The Perrett's

Run for the Pumpkin

2009-10-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2009 brought our family to Lethbridge to the annual run that's a Stewart tradition and a run that I remember running when I was younger. Rueger had been talking about this race and we decided to enter and he was so excited. This is him coming into the finish line at full speed.

Daddy ran with Briggs and they did amazing. Briggs only stopped once for a couple seconds to take a walk. Dad was so proud of him.
Grandma Stewart came to watch and take care of Devyn. (She didn't know that was a perk of coming to watch)! We were glad she came though even though it was a short race.
Our other cheerleaders. Grandma and Grandpa Perrett, Misty, Hunter, Turner, Summer and Jagger. They made it just in time. It was awesome to have them there to help cheer on the kids. We waited at the bottom of the first hill to see the kids run around the corner and Armes said as Briggs heard all of us cheering Armes eyes started waterting because Briggs started running faster and got so excited.

You guys did amazing. Briggs (4) ran his 2km race in 17 minutes. You did awesome bud and I am so proud of you. It was so much fun to see him running into the finish line. He was so fast and in his words he just "put on the speed."

I called in the big guns Uncle Russ to run with Rueger. I kept telling Rue that Uncle Russ wins all his races. If you listen to him he will help you go fast and do awesome. He did way better than awesome. He was so fast. He did his 2km in 12 minutes. They're were over 100 kids in his age group and he got first place. I couldn't believe it. I knew he was fast but there were so many kids. Uncle Russ paced him and passed some kids pukeing and finished strong. Uncle Russ I owe you big time, he has never been so excited for a long time, and we can't stop talking about it, and I don't want to stop talking about it.

Rueger with his first place ribbon. Briggs was kinda sad he didn't win a ribbon but when your in the same group as your older brother it's not gonna happen. Maybe next year bud. I told him he was the first 4 year old to cross the finish line (I have no idea) and he was so excited. Then the stories started coming out. He now says he was so fast he passed the bigger kids and he even passed a giant. Love him. Congrats boys you are amazing.

The next day I had a race back in the Hat. I ran with Armes assistant Lori and her friend Jen. we had a good time. Actually, we were pretty much the best I know. It was a fun casual run and I had a great time. We walked, we ran, we stepped in puddles, we mocked people. What more could you ask for? Thanks Lori for inviting me I had a blast.

Devyn is 1

2009-10-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

My baby is 1 and I couldn't be sadder!!! She is growing so fast. She kills me everyday with her weird looks and tooth grins that she gives me.

We made some pizza and chowed down. The boys were pretty excited for her. Of course she didn't really realize what was going on.

She is so sweet. I wasn't sure about having a girl a year ago but couldn't imagine life without her. She is the sweetest thing ever and I love love love her.

Of course CAKE. She actually liked it but gave weird faces at first. Probably because of the coldness of it.

I wrapped her present in tissue paper and let the boys color and write all over it to decorate it for Devyn. The boys love to write and color and did such a good job. We gave her a cabbage patch doll that the boys named Sally for her. She mostly just bangs Sally's head on the floor, I think she likes the sound of it but occasionally she'll get the bottle and bang it near her mouth., It's really cute. I used to have a cabbage patch kids when I was little. I forgot how good they smell. It's funny how smells bring back memories.

Grade 1

2009-10-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Oh my Rueger. I love this kid! He makes me smile, laugh and have a good day when he's around. He's a big help and loves to play with Briggs and Devyn. I miss him so much when he's at school. He loves school though. That's a good thing I know. I can't believe he's in grade 1. So big.

Boys Camp

2009-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our ward here planned a boys camp. No girls allowed as my boys would tell me over and over again. It was out at Elkwater and just for one night. The boys were so excited to go with dad and leave mom.

They got to eat camp food, sing by the fire, go on a hike, play around and just get dirty!! That's what camping is all about right. No limits. They're were a few minor accidents, of course, men "watching" the kids. A few stiches needed (not our kids) but all in all a good time.

It was awkward being home alone. Devyn goes to bed around 8 and then I watched some chick flicks and that's about it. I know I'm boring. It was kinda nice to go to bed early and do my own thing. I like having my family home with me and am glad it was only 1 night. They keep talking about another one in the winter but we'll see.

Edmonton

2009-10-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had a couple days off in September and decided to take a little trip up to Edmonton and do some school shopping and get away from things for awhile. This was one of our funner trips. We had a blast. The kids were awesome and so funny.

What's Edmonton without West Ed right? We were walking around the mall and the kids didn't know what we were going to do and kept asking us what the plan was. We walked over to the big window and looked down into the waterpark. The kids were trying not to ask (we have a rule - you ask you do not get) but it looked so fun. Finally Armes told them that this was the plan to go swimming!! AAHHH so excited. With both our children yelling your the best mom and dad in the world we were beaming and ready to go watersliding and swimming.

The boys liked going down the waterslides with Dad and went on a raft ride and looked sooo funny coming down. We spent most of the time in the wave pool though. They love the water.

Since swim club this summer Rueger has turned into a good little swimmer. It's nice that you don't have to watch him every second now. I'm still paranoid and keep a close eye but now I know he can swim and it takes a lot of pressure off watching out for 3 kids.

We decided to hit the mini golf course and dad had to show the boys how it's done. The boys love to mini golf. Rueger is getting really good and was only two strokes behind mom on one of the courses!! Briggs loves to just hit the ball hard and then after 3 or 4 strokes picks it up and sets it next to the hole to get it in.

Briggs is good at hitting it hard. He did get a couple holes in 2 though!! He's catching on fast.

Rueger would always beat mom on the holes with a raised platform. I always maxed out my shots and he would just laugh at me. He is getting good at smack talking!! He learns it from his mama.

Drumheller

2009-10-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Lately, I ask the kids to take a picture and they always want to pose. So I let them. They make me laugh so hard.

Devyn loved the museum. Doesn't she look so relaxed and excited. I don't know why but I love this picture of her.

I have been talking about going to the museum for awhile now. The kids were so excited to see the dinosaurs. Rueger really wanted to see a T-Rex and yes we saw a couple of them. Briggs wanted to see a pteradactyl. There was one on the roof near the end. That was a close one.

It took us awhile to go through and the kids did great. Of course there is a million things to look at. We had a lot of fun and suprisingly enough the kids new a lot of the names of the dinosaurs. We have a puzzle with about 15 different dinosaurs and they're names on it and I guess they actually do pay attention to it.

Love these two. They love each other so much and are so good to each other.

Saskatoon Bound

2009-10-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

My cousin Heather had a baby girl and named her Aubrey. This was the perfect excuse for us to go back to Saskatoon and see our friends and see my new baby girl. We crashed with the Baker's for a couple nights and had so much fun. Thanks guys for letting us stay there. My boys loved all the boy toys. I got to see Aubrey and hopefully suprised Heather. I never told her we were coming. I miss her so much I have to call her all the time even if I have nothing to talk about, I miss her. I didn't take pics of the new baby though. AAHH. She's adoreable and Laney was being such a good big sister. And Of Course, Heather looked amazing, as always.

While we were there Circus Gatti was in town. I totally remember my dad taking us as kids to this circus in Lethbridge and totally loved it. As an adult, questionable!! My kids had a blast though, popcorn and candy apples make any event awesome. Rueger and Briggs loved the juggling man and the elephants. We went with Jahn's, Cooper's and Baker's. So fun to be back in town with friends again.

In the morning Armes golfed with the boys. He had a lot of fun and it was golf - could you go wrong??? At night we planned a girls night to see everyone at Earl's for dessert. There was about 10 girls and it was so good to see everyone and they're all doing so good. I miss them so much. Wish I was visiting again soon.

Gone Fishing

2009-10-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Armes the master fishing casting off into the South Saskatchean river here in Medicine Hat. There are huge sturgeons in this river but we were unluck in our efforts.

The kids had their own poles this year and learned how to cast by themselves. They loved to change their hooks and kept on trying. Rueger got really good at casting.

This is when Briggs caught a leaf and thought it was so awesome. At least he caught something! The only sad thing about fishing is when you lose a hook. Tears come and fishing suddenly isn't that fun anymore. Good thing a 4 year has mood swings like a girl and after a couple minutes we were ready to go again.

Although LULU thinks she's a helper I think she probably scares the fish away. We love to take her with us though. The kids laugh at her when she shakes right beside them.

Always happy to go fishing with dad.

Briggs turns 4

2009-09-28T21:19:00.001-07:00

Briggs turned 4 on June 8. I cannot believe he is 4. Crazy boy. He is still such a cuddly boy that it doesn't feel like he is this old. He still loves to sit on my lap and be with me. He still thinks mom is pretty cool. I love it. I never want this kid to grow up.

Briggs is into Shrek right now. I don't know why. He always asks if he can watch Shrek. He loves the donkey and the dragon. He always says "he's in love with her." In his cute voice it's pretty funny.

He had a couple of his new friends come over and enjoy the day with him. He was so excited for his friends to come over.

Of course the best part of any birthday is the PRESENTS.

Armes drew Shrek for me and I colored it. Then I traced the head. Then the kids colored the photocopied Shrek head however they liked. Then we played pin the head on the Ogre. It was pretty funny. One kid wasn't sure about being blindfolded by this strange women though. Briggs loved this game and this poster stayed up for a week after so we could still play.

You're 4. So it's time for the training wheels to be gone!! Goodbye training wheels. The first try without them did not go so well. So then we put him on Rueger's scooter for 2 weeks because that will teach you balance in a hurry. Then it was time to get back on the bike.

Back on the bike and.....success. He took off and is so good at riding without those training wheel. We have the most amazing paths right out our front door. It is awesome. We spend a lot of nights out on the path!!

Graduation Time

2009-09-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

The gang. Armes, Eric, Erin and Conner. After being in Saskatoon for 6 years the day came to Graduate and move on with life!!!! Yay. I can't even explain how hard these guys had to work and how many endless hours of studying this took for them. Finally it all paid off and it all ended!!

Phil and Colleen came out for Graduation and it was so much fun. Do his parents look proud or what??? I will admit that when his name got called and he walked across the stage to get his diploma my eyes watered. I know lame eh? I think it's cause as his wife I got to see his daily struggles and all the hard times he went through. Sometimes I thought we were crazy to be here, but I am glad to say it's over. At the same time moving was really hard. I was fine until the morning of the move. I was thinking about all my great friends and all the fun times, then Krystyn showed up with McD's breakfast for us and I kinda broke down when she left. I love everyone there. I miss you so much.

Yes, my husband the dentist. Isn't he cute in his gown.

Mom and Dad Perrett at the Banquet. Armes had to give the toast to the family speech. He did such a good job. He was so so so nervous. He practiced and practiced and he didn't even let his parents hear him until that night. He was awesome.

Yes, it's true I get to make out with a dentist ALL THE TIME!

Cattle Drive (Early May)

2009-09-28T20:21:00.001-07:00

One of the best thing about living in Medicine Hat is that we are close enought to home that we don't have to miss out on all the fun. Cattle Drive baby. Growing up, hands down one of my favorite things to do. Now, still loving it and it has rubbed off on my kids too. They love it so much. Here's Russ and his girlfriend Robin. I love Russ to death, but Russ I'm afraid she might be too good for you. Sorry, but you better take care of her!!

Briggs, Chase and helper? (Can't remember her name, came with Chase and Trayden). She's so cute. Anyways, Briggs thinks he can drive, however, not so good at turning. Chase is "helping" him drive. It took us about 4 hours and my kids would not leave the quads.

Rueger and Trayden. Rueger does drive the quads all the time and thinks he's pretty good. At one time Grandma asked if she could have a ride and Rueger told her "no." He then preceded to go ask Robin (who was walking) if she needed a ride. Move over Uncle Russ Rueger's making his move.

The man. Grandpa - Dad. I can only imagine it's a stress herding hundreds of cows down the road and all these little kids with quads. He's so good to make sure everyone gets rides. This is Mikah and Reese.

Uncle Steve with Shaylee and Mayzie. My kids love they're uncle Steve and wish to stay at his house all the time. He makes them pancakes with whip cream and teases and chases them. He's so fun and so full of energy. Always playing something and being busy. Well all in all the cattle drive went well and we all made it home after, sore and tired.

Big Becky (Surgery)

2009-06-02T20:29:00.001-07:00

So everyone wants to see my BEAUTIFUL after surgery pictures so I am being brave and putting them up. Why would you do this you ask? Everyone needs a good laugh once in awhile!! So here you go here's a laugh at my expense. Hope you enjoy. This is just after surgery trying to wake up and wondering what the heck has just happened.As you can tell there was a lot of swelling so this is me with my ice packs on my face. I had a mandibular advancement. In essence they broke my jaw bone and moved my bottom jaw forward and put it back in place with the newest titanium screws on the market. No, I won't set off airport alarms with my new face!

At home. I only had to stay one night in the hospital and I opted out the second night. I wanted to see the kids and Armes needed me home because he was in the middle of his final exams. Thanks to all my friends for bringing food (although I couldn't eat it but thanks for tempting me-jokes) and all the babysitting of the kids. It was a tough time for us and we needed you guys so thank you so much.

This was taken to show the bruising that went down all the way to my chest. It was a little sore and when I went out in public (which was rare at this point) everyone stared at my beauty.

These are my instruments for eating. My mouth was shut with elastics so I wasn't allowed to eat real food. Everything I ate had to go through this tube and I just had to try to shove it to the back of my mouth where there was a little room for the food to squish by my teeth. Needless to say there were moments of extreme hunger followed by extreme excitement over the weight loss I encountered. So this was surgery for me and I'm mostly all healed up now and after 3.5 years of wearing braces they will be off in the next couple of months and I couldn't be more excited.

February Fun

2009-02-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

I love living so close to the park! In the six winters that we've been here I have never played outside in February! It was so nice to be able to spend some time outside with the kids instead of kicking them in the backyard. They love to be at the park. It's even funner in their snow suits because they are slippery and helps them go down the slides really fast.

We met Rueger off the bus and played at the park for over an hour. If I didn't have to make dinner it probably would've been longer. They love the outdoors. Devyn was in her snowsuit in the Bjorn.

My two good boys.

Devyn 4 months

2009-02-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

I don't know why they always look so cute and so big when put in the car seats, but they do. 4 months old and such a sweetheart.

She loves to be on the floor trying to roll around and being mauled by the boys. February 1 she rolled from her back to her front. She rolled the other way at 7 weeks 5 days. She's a mover and a shaker.

This picture is for Grandma Perrett who gave her this funny bunny coat. It's the softest material in the world and little big for her but we had to try and put her in it for fun. She's ready for church that's why the bare legs her dress is crumpled under the buckles somewhere. Ah, so cute.

First Stitches

2009-02-10T12:53:00.001-08:00

So obviously these are in the wrong order. Oops. This is the pile of snow outside our door and it's kinda hard to see but our neighbours walk Rueger to and from the bus stop each day and they wrote get well with a big heart. They also wrote their names in the snow too but you can't read it. I always tease him about his girls walking him to school. They are so good to him.

This is "Moo Moo" Rueger's new webkinz. At his school when your in kindergarten you have "care partners." Grade 5 students who are paired up with you and help you do various things once or twice a month. Rueger has two, Gabriel and Chase. So after this incident at school he got this present from his care partners. It was so sweet of them. He loves when it's care partner day.

So this is daddy taking out the last of the stitches. Rueger was such a trooper and didn't move at all. When Armes was done Rueger was like "is that it, that was easy."

So here's the shot of the stiches. 7 stitches.

Here's the story. I was on the phone with a friend from Texas for about 20 minutes (come on I hadn't talked to her since before Christmas) when I get off the phone it rang right away. It was my cousin Heather on her cell phone. The school had contacted her (she's my emergency contact) and she was on her way to the clinic where they had taken Rueger to get stitches. So she told me where he was and we ran out of the house horrified no knowing what was happening just that my son was taken into emergency near my house. I'm sure I looked a mess, I stress easily. So when I walked in they took me straight back to the room and there was my little man laying on the table just bleeding from around his eye. It was so big. The principal was there and Rueger wasn't crying or anything just looking a little worried. Then Heather walked in the room because she was already on her way and she took Briggs and went and got some ice cream. I don't know what I would do without Heather, she's always saving me from something. So the doctor froze him up and gave him 7 stitches. Heather came back as we were walking out and gave Rueger a blizzard, she's so sweet he loved it. Then she gave me a big hug and I don't know why it meant so much to me but in that situation I really needed it. I need to convince her to move to Medicine Hat with me!

Christmas Project

2009-01-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the placemats that go with the runner.

My cousin Heather has been trying to teach me how to sew over the past little while and this was my Christmas project. It is a table runner.
I also made 6 placemats and gave them to my parents for Christmas. I love it. I might have to make my own I like it so much. So thanks to Heather for teaching me a little bit of what you know. I love completing a project.

Perrett Family Pictures

2009-01-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas brought all the parents back to Mountain View, more specifically Mic and Misty's house. This is Armes older brother Pat his wife Connie and their kids. Taylor, Miles, Mason and Zoe. Such good cute kids and so good to our little ones. Briggs middle name is Patrick after Uncle Pat. Briggs loves his Uncle Pat and calls him Ole Pat. (Sounds like Old Pat) Uncle Pat loves him regardless though.
Mic, Misty, Hunter, Turner, Summer and Jagger. Briggs and Rueger often have arguments about who loves Turner more. They love they're cousins so much. We told the kids that we have to move soon and Rueger thinks we need to build a house right next to Turner's so we can be neighbors. With a million people at they're house all the time I want to give a shout out to Mic and Misty and say thanks for housing and hosting all of us we had such a fun time.
Tom, Jayme, Grayson and Merrick. Look how cute he is in his little tuxedo. This was his blessing outfit. He's only about 7 weeks younger than Devyn but he seems so little to me. He's such a good baby. Grayson is still a little shy towards me but I got a few smiles out of him over the holidays.
Our little family with Grandpa and Grandma Perrett.
The Perrett Family. Where the chaos all began. They were all competing to see who could use every millimeter of their toes to their advantage. It works - they look taller to me.
Everyone together. What a wreck. We had a great time with all the family and hope to get together again sometime in the near future. It's not often that everyone is all there. The Perrett family sure is growing.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

Briggs in his ninja turtle jammies telling Santa he wants the "hulk." He must have been a good boy because he got a big, green, loud hulk.
On Christmas Eve we had a special visitor come and visit us and check one last time to see what the kids wanted. The kids were so hyper and so excited to see him. Of course Devyn didn't really know what was going on, and truth be told, probably didn't care. But, she sill is so cute.
Rueger in his new spider-man pajamas. He asked Santa for Super Mario Galaxy and Santa did indeed deliver. He was so excited, but he wants to play it every single second of every day.

My Funny Boys

2009-01-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

So I decided to write down a few things that my boys do or say that make me laugh. These are the things that (not always said graceful) I want to remember.

As Armes finished his last exam at school for the semester the boys thought it was time that we went and got a present for Devyn. So dad stayed with her and just Rueger, Briggs and I set off shopping. As we were driving to the store Briggs mentioned that we did not get Devyn a present last year for Christmas. Rueger than said "remember we didn't have her last Christmas, remember when mom was huge with her (Devyn) in her belly?" Briggs said " yeah, big like santa" and Rueger replied "no like Kung Fu Panda, he's way bigger than Santa." I know not to be offended but couldn't help laughing. To my kids defense I do get really big when I am pregnant.

The other day we were making rice crispy squares and the boys were on their chairs up at the counter helping me. Briggs was starting to get unpatient with the marshmallows melting so I told him to hold his horses. He said "mom my horses don't like holding still."

With Kung Fu Panda out on video the kids love to watch it. It is their favorite movie. The only problem is my boys like to wrestle with their daddy and anytime anyone even touches Briggs while wrestling he grabbs his private parts and yells "oh my tenders" as said on the movie. Of course we are all laughing at him and he loves the attention and now has come up with new names for his "tenders." He calls them my tenders, my knuckles, my wrist and almost anything else that he deems worthy of a laugh.

When I was sick Armes came home from school and asked what to do for dinner. He was tired and I was so so sick so I said just run to Subway and Briggs said (in his high pitched voice) "eat fresh."

We were trying to get out of the house the other day and I was telling the kids let's go. Briggs pipes up and says "Hey Ho, let's go." Too much rockband lately.

Armes was doing the boys hair for church and he was being silly and doing it funny and he parted and matted Rueger's hair to his head and Rueger said "Dad, I look like a dentist." Armes was laughing so hard at him. Rueger thought he looked so funny and was not impressed.

I know there's many other things that my kids say and do and I hope to continue to write them down so as to never forget these funny times.

Devyn 13 days old

2008-11-25T09:30:00.001-08:00

So I know this is picture overload, but it's so hard to choose just a couple to post. There are so many more that I could put up to but this will have to do. Erin Cahoon took these pictures and she did such an amazing job - love you.

Rueger and Briggs, man I love these boys. They are so good to each other, most of the time.

Busy, Busy weekend

2008-11-25T08:25:00.001-08:00

1st stop on our busy trip was Medicine Hat. Grandpa and Grandma Perrett met us there and we stayed at the Lodge for a night. It was so much fun. We played on the waterslides for awhile and it was crazy. Armes went behind Rueger and tried shooting him down the slide and I would be at the bottom waiting for them to come down to catch him. He was always giggling. Briggs went on his own one time, other than that he rode mostly with dad down the slides.

The famous big chairs! Armes was mocking me because I was excited about the big chairs. They are pretty cool. My arms are covering Devyn but she does have a little bikini on. So cute - it has bum ruffles! So why are we in Medicine Hat you ask? We were looking at contracts with some dentists there. That's right - we are headed to Medicine Hat to work at Courtyard Dental. What an amazing practice, we are so excited. Grandpa and Grandma took the kids so that we could concentrate on the contract without disruption. Looks good.

On our way past Coaldale we stopped to see Great Grandma O'Donnell and to show her Devyn. She sure liked the new baby. She's quite the funny lady, she always gives us a good laugh.

Still, on our way home we stopped at the hospital because Tom and Jayme (mostly Jayme) had their new baby boy Merrick. (This isn't taken at the hospital though). What a cute little guy and he is so tiny compared to Devyn and she's only 7 weeks old here. Jagger loves the babe's and likes to hold them.

This is the amazing Rockband A'HORS - yes Armes named the band. We were pretty awesome at it though.

Rueger and Summer each had a stick and just went to town on the drums it was so funny. They were concentrating so hard. They did pretty good though. Rueger loves Uncle Mic's and Aunt Misty's house so much he always talks about it and how we need to move next to them so we can be neighbours and he can stay there all the time.

Sunday November 9,2008 was the big blessing day for Devyn. We were already home so we blessed her in the Leavitt ward. It was such a fun day. These are the handsome boys with the darling girl.

With Papa Perrett.

The big men and the little girl.

Daddy and his baby girl. Armes was quite nervous for this blessing, but he always does such a great job.

Mommy and her baby girl.

She had this most amazing dress that Colleen had given her. It was so perfect. Also, notice the cutest little bracelet. Oh, these pictures don't even do it justice. So beautiful.

Not the cutest picture of Devyn but I am trying to show her dress.

My husband is so GQ. I love this man.

She looked so cute in her frilly underwear and socks and shoes I had to take this pic. It makes me laugh.

While we were home that weekend we had another big day with Devyn. On November 10 at Papa Perrett's house she rolled over. 7 weeks 5 days old she rolled from her tummy to her back. Oh no, this is happening way to quick. She is supposed to stay little for me. AHHH.

Briggs watching the exciteing moment with us. He was so cute encouraging her along. Love those big brothers. So after all of this we went to see Grandma Perrett at the hospital and then snuck out to Stewart's for the night. Grandpa Stewart had mom's favorite meal ready for her when they got there. Steak, yum, mama loves her red meat! Then in the morning Stacey snuck down to see the baby before we started our long drive home. What a whirlwind of a weekend. Glad we got to see everyone though.

First Smile

2008-11-25T08:21:00.001-08:00

So obviously Devyn's not really smiling in this picture, however, her first real smile was November 1,2008. It's so fun to see her start reacting to us and the boys. As for now, she loves her mama the most (in my mind anyway)!

Boring Days at the Perrett House

2008-11-25T08:12:00.001-08:00

It was kind of a miserable day out and the kids were bored (and still in their jammies) so I told them to get my body pillow and slide down the stairs. They were so confused. I felt so ashamed - how could they not know or understand what to do. So after a few demonstrations from me they soon realized what I was giddy about. Briggs just ran up and down the stairs but Rueger got into it. No major accidents. Good day.

At least once a week I try to have something prepared for dinner that the kids can make. The easiest of course is pizza. They love to make the whole dinner all by themselves and are so proud when dad walks through the door and they have the table set and dinner ready. They are the best helpers.

For Rueger and Briggs the most important part of the pizza is the pineapple. They love it.

The finished product. What good cooks.

Halloween

2008-11-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

My costume was sweeeet this year. I went as a tired mom as you can tell.

Here's my sweet little butterfly. Devyn is 5 weeks old. Isn't she the sweetest thing ever? I sure think so. She is the most sweet baby and so easy-going. We love her to pieces.

So cute. I love girl costumes already. Grandma Perrett says she can be my little doll to dress up. I have taken that advice and ran with it. I love to dress her up and put bracelets on her and headbands. It is so fun. Everyone needs a girl.

This is my sexy husband. We're not really sure what he is maybe a pig farmer with those gumboots.

This year in preparation for halloween we had a little party at our house so that the kids could use their costumes more than once. Grandma Perrett got the kids these costumes and they were so excited to wear them. Rueger a gorilla and Briggs as a bat. The kids helped me decorate and they were so excited for Halloween this year.

Armes painted Rueger's face for the big night. It was kinda freaky outside because you really couldn't see his face at all. Briggs is so in love with this bat costume. He wears it almost everyday. He loves to spread his arms so everyone can see his wings.

The party kids. We made a cute little ghost craft and decorated some pumpkin cookies. Then the kids just played for awhile. What a cute bunch of kids. Rueger, Taya, Marlo, Elias, Carsen, Greta, Rylee, Briggs and Walker. Sorry Ben and Laney you were too late!! It was chaos at our house but it was a lot of fun. My kids love to have friends over.

Pumpkins

2008-11-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our yearly tradition of pumpkin carving. With the kids getting older it's becoming increasingly funner to do this. This year with time being the issue Armes needed the pumpkins already cleaned and ready to carve by the time he got home from school. So that afternoon the kids and I started to tackle the icky mess inside the pumpkins. Rueger dove right in and loved it. Briggs put his hand in once and decided it felt gross and he was done. He stayed and watched and made sure Rueger didn't throw out any seeds but he refused to help anymore. Rueger did great and got them all cleaned up and ready for dad. Briggs and mom worked on one while Rueger and dad did the other one. Devyn slept in her chair! Briggs liked the carving part better.

Saskatoon

2008-11-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving it was such a beautiful day that we decided to take advantage of the weather and take a walk along the river and across the train bridge. The kids decided that sides of the stairs made a perfect slide. Of course I am not a fan of heights and don't particulary like the train bridge or my kids sliding down these stairs, but boys will be boys and turn anything into a slide!

The kids and I. Devyn is there under the blanket in the Bjorn. (love that thing). Saskatoon really is beautiful. I cried when we moved out here and I know with our upcoming decisions I will cry when I leave. We have really loved it here. The city is great and the people are even better.

This is on the train bridge. It's wooden and it's shaky and it makes me so nervous. The boys love to look down at the river and Armes contemplates if he could make the jump. He likes to tease me to get a reaction. I love how they are daring but fear when they are older the dares will become more intense than just jumping off couches or cuboards! For now they worry me enough!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving brought Grandpa and Grandma Stewart out for a visit this year. Can I say FINALLY. After moving us out here almost 6 years ago they haven't been back since so we were very excited for them to come. They even brough my nephews Trayden and Chase with them. The boys were so excited and kept them busy. My kids love their cousins to death.

So Briggs, Devyn and I were at the bus stop waiting for Rueger to get home from school and he jumps off the bus and comes running to us with this hat on and the funniest, goofiest grin ever. He was so proud of this hat it made me laugh so much. I wish I had the camera with me at the bus stop to capture his face, priceless. So here is an afterthought picture. It's a turkey and it makes me laugh so hard.

Rueger loves kindergarten and loves making the little crafts. I must say to date this is the sweetest though. Good work love.

How Time Flies

2008-10-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well time does indeed never stop and somewhere in the middle of all of it we live our busy lives. Although it's still weird to say that we are a family of 5, it's true. Crazy to think Devyn is already 5 weeks old! She is doing extremely well and life has not been too bad for us. Devyn still sleeps a lot so it will probably be harder when she wants to be awake more often. The boys are adjusting very well and love her to death. They are my little helpers with everything. Rueger likes to hold her while I'm making dinner or taking a shower. He's so good to her. Briggs doesn't really care yet, occasionally he'll give her a sweet kiss but mostly talks to her. The boys are very helpful. Rueger has started indoor soccer again and is part of the BRONCOS. He is really enjoying it and trying so hard. I love to see him passionate about a sport. Briggs wishes he was old enough to play but is a good cheerleader with mom. He loves pre-school and is doing so well. We've learned that he probably is a left-handed boy. He still switches quite a bit but he writes letters lefty so Grandpa Perrett might have rubbed off on one his grandsons. Armes is really busy with his last year of Dental School and balancing 3 kids. Did I mention he got a new church calling?! High Council. I don't mean to laugh honey- good luck!! As for me I'm in the middle of planning our next primary activity as well as our presentation in a couple weeks. With our schedules it's hard to spend time together without being so tired, but we try. I'm sure with a little more sleep comes a little more energy. Time flies when your having fun.

Baby Devyn Lori Perrett

2008-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

So we had our baby girl on September 17, 2008 at 9:28am. She weighed 8lbs 13 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long. Armes and I went into the hospital Tuesday night (yes it was a full moon) and there were prego ladies everywhere and they were sending people home left and right. I did not want to be sent home. A little back history, I was so sick of being pregnant and getting really swollen and big that I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. So after doing some healthy internet reading I found that maternity accupuncture has a 83% success rate of inducing labour within 48 hours. So what did I do - booked myself in for Monday morning. It was a weird experience but an experience nonetheless. Tuesday I had a doctors appointment where we convinced the doctor to strip me (ladies you know what this means). Then we went home and took the boys for a long bike ride. I walked, and walked and walked. Once we got to the park the boys played and I walked around the park until they were tired and ready to head home. So we walked home and then I got on the treadmill. I was so exhausted, but determined. After awhile and a few contractions we decided we better line up babysitters and start packing some bags and just getting ready. They boys went to Eric and Jen's house for a sleepover and were so excited. We headed to the hospital where the long night began. One resident was so mean and tried to send us home. I wouldn't have it. We finally progressed far enough to be sent across the hall to the delivery suites. Yes, I got an epideral this time. All I can say is sweeeet. Armes had a nap and I got a lot of rest in, how pleasant. Then we had her in the morning and my doctor was able to be there. The baby is doing good and I am also. I actually feel better now than I did my last couple weeks of being prego. I wasn't sure about the whole girl thing but after seeing her and being with her I couldn't imagine anything else. To me she is perfect. Her first name is Devyn and that's not really after anyone we just liked the name. Her middle name is Lori after my mom who passed away when I was young. We are truly blessed.

Armes has always been excited for a girl. He wanted to have daddy's little girl. She already has him wrapped around her finger. I'll run upstairs for something and come back down and he has her in his Arms. He is so giddy about her.

A little bruised and battered but finally here. She has lots of hair on the back of her head but not so much on the top. I'm sure in due time.

Mom and her little girl.

All buckled up and ready to go home. We left thursday morning. We were excited to get home and see the boys.

Rue loves her and can't leave her alone. It's so cute. He always wants to hold her and give her a soother and just be around her.

Briggs really didn't care the first day we brought her home. Now he loves her. The part he loves the most is bathtime. He stands at the foot of her bath with a washcloth and washes her toes and legs for me. He loves to be included.

The famous hooded bath towel. I always love these towels for baby's. So this is our baby and our story of how she came to be with us. We love her so much and it's good for the boys to have some innocence around. At 3 days old she got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Perrett. They came to see their new sweet grand-daughter. We didn't really have to tell them we had the baby since Grandma keeps close tabs on us and when we weren't answering our phone she figured something was up. When we did call she was so excited and already making plans to be here. The boys loved having them here as they were given tons of attention. Rueger was excited that Grandpa walked him to the bus stop and Briggs kept him busy playing toys. It was hard to see them leave, but everyone has a life to get back to. Hopefully she won't be too big before family gets to see her again. Time does fly.

1st Day of School

2008-09-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Rue's first full day of kindergarten and first time riding "his" bus. It's about a block away from our house and I think he could tell that mom was having a hard time walking him to the stop. (apart from being due in 2 weeks and waddling everywhere I go). He held my hand and we went over what he was supposed to do at school with his indoor shoes, lunch, sweater and other routines. He was so excited for this day. I was too, until it was there. We waited for a few minutes and then saw the bus turn and head our way. As my eyes welled up he just looked at me and told me he loved me and that he would come home. I held the tears in until the bus pulled away but it wasn't easy. He's so much fun to have at home and he's so considerate and can really read me and how I'm feeling. After school I was worried that he wouldn't be on the bus at all, but there he was with big smiles and hugs for me. What a relief, day 1 over!

In the house before we left for school with his backpack on and full of all his supplies he will be needing this year for kindergarten. He thought it was a little heavy but that he had the muscles to get it to school. I can't believe I have a kid in school!

Briggs goes to pre-school at the same place where Rueger went last year and has the same teacher. It's great because he knows her well from taking Rue all last year and she knows him. He wasn't nervous to go at all and was excited to have a backpack and indoor shoes! The things that make kids happy. I switched my helper days so that I could be helper on the first day so I wouldn't have to help right when baby is due. He did so good and listened to the teacher so well. It's amazing how they listen to other people!

Doesn't he look BIG. Oh my gosh, my baby is not a baby.

It was kinda fun because they both had they're first day of school on the same day so they had a fun morning getting ready together and Rueger giving Briggs advice on pre-school. They are such good little buddies.

2008-08-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Croc's all over the place.

2008-08-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Cute baby elephant.

2008-08-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's like being in a wide open Zoo. One thing he learned is the darker the Giraffe the older it is!

2008-08-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

Armes (in his attractive scrubs) on a Boda Boda. The traffic there was insane and these drivers aren't afraid of weaving in and out of traffic. A city of 4 million people and there's only 4 traffic lights. Don't get stuck in traffic you'll be there for hours!

2008-08-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

These are some friends Armes made who were selling bagoyas which are sweet yellow bananas.

2008-08-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

Children would watch you wherever you went they always wanted to be near you!

2008-08-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Touching Saskatoon and Uganda. Long ways from home.

2008-08-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Armes in front of Murchinson Falls. The Victoria Nile goes from a width of 1 km at it's widest point to a gorge 6 meters wide at this point. The locals say if you get chased by a lion to the falls you have a better chance fighting the Lion!

Family Pictures

2008-08-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Daddy with his girls! My sister and I hadn't seen each other in over two years. I miss not having her close. Although who likes taking pictures with their skinny sister!!

2008-08-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

After all this time we can still stand each other!! We do look good together!

2008-08-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am large and in charge!! Whoever said being pregnant wasn't sexy didn't see this picture!! Just joking I can't wait for this to be over.

2008-08-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

The boys decided to have a mustache growing competition for family pictures this year. Although they look extrememly HOT, I think Steve is the undisputed winner this time!