Playing A Bit Of Catch Up: PART 2- The Move

Before I jump into life in Regina I must take the time to blog about our move.

From the time that we officially decided to come to Regina for the summer, and to also continue further west to Calgary for the fall, we only had about 1 month to organize and prep everything for the move. Let me tell you while working 4 nights a week this proved to be quite the experience! There was a ton of packing, organizing, selling and cleaning to do and we did 95% of it completely on our own! On top of this during the month of April my students had a dance competition in London and we were trying to say our last goodbyes to family and friends.  I cannot lie it was a very stressful month!

I had to sort our things into what we needed to bring for the summer months and what we could put into storage to meet us in Calgary in the fall. Luckily for us Dan's parents have a large storage unit (aka Transport trailer!) at their farm which we were able to store all of our things in for the summer (huge money saver so this was awesome!) Sorting through our things was somewhat exhausting I tend to be an over packer and like to be prepared for anything so I found it a lot of work to try to plan for what we may or may not need for the duration of the summer (and by summer I mean May- end of August.) As we were planning drive to Regina with only our van and a small trailer I knew we couldn't bring a lot.

Within a few weeks our house was full of boxes with our moving day quickly approaching.

Bright and early on Monday April 20 the LDS missionaries from our branch in Stratford arrived to help us load all of our stuff into the moving truck. Since we literally knew NO ONE where we lived (and Dan's parents were gone away) it was just us and the missionaries moving everything we owned. Thank goodness for those elders is all I have to say. There is no way we could have done that move without their help. And even with their help for a good 6 hours we still had a very long night ahead of us. It's amazing  just how much stuff you find when you have to empty a house. After an exhausting day of working to to empty the house we finally called it a night and headed to Dan's parents house to get some rest.

Novah not thrilled about the loading of the moving truck!

Snack time. 

On Tuesday morning a few guys showed up at the farm to help us unload the contents of the Uhaul into the storage trailer. Thankfully this process was much quicker than the loading of the Uhaul and with 5 guys to help out it went pretty quickly. Once this was complete we had to head back into Listowel to return the Uhaul, pack the remainder of the things we had left at the house and clean the house. We still had several items that needed to be taken for donation, an old mattress to dump and lots of cleaning to do!

Cohen having breakfast in the high chair at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

In all of this I felt pretty bad for the kids because Dan and I were running around trying to get so much done, they were being entertained purely by the TV. Having no one to watch them they literally watched Netflix all day for almost 2 days. It's sad but true and I am grateful for Netflix because I don't know what we would have done otherwise!

The house was almost empty at this point but you know there was still all this stuff to pack up!

Tuesday was possibly more exhausting than Monday because we were already tired from a long day of work. But we had to get everything done on Tuesday so that we would be ready to start our westward drive on Wednesday. It took us well into the night to be completely finished up at the house.

Saying good bye to our beautiful house in Listowel at 9:20pm.  

These kids feel asleep the instant we putt hem into their car seats. 

Little Sleeping Beauty. 

When we were finally ready to leave at the end of the day we had a van packed to the max as well as a trailer brimming over with stuff. The kids were exhausted, we were exhausted and I couldn't help but think to myself that this was only the first step in a long journey. It was definitely a very significant step but it was really just the beginning.

Jordan 

Playing A Bit Of Catch Up: PART 1- The Decision To Move

Well it's been FOREVER since I actually sat down and wrote a good post about what is going on in our lives and there has been much going on! I feel like I blinked and 4 months went by! We have had a lot of changes occur in our lives over the past few months. For starters we are no longer in Listowel. We are currently in Regina for the summer and are heading to Calgary this fall, but let's talk briefly about how we came to be where we are now.

Since the start of 2015 Dan and I have been doing a whole lot of soul searching. The move to Ontario really put us out of our comfort zone and forced us to look at our life from an all new perspective. To say we we were unhappy in Ontario wouldn't exactly be accurate. There were definitely trials but there were also a lot of positive things about being in Ontario for the 8 months we spent there. For starters I had a great job doing something I LOVE and I was very happy with the school I was working at, the people I was working with and the kids I was teaching. My job also came to me at a time in my life when I really needed it. I had been struggling with motherhood and all of its demands and it was at a very critical point that I was able to go back to work to do something I really missed and has a lot of meaning to me. It was just what I needed when I needed it.

Another important benefit of being back in Ontario was nearness to family. For the first time in 6 year we were living within and hour of most of Dan's family- this enabled us to spend quite a lot of quality time with his parents, attend big family gatherings and also spend time with his siblings and their families (meeting our sweet little nieces.) We were able to connect with some of my family that I hadn't seen in a long time and see some family members who had never even met Dan or my kids. We were even able to visit with my Grandpa right before his passing and then attend his funeral- which I will always be so grateful for.

Being relatively isolated also helped Dan and I to restrengthen our relationship in a way that I didn't realize we had lost. Because we didn't have any close friends near by or really anyone to hang out with we spent a LOT of time together as a couple and also as a family. We gained a unity that I know I will appreciate as we continue to spend our lives together.

Of course it was also nice to connect with a few friends back in Ontario, visit a few fun places and have some fun adventures that brought back lots of memories, especially for me. All in all Ontario was a fun adventure and I am GLAD we moved there and do not regret it in any way.

So why didn't we stay?

As time went on and we lived the day to day we began to realize that we did not want to stay in Ontario permanently. There were many things that were suddenly absent from our lives that we truly appreciated and missed about being in the west. Probably the most significant absentee was the strength of our church, Our religion is so important to us and really is so much more than attending church on Sundays.

We found ourselves living in a small town where we were the only, "Mormons," and likely in a place where most people there had never even heard of a Mormon (other than the less than accurate media descriptions.) The branch (church unit) we attended was 45 minutes from our home and had about 40 active members including our family of 5. This left us feeling very spiritually isolated and somewhat concerned about what the future might be like for our children. Now I don't mean to sound like we were whiny about being in a small church unit because we weren't, in fact I felt badly about leaving it behind because it is so small there and I know they loved having us there. But we came to understand how much we wanted our church to be a bigger part of our life and it simply couldn't be because the strength of the church wasn't where we were. Now of course we could have lived in a bigger city in Ontario where the church would have been stronger and thus giving us more opportunity to socialize with others who shared our religion, but the fact of the matter is that we came to see that we wanted to be where the church was strong. We wanted to live where there were  many members. We wanted to be where we could be friends with those who shared our faith. We wanted to be close to a temple. We wanted to have strength and support from other young families going through similar experiences to what we were going through.

Another aspect of the west which we missed oh so much are those majestic mountains. It's funny because when we lived in Calgary I think that overtime we began to take them for granted, but suddenly in their absence we felt them calling.

There is also something to be said for the quality of life out west that is just so different from that of the East. I don't know if I can explain it exactly but if you have lived in both places you may understand what I am talking about. Life is different on the west side of Canada and that different is something that we liked. I can't deny that I feel there is greater opportunity in the west. It seems so much more forward moving and progressive than the East where some things feel as if they have become stuck in the past.

So, we determined that we would be Westward bound again one day. However we still planned to be in Ontario for 2 years to fulfill an agreement I had. Then a series of strange events occurred that put into motion our move much sooner than we anticipated. Dan was having difficulty finding work (not for lack of trying,) we were quickly approaching the summer months when I would be out of work, and suddenly our landlord informed us he was losing the house we rented from him. In a strange whirlwind we found ourselves with an opportunity for Dan to work in Regina and with no other prospects for the summer and no real reason to say no we took the opportunity.

Sadly for me this meant leaving the studio a month before year end, which was probably the most heart breaking thing about this whole affair. I won't go on about it except to say that you love the kids you teach and I loved my students and felt simply awful about leaving them high and dry right before recital. But the fact was that my own children needed me more and I feel justified in making a choice to be with them so that Dan could start a new job. In the end I'm sure my dance students were just fine without me but I don't think my own own kids would have been. Life is full of sacrifices.

And that brings me to where we currently are. Regina.

Jordan
(Part 2 to follow)

Little Miss Novah At 20 months

Well I somehow blinked and missed documenting Novah's 18 months of life. She's nearing 20 months now so I figured I better stop to make a few notes about her spunky and spicy little personality.

Novah is quite the little charmer she has charmed her way into the hearts of everyone at home and nearly everyone she meets. But seriously who could resist those brown eyes and the adorable little smiles she likes to share?

Novah is a firecracker. In the words of Dan she is on her way to becoming a true woman! She definitely has her own way of seeing things and when things don't go exactly the way she wants she's not afraid to let you know, sound like anybody else you might know? (ahem Marshal, and maybe Me- I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the fact that I have two kids like this!) While she is one feisty little lady she does have her own way of doing things that differs from the way Marshal used to act and for that I am grateful. She loves to throw herself back on the floor and throw tantrums when she doesn't get her way, push her brothers away from mommy when she wants me all to herself, she's even been known to push away Daddy with a look of disdain that says, "Leave me alone!"

Yet for all of the fire she is also the sweetest little girl you could ever imagine. She loves to be held and rocked while I sing Rock-a-bye-baby. She loves to cuddle during story time (though she's quick to turn the page or get rid of the book if she doesn't like the one you're reading.) She is quick to hand out hugs and kisses when they are asked for and is very gentle and concerned when she sees others who are upset. She gives the sweetest hugs by putting her head on your chest or shoulder. Novah loves her Daddy (even though at times she gives him some attitude) and on Sunday's she is always calling him and trying to run up on the stand to sit with him during sacrament meeting. She also adores her Grandpa and gets very excited every time she sees him.

Novah loves to run and play with her brothers and you can tell that she simply adores them. She is always calling them- "Arshal" and "Oohen" and loves to give them hugs and kisses too. She tries to copy just about everything that they do and as a result is the toughest little 20 month old girl I know. She wrestles with them, drives cars with them, chases them, and doesn't take any flack from them when they try to take her toys. I'm pretty sure that she is going to be one tough cookie as she gets older, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about her when it comes to standing up for herself. While she does love brother brothers I think she has a special connection with Marshal that is very cute to observe. He just loves her too and is already on the lookout for her.

Novah has four great loves at this point in her life- food, dancing, dogs and her blankie! This girl eats pretty much NON stop. I honestly cannot comprehend where she puts all the food but really as soon as she is done with one meal she is ready to eat another. If she so much as whiffs food she runs toward it saying, "Eat, eat, ungry." You'd think I don't feed the child but let me assure you I do. The other day her and Marshal polished off 6 scrambled eggs for breakfast. Not to mention, yogurt, fruit and dry cereal. I am terrified of my food bill in 10 years!

Enjoying her most favourite meal of the day. 

Her love of movement is quite amazing to me too. Obviously she has been exposed to a lot of music and she often sees me choreographing and watching dance videos at home- but she really has her own love of music that I do not feel was pushed upon her. Any time she hears a song she immediately starts to move her body to the music and begins dance. She has cute little head gestures, wild and crazy spinning, she gallops around in circles, rolls on the floor kicks her legs in the air and even has these very soft balletic arms gestures. I feel almost certain that she has inherited my love of dancing. I know it's really to early to say but she shows signs of being a little dancer already.

I'm not quite certain where her obsession with dogs stems from (because neither Dan nor I are dog lovers) but Novah has taken quite the liking to her furry four legged friends. She has quite a few dog stuffies and she must bring one with her nearly every where we go. She has to have them for nap time, drags them around the house with her, to the table, you name it. She loves to look at pictures of dogs on Dan's phone and gets very excited and starts barking any time she sees a real dog pass by. She loves books about dogs, movies with dogs, tv shows with dogs (Paw Patrol is her favourite!) and even her doggie t-shirt!

The sweet little girl with her doggie friends. 

See how much she loves these stuffies!

In addition to her love of dogs is Novah's love of her blankie. While there isn't quite as much to be said for this love it is still quite important to her. Just like her big brother Cohen she loves to have her "night, night" with her all the time. It is a serious comfort object for her that also gets dragged everywhere. Any time she feels sad she wants it right there with her so she can rub her face in it. Blankies are certainly important in our house!

Another important thing to document about Novah at this stage is her vocabulary. She is quite the little talker and has very recently really taken to babbling all the time. I feel it will only be a matter of time before all her babbles will have turned into full fledged sentences. Some of her current words include: Mommy, Daddy, Arshal, Oohen, Gamma, Gampa, eat, ungry, up, down, out, all one (done), met (milk), doddie (doggie), cat, hat, out, upstairs, downstairs, no, iaper (diaper), pretty, rincess (princess), apple, yougurt, bread, eggs, eeps (chips), nola (granola), boat, ory (story), book, baby, night night, bottle, bowl, plate, water, bath, poop, eeth (teeth), meup (makeup), soft, hair, play, toy, oh no, don't die (she says this quoting a part of the movie Dusty Fire and Rescue- it's honestly the funniest thing ever!) The list of her words could go on but that's all I can think of right how, notice how many of her words are food related!

Novah is truly a joy and we are so happy to have her in our family. Here are some other random photos of our little princess! We love her so much and are so happy to have her in our family.

Giving some snuggles to Grandma. 

Playing with toys and church in the nursery and wearing her baby doll in a carrier I made for her.

Just looking sweet. 

Showing off her beautiful little face and personality. What a little sweetheart our Novah is!

Random 2014 Winter Happenings That I Didn't Post About

1. Bowling- In November we took the kids bowling for the first time! They had a blast. We met up with Dan's sister Nat and her family as well as his younger siblings Carrie and Jim. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins and Aunts and Uncles. We did a lot of granny bowling until we discovered that there was a special device the kids could use to help them with the bowling. This was also something we got to cross off our 2014 bucket list!

Having some fun at the bowling alley.

Nat with her girls and our three kiddlets. 

My three little monkeys. 

Marshals face was just too good not to post the photo. 

2. Listowel Santa Claus Parade- November 29, 2014. We went out to the Santa Claus Parade that the town had and the kids had a really great time. It was nice because it wasn't overly busy (perks of a small town) and it was just the right length. The kids enjoyed looking at all the floats and collecting candy. Marshal especially enjoyed it! It was great to get us all in the Christmas spirit!

A few shots form the parade. 

Dan and the kids enjoying the parade. 

Some of the floats. 

Marshal waving to Santa at the end. 

3. Coloring At Home-  Just a Cute moment I snapped of the kids one day. November 30, 2014

4. Ringing In December- The problem with a phone is that I take a gazillion photos of the kids. I'm sorry but these were too cute not to share. Plus I want them for our memory books that will be printed. 

5. Letters to Santa- The kids actually wrote letters to the kids this year. Marshal did a pretty good job of trying to write (a skill I'm having difficulty getting him to practice.) I thought the letters were so cute I couldn't bring myself to mail them. 

 6. Brother and Sister- Marshal and Novah are just so similar in so many ways, it's kind of frightening at times. They are both such strong willed and spirited little people. I will definitely say that Marshal has really given me a run for my money and I often do not feel up to the task of raising him, but I do feel better prepared in parenting Novah thanks to him! They are also total twins!

7. Cohen The Artist-  Cohen is my little artist. He honestly loves to sit and paint, draw, build, create-anything that requires creativity. I love watching him work because he will sit for so long. Marshal will sit and craft for about 10 minutes where as Cohen will stay there for 30 minutes or longer. 

7. AppleCheeks- In December I received a surprise package from the, "Diaper Fairy." In case you're out of the loop I am a BIG fan of AppleCheeks Cloth Diapers. They are a great Canadian based company and are always coming out with special new colors and prints. The diaper they reveled for Christmas was this classic AppleCheeks print with a Christmas color scheme. I didn't think I was going to be able to get one but then a lovely person suprised me by sending one to me along with the special AppleCheeks CHristmas ornament. I have to say it was the best Christmas present I could have imagined. I was thrilled!

Novah pointing out the green apple on her new diaper.

8. Random Fact- Novah is obsessed with Dogs, she loves them and brings hers with her wherever she goes. She sleeps with them, brings them around the house, cuddles them, pretends to be one, loves pictures of them. It's pretty darn cute!

9. Making Christmas Sugar Cookies- Auntie Kathy came to visit us one Saturday in December and we spent some time decorating Christmas cookies! It was a lot of fun and we got pretty creative with lots of different colors of icing and sprinkles. Decorating cookies is always a good time. Novah missed out on the fun as she was napping but it did make the activity a bit easier! 

10. Branch Christmas Party- At our Branch Christmas Party the kids put on a little Nativity Pageant. It was short and sweet and did not require any preliminary practice It was really just fun for the kids to get dressed up and to be a part of acting out the story of Christ's birth. Here are my cute little boys with some of the other kids on our branch all dressed up and ready to play their parts. 

Cutest Shepherd. 

11. Coloring The Snow- Winter certainly wouldn't be complete without coloring the snow. Such a fun and cheap activity for the kids. They just love it! 

Christmas Wrap Up Review

Well I never officially posted about our Christmas! So even though I'm ages behind here goes!

We had a great Christmas morning, the kids SLEPT IN and didn't wake up until about 8am. They were very excited to see that Santa made a stop at our house! This was by far the best year for Santa reactions, they really believed and understood who Santa was this year, so knowing he came was very exciting to them! I completely forgot to set out cookies and milk with the kids before they went to bed, so I just did it myself later in the night and they were very pleased to see that there was an empty glass of milk and cookie crumbs on the cookie tray in the morning.

Marshal could barely contain his excitement at the sight of gifts under the tree and of course had to be stopped form tearing open every piece of paper! I let him and Cohen go at their stockings while we waited for Novah to wake up.

We decided to have a simpler Christmas this year as we have been on a tight budget since moving back to Ontario. Dan and I opted out of getting each other any gifts so that we could focus all of our allotted spending on the kids. I tend to go a bit overboard at Christmas time mainly because I love to see the kids reactions to their gifts and it truly makes me happy to see them so happy. But I am pleased with how things went this year despite them receiving less than previous years. It was good for me to learn that the kids don't need to receive a ton of gifts to be happy and that sometimes less is more.

To be completely honest they still had a great Christmas and still got lots of gifts. I just purchased smaller scale items and really shopped only the best sales that I could find. Gift unwrapping was of course a ton of fun for everyone.

Opening stockings.

Opening cards for Grandma and Grandpa Fuller

Novah being cute. 

Helping to open some gifts. 

Loving her new baby Cabbage Patch doll. 

Novah sure loved playing with the wrapping paper!

Love these three. 

After we opened all the gifts we enjoyed a late breakfast and then got ready to go to my Aunt's home for Christmas dinner. I was really excited to go and see some of my family on Christmas day. Growing up we always had a huge Christmas Day dinner with all of our Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and my Grandparents. It was always such a fun day and a feast of a meal. Since the passing of my Grandma several years ago things have scaled down but this was the first time Dan and I were back for Christmas since 2006! And the first time some of my Aunts, Uncles and cousins would be meeting my kids.

We drove about an hour and a half to Oakville where my Aunt lives and upon our arrival were excitedly greeted by lots of loving family. The kids were totally spoiled as they were the only little ones there so they received lots of attention and some very nice gifts from their great Aunties as well. We had a lovely Christmas dinner that satisfied both vegan and non vegan palates. We then enjoyed a lot of yummy baking and had some fun catching up.

Marshal and Cohen enjoyed singing karaoke in the basement and Marshal even put on his best rock 'n roll concert for us. It was actually hilarious! He would only allow rock music to be played and insisted upon holding the mike and singing very loudly, "Rockin out, rockin out, rock out!" It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves.

While it was a bit sad not to see my own family on Christmas Day we were very grateful for the family that we had the chance to spend time with on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2014.

Jordan