Spring update

We have been busy over the last few weeks:

All three girls now have both their top and bottom braces so we can officially call them “Brace Face”. Dinner time is so much longer now as they have to cut up all their food into very small pieces. On our busy nights we have to have soup so they don’t have spend so much time cutting up their food.

Sam is off to junior high school next year. Nicole has decided to return to school as well. Amanda has enjoyed the freedom of this year, but doesn’t want to be home alone so she is going back to “regular school”.

As the girls have decided to go back to regular school next year...it was great while it lasted, we have to finish all our school work by the end of May (We are going to England in June). We have worked very hard this month and I am now confident that all the school work will be completed. Ok, other than a little Social Studies and French (@#&!) we have completed the entire curriculum…but don’t tell the girls, they are getting all sorts of “fun” projects to complete.

One such project was Sam, Sarah (one of Sam’s friend’s) and I had a field trip to the legislation building in Edmonton. We were fortunate enough to have a private tour of the building. The tour was fantastic, surprisingly educational and fun.

Following our fun tour we stayed at the Fantasy Hotel at West Edmonton Mall where we worked on some science and essential life skills. We had a crazy time at the water slides which were way too big and fast for me (gravity, friction, waves, and overcoming fear). We then hit the fine dining area were we ate a fine meal (food groups). The next morning we shopped until we dropped (finances). Well Sam and Sarah could have kept on, while I on the other hand needed to stop (physiology of aging). We covered all 830 shops and picked up a few things along the way (consumerism).


For Nicole and Amanda we made a trip to Aggie Days. Aggie Days are designed to increase children’s understanding of agriculture in Alberta. It was great fun and we even took in a little rodeo. Sam volunteered for the day helping children make rope while Amanda, Nicole and I learned and played.

Got milk?

Saddle up.

Work for me has been crazy and I am now working full time. They hired two other Media Developers/programmers this month to help off-set the work load. I am learning all sorts of new computer skills and development ideas. Between work, school work, planning trips and our renovations life is full, good, but very full.

Steve has just finished his 6 month recurrent training. He practices, in the simulator, all sort of fun things like engine failures, fires... all the “stuff” no one really wants to know about, but are happy that the people up front know how to resolve. Yes there is a test and he did very well.

Easter was fun with an Easter egg hunt in the morning, measured our roof for new shingles (this summer’s fun), Steve and the girls went for a big bike ride while I made a 3D model of our roof line.

We have even fit in another great day of skiing at Lake Louis. It was the first time up on the “big” mountain for all three girls and they had a blast.



Whenever we don’t have snow on the roads we are off on the bikes or going for a long walk around the neighbourhood. We have some great green spaces all around us and we are always up for an adventure.

The Renovations:

We painted Sam’s room and Nicole and Amanda’s rooms. Amanda and Nicole will share a room for another 6 months - year until we finish developing the upper floor.

Sam has gone for a designer theme and chosen two shades of blue with white trim. She soon will have three metal bulletin boards to hang up all her designs and art work on. I think it looks good.

Amanda and Nicole have chosen an African theme. They painted three walls of their room bubble gum blue and one wall lime green. I am not sure where they achieved the African colour palate, but it looks good. Nicole created some artwork with an African theme and pulling in all the colours from their room. It has really pulled the room together. Perhaps the African juggle theme will be achieved in a few weeks with all their person items placed “dumped” throughout their room. I know we have two monkeys living in there sometimes.

We have replaced two of the three toilets with water efficient toilets. The third toilet has been purchased and will be replaced once we have remodelled our powder room.

Finally we have replaced our bedroom sliding door with a new garden style door. It looks great and there are no more drafts. The draft thing is great considering we received another 12” of snow today.

Spring?