January birthdays!

The big joke in our family is that all of my life's celebrations begin and are over in a two week period. Christmas, Anniversary, Aaron's birthday, and Coen's birthday.

Aaron's birthday was pretty low key. He ended up having to work that day, so we didn't get to do too much. Andy and Michelle always do a dinner for him, which I know he really appreciates. And I do a cake for him. It's lots of fun, but just small.

Next came Coen's birthday! His theme this year was Dr. Seuss. We did a party invitation made up of a Dr. Seuss Poem, and then the envelopes were made from the pages of a Cat in the Hat book. Wow did I get grief from that one. :) His cake was the Cat's Hat, which I was very proud of. And then we had cupcakes that looked like Thing 1 and Thing 2. It was all in all a great night. Jason and Julia were able to make it too, which was so much fun. Aunt Michelle and Uncle Andy brought Miss Amelia, and spoiled Coen. (they always do that, but it is all stuff that he uses on a regular basis, so it is a good spoil) We also had blue speghetti for supper.

Grandma Campbell stopped by too and dropped off Coen's present. We were supposed to go into Cardston to have another small party there on Sunday but the roads were terrible. So we opted to stay home and have a movie night. We are headed in there this Sunday instead.

Well that was my January so far. Not really eventful, but lots of fun to see my baby turn 2!!

Our Christmas!

I have come to the conclusion that anything below -20 should not be allowed right after the holidays. I also believe that January is the very worst month ever! I get all this wonderful joy with Aaron's birthday and Coen's birthday, and then the rest of the month is a gloomy freezing wasteland. It is dark way too early, and get's light way too late, and is absolutely freezing. I realize that February is probably not too much better, but at least there is solace in knowing that March is around the corner!

Regardless, our December was eventful and wonderful! Christmas was particularily everything I could ask for! Our Christmas's are alternated with each family, so this year was Christmas Eve at Grandma Campbells, and Christmas Day at Grandpa Tyslau's. Christmas Eve was exactly what I could ask for! We went in around 2:00 and got to spend time with the Wilde's. My Uncle Roger and his family came up from Utah and got to meet Coen for the first time. It was so funny, because really they hadn't seen Aaron or I since we had just gotten engaged. Crazy! Coen quickly became the little entertainer of the room when he sang and did the movements to Book of Mormon Stories and Popcorn Popping. Everyone got a pretty big kick out of that. Gr. Grandma Wilde also gave him some new hotwheels cars which did not leave his hands until after bedtime. He also said Grandma for the first time! We were so proud! So now grandma C, is Meema. haha.

After the Wilde's Christmas, we headed out to Hillspring to see Gr. Grandma Campbell. Their house is so beautiful! They have Christmas lights galore and it is just so wonderful! The tradition my grandpa has begun is just so gorgeous. It is definatly a highlight for my Christmas to go out and see the lights. We got grandma pretty much to ourselves this year, and Uncle Dean and Aunt Donna stopped in with all their kids too! Coen loved all the kids, especially the boys. They ran lots, and had one minor collision, but all in all, everyone survived. We also got to hear how Grandma met Grandpa. So Cool!!! I could listen to her stories all day. We had the traditional cold cuts and crackers with pop and really I couldn't ask for more! It was just a wonderful Christmas Eve.

We came home (home being Grandma's house) and after coen fell asleep my dad showed me all of their summer excursions. He got this new flipcam which i'm pretty sure is glued in his hands. All that video will be so wonderful to have in a year from now! And Aaron and my mom attempted to conquer Angry Birds. This was also our first Christmas with our family all together, because Jorden had gotten home from his mission that summer. It was so much fun to have him around. Rance and Jord played pingpong on my paren'ts new ping pong table. Honestly my parents house is so great. It is just warm and wonderful and home.

That morning, Coen's christmas began. He finally understood opening gifts and had reaction galore! THere were lots of "OH WOW"'s and "Vroom Vroom!" and "Oh My!" it was just amazing. After that, we packed up and drove into Lethbridge.

We had a wonderful Christmas at our house opening gifts from within our own family, and after that, threw together stuffing and a apple crisp and meatballs for Grandpa Tyslaus. Coen was spoiled pretty much rotten by his dad, which is nothing new, and I was given tons of books and a CD that I had lost a couple of months ago!

Once we got to the Tyslaus, Coen was a bit sleepy after all the excitement and I was exhausted from sleeping on a deflating air mattress the night before, so the two of us Crashed. I know, not the most festive. THen we played pool. Coen sits on the table and pushes the ball after saying the colours. He is getting SO good at it! Amelia, Michelle and Andy arrived shortly after, and we got to play with their daughter Amelia who was 10 months old. She is such a pretty little girl and so much fun! She is also in love with her uncle Aaron. Everything he does brings a smile to her face. It is just hilarious. After opening gifts, we had our dinner and then sat around talking. Which is really so wonderful! I love just relaxing and visiting after a big dinner. Then we packed up the car and headed home! Coen got a special bathtime, given that it was Christmas and all, with the Grinch (his favorite show) and Smarties and Bubble bath. I'm pretty sure he thought he had died and gone to heaven. haha.

Well that was our holidays!! Pretty darn exciting! haha.

Time flies by when you are having fun!

I am writing today, pretty much in awe at how lucky I am and how fast my life has changed! Three years ago, I was sitting in my room unable to sleep because I was so excited and nervous for the day ahead. The day I finally got to marry my best friend. I know it is cheesy, but there is a country song called "Broken Road" that I just love. Basically it is about how all the trials and heartbreak in our lives are what lead us to the one person that we fall in love with! Without all those broken hearts and stupid choices, as well as the fun adventures of adolescence, I would not have found the great guy I have today. Aaron and I have been through some crazy times in our marriage, but we have always seemed to come out no worse for wear. You know the phrase, one day we will look back on this and laugh? Well I don't know if we laugh or not but we are definately so grateful for what we have now.

Along those same lines, I did not think on the day that I was waiting to become a wife, I would be spending the next year EXTREMELY pregnant and waiting to meet my baby boy! What a blessing our Coen has been in our lives. I look at the things that "might have been" and am so glad that I wasn't able to pursue many of the things I wanted to. Oddly enough, Coen seemed to have a better idea of what was "right" than we did. It wasn't easy at times, and heaven knows money was not always there, but you know, we made it through probably the craziest year of my life, and two years later, we have the cutest, most fun boy in the world. Yes I am biased! So I guess you can say I cashed in my University degree and became a mom. And you know what, I don't think I would have it any other way right now. The time will come where maybe school will be an option again, but honestly, there is NO better job for me than being a mom. I love being able to be home with Coen, and wonderfully enough, my job of teaching piano from my home, makes that all the more realistic. I love it.

I am not one to preach or to get super religious or anything, but I really do believe as I look back on things, that my Heavenly Father has definatly seen my needs even before I have. Aaron and I were put on certain tracks in our lives to find each other, and to go through everything we have and raise the boy we have. I'm just so glad I was able to follow the "blue print" so that I could find the treasures I have today!

I love Christmas! I love the hustle and the bustle and even the stress!! It seems like this year there has been a lot more stress than normal, but I think things are finally settling down. I was able to have my Christmas Recital last night, and the kids were phenominal! I was so proud of them. The night was great... (even if it was about 15 minutes shorter than I had planned) I had three students play, and they each did simply amazing. When I decided to have the recital, I was so excited to show off my kids. Then I got to thinking that the last time I was able to play the piano as a solo was probably about 6-7 years ago! So I decided that now was the time I was going to buckle down and learn a new song. I don't think I have worked that hard for anything in a LONG time. But it was so rewarding to be able to play a song again. There is something great about seeing the fruits of your labours. My kids, really I can't say this enough, were so wonderful! Cole was dressed up so snazzy, and played his songs wonderfully! He was so set on playing them perfect, and assured me that he was NOT nervous! Elora did wonderful! She was dressed in her beautiful Christmas dress, and played her two songs great! Her curtsy was the hit of the show! Quentin did awesome too! We were able to play Yankee Doodle as a Duet, and he was great! I think he definatly showed the kids that there was more than just the first book in piano. I'm so proud!! Teaching is just something that you can't replace. To know that two of those kids had never really sat at the piano before, and now to see them play songs like Scarborough Fair, and Sailing! Man oh man, nothing that beat that.

My other job is being a mom, and let me tell ya, nothing can beat that either! Coen is now able to say and point to Purple, Blue, Red, Pink, Orange, Brown, and White! He still counts to 3, but can do so forwards and backwards! He knows almost any animal you can give him, Cow, Lion, Turtle, Snake, Pig, Cow, Cat, etc. It is so much fun to listen to him!

Well that is about it for our update! We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Thank you

What a wonderful amazing time of year! We are so blessed to have the freedom to be able to celebrate the holidays however we feel is appropriate. I have become a CNN watcher, and as I look at the chaos around us, I can't help but feel so grateful for my freedoms that I definately have taken for granted. A lot of countries are not able to put up Christmas trees whether it is because of poverty or government. Many don't have a warm place to sleep Christmas Eve, or a wonderful meal to share with family. Children aren't given the wonder and magic of Santa Claus and his amazing sleigh of toys. I am just so happy that I am able to have all of this! I am so grateful to family who braved the impossible to come to Canada so that I could enjoy these things. Without them I would not have the family I do now. My grandma Campbell, my Myschuk grandparents, and the Tyslau's. Thank you so much. Your choice to come to Canada has blessed us and generations to come.

Wonderful Nights!

I don't think I have had a day like today in quite some time. Aaron was simply amazing, because after working a night shift last night, came home and stayed with Coen until I woke up, in the mean time cleaning our entire house and starting the laundry! Superman!

Then we went out to Jason's place and picked up some firewood for our fireplace. We got to bundle Coen up in his snow pants, boots, toque and the whole kit 'n' caboodle! He was so cute! He loved running and falling on his bum in the snow. It just made me so happy to see him truly enjoy the snow! When it was time to go home he was so devastated. It broke my heart, but after I left the car door open, he climbed into the front passenger seat, sat on his bum, and said "Go Go!" made me giggle. We scooped him up and put him in his chair, which he wasn't too keen on.

We spent the day playing cards and lining up Coen's cars to make a "choo choo". Next Aaron made a wonderful supper, and we sat down to watch some favorite Christmas movies. We started with Charlie Brown Christmas which I had never seen before and absolutely fell in love with, and then we watched a new Christmas show called "Prep and Landing." If any of you haven't seen it I highly recommend it! It was soo cute! Coen sat through the whole thing, and was so sad when the elves had to say buh bye.

Then we put our monster to bed, and got to watch the hockey game. Wow. Don't think I could top tonight. Great family, great memories, great traditions.

Victory is mine!

I realize that I have already posted a video under this but words really can not describe the joy I feel. I have successfully (hopefully) introduced drums into my home and , for this week at least, they seem to be a hit. (haha no pun intended.) It all began with getting Coen out of the tub. He wiggles and runs around every time we have to dress him. So I asked him one day if he wanted to listen to the drums. I turned on a Josh Groban song that is my new favorite, and he sat still as long as the drums were playing!

Two weeks later, I asked him if he wanted to hear the drums again, only I decided this time to show him the real drums that I knew and loved. I turned to DCI 2004. haha. He sat infront of the tv pointing the the bass drums in the front over and over saying boom boom boom! Loved it! So then (thanks to DCI's little knick knacks) I put the show on the "drum cam" and oh my! He ran around and lots of "OH WOW"'s later, We brought out the pots and the wooden spoons. I wish I was exaggerating when I say this, but he sat through the ENTIRE Blue Devils and Cavaliers performances playing his little pot. I am going to be honest and say I cried a little. Not so much because he was watching DCI, but mostly just because for the moment, I have a little guy that loves something that I loved so much. I may not get a lot of say in his looks, but I sure can try to pass down my passions. So now everyone can say how identical he is to Aaron all you want... I got myself a little drummer boy for Christmas!