Re-Cap!

It has has been awhile since I have written anything. Once again, as everyone says life is 'flying by.' So much has happened in this past month, so here is a quick re-cap. We went to Calgary at the beginning of November for a few weeks for my little brothers wedding. (I still can't believe he's married... bought a house, and a dog!)  We flew back for the first time and it was WONDERFUL. 18 hours of driving vs. 1 hour of flying... um yes please. The girls loved flying on the airplane and were very well behaved. We rented a car in Calgary so we could come and go as we pleased. We spent the first few days at my sister's house and it was so fun to be there. It was our first time sleeping at their place as usually we sleep at my families. We arrived the day before Halloween so we carved pumpkins together and got the kids ready together. That was so special as we haven't had a Halloween together with our kids yet. However it WAS FREEZING outside and all the kids had to bundle up in snowsuits under their costumes... Oh the memories! I don't miss the freezing Calgary air, that is for sure!

We also got to go see my grandma in her new home. She moved from her Condo to this beautiful Seniors facility in the south of Calgary. It was so special to see her new place and have a nice visit. She is 92 years old and has lived alone for a long time, so it is comforting knowing she is with many others in a safe place. Grandma totally spoiled her great-grandchildren, she had chocolates and cookies and then when she took us on the tour of the facility (equipped with libraries, a theater and a gourmet dining area!) she got the girls both an ice cream cone! It was a very special visit!

Friday night was the rehearsal and my mom put on a FANTASTIC meal at her house for over 25 people... she is amazing!

Both the girls were flower girls with their cousin Ella and their cousin Max was the ring bearer. Uncle Joel had to hold a box of raisins at the front of the room to get Max to walk up the aisle, it was pretty cute!!! The girls did amazing and the wedding was beautiful. Nikayla looked amazing, and my brother looked so grown up and handsome! The reception was at Priddis greens and was the most beautiful reception facility I have seen, and we have been to A LOT of weddings. All in all it was a fantastic day, and we were so thankful and blessed to have been a part of it.

We had majority of the girls that I went to El Salvador with. It was a very neat little reunion and so good to see all those beautiful ladies!

The following day we headed to my parents home and spent a few days there. It felt quick, but we still got in some fun times. We went to the zoo one day and spent the ENTIRE day walking around, the highlight definitely being the new penguin display. 

We also spent time with Steve's family and checked out the new science center with them, but were a bit disappointed, I definitely liked the old one way better!

The whole family came out on Saturday and it felt a lot like Christmas as my in-laws cooked a big turkey dinner and it was so nice having the family together.

I sure have learned to cherish these big family get together's as they are so few and far apart and both our families are growing so big.

When we got home, it was nice getting back into routine. Danika was happy to be back at school, she is doing very well. We got her first report card back and there are a few areas that we still need to work on. She is in a letter help class every day of the week and she really enjoys it as they get to play on i-pads. She is still quite behind on where she should be reading, so that is something we are working on every day. Her teacher has noticed her enthusiasm for school and said that Danika "Loves to learn!" She has such a passion for reading right now and is working really hard on sounding out words, and has memorized many of the 'site words,' Steve and I are both very proud of her!

I am now 27 weeks along in my pregnancy so almost 7 months! I have been feeling great, not too many complaints. And the baby is so active... I think she may be a gymnast! I have also started feeling the constant rhythm of hiccups! But I feel quite big. I have never been pregnant in the winter before so I am finding it tough to fit into clothes and none of my coats do up anymore! But thankfully my sister gave me a bunch of maternity clothes and a big, thick coat for winter... thanks sis! Love you... and I will be saving everything for you... just in case! ;)

Adessa is growing so much. She is such a big girl now. Our days spent at home are very enjoyable and I look forward to them. She LOVES puzzles, colouring and games and can spend long stretches of time doing them. She is such a smart little girl. She is very much looking forward to meeting her new little sister (I don't think I have mentioned that yet... but we found out we are having baby girl #3!!!) The other day she told me she was going to teach the baby to ride her bike, and she would just hold her on her lap! AH... I'm sure Adessa will be very helpful!!!