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Category - Lexi & Ashlyn

Big Firsts for Lex

August 28, 2015
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Lexi & Ashlyn
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It’s been a summer of firsts for Lexi. First of all she couldn’t be more excited about losing her tooth. We had corn on the cob the night before so I am sure that helped but she couldn’t wait. She has another on deck too right next to this one. She left the cutest little note to the tooth fairy asking if she could keep it to show her grandparents. Sure enough she left a toonie and spared the tooth.

tooth

The girls and I go swimming a lot. With all the swimming they have done at Joel’s and the Y over the last year they have developed a real confidence in the water. So much that neither want to wear their “floaties” anymore. Sometimes it can be tough to accommodate them both at the pool when they want to do different things in different pools, or the deep end. We changed things up last week and went to Bonivital. Of course Lexi wants the slide in the deep end and Ash wants to collect duckies in the shallow end so I am going back and forth between them. The lifeguard gives me a warning that I need to be arms length of both of them in the pool. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, was basically my response. I convince Lexi that collecting duckies is fun and it lasts for about 2 minutes before she is asking me about the big slide in the lap pool. I told her that she would have to do her laps with a life jacket on and then keep it on to go down the slide. When she asks the lifeguard for confirmation we learn that she needs to complete one full lap with no PFD assistance. I honestly didn’t think she could do it so I told her to try swimming across the pool we were in to test it out and she flies across like it was no problem. The life guard encourages her to try and the next thing I know my six year old is in the deep pool swimming it’s entire length! She earned a wristband and a green light to use the big slide and diving platforms. Even better I didn’t have be arms length anymore!

I was super proud of her and better yet she was super proud of herself. On the way out she asked if they would remember her next time of if she would have to do her laps again. “We will remember you they said…but you will still have to do your laps again!”

Penny Peever the Rotti Retriever?

August 19, 2015
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Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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Most of you have met, or at least know that we have a new edition to the family. Since Vegas passed in January we have really missed having a dog around and have been kind of looking. After visiting with the Rattes this summer and being around their dogs it really hit home how much we wanted our kids to have a dog back in their lives too.

“Penny” was actually Apple but after much deliberation and a small poll orchestrated by Lexi it came down to Princess Dusty Face, Turtle, Seabass (Nolan) and Penny. Penny won.

We found Penny through the good people at the Brandon Humane Society. We knew we wanted and puppy and after many visits to the Humane Society here in Winnipeg we found that most of the dogs there were older and that puppies that did come in went quick. So we made arrangements to visit Penny’s litter and quickly fell in love with all of them! Shan even wanted to take home their mother (who looked a lot like Vegas) just from seeing her picture!

Penny seemed to stand out as a gentle pup and she made an instant connection with Lexi. Shan and I picked her up on our way back from Fargo on August 7 and she has since adjusted to her new home and family. We are still house training a little bit (the basement seems like a challenge) but she has had zero accidents upstairs in days. We even took her on her first camping trip and she did awesome in the camper. We are regulars at the dog park and she does very well off the leash and socializes great with other dogs. We have been working a lot on sit and stay commands and she is learning fast. She loves her walks and when she uses up all her puppy power she sleeps through child mauling and our crazy day to day. At night and when we are out she finds solace in kennel which she seems to really like at times just to have some alone time. I was worried about the nights but she sleeps solid through the night and seems ready to get up when we are. She walks right to the door to goes outside for a poop so she is learning. I think if we let her she would save it all up for Nolan’s grass just like the other night.

Best of all she is awesome with the kids. Ashlyn still needs to get comfortable with her but it’s not uncommon for us to find Lexi curled up with her on the floor petting her while she sleeps. Or fake sleeps perhaps.

Yikes It’s August

August 5, 2015
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Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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This summer is flying by and it’s our own fault. We started right out of the gates with a trip to Thunder Bay to see the Rattes. We camped at Blue Lake on the way and I have to say it certainly lived up to the hype. The campsites were awesome, the facilities were awesome, the water was awesome, and the sunsets left us speechless (well some of us). Besides Lexi busting up her face on a giant candy necklace and the cost of camping these days it is certainly on our list of places to visit again!

blue-lake

Once we arrived in Thunder Bay it really hit me how much I was missing Vegas on this trip. Bella and Simba (Ratte dogs) made it clear how much I was missing the dog love this summer. As always we had an amazing (too short) visit with Paul and Melissa. Paul and I got to play some hockey together and our families got to do a little camping out at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Big thanks to Simba for protecting us from that skunk and taking a huge ass blast of spray for the team. Driving you home and cleaning you up at 2am was the least we could do! We spent our last day visiting at Kakabeka Falls where we got some great family shots of all the kids. It was so nice to get all of the kids together this summer. they have all grown so much, and so fast. Big thanks to Paul and Melissa for being such great hosts, we had an absolute blast.

kakabeka

On the way home we stopped by the cottage in Sioux Narrows to break up the trip. Luckily we got to spend some time with family up there and just relax for a couple days. Josie and Ella left a big impression on our girls and Shan and I got to spend some quality time with Heather, Troy, and Auntie Barb. A great couple days at the lake but even though I had lot’s of fun with the girls in the water I sure missed chasing Vegas off that dock!

When we got home it was time for Ashlyn to have another small eye surgery. Nothing worse for a parent than seeing their child in pain. She was amazing through all of it and recovered beautifully. Who would have thought 10 days with no swimming could be so tough on a child! Thanks to everyone who wished her well.

We talked a little more about getting a dog this summer and it wasn’t long before we were reaching out to a rescue in Brandon. We took the girls on a day trip to see the pups and instantly fell in love. You can expect a new addition to this family before the summer wraps.

Speaking of new additions…HUGE congrats to Joel and Jen who welcome Kevin William Grant to their family. I could not be happier for them and look forward to sharing this new chapter with them. Hard to believe Joel and I have been friends since we were five years old. Now we are both married with kids and still close as ever. Seems like only yesterday we were jumping ramps on the front sidewalk on Handyside. Now this…

ash-kevin

This week we just got back from our second visit to Sioux Narrows. This time was more of a Ramsay reunion to celebrate the life of Shan’s grandparents. In what might have been the most beautiful ceremony I have ever witnessed the family said goodbye in the middle of the lake on a barge. To see all of Ramsay siblings and generations of children that grew up spending summers at that cottage all together for this moment really put a lump in my throat. So glad to be a part of it.

In between painting the house and everything else Shan and I are off again this weekend to Fargo for a couple nights just the two of us. It will be nice to catch up with my wife. The following weeks when we get home will be filled with painting, birthdays, camping trips, and potty training!

Lexi Is 6

January 18, 2015
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Lexi & Ashlyn
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Every year I do a video for the girls birthdays. Here is Lexi’s 6th year. Love her so much. This video is 20 mins long so you might get the Lexi-Lash watching it. It’s more for family who have asked for it and weren’t able to be at her party.

Happy Thanksgiving All

October 13, 2014
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Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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Man where did that long weekend go? I had a really short week too but it flew by.

Last Sunday when I got back from hockey Lexi on the couch with her leg elevated so I knew something was up. I didn’t have to get much closer to see one of her toes veering off to her right. It was clearly broken. It happened on my parents watch too and I felt so bad for them because that stuff is going to happen no matter what but they felt so bad about it. Apparently Lexi was goofing off on my exercise ball and went feet over tea kettle and smashed her foot on the TV stand. This was after being told several times not to touch that ball. Karma has no age limit obviously.

toe1

So I took her to the walk-in Monday morning and after some x-rays (and a second opinion) they sent us to Pan-Am to see a “specialist”. They suggested Children’s but I don’t want to sit in emergency with that respiratory thing going around. Just my luck we would be sitting in there waiting to have a toe looked at and we pick up something worse. We chose Pan-Am and it wasn’t too bad. Lexi would not give up the toe for freezing so with my help and one other nurse the doctor chose to “set it” without. I will never forget the sound of that scream but it was over quick and I was so proud at that moment. She calmed right down and walked out of that place on her own. It was awesome. We went to visit Nolan at work (where she always gets spoiled) and then out for a nice lunch. I would have done anything for her that day and it was nice to just have some Lexi time. That happened on Monday and Tuesday when I came to pick her up at daycare she was wearing her boot and running around the gym like a nut.

Saturday night was Vanessa’s social so we were out for a late on. I think we got home close to 2am and I was up with the kids around 7:30am. I didn’t drink a thing (thank God) but I am still feeling the affects. Just can’t do that anymore. The social was good and being at the TYC (Tijuana Yacht Club) brought back some doozie memories. Like the night Mike’s sister seduced me on the dance floor there. Good times. If that wasn’t nostalgic enough I ran into Juan Portilo there who I haven’t seen since the “Boogie Nights” era. He still has the moves he’s just a little more reluctant to let them out. Joel met me there and we mostly watched the Jets get spanked by the Sharks and a couple of girls spanking each other on the dance floor. It was a great night and I think Vanessa and Tristan did good on the night. I know they got my PS4 money.

Sunday night we went to JD and Linda’s for an impromptu Thanksgiving Dinner. I met Shan and the girls after hockey and then Mike, Tara, and the kids arrived shortly after. It was a nice visit and I was very thankful for getting in a turkey dinner Gladys would have been proud of…ketchup and all. What I really wanted was a hot turkey sandwich but figured I should class it up some.

Today we tested Ashlyn again at the movies. We went to see “BoxTrolls” and I was surprised at how well she did considering it wasn’t a great movie for her age. It was a bit dark. She said she liked it but I think she feels compliant because I gave her such a hard time the last time we went to the movies and she was intolerable. She fell asleep near the end of the movie and I can’t say I blame her. Overall she was awesome.

Last Week People

August 25, 2014
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Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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What a summer! Probably one of the best ever. We did whatever we wanted to this summer and it meant that sometimes we got home from the lake just in time to pack up and do it all again. No complaints from these lake girls!

The summer went like this: Rushing River, Sioux Narrows, Grand Beach, Vegas, The Rattes, Epic 40th Bday, Great Woods Park, and one last stint at Grand Beach because we liked it so much. We tried to stuff the 2nd last week with as much camping as possible. GWP is one of those spots we hit every summer. The water was really low but we set up in the river and the girls played in the water for hours. Eryn and the kids came out on the Wednesday so Lexi and Ashlyn were thrilled to have their friends out there. Mike and the kids also came later in the day for a quick swim and a campfire so that was awesome too.

gwp-gang

We were back on Thursday for Shan’s Norwex Party and then Al and I headed back out Friday with Ashlyn and Haddon. We set up camp and hit the sack after a campfire with the kids. At about 4am we wake up to our camp being trashed by a bear. It takes off as soon as we scramble but the dining tent is trashed and I have to go out and retrieve the cooler and put it in the van. He came back a couple more times looking around for more and we just kept trying to get a visual on him and he would just keep vanishing. It was a little unnerving with the kids in trailer. The girls came up on Saturday and despite the rain we hit the beach and made another fire. Joel, Jen, and Mike came up for the fire and stayed pretty late despite the downpour. It was epic. Packing up the next day in the rain…not so much.

bears

Shan and I went out last night for our 8th anniversary and we were talking about how much we have done over the last couple of months and how lucky we are to have this time with the girls. I wonder what they will remember most? Going back to work next week will uncover all that I have taken for granted this summer forsure!

Kid Stuff

July 23, 2014
peever
Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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Took a couple good pics while we were at Kildonan Park the other day. It’s a great place to hang out for an afternoon and we didn’t even hit the pool area. We hung out at the Witch’s hut and then a part of the park I had never even seen. Place is huge.

What are some other cool places to hit up with the kids this summer? Running out of fun stuff to do.

Summer 2014

July 18, 2014
peever
Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada
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Fresh new look for summer. I have really been wanting to get back into blogging but seem to have hit this rut. It’s halfway between too much facebook and finding the time and peace of mind to write. Well I am back BABY! I hope.

The school year ended with a bang when I found out that I would be returning to Byng for a third year. Some of my co-workers were not so lucky so it was bitter sweet that I got to stay. On one hand I will miss a great cast of people at school and on the other it’s nice to know what I am going back to in September. It makes the summer a lot less stressful knowing I will not be moving to a new school next year.

We are in summer mode here and have already been to Rushing River in the camper for a few nights and then a stay with Auntie Barb out in Sioux Narrows. The girls spent their time in both places exploring nature and spending time in the water. It’s been amazing to see how much more comfortable they are in the water after a winter spent in the pool at the Y experimenting with their limits!

Lexi made friends with a chipmunk she named “Chippy” who actually let her pet him while he devoured multiple bags of my “Spitz”. I think he liked the Sweet Chili best. Seeing how gentle and nurturing she was with him really made me think she would do well with a pet of some kind. I will push hedgehog and see where it goes from there.

It didn’t really feel much like summer until we rolled into Sioux Narrows. We took advantage of the nice weather out there just hanging outside on the dock. 8 hours at a time we spent on paddle boards, peddle boats, water bikes, swimming, and canoeing. We raced frogs and caught turtles and watched deer in the yard out the window. Big thanks to auntie Barb for having us and playing so hard with the girls. It was one of the best visits ever.

girls-canoe

Girls go to camp next week in the mornings and then we do a couple nights in Grand Beach. July and August will be busy with Vegas and a few birthdays. Good times ahead.