The Fisher Family

Leah's Baptism

2011-12-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

On December 10, 2011 Leah was baptised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. It was a fantastic day, one that she had been anticipating all year long. It was perfect, everything that she had been hoping for.

Almost her entire family was there for the occasion, with the exception of the Ontario Hill cousins, we missed them terribly. The rest of the family made the trip to Spruce Grove/Edmonton from all over the province which meant so much to Leah. We also had friends from several corners of the city come to support her. Having all the family and friends there made the day even better.

Grandma and Nana gave the talks at the baptism and they were definately a highlight. We were so grateful for all of the time and thoughts that went into those talks. Some serious waterworks from this mom...thanks for that ;).

We are so proud of Leah and the girl that she has become. We feel honoured to be her parents and to be allowed to be a part of this journey with her. We love you Leah!

The Adventures of Peter Pan

2011-12-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

This week is Leah's 8th birthday, a very big day in our house. As most of you know, we take birthdays very seriously and like to go way out on our special day but when I asked Leah what she wanted for her birthday this year she simply replied "I don't need a party because I am getting baptised and that is present enough".

I was very impressed with her answer but I still felt the need to do something for her as a family so I bought her tickets to see the play Peter Pan. We didn't tell either of the kids where we were going, we just told them to dress up and get in the car. They were so excited!

When we got to the theatre they realized what they were going to see and they couldn't contain the excitement. Minutes later I looked over at Dillon and he turned a few shades of green, leaned over the garbage can and tossed his cookies. My heart sank, I felt terrible for him and for Leah, the play was supposed to start in 30 minutes and Dillon was sick. When I started to put his coat on him to take him home her immediately perked up and said he felt much better "let's got watch Peter fly!" So with a little hesitation we found our seats in the theatre. Five minutes before curtain Dillon leaned forward and threw up everywhere (my coat caught most of it). Patrick and Leah got to enjoy the play while I took my little sickie home. What an adventure.

Happy Early Birthday Leah!

Our New Home

2011-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

On August 21 our house finally sold and the buyer gave us 30 days to find and purchase a new house. Needless to say I was very stressed and starting to question my decision. Luckily, Karri and the girls came up for a couple of days to help me in my search. We toured several homes and were astounded at some of the things we saw. Some homes were immaculate and others were...well...unsanitary. Towards the end of the day I was a little discouraged. Then we stumbled onto this home, the one we fell in love with and eventually bought.

We have to be out of our house on September 26 and we don't take possession of the new one until October 15th so we will be homeless for a couple of weeks. Luckily, Patrick's boss has offered us his holiday trailer to saty in for those couple of weeks. What a blessing that is! I was not looking forward to the cardboard box on the side of the road, this is definately a step up. ;)
Once we are in our new home I hope to host lots of parties and celebrate lots of occasions. The first one will be Halloween and I can't wait!

Summer 2011...It's A Long One

2011-08-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

We have had a great summer so far and do not want to see it end. This summer has been full of fun, adventure and even learning some new things.

We have spent a great deal of time in the mountains. Patrick and I had the opportunity to go and explore the mountains twice just on our own while the kids got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa.

On one of our trips we hiked a mountain called Cirque Peak, one of our favorite hikes. Unfortunately conditions were not favorable to reach the peak this year but we got as close as we could. There is always next year and maybe we will bring the kids with us!

It is a tradition in our family climb a mountain every summer as a family. Patrick and I had selected a few that we thought the kids would be interested in doing but then when we stumbled onto Castle Mountain we decided that this was the one that we had to conquer.

Castle hike was 540m elevation gain in 3.7 km (one way). It was pretty straight up for the majority of the hike on a very narrow path on the side of the mountain. I was really proud of the kids for making it to the top with very little complaining, it wasn't an easy hike. The views were incredible all the way up, so worth the work. It always feels so good to achieve something great after working so hard!

At the top!

We hiked Cascade Falls...actually we climbed Cascade Falls.

We loved our time in the mountains and we loved camping in the mountains but the time had come to leave the mountains and go camping at Old MacDonald's Campground. There is definately a difference between camping in the mountains and camping at the beach. Patrick and I prefer the mountains for the peace and quiet and the nature while the kids prefer the beach for all the fun. Wow are we ever getting old! :)

We have also been very lucky to see all of our cousins this summer. The kids and I got to go down to Karri and Dave's for a week and spend time with cousins, we LOVED that! Parker and Matt are Dillon's heros. He wants to be just like them when he grows up and I can certainly see why. Parker taught him how to ride a two wheeler and Matt did everything with him including taking him down a waterslide on his shoulders. "He's the coolest" according to Dillon.

We also welcomed another cousin into our family this summer. Christy had a little boy, Jones Caddis Switzer on August 8th. This makes 13 cousins for the kids. YIPPEE! Congratulations Switzer family.

It has been a wonderful summer! We have two more weeks left and we are going to play hard right up to the very last minute!

Canada Day Weekend

2011-07-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day Everyone!

The kids and I went out to Spruce Grove to participate in their celebrations but unfortunately we didn't last very long because we brought Pepper with us and they don't take kindly to dogs in public places where they sell food. :( Oh well! We resorted to plan B and dropped Pepper off at Patrick's office and went out for lunch instead.

When we got home we decided to make a Canada Day cake.

The kids really wanted to make something special because Grandpa was coming up to help Patrick build a deck. You see, we have this huge piece of lawn right beside our current deck that died a couple of years ago and we have tried everything to rejuvenate it but nothing has worked so our last resort was to deck it. I am beside myself with excitement. You might ask 'why are you doing this now when you are moving?' Good question! Without a good answer I am afraid. I guess it just took us this long to come to our senses but now that we finally did, all I can say is YAY!

Grandpa (Ken) arrived around 7:30 and the men (Patrick, Ken and Dillon) worked until about 9:30 and then we decided to take the kids to the fireworks for their first time. It was a riot!

The next morning the men were up at the crack of dawn (ok maybe not that early) and at Home Depot picking up supplies for the deck. They worked all day long. Dillon insisted that he participate in everything that the men did. It was really fun to watch them all work together and build a masterpiece. They did an incredible job!

Before

During

After

At the end of the day we decided to celebrate with a wonderful BBQ on our new deck. I called Mark and Marie and baby Josh and invited them to come over for a steak dinner. We were so glad when they agreed to join us in our celebration. Dillon was especially happy to play with Josh!

It has been a great weekend and we are sure grateful to Ken who made the trip up here to help us build this beautiful deck. I am especially grateful to a wonderful husband who has put up with my whining about our 'ugly' backyard for so many months and has never complained once! (Out loud anyways) You did a fantastic job, thankyou!

Lemonade Stand

2011-05-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids decided that they really wanted to have a lemonade stand and sell both lemonade and cookies. So, we made signs that Leah posted all over the neighbourhood while Dillon and I set up a table on our front lawn. I only expected the kids to last for 1/2 an hour or so as there is very little traffic on our street but instead they sat out there all afternoon. They had an absolute riot and I have to admit I had a great time watching their entrepreneurial skills develop.

It's Spring...FINALLY!

2011-05-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

May has been such a fun month for us filled with so many great activities! We had a great Mother's Day, soccer is now in full swing and we even had a chance to see our cousins and Nana and Papa! So much has happened so I am blogging about it all in one post.

Before I get to all of that I wanted to post a picture of my latest cake. As many of you know I love to bake and decorate cakes for my family and friends. My girlfriend turned 35 and asked me to make her a spring themed cake and this is what I came up with.

Mother's Day
The kids have been so excited for Mother's day for the entire month of April so when it finally arrived they were stoked. Dillon's school put on a Mother's Day Tea where all the mom's were treated like queens for a day. It was a very special day in my life. Dillon painted a flower pot and planted the most beautiful flower and gave it to me at the party. He was so proud of his creation and in all honesty, so was I!

Soccer
Soccer started a little late this year as we were waiting for all the snow to melt but now that it has started we live and breathe soccer. We have games every Tuesday, Wednedsay and Thursday night.
Both Leah and Dillon have become quite the soccer players. Leah has really impressed us with her speed and agility and Dillon is such a go getter. We just love watching them play their games!

Family Visit
Last weekend we had the priviledge to travel down to Lethbridge to visit with Karri and Dave and family and see Nana and Papa. We had an incredible time! There is nothing like spending time with family! We got to watch the kids participate in races and play in games. The cousins have inspired our kids so much that they, too, now want to run a race of their own. So, when we returned to Edmonton I found a kids race and signed them up. They will be running a 1K in August all because of the examples of their cousins.
We were also able to be there when Parker played piano in church and see Matt be ordained a Teacher. What a fantasic weekend filled with fun, and great company! Thanks for everything, we look forward to the next time we are together!

Dirty Laundry

2011-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in the middle of helping Leah get her research report done and I noticed Dillon carrying a handful of dirty laundry out the back door. I was going to ask him what he was up to but instead I stood back and watched. I am sure glad I did because what followed really made me giggle.

He continued to carry load after load of laundry out the door and then he pulled the slide under the tree in our back yard. He climbed up the slide and very carefully he hung each piece of clothing. Then he came in the house and found his supersoaker and filled it with water. At this point I became very concerned so I decided I needed to intervene. When I asked him what he was planning, he just simply replied "Mom, you look like you need some help with your laundry so I decided to wash it for you!" I smiled and got out of his way as he proceeded to the backyard and supersoaked my laundry. What a good helper he is! ;)

It's Official!

2011-04-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Our house is officially up for sale! YIPPEE! Technically, it has been listed on Kijiji for 3 weeks but then we decided that it was probably a good a idea to list with Comfree. We had one showing after listing with Kijiji so I am hoping that we will get a little more exposure on Comfree.

I am just so excited at the prospect of moving! I love our home but I am ready for something new; a new neighbourhood, new ward, new friends etc. I love change and I am ready to move on.

We are hoping to move to a small town just outside of the city called Spruce Grove. Patrick works there so it will be very convenient for him and that also means that he will be home sooner. YAY!

Needless to say I have been spending every evening on the internet searching the mls/comfree sites looking for that 'perfect' home. It is truly outrageous how little house $350 000 can buy you now. Sad really! I just keep praying that that 'one' house will pop up.

I am just so excited that we are finally moving on. When we moved in, Patrick promised me that we wouldn't be here any more than 10 years. Well, it has been 8 years next month so I guess he held up his end of the bargain. ;)

It has been a great home and I will miss it but boy I hope it sells! :)

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Easter and not only because a big fuzzy bunny that allegedly comes and hides candy all around my house when I am sleeping but because it is a time of gratitute for my Savior. I love knowing that the Savior gave his life for me, for us, because he loved us! I know that he died for us so we could live again and I know that he is risen and lives now! I am so grateful for that knowledge.

This Easter our family decided to celebrate by staying in Edmonton and have a quiet holiday. Unfortunately because Edmonton still looks like this...

we couldn't really have an easter egg hunt in our back yard so on Friday we went to a place called Prairie Gardens and had an Easter celebration. There we had an Easter egg hunt in a greenhouse with face painting and crafts and an outdoor petting zoo. The kids had a ball.

Aside from the yucky, snowy/mucky conditions it was a fantastic Friday afternoon and the first of five Easter egg hunts for the kids.

Sunday afternoon Patrick's parents decided to come up and spend Easter dinner with us which was a good thing because the kids and I made too many Easter cupcakes to eat all by ourselves!

(The orange balls on top are supposed to be carrot tops coming out of the top of the garden. We had a couple of mishaps but I thought they still turned out pretty good.)
It has been a great weekend but it sure makes us realize how much we miss all of our family that is spread out all over this country. We sure miss all of you and love you! HAPPY EASTER!

Zumba

2011-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend I received my Zumba certification. This means I can now teach Zumba classes. I am very excited about teaching these classes as it is one of the fastest growing fitness sensations in the world.

For those of you who do not know what Zumba is, it is the Latin inspired dance fitness class that incorporates Latin and international music and dance movements creating an incredible workout that is more of a party than a workout.

I have attended many classes and have really enjoyed them but decided that it was time to broaden my fitness horizons and get my certification. It will take me some time to make sure I don`t confuse the Merengue for the Salsa and that I don`t Cumbia when I should be doing the Reggaeton. But I am sure in time it will all come together and I look forward to partying Latin style. Question is, are you ready to join me?

Rockin' Out

2011-04-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is what Dillon does in his spare time. I think he's got some serious talent!!

Bunny Buns

2011-04-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

In the March issue of the Friend there was a recipe for Bunny Buns so Leah decided that she wanted to make them as our snack for Conference. Leah gets to be on snack duty during Conference so she was excited to make something different this year. Patrick and Leah spent most of Saturday morning making them and then the rest of the weekend devouring them. I think they turned out pretty good!!!

Big Blue Limo

2011-04-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Due to a four inch nail we were rendered carless for a couple of days.

So...the kids and I decided that rather than hanging out in the house, we would have an adventure on the city bus for the day. Dillon was especially excited about riding the bus as he doesn't remember doing it day in and day out when he was a baby. I was just grateful that it was a somewhat warm and sunny day.

First, we had to go to the gym so I could teach my kickboxing class and then we were off to buy Easter supplies.

We had a lot of fun on our adventure but it sure makes me thankful that I have my license back and that I have a wonderful car to drive. It is fun to do once in a while but let's not make it a habit! ;)

A Great Reunion

2011-03-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Upon returning to the great white north that we call home, we were very excited to be reunited with our dog Pepper. Patrick's parents were kind enough to babysit him while we were gone so we had to make another trip out of town to go and pick him up.
Right after Patrick returned home from work on Friday, we all jumped in the car and headed down to Innisfail. We were so excited to him again (Grandma and Grandpa too of course). I think Patrick was the most excited to see his puppy. In fact, I almost got booted out of bed by our furry little friend. Good thing I love him too! ;)
We are so happy to be back together again. Thanks Ken and Deb for taking such good care of him!

Cool Runnings

2011-03-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

I can finally relate to how the Jamacains felt when they got off the plane in Calgary for the 1988 Olympics.

When we got off the plane last night to all that fresh snow and wind and cold temperatures, I thought we were going to die. After being in weather that never got lower than 25 degrees Celcius it was devastating to come home to all that snow. I looked at Patrick and he looked at me and we both sighed.

Don't get me wrong, we are happy to be home but we sure miss the warm weather, the family time and all the adventure that Florida provided! One of the things that I missed the most this morning was the birds chirping outside my window. (Couple more weeks, right?!?!?!)

Yes it is cold but at least it is fairly mild and it is even supposed to be above zero by the weekend. It's no +25 but it is way better than -25.

The last day ... Wahhh, we don't want to go home

2011-03-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

We could not find face painting in Disney's Magic Kingdom, so we had to make a trip back to downtown Disney to fix up a broken-hearted Dillon. So we dressed Leah back up in her princess dress and headed off to find some face painting and generally just enjoy our last full day of Florida weather before we head back to the frozen north. We may just miss our plane ... by accident of course.

The kids got some hats yesterday, now it was time for the adults to let their inner kids out and play dress-up. We all claimed to be preparing for Halloween. Whatever excuse you need.

The good,

the bad,

and the happy.

We saw a sky writer. Leah was very impressed with the message. We do not see this in Alberta, winter is too cold, summer is too windy.

Lunch time at the T-Rex cafe. The only question is who is doing the eating.

Guess where the kids went after that. Yup, you guessed it! Straight to the pool.

Uncle Peter made a fantastic supper for us and inspired Dillon to be a chef when he grows up. He decided to start now and Uncle Peter just kept handing him whatever he asked for...bread, yogurt, oranges, mushed bananas and then put it in the oven for him.

Then Dillon wanted everyone who finished their dinner to have some. Dang, I should have left some in the bottom of my bowl. Come on Kim, mom up and try some :)

Much to our collective relief, it actually turned out to be quite tasty. He may have some potential as a chef.

We will sure miss Florida and our wonderful hosts. One week is just too short. We have really enjoyed getting to know some relatives that we have not had a chance to spend much time with. Leah and Dillon could not have picked them out of a lineup before this vacation and now I think that Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter are contenders for the coveted favorite Aunt/Uncle title. We need to do this much more often. Maybe next year?!

We Survived Disney and LOVED it!

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

When Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter decided not to join us at Disney World I thought I saw fear in their eyes, but didn't really think too much of it. That is until we waited in line for over an hour to get a picture with Ariel. I do not think I have ever seen that many people in one place before. We had a great time in spite of the crowds. I really want to thank the guy that invented the fast pass, it made the experience quite enjoyable. It is not only a big time saver, but it is also quite satisfying to skip past the masses of people in line. With Patrick running around the park gathering fast passes we were able to avoid lines almost entirely and Patrick honed his skills of running through a crowd. Overall we had a fantastic day.

This was first thing in the morning before the place started to get crowded.

While waiting for our Buzz Lightyear fast pass to kick in we decided to hit the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. The kids and Kim made it on the screen and we learned quite a bit. Did you know that the capital of Canada is `C`?

We lucked into a short character line with Stitch.

Finally time for the first ride. They were pumped.

Then off to Philharmagic. This was one of the highlights of the day.

This was what Dillon thought of the Pirates of the Carribean.

Leah was a little less enthused about the idea but she was brave and enjoyed it in the end.

We stumbled on the dance party in the street.

Waiting in line for Ariel we met some new friends.

Apparently we need to let Leah watch the Little Mermaid again. Ariel made a comment about letting Leah borrow her dinglehopper. Eric had to explain what a dinglehopper was.

The parade was another highlight. We decided to brave the sun rather than the people. The other side of the street had shade, but it was packed. Leah was very excited about the princess float, as you can see.

And the mandatory hats. We should have bought these earlier, they made tracking the kids much easier.

We finished the day with a nice ride around the park on the steam train.

Again I must finish with the credits. Thank you Uncle Peter and Aunt Heather for making our dreams come true!

A Quiet Sunday in Orlando

2011-03-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

It was a good thing that Sunday came in the middle of our vacation. We really needed a day of rest after the busy introduction to Orlando that Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter gave us. We were having some trouble keeping up with them and Sunday was a good excuse to slow down and catch our breath. We started off with a nice walk (without winter coats).

Uncle Peter helped Leah with her collection. She is determined to collect one memorable thing from each day.

We decided that a trip to see the temple would be a nice way to spend Sunday morning.

They had some trouble deciding who was going to kiss who's cheek and we almost wound up with a very funny picture.

Orange trees are a bit less common in Edmonton and one of Leah's main goals of this trip was to see a real orange tree.

Then we spent the afternoon in the pool. As mentioned earlier, we had some trouble keeping up with Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter, you will notice that Patrick is not in these pictures. He needed a nap :)

Leah tried to keep up with Uncle Peter in making a big splash.

I think she lost.

One Fiss and two Fisher's. Perfect Picture!!

Thanks again to our wonderful hosts for another great day in the sun.

Sea World

2011-03-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Day three was another one full of adventure! We woke up bright and early and hit the road en route to Sea World. We arrived just as the gates opened so we didn't have to fight the crowds.

Leah has been looking forward to seeing the dolphins for weeks so that was the first place that we decided to check out. On our way to the dolphins some of us got to give high five to and feed the sting rays. When we reached the dolphins, Leah was hooked so we bought her a ticket to feed them. She was given a carton of fish and she had the opportunity to feel the dolphins while she fed them.. She was in heaven! After she was done feeding them, one of them jumped up and splashed us...absolutely soaking us. I guess that was his way of saying thank you!

After we fed the dolphins, we went and watched the dolphin show. It was probably one of the most amazing shows that we have ever seen! The trainers were fantastic and the animals were out of this world! It was outstanding! Leah was determined to get wet so we sat front and center and just like the signs promised we got soaked!

Then off to see Shamu...

Then off to the sea lions, otters and walruses...

We had an INCREDIBLE time! Sea World is so much fun! Thanks so much for taking us Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter! You Rock!

It's Beach Day!

2011-03-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

On day two we went out to Madeira Beach on the Gulf side. We were so excited to go and swim in the ocean and play on the white, sandy beaches.

The beach was everything we had hoped for and so much more. We had an absolute riot.

After the beach we got ice cream and took a walk on the pier. We saw the boats, and the pelicans and even a real pirate ship! It was amazing! On our way back to the car we saw a sign that said we could feed the alligators so of course we had to explore. The kids both got to train some alligators and feed them their lunch. That was definitely one of their highlights.

Orlando!!!!

2011-03-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived in the land of Orlando, Florida and we are having a ball! Just to give you an idea of how much fun we have had in the last two days I have taken approximately 150 pictures. I figured I better start blogging during the vacation just so I don't miss anything!

Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter have been excellent hosts, they have ensured that we have had the most fun and seen the best sights! We are so appreciative to their hospitality and their kindness, we could not have done this trip without them!

Day one was full of adventure as we went to Downtown Disney and checked out all of the sights. we saw everything from a lego sea serpent to a water spitting Stitch to huge moving dinosaurs. We were fascinated with our surrondings!

We went out to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe with Uncle Peter and Aunt Heather and we were lucky enough to meet up with Cassandra and Scott and their family who were also vacationing down in Orlando.

After the Rainforest Cafe, Aunt Heather and Uncle Peter had booked an appointment for Leah to be dressed up like a princess at the Bippity-Boppity-Boo Boutique. Leah was so excited! She had so much fun and she looked so cute!

Dillon decided to get in on the action so he got his face painted like a dragon. Once he got it painted he convinced Patrick to do the same.

Day one was amazing and day two has been just as good (I'll blog about that tomorrow). We are having so much fun that I don't think we are going to make that plane next week!

Little Miracles

2011-03-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

This week, five years ago was a pretty monumentous time in our home. A little miracle was born. His name was Dillon Patrick. He was born at 6:35 pm on March 16th, 5 weeks premature weighing 5 pounds 3 ounces.

It was a very difficult pregnancy full of ups and downs and much drama but as my mother in law puts it, it wouldn't be a Kim story if it didn't have drama. I anxiously awaited his arrival from the comfort of a hospital bed for 8 weeks and spent 8 weeks prior to that on bed rest. After a very eventful day he was born without too much concern.

We felt very blessed to have a healthy baby after all of the difficulties of pregnancy. Dillon had to endure my multiple seizures, toxic amount of medications to control the seizures, multiple bleeds due to placenta previa and according to an amnio his lungs were really immature so he would be unable to breathe on his own if he was born on March 16th. As it turns out he was born screaming which meant his lunges were at full capacity. He was only put on a CPAP machine for a half an hour to ensure he was breathing correctly. He was admitted into the NICU for 14 days as he was very sedated from all the medications from the pregnancy so he wasn't eating and he dropped to 4 pounds 8 ounces. He was finally released back as birth weight.

We feel very blessed to have him in our lives! He has always been such a good boy, he is a good sleeper, good eater, good listener and really good at getting into mischief! Everytime he does something really destructive like dump 10 gallons of fishtank water (saltwater) on my carpet and leather couches, I just keep telling myself 'he is my little miracle and I love him!'.

I love that kid! In fact it brings me to tears to think what would have happened if he would not have come into our family. So many things could have gone wrong but they didn't, how blessed we are!

Here are a few photos over the years of our little miracle.

Happy 5th Birthday Little Man! We Love You!

Now we are off to Disney to celebrate!

Date Day

2011-03-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Patrick and I have made it a goal to have individual dates with our kids. So this week was Patrick's turn to take Dillon and my turn to spend time with Leah.

I was given passes to a private screening of 'Mars Needs Moms' from a regular participant of one of my fitness classes. Leah doesn't like the big theatre with the 'scary' dragon so the passes went to Dillon and Patrick for their date. Leah and I decided to take a trip to Micheal's and pick up some craft items and spend the morning being creative.

Patrick and Dillon returning from the movie. They were all smiles! It is pretty cool getting to see a movie before it has even been released.

Leah and I made lip gloss together. We picked flavours, made the lip gloss and then decorated the containers. We had a ton of fun.

Parent/child dates are so much fun and a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Cake Decorating Class

2011-03-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

The Relief Society president in my ward at church contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to teach a cake decorating class one night. Of course I agreed. I was thrilled that they asked me to share my knowledge.

We have been going through a bit of a cold spell here in Edmonton.The night of the class was an especially chilly one so I thought that it would be a good idea to decorate a spring themed cake to try and lift our spirits. We had a great time and the ladies did a great job!

Bad Luck Comes in Threes - I Hope

2011-02-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

This week has been full of adventure! Even though most of it has been bad luck we have been pretty blessed because it could have been worse!

First of all, last week I was preparing dinner for our company and our stove/oven blew up while I was cooking the meat. Everyone was expected to arrive in less than an hour and I had a pan full of uncooked meat and nothing to cook it with. Thank goodness for a calm husband who saved the day by suggesting the microwave and the crockpot for a fantastic taco soup. Everything worked out perfectly.

Yesterday, I was boiling an egg before church. While I was taking it out of the pot of water it fell back into the water splashing me, scalding my arm and burning me quite badly.

Finally, today Patrick was headed to work on site just outside of Edmonton and because of the treacherous road conditions he was in a pretty serious car accicent. Luckily no one was hurt but the other car was a complete write off with over $20, 000 in damage.

I look back on all three of these events and I can see many blessings in the things that have happened. We were blessed to find a 'new to us' stove for a reasonable price that was a step up from my old stove, my burn could have been way worse than it was and Patrick was driving the work truck and not our car which may have saved his life. How blessed we are! I am so grateful to have a Heavenly Father who loves us and is always looking out for us.

Just a Hobby

2011-02-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago I decided to get into cake decorating just for fun. I have always loved making cakes for my kids birthdays but I wanted to learn some of the more challenging techniques. So I decided to do some research and learn the craft of cake decorating.

After many hours of experimentation I have learned a lot and really enjoy myself. My family even enjoys helping me wherever they can.

Last week a friend asked me to make her a cake for her daughter's 2nd birthday. She wanted something that had a safari theme but pretty much let me take creative licence in designing the cake. This is what I came up with.

Keeping up with the Arts

2011-02-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

When we decided to homeschool Leah I knew it would be challenging to keep the arts alive in our curriculum. She came from a performing arts school so I wanted to continue to educate her at the same level that she had been learning at with her school. But lets be honest, I am not the most artistic person in the world. Even my stick people need help. I am probably the least crafty person I know and as for my musical talents...well I can't really say too much about those either. I can remember fighting my mom every day on the way to piano lessons as a kid. I hated them! I played flute as a teen and I continue to play my flute whenever my husband dusts it off so I have a basic understanding of music but I am definately not a natural talent. Thank goodness I have such a wonderful mother who knows my strengths and weaknesses and urged me to get Leah into lessons. She also bought Leah a keyboard on her last visit. Now she has begun taking lessons from a real expert (not me!) and she is loving it! Thanks mom! (Notice Dillon singing in the background. These kids definately have McKee genes!)

We also study a different artist every Friday and then recreate his painting. Last Friday we learned about a famous Russian artist named Kandinsky. He was the first artist to create abstract art. We learned about different colours and how they work together and how they make you feel. This is Leah interpretation of Kandinsky's piece.

This is Kandinsky's painting. I think Leah did a pretty good job. Dillon did one too but unfortunately his ended up in the garbage as do most of his things. He is kind of going through a destructive phase as I am sure you have figured out from my other posts!

Seafood Tonight?!

2011-01-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Whenever we go to Costco we are always tempted by the king crab legs in the seafood section but we never buy them as they are not a necessary item. However, on our last trip we decided to splurge and get a couple of legs.

It took quite some time to convince the kids to eat the crab legs but once they did they were sold.

Craft Time Gone Wrong

2011-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

Dillon made the cutest pipecleaner carrots in his playschool the other day while learning about healthy food choices. He was so proud of his carrot...for about 10 minutes.
While I was busy teaching Leah a math lesson he was destroying his new creation downstairs in the basement. All of a sudden I heard frantic footsteps and a little cry and I knew there was trouble. Dillon proceeded to tell me that he had taken one of the googly eyes and shoved it in his ear. Why he did that, I'll never know. I guess boys will be boys. I looked in his ear and could barely see the edge of it. My first inclination was to get my tweezers and try to pull it out but on reinspection I knew it was too deep and I would do more damage than good. So I did the next best thing, I called Patrick.
He told me to bring him in to the office and he will take a look. I drove him out to Spruce Grove and Patrick put him under the lit microscrope and used his special tweezers and pulled the googly eye right out.
I was sure grateful that I had an engineer in the family with all kinds of tools to save me from the torture of a 4 hour stay in the emergency room. Way to go Patrick!
As for Dillon, no more googly eyes for him!

Leap of Faith

2011-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

For the past year I have had a nagging voice telling me that I should consider homeschooling Leah but I had always believed strongly that homeschooling was not for me and I would never be very good at it. I had dismissed the idea as quickly as it came. Unfortunately the idea had not dismissed me. Last summer I had this horrible sensation in my stomache that was urging me to consider it more fully. Still I was not ready to be one of `those` parents. So I told myself that I would put her in school in the fall and if things went well then my concerns would be put to rest. Well, September was...how shall I say...dreadful! I knew homeschooling was the answer to my prayer but I was not yet ready to accept it. I was terrified and not in the least bit prepared to take on that responsibility. I just kept telling myself that things had to get better. So I started volunteering in the school and helping out wherever I could but nothing seemed to be working. By December we were at our wits end and I knew something had to be done. Patrick and I made a promise that if Leah was at peace over the holidays and there was happiness in her eyes again, I would pull her out of school in the New Year. That is exactly what happened so I pulled her. I was terrified but it is without a doubt the BEST decision that we have ever made for our family. Leah is so happy and doing so well. Infact I am even having fun! As it turns out I am one of those parents, who knew. I guess the Lord really did know what this little family needed He was just waiting for me to follow his promptings. Next time I won`t wait so long!

You know you are having a bad day when...

2010-12-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

you spend six hours making a beautiful cake for your daughter's birthday and then this happens.

I cried and laughed and then I dropped to my knees and began cleaning up the mess. Leah was mortified when she saw her cake on the floor. Her first reaction was to run to her room screaming and crying while Dillon and I cleaned up the mess but within minutes she on her knees hugging me telling me how sorry she was and how awful she felt for me. I was really proud of her, what maturity that showed for her to recognize my feelings in this situation. She really is growing up to be a great little girl!!!

I spent the following day working on birthday cake version 2.0. I think it turned out better than the first (thank goodness). Now the hope is that it will survive until the day of the party. Only 24 hours left, so far things are looking good. Lets hope they continue!

How Much Sugar?

2010-11-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had an early birthday party for Leah with Grandma and Grandpa Fisher before they headed down to Arizona for the winter. Leah didn't want a cake at this party because she knew she was getting a big cake at her friend party and she didn't want to over do it. So Grandma and Grandpa got creative and came up with the idea of 'bobbing for gummy bears' for dessert instead. Leah loved it but our very health conscious daughter was very concerned about how much sugar there was in the dessert.

Fall Fitness Jam

2010-11-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love to do is teach classes at the gym. I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to teach a variety of classes like cardio kickbox, BOSU, Max, Maxed Out, Cross Training and a variety of other classes. In October our gym put on a Fall Fitness Jam where a number of instructors had 15 minutes to teach a segment from one of their classes. The jam went on for 2 hours and had over 60 participants. Even though I was still recovering from a broken ankle I was able to participate. We were exhausted by the end but we had a fantastic time!

Unfortunately Patrick doesn't get to see me teach very often so when we do fitness jams on Saturdays he likes to come and participate whenever he can. I love having him there to support me but on this particular day I decided to use him to my advantage. I was teaching a kickboxing segment and seeing as he is an amazing kickboxer in phenomenal shape, I decided to call him up in front to show off his skills. I think I surprised him a bit but he was a good sport...what a great guy he is!

Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

It is definately one of my favorite times of the year! I love getting dressed up, I love getting costumes for my kids, I love making Halloween bake goods and I love going to costume parties! We sure went all out this year and had a blast doing it!

The kids and I started our baking a couple weeks early so we would be all practiced up for the big week. We baked some sugar cookies and with the help of Patrick we made some Halloween designs on top. We ate a few and then sent the rest into work with Patrick so we wouldn't ruin our Halloween appetite all at once.

We didn't stop at cookies. We made chocolate witch fingers on pretzles for the kids to take into their classrooms. We baked and decorated a couple of cakes for some special occasions that were both happening on Halloween weekend. Lucky for me my good friend made me an apron for my birthday. It came just in time!

One of my favorite parts of being a parent is getting to share in the activities of my children. I love going to their sporting activities, church activities and school activities including their parties. Of course Halloween is one of my favorites. So on Friday morning I went to Dillon's party at his school and then in the afternoon we went to Leah's school for her party. Leah's whole school participated in a choreographed dance to Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller'. She was fantastic! Everyone was all dressed up and looked so cool. What fun it is to celebrate with your children!

After the school parties were over we rushed home to get ready for 'An Evening of Murder' at the Fisher house. I had always wanted to host a murder mystery party so I figured this was going to be the year. I invited a few couples over including Mark and Marie and we spent the evening trying to figure out who killed Victoria Lester. We had a ton of fun. I have to say Marie stole the show, I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. Thanks Marie, you were a great addition to our cast! (So were you Mark!)

On Saturday the three wards that meet in our building combined together to have a trunk or treat. This is the first trunk or treat that I have ever been to and it was a HUGE success. There were a ton of people. We even ran into Mark and Marie. Their costumes were fantastic! We had a wonderful time together. I brought one of my best friends from the gym and her daughter with me. They seemed to think it was a pretty cool idea. Dillon was having a bit of a hard time coming to terms with the idea of trick or treating from car to car but once he learned that he was still getting candy he didn't seem to care where he was getting it from just as long as he was getting it. Gotta love him!

I sure love Halloween but I have to admit between all the baking, cleaning, costuming and planning I am exhausted. That might be partially due to the sugar coma that I am currently in but that is beside the point! Like I said earlier, I sure do love Halloween but I am glad it is over for this year. Next year will be just as much fun...if not more!!

I Can Ride a Two-Wheeler!!!

2010-07-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Leah came into the house today and asked Patrick to take the training wheels off of her bike because she was a big enough girl to ride a two-wheeler. At first Patrick thought that she would try it once and then give up and want the training wheels back on but she jumped right on and took off like a pro! She was riding up and down the road and turning on her own in no time. I couldn't believe it! WAY TO GO LEAH!

Nana & Papa Came To Town!!!

2010-07-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Nana and Papa took the train from Toronto to Edmonton to come for a visit. We were all so excited to see them for a couple of weeks. We tried to squeeze in as many fun activities as we could in the short time that they were here. We took them to Fort Edmonton Park, West Edmonton Mall, the Legislature Grounds and many more. Nana and Papa took some time to join us as we watched Leah and Dillon play their final soccer games of the season. The kids were so excited to have them their to support them. Mark travelled in from Saskatoon to visit with us all as well. One weekend we travelled to Lethbridge to be with Hannah for her baptism. We really enjoyed our time with Nana and Papa and look forward to the next time we can see them!

Family Photos - It's About Time!

2010-05-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Last week our family got our pictures taken by a friend of mine from the gym. We spent the entire week getting ready for the pictures, new haircuts/styles for everyone and new outfits. We were pretty excited until we realized the forecast for the day was only 5 degrees. Normally that wouldn't have mattered too much but our location was outdoors without anywhere to go to warm up. For anyone that knows me knows that I really dislike being cold so having to smile pretty when I am cold is not my strong suit. Patrick decided that getting a root canal would be more fun than getting pictures with a cold miserable wife and cold grumpy children. Amazingly enough we proved him wrong! It turned out to be a great experience, chilly, but great. We were all troopers and the pictures turned out pretty good. Thanks Julie!!

Spring Break Means Work Harder

2010-04-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Last week was Spring Break for us and I must admit I was a little afraid at the prospect of having 9 days with both my kids at home all day with 'nothing' to do. But as it turned out we had an incredible break I just had to work a little harder both at home and professionally.
I decided to make the most of our time together so the kids and I repainted Leah's room...what an adventure that turned out to be. I think we ended up with more paint on us then the walls did and Dillon's hair now has a permanent pink streak down the side of his head but we sure had fun and the kids learned how to paint. It may not be the perfect paint job but we created some wonderful memories. (I will have to touch up the room when the kids are out of town at Grandma's next time).
Leah and Dillon had to come to the gym with me multiple times throughout the break. As many of you already know I teach between 3-4 fitness classes per week but over Spring Break many of my colleagues are out of town so I had the 'opportunity' to teach all of their classes as well. I taught one class called Maxed Out, it is a really high intensity strength class that is really intimidating because there are around 50 participants that attend. I was really nervous but it went really well, aside from the fact that I couldn't walk for the next two days. It was nice having the kids with me especially because they were happy to come.
To reward the kids for their hard work at home and with me at the gym I drove them to meet Grandma and they stayed with her for a couple of days where I am sure they got all the spoiling they deserved.
It was a great Spring Break and I am sad that it is over but now I know what to look forward to once summer comes!

Easter

2010-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Oh how our family loves to celebrate the holidays! Mostly because Patrick is home with us but really any excuse to have fun works for us. Patrick and I are not big believers in the Easter Bunny but we still think it is important to have a little bit of fun while focusing on the real reason for the season. So instead of having a big easter egg hunt Sunday morning we sent them on a treasure hunt with clues planted in hollow eggs hidden all over the house and yard on Saturday. At the end of the hunt they found bikes hidden in their rooms. They were so excited!

Since they found their bikes we have been on multiple bike rides, as many as 4 bike rides per day. I thought that having both the kids on bikes would make our walks more enjoyable because we could pick up our speed a little bit but I did not expect to be sprinting down the street after my kids. Patrick and I have decided that dropping these last five pounds will not be a problem with all this increased running that we have been doing.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend visiting with family, riding our bikes, eating too much chocolate, listening to conference and just spending time together. I hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Kim

Robert Munsch

2010-04-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Leah's class has been studying Robert Munsch in her grade one class. The day they read "Stephanie's Ponytail" Leah's teacher asked all the students to come to school with crazy hair. Leah was very excited to let her hair go wild instead of trying to tame it. Surprisingly, it took us a lot less time to do her hair that morning than it normally does.

2009-11-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

So I have finally succumbed to peer pressure and decided to start a family blog. So here goes...last week was my birthday week and Halloween which means it was celebration time in the Fisher home. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE birthdays and I LOVE Halloween. So the fact that I get two events in one week means one big party! First came my birthday and we decided that instead of a traditional birthday celebration we would work to replace all the flooring on the main floor as my birthday present. I was thrilled! I have been wanting this for about 6 years now so this was a real treat for me! Patrick and I worked really hard and finished the floors on my birthday with the exception of a couple of baseboards (which are completed now). I was so happy, what a talented husband I have.

We had to do the floors in three stages. The last stage was the most difficult because it involved moving the fishtank. As you can see it was a messy job. We stored the contents of the tank in the bathroom and the rest of the tank remained in the hallway.

This is our dining area. We got pretty creative at meal time. Let's just say we ate out a time or two.

Leah enjoyed 'helping' her daddy work on the floors whenever she could.

Finished product!!!

Halloween!!!! Leah dressed up as Tinker Bell and Dillon dressed up at a Veterinarian. They were so excited to go out trick or treating this year. I wish I had it on video, it was the cutest thing. It is for moments like these that I remember why I love being a mom. Patrick and I joined in the festivities and dressed up as well. Patrick went as a gangster and I as Smurfette. (I dressed up as a beat up kickboxer for my kickboxing class but figured I would be too cold to trick or treat in shorts).

This is the Halloween cake that I made for a party the our family went to. It was so fun! I got the cake pans from a party store that I am absolutely in love with. I pratically live there.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and stayed healthy and warm!

Love the Fisher's