exciting news to share!!!

I'M PREGNANT!!!! Yep, that's right. 9 weeks & 5 days along and we're so thrilled! We had a dating ultrasound yesterday morning and it was so fantastic to see our baby's fluttering heart. I just about cried, he/she may have looked like a peanut on screen but our little babe sure stole our hearts and got us a little teary eyed. I love baby Bubba with all my heart!! I can't wait for April 2013 😀





Our lives are never going to be the same, and I can't wait!!!

Blessings & excitement
N.

Daycare vs. Preschool

After my first full week of working daycare... it's official, I LOVE it! So much more than preschool even. I hope that I can continue most of my ECE career working W&T daycare rather than preschool. However, having Christmas, spring break and the summer off is something I'll definitely miss. O well, give and take right? If that's the only con then I can live with that.

Speaking of cons lets make a pros & cons list shall we?

Pros!

* daycare only has 25 children each day (some only come certain days) so I really have the opportunity to get to know each child. Rather than the 80 children that I would have total if I was in preschool.

* the ratio is awesome! 25 children for 5 teachers! Instead of 20 children for 2 teachers, the support from the other teachers is so helpful. You don't feel so stressed and overwhelmed with redirecting and reminding so many on your own. Chaos is much more controlled.

* I get a 15 minute break at 9:30am and then a hour break at 11:30-12:30pm. Such a great part of the day to sit back and relax. In preschool you let the morning class out at 11:30am and by the time the children are dismissed and all your parents have asked their questions and your door is closed, it's about 11:45am. Then you have to re-set the class and prep for the afternoon. By the time that's over and you get to eat, it's noon. Then it's chow time until 12:25pm when you need to quickly run to the bathroom to be ready to re-open at 12:30pm. Stressful? Yes!!!! Do you get to eat all your lunch? Not all the time.

* daycare has nap time and I get to be in there for the first 45 minute shift! All my kids sleep great!!!! So majority of the time I get to sit next to the sweetest kids and rub their backs and play with their hair until they start snoring away. Then I sit back and watch them sleep and pray quietly for each and every one of them. I don't get that in preschool.

* we get to play! All day long! When I get to work at 7:30am I walk into free play time. I play cars, play dough, puzzles, duplo, doll house, kitchen, the list goes on. We listen to children's music and after free play inside is over and after circle is done we do free play outside! So much time to play, I love watching them learn through play. Preschool has free play too but not nearly as much, their free play is shorter cause of the time crunch.


Cons!

* preschool is closed 2 weeks for Christmas, 2 weeks for spring break and 8 weeks for the summer. In daycare I get 10 days paid vacation that I get to take whenever I want. As well as 20 flex days (unpaid). It's really a great deal, but I like my Christmas off :)

That's my list!!! I'm so happy to be where I am, it's so much fun :)
N.

Whistler

This marks the end of my eight weeks off for summer, tomorrow I'm back at work! I'm nervously excited to get back into the classroom and get to know a whole new group of parents and children. I still absolutely love my job, it's just going to take a little while to get into the new routine. But that's okay.

This weekend we were at whistler and loved every moment. I love the beauty of British Columbia and I think whistler really speaks to that. I'm sad to be leaving today, but we'll be back again another time for sure!


Happy labour day!!!!

N.

Location:Blackcomb Way,Whistler,Canada

Blueberries

So I was at my good friend Alissa's house yesterday. When I got there she suggested going to the local farm to pick blueberries. Which doesn't sound like a big deal I know, but if you knew me then you'd know I despise picking berries. Cam LOVES picking berries, he did it as a child and we always get invited to go picking with his parents every summer. When he asks me to go he always bribes me with chocolate strawberries and Starbucks. But how could I say no to Alissa's darling 6 month old daughter and the idea of fresh blueberries? So I went, without a fuss and without a Starbucks.

When Cam found out that I willingly went picking he was jokingly confused and furious. He requested a homemade blueberry pie immediately and so I figured I'd give it a try. You know, I've never baked a pie before.


Just waiting to go into the oven


All done and waiting for Cam to get home from work. What do you think?

N.

pretty flowers

My husband really has a wonderful gift given by God to make landscapes gorgeous! And I am always excited when the flowers make their debut.





These are just a few I took pictures of today. There are many more ready to bloom in the next few days. And our vegetable garden is flourishing. We absolutely love our backyard oasis. The fish are even getting much bigger in their pond, hopefully I can get a close up picture of them soon.

I think tomorrow I'll be spending a lot of time outside :)
N.

Broadway CCC (child care centre)

This week I'm subing at a child care development centre (fancy language for daycare) for W&T. I thought it'd be a great opportunity to see the schedule in action.

I was slow at first with getting back into the swing of things and daycare is incredibly different from preschool. I knew it would be but not as much as I've been experiencing this week.

So today I finally "got it"; the flow of the day, the rules that are different, the 25 names of the children and their individual personalities. I felt like a teacher again today and it was AWESOME! I'm so glad to be working child care come September. I'm loving all of it!! What a fabulous opportunity to spend some real quality time with the children in my care. It's going to be so much fun!

I'm already not looking forward to saying goodbye tomorrow to the kids I've met this week. I got so many hugs today! And I overheard a mother tell her daughter at drop off, "you are smart, you are beautiful, you are important"! It made me grin ear to ear.

I'll be glad to have my break back come Monday. But this experience has just made me more aware of how much I love my career and how excited I am
for September and my future as a W&T teacher.

Goodnight :)
N.

Bike intervals

So my brother has been seeing a personal trainer for a while now for his work outs. He's lost a lot of weight so of course I asked him to ask his trainer "what's one simple thing I can do at home?". Of course he came back with something hardcore! Bike intervals, 3 times a week for 16 minutes each time. This is to help promote fat loss (not just weight loss). Jay added that I'll want to die every time I do it, and as soon as I can't beat my calories lost then I need to move up the level (meaning it gets tougher!). So I've been doing it... and I've almost thrown up a couple times, I sweat like crazy (gross!) but I LOVE the challenge. So guess what? I kicked ass this morning, my previous success was 204 calories lost and today 229 calories lost!!!!!! So crazy happy about it that I'm having sushi tonight... but no worries, it's in my calorie count for today, so it's alright :)


PS. I always feel so darn awesome after my work outs.

Happy Saturday!
N.

Location:Stehr Residence :)

mint yogurt & pretty nails

I got new nail polish, now my cracked pretty pink nails are all sparkly! I love it :) o, and that's my new favorite frozen yogurt in that picture below. I got a big 2 liter tub at the store for like $2.86 or something, it's the best EVER!!!! And I make sure I have enough calories in my day available to have a bowl, every day since I got this stuff... YUM!


Happy frozen yogurt eating on this wonderfully lazy Friday!

N.

Working hard!

Making that number on the scale go down means hard work!!!


Do you see that sweat on my forehead?? Gross right?? :)

At least all that hard work means this:


Looking and feeling FANTASTIC!!

Yep, I'm not going to stop, I'm crazy happy and excited to get my bum out of bed in the morning and out side working up a sweat!

Happy exercising!
N.

Pretty toes!

Yesterday was a VERY busy day... So busy in fact that I never even saw my hubby (sorry Camy). My best pal Nantina is getting married Saturday in a very small backyard barbecue wedding and I am the matron of honor! So of course manicures and pedicures had to happen, awesome!!! I'm so in love with my nails right now which is a big step up from my constant abuse of them (big toe nail ripped off by door, remember that one?). Maybe this means I need to make this an every birthday type of luxury?? I'm thinking so!


Onto more wedding errands today... ONE MORE SLEEP!

N.

Yes, I live in my parents basement & it's awesome!!

Way back in March 2011 my parents approached Cam & I and asked if we'd actually move into the basement of their home if they bought a new one. This was both a big surprise and a wonderful blessing. A surprise cause it was always the running joke that we'd live with them. And a blessing because we wanted a yard for Cam to garden, cheaper rent and more space.

I got super excited when we started looking and even more excited when we found, "the one". We moved in July 1st, 2011 and things were fantastic. Then I found myself defending our home to those that asked where we lived. I said that, "the market is so expensive we can't get a place", or "the rent is cheaper and we need to live somewhere so we might as well."

It was as though I was ashamed of the fact that we weren't in our own home and that we had to live with my parents, that we had no choice. That it somehow made us less successful people since many friends of ours owned property. I look back and I'm ashamed that I thought that way.

We chose to live in my parents basement because yes, it's helping us save for the home we want. An actual house that's unattached, with a yard for a play set, large dog and my husbands gardening.

But that's not the only reason, having coffee on the deck with my mom in the morning is such a treat. Being able to walk up a flight of steps to spend time with my dad and ask him questions about his work is the best! It's moments like those that help me grow in my relationship with them. My mom when she was 42 lost both her mother and father. Therefore, my time spent with my parents, even if it's living in their basement is valuable and important to me. My kids will have their Omy and Papa around much more often than if we were a drive away. That'll be very special when the time comes.

So yes, I live in a basement suite in my parents house and it's AWESOME! And I'm sure when Cam & I buy our home, we'll miss this suite and my parents very much.

Blessings,
N.

just a few things...

My hubby picked these beautiful roses for me! He also installed our new towel racks in our bathroom and curtain rods in our living space. You can see a bit of the curtains in the photo, I sewed most of them myself! Of course with the help of my mother in law.
This part of my home is now my favorite, I'm eager to get the rest of our place done now.


I also got a new Starbucks mug with the money I got at work from all my kids. I saw it and HAD to have it, I mean look at it, it has an elephant on it!!


One last picture to share then I'm done, I promise! Us on my birthday at the beach, right before we got gelato. It was SO FUN! What a great birthday this year. Thanks to everyone for the wishes and love sent my way, it made turning 27 a lot easier.


This weekend my bestie is getting married and I get to be matron of honor! I'm very excited, the wedding is a small backyard BBQ and its going to be a big party!! FUN!!!

Until next time,
N.

Morning at the beach

I love the days when Cam wakes me up a little bit early and waits for me to get ready for the day. We then get into the car, grab a Timmies coffee and go for a walk in one of the many beautiful areas around us. This morning it was Crescent Beach, I absolutely love the beach. Actually, I absolutely love where I live. I don't want to live in any other province in Canada or in any other part of the world. I'm perfectly content living my life here in beautiful British Columbia.





Just gorgeous isn't it? Can you spot Cam in the first photo?

Many blessings for a fabulous day ahead, we're BBQ'ing hamburgers for dinner. YAY!
N.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

summer is here already?

I've been thinking about what I would write here to mark the end of my first year as an Early Childhood Educator. I had all these stories going through my mind and things I could say about how of a great year it was, and it was! I guess I'm just really sad to be here now on July 1st and not going back to the W&T 140th location for another year. I won't see those incredible faces of the threes that I taught this year make their way into the class as four year olds in September. I won't see my co-worker every day and chat about the happenings in our lives and her reminding me to "stop thinking about it!". I had so many parents on Tuesday say the words, "we can't wait to see you next school year" and me saying back "actually, I'm being moved to a daycare location and another assistant is taking my place here at 140th." I even had a mother get quite mad at me that her child had to say goodbye to "Teacher Nicole for forever!". Did I really have THAT much of an impact? It didn't really feel like I had while I was surviving my first year of ECE and preschool, I had fun... don't get me wrong, this is the job God created me to do. But I never felt like I was THAT much apart of these children's lives. Yet, the cards and the gifts I was struggling to hold onto (there were so many)... the hugs, so many hugs! No wonder I cried on my way home from work those two days of graduations and goodbyes. Every day that I was there never once felt like "work", it never once felt like an obligation, nor was it ever a bore. I was there because it was something I was honored and privileged to do day in and day out and I am SO excited to do it all over again in daycare in September. I'm already setting up subing jobs for the summer cause I'm going to be bored here at home with nothing to do and I'll miss it. I know that I'll miss those children, the joy in their eyes, the hugs they give freely, the overwhelming excitement over the littlest of things and the incredibly long amounts of time for them to accomplish anything (they're just learning!). I love it all.

It makes me constantly pray for patience for when God will bless us with a baby and a family of our own. There are babies all over, everywhere I look women are pregnant and children are born. It makes it hard to keep off my mind, and surrender that to God. I am very thankful however, that the vestibulodynia treatment is working!!!!!!!!! and that I'm enjoying the intimacy in my marriage for the first time, now we're just waiting for that pregnancy test to say positive! :)

Now that I will have an incredible amount of free time on my hands for 8 weeks straight, I'll be writing on here a lot more! Be ready to be updated!

Blessings on this Canada day!
N.  

found what works for me!

After months (more like a year) of pursuing whatever it was that would help me loose weight and live better (& never finding it). Well.... I found it!

My body I've learned SUCKS at processing grains, sugar and processed milk products. I get the worst digestive upset, bloat, nausea and cramps. It's hell! And at times so bad I need a hot water bottle and bath to calm the pain.

So I read some stuff (a lot of stuff) about those particular foods. Then I read a bunch of stuff on IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), endometriosis and digestive problems in women.

The choice was clear, continue like I was and likely gain more weight while feeling miserable all the time. Or change my eating dramatically and see what happens.

I took out all grains (rice included & limited corn intake). I've dramatically limited my sugar (except fruit). And cut out all processed dairy, I still eat full fat plain yogurt.

I've lost 7 pounds so far in just under two weeks! Success FINALLY!!! I'm feeling like me again and I LOVE it. Never going back to eating what makes my body feel like garbage.

I know now that grains & sugar are the culprit, I popped some popcorn yesterday and had a nibble of chocolate and instantly the cramps, nausea, and bloat were back. I'm positive that I can live a kick ass life without grains!! Don't you think? Life isn't about pizza and crazy bread.




I'm seriously loving life right now!
Blessings,
N.

garage sale treasures!

I went across the street this afternoon to a garage sale and ended up getting some things. I'm very happy with the treasures I've found. Take a look for yourself!


I'm most impressed with that tub of blocks. I got them for $1, and that book was 50 cents. All those foam puzzle letter/numbers were there and in great condition for $1. It's like at least $30-$40 worth of stuff! And my neighbor said that she'll donate me more stuff down the road now that she knows I'm an ECE educator.


I'm saving this stuff for myself and future child. Some new parents want everything brand spanking new for their children. Although there are things I won't compromise on (car seat, stroller, crib, cloth diapers). I'm not willing to spend thousands on all new things when I know I can get used stuff for cheap and save. Used toys for example have exploration, learning, love and discovery already found in them from another child. I think it's important to recycle those toys and pass them on. So I've already started collecting for my child's library and toy chest before they have even been conceived!

In other news, we've picked a color to paint the bathroom and bedrooms. It's called, cream puff by Behr paints. I'm so excited to be rid of all the ugly and make this home feel even better. We want it looking good for when Cam's sister Michele her hubby Scott and their girls (jackie & ashley) come for a visit at the end of May!!!!! Maybe we'll even have our area rug bought by then :)

Well, happy Saturday!!!!
N.

A loss too soon

Someone who I knew of from the church I grew up in died suddenly on April 20th in Budapest during her travels. She was 19 years old. It's a serious reminder of how fragile we truly are and how important it is to cherish our life, our families and friends.

Please keep the Olsen family in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn their loss.


Rest in peace Ariel, have fun partying it up there in heaven

Blessings, N.

Go Canucks Go!

Come on Canucks... I believe in you! You can do it tonight! :)

Love, N.


Showing my love & support today!

School... STILL!

Trying to do homework in the back yard can sometimes be impossible with this cuddly distraction!



All in all, being back in night class hasn't been too bad. I'm absolutely exhausted thursdays after my 3 year old day which makes it tough but I'm managing to get my butt there and be semi awake for the lecture. Thank goodness for friends in class to keep me occupied! The assignments this class aren't difficult either which is nice. Such a change from my CBC days of biblical research papers and twelve page psychology research assignments.

I'm such a dorkie college addict :)
N.

Last trip into Vancouver General Hospital

Today is my last appointment with the gynecologists and doctors who have walked with me through this process of treatment. Cam is coming with me, and although it feels very surreal it also feels very final. It's up to me now, and honestly I feel like I haven't done very well so far. I am supposed to continue on with my physio exercises and I have only done them a few times since my last appointment, Im supposed to do them everyday! I think that the fact that it was so positive when we left my last physio and I had done so well, I almost forgotten that this is an everyday matienance type of problem. I wasn't going to walk out of that office magically better and I experienced the reality of that the other day. No, things are not "magically all better". But alas, there has been progress! So that is worth a cheer and a big smile.

I am going to bring up the pregnancy topic once again to this gynecologist who is meeting with us. Im sure there will be words of advice, maybe some positive, maybe some negative. Maybe we will get the green light from her since we did get one from the physiotherapist, maybe not. But whatever the case, it's in our hands now. We have the information and are able to make this decision just us two, Camy & Colie. So... we'll have to see what happens with that very real, very life changing decision. It's interesting how I've wanted children for years and years and now that I'm at the point of my life to take the steps to get pregnant I'm all the sudden scared out of my mind! Funny how things work like that huh? You always think the future is so far away until it becomes the present.

In other news: Easter was fantastic! We had such a great weekend with my family celebrating my younger brothers 25th birthday on Saturday and then had our Easter dinner on Sunday. Cam and I went to church and I was very moved by the worship, sand art presentation and message. So much so that I had tears in my eyes during the entire length of the service. Yesterday Cam worked and I stayed at home cleaning and relaxing. Im definitely looking forward to my summer months at home, all to myself... subbing every once in a while at the daycare and enjoying the sun in my backyard. Maybe I'll pick a few books to get through and a walking route to take around my block on a daily basis. So excited, 12 weeks left of work!, I'll miss those kiddies.

Blessings on you this day!

N.

look what I made for Easter dinner? SO good :)