Sunday, October 23, 2016

.All of it, September


We didn't waste any time when we got back to Canada, we had lots of visits with our Canadian family and friends. The crazy thing is… Aaron's parents moved to Cold Lake (3 hours East of Edmonton) while we were gone! So now we will be seeing a WHOLE LOT less of them. Sad days.

↓↓↓ Jake and Alice love to be superheroes together//I snapped a funny pic while Tiana tried out the VR ↓↓↓

20160825 family visit (1) edit 20160825 family visit (5) edit

↓↓↓ The kids and I went to dinner and game night with some of our friends (Air was sick that night)//While we were in Utah I went through a lot of my old stuff and FINALLY found this letter I had written to my future husband when I was a teenager…turns out it was pretty generic. haha! ↓↓↓

20160826 dinner with friends edit 20160906 my letter from young womens for Aaron edit

↓↓↓ Alice was so pooped on our first week back to church, she slept on me for two hours and missed nursery!//Ames loves Sundays when he gets birthday treats from primary and the Bishop ↓↓↓

20160828 church day (11) 20160828 church day (12)

↓↓↓ We love having Rhys over to play all day. These two are best friends!//Alice has the loveliest lashes ↓↓↓

20160830 rhys visit (7) 20160905 alice lashes (13)

We had a maternity photo shoot for some friends so we did some scouting around for good spots as a family. Fun times. ↓↓↓

20160909 photo shoot scout (35) edit 20160909 photo shoot scout (40) edit20160909 photo shoot scout (37) edit20160909 photo shoot scout (23) edit 20160909 photo shoot scouting (16)20160909 photo shoot scout (45) edit

This is a practice shot before the shoot…meh

20160910 photo shoot practice (6) edit

↓↓↓ We drove past this home with the most amazing gnome!//There is nothing better than having a bouncy house set up in your basement ↓↓↓

20160910 giant gnome 20160913 bouncy house (14)

I updated our living room wall with some of my embroideries ↓↓↓

20160916 amberoidery (11) edit

These kids love rolling around in our living room "grass"

20160916 home (68) edit 20160914 loving siblings (1) edit

We organized our ward's annual food drive for the fourth year in a row. We actually love doing this service project each year… such a great opportunity to serve! ↓↓↓

20160917 food drive (20) edit20160917 food drive (31) edit

It was a rainy morning, but we still lucked out with tons and tons of donations! ↓↓↓

20160917 food drive (37) edit 20160917 food drive (1) edit20160917 food drive (4) edit 20160917 food drive (7) edit

↓↓↓Another adorable Sunday pic//For Tam's birthday us girls went to Escape City and had so much fun! Although we didn't escape fast enough…↓↓↓

20160918 gusas after church (11) 20160923 tam's birthday party (6)

Alice loves reading books…ESPECIALLY with her favorite Daddy ↓↓↓

20160921 home (4) edit

↓↓↓Ames got to go to a fun birthday party for his buddy Jack. This little group of kids is Ames's primary class…and they are tight!//This was the last day of summer…goodbye sun ↓↓↓

20160923 jack's birthday party (6) edit 20160921 last day of summer (12)

↓↓↓ How Ames feels about mornings (this kid has the best sense of humor)//Another adorable Sunday pic ↓↓↓

20160924 breakfast ames (2) 20160925 gusas after church (7)

Ames was totally ready for his first dentist appointment. He did so good! ↓↓↓

20160929 Ames first dentist appointment (4) edit 20160929 Ames first dentist appointment (8) edit20160929 Ames first dentist appointment (14) edit

↓↓↓ Alice got her first passport, and I renewed mine. We look so serious!//Fun times at West Edmonton Mall ↓↓↓

20160926 passport photos (2) 20160929 kids at west ed (1) edit

And some videos of course:

Ames is strong enough to pull the wagon alone ↓↓↓


Alice loves coloring, but she especially loves to be admired for her coloring. Ames loves my old Polly Pockets we brought back from Utah ↓↓↓



Here's a little video to show you my old Littlest Pet Shop collection ↓↓↓



Alice is an amazing jumper ↓↓↓


Ames came up with this little joke all by himself. Cracks us up! ↓↓↓


Just pushing her toy stroller across the room ↓↓↓


The love of swinging ↓↓↓



The addiction begins... ↓↓↓


and here's a video to accompany the photo ↓↓↓



Thursday, October 20, 2016

.I'm Canadian... officially


I immigrated to Canada as a newlywed in 2008. We drove our little white Toyota Camry packed to the ceiling with my things across the border one day. At the time, I had never expected to be living away from my family again after I had already lived in Illinois for three long years working as a nanny for my sister. I was telling myself (and everyone else) that it would just be for a little while. Only a year or two in Canada. I could handle that thought. It was a little scary and I didn't know what to expect the rest of our life to be like.

I was scared to pay for things with Canadian money... it looked different. I didn't know what all these weird stores and restaurants were... Canadian Tire? Superstore? Earls? Tim Hortons?

It didn't take too long before I started to realized that Canada is not very different from the States AT ALL... Plus I made friends and I got to know my in-laws better.

After 8 years here and 1 full year since I became a citizen I am happy to report that I am fully comfortable, immigrated, at-home, and thriving in the Great White North.

Thank goodness, because otherwise this would be really awkward.

Independence Day 2008
Canada Day 2009
Canada Day 2010
Canada Day 2011
Canada Day 2012
Canada Day 2013
Canada Day 2014
Canada Day 2015
Canada Day 2016

These years of my life I've been more blessed than I've ever been before. I've always had such amazing luck with such a great family and friends; but the moment I married Air, my luck doubled and overflowed. And life has never been better. I have more incredible family members now than I even know what to do with.

Seriously though--What do I do with all of them?? What!?

How can I be so lucky? It's bewildering. I know I couldn't have done anything to deserve these people in my life.


Air's family is just as dear to me as my own. Ever since I've been here they've been incredibly kind and loving to me. They are the kindest people in the world for taking me in like they have. I immediately felt like I was one of them, and instantly fell in love. I can't even tell you how much they mean to me...

I'll always be an American... but I am so glad I also get to be a Canadian!

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