Leap of Faith

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...

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?

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

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!!!

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!!!

 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!!!

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!