A fun night out with Aunty Jana

Last night Jana took Dylan to the Veggie Tales concert at the church. Apparently they had a blast!! Wish I could have been there. All Dylan talked about when he got home was Bob the tomato....

Killing time.....

Blogging is actually quite addictive. Although sometimes I have to admit there isn't much to write about so there is a blog drought for a few days. But I really enjoy posting pictures of my family....well my little boys. These last few weeks Dylan has started to say his ABC's up to the letter W. And a week and a half ago Caleb started to roll from his front to his back.. I think he only does this because he is so pissed off on his front that he rolls over. At first I thought it was just a freak accident but then he kept on doing it!!! I'm so proud....not to get that confused with bragging. We all know that mothers don't brag and neither do grandparents. I have a little video but I can't figure out how to post it. I guess I'll have to wait until I'm in Kamloops and the experts can show me (Liz, Danica). And here are a few pictures of another beautiful sunny day in Calgary....but it's still not flip flop weather. Luke never really did put away his summer stuff.

Finally engaged!! YIPEE

My brother (Chris) finally asked his girlfriend of forever (Jess) to marry him. WE are really excited and happy for them. But the best part is they want to get married in Hawaii. Finally a vacation to somewhere hot and outside Canada. The thought of laying on a beach right now is almost intoxicating. To have a tan on these white legs of mine would be a miracle. So needless to say the vacation account is officially started and the suitcase is almost packed. Away we go YIPEE!! Back to reality....they are getting married next year BOO HOO.

Snakes and snails and puppy dogs tails........

Looking at my little boy splash in the puddles and dig in the dirt I realized that boys are just attracted to anything messy!! I guess being a boy is all about trucks, dirt and best of all getting dirty. And now I have two boys to clean up after...well three if you count Luke...I better have a girl next. Of course Luke hasn't given the ok to create more children but I have to dress at least one of my children in a PINK dress.
Today Dylan and I headed outside to peruse the neighborhood. Calgary didn't get the 10-20cm of snow it was supposed to receive last night. Instead the weather was beautiful and sunny. We are really getting excited about coming home for easter and seeing everyone. I sure hope the Easter Bunny leaves me a little chocolate!!

Good Friends & Good Wine.

It is always a pleasure and a privledge to spend time with good friends. This weekend we had the opportunity to do just that. Neil & Michelle managed to survive the long trek through the mountains and arrived here in Calgary friday afternoon. Although the weather was not the best - it didn't dampen our spirits. Movies, fine dining and the obligatory trip to IKEA were but a few of our weekend adventures.

Things have been very busy around here lately. Caleb is starting to stay awake for much longer periods of time, and demanding more of our attention (what happened to him just sleeping!!). Dylan is as rambuncious as ever and also competing for our attention. It seems the louder Caleb gets, the louder Dylan gets. Who would have thought??

Luke is busy finishing his final practicum and already has multiple units offering him full-time positions. All he has to do now is chose between beginning his career in clinical neurosciences or nephrology/transplant.

We have decided to come home for easter, so we look forward to catching up with friends and family then. Talk to you all soon.

Dylan's present for mommy!!!!

Dylan found a pencil last night. He found it right where I left it!!! He came around the corner and showed me what he found and I said to myslef... " Oh he found the pencil." A few minutes later I hear a strange sort of scratching sound. I again say to myself , "no he wouldn't dare". I go around the corner to find this beautiful masterpiece. Here are a few pics. Thank goodness it was pencil.

Long days....

There's not much new on the home front these days....
Lots of sleeping and feeding!!! We haven't really ventured out of the house too much, a couple of shopping trips, a few car test drives but that's about it. Not like the good old days when it took me 10 minutes to get ready and head out of the house by myself... Oh bother. Whose idea was it to have two kids anyways??? Dylan seems to be getting a little board with me these days so I decided to put him in some preschool classes only in the end to find out they are all full. Just my luck.... So back to square one trying to find something for him that I don't have to participate in. There must be something out there.
Neil and Michelle come for a visit on Friday we are so excited to have some company (other than family)!!!! It's been a while since we've just hung out with some good old pals and reminisce about the past. Too bad a bottle of wine isn't in my future, it always makes hanging out with Neil and Michelle an adventure!!! We went out for a test drive the other day and the sales guy made the mistake of telling Luke to feel free to try out the 4 wheel drive. To make a long story short when we got back the vehicle was covered in mud. I tried to explain to Luke that I didn't think that's what the guy had in mind!!

A few new photos

Speed Limit????

I feel really bad that it's been a week since I've updated the blog..... I guess if I wrote everyday I wouldn't struggle to try to remember what happened all week.
The care group that we belong to had a baby shower for us on Wednesday night. It was such a pleasant sursprise. We played the chocolate melted in the diaper game.... this is a must at every shower. Not really knowing too many people in Calgary I really didn't think I'd get a baby shower. The best present of all was the beautiful gift a wonderful COP gave us on the way to the shower!!! Yes Luke got his first speeding ticket $110 dollars. Luke was doing 67km in a 50km zone. When the cop asked Luke, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Luke replied, " I think I can figure it out." By this comment Luke totally killed any chance of a warning. Rule #1 don't piss the cop of by giving him vague answers. Thank goodness Dylan didn't catch the few choice words daddy had for the cop while he was writing out our ticket!!!

Creating COOL Memories.

We decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and head out with the family for a day of HOCKEY....and sliding. Dylan seems to be obsessed with hockey....not sure yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing...time will tell.

Things are going really well on the home front. Dylan has adjusted well with the new baby. I was a little worried that he might regress. He has been potty trained since November and the thought of having to buy diapers for two children makes me ill. Caleb is only two weeks old and we've been through 3 1/2 packs of diapers....this should slow down soon!!! If not, cloth diapers here I come!!!

Nights around here are pretty quiet. Caleb wakes up twice to feed and Dylan sometimes wakes up once to pee. So I'm a pretty happy mom. The only constant noise I hear all night is the slumbering snoring of my husband. It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since Caleb's birth. I hope that every week doesn't fly by like this.

There's someone we'd like you to meet...

Caleb Nathan Sheppard was born February 21st at 3:10 pm, weighing 8 lbs 2.5 oz. Delivery went well, and Marlene, Caleb and Luke soon made their way to the post-partum unit. Soon after Calebs arrival, Nana & Papa Sheppard arrived to welcome their newest grandson. Soon after, auntie Jana, Pam Grandma Larose and brother Dylan arrived to meet the newest bundle of joy. We estimate that approximatley 6,129 digital photos were taken that evening! Only slight hyperbole here, but it did seem like quite a bit. The first night went well - with no roomate. By the second night, however, the arrival of a roomate had Marlene desperately wanting to be discharged. We headed home Thursday morning at noon.

At home, Dylan eagerly awaited the arrival of his new brother! With only a brief visit in the hospital, Dylan was anxious to explore this new 'toy', since in the hospital he was often more interested in the IV pump than his new brother.

Settling into a home routine has proven to be fairly painless, granted we still have Grandpa and Grandma Larose here to help out. I am sure things will change, once the crowd disperses.

Our lives have changed once again, and we could not be more proud to have a new son. God has, and continues to truly bless us. We look forward to a lifetime of making memories with 'our boys'.

Mom & Dad