A Pictoral Synopsis

Here are a few pics of the big stuff we have done since my last post.
This is our new pre-lit Christmas tree and all of the decorations we have collected in our 5 years of marriage.

This is my favorite picture from our night at Disney on Ice. Alexa sat like that for the entire time the princesses were dancing. Belle, Ariel, Cinderella etc. plus their princes were dancing and singing for about 15 min of the show. Alexa sat all cuddled up and put her hands like that and stared enraptured the whole time they were on the ice. It was so precious!

This is Valentines day in Vienna. Brad came home from work with flowers for all 3 of his girls. Livvy and Alexa were so excited I could barely get them to stand still. They felt so special and loved. I got a nice big bouquet too and Brad got a chocolate bar card. It was a sweet day.

This is the view from the window of our King, Jacuzzi Suite in Niagara Falls during Brad's week off from work. We went to a wax museum, the Hershey's chocolate store and The Keg overlooking the falls while we were there. It was an amazing little trip, just the two of us.

This is a little self-taken picture of Brad and I in our room before dinner. We don't have enough pictures of the two of us together, so we are trying to take more whether we have someone else to hold the camera or not. This was a GREAT day!

So now you are pretty much all caught up with the major events since last November. I hope everyone reading this has had as much fun and sweet family time as we have.

I'm a Deadbeat Blogger

I realize that this post is a tad late as I haven't posted since Nov '08. So this is my catch up post. Since my last attempt at blogging quite a lot has happened. Brad had his 27th birthday, Olivia had her 4th birthday and we celebrated with a bowling/sleepover party (which I have decided not to do again until we live in a BIGGER house lol). Christmas and all of the wonderful events that go with that happened, and then a low key yet fun New Years with Tala and LeRoy. Since 2009 arrived we have been busy as always. A family trip to Disney on Ice was fantastic, and Valentine's day was sweet and happy. Our biggest thrill came from Brad having his first week off in 2 years that did not involve some sort of surgery on his part. We went, just the two of us, to Niagara Falls for two days and had a blast! The rest of the week we played with the kids and hung out and had a great time.

Those were all of the big events but the real story of our lives happens in the everyday hugs and kisses, family dinners and bedtime stories. We are very lucky and blessed to have such a great family, and such great friends to share it with!

I promise to keep up with this blog much better from now on!

This is Livvy helping Brad blow out his candles on his 27th birthday.

Halloween

Halloween is a big event in our house. Brad especially enjoys it. This year we were both able to take the kids out trick-or-treating because we live in an apartment building and they hand out a bunch of candy at the main entrance instead of letting people in to go apartment to apartment. So no one had to stay home to hand out candy. It is so much fun watching the kids go trick-or-treating. Olivia was in a huge hurry and sprinted from house to house. She would give the people about 5 seconds to open their door or she would be running back to the sidewalk to get to the next house. Alexa changed her mind about what she was dressed up as about half way through the evening and would yell at people if they called her a unicorn (which is what she was dressed as), and insist that she was really a fairy or a princess! lol. It was a really fun evening for everyone and the girls are now counting down until next Halloween! Only 360 more days to go!
This is Brad dressed as a bloody surgeon. The kids were scared of him at first because they thought it was real blood!

Me and the girls. I was a witch, Livvy was either Tinkerbell or a Fairy Godmother, depending on her mood and Alexa was a unicorn until she started calling herself other things like queen or fairy.

Alexa, pre-trick-or-treating.

Olivia, as tinkerbell.

The kid's scary faces, to go along with our jack-o-lanterns.

"Fall"ing in Love

Every single summer I wait, with baited breath, for that first brightly coloured leaf to fall. It is my absolute favourite season and I am sure that every year gets prettier. I love everything about fall, the temperature, the crispness of the air, the colours of the leaves, the apples and pumpkins and the general beauty of the season change. Brad views it as the gateway to winter (ie: hell). He's got more of a thing for spring than fall, but listens like a gentleman every year as I tell him how much I love autumn. My kids are too young to have favourites and because of that they get excited over everything. Their excitement only increases my enjoyment in a pile of leaves or trees of orange, red and yellow. So in honour of my favourite time of year, here are some pictures of my girls "fall"ing in love with the season.



Olivia, in the park where we took our family picture, dressed like autumn.

The girls playing in my Dad's freshly raked pile of leaves and loving every minute of it.

This picture reminds me of just how little they are.

Alexa, being cute.

Livvy and Alexa making their own fall.

Shopping and Decorating

This past tuesday I had such a fun day doing one of my favorite things in the world! I went shopping at IKEA with Tala and Sheri, two of my sisters-in-law. We had a great time walking around and talking and looking for the perfect pieces of furniture and other decorative and organizational items. My big purchase of the day was a giant, mounted map of the world, that Brad and I had to put together. I did not realize, when I bought it, just how huge this thing was. Brad looked at the box and started to laugh. We had to move furniture just to have enough room to put it together! We love it though, and people who come over like it too, because they go right for it and start picking out places they have been or want to go. It is a great conversation starter.
Our living room in our apartment in St Thomas, where we moved at the beginning of September

Our furniture and our cool, new carpet that we bought at Walmart to go with the giant map. lol

A close up of the giant world map. My knowledge of geography is increasing exponentially!

Brigden Fair

Every year on Thanksgiving weekend the Layne bunch celebrates 3 special things. Thanksgiving, obviously, our anniversary, on the 10th, and perhaps most monumental of all, the Brigden Fair! When I married Brad, I discovered just how important this fair is to the Layne Family. They have gone almost every single year for the last several decades. Brigden is a very small village, just outside of Sarnia, ON and they attended even when they moved to Sudbury, an 8 hour drive! When we decided to get married on Thanksgiving weekend, I was politely told by my fiance that we had to attend the fair that weekend, wedding or no wedding. So 2 days after we were married, I was initiated to the fair with my entire in-law clan in tow. All I kept hearing all weekend was how lucky I was to be married on Brigden fair weekend! Frankly, at the time I was under the impression that a fair was just a fair, and being married only 2 days, there were other things I would have rather been doing! lol. But year after year the fair has grown on me, and now I look forward to it with as much excitement as my husband and his family. And how many people can say that they get to revisit their honeymoon location every single year on their anniversay? It reminds me how thankful I am for love, family and tradition.
Olivia, Alexa and their cousins, Colby, Piper and Owen, admiring the sheep in their pens.

Alexa, trying to get a sheep to "kiss" her hand. She was so excited and happy, even sans nap.

Olivia and Piper, proving me wrong by going on a flying ride and not getting scared!

Alexa, Daddy and Olivia, all smiles on the carousel, or "miracle round" as Livvy calls it.

Family Introductions Continued

No intro page would be complete without the crowning jewels of our family. Olivia Rose and Alexa Marie. Livvy is the one in stripes and Lexa is wearing polka dots. Every single day I am amazed that these wonderful girls came from Brad and I. Olivia has my combo of shyness and bossiness and Alexa has Brad's volume (loud or yelling) lol and his stubborness. They are also sweet and funny and extremely loving. Olivia was born in Dec '04 and Alexa was born on the third anniversary of mine and Brad's first date in June '06.