Cooper First Birthday

I cant believe Cooper is one already!! His officaly birthday is December 5 but we had his party on December 2. We had a smaller then usuall gathering, which worked well since we had to have it in our little house and since it is December I can not push everyone in to the backyard like at Stevies parties.

He was more into the actual toys and didnt quite figure out the unwrapping part but I am sure by Christmas he will have it down. I thought for sure the little trouble maker would be all over the cake and sure enough he was seated for 2 seconds before his hand was in the cake, but like his big brother just one touch and that was it. I dont think he liked the feeling of the iceing, Stevie didnt like it much either. He was a trooper for the party and was a little freaked out when we all started to sing to him but eventually he let out a big smile and a giggle. I cant believe how much he was grown and look forward to so many more birthdays.

Stevie got a big brother present too, Nana brought him a spiderman and Granny brought him is first pair of Hockey Gloves....and so it begins my life as a hockey mom.

Halloween 2007

No excuses for not posting in awhile. I am just going to try to catch you up.

Halloween is always a big event in my world, I remember it when I was a kid it was one of my faveorite times of the year. I try to get my kids as excited for it as I am but I just dont think they get it yet. They are only 3 and 10 months after all, I guess I just have to wait a few years lol. This year Stevie wanted to be a pirate, since we watched the first Pirate movie in Kelowna in May he has fallen in love with anything Pirate. I was on the ball this year and got the costumes in September so they got a choice. Stevie got to actually be pirate Jack Sparrow, his faveorite pirate in the whole world as he says. The pictures says it all, he makes a pretty cute, I mean tough looking pirate lol.

Cooper didnt have much of a choice this year, as soon as I saw the little Devil costume I knew it was perfect. He is truely my little devil and is my trouble maker.

We went trick or treating with Matt and Sandra and little Alyssa. She made quite the cute Hefalump!! Stevie got a good haul of candy and made it almost 3 blocks, 2 blocks more then last year. He loved getting candy, what kid doesnt!!

Funny Cousin

My mom and I go to Mom's Time Out every Thursday morning. During this time there is childcare provided for the kids and we get to do crafts and stuff on site. Paige and Stevie are in the same group this year for the first time. Today when my mom went to pick them up one of the caregivers said to Paige and Stevie "For cousins you sure look alike" Paige quickly responded by saying "Yes, but I am more beautiful"

She is too funny!!

Stevie Goes To School

Stevie started Preschool this month and is loving it. He really enjoys playing with all the other kids and loves his teachers. There are 4 teachers and they all take turns with the kids. Everyday I ask him what he did and usually he says I played with only the boys. I guess he has enough girl interaction with Paige, Megan and Landry being his other main playmates. He sure does having all the boys to play with and be able to play cars and trucks with them. The teachers say he plays cars everyday with the boys. Once and a while he does say he plays with the boys and the girls. Every morning of a school day he wakes up and shouts out a big Hooray it is a school day....I hope the excitement for school continues but I am sure it will fade a little in the future once homework starts lol. It is amazing after only a few weeks how much he has changed and grown especially with his interaction with other kids and even us, he is not my little baby anymore but I am proud of the boy he is becoming!

Hey Baby Lets Go to Vegas....

What happens in Vegas shows up on my blog. We have nothing to hide lol! Well we had a fabulous vacation in Vegas, we were there for 7 days with no children. What do you do with yourself with no children?? Well we did all the bad stuff lol!!

Our first night there we headed straigt to our hotel, The Excalibur, to drop off our bags and start our Vegas experience. Before we even hit the room we got bombbarded by timeshare people. I remembered after that people had warned us of this but we were suckers! I was ready to walk away but Steve wanted to go becuase we got Cheap show tickets plus $100 food or gambling credit for the Luxor.....they said it would be 2 hours. We booked our seats for the next morning and headed out to see New York, New York. We were amazed by all the lights and glamour and we were a little Naive. We were at a slot machine and a waitress come by for orders so we ordered a few drinks. When she came back to deliver them it shows exactly how often we get out.....Steve asked her how much we owed...to our amazement drinks are free if you are gambling...how can you tell we dont get out much! So we found the slot machine that night that would do us in. It is called Monopoly Grand Hotel and we were up when we left it the first night. It was much more fun the the VLT's you find here and was very addictive right from the start! After that and a few more drinks we headed back to the room to get up early for the Time Share presentation.

So we are on the bus with about 20 other couples heading out the the Time Share head office. We got free breakfast and coffee so it wasnt too bad. Our guide was very knowledgeable in the Vegas area so it was actually quite nice to see him on our first day as he told us where everything was. Then off to the site to see the buildings and tour the facility. Then comes the sales pitch, then the second sales pitch, then the third, fourth and fifth....as you can figure we have now been there for 4 hours. I am done with this whole thing and I am cursing Steve under my breath for making me go to this and wasting half of my Shopping day, he could tell I was upset! So we get our vouchers and decide to take the $100 all in gambling credits and they tell us there is no cash value they will give us special tokens at the casino and off we went. Once back at the hotel we headed to the Luxor to get our show tickets (we picked the topless show as my hubby was dying to see one) and get our tokens. I dont know if the cashier was new or what but he took one look at our voucher and grabbed some $20 bills and gave us cash.....well we high tailed it out of there with our cash before they stopped us. I then forgave Steve for making me sit thru the presentation for 4 hours, heck first day there and we already were up $100 bucks, I figured we were pretty lucky!

THe rest of the week was pretty much all tourist stuff. We did shopping at the outlet mall and spoiled the kids. Tuesday was my Birthday so Steve took me to dinner in the Eiffel Tower. If you go to vegas go eat here!! It was the best meal we have ever had, Steve had Beef Wellington and I had the Salmon. We got to meet and take a picture with the Chef afterwards, I loved every minute of it!

Wednesday we went toured the strip, and saw how the rich live in the Venetian, and the Forum shops. I was gaga over Jimmy Choo shoes and had to go in there, Steve looked like I had dragged him thru the mud, he hated all the shopping. For a late dinner at the Rum Jungle. They have what is called a Fire Pit, they bring Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Salmon, Sausage right to your table and carve right off the Spit. And it is all you can eat. Needless to say we were stuffed!! After dinner it turns into a night club with go-go dancers and on weekends they do arealists too, it was pretty cool. After dinner we took a trip to the Top of the Eiffel tower, it was an amazing site, the Bellagio fountains were going off and it was beautiful!

Thursday we toured some more, after a while every casino is the same but we tried to gamble a little in every one we went to. I think we did the belagio and Planet hollywood on this day. I really liked the planet hollywood, it is brand new and used to be the Alladin. There is a mile of shopping in it and it is reasonalbly priced! Again with more shopping and more of Steve complaining.....lol! We went to the Girly show that night, it was called fantasy. Basically it is 8-10 girls and one singer dancing topless. The picked one guy out of the audience to go on stage with them and it was pretty funny to watch him, he was classic pocket protector type guy that didnt have a clue what to do up there. There was also a comedian that to me was the best part of the show, he would come on during costume changes and he was so funny, to me he made the show, to steve he may be the 2nd best part of the show lol!

Friday we headed off the strip to The Rio for the Buffet Breakfast....it was pretty good. By far it is the biggest and compared to Excaliburs it was fabulous! I think if we went again we would do lunch or dinner at that buffet. We walked around for a bit played some slots and actually ended up up.....for about 10 minutes...then we lost it all loL! Off to the Palms to check out the "Coolest" hotel as it is known. They have playboy endless swiming pools in one tower and they big bunny sign on the side. Inside again it was like any other hotel. We checked out H & H tattoo and then headed back to the strip. We took a little rest then headed out on the Double Decker Deuce to go to Freemont Street to check out the light show. Freemont street is classic old school vegas. Steak and Lobster for 11.95, drinks are half price and it is a party scene on the street. The light show to me was much less then what I expected, it was about 7 minutes of them advertizing the light show....kind of pointless to me. We headed into one of the casinos to gamble, I think it was 4 queens. Since this is classic vegas table minimums are lower so we could afford to play some blackjack at $5 a hand, on the strip it is hard to find them lower then $25 a hand at 10:00 at night. Steve hit it big and he walked away up $80 from a hour or so of blackjack, I on the other hand lost $40 in about 5 minutes but did win big on my Monopoly Slot machine, after loosing all week on it. All in all Freemont street was the best place we found to gamble, other then that it is a little run down but a good party scene.

Saturday was the last full day we had, we had tickets to go see the Cirque De Soleil show "O" We were very excited about this. Steve went in a poker tournament that morning and did ok, didnt win but he was glad he did it. We hung out for the rest of the day not doing too much. We had a great steak dinner at the Steakhouse in our Hotel and then headed off to the Bellagio for the show. We were amused that at the show they served popcorn and candy and pop just like at a movie theatre. Seemed out of place for Bellagios as they are upper class. I got a few pics of the Theatre before I was told no pictures but I did not get the ceiling. If you ever go to this theatre check out the ceiling, it is beautiful. We had an odd couple sit next to us and they talked the entire time, I was slightly annoyed but still enjoyed the show. It was amazing how the worked the stage, it is a large water tank and they would Dive from 30 - 40 feet above the water then a minute later they were walkin on the water, it was amazing and I am dying to see the show from under the water just to see how they do it. It is the most spectacular thing Steve and I have seen and if you ever go to Vegas splurge and go see this show!!

Sunday we checked out gambled our last bit of money away, so what happens in vegas stays in vegas....well at least our money did. It was a wonderful vacation and we loved it all but we also were so happy to come home and see our boys. I missed them so much and I am sure they felt smothered for the week after we got back!

That in a nutshell was our vacation!

Brooklyn Bridge outside NYNY


The Chef from the Eiffel Tower Restaruant on my Birthday


The View from the Top of the Eiffel Tower


Steve Eating his 11.95 Steak and Lobster


The Curtain in the 'O' Theatre, just before I was told no pictures.

Our Busy Busy Summer

Well this has officially been the busiest summer we have had and I am sure as the boys get older it will seem quite slow!!

We had a great time at Stampede this year and Stevie finally went on the rides and he could not get enough of them! We played games ate greasy food, saw the fire works and had a wonderful time. We didn't get to the car until about 1:00 and both boys were still wide awake, Cooper didn't even nap! We hit a bunch of breakfasts and lunches and Stevie's favorite were the chocolate pancakes at the Chinook breakfast, as you can see in the picture!

Playing Games with Dad


Both boys wide awake at 1:00 AM!!


MMMMMM Chocolate Pancakes!!



We have spent a few weekends at the lake enjoying time with the family and trying out some water sports. I have yet to get up on the wake board or the surfboard but I vow to keep trying. Steve quite enjoys the wake surfing but is not convinced that wake boarding is for him! I just love being in the water and will keep trying to do something on the water, as by brother Shane said, maybe tubing is for you, lol. We are very lucky to have the farm as our personal camping place and very lucky to have generous family that will share their water toys with us! Stevie loves it out there, Cooper loves being outside, and to Daisy (our dog), it is heaven on earth. Daisy will sleep for 4 days when we get home from a weekend at the lake!

Canada Day at the Lake
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Paige at the lake, I just loved this picture!!



Stevie is getting far to old!! We were at the zoo with some friends and their son was calling my Renee. Well Steven thought this meant he could call me Renee too. I quickly corrected him and said my name is not Renee it is Mommy, well then he piped up and said, "no, your name is RENEE and you are a MOMMY". Well how could you not laugh!! Stevie has made the big step and no longer wears diapers!! We had to do the naked thing for a few days but it worked. We also bribed him with Tattoos, that was his choice, he didn't want food, he wanted tattoos!! I am afraid of what might happen when he is 18 and can get a real tattoo!!

Showing off his tattoo!


Ste vies Granny (Steve's mom) took Steven to Kelowna for 11 days. I am missing him terribly but he comes home on Sunday. He sounds like he is having a great time and does not have much time to talk to us when he calls. I didn't know it would be this tough not to have him around, I think of all the time I wish I had a break, now I wish he was back and I never want him to leave again....I am sure that feeling will pass shortly after he is back lol!!



Stevie and Paige at Heritage Park


Daddy's little baseball player in training!



Cooper too is growing up. He is sitting on his own, he can sit up on his own, he is crawling already and he is trying to stand up holding on the the furniture. He is way quicker at everything then Stevie was and it really does scare me! He found the Dog food the other day and it has been a magnet for him ever since!! He really is an easy baby and I can not complain but he does have the devilish look and I know I am in trouble. He already shakes his head No and will talk back to us if we tell him not to do something!




This is his I'm trouble look!!


Steve is still Steve, as usual nothing much is new there! He really is my Constant in my life by staying so grounded and real. I am lucky to have him, and I am lucky he puts up with me!!

I am keeping busy, I am making barrettes for a lady in the neighborhood, I am working 8 hours a week for ING, I am selling/hosting Scrapbooking events and I am now chasing after 2 boys. Needless to say, the household chores have taken a back seat so if anyone is planning to visit us please call first!! lol

I got to meet another one of my half sisters on July 7th, this is sister number 3 of 5. Her name is Kayla and she is 18. She is the first person I have met on my biological fathers side. I have to other sisters on that side that I would love to meet! I am hoping to arrange a meeting with them in September. I think we look alike!!




Well Steve and I are off for our 2nd honeymoon in just over a week. We are heading to Vegas for a week and we are both excited for this as it is the first time for us both since we turned 21! We are just going to enjoy the time and enjoy each other!! We are both in desperate need of a vacation!

Hope you all enjoy the pics! Take care!!

Stevie is 3!!

For his birthday this year I asked him what kind of party he wanted, he didn't hesitate, he wanted a mighty machine party. For those of you that have no clue what a mighty machine is it is any large piece of machinery, such as construction vehicles, large trucks and cranes. We get to see them everyday as most of the neighborhoods around us are under construction and Stevie is first to point out every single one of them, every time we drive by them!!

Stevies birthday was on a Tuesday this year so we planned the party for the Sunday after. On his actual birthday we decided to let him go to the toy store and pick out one present for himself, whatever he wanted. He was quite excited as I was silly and told him in the morning what we were going to do but we didn't go until about 2:00 in the afternoon. He must have asked 100 times "When are we going?". He stepped one foot in the store and he knew he wanted trucks of some sort for his present. I showed him all the Spiderman stuff and the Pirate section he liked them but he wanted mighty machines. So we got a 50 piece mighty machine set. It comes with 6 or 7 trucks and a bunch of pylons and warning signs. He was so excited he had to carry it himself...well the box was almost up to his arm pits so it was quite funny to watch him! We opened it as soon as we got home and he was off with them digging in the rocks and playing in the grass. He even slept with them that night and has had at least one of them every night since.

He loved all of the phone calls he got to wish him happy Birthday, ever since that day almost every time the phone rings he thinks it is for him and he has to talk!

Well the day of his party we got hard hat party hats to go with the mighty machine theme and Steve roped off the front door with Caution tape as if it was a construction zone. The cake was a whole construction site with 3 mini mighty machines for Stevie to keep. Steve was so excited to have all his friends over to his house to play! We opened presents first and as usual we were overwhelmed by everything. There are some pictures of some of the gifts, he got Spidermans stuff, Pirate stuff, Cars Stuff, Mighty Machine, sport/outside stuff, a bike, gardening stuff, a drum set (thank you Granny & Aunties) and lots of clothes, plus a tonne of other stuff!! The little wheelbarrow came in handy when he was helping dad build the fence!! The party was a hit and it seemed like everyone, especially Stevie had a great time!












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May Long Weekend

Well it has been too long since I updated, I am slacking off already!!

We went on a little road trip for our long weekend. And due to the mudslides we had to go the long way into BC to see Aunt Lil and Uncle Denny. The 12 hour drive was not as bad as you would expect until it came to Hwy 33. Steve did not enjoy that part of the drive!!

Once in Kelowna we found the house and Stevie settled right in with no issues sleeping all by himself in Jordans Hockey room. (I was shocked, then sad because he is growing up so fast!) We took a trip to a pretty cool park the next day and Steven ventured into a tunnel slide with a little coaxing from Steve.

Stevens faveorite part was the mighty machine digger in the sand box. Steve liked it to as all the moms seemed to come over too when Steve was in there playing with Steven. Steve came walking over with his Chest all puffed out thinking he was the hot dad at the park and all the hot moms were coming over to check him out. Me and Aunt Lil had already figured out what really was happening. Steve was not the hot Dad at the park but instead he was the creepy guy playing in the sand box, they were just looking out for their children.....put a damper on Steves ego for a second or two...lol.


Stevie then got to bake cookies from scratch. I thought he may have been a little confused why Aunt Lil was getting all this stuff out because at home all we need is the pretty blue package that we open, break the cookies apart an put them on a tray. But he went with the flow and got to use the mighty machine (mixer) with Aunt Lils help! Can you see a mighty machine theme yet??


The next day we hit an International Kids Day festival. Sydney got to try some Yoga, Stevie just wanted play with the balls.




Then we got to sit on a real fire engine, Stevie was quite dissappointed when he didnt get to go for a ride on it.



We ended the day with a trip to the Knox Mountain Hill Climb. Cooper went home with Aunt Lil for a rest and the rest of us headed to the mountain. I actually was surprised when I truley did enjoy it. The point of the race is to get up the side of a mountain in under two minutes. Some of the cars where pretty spectacular as the came flying up the side, others well the were neat to look at!! Steve sat in a porche we were thinking about buying but it just wasnt practical with two kids and all! lol. Stevie really enjoyed it as he truly is a car nut!






The next day we took it easy, Stevie and Cooper were both wiped out from the previous day so they had a couple of good naps. Coudo's to Aunt Lil, she is the master in my books at putting Cooper to sleep, I think she had it down to 30 seconds by the time we left...Aunt Lil do you want to come live with us??

After some well needed naps and some lunch we headed off to the beach for some fun in the sun and sand. Stevie loves the sand as he can play Mighty Machines in it!! (Mighty Machines seems to be the new obession of my 3 year old!) The kids played at the park and then they picked up a little game of football. I honestly know nothing about the sport but the other picnicers there were helping Steve and Uncle Denny with the rules. The teams where Jordan and Steve against Syd and Uncle Denny, with Aunt Lil and Stevie jumping as they saw fit. I am not sure who won as like I said I really don't understand the sport!! Cooper once again had a good nap in Aunt Lils arms after playing for a bit on the swings.







That night we ordered Pizza in and had a movie night. The Powers family was quite surprised that we had not seen any of the Pirates of the Carribean movies. Apparently this is sinful in Uncle Denny's presence...we had to watch them!! So we watched them with the best sound I have ever experienced while watching a movie....Awsome SubWoofer Uncle Denny!!! Well I really enjoyed it, I actually have wanted to go rent the second but we just havent had time yet. I want to see the third in the theatre so I am determined to rent the second in the next week or so! I think I am offically a Pirate lover!!

Because of Sydney and Jordan, Stevie has mastered jumping on a trampoline, I unfoturnately did not get any pictures of the Trampolineathon that seemed to occur (shocking right, Renee didnt get a picture!). Stevie absolutley loved it, and he is now all about playing Soccer too!! I think he maybe following in Jordan footsteps!!

Cooper was an angel the whole trip and did not fuss at all!! He loved playing with Sydney and Jordan and watching the kids on the Trampoline. I think he truly did bond with Aunt Lil as she had the magic touch with him no matter what the situation was!!

We had an awsome weekend and we loved every minute of it!! Stevie still wants to go back to see Sydney and Jordan. It is funny I asked him last week who he wanted to invite to his birthday party and the first two names were Sydney and Jordan. He also from time to time will say "Uncle Denny" and giggle...he thinks he was pretty fun and crazy! We all really enjoyed our visit and can not thank Aunt Lil, Uncle Denny, Jordan and Sydney enough for everything they did for us and with us!! We can't wait to go back....if the let us come back that is!!