Stolen Mail

On Friday we went and got the mail and the kids each got a card so Hailey was pretty excited. We got home and opened the cards and thought it was funny that first of all, there was a Canada Post sticker folded over the top of both, but, whatever we just tore the envelopes open to see what was inside. Second, when we looked inside it was a card with a picture of Santa on it and it was a letter from "Santa" saying that he was coming to visit the kids since they had been good this year etc. A letter from Santa getting delivered on February 2nd? We couldn't figure it out cause it's way too long until Christmas arrives again and it's long past this last Christmas. We looked at the sticker from Canada Post and it just said they apologize for not pulling through with delivering mail on time, or something to that effect.
Vince gave his mom a call since she works at Canada Post and I guess a bunch of mail had gotten stolen by two contractors that they hired to help during the Christmas rush. The couple had stolen 6000 pieces of mail in 2 days. Did they really think that they wouldn't get caught? I guess they had opened the mail and taken all the cash and gift cards out and had been using them. The guy is MIA but the lady is in the process of going through a court case. The odds are really bad for her being that the Crown Prosecutor lives in the area and some of his mail was stolen. What are the chances of that?
So now it's the beginning of February and we just got our "Santa" mail.

Any Suggestions??

We are trying to come up with a plan for summer holidays and want to try possibly a different location. Does anyone have any campgrounds that they would recommend? We are kind of looking for something in BC, maybe the Okanogan. We are not set on a location so any suggestions would be great, just somewhere fairly kid friendly.

Siblings

Hailey and Braden can be the best of friends and then the worst of enemies all in about two minutes. We wake up in the morning and they are so happy and loving with each other but as the day progresses the frustration starts to peek through every once in a while. After nap time they are refreshed and getting along great and then the same thing happens, which is normal. Hailey is a perfectionist through and through and likes things just so, and well, Braden likes to destroy whatever she's doing. Poor Hailey. Although Braden gets upset when he wants to play with her and she won't let him. Her newest thing is playing in her room with Barbies and if Braden comes in her room she pickes him up under his arms, and throws him out the door. Poor Braden.
Braden has started to say a few words like the typical mama, dada, hi, and he attempts to say love you. His two newest words he's added to his repertoire especially for Hailey are don't and bad...proof of an older sibling I guess.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas and New Year's have come and gone and we are settling back into our routine again, which is nice. The excitement has faded and the kids are back to their normal sleeping habits. Christmas was lots of fun. We visited both families and the kids had a blast, with new toys and having someones undivided attention every moment that they were awake. We had lots of good food including two big turkey dinners.
I also learnt again this Christmas that presents are not the highlight of Christmas even for the kids. Getting present after present is very overwhelming. All the kids wanted was for someone to play with them. Halfway through present opening Hailey was done and all she wanted was for someone to play hide and seek with her. I think so often we over do it with presents, especially for the kids, thinking that is what they want...but they don't. It was proved to me once again when just after Christmas we were doing some errands and we told Hailey that she could pick out one toy or Barbie or whatever with some of the Christmas money she had gotten. I was shocked when she looked at me and said "no mama, I already have lots of toys". I was so shocked, yet happy and sort of proud of her. I think this just proves that I think most of the time we overdo it with presents at Christmas time and need to remember that Christmas is not about presents it is a celebration of Jesus' birth.

Not Again

On Friday we had an appointment for pictures. The plan was to get a family picture done and then one with just Hailey and Braden. So, of course, Braden wouldn't go down for a nap and was grouchy but we hoped for the best. We got all ready and drove across the whole city only to find out that there had been a mix up and either I wrote down the wrong time on the calendar or they put our name in the wrong spot so we had missed our appt. Needless to say I was a bit choked but thankfully they decided to take us anyways. We got a family picture done and then Braden started to freak out so that was that at least we got a family picture.
We went back today to pick up the pictures. Vince went in to get them and brought them back. They were completely out of focus. Braden's face as well as mine were all fuzzy. After all that and the pictures didn't even work out. Nooooooooo!!! We went and talked to the girls and they agreed that the pictured were bad so tomorrow we have yet another appointment to try this out again.

Christmas Baking

Birthday time

On November 23rd Hailey turned 3 and Braden turned 1. I can't believe how fast time has gone by and it still seems a little crazy that they were born on the same day! It works well for now with having a party for both of them all in one shot but who knows how long that'll last for.
It makes me a little bit sad just thinking about how big they're getting and watching them become more and more independent but in other ways it's exciting seeing how they are developing and watching their personalities shine through. Man, I love those kids!!