Elsie, Elsie, Elsie



(part 2)

 She out-grew her little cradle far faster than I had imagined.

 

Two teeth

Elsie's first time on the swings.  Her brothers were very eager to participate in this experience.  They were very good helpers.  Though the picture doesn't capture it, she did enjoy the swings.

Here is a little glimpse of our house Steph.

Elsie's first accident.  I was fixing dinner and thought that I had placed the vase far far out of reach but this Houdini somehow managed to arch her back and yank those tulips across the counter.  I'm not sure if the crash of the vase scared her or my startled scream. 

Elsie's first trip to the zoo.

Elsie's first time eating baby food...not a fan.   

Elsie doesn't want to sit up and it's killing me!  She prefers to be held while I bustle around the house but when I can't hold her she is happy to just lay on her back and watch the constant action around her or play with her toys.  

These boys love their little sister so much.  At times it is somewhat overwhelming for little Elsie but her life wouldn't be the same without them.  They play with her and help fetch diapers and soothers and they love to hold her and make her laugh.  I am so lucky to be mother of these three crazies! 

Elsie, Elsie, Elsie

(part 1)

Elsie is already six months old!  It's hard to believe, the time has passed so quickly. 
She is currently 99th percentile for height and 85th percentile for weight.  She is the happiest baby and loves to talk and laugh.  People notice her eager smile wherever we go and she has convinced many that they are actually funny.
     

This picture doesn't fully capture how similar these two look but they're like twins, seriously.

The boys are so sweet with Elsie. 

Elsie has two teeth, sharp teeth!  They are almost fully grown now...more pictures to come. 

Winter in Canada

Winter is long and extra cold in our neck of the woods.  Somehow we have adjusted to -40 degrees and even managed to get out here and there this winter.

For family home evening one Monday we invited some friends to go sledding and ended the night with doughnuts and hot chocolate (the boys' hands were full so they couldn't manage to pull their hats up out of their eyes).  We are so glad that Hailey and Ruby Hamilton (pictured here) and Matt and Jasmine Roberts joined us. 

Elsie is always a trooper through our adventures.  I guess she doesn't really know any different than layers of clothes and blankets.

We took the boys ice skating for the first time this year.  There is a park downtown that has a fun outdoor rink that is free, even the skates are free to borrow. 

I was surprised by how much Campbell liked skating.  He didn't want to stop.  We pushed him around and around the rink until we were too exhausted to go any further.  He did a really good job. 

Mike and I took turns taking the boys around while the rest of the family watched on a bench.  Campbell took advantage of his breaks by eating what the boys call a "snow snack".

Logan says that he wants to be a hockey player when he grows up.  We took the boys to a hockey game this winter and Logan was crushed when we had to leave a few minutes early.  The game was late at night and Campbell was melting down by the end. 

Elsie sporting one of her little sweaters.

Did I mention winter is really long here?  We have to get creative to keep ourselves entertained.  Glow sticks in the tub, a birthday party for squeaky (Logan's beloved stuffed mouse), and riding bikes in the church gym are just a few of the desperate ways we have fought against boredom. 

   

The boys are attacking our melting snowman with colored water before knocking him down.  Poor guy.

Snowballs!  Right after this picture I got nailed.  I didn't think Logan would be able to aim through the tiny crack in the sliding door...I was wrong!
Notice our poor snowman's carrot nose and smashed banana mouth strewn carelessly to the wayside.  Note to the wise: don't use a banana on your snowman.  It will result in a hideous brown pile that resembles dog waste when your snowman melts and who wants a brown smile anyway?  Not your snowman!  I'm just sayin'...

 

After our snowman melted we were blessed with more snow...Hooray?

The only time the boys are calm and quiet is when I turn on cartoons or read them a book and Elsie just goes with the flow.  And yes, that would be Campbell's squeaky hiding under his cheek.  Yep, Campbell is almost as obssessed as Logan with his little stuffed mouse. 

Happy Winter!  You may be asking yourself "Happy winter?  Aren't you a little late?"  To which I would answer "I wish, winter will be here a while yet (sob)".  It is super late, can you tell?  The crazy narrative will probably be edited out tomorrow when I am conscious so enjoy for now and pretend it never happened.

Little Miss Elsie

I don't know how it happened but Elsie is almost four months old!  As usual I am a little behind on posting Garner happenings but instead of playing catch-up I am skipping to these sweet pictures that my talented sister took over the christmas break.  I just couldn't resist, I LOVE them!

 

Thank you Candice! 

Happy Halloween

Better Late Than Never

This year we celebrated Mike's birthday over some apple pie (he likes pie better than cake) and a Halloween party. 

A few days later we put on our pj's and carved our pumpkins. 

Even Elsie joined in the fun.

Campbell's pumpkin was a cat.  I am not exactly sure where his love of cats comes from but it runs deep.  Lets hope its just a phase.  j/k

Campbell is one of the nuttiest kids I have ever met.  I wish that he would share his kookie personality with everyone.  The missionaries came over the other night for dinner and he wouldn't say a word to them.  Once Mike asked a cahttering Campbell why he doesn't talk like that to everyone and his reply was, "because I don't like them".   So apparently, if Campbell talks to you its a compliment. 

Logan still doesn't like to get his hands dirty if he can help it.  This was his new approach to cleaning out the pumpkin.  When that didn't work he returned to his rubber gloves. 

Mike and I dressed up as Roughrider fans (the Canadian football team from Saskatchewan).  They are a big deal here. You Americans might not get it but our friends thought it was funny.  This picture was taken after I had already taken off my watermelon hat.  Mike made them and I must say I he did a really good job. 

      

All the kids had astronaut costumes and we failed getting a picture of them all together.  Logan dressed up as a fire fighter for the halloween party at church which is somewhat ironic because he has a new and very real fear of fire alarms but that's another story.  Anyway I think they are adorable and they had a blast trick or treating this year.  Between the party at church and trick or treating they ended up with a load of candy! 

Sunday Afternoon

Elsie is almost five weeks old now.  The time has flown by.  She is so sweet and cuddly.  I don't know how she stays calm amongst the chaos of her two energetic brothers.  Let's just hope her peaceful energy starts to rub off on them.  We are all so glad she is a part of our family, it is hard to imagine life without her.