Happy 13th Birthday Maelie!!

Well, it's official... my little baby girl is now a teenager!!!

The morning started really early as predicted!! Maelie was in such a good mood of course! She opened up her gifts and cards from family members :) We keep them hidden if they come to the mailbox early.

Also a tradition is her ice cream cake for breakfast! Bill had picked it up at Dairy Queen a couple days prior. We hid it in the freezer in the basement until the special day!

For lunch, I met up with Maelie and had lunch with her at her favorite restaurant close to her school. For supper we went out with Sonia and Naomie. What a wonderful day!!

I remember the day I went into labor, I remember when they most important thing was to have a healthy baby. I got a lot more than I prayed for!

Maelie, I love you sooooooo much! It's actually amazing how you are growing up to be such a wonderful lady. Everyone you meet appreciates you and enjoys your presence. You are kind hearted, helpful, considerate, loving, smart, full of common sense, and you are really fun to be around! If I had to choose someone to hang around with, I would always choose you! We laugh together, we argue, we act silly, and a bit crazy, but we always have a good time! Even if you don't always admit that you enjoy spending time with me, you do choose to hang around! :)

I love you with ALL my heart and more!!
Happy 13th birthday!!!

Love,
Mom

Happy Easter 2015!

For Easter weekend this year, we drove to visit my family.

On Friday night, grand maman works at a Dance for some special needs adults. Maelie enjoys when we arrive on time to go help out. It just happens to be located in the same building as some amateur wrestling!! Maelie's wish of being on a wrestling ring came true!!! She would have loved to stay there all evening but the doors had to be locked up.

My mom had mentioned that she had picked up a few chickens. She also had to go get some chickens that had just hatched at a school close to where she lives. Of course Maelie was put to work ! She helped clean the cage. The chickens will actually be outdoors soon... but it still is just a little too cold for them right now!!

Little baby chick taking a nap in warm comfy hands....

Just because Maelie is going to be 13 doesn't mean she doesn't want an Easter egg hunt!! I hid a bunch of eggs around the house at Grand-maman's and she hunted for them :) She has always gotten bored if the search is too difficult!! so we try to keep it easy enough :)

We visited Grand papa and Lucie as well. I think this is actually really close in height... Maelie is just about to get taller than Lucie!!

It was less of a challenge to be taller than Grand Maman though!! Maelie has passed her a while back! :)

On our way home, Maelie really wanted to go get some rocks! We are surrounded by rock when we drive back home on the new highway. I didn't think it would be good to park on the highway to get rocks! So I took an exit and let Maelie go get some rocks there,

 

It felt nice to have 4 days off! It would have been just a tad better if it had been warmer out, but it's coming!!

Saxophone

This is what I see almost every day after school... Maelie playing the Saxophone!

 

She started off learning the Alto Sax at the beginning of the school year and at some point, she decided she liked the Tenor Sax. She plays the alto during band and during her spare time, she uses the tenor! She is really good... it has happened where I fell asleep on the couch to the sound of the sax!!

 

Keep up the good work sweetheart!!

March Break Birdy

This year for the March Break, instead of babysitting Peluche, we babysat Coco!

I love birds! I have always loved birds... and cats... and chickens.. and the list goes on!
Since we can't have pets due to lots of allergies, I like to pet sit because usually it's a short enough time that the household doesn't get too many symptoms!!

Coco wamred up to Maelie pretty fast! He loved being on her head and the going down her hair and grooming her!!

Naomie dropped by and very soon discovered that Coco likes electronics!! He wanted to use her IPhone....

By the end of Coco's stay, Bills eyes were leaky and he was reacting to him. Seems to me like there will never ever be any pets in this house in the future!!

Vintage I-Pod

While cleaning one day, I found my old, yellow Sony Walkman! I remember when I bought it!! I was visiting Matante in Florida with my Aunt Micheline and cousins Annie and Julie. They brought me along on their road trip! I was SOOOOO proud of this tape player!

Mom... what is THIS?

Maelie held it like it was a precious antique! I showed her how to set the radio...

Whoa ... how do you work this thing? You actually had to walk around holding this?

hahahahahh! the stuff our kids don't know about the 80's and 90's!!

Happy New Year 2015!

For months and months and months, I've been planning blog posts in my head, and ended up doing something else. It bothers me because I don't want to have a blank period of time in this journal that Maelie will refer to as she ages. She is currently enjoying reading the older posts and I fear she will be disappointed to have missed out on a part of her life that I will not have blogged about. As of right now, my last post is July... I will however back-post a few events/pictures, just to make sure they aren't forgotten. My camera also needs to become my BFF again! :) I guess I started putting it down a bit after many many many pics of hands trying to block the camera. Maelie is at an age where she doesn't like me taking pictures most of the time, and when she does allow me, they need to be vetted by her. Ah, the joyful days of just snapping pics of every single moment!!

2014 was a good year. A lot of changes, a lot of growth (literally in height for Maelie!) My mind is always busy thinking, researching, analyzing, etc... constant change is a recurring theme in my head!

November and December were particularly hectic. My colleague Nicole and I wanted to raise funds selling Christmas cards again, so it seriously ate up most of November (sale was in November) and by then I was behind in everything else Christmassy... but I made it. It did make me reflect though... those hundreds of hours making cards to raise money for charities, it did not give me as much of a sense of generosity as I would have expected. It seems as if I had to sacrifice my home/family/etc. My home was a mess for most of November and December. I was behind in all of my gift giving. This is not what I want for my family, so I will have to rethink my priorities next year.

With the business of November and December, and the general fatigue that the holidays bring, I also did not send out Christmas cards! I enjoy sending out cards to family and friends. I decided that I would make it a New Year event instead! So I started working on those yesterday.

I am working on my goals for this upcoming year. We have a few things we need to work on as a family, and I would truly like to excel at the fine art of decluttering!! :) This has been an interest of mine for years but I never truly got anywhere. I am a compulsive person by nature, so unless I get compulsive in getting rid of stuff, it's not easy to declutter!

My main goal though, which is a priority, is to stay in contact with people. Last year, I had a goal of mailing 2 cards a month. I did it. Mainly because of birthdays and Christmas. This year, I would like to go with that again, except maybe add one card (or letter, or surprise) to anyone. Everyone loves receiving something that is not a bill!

Another goal is to take more pictures and make more memories. Not easy with an almost teenager in the house to take pictures! Unless it's a selfie of course!

If anyone is reading this, what are your goals this year? What changes are you hoping and praying for?

Family holiday visit

On Boxing day we packed up and went to visit family for a week. Sadly, I barely took any pictures! I've truly neglected taking pictures in the past while. I tend to depend on my phone, but the pictures don't turn out well. (note to self.. take more pics in 2015!!)

Here are a few pics! both from my phone and camera.... But first, let me take a selfie!

I brought cookie tins for family and a few extras... they disappeared really fast!

The weather was kinda strange, and one day, it was so warm that the snow became sticky again! They kids went out and made a snow family! Meet Frosty, Crystal and I forget the last one!

 

 

We spent time at the mall, and the kids all got in the photobooth! I took a pic on the outside screen. hehehe When I was little, we didn't get to see ourselves prior to the picture being taken!!

 

 

Maelie of course worked on manicures :) Brennan and Nathan love getting some color on their nails!

 

 

More beauty regimens! Of course Maelie had to take a selfie with Jo!

 

 

Lucas, the typical teen!! :) Roaming the house to find cell service!

I only got this horizontal picture of Nathan! He was on the bed watching tv :)

 

 

Maelie and her sweet poofy friend Meggie! Meggie loves when Maelie visits!

 

 

My dad and Lucie... Maelie is pretty much taller than Lucie now! It's so fun to have pictures to compare how much she grew!

 

We had a fun week away and were also happy to return home. The best trips are always like that. Happy to go, happy to come back. Not so happy to have to go back to work!