Time Sure Flies!

Well, it's been a little over a month since the newest member of our family arrived and I've blogged once. I feel a little guilty when I read the blog of an acquaintance who had preemie twins about a week before Jonathan was born and she has blogged way more than I have! I even got some pictures edited and have just got to post them.

Things have been going well. The boys still love Jonathan and he is still very relaxed for the most part (as long as he gets some cuddle time in). We are still working at getting into a routine but I can slowly see it starting to come together. We're looking forward to my sister coming for a visit tomorrow so I have a lot to do, still (they need a cleanish place to sleep, after all).

Xander has been loving t-ball (which is done tomorrow) when he actually gets to play. I bet half the games have been rained out this year. It's pretty crazy, the amount of rain we're getting. In fact, we were supposed to go to a wedding in Cypress Hills on July 1 but due to the flooding there, it's been moved to Regina. Good for us but not as good for my cousin who has to find venues before then! Xander went for a kindergarten test drive last week, too, and had a ton of fun. I think he'll be really excited to go in the fall. I was getting excited, too, as I hung around the school hallways. I used to love school...I know, I know, I'm such a nerd.

Anyway, here are a couple weeks of photos:

Week 7 (Feb 7-13)

Super Bowl Sunday is always fun in our house. We eat pizza and appys in the basement and watch the game in our jerseys. At least, the boys were in their jerseys. I don't believe that I actually fit into mine at this point in time!

Evan will probably hate me for this picture someday but isn't he so cute with that big ol' smile? He was just hamming it up for me when I got the camera and he has such a great smile.

It was such a moist winter that we had hoar frost for a good number of days. It really does make the bare tree branches (and hedges) look a lot prettier, though.

Blood work - I believe. I don't usually get a mark but I guess I did this time. I think this was likely for my glucose test. It went better than last pregnancy, so that was great.

Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. Wayne Gretzky lighting the outdoor flame. For those of you who knew me back when...need I say more? PS this was on TV, so it's actually a picture of my TV.

I wanted to make cupcakes for Valentine's Day and do something fun with the boys. Xander was more interested in this than Evan (though I think Evan's big cheeks are due to a mouthful of icing) so, of course, pink was not allowed and we had blue Valentine's cupcakes! They tasted just as good, though.

Week 8 (Feb 14-20)
Valentine's Day was spent with my sister and brother-in-law. We had Taco Del Mar...it was no surprise given that Tyler has to have it whenever he comes to town and we like the restaurant quite a bit, as well. They were on their way back through from vacation in Arizona and hung out for the day before heading back to Manitoba.

A favourite game in our house...Candy Land. It's so easy for the kids to play so they love being able to do it themselves. Also, I suck at random games so they almost always beat me.

More frosty pictures. I thought the tree was really pretty with our house in the foreground.

Ah, February with the stroller out. I had booked the boys haircuts but Jason ended up having a meeting of some sort that evening so I took them by myself. Since we're a single vehicle family, I got out the stroller and we walked the three or so blocks it is to the salon (have I ever mentioned that I live in the BEST location in the city?). It went really well...Xander sat by himself and let me sit with Evan and they both behaved! We even made it through the back alley with the stroller - though it was kind of hard to push at times.

My mother-in-law on her birthday. She had a great idea to go bowling. It's not so much that she loves it but the kids had so much fun. It was the first time that my kids had been bowling and Xander was so excited. I don't know if he even had a piece of this cake, or not. It was a lot of fun!

Here they are at Evan's turn. Xander is "helping" too. Jason spent a good portion of his time pushing their balls just a little so they'd make it to the end. They had bumpers in so that the balls wouldn't go in the gutter.

Fish...I love good seafood. Notice how I said GOOD seafood? The stuff in the grocery store is usually not particularly fresh and quite fishy and just not very good. So, if we want seafood, we go to Pacific Fresh Fish. This was Walleye...their fresh fish that day. It takes me back to my childhood and eating fresh caught fish at home. I couldn't catch them but I did love to eat them...usually like this. A simple batter and pan fried. So good.

There you go...two more weeks of photos. I kinda want to post some of the really cute pictures I got of the boys this morning but they are still on my camera (along with about 1000 other pictures - I really need to get those on the computer). Maybe I'll find some time in the not too distant future (or maybe not, since my sister will be here!)

Anyway,

Until next time...

He's Here!

Well, it's actually been almost a week now but we finally have the newest addition to our family. Jonathan Glenn Berkan was born Thursday May 20, 2010 at 9:48 a.m. He was 8lbs 14oz and about 22" long. He came into this world very quickly so it was good I was prepared this time (I didn't have to pack my bag while I was in labour, like I did with Evan). My first contraction came less than two hours earlier at 8 a.m. Luckily, the boys were on their way out the door to Auntie's house anyway (I'd been sending them off to play as I was only getting about an hour and a half to three hours of sleep per night). My doctor managed to make it there at about 9:35 and we started pushing a couple minutes later. We were much too quick to get to use any drugs and that was an experience in and of itself. It went super well, though, and both of us came through it well. I have recovered much more quickly than with either of the other two children and he has been an amazingly laid back baby. This is all making the adjustment to three kids easier than I thought it might be. We were also blessed to have my sister and her husband come for a quick visit (and to help out) and my Mom is here now for a few days. Hopefully all will continue to go well. Even our experience in the mother baby unit at the hospital was considerably more pleasant than the last two (other than the heat being unbearable - so much for the air conditioned hospital).

Anyway, that's probably enough chatting...if you want more of the story, you can ask ;). Likely, what everyone would like more is to see some pictures...and here they are.

Just moments after he was born (in Labour & Delivery but after he was cleaned up!).

What a sweet little face...I think he looks like his brothers - mouth and chin are so similar to Evan.

Getting checked in at the nursery - all the measurements and everything done. That hand is headed for the mouth already!

Sweet little feet!

Such a cutie...he has been so calm and laid back!

I love this picture but it was dark so there's a lot of camera shake. I still couldn't resist!

Proud big brother Xander - he wants to help with everything. He even told me that when he's older he'll look after Evan and the baby so I don't have to do anything!!

The newest big brother - loving his little baby!

How could you not love the cute little "Thinker" pose?

I'm sure there will be tons more pictures to post over time but these should give you a glimpse of our newest little one.

Until next time...

Killin' Time...

Well, I'm 39 1/2 weeks pregnant and I have zero motivation to do anything. In fact, I uploaded these pictures over an hour ago and am now forcing myself to write this blog post. I am so ready for this baby to get here. I am hot, itchy and sleep deprived (and yes, generally, I get more sleep with a newborn than at the end of my pregnancy). I am not looking forward to the 27 degrees it's supposed to be for the next 4 days or so and hope to spend at least some of that in an air conditioned hospital! Oh, well, there's not a lot that I can really do but try to be patient (key word there is try).

Anyway, I have another two weeks of pictures to show you.

Week 5 Jan 24-30
My parents drove down through a snowstorm for a retreat they were attending/organizing. They happened to come on Dad's birthday so I made him an angel food cake with 7 minute frosting. It was my first ever attempt and my Mom thought I did even better than hers! It was yummy. Here's Grandpa with his birthday present hat and his two cute grandsons.

Here is the results of the snowstorm. We got a crazy amount of snow. Actual snowfall was about a foot but the drifts in our backyard were more like 5 feet.

Jason and Xander building a train track. This set is really a lot of fun to build with...I just think we need some more pieces!

Care group night. We put the chairs out in the living room for people to use and the boys think they make great tunnels to crawl under. It's really cute until someone tries to stand up, anyway!

Jason has this old NASCAR track that he pulled out for the boys. They had some fun with it but the batteries were almost dead so it couldn't really run both cars at once!

My two boys playing Wii. They are so cute when they play together. Xander is actually playing while Evan just has a "dead" controller. They had to sit on the gaming bean bag, just like Daddy does.

Another one of those cute pictures of them sitting together nicely. This actually started with Xander putting his arm around Evan but I didn't get that pic!

Week 6 Jan 31 - Feb 6
This is a picture of the purse I got for Christmas from my parents. It's so cool - made out of old seatbelts. I really like it because they are stiff and give it some form, even if it's not full. It's just the right size, too, not too big, not too small.

Here is my wonderful husband doing dishes for me. My back really bothered me this pregnancy so he was doing dishes even back then, since I couldn't stand in front of the sink that long. I would try to do some of them and then just leave him the rest but I think he did them all this day.

Our old front door. This is the day before it was getting replaced. Goodbye to the ugly, drafty door. Though, I do think the kids loved the mail slot for looking through but they seem to have adjusted.

Here are the window/door guys with our new upstairs windows and front door. It has made a huge difference having these new windows and I just love how they look!

Here is my sister and brother-in-law's car. This is the only evidence that they stayed night at our house. They pulled in late one night and met up with my other sister and brother-in-law to head to Phoenix. They left at some unearthly hour like 3 a.m., after sleeping for about 4 or 5 hours. They're crazy.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts was on this weekend. This was the semi-final - PEI was the surprise story of the week. They made it this far with a 4th rock thrower who was only 21 or something like that (as was one of their other players). They did incredibly well for the age of the team and it's too bad they didn't win!

Well, I did it. I made myself finish this post, though my hands are getting really warm and starting to bug me so I'd best go. Hopefully I'll be back soon telling you about our new baby but I won't hold my breath!!

Until next time...

Too Far Behind...

Well, I hate to say this but there is a FREE kit out right now that I haven't yet told you about. It's a really awesome kit, too and it's a COLLAB between Scraps of Ellay and Nibbles Skribbles. I managed to work with it but the whole being 9 months pregnant thing is making me too tired to be creative or scrap. I did get a couple pages done, though. It's a mother's day kit and is great. I had a good mother's day of doing nothing. We actually ordered in food Saturday night because that's when I was craving it. Jason's parents were over on Friday to celebrate with his Mom so Sunday was just quiet and we did very little. I was gonna scrap those pics but I was too tired to download them. Instead, here are a couple pages that I did and then the previews of the kit.

This one was from when I was in the hospital with Evan...once again becoming a Mommy.

This picture is from Mother's Day 2009. My lovely boys and the flowers they gave me!

You can go to Scraps of Ellay's blog to pick up her part of the collab and there are links to Nibbles Skribbles part there, as well. Here are the previews:

Scraps of Ellay

Nibbles Skribbles

I do have some photos edited but I don't have the energy to post them right now. Maybe tomorrow if I feel up to it!!

Until next time...

I Hate This Part...

I hate this part...really I do. I am absolutely exhausted today. I slept horribly last night - and that was after I moved to the couch, where I usually sleep better. I guess I should have moved another floor down to the basement. I will make a confession, as well, I'm horrible when I'm tired. I don't even want to be around me - think of what that's like for my poor kids. Today, I hate toy cars, I hate lunch and I'm getting quotes for a new furnace (not going so well). It's days like today that the kids always seem to fight more and be more cranky. It's been the cars, again. You'd think with, something like 100 toys cars and 1850 square feet of house, they could each take a few and play in different parts of the room, even...but no, they have to have the same car and play exactly where their brother is sitting. I also hate lunch because I have no good ideas...I am sick of the same 4 things over and over. Can you tell I'm cranky today? I think I need a vacation. But, when it comes down to it, I have to keep going.

It's easier when you remember the sweet things and cute things they do...like Xander getting down in his "ready" position at ball and chasing that ball no matter where it's hit. Or Evan, playing with his truck at the ball game and, when he finds a ladybug, putting the ladybug in the driver's seat. Then I feel really bad. Good thing that God promises to forgive us if only we ask. Luckily, our children usually do, too.

Maybe I'll get a nap in this afternoon. First, one more furnace guy... this is getting expensive!

Until next time...

Why are they cute when they're in trouble?

Well, I've picked out pictures for the next few weeks of the year but I have to edit them so I haven't put them up yet. Everything just seems to take so much energy lately. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things today (and by that I mean I only had to go down 3 aisles) and it totally wiped me out. In fact, I think I've had three separate naps already and am considering going to bed soon! Anyway, I just thought I'd share a cute story from today (also, then I can look back and remember it!).

Evan got in trouble today. That's nothing new. For screaming. Again, nothing new (if anyone has ideas on how to get him to stop, I'd love to hear them!) Anyway, once he gets over the fact that he's in time out, he's quiet. Then I hear this talking from the corner. Once I start listening, I realize that he's reciting his Thomas' ABC Book. We read this a fair bit and I knew he knew at least some of them but I didn't realize he knew it this well! "A is for All Aboard. All aboard calls Thomas the Tank Engine. B is for Bertie the Bus. Bertie is Thomas' friend. Beep, beep." and on and on he went. He got all the way to Q but then the timer went so he stopped. Of course, this was when I was supposed to go over and give him the stern talking to but it was oh so hard when all I could think was that's so cute and I had to hide my smile the whole time!

Anyway, I think I'll go have some ice cream and then get ready for bed!

Until next time...

New Kits...I'm Finally Posting!

I'm sitting here listening to my 2 year old play guitar and sing a song he made up...it seems to be about the people in our family and how Dad went to work. It's really incredibly cute. I'm trying to enjoy these times as I'm sure that in a few weeks, when the new baby gets here, it will be much harder to sit and enjoy the serenades!

I have been so bad about posting lately but I have been very physically exhausted this last bit. I even ended up starting my mat leave a couple weeks early because it just was not working to get out of the house and get to work and then be productive. I was totally useless for the first couple hours of the day! This means that the list of things I'd like to do (which is a mile long and includes scrapbooking and photo posting on my blog) has not been getting done, either. I basically slept last week.

This means that I'm actually going to post two new kits today. The first was was released yesterday and is on sale for 25% off this week at Stuff to Scrap! This is a collab between Scraps of Ellay and IvoryKeys Digital Dreams and is an absolutely adorable kit called Muddy Buddies! It's kinda grungy and dirty for all those great outdoor pictures you have! It was perfect for me as I had just finished taking pictures of the boys playing in the puddles... here are my two layouts and a preview of the kit.

This is the aftermath of the storm we had April 9th...home renos have been re-prioritized for this summer, I think! This is for the template challenge at STS.
This was done for a speed scrap at STS. We took the boys out on Good Friday after our church service and played in some puddles. It was a lot of fun!

Here is the preview of the whole kit.

Now, for the second kit. Scraps of Ellay created this kit called Three R's to celebrate Earth Day and it is on sale for 50% off TODAY ONLY! I didn't have a lot of pictures along that theme but the colours were SO pretty that I just loved working with this kit!

Here are my layouts:

This was for the recipe challenge at STS.

This one uses a template by Gwenipooh Designs and I really like how it turned out with the contrast in elegant pictures and more rustic background!

Here is a preview of the full kit and you can pick it up at Stuff to Scrap.

Until next time...(which hopefully won't be so long!!)