The Slipps

The Man In The Mirror

2011-02-10T14:51:00.002-04:00

Last night Pete was holding Hudson in front of the mirror. At first Hudson was a bit confused but then he was lovin' it!

Ava's First Skating Badge

2011-02-07T20:01:00.003-04:00

Ava recently received her first skating badge from Canskate. The crazy thing is, is her coach is the same coach I had back when I was 5-13 years old in figure skating and also gave me my skating badges! She's come a long way since starting back in October. She now gets to practice for the ice show that will be on April 3rd. I remember loving to skate in those shows!

And so it begins...

2011-01-21T11:16:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday Ava and Leah decided they wanted to play Princess. Off to the closet they went to get their attire. When they came out to the living room they saw Hudson and Ava said "what about Hudson? He needs something!" Out she came with a tutu for him! Ha! I first told her he wouldn't want to wear it and she insisted he put it on. So I played along and got the camera for the first of many, many, many dress up times with his sisters! A tutu and magic wand...I smell photos to be brought out at his wedding! ha! Poor guy!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T22:14:00.004-04:00

We had a blast this Christmas with Ava finally at an age where the excitement fills the room and makes Christmas, Christmas. Leah is at an age where she likes to copy Ava so Leah showed the same enthusiasm though sometimes not really knowing what she's so excited about! Hudson took Christmas in hangin' out and snuggling in my arms for the most part. Here are some pics from the Christmas Eve and the big day! Santa did find us but I have to say that Leah got a shirt from her Aunt Patty that said "Santa's got nothing on Grandma" I'd have to say this is true in our case...Nanny & Grampy sure do spoil us!

Hudson McKay Peter Slipp

2010-12-30T16:48:00.003-04:00

A week overdue (Nov 8th was the due date). Sunday November 14th at 8:10pm Hudson arrived safe and sound after being induced(with some drama...his left shoulder got stuck on his way out and called shoulder dystocia and the wonderful Dr. Mullaly did her thing and got him out quickly. He weighed 9lbs 12oz and has his 2 big sisters completely in love with him as do his Mom & Dad. He will be 7 weeks on Sunday and has been a wonderful baby. Here are some pics from his Birth day.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T14:18:00.003-04:00

The girls and Pete went trick or treating while I stayed back and gave out the candy. Leah loved her bumblebee costume and continues to want to wear it just playing around the house. Not sure if I can pack it away just yet. Ava picked out her Princess costume this year. It wasn't the most practical trick or treating costume but after some pinning up and turtlenecks and undershirts underneath she was good to go. She was pretty happy with the loot she got! Leah kept up with her sister going house to house for our entire street.

Ava's Halloween Party at Junior Kindergarten

2010-11-02T14:13:00.003-04:00

Dancing with her friend Rania.

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-02T14:03:00.002-04:00

Tiny Dancer

2010-11-02T13:58:00.002-04:00

Ava started Dance class a month ago and it's every Saturday morning. She loves to dance!

Skating!

2010-11-02T13:49:00.003-04:00

Giving us the thumbs up!

Learning to get up the correct way.

Ava started skating lessons 3 weeks ago at the Willie O'ree Place and it's amazing how each week she and the other kids have improved. Ava loves it!

Leah's Home Photo Shoot

2010-10-19T09:51:00.002-04:00

A few Saturday's ago I attempted to take Leah for a photo session at the Superstore and she didn't react well to the whole thing. As soon as we walked in to the room she cried like I have never heard her cry and didn't let up until we left. So we got home and I took pictures of her when we got home. Not sure when I'll attempt another session! Maybe I'll have to have big sis in on the shoot to show her it's A-Ok!

Fishin'

2010-09-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

This summer we spent almost every weekend at Skiff Lake. Ava loves to get out fishing with her Dad and always has at least one catch. Here are some pics of Ava and some pics she took of Pete.

playin'

2010-09-19T20:13:00.001-04:00

Here are the girls playin' together.

Little Leah

2010-09-19T19:59:00.002-04:00

Here's a few pic's of our little Leah. She's a busy girl and LOVES hangin' with Ava.

Ava Starts Pre-Kindergarten

2010-09-19T19:46:00.003-04:00

She couldn't have been anymore excited for her first day back at the Y. Very different from last year when she cried every morning for weeks when I dropped her off!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2010-08-10T20:58:00.002-04:00

Rainbow Dance!

Here is a shot of the rainbow from our front steps on Monday night.

Happy 4th Birthday Ava!

2010-08-10T20:26:00.004-04:00

The requested Barbie cake for me to make with a purple dress!

New Scooter and displaying her age!

Ava was a lucky girl this year. She got to have 2 birthday parties. One with her grandparents and one with her friends. Her actual Birthday is on August 4th and we had a mini birthday celebration from 6:00am to 7:00am that morning. Ava is always asking for a balloon so we had her room decorated with a helium balloon and her birthday presents waiting for her to open. She was thrilled to wake up to all this!We also had soccer that evening and so we had Nanny & Grampy and Papa over for some ice cream cake afterwards. Then on Sunday 3 of Ava's friends came over to help her celebrate. The girls were all gorgeous in their party dresses! I won't go in to detail of how I can't believe she's 4. All I can say is she's one amazing little girl!

This and That

2010-06-07T20:08:00.005-04:00

At Skiff Victoria day long weekend. Black Flies were out in full force!

Backyard fun back from Skiff Lake without the millions of black flies!

Ava's Last day of Preschool.

Ava's preschool class at the YMCA.

Party Girl on her last day of Preschool.

Soccer's back for another summer!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T19:01:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything. First 3 months of pregnancy had me tired and in bed as soon as the girls were so now that I'm getting over that tiredness I hope to keep up with the updates. Here are some pics from today.

Future Stylist?!

2010-01-10T11:04:00.002-04:00

Ava thought it would be fun to get ALL her hair clips and barrettes out and put them in my hair...here is the end result!

A Slipp Christmas

2010-01-10T10:39:00.003-04:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Ava really was in to it and got really excited. I can only imagine what it will be like when Leah starts getting it too! The Holidays are fun but boy does it ever wipe the energy out of me. I'm kinda glad January is here and am hoping that everything slows down for just a bit.

Latest Cake...Morgan's 4th Birthday

2009-12-19T12:02:00.003-04:00

Here is the cake that I made for Morgan's 4th Birthday.

First Snow

2009-12-07T20:35:00.002-04:00

I'm not too sure who was more excited Sunday morning when they saw snow, Ava or Pete! Pete got to use his brand new snowblower...he was sooooo happy!

Oh Christmas Tree!

2009-12-07T20:21:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we took off on our yearly trip to the Christmas tree farm with the Reeves'. Here are a few pics from getting the tree and decorating.

2009 Xmas Parade

2009-12-04T22:34:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we ventured out for the Xmas parade. I hadn't been to a Fredericton Xmas parade since I was young and I must say it was really good! We found the perfect spot with the Reeves' and got there just in time! We also celebrated Grampy's Birthday and I finally was able to let Ava have her hands in on decorating it with me. The middle marshmallow is Leah and Ava proudly made her all by herself!

Leah's 1st Birthday!

2009-11-24T20:47:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we had our families over to help Leah celebrate her first birthday. She had her first taste of cake and didn't seem to be all that excited about it. I think she may be a salty girl! Here are a few pics from her party.

Caledonia Champs 2009!

2009-11-24T20:39:00.002-04:00

Pete played in 1999 when the Loyalists won their first Caledonia cup in sometime and 10 years later after playing in Boston an Oakville and a few B side games Pete made his way back on to the A side Loyalist team to win his second Caledonia championship.

Leah's First Halloween

2009-11-24T20:30:00.001-04:00

Halloween Party!

2009-10-31T12:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Ava had her school Halloween party. I made a ghost cake for her to take in with her. Ava started out wanting to be a fireman for Halloween then when we bougth Leah a pumpkin costume off of Kijiji and it was too big for her Ava wanted to be the pumpkin instead. Then a week or two later she wanted to be a super hero and wear a cape so we blended her idea to fit with the pumpkin costume and so became Super Pumpkin!

Party Girl

2009-10-26T14:45:00.004-04:00

The Belle Cake I made for Kya's Birthday.

Ava & Kya making a craft.

The Happy Birthday girl!

The Birthday Princess opening Ava's gift to her.

The Pinata!

The Birthday girl Olivia.

Leah drumming along to Scotty and the Stars.

Scotty & the Stars.

Ava strumming along to Scotty & the Stars.

The Pinata!

This past weekend Ava was busy being a party girl. She attended Kya's 4th birthday which was a Pricess themed party and she attended Olivia's 3rd birthday where Scotty and the Stars played. Ava was impressed with this Pinata idea which was at both parties. She's loving all the candy. Can't wait to see what she thinks of trick or treating!

The Country Pumpkin...What a Day!

2009-10-18T20:50:00.004-04:00

The Jackass moments before it bit Leah's hand...

Today we decided to get out to the Country Pumpkin to get our pumpkins for Halloween. We had quite the time there as we are still all a little under the weather. I'm suffering from laryngitis and can barely squeak out a word. We arrived and Ava wanted to go see the horses, so off we went. I got the camera ready to take a pic of Ava & Pete with the horse in the background and a little girl was trying to feed a donkey a piece of grass about a the size of a pea. First thing Pete says to her as there were no parents around was for her to be careful it may bite her. Seconds later a 7 year old boy flew off the swing he was swinging on and landed on his head (his parents were talking to other parents and didn't notice him land on his head) Pete quickly ran over and let the parents know what happened. Then it was our turn...Pete and Ava went back to posing for the picture and then Pete decided to get Leah from my arms so she could be in the pic too. As I prepared the camera and looked up to pete and Ava smiling for the camera I tried to get Leah to face me and then Pete realized the Jackass donkey had her hand clamped ever so nicely in its mouth. Leah started to cry and Pete said he really had to pull her hand out hard. (he told me a few moments ago that he was ready to punch the ass in its face...now that wouldn't have created a scene at all (insert sarcasm)). Poor Leah didn't have much fun the rest of the stay. Luckily she had mittens on and its teeth didn't break her skin but it's quite red in certain spots. And this all happend oh lets say the first 7 minutes of our arrival!

The Backyardigans

2009-10-18T20:29:00.002-04:00

Saturday Ava & I went to see the Backyardigans at the Playhouse. Ava loves the Backyardigans and she received these tickets from Nanny & Grampy for her 3rd Birthday. I hope I can always hold in my memory the look on her face when they first came out on the stage and as she belted out the opening and closing song while dancing in her seat. She loved every moment of it and I loved every moment watching her love it. :)

Voila! Last Cake!

2009-09-29T20:33:00.003-04:00

Tonight I finished up Course 3 of the Wilton Cake decorating classes. Fondant cake with Fondant roses. This cake took alot of hours!!! Now I know why cakes are so much money!!!

Apple Picking

2009-09-27T20:23:00.004-04:00

Today we ventured out to Islandview to do some apple picking. Ava loved it and wants to go back. I told her if she ate all her apples up we could go back! Here are some pics from our day.

First Day of Playschool!

2009-09-14T13:10:00.002-04:00

This morning Ava headed off to the YMCA for her first day of Playschool. She was pretty happy about it all but when we got there she told Pete she didn't want us to leave her there all by herself and when I went to pick her ao at 11:30am(she attends Mon/Wed/Fri 8:30-11:30am) I could hear her crying in the room. The teacher said she was on and off the whole time. If they kept her busy she was fine. I hope it gets better! She does tlove walking around with her new Princess lunch box.

Frex 2009

2009-09-09T20:56:00.003-04:00

Pete took today off work so we could all head down to the exhibition for the day. Ava had a blast at her first go of riding the rides. Last year all she did was the merry go round. After dippy dogs, winning cheap stuffed animals, cotton candy, rides etc...we were wiped out (5 hours of exibition is a bit much!). Leah enjoyed the livestock and random balloons flying around! ;) I love to people watch at the Frex, some interesting people sure do appear this time of year! My favourite quote of the day happened while I was changing Leah in the bathroom in the Coliseum. A 30 something woman comes in to the washroom with her about 8 year old son who waits at the door. The mom enters a stall and yells "JESUS" the boy says "what Mom?" and she replies to him "some women are F-ing filthy F-ing pigs". He laughs and then repeats her. Positive parenting right there! Sure glad Ava wasn't there!

The Latest Cake...

2009-09-08T21:15:00.002-04:00

Here is the cake I decorated tonight in my decorating class with Fondant icing.

Mommy, take our picture!

2009-08-26T19:46:00.003-04:00

This morning Ava was playing with Leah and Ava said "mommy take our picture". I looked over and there she was all set in her pose waiting for me to get the camera! too funny!

Final Cake for course 2

2009-08-26T19:33:00.002-04:00

Here is my cake from the final night of course 2. Everyone in the class made the same cake. The past 3 weeks were solely for making all the sugar flowers to place on top of the basket weave cake. Course 3 starts next week and I'll be making a 2 tier cake and will begin to work with fondant icing.

Leah turns 9 Months Old!

2009-08-21T10:15:00.002-04:00

Today August 21st Leah turns 9 months old! So crazy!!! She's crawling and standing up every minute she can and loves to hang out with Ava!

The past month...

2009-08-21T09:41:00.003-04:00

Ava received a medal in soccer last weekend at the soccer jamboree from Coach Dean & Coach Pete.

Pete & I went out to dinner on August 14th at the Dip Pool Bar to celebrate 5 years of marriage!

Ava had a 3rd Birthday party with family at the house

Ava had a 3rd Birthday party at the lake with friends.

Cake!

2009-07-28T20:32:00.002-04:00

For the past month I have been taking the Wilton cake decorating course number 1 (out of 4) at Michaels. Here is tonights creation. I received my diploma at the end of the class. My family is so proud! ;) Well Ava is anyway...she is loving Wednesdays when she can eat my works of art! Now on to course 2 next week!

Mactaquac

2009-07-14T08:44:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we made our way to Mactaquac for one night to test the camping experience with an almost 3 year old and a 7 month old. We had nice weather during the day. It got a bit cool at night. There wasn't any flies...thank God! Leah who currently sleeps through the night until 7:30am woke up at 4:30am. At first she just played with the toys in her crib and then she started to become vocal when she heard babies from our two next door neighbours crying. This lead to Ava waking up and then Pete. We were all awake and I was fighting off the cold/flu(Argh...) oh and did I mention our air mattress deflated and those tree roots sure felt great on my back! ;) All in all it was a positive trip!

Daddy & His Girls

2009-06-24T19:59:00.002-04:00

Here are some pics from Father's Day.

The Flounders

2009-06-01T20:02:00.002-04:00

I have become a soccer Mom tonight as Ava started soccer for the first time. Pete is coaching her team 'The Flounders' and she is lucky enough to have a few of her buddies on the team as well, Kya & Morgan. It's complete chaos but the kids seem to have a great time.

She's Six Months Old!

2009-05-28T15:51:00.003-04:00

Leah has been busy achieving a few 6 month milestones. She started to sit up all by herself and started rice cereal and sweet potato puree(which she can't get enough of!). Here are a few pics I managed to take today while Ava is with Nanny and some other photo's from the past few weeks.

First Visit to Skiff Lake

2009-05-06T14:11:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we loaded up the car for a day trip to the cottage at Skiff Lake. This was Leah's first visit. Ava got to go out fishing with Daddy with her new life jacket and Dora fishing rod.

Easter Dress

2009-04-13T21:58:00.002-04:00

First Hair Cut

2009-04-13T21:48:00.002-04:00

Just getting ready to get her hair cut

Ava finally has gone for her very first hair cut. She only got about an inch off, but it was enough to clean it up. She did really well until the stylist was done and just running her fingers through Ava's hair and the stylist got her rings caught in Ava's hair and pulled on it. Then the tears started. :(

Easter

2009-04-13T21:35:00.002-04:00

Ava had a blast this Easter with 3 different hunts. One at Papa's, one at our house and one at Nanny & Grampy's. She was so excited when she woke up Easter morning and saw the trail of chocolate eggs starting in her room.

Matching Sweaters

2009-03-26T21:00:00.001-04:00

Rockin' it!

2009-03-26T20:46:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of Ava Rockin' out. We got her this guitar for Christmas and she loves to get her rock face on!

My Loves

2009-02-17T11:11:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pic's from Valentine's day. The first 2 pictures are classic Ava & Leah...Ava smothering her sister with hugs & kisses and Leah squinting and looking for help! I love these girls!

Friday Funny!

2009-02-06T12:21:00.004-04:00

The things Ava says!!!

Let me set the scenario...Our bathroom has a seperate tub from the shower. I will usually place Ava in the tub while Leah sits in her chair in the bathroom and then I shower.

This morning when I was getting out of the shower I was talking to the girls. I said to Leah "when you get bigger you can get in the bath and play with Ava, wouldn't that be fun!" Ava then says "Yeah, and then Daddy can play with you in the shower!"(What did she just say?!?!) I then quickly responded...Umm I don't think that Daddy & I can fit in the shower at the same time!!! ;)

For the girls...

2009-02-02T16:29:00.005-04:00

Here are some pics from a few weeks back when the Slipp family went on a road trip to Quispamsis for Mary's 6th birthday party. Thanks for the hospitality!

She's 2 Months Old Already?!

2009-01-21T19:25:00.003-04:00

Little Leah turned 2 months old today and she went in for her 2 month immunizations today. She made out okay, me on the other hand not so much! She now weighs 12 lbs 4 oz (she was 8lbs 10oz when she was born). She's such a great baby and has so many smiles for us these days. :)

Ava Quotes

2009-01-06T14:23:00.002-04:00

Since last summer Ava will say "It's mines". Here is the difficult conversation I have with her to explain the correct way to say it when she is trying to tell me something is hers.

Ava - It's mines
Tracey - No Ava, it's mine
Ava - now raising her voice " No it's mines Mommy"
Tracey - trying to think of a way to re-word it so she doesn't think I'm playing a game of It's mine-no, it's mine.
Tracey- Yes I know Ava it isn't mine it's yours, but you are saying it wrong, you need to say it's mine.
Ava-It's mines Mommy, It's mines!
Tracey- (very frustrated with numerous tries at correcting her...then telling Ava you don't add an 's' at the end of 'mines'.
Ava-with a pyuzzled look at what I just said again says "It's mines".
Tracey- I give up, it's yours Ava, yes it's yours.

Spitting up-

Tracey- Ava, would you be a good big sister and get Mommy a cloth. Leah just spit up and it's running down her face.
Ava- No mommy she spit down.

Ava Eating Play Doh

Tracey- Ava! You can't eat play doh. It will make you sick.
Ava- not knowing what sick is looks at me and tries to eat some more
Tracey- You might get sick and we would have to go to the hospital
Ava- (in a snarky voice) I'm not a baby Mommy. (her only experience with hospital's are visiting me and Holly after having our babies).

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T15:28:00.005-04:00

Santa was here!

Leah in her Xmas jammies from Aunt Kathy (Ava was given the same matching pj's).

Leaving the carrots, cookies and the Key for Santa & the reindeer.

The Slipps

Leah giving the Peace sign

Loving Sister

Christmas has come and gone and like the first month of Leah's life it has gone by so fast! The girls were spoiled again and Ava loved every moment of unwrapping Nanny, Grampy, Leah, Daddy and Mommy's gifts. Funny Story about Xmas eve and it's about 1:00am (okay so technically it was Xmas morning) and we were just finishing up with stockings and putting together Ava's doll house and all of a sudden we heard running coming down the hallway. Pete let out a yelp and scared me (I thought someone fell down the stairs or something). It was Ava running but luckily was pretty much still asleep and didn't notice anything as Pete scooped her up and raced her back to her bedroom!

Ava finds any and every toy fun to play with so it's been really nice having a room full of new toys to keep her busy! :)

3rd Annual Yankee Swap

2008-12-30T15:25:00.001-04:00

The Girls

2008-12-10T23:22:00.002-04:00

I did a little photoshoot of the girls the other day. Here are a few of my favourite pics.

Come See, Come Saw

2008-12-10T23:14:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday we went to get our Christmas tree with Malcolm, Valerie and Robyn. Here are a few pics from the trip.

Leah Kate Judy Slipp

2008-11-30T13:37:00.006-04:00

Leaving for the hospital.

Monitoring my contractions/baby's heart rate

Out walking around!

She's here! Yay!!!

Proud Daddy!

8lbs 10 oz

Ava loving her little sister.

The Slipps!

Hi Leah!

Love her!

Leah or Ava?!

On Friday November 21st I woke up with mild contractions around 5:00am. I timed the contractions and for about an hour and a half they were coming every 10 minutes (need to go to the hospital when they are 5 min apart). I woke Pete up at about 6:30am and let him know that things were getting started. we called Mom & Dad to come get Ava. The contractions stayed about 10 minutes apart for the rest of the morning then died down about lunch time. We got pretty discouraged as we thought we'd have the baby by mid afternoon! So after talking to Tyna who told me to walk, walk, walk, we went to Canadian Tire (where my water broke with Ava) but nothing happened so off to the mall we went for more walking. We got home around 4:30pm and the contractions started getting closer together and a bit more intense. So after an hour of 5 minutes apart I called labour and delivery and they told me to come in. Away we went to the hospital around 6:30pm. They admitted me and monitered my contractions and the Baby's heart rate. They then told me to walking around the floor to keep the contractions coming. They were getting to be wicked and closer together! Pete's hand and arm I'm sure are bruised from me squeezing so hard. Not to mention all the visitors coming off the elevator and seeing me in mid contracton as I walk through the hallways!!!

We made our way back to labour & delivery where I asked for something to take the edge off! I went in asking for an epideral but somehow kept getting re-routed to other options by the nurse and doctor, who by the way were soooooo fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better nurse (Christine) and all along I wanted Dr. Mullaly to deliver and it just so happened she was on call that day (I love her!!!). So I was hooked up to an IV and given Fentanyl to relax me a bit...relax it did...take the pain of contractions away it didn't!!! At about 10:30pm I was told I could start pushing. I was given a shot to the thigh and some other shots elsewhere to freeze me and at 10:58pm, after 6 sets of pushes Leah Kate Judy Slipp was born. She weighed 8lbs 10oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. A little smaller than her big sister Ava.

The Labour & Delivery couldn't have gone any better if I scripted it out my self. I'm amazed at how good it went and am even more amazed at how I didn't need the epideral after all! I was told by the Nurse and Doctor that they couldn't believe how high my tolerance to pain is/was.

On Sunday the 23rd (my birthday) I was released from the hospital and the Slipp family of four went home. We are all doing well. Ava is adjusting well, she loves her sister and kisses her at every chance she gets. I feel really great and am amazed at how different this recovery is to after I had Ava (took me forever to get energy back). Leah is being good to us and is behaving very well, just like her big sister did). She likes her sleep and I have to wake her up for her feedings! Pete is doing well with a house full of girls...we'll see how he is in 12 years! Ha!

Here are some pictures of our Leah and yes she is a spiting image of Ava when she was a baby!

Cutie!

2008-11-04T22:51:00.002-04:00

39 Weeks (One more week!)

2008-11-04T22:41:00.002-04:00

Well, I officially started my maternity leave on Monday and am now trying to get all the little things taken care of before the baby comes. It feels good to be home with Ava and am a bit on the nervous side with having 2 children to take care of!

Halloween

2008-11-04T22:29:00.002-04:00

Ava had a ton of fun Trick or Treating this year. She oddly enough wasn't all that concerned with all the treats she came home with which is great. She just loved ringing the door bell and saying "trick or treat" when someone answered the door!

Pumpkins!

2008-10-21T11:39:00.003-04:00

On Sunday we took Ava over to the Country Pumpkin. Here are some pics from the visit.

33 Weeks

2008-09-24T21:05:00.003-04:00

This is a side profile of my belly while laying down on the bed. I happen to catch the baby in full Karate chop...can you see the lump on my upper abdomen! So crazy!

Went to a doctor's appointment today. All looks well! :) My next appointments are all with the OB now so that means crunch time! Baby is still due on or around Nov 15th. Time is passing by so fast we can't believe how little time is left until our new baby arrives. Here are some pics of the ever growing belly!

Killarney Lake

2008-09-24T18:59:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend we went over to Killarney Lake to walk the trail. Ava had lots of fun throwing rocks in to the lake. I'm sure next summer the swimmers will enjoy the extra rocky lake!

The Park and Harvest Jazz & Blues

2008-09-14T09:28:00.004-04:00

Last week we went to the park after supper a few times and Ava is loving tackling the jungle jim and playing with the other kids at the park. (Sometimes directing them to what slide they should use!).

We also went out Thursday and Friday evening downtown to hear some of the Harvest Jazz & Bles festivities. Ava loved all the music and danced her little heart out! Saturday we went to Officeers Square which was transformed in to Congo square where there was lots of families taking in the music, face painting, t-shirt painting etc... It was so much fun & we will be sure to try to make this a yearly event!

Labour Day Weekend

2008-09-01T19:37:00.003-04:00

Ava's new "Big" smile
Four Generations Sheeps & GoatsShe wins!

Saturday we drove to Shediac to visit with my Grandmother for a birthday bash in her honour. Ava had a great time visiting with relatives from far and wide.

Today we took in the annual trek to the FREX. Ava loved looking at the animals in the barns and just walking around and taking it all in.

Slipp Vacation 2008

2008-08-26T20:46:00.005-04:00

out for a walk

very dark, family pic
the big Salmon!

Happy Man!
Daddy & Ava & Salmon
Ava in her fishing vest and fishing rod

Ava with her cousins, Holly, Mary & Joshua

A visit from the Lydon's on Sunday- Kya & Ava
Ava & Daddy catching minnows
Grampy & Nanny came up for a visit then we all went to Bangor :)
Mommy's favourite pic of Ava & Daddy! :)

Last week we went to Skiff Lake on Saturday for a week at the lake. With snacks galore, a t.v & dvd player for the lazy nights (thanks Tarek!), sunshiny days in the water and an overnight trip to Bangor Monday/Tuesday. Our vacation was a success. To top the week off for Pete, he caught his first landlock salmon ever at Skiff on Thursday evening...well actually he caught one Wednesday evening but the line was so thin when he reeled it in so close to his hands it snapped and bye, bye fishy along with the hook! Needless to say Thursday day we took a trip over to Houlton so he could purchase a few more hooks and a giant net! Ava & I were in the boat Thursday after supper when Pete reeled in the big Salmon. 27 inches long and about 9lbs. Can you say Happy Man!!!

Ava loved splashing in the water and throwing rocks over ansd over in the water. She loved going out for boat rides ans trying to fish like Daddy! Here are some pics from the vacation.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava!

2008-08-03T20:41:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we had a birthday party for Ava at our house. We invited family and Ava's buddies over to help her celebrate. The weather cooperated somewhat and we were able to get the pony rides in, in our back yard. Some of the younger kids including Ava were a little iffy about the whole thing but most attempted at least one ride and we found out that some may be future acrobats & rodeo stars!

It's hard to belive Ava officially turns 2 tomorrow Aug 4th. Words can't describe the happiness she has brought to our lives in the the past 2 years, we certainly couldn't have hand picked a better girl if we tried. We love you Ava & this time next year you'll be showing everyone what a great Big Sister you'll be!

Here are some pics from the party. I am always amazed at how well all our kids play so well together! What a great group of Friends! I should also mention that it was great having the Frontin's in Fredericton this year to have Jaida & Addison join the Fredericton birthday party scene! Thanks to everyone who came and helped Ava celebrate her big T-W-O!

Baby Slipp 2.0

2008-07-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

On June 26th we were able to catch a glimpse of Baby Slipp. Here are a few pics of him/her. We chose (I mean Peter chose ;)) not to find out the gender. I am 23 weeks along and am eagerly anticipating the arrival of this new babe.

Monkeytown

2008-07-14T10:07:00.004-04:00

Thursday night Pete & I decided to take a trip to Moncton on the weekend. Saturday we went to the Magnetic Hill Zoo and then went Gary & Patty's house for a delicious supper and relaxing evening. Sunday we packed up and drove to Parlee beach where it was nice but quite windy. I'm still digging sand out of my ears!!! Ava had a ball and was pretty tuckered out by the end of it all. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Oh Canada!

2008-06-02T19:57:00.003-04:00

So Pete & I think we may have had Ava watch one too many hockey games. Sunday we were driving to the grocery store and Ava asked Daddy to sing so the only song Pete knows word for word is Oh Canada. He belted out the song bilingualy I might add and when he was done Ava said "Hockey Game!". Hmmm... She also grabs the remote for the TV at any point in the day and will say "Hockey Game On?". She also says "Daddy play hockey on T.V?!". Ha hahahahahahahah! Oh Ava!

Happy 1st Birthday Robyn Reeves!

2008-06-02T19:48:00.002-04:00

Saturday we headed over to Robyn's house for her very first birthday. Ava had anticipated this day for a week as we kept telling her she'd have birthday cake at the party. She was so psyched that everyday she'd ask "Robyn's birthday cake?". Robyn had lots of little friends over to help her celebrate the big day. Here are a few pics from the party.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:16:00.003-04:00

I didn't manage to get any photo's of today but I was certainly treated to a special day thanks to Ava and Daddy :) All the flowers, presents and pampering were nice but when I heard Ava bust out and say "Happy Mother's Day Mommy"! It was the best feeling in the world!

Wishing my Mom and all the cool Mom's I know a Happy Mother's Day!

I can't believe next year I'll be a mother of two! :)

For those of you who already didn't know...

2008-05-11T20:10:00.004-04:00

We are expecting baby #2 November 14th 2008! :)

No morning sickness, a bit of nausea, very sensitive to smell and lack of appetite sum it up...oh yeah and very sleepy! Pretty much the same symptoms as when I was pregnant with Ava. We can't wait for the new addition to our family!

Hmmm...

2008-05-05T14:45:00.004-04:00

My nephew Riley caught this glam girl in a pose I have yet to see in person. Not sure if it was the photographer or the model that inspired this look but I have to say it's my new fav pic of Ava. I can just hear her loudly saying "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese"! (taught by her Nanny & Grampy...definately not me or Pete!). Maybe I'll hire Riley next time we need family photo's done! :)

I should also add that Ava turned 21 months old yesterday!

Lately...

2008-04-13T14:52:00.003-04:00

Over the past few weeks we have been waiting patiently for Spring weather to arrive. Ava is an outdoors kind of girl and is always wanting to go out. If not out to play then she asks to go to the store. Here are some pics from a few weekends ago at the Kings Landing Sugarbush and Noah's 5th Birthday party up at Kingswood.

Easter Chocolate!

2008-03-24T20:24:00.002-04:00

Ava had a blast Easter morning hunting for the eggs. She's a clever girl and found every egg with minimum help! Not every egg had a treat inside & Ava quickly learned to shake the egg and if nothing rattled she wasted no time in opening the 'rotten egg'! She was totally amazed that she was getting chocolate and with each egg that she opened she'd whisper...cho-co-late! We let her eat one of the little hollow bunnies no bigger than my thumb and that was enough chocolate to set her off to demon land. Pete and I looked at each other and wondered where sweet little Ava went! She was a totally different person! It took about 45 minutes for her to wear it all off! Here are some pics from the morning.

18 Months Old!

2008-02-04T21:21:00.000-04:00

Today Ava turned 18 months old. She has grown up so much in the past few months. She says 3-4 word sentences, repeats anything..I mean anything we say! She can count to 5 sometimes can make it to 10 skipping 7 & 8 ;) She knows colours and loves colouring not to mention the hours of playing with her play dough! Every day she amazes us with something new and exciting. To quote her Dad "She's somethin' else":)

We had a few friends over for a supper playdate a while back and here are some pics of Ava loving having her friends around! It's so much fun to see all the kids play together.

Christmas Fun!

2008-01-06T18:41:00.000-04:00

Ava with her inch worm from Santa
So much Love!
Ava loves her little people camping/fishing set from Daddy & Mommy

Ava got a new Dolly from Auntie Kathy, Uncle Brent & the kids
Ava's so excited to get her new Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Nanny & Grampy. Go Leafs Go! After we told Ava the Leafs lost...again :( She thinks it's total rubbish!

Grrr...Ava's evil glare

Dreaming of Santa
The Hostess Christmas Eve
The men building Ava's new Playhouse from Nanny & Grampy Christmas Eve
Christmas morning just before Ava woke up

We kept busy throughout the holidays. We celebrated Christmas at our house this year and had a blast. Ava was pretty wowed Christmas morning seeing all the toys Santa left her. She was so good at opening a present looking it over and geting on to the next one. We were all spoiled again this year and are so thankful for all we received! :)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T12:56:00.001-04:00

2nd Annual Yankee Swap

2007-12-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

Last night 11 of us met at the Back Nine for the 2nd annual Yankee Swap. Julie would be just as disappointed from the 'lack of' swapping again this year! I think the reason for that is that everyone brings an awesome gift so there is no need for swapping! :)

It was great to see everyone and hope to see you all over the holidays!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

2007-12-15T14:49:00.000-04:00

Adrienne & Jody had a bunch of us over this morning for a PJ party to celebrate Morgan turning 2. I think Ava liked the cake best!

More...

2007-12-14T13:57:00.001-04:00

Preparing for Xmas

2007-12-14T13:42:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went with the Reeves' to cut down our Christmas tree's. Ava enjoyed the outdoors but it was cold! Christmas is sneaking up on us and for some reason I don't feel prepared at all. Pete & I are pretty excited to have our first Xmas in our home.

Happy 65th Birthday Bampy!

2007-11-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

Tissue Anyone?!

2007-11-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

Ava got in to the brand new Kleenex box tonight. I knew she was being extra quiet and when I peeked around the corner I found Ava pulling out the last tissue! I went to grab the camera and she quickly started stuffing the box!

2007-11-28T20:42:00.001-04:00

Pretty Busy...

2007-11-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

Our weekends continue to be busy and have had alot on the go since Halloween. Wine festival, wedding dance, baby shower, Xmas staff party, my birthday, visitors...

Meow!!!

2007-11-02T12:19:00.000-04:00

Oooooooohhh....Ghosts!

Ava had a pretty good time this year trick or treating. Went to Nanny & Grampy's, to Robyn's and to Papa's house.

Birthday Parties!

2007-10-31T07:49:00.000-04:00

Loving the hand on hip pose Ella!
Little Miss Morgan Dean

This past weekend Ava was a busy party goer as she attended her cousin Riley's 8th birthday on Saturday in Riverview and then off to Kya's 2nd birthday party on Sunday.

Can She Be 2 Already?

2007-10-24T09:36:00.000-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our fabulous Goddaughter Kya! Can't wait for your party on Sunday! Sending you Big Hugs and Kisses!

Welcome To This Crazy World Nicholas!

2007-10-24T09:09:00.000-04:00

Saturday night Nicholas Robert Arsenault arrived quickly, as an early Birthday present for Mommy(by a week...he was actually due on her birthday the 27th). Congratulations to Tyna and Rob on the addition of your new handsome little guy. I had a chance to meet Nicholas on Sunday he's a cutie! Tyna looked fanatastic and I had a hard time believing she had just had a baby! Bring on the blue!

The Great Pumpkin

2007-10-24T08:57:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday we drove over to the Country Pumpkin for our annual pumpkin hunt. Ava had no time for smiles as she zoomed all around the premises! Here are a few pics.

One Month...

2007-10-15T09:23:00.000-04:00

I love this pic because for those of you who don't know Pete is standing on a hill overlooking the field but it appears as if he's a giant standing on the sidelines...lol

It's been one month since I last posted...I am hearing a sigh of relief from you regulars who check regularly and no updates! Well, we moved in to our house on the 28th (still trying to get settled), Pete had a birthday ont he 3rd, we went to Bangor on Thanksgiving weekend and kinda got to enjoy the house this past weekend. Here are some pics from the last month. Oh yeah, Ava also started walking on Oct 9th! :) Finally!!!

Valerie's Mom knit some Loyalist sweaters for Ava and Robyn...I wonder if they can wear them to ballet class? ;) We also went out on Friday night to celebrate Tyna's 30th birthday. Her birthday isn't until the 27th but baby Arsenault is due that same day so they thought we should get out and celebrate while they can!

Harvest Jazz & Blues

2007-09-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

Last night we took in some Harvest Jazz & Blues and had a great time! Here are some pics of the night.

Past Few Weeks

2007-09-12T20:12:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pics from the last few weeks.