Christmas Pictures

Blog entry follows Pictures :)

Christmas 2008

We had a nice Christmas, despite Kaitlyn being sick. Christmas Eve she started with refusing to eat anything, but one very large cookie. We were going to stay overnight at my Mom and Dad's due to the weather, but when Kaitlyn started getting sick at 2 AM, we decided she would be better in her own bed than waking up the whole house (Brad and Rebecca and kids and Greg and Veronica were also staying overnight). She was sick at Ryan's Mom's as well on Christmas Day, but when she wasn't getting sick, was happy as can be for the most part. Boxing Day she seemed back to her old self except she still refused to eat and now was starting to refuse to drink as well. We took her shopping and she napped when we got home. We knew something was really wrong when she woke up from her nap and cried for 2 hours straight - nothing we could do or offer her to make her stop. Ryan phoned the nurse helpline and they advised to take her to emergency. Not where we wanted to go over the holidays but we actually hit it at the right time and the rush started after we checked her in. Turns out she has a nasty throat infection, and now that she's on medication, she's so much better. She even ate some cheerios yesterday and is drinking apple juice like crazy.

Other than that, we are getting ready for our cruise and are so excited! In a way, I'm glad Kaitlyn was sick while we were home with her rather than sick while we are away. I would hate to have imposed that on Krista! Finding clothes to wear is a bit of a challenge for both of us since we have dropped a few sizes. I even tried my grade 12 grad dress on yesterday and - it fits! Craziness!

Kaitlyn was spoiled for Christmas from us and her grandparents, as well as Uncle Greg and Aunty Veronica who gave her very first Barbie. She was so excited. Lots of books, Little People, a new doll and even a Wonder Pets DVD (which she pronounces "oo dee dat" no matter how much you try to correct her).

The snow is in full force but the big thaw started yesterday. Looks like we'll be swimming to church this morning.

Anyway, better run - Kaitlyn is calling for me. I'll post some pics a little later.

Our Night Out

Last week Saturday was Ryan's work Christmas dinner. We decided to make a mini-getaway out of it since it was at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver. The dinner was really tasty, despite the small portions, I splurged on dessert, and we had a great night away. Kaitlyn stayed at my parents' house and had a great time too which made it easier to be away for a night. We stayed at a nearby hotel which was great too - way bigger room than we thought we booked which is always a nice surprise.

One of the great things I noticed that night was I wasn't afraid to pose for pictures. Ryan and I have both been working hard at the gym (though not as hard as we'd like because we like to work out together but then it costs more for childcare) and have totally changed our eating habits. It was great to feel confident in my new dress, Ryan in his suit, and seeing that our hard work is getting results. Not sure how much more we'll get accomplished before the cruise but I still haven't hit my goal yet!

Quilt Contest

Yes - my sister will be shocked. But I was so taken with these gorgeous quilts, I had to pass on the link for a chance to win one. So beautiful! Click here to enter

2 Months and Counting!

Well we are 2 months away from the big cruise with my family to the Caribbean and are really starting to get excited about it. And prepare. We have to finalize our passports and are trying to get to the gym together or alone a few times a week so we will enjoy posing for pictures in January. Nothing worse than coming back from a big trip and realizing you opted out of every picture because you didn't like the angle it was taken from.

Life has been continuing as normal for the most part. Ryan was transferred to the campus closer to home which has been wonderful. He is working day shifts so we get to be together as a family much more and we're saving on gas as he doesn't have to drive for an hour every day. He has applications in with both sheriffs and Corrections and we're very hopeful for both. Now that Ryan has a year of security experience, his chances are so much better than 2 years ago when he tried for sheriffs. The really good thing about this is he realizes he has a real interest and love for security work and is finally doing something he really enjoys.

My work is continuing as normal and life is hectic. It's hard to work 8 hours a day, keep the house at least somewhat tidy, do laundry, groceries, get to the gym, take care of a 2-year-old and find time for sanity, but I'm surviving and looking forward to a break in January!

I've been told by my supervisor that I apologize too much so I won't be saying sorry as I usually do for not getting a post up in 2 months - life is crazy and this morning I made sure to get up half an hour early to get this post up so people don't think we've fallen off the face of the earth. Here are a few pictures from the last month:

Kaitlyn giving big smiles at Grandma's house:


Oma's 2 helpers on Halloween enjoying some dinner:


Kaitlyn dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood on Halloween (sorry, she really didn't want to pose and this was the best one - she was too busy enjoying her Smarties to pay any attention to me):

My little brother is married

Well, it's been an exhausting last few days but we all survived and the wedding went wonderfully. Veronica looked beautiful and was such a calm, easy-going bride, it was a joy to witness their big day. Everyone had such a great time, truly one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended.

Here are a few pictures (unfortunately I really didn't take too many since I was more concerned about my 2-year-old behaving as she was a flowergirl - once she was safely tucked in bed, then I went snap happy).

August

Well August is almost gone already and this is my first post of the month. A lot has happened around here but seems there are never enough hours in the day to get around to everything, including keeping everyone updated on us.

Ryan had an incident at work a few weeks ago. He was trying to get a female drug-user off the property and suffered a surprise attack from 2 males when he approached the female. She managed to prick him with her needle and the 3 individuals escaped. Because no one knows the needle source, Ryan has to endure a month round of what is known as the "cocktail" to prevent infectious diseases such as HIV and the Hep strains. The medication is violent and he ended up on WCB for 2 weeks but is now back at work and the meds are set to complete next week. It's quite stressful for him as the fear of the unknown is quite daunting. He'll have to get tested every few months for the next year and we are looking forward to putting this behind us.

Kaitlyn finally had her bangs cut so we can see her lovely eyes. Unfortunately I cannot find my camera so I can't share with you all :( I'll have to look harder at mom and dad's since I'm pretty sure that's where we last saw it.

I'm still working hard as a court clerk and still find it interesting but wonder if it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. In health news, I've been waking up wheezing at night for a while now and finally went to the dr about it this week. My asthma-like symptoms could be allergies but are easily treated with an inhaler. But if I become dependent on it (using it more than 3 times a day) a steroid inhaler may be next. Thankfully I am only using it once per day so I think it's under control.

Anyway, that's a quick update for those who are looking for it. I will try to find my camera and come back with a picture post soon!