Birthday Part 2

I'll have to figure out how to rearrange these photos so that I have the others first....however, it won't happen for this post so here are the reverse order of the fun activities at the birthday party:
Here are the children all picking up the toys and candies inside the pinata.


And here they all are posing around the first pinata; an elephant.
We made three pinatas just in case the first one broke with the first swing. We weren't really sure how many layers to put on so we experimented. FYI Shawn says 2 layers of paper mache gives the most bang for your buck. A few of the party-goers were a little scared of the whole pinata scene so they are not pictured here. The elephant was in honor of Grammy White, who actually had her birthday on the day we had the boys' party. She did take a couple swings at the pinata although I was kind enough not to post them on the blog. Check out her scrapbook next time you see her, you might see one or two in there.

Here is the first swing from Benjamin.
And Alexander takes his turn as well.
The elephant was 3 layers, a little much for children. It took many swings! After the pinata festivities, Benjamin came over to me and said, "Mom, this is the best birthday ever!!" I guess the pinatas were a big hit! Pardon the pun....

And here are the birthday boys posing in front of the other birthday activity. If you can zoom in on Alexander's thumb you will see the nice little creature who wanted to join in on the fun.

A good time was had by all. Thank you to all who came to celebrate with us!

4th BIRTHDAY part 1

Alexander and Benjamin are 4 years old!!
We celebrated last week with a little party with our friends in Nova Scotia before we moved. A great time was had by all, the next post will show pics of the fun activities, but here are a few of the snapshots taken at the big event.
Here are some of the partiers awaiting the cakes...

And here are the cakes. Alexander wanted an ice cream cake but Benjamin wanted a regular cake. Since it was their party, we had to accomodate! They were both delicious.
Here are the big birthday boys. I really can't believe they are 4 years old! I remember amazingly clearly when they were as little as their new cousin Charlie. But they are so big now and growing so much. Time really does fly.

THE BIG NEWS

Charles Leslie is here!!
My sister Tracy had a handsome little boy on Saturday. He weighed in at 8lbs. 6oz. Everyone is doing great and they were able to bring Charlie home today. I am so proud of my sister and brother-in-law. They are so far away from family, being in BC, and they have really flourished there these last few years. And now they have added to their family. I am so proud to have them as my family. We can't wait for Charlie to come to Scotland to visit!!
Check out the link to Tracy and David's blog to see more photos....I imagine they will be updating frequently as I think I have Tracy hooked (even if she will be extremely sleep deprived!)

Shediac Vacation Part 2

Here are a few more pictures from the beach.
Alexander and Benjamin got buried in the sand...which they loved!


And here is poor Alexander after taking a nose dive into the sand to catch the frizbee. I poured water over his tongue and mouth but I think he still got a good dose of the gritty stuff! He was laughing throughout it all, thankfully.
And here are the boys after they jumped out of their sand trap. They thought it was quite funny to see each other all covered in sand even after they got out. They really are too cute!

We spent the whole day at the beach (10am to 430pm). Hannah and Jacob had an hour and half nap under our beach umbrellas and everything. I called Shawn from my mom's cell phone as I laid there beside them to see how the packing was going....I don't think he found it as humourous as did I when I said, "Just thought I would call to let you know I'm laying on the beach beside a sleeping Hannah and Jacob while the boys swim with Grammy..." since he was madly packing up our belongings and having a final yardsale....

Anyhow, I am sure he is still thankful to be able to do the final packing without 4 children underfoot! A special thanks to all the guys who helped load up the truck today...we are truly blessed to have made so many good friends this year in Nova Scotia!

SHEDIAC, NB VACATION

The children and I took a little vacation this weekend with my Mom so that our house in NS could be packed up and cleaned for our big move. We had a great time at the beach and in the town.
Here are a few pics to entice some tourism in NB!
The first is the big lobster in Shediac. The kids were quite taken with him, it really is pretty big as you can see from the photo. This is my mom with the kiddies.


While at Parlee Beach, which is an amazing beach by the way, we took in some beach volleyball. As you may know, Alexander and Benjamin are huge sports buffs so as soon as they saw the volleyball, they had to go check it out. In between matches, we were able to go down to play. I used to be such a timid person; I never liked to ask people for things or even call to order pizza! Now, I just march right over to the stands and ask if my children can play on the court! Wow, I must be growing! I guess 4 kids pulling at your shorts saying, " Can we play, can we, can we??" will do that to you.

And for this post, here is the final picture. Here are my babies!! Can you believe it? They are getting so grown up. They are here enjoying one of the volleyball games.

BC VACATION

My vacation is winding down and no baby yet for Tracy. I am sad to go without seeing my new neice or nephew but am also glad to be heading home soon to see my own family. I do miss them terribly when I am away.
We had a good visit and even got to take a little day trip yesterday.

Here are the two sisters on the beach. We must have been told at least a half dozen times this week that we looked so much alike and were even asked if we were twins!! I must be standing in a sand pit or something because Tracy isn't that much taller than me!


And here is one of the sand sculptures we went to see at the beach.
It was quite disappointing really, we were picturing the beautiful displays they have at New River Beach each year in New Brunswick. So we travelled to Parksville for the big "International Sand Sculpture Contest". After driving through insane traffic to get to the beach, we see the 6-8 sand sculptures....don't get me wrong, they were nice but there were only 6 or 8 of them!! We had been expecting dozens like we have seen at New River. Alas, we had a short walk on the beach and then headed to the market for ice cream!

Here I am on my horseback riding adventure at Coombs market...no goats on the roof, too hot!But we did get some excellent ice cream and a nice walk around.
So soon I will be getting back on the plane and heading back to NS to pack!! Check out the link to Tracy and Dave's new blog we just created and stay tuned for pictures of their new addition.

THE LOST HAS BEEN FOUND!!

Just wanted to let everyone know I have my luggage! Yeah!!
It was delivered here late last evening, so Tracy and Dave were both able to laugh through the scrapbooks last night.
I am having a great trip thus far...pictures will follow soon....no baby yet but we're doing lots of walking and driving over lots of bumpy roads! Hee Hee! We'll keep you posted. And stay tuned for a link to Tracy's new blog which we are setting up.

LUGGAGE!! ARGH!!!

As some of you know, I have taken a little trip! I am currently visiting my sister who is due to have her first baby shortly...she says while I am here, the doctor's say in a couple weeks; we shall see.
Just wanted to vent about my lack of luggage....
Upon arrival at the airport yesterday morning, I was told to pack in my checked baggage all things containing liquid (e.g. toothpaste, shampoo, etc.). So after waiting an insane amount of time to check my baggage, saying a really quick goodbye to the family, and butting in line at security (where they went through my purse and threw out my lipsyl!!), I made it on the flight. We were late leaving and I had to run to catch my connecting flight in Toronto....boy was I glad I was flying by myself and not with 4 kids!
So I arrive in BC and watch as the luggage comes around; the whole time I'm saying to Tracy and Dave, "I really had a short connection in Toronto, I hope my luggage makes it".
So you guessed it....no luggage. Fortunately I am at my sister's who is about the same size as me (normally) but who no longer uses her "normal" clothes as she is 8 months pregnant! Not as big as a house though! Shawn asked if she was as big as a house and I said no, he said "a small bungalow" and I replied, "No, more like a mini-home". She was very thankful for my comment as she feels "big as a house". Of course, I am comparing her to my twice- twin-full belly, so my perception may be a little off.
Anyhow, all this to say, "Thanks alot security!! (I actually do thank them but I am now venting) I better get my luggage back!"
My scrapbooks are in there! Not to mention the playpen I was bringing out for the new baby!
Luggage!! ARGH!!!

Additional photos

A couple more photos of our family day.
Here is a little girl and her dad....All the children got to take turns riding on Dad's shoulders.


And this is the other half of the crew on the train ride around the park. Alexander has recovered completely from his big fall...all scrapes are now healed but he still talks about his booboos and shows everyone how his knees have healed.

FAMILY FUN

We had a great family day the other day at Upper Clements Park. We packed up the van and headed for a vacation day at the great park compliments of Air Miles (we have to use them up since they're no good in Scotland!!). We all had a blast! Only one major mishap when Alexander had a huge wipe out while running; scraped up his knees quite badly and had to ride in the wagon for awhile.
It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the rides and zoo. Here are a few highlight photos....
Here is part of the crew on the train ride around the park


Hannah and Jacob loved the merry-go-round! Jacob kept saying "horse, horse" and Hannah chimed in with "Neigh, neigh".
Alexander wasn't sure about going on the airplane ride (it did go up quite high), so Shawn went on with him. Later I put Hannah and Jacob in the front seat together and jumped in back with them. I don't think I'll be a very cool mom when they are all teens and wanting to do the rollercoasters as I could barely hold down my lunch on this little ride!! Actually, that will probably make me a very cool mom as I will just have to send them on by themselves...what teen wants their mom on a rollercoaster with them??
And finally, there was the big truck convoy!! I think this may have been a favorite. Big brother Benjamin went on with Hannah and Jacob "so they wouldn't be scared".
Here is our big man in his big truck....just like Grampy!!!

We had a terrific family day! We really are blessed!

BIG "FIRST" FOR HANNAH AND JACOB

Yesterday was a special day at the White house for Hannah and Jacob. They both marked a "first" in their almost 2 years of life....
I gave them both their first haircuts!!!
People have told me that children's hair grows in better after the first cut so I finally went for it today. They both have very little hair on top and in front but it was getting quite long in the back. I still can't believe I cut off Hannah's cute little curls!! But it looks so cute now.
First I cut Hannah's hair and she sat so still on Grammy's knee while I cut it. I had to make about three different cuts because I didn't want to cut off too much, but I finally got it so it looks quite cute.
Then I hauled out the clippers which I used to use on Shawn's hair (he's been "going professsional" for quite a few years now, but I used to cut it) and gave Jacob's hair a little touch up. You may notice a small section on the right hand side which is a smidgen too short!! Oh well, I am hoping it grows in quickly! Jacob also sat very still on Grammy's knee and kept saying "tickle" as I used the clippers!
They were both perfect little customers for their first cuts.
So here are the final photos....sorry, no "before"s, only "after"s....

Of course I kept a few locks for the baby books! I bet my mom is saying "I can't believe you cut off her curls". But don't worry, she still has lots on the top and in the back too, just not so long and straggley (is this a word??). It really does look quite cute (is this the third or fourth time I have written this....I may still be a little traumatized from cutting them off myself!!).