Weekend Getaway!!!

Well a couple weekends ago Jason and I decided that we needed a little break from our busy lives. We decided that we might as well take advantage of his 4 day weekend and leave town. We also decided due to the likelihood of traveling during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons that we wouldn't travel too far. So we ended up taking the kids to the Brookfield Zoo (about 45mins away) and then to a Hotel (1 1/2hrs away). We decided to spend the night up north so Jason could do some much needed work in the Chicago Temple. Also we rented a room with a suite, which was perfect for Tristen to run around in and explore...which she did. All in all our weekend was great. Tristen had a great time at the zoo and loved seeing all the animals she reads about in her books. After we told Tristen that we were going to the zoo I asked her what animals would we see at the zoo, Tristen's response, cows...not so much. Also Blake was as good as gold, which is normal, so we had a beautiful day with great weather and the kids were perfect. After the zoo we left for the hotel and spent an hour or so at the pool, which we had all to ourselves. Mommy enjoyed her time in the hot tub...which I haven't been able to do for a while since I was prego. Also we went Halloween shopping for the kids costumes that weekend, it was so much fun and I can't wait to take their pictures (I'll save them for another blog entry). Well here are a few pics of our trip. I must admit with 2 kids it is a bit tricky trying to take as many pics. Oh well, you get the point that we had a fun and relaxing weekend.


Blake and Tristen waiting patiently while mom and dad finished packing...thank heavens for televisions.


The Lions Den


Tristen was a big fan of the elephants, we had to make a couple trips back to see them again.

Baby Roo

The Princess And Her Throne

Well after a long week of potty training Tristen, I am proud to say she is doing great. I was dreading the inevitable task and wanted to wait until she was ready. So last week I started working with her. I wasn't sure what to expect since she just turned 2 last month. That being said I am proud to say that after one week of training she is on day 4 without any accidents. Tristen is a big fan of the chocolate reward that comes after the fruits of her labor. I don't want to knock on wood too early, but hopefully she will continue a good track record. I am soooo happy that she is doing as well as she is, it makes my week of 'not so much fun' training worth it!

Seasons Come & Seasons GO

Well the smell of fall is already in the air. I miss the summer already even though we are at the tail end of it. On a positive note, I do love fall colors and decorations!!!! I already have some of our decorations up (which being Canadian works to my advantage b/c if anyone asks why my decorations are up so early I tell them that Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated in the beginning of October). Anyways, now that the summer is coming to an end Jason is back in school. He is finishing off his last class of his master's degree. He is also studying for the GMAT, he has to retake it to apply for his MBA program (it is only good for 5 years, so his previous score has expired). As for me, I'm keeping busy with my little projects around the house. I'm also busy with the kids and with my church calling. So in a nutshell life is good, we are all happy and Tristen and Blake are doing great. Tristen is finally coming out of the terrible 2 phase and Blake is being the happy baby that he is. It is amazing how fast they grow and change. Here are some pics of the last couple of months, enjoy.