Festival of Trees.

This year we couldn't get the husbands out to the Festival of Trees so we just made it a Mommy/Kiddy date day! It was Me, Cole, and Holly, with all 6 kids and we only had one major melt down (throw especially for me by little of Miles) Here we are heading in to meet the Wagner girls,

Baby's first bear paw at the festival of trees.

The trees where beautiful but who are we kidding these kids did NOT come for the trees. We where here for five reasons. Firstly, to see the big guy. Yes we sent our letters in WEEKS ago but a little face time is always a good way to make sure he got the wish list ya know?

Look how big these two have gotten over the last 3 and a half years! I have no idea where the time went.

Reason number two: TEDDY BEAR HOSPITAL. every year the kids get to pick out a new teddy bear, name it, take it to get bandaged up, look at his x-rays, even stitches if they want. It's so fun, plus we get to see what fun names they come up with for their bears, this year it was Rudolph (AJ), Do-Dah (Miles), and Nater (Nate). Don't judge me I was just trying to get the line moving, who doesn't want to share their name with their teddy bear?

 You'll notice that there is no picture of Miles with his teddy bear...Do-duh was in the bag and miles had moved on to the third reason we where here. The cookies!!!!!

Off to the cookie stand! Here you get the ice your own cookie and sprinkle and enjoy! Which miles did.....TWICE!

Trying for a third.....Not today buddy!

Okay reason number 4: The trains. Do your kids ever remember things that even YOU have forgotten about? Well AJ has a fantastic memory and from the moment I told him we were going to the Festival of trees all he has been able to talk about are all the cool trains they have on display. Every year there is a gentlemen who brings out his toy trains and sets them on display for children and grown-up to enjoy, and boy do my boys enjoy it! I believe that AJ would have stood there all day if the option was given to him.

Nate was less intressted in the trains and more focused on Coles sholder. He love his little perch and basically spent the afternoon trying to soak her whole shirt. Good think your so cute Nate or Cole might not have put up with all your drooling!

And the 5th and final reason we came to the festival of trees was to take the tour through the ambulance. Unfortunately the line was too long so we told the kids we'd come back and when we did.....LUNCH BREAK! Miles little heart was broken, enter tantrum, and I ended up having to carry my sad crying little man out to the car with no tour. Sorry buddy!

Side notes: Favorite tree was this one with the Grinch shoving it up!

I like the smell of new born diapers, SO!?!

So what if the kids aren't here????

Just because we are two grown women does not me that we can't enjoy a night out at the nickel arcade! Seriously, who says you have to have your kids with you anyways? It's way funner when you just get to be the kid! ha ha ha.

Alright so this is Holly:















Here's the 411 on my girl Holly. First up, She's American. like..........AMERICAN! She loves her some America, in fact she has never even left the country! Don't worry she will be making her way up notth in the next 12 months or so. They just need some, passports!

She is married to Dan and they are joined at the hip. I think if it was socially acceptable Dan would be at all the girls nights, baby showers, etc. and Holly would join him at the office each day. lol, they are a perfect pair in so many ways!

Next she makes dang cute babies! Well so far just Luke but seriously how could the next one not be just as adorable when Lukey came out so PERFECT!

Holly recently changed from fan to FANATIC when it comes to all things Disney/Pixar. This girl would live in Disneyland if that was allowed. And I am pretty sure her, "mansion on high" is shaping up to look just like Cinderellas castle. lol.

She's a sucker for sweets, not that I would know anything about that! And she can bake to perfection, many a recipes have come from Holly. Raspberry bars....enough said.

Alright so she is seriously one of the best friends I have or will ever have. When we talk about our Portland family, this here is my sista!!!! I love the Lujans and feel like the time we spent together in Portland has changed my life forever because it brought them into my (our) life. Holly and I get along so good, there is nothing I wouldn't do for her or go to her with. I know she will always be there for me and love me unconditionally as I will her, and one day we will visit DISNEYLAND together!!!!!!! (It's happening!)

Before leaving for Canada Holly wanted to take me for a date night.  First we hit up a great stake house for happy hour. We had salad, stake bits, breads, and Fancy drinks. It was so good and the prices where unbelievable!

(Can you tell we have both been practicing our make-up tricks from Nicole!?!)

Then it was off to the nickle arched. AWESOME BLOSSOM!!! We had the best time playing all the games and getting as many tickets as we could. We had the place to ourselves, aside from a creepy guy who came in at the end, and it was perfect! These balls where worth like 80 tickets or something and I just keep winning them. Holly on the other hand when right for the real thing, TICKETS! She had obviously been here before!

(What a horrible angle! but whatever, this is my body right!)

And then......THE CASH IN!

This was one of the funnest date nights I've had in a long time (sorry Poy!) and it is a night I will always remember with you Holly. Love ya!

Sleep overs....

As a parent I wasn't quite sure how to feel about sleepovers. I remember loving when my friends would spend the night and usually having a blast when I spent the night somewhere else. Sleepovers are deffinatly something  I want my kids to enjoy during their childhood but in todays world you have to be so protective and careful with your children. Fortunatly for us we have great friends we love and trust and who feel the same way about us and so we invited Ben Clayton for..... A SLEEPOVER!!!!

I was a little nervous for him but Ashlee thought he would great and they had been talking about it for so long we at least had to TRY, right!? Everything went so well, they had movie night with popcorn, played with the toys, had THREE bedtime stories and then played around until about 9:30. Not bad considering when I went to sleep as a child on sleepovers, ha ha ha/

This is how we rock it

It is socrazy to think that these are our last few weeks in Portland. We have been busy playing with friends, enjoying the Hot Tub, playing at the park, and making memories. Here's some pictures from November. First up Little Nate. 

Nate has come into our home and made it even more complete than ever before. he is a great sleeper and currently sleeps on the ottoman right next to our bed for part of the night and then right in bed with us the rest of the night. I said I would never do that but we love all the snuggles and feel like they just grow up to dang fast to miss this precious time with them. His brothers are loving every minute with him and haul him around like hes just another toy.

   AJ is almost done done with school down here, we will all miss it. I love the preschool program he goes to and this year he has found a lot of friends in his class. Miles loves meeting AJs bus especially when its raining (almost everyday) and he gets to hold the umbrella.

Aaron is almost done school and he is pretty tired but the boys dont care! they sure keep him busy, even when hes napping.......they're all over him.

Miles is still being Miles. the other day he told me his "Canana bear to hot!" and this is where we found him.....

And I am still running! I thought for sure I would have giving up by now but my new goal is to run the 10K in the Lethbridge moonlight run this March so.....Guess I can't stop yet! ha ha ha, even in the rain when I come home looking like this! BA HA HA!

Learning from the Master.

This Girl! Beautiful, Talented, Driven, Mother, Wife, and to me a very dear friend. Nicole has been one of my very closest friends ever since I moved to Portland and I am going to be lost without her when I move back to Canada.

When Lorraine and I went down to Portland to look for a place to live it was Nicole who came up and introduced herself to me at church and told me all about Sandstone and how I just HAD to live there. Boy was she right!!!!! Without her direction, and letting us drop her name, we never would have gotten into our apartment and experienced the shear Joy and happiness that we discovered in Sandstone living! After that we were pretty much inseparable. I love this girl so much and truly look up to her in so many ways. She is a wonderful mother and wife, Oregon's most amazing make-up artist (not just my opinion go check her out! here), and a crazy fast running fool!!!!

Nicole likes me too and so she wanted to do something special for me before I made my way back to the great white north. She never told me what the plan we, she just TOLD me to be at her house Tuesday night at 8:00 and so I was. Nicole had invited my very best girls and me over for a night of treats and an official make-up lesson. This is something I have been wanting to do forever!!!!! Over the past few years Nicole had done my makeup more times that I could count and I would give anything to have some clue as to how she makes me look so darn good. Well tonight I get it.

Make-up lessons are not cheap and it is SERIOUS business! After getting some beautiful brushes (apparently I shouldn't have been doing it with my fingers for the past 15 years???) and new Mac make-up form my friends it was time to get down too it. We all got out our make-up, pen, and paper and started. Everything we learned was so interesting and I SWEAR I am going to do all I can to remember everything that I learned tonight and to keep up this amazing look. THANK-YOU NICOLE, i had the best time tonight and made memories that will always stay with me. Love you so much.