A Dress Has Been Found!

Some other photos from our Staycation!












This was Emma's favorite waterfall of the day!





Here birdie, birdie, birdie! Nope! Nothing like the Butterfly Conservatory! They won't land on you! LOL!

Emma gazing down on the waterfall.

I finally took Kaylyn on an outing to look for a grad dress. Now, for those who don't know, I am not a huge fan of shopping across the border. BUT, my sister in law and niece were down last week and they had me take them across to look at dresses. They showed me a store called Deb. It has beautiful dresses at a GREAT prices! I just don't understand why, for grade 8 grad, these girls need such fancy dresses? I keep thinking, my goodness, what is Prom going to be like? I haven't heard enough about grad for the past 1 year and a half from Kay, I can just imagine how excited she is going to be to graduate from high school!

Emma had come along for the ride on both outings. Both times she asked when can she try on BEAUTIFUL dresses? I had her looking for dress sizes for her knowing that they were all too big. Well, smarty pants that she is, caught onto this. While out with Kaylyn this week, Emma states "These dresses are not my sizes. They are too big. We are going to have to go into the mall and find a store with my sizes!" I giggle to myself, but try to explain that we are here for Kaylyn's grad just like we were here for Allie's grad last week. She promptly explains to me "I have been a good girl Mommy. I think I should have a beautiful dress too!" Break your heart doesn't it? The only thing.... 2 weeks before I had taken Emma dress shopping to spend the rest of our gift cards from Christmas and she got over 10 dresses then! She loves her dresses and if she picks them out, she wears them non-stop. So, I thought I would take her over to the mall.... well, I created a demon shopper! LOL!

Once we were home, supper was cooked, but Emma and Kaylyn had to have a fashion show to show off their new dresses to Scott and I. Emma co-ordinated and Kaylyn modeled. Afterwards, Emma fashioned her Belle dress as well as her new fancy dress she got! Yeah, yeah Mom's a sucker!

Staycation Day 1

Tuesday was our (Emma and I) first day of our Staycation for March Break. We started the morning at the Butterfly Conservatory with Daddy (Scott). We had lunch then as Scott headed back to work Emma and I went to the Bird Kingdom, followed by the Botanical Gardens.

It was a gorgeous sunny day to do it!

Part of the excitement for Emma was to get a Butterfly to sit on her. She tried and tried. Finaly I think 1 of them humored her and allowed us to put it on her. She was in Seventh Heaven!

For some reason I am having trouble uploading more photos, so I will try later. I have a couple beautiful ones of her smelling the flowers at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. It's a cute one!

It was a great day all around! Only thing missing was Kaylyn!

Emma is showing the sign for Butterfly! That's my girl!

Mid March Madness

Wow! I am glad the nice weather is finally here, but it just reiterates that time is flying by. I guess that is what happens you are busy! Spring, comes Spring clean up! I think this year it would be a good thing to pay someone else to do! Lol! The yard will be ok..... looking forward to the gardens, but the back grass is a different story. Picking up the dog poo will be the second last thing for that I know I have to do, to help get over the losing Toby. The other will be heading to the cottage.

Kaylyn has started shopping for a grad dress. Wow, am I NOT a girly girl! She has been on the Internet looking around.... now as it gets closer... I guess I have to take her out! Lol! Craziness! I think Emma will of more help than me! She is a lot like Kaylyn. They LOVE sparkles, pink, frill and flash!

We go this Thursday to Hamilton for one of Kaylyn's yearly check ups. This one will tell us how she is growing and how the process is doing. The doctor we are seeing is really good. He is funny!

Our house is going through after shock from the Olympics. We had them on non stop for 16 days! Scott has fallen in love with curling. He has decided to look at joining the local curling club to learn to play. I am happy for him. I will think about joining him... in time. It is nest to see how different looking, how our home has changed since Scott has left the casino and started his own business. He is doing REALLY well. Also it's great having the flexibility, but even better to be able to participate in things like the curling club. The little things we take for granted! Shift work is one thing, having odd days off with it is another. Better late than never!

Gotta go! The Oscars are on!!!

February's End

I checked today to see if Jazz (our cat) had been adopted yet. We surrendered her January 7Th after having discovered pee in the house. Through much debate, we thought at least Jazz has a chance at a new forever home. She was taken to the Niagara Falls Humane Society. They have a no kill policy.... makes it a little easier. She was put up for adoption on February 11Th (ironically the day we put Toby down) and she was adopted that Saturday, February 13Th! I am VERY relieved to know that she is being loved again by someone. She was a very sweet cat. We still have our Sally. She is not too sure what she thinks of all this change. If she's not sleeping on the back of my chair, she is trying to meow (she can't) and pawing at you for attention. She STILL thinks that she should sleep on Emma's bed, but she wants nothing to do with it. I think it has something to do with Sally want to to LAY ON Emma! Hehehe! Kaylyn has always wanted her to sleep with her, but she sleeps with the door shut all the time! Sally likes the freedom of coming and going. The problem is since she can't meow, she knocks everything around making enough noise for you to get up!

We got Kaylyn's grad photo's ready to order. She looks FANTASTIC in them. I can't wait to get them. We upgraded the package so we get the disc with all 4 poses on it. She is starting to get tall. She will literally always be my little girl, but it's weird to see her grow after not growing for so long! She is very excited about going to High School next year. I tell you, if I make it through grade 8 graduation I will be amazed! She has been excited since last year.... planing the grad party, designing the dress, hair..... man, I am NOT a girly girl..... this is new to me! Funny too! She graduates June 24th. I hear we get a dinner with our ticket.... hope so at $25 a seat! I can't wait... I have a feeling she will win an award of sorts! I am just very proud at how she has picked up, buckled down and improved her grades! She is doing GREAT! She is still determined to be a vet. Scott and I have tried to help her stay on course. She is not too keen on the thought of practising math all the time. She doesn't seem to flinch when we were in the science lab at her high school orientation and there was a baby pig there to be dissected! Bleh! I wouldn't do it in high school when it was a frog! Bleh!

Kaylyn and Emma are both in dance this year and enjoying it! They have a recital may 30th (day after Patti's). Fortunately they are in the same 5:00 show time! That makes it MUCH easier! I think that Emma should go on stage for her singing! Man o Man! Kaylyn used to the same thing! Singing non stop! Emma has taken on a whine in her singing.... she thinks it makes her sound beautiful! Lol! I tell you, we are VERY patriotic in this house.... she sings O Canada at least once a day! Some days NON STOP! Lol!

Our house has been pretty quiet. I swear I still hear Toby every now and again. His presence will be missed for a very long time.

Scott has been very busy with the RRSP season almost at an end. I have continued to work with him 3 days a week trying to help where I can. My school is going great as well. I really like my teacher. He is helping me figure a way to get my hours in so I can go to George Brown College to be a certified Interpreter.

With March Break coming, we haven't decided what we are going to do. Emma would REALLY like to go to the Bird Kingdom, bake sugar cookies, play lots and lots of games and swim at the YMCA. Kay's not too sure what she wants to do yet.

I am sure it will all come together!

Sad Day

So, our sad day has arrived. Last Thursday we put our loving dog, Toby, down. It has been a very difficult time. He has been fighting many different medical issues. In the end, we believe he became diabetic and started peeing in the house. He was a loving, loyal, friendly, funny, family pet. We miss him terribly. The cottage will be very different without him!

February Already?

Wow time flies! January has come and gone too fast! School has been GREAT! I am really enjoying learning Sign Language. I have a fantastic teacher. He is deaf, so there is no excuse not to learn! He is really funny, he makes learning ASL easy but challenging as well. He goes slow enough that everyone catches on.

Kaylyn has been home for most of the past month. She has been working her babysitting jobs every weekend she can! She had her first "all night" babysitting job this past Saturday night. She did great! No worries she said. The kids are young, but good kids!

Emma is just getting over a NASTY cold! It was so bad, it spread to her eyes! I have never heard a child so distraught over not going to school! She was NOT impressed!

We had a surprise visit this weekend from Scott's brother Phil. Tanya had a competition in Rochester NY, so Phil stayed with us! It was a nice visit. I unfortunately had to work, but I think the brothers need the time! Lol! For old times sake!

I have been working for Scott 3 days a week now for 2 weeks. It is going well. I think we can keep him on track. It is kind of nice! The people in the Niagara Falls office are very proud of Scott as well and all his achievements! It is a different atmosphere than anything that I have ever worked in. Takes some getting used to, but I think it is great! No one calling me over to complain, yell, swear, generally get upset at me! Tranquility!

Holidays are D-O-N-E!!!

Ok, I am still trying to figure out how to load photos properly on this silly site! So, they are backwards! Lol!
Christmas was great! The Bishop Clan came down for Christmas Eve. We had a great visit. My favorite gift was from my in laws, a fireplace! I know it's not the same as a wood one, but it is the closest thing I can have for now! It's great! The girls got a Wii for Christmas, actually they got it a couple of weeks early. At Christmas we had fun playing with all the family. Scott and Emma had convinced Grandpa and Grandpa Bishop to play even!

Every year we play hide the pickle. This year Kaylyn had to hide it and buy the gift. Allie found it, even with the added pressure of Emma on her shoulders!
The one gift was very happy to receive was his electric tie rack. You know you are getting older when...... too funny!

Emma LOVED her Cinderella dress and DS! We had originally bought a used one because of her age thinking if anything happened, it wouldn't matter. But in the end we bought her a new one. The other one didn't work too well. We let her decorate it with stickers to make it her own. Now she can stop correcting us by saying "No, it's Kay's DS! I don't have one!"

With Kay still going to her Dad's on some weekends, we thought that it was time for her own computer. This way she can keep up with her school work and not worry about time on the computer. She can watch movies, browse the Internet and so on at her own leisure! No more fighting over my computer! She was very happy!

I tell you, we often wonder about Scott's sense of humor, but as shown here, it is a family thing. He and his brother have the same sense of humor. It is funny to watch the 2 of them together! It was really nice having them here this year.

Christmas Eve in our house runs about the same every year. We had our dinner, went for a car ride to see the Christmas lights at the Winter Festival of Lights, open our Christmas jammie's and watch a movie together. It is a great family tradition that Kaylyn helped plan the year Emma was born. We have enjoyed it ever since!

Emma helped set out food for Santa. She made sure that the reindeer got carrots too! She thought that Santa might want a hot chocolate, so we set out an extra mug with a pot of hot water for him! She thought this was a GREAT idea!

Kaylyn is officially 14! Wow! Where does time go? This year, instead of a cake, she asked for a very special Apple Crisp. It was delicious! 14... man o man!

When the Olympic torch came through Niagara Falls, the girls and I went to cheer it on! We walked down the Falls to watch the lighting of the cauldron. Emma asked to ride on my shoulders, considering the distance I thought her little legs may not keep up. So, up she went! 10 minutes later she was SOUND asleep! Too much for one day I guess!

Our family Christmas photo for this year. I turned out pretty good. Kay's eye make up is really not that dark. For some reason, it looks twice as dark in this photo! We got some really great pictures this year!

Halloween has also passed since I last wrote. Emma decided that she wanted to be "Belle on a BEAUTIFUL unicorn". Easy enough! She was proud as a peacock! She lasted about 45 minutes with Daddy in tow. Just enough... not like we really eat all the halloween candy in this house! I had uploaded a beautiful photo of Kaylyn in her Ice Princess dress, but for some reason it is very blurry. I told her it is suppose to be her last year out, I am not too fond of the big kids trick or treating. Mind you, she has the height.... she was told she could go out next year if she takes her sister! Lol!

Here's hoping this year will be a great year too!