Christmas Festivities

Some highlights from a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve cookie decorating and supper with our dear friends Jen and Naoto.

We woke up to find Santa had built Sam a race car track.  Silly Santa forgot batteries so it was a little slow to play with...

Santa left some footprints!!!!  Can't even believe it.  While making breakfast Sam called out to me and said "Those prints aren't snow, they are sugar!"  Should have guessed my guy would taste test!!!  Little did Sam know that the snow in the North Pole is sweeter than here.
We drove down to Rimbey Christmas day and all my siblings were there with all their kiddos!  It was a busy crazy house but so wonderful to have Sam off playing with his cousins and some time to catch up with my family.

Boxing Day morning we helped Grandpa feed the kitties and we brought them their Christmas present.    Mommy loves those farm cats!

Then out to Granny and Big Bob's for our Boxing Day tradition.  It was so nice to see all my cousins, watch the newest generation play together and spend some time laughing through a wacky gift exchange!

Sweet Sequoia... I spent a good chunk of time winning this little sweet pea over.  I tea partied until she realized I wouldn't give up and just decided to join me!  Love her!

This was a little magic wand moment when the crew opened Auntie Brie's super cool gift!

Littlest love, baby Nixon, experiencing his first CRAZY Boxing Day on the farm.  Such a little sweetheart.

Another tradition with my family since I was a kid is that we go bowling Boxing Day evening in Ponoka.  The little guys all had their own lane.  I call this the "Gorilla".

'This is the "Kickin' It"

And lastly the "Floor Smash".

On the 27th we had Christmas with the Connolleys.  Firstly Roxy got her gift from Sam.

We are so lucky to have the BEST EVER tobogganing hill.  Grandpa fell off the back and speedy Kaili took off without him.

Super cool and super fast sled!

We bought Sam a snowboard for Christmas.  Shaun got a little tow rope with it so the first day Shaun pulled him back and forth without his feet in bindings.  Here is Sam getting his first Daddy lesson!

Coolest boarders on the hill!

Lorraine cooked the most beautiful Christmas dinner.  My tummy was so full that I was uncomfortable even in my stretchy pants!!

Two best buddies.  Kaili is the sweetest cousin to Sam... she is patient and fun and willing to spend hours listening to Sam chat about everything.  

My Momma and Auntie Bobbie.  Some of my family came out to the Connolley's on Dec 28th for some sledding and homemade chili.  It was a little cold, but hiking up and down the hill kept us warm.

Sam's first ever run down the hill all strapped in and super confident.  It was AMAZING!

My snowboarder.  I can just picture years of father and son fun on the hill snowboarding!

Love

This could be one of my favourite Christmas' to date.  So thankful for all the holidays brought my family... love, laughter, gifts, time, food and happiness.

Exploring Southern Alberta

This is the week of our annual family camp trip.  The trip was planned for a location in Alberta this year which would have been a nice close adventure... sadly Vannie's engine is still broken.  Well, that's not true... it's removed, parts rebuilt and a 'new' one is sitting in our garage.  So, truthfully, Vannie is currently engineless so we had no way to camp.  I'm absolutely not into tenting with my guys, it actually gives me the shivers just thinking of the three of us in our little tent.  For this year, we went for a day trip and because the campsite was only in Fort Macleod it was do-able!

I think one day this will make a great photo to show his future wife... yep, he liked to learn things the hard way!

Here is most of the crew (obviously not me, can just see Sam's hat in the back seat and Grandpa Trev's hand in the front seat) on the shuttle up to the Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump... rowdiest group I've even had to take on a bus before and I've taken a tons of rowdy bus rides! ;)

Sammy and Gramma Bee posing with the buffalo.  First one we saw... first of many... but it was really exciting!

Hey guys, wait up for me!  Heading out to the cliffs to take a peek!

My boys looking across Southern AB

Our herd (minus the Great Grandparents who stayed in the museum)

Sam listening very carefully about the buffalo jump and why it was used.  Very thoughtful little face.

Taking it all in.

Checking out the museum with Gramma B and the GREAT Aunties!

Bunch of bums.

Love this photo.  Sam is showing my grandparents the coin he made inside and teaching them all the things he learned.  So sweet.

More teaching and learning.  He's got them captivated.  Some of my most memorable summers were spent with these two amazing people.  They always have time for a tea or to hear a story or to tell a story.  They are a gift in my life... I am so grateful for them.

What would be a family camp trip without some crazy theme night!?!?!  This year was Bobbi's Bebop Burgers!  We had a chip buffet, listened to Oldies, the Aunties dressed in '50s gear and we had a muscle car race track.  Sam thought it was the coolest.  He's just about to race his down to cousin Maegan and Big Bob.

At the finish line!

Mother's Day Run

We ran the Mother's Day Run for the second year, and again it was an amazing experience.  I was able to raise over $600 with the support of great friends and family.  The money goes to the NICU in Calgary hospitals, which is something very close to my heart and without it my entire life would be so different right now.  They truly work miracles on some of the tiniest little bodies... it's hard to think back to how fragile Sam was in those days when I look at him now as a big, healthy, wild boy.


This year my Mom and Aunt joined us for the run.  My mom is my hero and my Aunt was the mom of a preemie 26 years ago.  It was super special for me to have these two wonderful women with me.  My Mom ran the 5km 10 minutes faster than I did... she's a champ.  My Aunt paced us the whole way, ran the whole thing and inspired me to keep moving.  Shaun, my best support person, talked me through trying to stop running twice.  I realize by the way I'm talking, you'd think the run was 25 kms... but for me 5 km is plenty!  Sam cheered, screamed, cried, read books, ate snacks... all in all a great time!

Pre-race snuggle... nothing better in the whole world!

Team Connolley!

My Mom with us waiting at the start line.  Pretty soggy but lovin' life!

How far we were from the start line... 20 000 runners and walkers!  Amazing!

Watching the balloons released in honour of Mrs Forzani who passed away this year.

Loves of my life!

Looking exhausted but still running

Finish line with my Aunt, Mom and Sam.  What a perfect way to spend a rainy Mother's Day!

Easter Long Weekend

What a perfectly long weekend to spend with my boys!  Easter this year was one of my favorite Easter's so far.  Both Shaun and I had Friday off, so we got 3 full days all together and got up to all sorts of fun.  Sam did not acknowledge the idea of an Easter Bunny, especially if you compare it to how interested he was in Santa this year but we had good time nevertheless.  Here is an account of our Easter 2011!

Kicking off Easter weekend with Smith bringing a treat to have on Thursday.  Mmmmm.

It seems we spend every holiday with our buddies at the zoo!  On Friday, we spent a sunny morning at the Zoo Eggstravaganza.  It was a beautiful morning and we got there so early we got to watch all the animals having their breakfast.

Nemo!  Nope, not exactly but at least he knew Nemo is a fish!

Baby Gorilla and Sam have a heart to heart... always our favorite stop!

A little Easter fun, as we pit stop to colour an Easter Egg.

My favorite little face.

Nothing, I repeat nothing, beats a bouncy house!

Another cool station was planting a seed bomb and then decorating the cup.  

Here's our bunny cup... darn it, I thought I might look more excited about this thing than him and this photo is proof!

Chillin' in the butterfly enclosure.  No butterflies but lots of cocoons.

Checkin out girls...

And this is the face that proves how badly Sam needs to wear sunglasses outdoors.  We call it the Pirate!

After nap on Friday, Sam woke up to find out the Easter Bunny had stopped by.  He found a pile of eggs and a clue!

First clue led him to the dryer and he found a new toothbrush!  

Another clue led him to a pile of eggs and a DVD...

The ball tent held some stickers and another clue!

Somehow Monkey even got stuck watching over his new bedtime book and a clue!

After a few more clues, finally it took Sam outside to find his new sand box.  Instantly in love!!!  Such a little boy - loves diggin' and scoopin' and dumpin' sand.  Probably hours of my life will be spent beside this box this summer!

We had gymnastics on Saturday and then made the drive to my Grandparents' farm for Easter lunch.  Sam immediately found himself a buddy in this farm cat.

Back inside to play with the chicken from Granny.  It lays Easter Eggs... Sam at them all.

Two beauties!

Auntie Brie and Kal made a really cool Easter Egg hunt outside for Sam and Colton.  Lots of eggs to find alllll over the yard!

Great Auntie Bobbi got Sam a glider!

Favorite photo of the weekend.  Love everything about it!

Race... Dad is in the lead!

Emptying out all the goodies from the egg hunt... WOW!

Sweet little family... heart!

For Sunday, we again found ourselves in an intense Egg Hunt.  This time at Gramma and Grandpa Connolley's.

Egg Hunters!

One of the cool things that Kaili did to make the Easter Hunt special for Sam!  We sure love her!

Final stop, GOLDEN egg with a little chick inside!

WOWOWOWOW!!!

Roxy catching snowballs on our Easter walk.

Sam throws some snow for Roxy.  Hard to believe it's the last weekend of April and there is still this much snow!!!  Hopefully a few more beautiful days like today and it will be gone for a couple months.

Hiking up the hill with Gramma and Grandpa.

I love rubber boots!

My two favorite guys again!

I don't think this photo gives you even an idea of what sort of a climb this is.  Very steep, very long and Shaun did it running with Sam on his back.  Beyond impressed.  Honestly, I wished he was carrying me up it!!!

Boys!

Connolley guys

Another highlight of the weekend...
Gramma Bee gave us two tiny pet frogs for Easter.  They are soooo cute!  We tried to think of names but Sam only wants to call them Mom and Dad.  Mom and Dad are very happy and adjusting well to their new home.  I was placing them up on the shelf and heard Sam yell to me "No mama, Bam's grogs!"  He loves them!  No good pictures as of yet, but there will be!