All I want for Christmas ( sign up,) 11/24

Join the All I Want For Christmas Giveaway
hosted by Mom Loves 2 Read.

Event will run November 24th through December 10th
Over $600 in prizes from many different sponsors

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Sign Ups close Nov 20th
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October 10th


 I know I haven't updated in an extremely long time, but today I am extra motivated by a package I received from Kellogs :)

 Every few months I get a box in the mail stuffed full of fun and tasty things from Kellogs, I belong to the Kelloggers network :)

This package is pretty awesome and I'm hopeful that I win the chance to provide one of these prize packs for a reader :)

The timing is perfect with a halloween birthday coming up this weekend.

 I can't wait to start creating with my kids :)

More pictures to follow.

thanks for reading.

13 years ago

13 years ago I said goodbye to my best friend, my Mother. She was my hero and such a strong beautiful woman. She was a single mom who worked 2 sometimes 3 jobs to support us. She worked up until 2 weeks before she died, she was so dedicated to her customers, she went into seniors homes and did their hair :)

 My mom only got to meet Makayla and Andrew. She loved them so much and was SO happy that Makayla looked just like her. I still can't believe the resemblance between them. Makayla has so many of her mannerisms and her eyes and mouth are the exact same :) I feel very blessed that my daughter is a constant visual reminder of my Mom :)

If my Mom were alive today she would have 9 grand kids :) Makayla 15, Andrew 13, Braxton 11, Brooklyn 10, Luke and Olivia 9, Noah 5, Connor and Jackson 4 :) She would have been so excited to know all of these wonderful amazing kids :)  out of the 9 grand kids 3 look remarkably like my Mom :)

If my Mom were alive today she would have been turning 65 this year!  She has missed 2 weddings and 7 grand kids.


We think of your often Mom xoxo not a day goes by that I don't think of you :)

Special Needs

:) I have 5 kids, 5 amazing, wonderful, excited, happy children. I am so blessed to be their Mom :)

My oldest Makayla is almost 16 and she is exactly what I wanted when I used to dream of having kids one day. I can't believe how lucky I am to be her Mom. She is my lifetime dream come true :)

Then comes Andrew almost 14 , he is the sweetest most empathetic teenage boy you would ever meet. :)  Andrew was my first amazing surprise, He is everything I didn't know I needed :)He LOVES with an open heart and is always helping someone do something, 2 years ago Andrew came to me with a concern and asked how he could help. A whirlwind of fundraising and amazing donations later a porch was built for Andrew's lady :)

Braxton is next at 11 years old he is such a good boy, he struggles so much with so many things, but for the most part he is just so happy to be loved. He melts my heart with his smile and eagerness to please. He is the son that will be checking on my husband and I when we are old and grey :) Braxton was brought into this world by parents who didn't know./worry about anything beyond a daily need. Braxton was exposed to alcohol/drugs and neglect in his first 2 years of his life :( He came to us and we have been advocating for him ever since. He has an intellectual disability, fetal alcohol syndrome , and an attachment disorder. We are so happy to have Braxton be a part of our lives.

Brooklyn is 10 going on 20 and is Braxton's birth sister, she suffered through the same things as Braxton , but she won the dangerous game her birth mom played and I'm so happy for her. She is a great student/athlete and an amazingly loyal daughter and sister :) Brooklyn was meant to be my daughter from the day she was born, I just feel this in my heart :)

Noah is my  second surprise. We were all so happy about Noah and he truly is the littlest love in our house. He makes up all so happy and he brings so much joy to our family. He was/is just what we all needed :)

A friend of mine started a chip in fundraising page for my son Braxton. She knows a lot about Ipads and specials needs kids and she is sure that Braxton will benefit from an Ipad and all of the special apps that are available. If you can't donate that is fine, but please share the chip in with your friends :) I'm excited to get an ipad for Braxton and to witness the learning that will happen :)

http://fourmonkeys4me.chipin.com/ipad-case-and-itunes-card

:) Hi :)

I know its been so long :) Life happens and then well I just didn't feel like taking many pictures and then it was so long and so here I am.

Noah turned 5 and had the most amazing Batman party :) So much fun

 I made the capes for all the boys and they loved them :)

 Noah was so happy and excited :)

 Superhero oath very serious stuff :)

SPRING!! :):)

January 27,

I think I see the light at the end of this very insane week of sickies. Everyone is on the mend and I'm hopeful that everyone will be at school bright eyed and ready to learn on Monday :)

I've been cleaning everything to get the germs out of my house. What cleaning products do you use to get the germs out?

The sun was shining at 5pm today as I made supper :) I think daylight is getting longer already :) I know we haven't had much of a winter , but the countdown to spring is on :)

Day 22,23,24

I'll be back................. one with strep, one with bad asthma, one with GI bug, I've been really busy and now my throat hurts :(

Day 20 and 21 :)

Happiness is............................

 Makayla with her both her Uncles :)

 Tony's Panzerotti :)

♥ Family ♥

 Happy messy little boy faces :)

A Pirate ship that was bought 2 years ago and took Uncle Don 2.5 hours to make :)

Happiness is seeing my brother love my kids :) Enjoying Tony's panzerotti , a tradition that has been going on for many decades :) Happiness is the panzerotti comma ;) Happiness is FAMILY :)

I am blessed :)

Day 19

My favorite sunny place :)

Everyday around 2:30 my dinning room window is so full of afternoon sunshine. In the winter months I usually make a cup of tea and sit at the table and read a book :) In the summer months I have to close the curtains to escape the heat that come in with the sun. This is my favorite place in my house :)

It will look even better in a few weeks when I get my new table set.

Day 18

These are pictures I've taken of flowers :)



Christmas Cracker Crowns :)

My sister in law sent the Christmas crackers up from New Brunsick for my kids :) they all LOVE the sound they make. Sorry for the dark pictures .

Day 16

Crazy Hair :)



Day 15

Monster Truck Jam!

A good friend of mine and her husband invited Noah to the Monster Truck Jam with their two sons :) Noah had so much fun. He was pretty apprehensive in the beginning, but can't stop talking about how great it was. Thanks so much for including Noah in your day :)

 Makayla did not go to the Monster Jam, but the picture I took of Noah wearing his headphones didn't turn out, I'll try again in the morning :)



Day 14

♥ These Boys ♥

These boys have stolen my heart :) They are my son Noah , and my twin nephews Connor and Jackson. They are 2.5 months apart in age. They are best buddies, They love each other so much and I have enjoyed having my nephews here a couple of days a week for the past 2.5 years, so many memories, so many great pictures :) Here are some of my favorite pictures :)

 These 2 pictures were taken a year apart :)



Day 13

I've finally finished the other quilt , the one for my nephew Luke :) I hope he loves it.

 My sister in law choose the patterned prints for Luke's quilt.

Both quilts on my couch, They are twin sized quilts and will keep Luke and Olivia nice and warm :)

Day 12

My son Andrew had a dessert potluck to go to tonight, so he asked me to bake something great :) I decided cupcakes with butter-cream icing were the best choice. He said I could make the icing whichever colour I choose :)

Yummm, we didn't send all 24 with Andrew :) they sure are great and Andrew didn't even pause when he noticed the hot pink icing and purple sparkles :)

Andrew is a great kid, he volunteers a lot at our church and is always helping someone out with something. There are a few ladies in our area that Andrew helps out weekly. 2 years ago Andrew raised $400.00 to built a front porch for one of his 'ladies'  He had an idea and with the help of some family and a great bunch of friends the money was raised :)
  I believe that one day Andrew is going to do great things with his life. Right now he is a tall/big boy/man and he is finding himself more and more each day. I can't wait to see the man that he is going to become :) I'm very lucky to be his Mom :)



Day 11

We have a pet Guniea pig named Toby, he is pretty cute and social, He loves to be around us and lets us know if he wants some attention. He loves to cuddle and always lets us know by squealing if he needs the bathroom.

When we got our new van I was determined to get a decal family for the back window :) They didn't have any sets with guniea pigs and Noah is not a baby, but this is as close as we could get :)

                   (we also don't have any twins lol ) 3 boys and 2 girls make up our family :)

Toby gets his cage cleaned completely every garbage day. He loves the chance to run around while his cage is getting cleaned and usually Noah manages some fun as well :)

                                     Toby was a little concerned about this situation :)

Toby is often found playing in and around Noah's toys, he really seems to enjoy having his picture taken too .





Day 10 :)

A month or so ago I had to strip the paint of Brooklyn's walls and prime/re paint it. I originally painted over oil based paint with latex (or some combination of that) and it caused the nice violet paint to peel off all the time! What a mess.

Noah helping as usual :)

Brooklyn loves her new room :)