Our sleepy gals . . .

The girls also went away to different places this weekend and I guess they're still adjusting to being back home again. These are pics of Alyssa and Elayna falling asleep around the house in the past couple days.

Marriage Conference

Brad and I went to a marriage conference this past weekend in Whistler. Beautiful hotel (Fairmont Chateau Whistler) and of course beautiful scenery.

The conference was amazing. Seminars ran from Friday 7-9:30, Saturday 8:30-5:30, and Sunday 9-3:30. The speakers were great, the topics were so applicable, and many times we saw our weaknesses and how to work on them. Topics included Threats to Oneness, God's Purpose for Oneness, Communication, Intimacy, Wife/Husband Responsibility, Mom/Dad, etc, etc. There were a couple practical projects that you work on with your spouse, and Saturday night was strictly date night. Other than that, it was a lot of listening to the speakers, following along with your book, and a lot of suggestions on resources that will help you continue with what you've learned when you leave.

The conference was through FamilyLife Canada and I would recommend it to any couple. We came away having learned so much and feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity. It is amazing how many times that something we struggle with was laid out so clearly and the steps we can use to improve. I liked that the weekend was so planned out and so many topics were covered. It exceeded my expectations and the breakthroughs and changes that we took away from it were worth any cost.

Two teeth and sitting practice.

Alyssa's Quilt is finished!

I set up my craft room and with the help of our quilter's group getting together again, I am finally back to my quilting. This is a project I had hoped to get done before Alyssa was born (I have enough fabric for a boy version too) but when we ended up moving before she was born, my quilting got boxed up for awhile.

Anyways, I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern which even though it is super easy, I still managed to make a mistake on the cutting directions but thankfully in the world of quilting, you can just rearrange and make something a little different instead. I used Moda flannels for the top and quilted random hearts. For the backing, I used a minkee fabric (super soft) but since it's also tricky to quilt, I only quilted the top to the batting, not the backing. It made for less work when finishing off - no binding! And thankfully I didn't have to hand-stitch the minkee. It was a fun project and I'm happy with the results - and I think Alyssa is too.

6 months old already!

Alyssa is six months old today. She now has two little teeth on the bottom - and loves to chomp on anything! She is sleeping much better through the night - just up once for a quick bottle and diaper change and back to sleep. I'm going to be working on that next to try get her sleeping through it but am just enjoying that it's only once right now and not three or four times anymore! Her stuffy/runny nose situation has definitely improved since she's been put on soy formula. The difference is amazing and it's only been a few weeks since she started. Swaddling for bed has turned into a must for her now - even for naps. She loves it and I like that she doesn't wake up with cold hands anymore. She's just starting on rice cereal and the older girls think it's hilarious. When Alyssa spits it out, they laugh at her, and then since she knows it's funny, she keeps spitting it out with sound effects and the works. So I have to keep reminding the older girls not to laugh when she's eating. Alyssa is still such a good-natured happy baby full of smiles, sound effects, and body movements, all in hopes of getting a funny reaction from someone.

my little teenager

We have girls - I don't think we have any balls inside the house and a couple for outside. So when I gave a couple balls to Chantel this morning - what does she do with them? See for yourself.

Elayna's hearing

Since Elayna was sick last week I've noticed she's been having a hard time hearing. In order to make sure she hears you, you have to literally get in her face, talk to her and make her repeat it, otherwise chances are she didn't catch what was said or caught the wrong thing.

So this morning I took her to get checked out and the doctor found a double ear infection. She hasn't been complaining at all so I didn't think that would be it but now she's on antibiotics and hopefully there'll be less yelling here in a week.

we have . . . a tooth!

Yes, the excessive drooling lately is now explained. Not a very clear picture but more cooperation than I thought I'd get. My baby has her first tooth, and just in time to start solids.

Harvestfest

Last night we took part in a fundraiser at our church for our Gems and Cadets groups. They call it Harvestfest and it's an alternative to trick or treating. It's great for our kids since they're a little young for trick or treating, get less candy this way, see their friends, and it's more fun for Brad and I too. There was a soup and buns dinner, games with candy for prizes, a silent auction (which we got some really great deals on), and it was just lots of fun to see friends and have a night out as a family. Brad and I also took part in some of the organizing again this year since Brad is a Cadets leader this year (last year I was a Gems helper). We helped collect silent auction items, took a shift in the kitchen and at a game, and the clean-up after. We left Alyssa with my parents to make it easier (although there is babysitting there, just not for the clean-up) and since the whole thing was over by 8:30, we went back to my parents after and put the kids to bed so we could get in a hot tub dip still. We did still dress up the girls last night. They have lots of dress up clothes so it was nice to not have to go buy them special outfits. There were more kids dressed up there too and it's especially cute when it's the little ones. We also dressed them up because if you bring your kids in costume to our local Quizno's then you get a free kids meal. My kids are not the best eaters, especially when it comes to soup, so this way they got a ham and cheese sandwich in them before the candy and chocolate began.

The only downside last night, was that they did a birdfeeder again this year (a pinecone slathered in peanut butter and then rolled in birdseed). I'm allergic to nuts and remembered getting a bit of a reaction last year from being in the same room, but this year was a lot worse. On the way home, I was getting a little nervous about not having my epipen with me. My head and throat were feeling swollen and it just seemed to keep getting worse instead of better. Thankfully a couple benadryl did the trick and I was feeling better pretty quick. I still have a bit of a scratchy throat today from it but it usually takes a couple days for a reaction to wear off for me. Guess my allergies are getting worse.