I'm back! December was a very exciting finish to 2009 for us! It started with our annual friends party which was my personal highlight. I'm SO grateful for the amazing friends we have to do life with. I think I learnt more about that this year. I cherish the time, laughter, wisdom, tears, and joy that each relationship represents!
Chad & I really wanted to introduce our own family traditions this year. Now that we have Chase there are certain things we want to make sure we do with him every year. Cutting down our Christmas tree and going to the Santa parade downtown was how we started the month. As a mommy you remember all the wonderful things your Mom did to make this time of year special. I would lay awake at night trying to figure out how we would pack it all in. :)
Then on December 14th our special little man turned 1! Of course I did the one thing I swore I'd never do, I documented my labor hour by hour from the year before. All day long I would tell Chase what I was doing or feeling on the day he was born. Poor kid! We had a wonderful cookie monster themed party with his friends. Then 2 days later we did the family party.
This month was a massive tug of war for me. I was using up the last of my holiday time at work and was due back on December 28th. I went to my Christmas party and came home a bit discourage. Kensie girl had been a full time passion for me! I poured everything into it. The hours were long, frequent business trips and all the other things that go with the job. After attending the party that night I drove home thinking about all the work that needed to be done. The hardest part was my passion had changed. I didn't want to only see Chase for an hour or 2 everyday. Chad & I began talking, praying and fasting to figure out what to do. On December 18th I gave my notice and ended that chapter of my life. It was bittersweet for me. I love the people that I worked with and the brand is awesome! However, I adore my son and want to give him as much of my time as possible. So, now I'm a stay at home mom and I'm LOVING it!
That same day, Chase touched the glass on our fireplace. Chad was downtown working the Canucks game and I had no idea what to do. As a mom when you're in these situations you just react and do what you have to for your child. Through screams & sobs I managed to soak his little hands in water and give him some advil to help with the pain. My amazing Auntie Rhonda rushed over to help me. Mom showed up shortly after and we headed to ER. When we got there Chase's hands had massive blisters forming. The incredible doctors and nurses got him in really quickly. They applied an acticoat to help protect against infection and then the gauze mittens went on! Every 3 days we had to go back to ER to have them changed and for the doctors to see how things were. Chase was such a good boy! I was overwhelmed by the care at LMH!!! There staff is incredible!
So on Christmas Eve, Chad and I woke up early to go to ER to get the mittens changed. Then we head straight to the ferries for Christmas in Sidney with the Wakeham side!
Chad has a pretty incredible family that I feel SO blessed to be apart of! Being with the Wakeham's is 1 nonstop party!!! It's a pretty special bond. Christmas day was full of all the traditional fun. Jered & Brent made us the most incredible turkey dinner. Then Lisa, Brent & Jered did a Christmas concert for us. There was a lot of emotion and excitement that night! Tyler had announced to the whole family that he was asking Stacie to marrying him on Boxing day! We were all apart of the fun.
New Years Eve was a whirlwind! My Auntie Miriam's birthday is on NYE so we started with hour traditional fondue. A bit of drama when the table cloth caught fire but other than that a great night. From there we took Chase home put him to bed and got the babysitter all settled in. We changed from our smelly fondue clothes and headed to the Carlson's for a party as only the Carlson's can do!!! You girls did a fantastic job of the party! Around 10:30 we left to head downtown to the Astoria to ring in the New Year with a little Motown!!! We had a blast! Cool vibe, venue and great friends to welcome in 2010! It was an amazing night!!! When I woke up the next morning with Chase at 6:30 I remembered why I don't stay out late anymore. :) Haha, it was still so much fun!
2009 was an epic year for Chad, Chase & I! 2010 is promising to be even better!!! I love you all and I can't wait to share our adventures for this coming year! xoxo
It's hard to believe we're 3 days away from the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics! The city is buzzing and I'm in HEAVEN! I love the crowds, the sea of red & white and the overwhelming excitement that's in the air. The most touching part is how it's bringing us all together. 
During these Olympics my goal is to love on as many people as I can. I want to show them how wonderful our great country is but also how much better these events are when you have Jesus in your life. It's joy on a whole other level! So get out there give directions to tourists, buy a Tim Horton's coffee for a volunteer or just assist someone that needs help. Oh and HAVE FUN!
