June is wedding month for our family. Doug and I each have the last of our single siblings, getting married this month. Janelle's wedding will be pretty relaxing for us for the most part. Doug is an usher and I have to look after the punch table for in between ceremony and reception. Oh ya and we have to try to keep an eye on Brandon during the out door ceremony. Did I mention that it was going to be relaxing? Well let me change that to busy but still enjoyable. As for my sister's wedding, things will be great for me since I am flying out by myself. No boys to keep track of. My dress for the wedding is at the seamstress right now. I chose to do the dress with the v-neck, but I'm getting sleeves put on, since that is a requirement at the church she is getting married in. Now I just need to get some sandals for the weddings and decide whether or not to get a pedicure done. $40, is it worth it???
Don't worry, we don't have a funeral to go to in June, but I do feel that I death has occurred in my life. A death of a dream that is. I have had a certain dream/desire ever since I was a little girl and just recently I have come to realize that it wasn't in God's plan for my life. I did pray for God's will to be done in my life regarding that dream and that I would be OK with whatever the outcome was. Turns out that the outcome was different than I had hoped and of course that makes me sad, but I have to trust that God knows best. He can see the big picture, and besides sometimes life is not all about me.
Brandon has really been testing our patience lately. Ever since his ear infection he wants to sleep in bed with us and he can't seem to fall asleep without me laying beside him. Although he seems to go to sleep OK when I'm not around, so maybe he'll break that habit when I'm in Ontario. Brandon also is very ready to be potty trained. Anytime he has a wet diaper he takes it off. Hopefully we'll have our new toilet in soon so I can begin the task of potty training.
The other two boys only have a month of school left. Which includes activity day, swimming, and children's festival field trip for Cameron. Overall I think that the school year went quite well. Anytime I would ask Cameron how school was he would tell me that it was the best like always.
They both never complained about having to go to school and would always seem to look forward to it.
The bathroom renovations are slowly getting done. It turned out to be quite a big job. But the end is in sight. All we have left to do is plumbing for the sink and toilet and finishing up the vanity and linen closet. Hopefully I'll get to post pictures of the new bathroom soon.
I also starting work at the restaurant/boat rental store again. So far things are going pretty good. I don't mind the work. Last year I really didn't like the
waitressing part, but this year I'm more comfortable doing it and actual enjoy it. I only work on evenings and weekends so Doug watches the boys when I'm gone. Which is a great bonding time for them all. I also see my job as a great ministry opportunity. I have already been able to share about my faith with one of the high school girls that I work with.
It it also anniversary month for Doug and I. On the 10Th we celebrate 9 years of marriage. The 9 years have gone by quickly and pretty much uneventful. We have moved once (from a two bedroom apartment to the house we now own), Doug has gone from working part time at the family business to full time, and I have worked on and off at the
DQ and now this restaurant. Oh ya, the biggest change for us has been that we are now parents of three boys. When we were first married I read a stat about how much time the average married couple spent together talking and it was only a few minutes a day. Back then I just couldn't believe that would ever happen to us because we were spending two or more hours a day together. Well 9 years later I believed that it has happened. In between our jobs, rushing the boys off to soccer and meetings we only get a few precious minutes a day together to talk. Especially since Brandon joins us in our bed every night. I really think that we need to start a regular date night once a month.
Brandon showing off his find.
Uncle Rhys came and played with the boys one evening so Doug and I could go on a date. We had a great time. I think that was our first date since our Mexico trip, so it was much needed.
Boys will be boys. They can't just ride in the cars, they have to crash them.
I can not get a normal picture of Cameron, he always has to act silly. Oh well, it is part of his fun personality.
I love how Doug's single cousins spend time with the boys.
We have a picture of the first Kroeker camp out that I went to where Doug had his cousin Rylan on his shoulders... so I thought it was kind of neat that now Rylan had Brandon on his shoulders. Where does time go?
We had a good time of fellowship. Everyone gets along wonderfully and when we get together with them we always have a time of praise to God.
The boys had a blast putting together the smiling face toast.
I love the Easter season. I enjoy doing the fun stuff like Easter egg hunts with the boys, but most of all I love that it reminds of the greatest sacrifice ever made. I'm so thankful that Jesus paid for my sins on the cross. I'm glad that on the third day he rose again and has an active part in my life today.
On Easter Sunday Anson accepted that forgiveness for his own life. All the things we were hearing at the different Church services we attended and the things we were talking about at home really made him think and come to the conclusion that it was something he needed to do. My heart is filled with joy and praise to God over that decision he made.
Friends of ours just recently returned from their trip to Disney World and brought home a treat for the boys. According to Cameron it had the best flavour ever.
In January my friend had twins girls. When they were almost a month old we went to visit them. Anson and Cameron for the most part just wanted to play with their older brothers, yet they did get a chance to hold one of them. Anson was disappointed that I didn't get a picture of him with one of them.
I'm not sure who Cameron is holding here. They look so much alike.
Anson loves to go fast and would try crazy things if I let him. The day that we went sledding there were two boys about 12 years old on the same hill and they were doing some stunts which made me want to keep my boys the age they are now so I can keep an eye on them and protect them.
Cameron lays on the breaks as he goes down the hill and it takes him forever to get back up the hill, but he still has fun.
The most amazing (and only) fort on the block. Doug helped the boys make a pretty cool fort in the front yard. Cameron especially loves to play in it whereas Anson would rather play hockey on the driveway. The boys just had a week off of school and I was so thankful for the mild weather we had, they played outside quite a bit.
Cameron showing off his funky green teeth that he got from the grocery store free bucket. He wanted to wear them all the time, I'm not sure why, they looked uncomfortable to me.
Brandon waiting to go to the dump. He probably would be happy to sit in there all day.
Anson and Cameron felt so proud to be Daddy's little helpers. Doug is so good at including the boys in his work projects.
Anson and Cameron showing off some of their loot. Cameron was thrilled to get a Calgary flames shirt. Doug is not a a flames fan at all, Cameron choose that team because his friend with the same name as him cheers for them. We'll see how long he stays a fan.
Brandon is crazy about trains (and balls). He loves his new train set and even goes to bed with the trains.
It was a very special Christmas. I love spending it with my boys. But most of all I'm so thankful for Jesus - the greatest gift ever given. I don't know how I would deal with life's circumstances without him.
Life has been crazy around here lately. It seems like if all three boys aren't sick at the same time then at least one of them is. Brandon was sick for almost two weeks and his sleeping routine got all out of whack. I got so tired (literally) of him sleeping in our bed, so I moved a twin bed into his room. I ended up going in there the first couple of nights and sleeping with him for part of the night, but now Brandon is feeling better and last night he slept in his big boy bed all night by himself. YAY!!!
There is this kids clothing store in town that put all their kids clothes on sale for 50% -75%. Grandma treated the boys with new outfits for each of them. They look pretty handsome if I have to say so myself.
Anson at six and half years old has his first loose tooth. We'll see how long it is before it comes out. 
Brandon loves to get the screwdriver and "fix" things like his Daddy. It is amazing how his brain works.
Christmas holidays have arrived for the boys, and for me too in a way. No more running to and fro. Today Anson asked to play PlayStation, which is not unusual because he could play video games and computer games all day if he was allowed. What was unusual was that Cameron also wanted to play, he could care less about video games. Anyway I thought that it was kind of cute when Brandon took an extra controller and joined them in ATV off road fiery.
This year we didn't have a Sunday School Christmas program at Church. Instead we went to two different apartments for seniors and did some caroling for them. It was a lot of fun and a blessing to the seniors.
Cameron loves to help out whenever possible. I had a lot of fun making cut out cookies with him. I also thought that it would be fun to decorate a gingerbread house with the boys. I think that Anson and Cameron had a lot of fun, but Brandon just whined the whole time, and the roof didn't want to stay put, so it was quite frustrating for me, but that could be because I'm not the most patient person.
Doug rented a movie for the evening. He hooked up our portable DVD player to a TV in the basement so they could watch it down there. Brandon was pretty excited about it and thought that he would join them.
The day before the game we drove by the stadium and met this really interesting, Christian man who lives near it. He takes care of 90 parking spots in the neighborhood on game day and the money he makes from it he uses to build houses in Guatemala. The picture above is us parked in one of 'his' spots (someones front yard) on game day.
This is the picture Doug took of the stadium the day before the game. We sat way up in the nose bleed section, but surprisingly enough the view of the game was still pretty good.
Getting ready to go in. The boys were pretty excited by the whole experience.
Overall the experience was great, even though is was a bit cold and windy. It was a very memorable weekend for all. Oh ya, the Riders won....that was the icing on the cake.
These four guys are the reason that I am so very blessed. They made me feel so special on Mothers day. It is a joy and an honour to be their Mom, and I'm also lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive husband.
Brandon is already 13 months old. Shortly after his first birthday, he decided it was time to walk and now doesn't even crawl anymore. He is also now consistently sleeping through the night. It is so nice to get a good night sleep. It was my goal to nurse Brandon for a year, but things seem to be going so well, I don't know when I'll stop.
