Winter Has Arrived

It sounds like the majority of the country has experienced "true winter" this weekend. We definitely had our share of snow and poor road conditions here in Central Alberta. Sabrina loves the snow and helped me shovel the deck and stairs Friday night when we finally got home from work. There was a good 5-6 inches of snow and with the drifts the snow was easily half way up my calf. Yesterday, Sabrina and I ventured out to get groceries and visit Poppa and Nana. Red Deer does not ;pow the roads very well and thus, I greatly appreciated having a 4x4 SUV as that extra traction definitely helped getting through the snow. The photos below tell you more than I could in words.

The snow pile from clearing the walkway, deck and stairs.


Scott and Sabrina shovelling the sidewalk.

Angela

Baking with a Toddler

Last evening I decided to bake some cookies. Sabrina was in the kitchen and she loves to help out around the house. She pulled a chair up to the island and begin to mix the sugar and shortening together. She broke the eggs and added them to the mixture and stirred some more. Once the flour was added, Sabrina decided that she wanted to do something else but I was okay with that. This mother-daughter time reminded me of the many times I had helped my mom bake. It is the day to day moments that are often the most vivid memories. Helping mom bake during my teenage years gave us time to talk and share with each other. Some day, maybe Sabrina will have similar memories about helping me bake.

It is hard to believe that Sabrina is a little girl who is learning new skills and becoming more independent every day. She is now dressing and undressing independently, toilet trained (day and night), problem solves how to reach an item she wants (moves chairs or stools) and has improved her swimming skills. Watching her grow and change, reminds me of God's amazing detail in creation as children are true miracles in so many ways. I remind myself often that time is precious and absorb as much detail as I can. Thank you God for such a precious gift.

NS Visit

This blog is a bit outdated but decided that some of you would like to see photos of Sabrina with her relatives. We went to NS the first two weeks of September to visit family. Both sets of grandparents enjoyed some special time with Sabrina and memories were made. Scott and I also had a chance to visit PEI. Here are a variety of photos from our trip.

Saturday Fun

Sabrina and I had a great day yesterday hanging out and visiting. Scott was umpiring slo-pitch ball for the weekend just outside Red Deer. I packed a picnic lunch and we headed to the ball field to watch Daddy. Sabrina was looking forward to seeing her Daddy and in the car said " Daddy ball". Scott was just finishing a game and then had a game break so we were able to have our picnic lunch together.

Later in the afternoon, we headed out to Poppa and Nana's to visit. Poppa and Nana are friends of ours that are like parents to Scott and I. They live on an acerage and have a few goats. Sabrina has been attempting to ride the tricycle for the last few months have hasn't been able to quite reach the pedals enough to keep her feet on them. Yesterday, she rode the tricycle all by herself on the walkway and gravel driveway. I wasn't expecting Sabrina to be able to reach the pedals this summer, I guess she has grown in height more than I realized. Enjoy the photos below.

Vacation Fun

Sabrina and I have been busy with a variety of activities this week as I have had the week off. Our mornings have begun at a regular time as swim lessons started at 9am. Sabrina completed her third and final parented level. She moves on to unparented lessons once she turns 3 years old in February. As you can tell from the photo and video, Sabrina lis like a fish in water.

It has been rainy here most of the week so lots of indoor activities including crafts. Sabrina enjoys drawing and loves using stickers. Some of "our" creations are shown below. It has been a good week spending time with Sabrina and realizing some of the new skills she has developed over the last month or so.

Have an awesome weekend.

love Angela, Scott and Sabrina

Storm

Hello all, There was a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch early this evening in Central Alberta. Here are some photos of the funnel cloud seen from our house. It is believed at this point that it touched down in Bentley, a small town about 35km northwest from our place.

Angela

Beach Day

My mom has been visiting from Nova Scotia for the past week. Sabrina recognized Nanny when she arrived and has enjoyed spending time with her. Today we decided to go to the beach at a local lake. Sabrina loves the water but usually we are at the pool. It took a little while for Sabrina to get use to the cooler water but she was running in and out of the water before long. She enjoyed playing in the sand. It was nice to relax and enjoy the outdoors for a few hours. Here are a few photos from our day.

I decided it was time that family and friends had a way to keep up to date with our life on a more regular basis. Sabrina is growing up so fast and continues to develop new skills all the time. She is saying more words and uses 2-3 word sentences to communicate. Potty training is going well at the moment. Sabrina gets so excited and is proud of herself whenever she uses the potty. Have a great weekend.