Donovan Turns 1

I can't believe that my baby turns 1 today. It has been a year full of love and lots of fun. He is such a happy baby and we are a lucky family to have him a part of it. He is always smiling a big cheesy smile, that is sure to make anyone else smile. Everywhere I go I get comments from people that he is the happiest baby they have ever seen. He truly is. That smile of his is just pure love and it means more to me than words can describe. I will never forget his first smile. He was in the hospital when he was about 4 weeks old. I remember feeling so discouraged that my poor baby was suffering and was so sick, and he wasn't getting any better. His second day there he looked up at me and smiled. It was like he knew that was the comfort I needed. I remember the doctor telling me that he was too young to smile and it was probably gas, but I knew there was more than gas behind that smile of his. A couple of days later the doctor came in and asked me if I could get him to smile. Sure enough he did, and the doctor told me that smile was more than a smile, it was a milestone and that meant that Donovan was on the right track. What a blessing a smile can be. Donovan is so calm and so fun to be around. Clara loves him to death and is always kissing him and trying to play with him. Sometimes she will read him stories. Sometimes she will talk to him like he is her age and can talk back. Donovan just adores her, I see him watching her sometimes, just sitting there, staring at her, watching her every move. I hope they grow up to be close so they can share good times and bad. Donovan is such a boy, getting into everything, tearing things apart and making a mess wherever he goes. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him and what great things he will do.

Happy birthday Dono

We love you to pieces!!

I just wanted to post some random pics of my kids. I love my children more every day and things they do make me realize what life is about. It is amazing to me how fast they grow and I wish that I could freeze time and enjoy the stage they are in for just a little bit longer. I really would love to have more children, but some decisions are not ours to make. If Clara and Donovan are what completes our family, I am blessed and extremely grateful to have my little miracles!!

The Zoo

We made a trip to the zoo yesterday, it was so nice out. We got lucky because two hours after we left it started snowing. We had such a good time. Even Donovan loved it. His favorite part was the elephants.


I just wanted to see what Donovan would look like behind a cage, sometimes it is so tempting!! ha ha

This is Donovan once he saw the elephants. He just couldn't stop giggling. It was the cutest thing ever!!

CA BALL

It has been a while since my last post. There has been a lot going on lately. I want to post about this special day that we celebrated on Jan.27. It was a day for all the people who were successful writing the UFE exam for becoming a CA in September. Technically Jeff isn't a CA quite yet, he needs to put in a few more hours articling, but it will only be a few more months until that changes and he can choose the type of job that truly interests him.
The day started out with a ceremony, where each person being honored at the ceremony had a fellow CA introduce them and give some sort of 2 minute speech about them. It was a given that Jeff would choose one of his brothers. He of course chose the one that always has something funny to say, usually at some one else's expense. This was no exception. Mark presented Jeff and was short and sweet with his comments, of course he did have to throw one not so nice comment in there, but we won't mention what that was about.
The evening was a great big party, where everyone gets all dolled up for a 5 course meal followed by a dance. It started with everyone who passed the UFE being marched in by a bag piper. There were a couple of speeches and then the night began. I must admit, the food was pretty good, the evening was entertaining and the live band was old, but good. It was a great evening, well suited for such an exciting time in our lives.
I am so proud of Jeff and all the work he has done to get where he is. I am excited for him to be able to have options in his career path, and I can't wait until that time comes for him in a few months. He deserved this night for everyone to recognize him and his accomplishments and the future that he holds.

This is the only picture I could get of him before he left for the ceremony in the afternoon. He sure wasn't interested in posing.

The best picture I have of Mark presenting him.

From Left to Right:
Farhan, Colleen, Trent, Louisa, Kim, Jeff (of course)
This is a group of people who also passed the test. With the exception of Kim, who was his "MENTOR" for the UFE exam. I think Jeff's definition of mentor is free lunches, and not much more than that.
Jeff is really lucky to have this group of people to work with, they are all so nice and it seems that they have a good time with each other.

It is time to celebrate!!

I am so excited because Clara is finally potty trained!! I can't believe it! It is so nice. I thought it would be hard going out and having to run to the bathroom all the time, but it's not like that at all. We can still make our regular trips to the mall without any problem, and that's what matters!! We still have to work on night time, but that's ok, she's getting better at that. I am so happy!!

These are some pictures of the kids last week. Jeff has been really busy at work and had gone without seeing the kids for a couple of days, so I took these pictures for him. I just love how they play together, they just love each other, and I hope it is always that way. Clara is such a good big sister and such a mother to him.

Swimming Lessons

I started the kids in swimming lessons and they love it!! I was a little nervous about Donovan because he has never been swimming before and he is a disaster in the bath because he won't sit still for a second, but he sure enjoyed swimming! The second we entered the water, he was splashing and laughing like crazy and he continued doing so for the whole 30 min lesson. Clara just loved it as well. She had no fear and loved putting her whole head under water. My mom will be coming with us because Jeff will be so busy at work, so it's good that the we will have some quality time with Grandma. I am so excited for the remainder of the lessons. I think the kids will just love it!! They didn't even know what they were getting into, but they were really excited hanging out in the locker room waiting for us to get ready!!


Donovan's first swim, what a sport!!

Christmas 2006

We had a fabulous Christmas. Very simple, and lots of fun.
We started out on the 23rd with a trip to Cardston to visit Jeff's parents and Jeff's grandpa. That was a lot of fun because we don't get much one on one time with his parents, so it was really nice to have that.
We spent Christmas eve are Derek and Julie's and that was also a good time. They got their kids some neat presents for Christmas, including a ping pong table and a basketball game, like that actual game in the arcade where you have a shoot out side by side. That is a fun game and is very addicting!! All the kids that were there acted out the nativity, maybe next year Clara will participate!!
We had Christmas morning just the four of us. It was so fun, I sure love my family. Watching Clara open presents was great. Every present she opened she would gasp and say WOW!! That was cute to see. She is just so sweet and so much fun. We got her tickle me elmo this year and she loves elmo so I thought she would love it! Not so much. She was so terrified of him!! Donovan even more so, he kept crying every time he started up! It was so funny. Donovan wasn't into Christmas at all, he kept crawling over his presents. Not even interested in the wrapping, or the ribbons or bows. Not that I expected him to be. Clara took care of opening his presents. She now thinks they are hers and won't share with him. I think we will be trying to solve that issue for a long time coming.
The afternoon we went to my parents house. We were all spoiled. The kids got tons, but we got our fair share as well! Thanks mom! It is always fun to be with my family on Christmas. Dinner was amazing, and now I have to work on losing a few pounds!
I sure loved Christmas this year. Having kids sure has helped me appreciate family more. Seeing their faces light up over the simplest things reminds me that those are the treasures in my life!!

This is what made Donovan happy on Christmas day.