So MUCH to post!

Okay, I know - big time slacker!  I have been so busy with Christmas this year - busier than I ever remember - and I have not MADE the time to blog.  And, there are so many things to blog about.  Since my last post, we have had three boys birthdays (yes, I included my biggest "boy" in there too), two Christmas concerts, basketball games, several Christmas parties, CHRISTMAS with family, the addition of two very small new furry friends, and a lot of good times with friends.  I am hoping that I can get around to loading up some pictures and getting in to some serious blogging, but until then, you will have to be satisfied with knowing that the Halladays are still around, still crazy as ever and most importantly, still extremely blessed to be here on earth - men are that they might have joy (2 Ne 2:25)!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!  All the best in 2011!

After three tryout/practices...

HE MADE THE TEAM!  Hip Hip Hooray!
Nope, I am not the least bit excited!  Hee hee!  Both Linds and I can't wait to watch our newbie jr high (middle school) dude play basketball!

Jaren's Weapon's Sparring

Here is the link to Jaren's Weapon's sparring.  It would let me put it on fb, but not my blog.  He got second place in weapon's sparring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZyYSvaWQIg

Karate Do Tournament Point Sparring 2 Fall 2010

This is round one of the point sparring.

Karate Do Tournament 2010 point sparring

This is Jaren at a tournament last weekend. He won first place for point sparring (which is what this is).

MHTFA Champions

So, I have been negligent in my blogging as of late.  I had better get on it as life keeps on happening whether I am blogging about it or not!  So here goes!  Kayden's Pee-Wee football team won the city championship at the beginning of the month.  The boys were totally pumped about this!  Last year they went undefeated, and lost in the final.  This year, they weren't having any of that. They played hard and ended up being victorious.   They were a bit behind at the beginning of the game, but one of the players started to be super positive and got the rest of the team pumped and well, like I said, they ended the night the way they wanted to!

 It was so FUN to watch Kayden play this year.  He has grown so much as a player - it has been really cool to see this.  I hope that he continues to develop his talents in all the sports that he is interested in.  Tomorrow he finds out if he made the basketball team.  Keep your fingers crossed! :)

 A healthy body is something I often take for granted.  This pic is of my littlest one, Tyler.  He was the first to get the stomach flu at our house.  This was taken when he had zonked out on the floor in the hallway!  Next, it was Carter, then me.  Hopefully, the "flu" stops there.  It has got me thinking about how grateful I am to have a healthy body that allows me to do so much for myself and so much for my kids.  One of the boys asked me if I was feeling better yesterday and I said - yes, a lot, but not quite like myself.  He asked me if I EVER felt like myself.  I was pretty sure I knew what he meant.  I get a lot of headaches and my kids have heard me say that MANY many times.  I made sure that my little dude (it was Carter) knew that even though I do seem to have my fair share of head pain, I would take that over what many others have to live with.

So, here's to your health!  Celebrate!  Go drink some water and well, I would say exercise, but it's 11:30pm, which means I should be in bed.  Good night.

Halloween

Boys and girls of every age,

wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see,

this our town of Halloween...

Once a nerd, now a zombie.  A fierce (ok, so not so scary looking) vampire slayer, and yes, a furry little werewolf.  These were the scary things that lurked around our house for our Halloween carnival and trunk or treat at the church Saturday night.  We all had a blast.  Tyler, maybe had too much fun, and had to sit in the van cause he had the pukies (really though, there is a stomach flu going around and I'm sure that's what he had).  We had a great time and are so excited for next Halloween!

Tonight we are headed out to Grandma's for a spooky meal and a Halloween Classic that Lindsey and I watched as kids: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," (yes, the animated version)!

And poor Kayden!  I didn't get a picture of him.  He dressed up as a Jay Hawk fan.  The Jay Hawk is his school's mascot!  He looked cute!  OOPS, I mean cool.

The Latest Football Movie starring Kayden Halladay (#32)

Kayden has really come alive during football this year.  His team seemed to have a slow start, but once they got it together, WOW!  It is so much fun watching his team play.  They work well together and have really grown as players, thanks to their fabulous coaches, Bromley and Bray. 

Kayden plays slotback most of the time, but he also plays defense.  Right now, they are first place in the league and finals are next week.  Hopefully, they play like we know they can and finish the season off right!

More Fall Photos

Okay, so I caved.  I am not going to put individual pics in the Christmas card, so I thought I would post a few more of the boys, mostly individual ones.  Well, that is what I will do today, anyway!

I love taking pictures and wish I had (or made) more time to do it!  These are a few that I liked.  I love seeing how the boys change over the years.  I can hardly believe that Kayden is almost a teenager, is 5ft 3, and wears a size 9.5 shoe!  Ah!  Jaren is now in grade 5 and is having a good time (whether he realizes it, or not) with his new teacher.  Every day, he comes home and tells me all these things he has learned.  I love it!  Carter is adjusting to greade four and the heavier work load.  I think he would go back to grade 3 if he could - then he could avoid his weekly spelling assignments!  And, now for Tyler.  I truly think he has found a great teacher this year.  You know how sometimes a child and their teacher just click?  Well, I think this may be the year for Tyler.  Thank goodness for that!  He is happy and seems to be doing so much better than last year!  Hooray for Miss N!

Fall Photo Shoot

I love the fall!  For so many reasons.  It smells good, the air is cool, the colours are beautiful, and I get to do a photo shoot with my ever growing boys. 

Each year I think about the location for said photography session and each year, we find a great spot where the mom (me) can take pics, and the boys (as you see here) can explore and have fun.

Now let's just pretend that it is always that easy.  Ah...wouldn't that be nice.  Nope, there is a lot of yelling and scolding and saying stuff like, "chin down, look at the camera, look at me, smile, stop moving, get your finger out of your nose."  This year our poor little neighbour dude wanted to come with us.  I am afraid he saw me at my worst (he has since come back to play, so I guess I didn't scare him that badly).

Anyway, I am probably going to post a couple of the pics, cause I don't want to ruin the Christmas card surprise!  Yikes, did I say Christmas!?! Already!

APPLES, apples and MORE apples!

Look at these yummy things I was able to make out of my MIL's apples!  I made 5 apple pies, (as you can see from the first pic) and these three large bowls of apple sauce.  Some of the sauce I mixed with strawberries and bananas and either froze or made into leather, while the other portion I left plain (and did the same sauce/leather thing.

It was super easy making the apple sauce (the kids loved using the strainer.  In fact I did most of it while they weren't home and saved some cause I knew they would like it) and the cooking apples made my house smell DELICIOUS!

Thanks grama for all those apples!

The King has returned!

I just want to thank everyone for all your care and concern regarding our little king!  Kaiser is now home and doing pretty well.  He can now stand up on his own and even walk a couple of straggly steps.  He is starting to eat better and this morning, he growled when he heard the garbage truck (that is such a Kaiser thing to do).  We hope that soon he will be back to his regular old self - well, maybe less the annoying habits.  Ha!  Seriously though, we are very glad that he is going to be alright!  :)

Hooray!

So I spoke with the vet today and Kaiser is doing a lot better.  Yesterday, he wasn't doing very well and the vet suggested that maybe we could come for a visit.  So, Kayden and I ventured over there on the way to mutual.  Kaiser seemed happy to see us, but didn't really move around.  We sat and petted him for 20 minutes or so and then left.  Do you think it was our visit that was the cause of this sudden improvement?  I would like to think so!  I sure hope that the vet is right - that he will be able to come home Friday!

A Very Rough Day

This is Kaiser, our mini schnauzer.  He's got attitude, barks too much, and sometimes is a little crazy, but we love him.  Saturday, while Carter was taking him for a walk, he got off the leash and ran in front of a vehicle.  I had been out running Wrigley, our lab, and just returned when Carter came running down the street (crying) with a leash, but no Kaiser.  He told me that Kaiser had been hit by a car.  I jumped in the van, headed over to where they were walking, but by the time I went to pull out of the drive way, I saw two men walking down the street, one of them holding Kaiser.

It looked really bad.  Kaiser wasn't moving, and the guy holding him just said, "his heart is still beating."  Ugh.  So, after a quick call to the vet, we were off to the clinic.  Oh, back up a minute.  First of all, I made sure that Carter was okay, and that he realized that this wasn't his fault.  Poor little fella, he was feeling pretty darn sad.  Now, back to the vet.  Lindsey was at work, so Kayden stayed at home with the little boys and Jaren came with me to the vet. 

We found out that he was in shock, he had a lot of abdominal bruising, and that he couldn't move his back end.  The vet wasn't sure what was broken and told us that after he was medicated and treated for shock, they would do x-rays.  She then proceeded to give him an IV (this is when Jaren had to step out for a minute) and told us that she would let us know if anything changed, and sent us on our way. 

Sigh...now what?  What an awful feeling.  I couldn't even imagine if he was my child.  I felt so helpless.  I think I cried a little that day - okay maybe a lot.  So, Sunday morning,  they did x-rays and found out that he has a fractured pelvis. I guess these type of fractures can heal on their own, but the vet said he will need to stay there for a few days to make sure that all is well.  Phew.  What a sigh of relief.  The boys were so happy when we heard this news and frankly, so was I. 

If anything changes, I will let you know.  Thanks for listening.

thinking

Lately I have been thinking how quickly time flies.  Like, take for instance, this picture of my baby.  Well, he doesn't look like that anymore.  No more chubby cheeks and little brown curls (although his face still looks like that very often).  He is now six years old and a genuine first grader.  He loves coming home with a green apple - which means he had a good day.

 So, back to the reflecting.....I wonder if I truly appreciate and enjoy the stages that my boys go through.  I wonder if I enjoy my boys like I should or if I am too busy being busy.   I am pretty sure that I don't.  I have had some time to think lately and I know that something has got to change.  I don't want to just fly through life without enjoying anything.  I don't want to be at the end, wondering if I could have done more.

The other night, Lindsey asked me if I had any regrets.  I don't think I do (that is what I told him too).  But, I don't ever want to either.  I want to try my best and live my life in a way that I will never think, if only....

The Boys are Back (at School)!

Jaren is in Grade Five this year.  This is the first year that he hasn't been in the same class as his best bud Jaxon.  I think it will really be a big adjustment for him - but also think it could be a good thing.  We shall see!  Good luck in Grade 5 buddy!

Carter is in Grade 4 this year and he is following in his big brother's footsteps - yay, he got the same teacher that Kayden and Jaren both had.  That makes Carter (and me) very happy!  Yay for Grade four!

Group shot of all the elementary dudes!

Tyler is headed to grade one this year.  We are hoping that grade one will be a positive change for him.  Look out Miss N, here comes the youngest Halladay boy!  I hope you are ready!

Watch out world!  Here comes the newest junior high kid!  Yep, that's right, Kayden is in Grade 7 this year.  I can hardly believe it!  He is getting so old AND so big.  He is 5 ft 2 and his feet are size 9.5!  So far, he is loving the jr high experience - let's hope it stays that way for the rest of the year!  Yay for Kayden and jr high!

HAPPY birthday Jaren!

My sweet little Jaren - born on August 25, 2000, weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs 8 oz.

I LOVE this pic of my smiley happy baby boy!

Following in his big bro's footsteps?  Jaren was a curious, fun loving toddler.

My own little Bob the Builder.  Jaren absolutely loved anything to do with tools when he was younger.  You can see his tool belt in one of the next pics.

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. 

Love the face.  Love the tools.

Safety first.  Right Grampa?

Rockin out on a Sword?  I guess you just use what you can!

Happy birthday for sure!  Just look at that smile!

Jaren loved to (and still sometimes does) dress up.  Not just in regular costumes.  He would put all sorts of fun things together and create some type of magical character.  I love that about Jaren.

Batman with juice mustache.

Batman who is tuckered out and snuggling with Daddio.  Jaren loves to snuggle.

See!  He loves to dress up.

Happy Poke-birthday.  I think this was #8?

One fantastic creation built on a fabulous beach while camping.  Jaren loves camping and just being outside.

Oh yah, did I forget to mention that he likes guns?

Raspberry, anyone?

Surfing while camping last year.  Okay, maybe just floating.

I think this was one of the proudest moments of his life.  He loves karate!

My handsome 10 year old.  Wow, he has now hit the double digits.

I can hardly believe that my little J-ron is now 10 years old.  The time has passed so quickly.  He used to be just a little dude, but no longer.  He is getting so tall and thin and what a smart, fun, nice boy he is.  He has such  vivid imagination and I love to hear the stories he has to tell me.  He loves reading and playing outside and of course, karate.  He is a good friend and a good example to all those around him!  We love you so much Jaren and are so blessed to have you in our family!

U 14 Soccer

So I was trying to clean out my ever mounting, truly enormous, yahoo inbox, when I found Kayden's soccer team photo.  OOOPS!  Yep, they played their last game almost two months ago and here I am blogging now.  Better late than never, I suppose. 

This was Kayden's first year in U 14 and he was the youngest player on his team (as usual).  The season started a little rough for Kayden as he really didn't grasp his coach's style of coaching.  Once Lindsey sat down and talked to him - basically telling him that the coach wasn't picking on him, but that he was truly trying to help Kayden improve, things went a lot smoother.  Kayden improved a ton and his coach was super happy with his performance.  I even heard the word "superb" a few times (when referring to Kayden's moves on the field).  It just goes to show that when we seek first to understand, things go so much better!  Thanks Kayden (and Coach Seamus) for a great year of soccer.

Camping with Boys

I just love this picture.  This tree was right beside our trailer when we went camping a few weeks ago with the Cooks.  Now, just look at what  a great climbing opportunity this tree provides.  You can see that all 5 of these handsome little (and not so little) dudes enjoyed climbing this tree.  Well, guess when this was taken?  Right before we were ready to head out!  Yep, when we were all set to go, the boys decided that WOW, what great fun this tree can be!  So, we decided to capture some of the fun (and fabulous facial expressions) that these boys were having!  I also love how little Kolven looks compared to my ginormica boys!  Don't let that little body fool you though - he is full of personality! 

Floating Down the St Marys

Kayend and Jaren prepping to float down the St Mary's River

Tyler doing the mini ride down the river.  The first time, he just jumped on the tube and started floating - no concern for how/when he would get off.  After a short talk with Dad, he realized that he may need help on his floating adventure.

Tyler - post floating trip.  Tyler was very lucky that his super big bro Kayden waited for him to float down the river, caught him, then brought him to shore (not sure how many times).

Daddio (aka Lindsey) enjoying the cool river water.

Jaren and his dinghy mate having a blast.

Kayden and I (and a Cook family friend) enjoying the ride.

So, when we were camping with Shawn and Pam, we were fortunate enough to be able to float down the river on rafts, dinghies, or whatever we had available.  Shawn and his dad drove a big group of us up to the ranch house to begin our journey.  Lindsey and I were the adults in charge (scary thought) and there were about 6 kids with us.  The water was not very high, which was good and bad.  Good because it made it less scary, but bad because I scraped my feet.  A lot.  My purple toe nails were not so purple after.  In fact, they looked like I had taken a belt sander to them.  Anyway, FUN.  That is was!  It was relaxing and exciting and full of wonder.  Okay, maybe that was a little much.  Anyway, some of the kids were able to go for a second time too.  Not me.  I'm too old for that.
Thanks for making it such a great time Cooks!