Family Day ~no school!!!

so, monday was family day~wa-hoo,sleep'n in!! we really had no plans, just to hang out with the family for the day~it might sound boring to you, but when you've got your hubby home, it's just grand!! the kids wanted wayne to shovel off the pond so they could skate.

with many shovels, the job goes alot quicker!!




one wants to play 'ice soccer'-huh??, the other, 'ice hockey'~i've never heard of ice soccer, but maybe it's just me~i don't keep up with the new sports they come up with!


on days like today, the little 'odd jobs' get done around the house. no, i didn't put him to work, he just needs something to do, so.... the tv cabinet that was bought for the basement was assembled, with of course a little help from the kidos!

you did a fabulous job, babe~ just like you always do;)!
just one problem~our old, fat tv doesn't fit the skinny little space that was designed for a flat screen.we'll make it work for now~ just put the tv on top of the cabinet~it's all good!!



meanwhile..... upstairs, olympic fever is raging! levi can't get enough of this big event!!it's not just levi, we've all have caught the fever! we were all 'pumped'that we won a gold metal in the men's freestyle moguls~wa-hoo!!


at 5pm the 'otten bus' pulled in the driveway, and out came 9(ya, justin, you're part of the family now ;)!!) extra family members for supper! what fun!! on the menu.... ribs(special request from dani!)baked potatoes, salad & raw veggies! can you say "YUM-MEE!!



once everyone had eaten to their hearts content~we're soo amazingly blessed & provided for!~most of us settled in to watch...wait for it....you guessed it, the olympics!! just a note....watching hockey with aboriginal commentators,not so great!?!(i wasn't in charge of the tv remote ;)!)

day is done, had a grand family day once again this year!
we are greatly reminded of God's goodness shown to us again this year~good times spent with those we love,good food(in abundance i might add!)& great family relations!!praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

Girl's day @ the mall!

today the kids had a day off school, so what to do on a day off...but shop of course!!
with 'the boy' @ a friend's house, it's just me home with my lovely daughters!!
with lists in hand & camera for fun, we head out.
we try out all the necessary accessories of course...bags & shoes are a girls best friend!! (at least this girl!)


dani had fun with these 'back breaker' shoes~no, this mother didn't buy them for her!!


fountain root beer was their choice of drinks




roni & jordyn make themselves comfortable while waiting for their sis trying on jeans in 'garage'. i was told later, "no pictures in the store" ~ oops,my bad!



i should have bought the shades for jordyn since she had a 'minor' casualty leaving the mall~walked right into the exit doors~who put them there anyway!?! she was more embarrassed than hurt, but is sporting a little shiner under her eye.


we survived the mall and returned home each with bags in hand and lighter 'pocketbooks'! i'm happy to say that nothing was bought for asking price~we got some pretty amazing deals~oh yah!!!

His mercy is new every morning!

this morning i had to get up early to bring dani to volleyball practice. as we drove out of the driveway we both saw the beautiful morning sky...the moon still 'watching' in the pre~dawn heavens.looking to the east... one sees the glow of the sun ready to break the cusp of the earth and climb high into the sky. looking to the west....one sees the sleepy darkness in the sky that has not yet been touched by the sun's light.this reminds me of God's great mercy which is new every day...that i have a 'fresh~clean slate' today to not make the same mistakes as yesterday!what a great God we serve!!




the heavens testify of God's goodness & greatness!
i'm sorry, but my pics just can't capture the beauty and serenity of this new day!

puppy class

i know what you're thinking....another post about the dog~groan~these people are obsessed with that dog!but listen people, we want to have a well behaved dog for when you all come to visit!!
puppy class is every sat morning @ 11.
i take a couple of the kids with me each time so they learn first hand from the trainer how to train mika.

levi getting mika to lay down


mika needs to ignore the treat on the ground(just to her left)p.s.~she's great @ this!


jordyn helps me teach 'heel'


dani teaches 'sit~stay'


soo... when these classes are done~we have four more weeks to go~ we're hoping for a pretty good outcome, as long as we keep up the work @ home on a regular basis! it may be all worth it in the end~yea!

p.s.~this mon morning the poor little gal gets spayed~aaawww

dani's vb tournament.

today danielle's volleyball team had it's first tournament of the season. this is one of three tournaments that they will play in.
this was held at eden high in st. catharines.
court times began @ 8:30am, with 15 teams participating.
these schools are big and they have some pretty amazing talent!!
i had to work today, so i only caught her last game @ 2:45pm.
here are some of the pics!
dan's # is 4
block that ball!!

positions....ready!

strategies with the coaches

encouraging each other

way to get under the ball dan!!


all in all the girls did great!
won some...lost some more.
they had great attitudes & spirit and even though they didn't make the finals, we're all proud of them for their fine form on the court and off!

things to be thankful for....

i'm sure many of you have read this in the news paper around 'thanksgiving', it was in ann landers' column. we ought to be living thankful lives every day, not just remembering these things during the holidays!! it's sooo easy to get caught up in the mundane things of everyday,that we tend to see the negative and forget the positive side of the proverbial 'coin'. this was helpful for me, so i felt the need to share it with you because life is too short not to be thankful!!
here they are again...

things to be thankful for:

~be thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means you have enough to eat.

~be thankful for the mess you clean up after a party, because it means you have been surrounded by friends.

~be thankful for the taxes you pay, because it means you're employed.

~be thankful that your lawn needs mowing and your windows need fixing, because it means you have a home.

~be thankful for your heating bill, because it means that you are warm.

~be thankful for the laundry, because it means you have clothes to wear.

~be thankful for the space you find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means you can walk.

~be thankful for the lady who sings off-key behind you in church, because it means you can hear.

~be thankful when people complain about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech.

~be thankful for the alarm that goes off early in the morning hours, because it means you're alive.

hey, i just wanted to give a shout out to my dad & sylvia and wish them a 'happy anniversary'! technically i'm a day late-my bad- but i did tell them yesterday on the phone!! they celebrated their 1st anniversary jan.31 i love it that sylvia married my dad, she's been great for him and for our family! she fits in with this family just grand and has been a complete blessing for all of us!!God knew that we needed her!
congrats you guys!