics for the day. I went to a primary meeting this morning and then came home and thought that I would share some more Ali with you. It is funny how the blog says the Paxman family yet almost every picture is just of Ali. I guess she takes the spotlight and she is definitely the cutest in the family- so I will keep the pics coming and the updates of all that is going on. See ya!

Happy Family Day!

2007-02-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well, today was family day holiday here in Alberta, so Cody didn't have to work- Yea! I was excited. It is always nice to have an extra day on the weekend to hang out. We have had an awesome weekend. Friday, we stayed close to home and just went over to Lee and Kelsey's to play games and watch a movie. On Saturday I went and babysat Jess and Dustin's kids while they painted in Lethbridge and then they brought us back Chinese food. It was fun, as always, to hang out with them. Yesterday was church. I had my first day in primary. I felt a little hysterical, but Shauna, the president, thought it went okay, so I guess I will go with her on things. Hopefully it will continue to get better and I will feel a bit more organized, especially after we meet with the stake primary presidency this week for orientation. I am sure that will help. Tamanda came to visit last night which was a ton of fun. I really enjoyed our visit and hopefully I will get to see her more often. Today the Paxman clan decided to go swimming at the Nicolas Sheran pool in Lethbridge, so we got our things together and went along. This is Ali's first time swimming. I don't know if she was sure about the whole thing, but we had fun. We caught alot of it on video camera, so it will be fun to show her the first time she went swimming when she gets older.

This is a pic of Ali and her triplet cousins, none of whom are looking at the camera, but it is still cute. The triplets- Abbi, Brianna and Cadence are almost 14 months and Ali is almost 5 months- hopefully they will get along when she gets a bit older! We also met Jorja Heggie at the pool- she is 2 months older than Ali and they are in our ward. Ali will have lots of fun friends and cousins to play with as she gets older. It is awesome to be close to family and to get to know others in our ward. I am really enjoying getting to know more people in Raymond. I really like it here.

After the pool we ended up at Pizza Hut with 16 people. We were definitely a large group. It was fun and a great way to spend family day. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday as much as we did! We hope you all have an awesome week!

A New Habit

2007-02-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

So I finally caught Ali in the act. This is her newest habit- thumb sucking. I grabbed the camera as fast as I could to catch her. she used to do this accidentally, but I find that now she is doing it more often than not. I don't know if this habit will stick or not, we will just have to wait and see. Only time will tell. I guess if the habit sticks I won't be able to do much about it. It is cute right now, but who knows how I will feel when it comes time to break the habit. We don;t have to deal with that right now though, thank goodness! I am so glad that I get to watch Ali grow and learn new things. It is so fun to see her figure things out.

If she can't get at her thumb, she improvises and goes for her big toe instead! YUM! It is crazy all of the things that Ali can do and what she does to get what she wants. What a cutie!

Well, not much has been going on different than normal at the Paxman house. We are still staying busy with multiple things that we have on the go, but that is okay. Yesterday at church I got a new calling. I am the new 2nd counsellor in the primary presidency. Yikes! It should be fun. I am excited for the calling because I don't know a lot of the families with older children in our ward. I know all the younger families with kids around Ali's age, but not the older ones. It will be a great opportunity to meet more people. It will keep me even busier. I am excited to work with the sisters that I will work with. It is quite a young presidency as the president's youngest child is two months older than Ali and the 1st counsellor is having her third child in march. I think that our meetings will be entertaining with the kids that we will have around. Well, here we go. It is always a great learning experience when you get put into a new calling and I can't wait for it.

Well, that was my big news. We just hung out other than that yesterday. I love weekends when Cody can be home with us. Jess and Dustin and their family came over for dinner- we owed them one, I think they have fed us more than a time or two. It is so fun to live 10 minutes away from them. Family is such a blessing in our lives. Anyways, I will see you soon. Have a good week!

"No Pictures Please"

2007-02-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. I guess I should update since I haven't done so in about a week. It has been a busy week. Not anything real special, just run of the mill things. Yesterday Cody, Ali and I went to Calgary to brave the lines at the passport office. It is required to have a passport to fly into the US for everyone now, so we thought we better get on the stick in case we ever decide to finally take a holiday. Cody had to wait outside in the cold for an hour before we got in the building while Ali and I hung out in the car, but once we got in the building we were only there for a half an hour- so it wasn't too bad all in all. Cody says we definitely spent more time in the mall than in the passport office- which is probably true.

This morning when Ali got up I was feeding her and once she was done she started to suck her thumb. I wanted to get a picture, but of course I missed it. I did snap a couple of pics though and I thought that these were funny. She has a fixation with putting anything in front of her into her mouth so the camera was interesting too.

She grabbed for it right when I went to take a picture and so it totally looks like she is saying" No pictures please" It just kinda made me laugh so I thought that I would share it with you.

Anyways, I had better go, but I just wanted to leave you with one last pic of my cutie. Cody and I are sure proud parents. He is such a good dad, I couldn't have asked for a better man that is for sure. This pic is just before her nap. We usually read stories and she cuddles with me right before she has a nap, she is so sweet. Well- see ya later. We hope you all have a great weekend!

A Tradgic Day...

2007-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was Ali's 4 month shots. I can't believe how sad it is. I am sure that by the next kid we have I will be alot tougher and just suck it up. Once again, I had to take Cody with me. He held her while the nurse jabbed those three needles in her leg. I feel so bad because she just doesn't know what hit her. Here she is, being all sweet and friendly with the nurse, smiling and cooing at her and then wham-o she gets those needles stuck in her legs. But, I do have to say that Ali is pretty tough. She actually didn't cry for that long and then she was back to normal- almost. She did have a bit of a fever and was more fussy than usual last night, but today she seems to be getting along fine. They did weigh and measure her too. She is 14lbs 1oz and 25.5 inches long. The nurse said she is in the 65 percentile for her wieght, which is the same as last time, but she is in the 95 percentile for her height, so she is a tall skiny little thing. I guess that is to be expected. So now the countdown begins to the next ones, just eight short weeks away! How sad.

Today it has been snowing all day here in Raymond. The snow is piling up. Cody came home at lunch all excited about it. He thinks that winter is great. Me, I don't mind it. I don't like the -20 weather or anything, but the snow is fun. It has actually been a pretty nice winter. Not like those awful Edmonton January's where it is -30 all month long. I remember feeling like January was the longest month when I was going to school because it was so cold and dark and dismal. But it always got better as the semester went on. We haven't had that much super cold weather, just a week here and there, which is fine.

So today I cleaned my house. I always feel so much better about life after I clean, not that it is super dirty with just three of us, but it feels good to have everything put in its place again. So I did that, exercised, and showered. The weekend is here and I am excited. I like spending the weekend with Cody. Not any huge plans, but you never know. Anyways, I hope things are good with everyone! See ya!