WHEW....

...yesterday was a pretty hectic day and i was glad to come home last night and get into my jammies and soak it all in...

...my scrapbook shop was the vendor at an all day crop in Cooks Creek! so i was there friday night setting up and then back for 8am saturday morning for a full day of business and fun with my mom and a few close friends! AND...saturday was also our much anticipated Provincial tournament for tyler's boys combo team at St. James Lanes...so i left cooks creek at 11am to get to tyler's tournament ( leaving my store in the trusting hands of good friend tracy while i would be away! ) and was there in time for the action!

tyler's boys combo team ( one bantam, one junior & one senior ) bowled 4 games together and the tournament was based on Pins Over Average...and after an 88 pin difference, tyler's team finished SECOND!!!! not bad at all for his first year in bowling! tyler, of course, was quite disappointed that they were not going to be moving on the the National finals in Regina, but by the time the big banquet and awards presentation was over ( Victoria Inn ) he was feeling proud of his accomplishment! ( his team finished with a + 282 pins over average, and +178 of that total was tyler on his own! )

SOOOOOOO proud of this boy!!!

...tyler's team...
drew, elijah, tyler and coach ron.

...final results...

...congratulations tyler!!!

***and a huge THANK YOU to mike for taking such great pictures at the presentations for me as i had to return back to the crop right after the bowling, so i was unable to be there for the awards - in person anyway!!!!

...otherwise, life is life...

piano, dance, bowling, scrapbooking...hahahaha!!!

...oh...and we also dogsat for our friends for a few days too...

the kids are always excited to have maggie and now their newest addition oscar, at our house for a fun visit!!

:D

...and here's a cute pic of my friend tara sharing her first scrapbooking publication in Canadian Scrapbooker's magazine!!!

Soooooooo excited for her!

Eep!!!

...i am looking forward to a quiet day today of catching up laundry ( AGAIN ) and tidying up the house and hopefully later this afternoon some catch-up on my 365: Project life...

and how is your weekend so far???

...be back soon...

:)

CURRENTLY...

...soooooo happy I had an opportunity to have a small visit with LYNN last night before going to Courtney's dance lesson!! We brought her some new artwork from the kids and some food and fruit to help out with meals for her and her 24 hour caregiver (and BFF ) at home!!

The whole dance family has come together to cook and provide lunches and meals for Lynn to ease the stress off her caregiver...and it's so wonderful to see the outpour of love in so many thoughtful ways just shine through for Lynn at such a difficult and sad time.

We really are the BEST dance family ever!!

...I thought it was time to try my own rendition of a "currently" post as i've been inspired by many bloggers of whom I keep up with and their own 'currents'....and most recently my sweet friend TARA ( http://www.tleclaire.blogspot.com/ ) has tempted me to finally give it a try!

( ...and might i add that TARA has also successfully been published in CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKERS magazine for her first time in the new issue pg. 94!!! CONGRATULATIONS and big hugs to you Missy!!!! )

so here goes:

CURRENTLY...

listening: to my furnace clicking on and off ( i really should put some music on down here! )

eating: a tim horton's bacon and egg breakfast sandwich on a biscuit

drinking: tim horton's hot chocolate. extra milk

reading: breaking dawn, for the 3rd time!

wearing: black yoga pants, long sleeve black GAP shirt ( a fav ) and black socks...hmmm, what's up with all the black today?

feeling: sick from my stupid cold starting up again, but happy from my visit last night

weather: still winter, so COLD! ( but sunny )

wanting: a part time job for some extra $$$ - summer's holidays are coming!

needing: a bigger house...and a part time job...hahaha!

thinking: that sometimes life just isn't fair, but blah, blah blah...things happen for a reason, when you're ready to believe it!

enjoying: recent successes of my children and knowing i have the best family in my 4 walls every day!

wondering: when I'll ever get to Scotland again...

...be back soon...

x0x0

Well hello again..

...somehow, I always seem to be playing the 'catch up' game with my blog.

although, we have been going through some heavy stuff lately, so blogging hasn't been one of my priorities lately....i will explain later...

FIRST...

Well, as things go around, we have had this season's cold bug attack our household and all four of us ended up SICK, SICK, SICK!!!

i hate it when SICK hits because none of us have time for being sick and it just hangs around for weeks....

grrr.

...as you know, in the mix of SICK was Tyler's 9th birthday...

we had a small little family 'cake and coffee' night at my mom's last night to celebrate with them as tyler was away for the weekend on a visit...

so last night we shared a delicious Dairy Queen ice cream cake with 9 candles!

...as always, tyler's favorite thing to receive as gifts is MONEY!!!!

( haha..this was from Uncle Darren )

...and big on this years' list was Justin Bieber CD's, posters, etc...hahaha!

...tyler was pretty excited about this special hoodie made for him from his step-mom's parents...it's sooooo cute!!! ( and so thoughtful! )

:D

...and we had a little quiet celebration sunday night with Oliver when Tyler came home from his visit as well....that round nature mat is barely recognizable anymore, what's left of it...LOL!

...so, a little life update...

i went as a parent chaperone with courtney last week to Camp Cedarwood for Band Camp for 3 days....

...as i got quite SICK the day before we left, i had a pretty uncomfortable stay there and the noise level of 55 band kids, plus morning to night activities, plus band rehersals did not help my situation! but, overall, the kids did enjoy themselves...

...we were supervising the kids around the clock as the camp did not offer camp guides for any of the outdoor activities, so my post all 3 days was at the top of the monster tube slide...sending them off in a safe manor...( but i assure you, the kids requesting to not end up going down backwards or spinning somehow got the very opposite...heeheehee - karma sucks, don't it kids? )

;o)

...here's our band group...

...i was only too glad to come home, get into my jammies and fuzzy socks and curl up and catch up on American Idol...and can i just say how much i am LOVING steven tyler and Jlo on the show?? Excellent.

...something funny...well, for us anyway...

THIS is what happens EVERY TIME we clean out Oliver's cage...he goes crazy, running and jumping as fast as he can in the fresh shavings, kicking them all over the floor ( and himself )...

we have learned long ago to just let him have his fun til he chills out and THEN we can sweep up after him...little rat!!!

x0

...our awesome little backyard skating rink mike made this winter has been used plenty, and the kids ( ALL 3 OF THEM ) have taken a loving to mini hockey games in our own backyard!

...even WITH all the ups and downs...

hahahaha!

...a while ago, my mom called us up and invited us to come over for a nice dinner, which turned into a fun family game night with Payday and Poker, and lots of laughs...

MOM....it was JUST what i needed at the time! Thanks for ALWAYS knowing just the perfect solution to make things better...i love you!!!

x0

...and around the same time, courtney and i were invited for a potluck lunch and tobogganing after a dance workshop...

it was, once again, just what us dance moms and the girls needed...

what a fun, happy afternoon!!

thank you susan for pulling it all together and sharing your home for lunch!

...on feb. 12 i had a very special and important lunch date!

my friend syrella and i go waaaayyyyy back and hadn't spoken in 11.5 years!

we had been emailing off and on since last spring, but the time had come to get together and see each other and get everything out and most willingly move forward with our friendship!

i know that this will be one of our best decisions.

after seeing her, i felt like no time had passed between us and immediately felt our connection in our friendship spark again and i'm sure in no time, we will again feel like the sisters we felt like back then!

our regret is the time passed that we've missed in each others childrens lives, but that too will only pick up now and move ahead!

syrella, i am so happy that your friendship is back in my life!!!

x0

..that whole entire day was an overwhelming dose of warm happiness as earlier that morning, tyler had a big bowling tournament!

in YBC, the 4 Steps to Stardom is their "big one" of the year...the bowlers who win advance from the first Zones competiton to Provincials...and the winners from Provincials advance to Nationals, which is also the finals.

Well, our boy qualified to bowl on the "combo team" of 1 bantam, 1 junior and 1 senior bowler and at the Zones tournament that morning, THEY WON!!!!

it was sooooo very exciting!! The combo team is based on a "pins over average" outcome and tyler's team lead with +575 POA and +277 of that being on his own!!

Just awesome!!!

so tyler bowls this saturday afternoon ( march 5 ) in the Provincial tournament at St.James Lanes!!!

( wish him luck! )

( tyler wish his team & coach & first bowling medal - gold )

:D

...and as if that weekend wasn't excitement enough...

last weekend ( feb 19 ) courtney competed at the Winnipeg Scottish Festival at the Convention Centre.

This was her first Championships of the year and she danced very, very well...

she won 2nd Runner-Up!! ( 3rd overall in class of 14 )

Soooo proud of her too!!!

this competiton was not only a tough one physically, but emotionally as well.

i am so proud of all Lynn's dancers for handling their emotions in such a mature way and getting their "jobs done"...for those of them who did come home with any medals that day, you still came home with the satisfaction of working your hardest, trying your best and knowing that Lynn is so very proud, no matter the outcome!!!

(photo is of Lynn's Premier dancers and 3 assistant teachers! )

Congratulations to courtney's dance friend kelsey who won the overall championships in courtney's class, and also a huge congrats to alex who won 4th Runner-Up in her own class of 13/14 year olds. you ALL make us so proud of you!!

x0

...which has now brought me to share some very sad news in our dance world with you.

most of my family and close friends know that Lynn has been a part of my life since i was 8 years old, beginning my own stories of Highland Dance with her as my teacher.

Although after having knee surgery when i was 12 1/2 and having to give up my dancing, it was forever in my heart and carried along to my adulthood.

When Courtney was almost 4 years old and the right age to start Highland, there was no question of who will be her teacher and confirmed by Lynn herself after my phone call to " don't you take her to anybody else...you bring her to me, i would love to teach her!"

Lynn and our love of highland dance has impacted our lives in so many ways and has ultimately been the decision maker in our plans and routines for the last 8 1/2 years that courtney has been dancing!!

so we have come to a huge turning point in our little highland world where after almost a year of apparent illness of Lynn, we have recently been informed that she has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and her time left with us is very, very short.

( we were told 3 weeks and 1 day ago, maybe 2 weeks left! )

Lynn has always been strong hearted, courageous and has the will like no one i have ever met.

she chose to keep this illness to herself and not seek any medical attention until just over a month ago when she was struggling terribly to carry on without any medical help.

having chosen to never marry or have children of her own, Lynn dedicated her entire life and meaning to her teaching of dance and sharing with it a love with her girls that truly is a gift for each and every one of them that have been blessed to be her student.

I won't share much more for now than our time left with her is limited and will certainly keep my family and friends updated.

i have many people accross the globe in my highland world who keep up to date with us through my blog, and as this is such a huge happening for us, i know you all understand.

we feel like we are losing a family member whom we love dearly.

...be back soon...

( Lynn in Scotland 2008 )

( Lynn and Courtney, wpg. airport, ready to go to Scotland, 2008 )

x0x0

FEb.26....

...(as in yesterday )

was TYLER'S 9th birthday!!!

he was having a visit this weekend, but being his birthday, we had some time for a little celebration (until monday nights family party...)

so....

we picked Ty up from bowling and took him to Montana's for a bday lunch ( and I haven't been to Montana's since I quit in may 2008....WOW! )

...one chocolate milk, cheese pizza with apple slices and cookie birthday dessert later, we were on to some presents...

...one of which included pre-purchased tickets to the Justin Bieber 3D movie following our lunch!

( TYLER WAS SOOOO SURPRISED AND EXCITED TO GO!!! - he's been asking for weeks )

( at the theatre...in our dorky 3D glasses...hahaha )

...The Biebs, he's a little bit o' alright....
nice kid. we all admittedly enjoyed the kids' big movie!!!
( my foot was tapping along to his songs..hahahaha...and tyler was comparing his own wardrobe to JB's and talking about getting a purple ball cap now...LOL )


( and of course, thinks since he plays piano too....someday...???? LOL....oh well, like the Biebs says...Never Say Never....)

:D

...AND...

yesterday was also our perfectly sweet and adorable little bunny's 1st birthday as well...

courtney and i baked up these cute lil' cupcakes special for Tyler ( with Oliver in mind since he can't eat one ) and he loved them!!! - the bottoms of the liners have a bunny on them...

...so it was a good day, aside from all of us still being sick and sniffling and coughing...we were glad to come home and get into some jammies and have a lazy night at home...

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TYLER AND OLIVER!!!!

X0X0X0

...be back soon...

still have lots to share...

Wishing you....

...a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!

( cupcakes I made for Tyler's classroom party today )

...I have much to share so I will be back soon, but didn't want today to go by without sending some happy luv luv wishes!!!

x0x0x0