News

OK, so it took me longer than I thought it would to get back down here to talk about the trip. We are still painting upstairs, and the bathroom is half ripped out. Dani caught a little bug on the trip, and has been keeping me busy entertaining her, and last night Zac was sick too, up most of the night. Poor little buggers. Anyways, I have a minute right now, so thought I would share our big news... We are moving! We have been tossing around the idea for months now, after our purchase of the acreage up in Fairview (we thought it may just be an investment before the oil boom in that region) but have now decided that we are going to try something new. The trip was the clincher, making up our minds whether or not to make the move. It was only the 2nd time I had been up there, so we checked out the town big time. The people are really friendly, every time we went to the store, or when swimming & bowling, we just got a good feeling about the place. It was the 1st time we had seen the acreage too, and it was better than what we had been imagining, so that helped our decision. Chris is planning on attending NAIT, as well as working with our bro-in-law Paul when possible, to get his welding ticket, or maybe pipe-fitting ticket. He has a few months to decide anyway. The schools are really nice looking, with the public one having after-school tutoring for gr 2-6 in reading, writing and math. That'd be great for Zac to get more time with math one on one. We may put him into the catholic system next year though, we are still talking about it. We are hoping that since it is further north, and the winter months can be rather long, that we can get a few toys to make it more fun. Maybe a ski-doo, and Chris and Zac have already decided on a quad I think... :o) Anyway, we are hoping to finish the tail ends of renos here in the next few weeks, and get our house on We List in March sometime. If we have a hard time getting offers, after a month or so, we will try a relator, but we will try on our own to start. And if all goes as planned, this July we should be making our way to our next big adventure! Doesn't take long for us to start something new it seems!

Huge big post of pics

OK, so here is a ton of pictures from our trip. It was great! Dani did so awesome all the way, only got fussy after spending way too much time in the car seat. But both kids were very good. Zac watched DVDs or listened to music, and watched the land zoom by. We totalled up the time, and we spent 24 hours in the car. Bleh! But it was actually fun. We are a 'road trip' kinda family! I don't have time to organize the pics, so they aren't in order. And I will write more about our trip in a bit. Maybe later tonight, or tomorrow, when I get the time. In the meanwhile, enjoy the photos!


My man, driving us along!My little man, rocking out to music, riding along.
Dani and my Auntie Vanda. We stopped in for yummy lunch on the way home!
The bridge to cross the Peace River. Chris calls it the "Yellow Gate", instead of the Golden Gate.
Here we go!
So sweet!
Smiles!
Caught on camera! Amazing!

The boys were sharing cereal in the am. This is up in Fairview at Car and Pauls house.
Pretty cute! Zac and Ky playing in the living room.
Dani!
Zac playing with the babies.
All 4 cousins! Zacs making a funny face because the flash is so bright, and the shots a little fuzzy, but it got all of them together!
Dani and Tyla! (and the bee)
Smiley girls!
Trouble-makers!!
The girls are about the same size, maybe Dani is a bit 'sturdier'. At least her cheeks for sure! Dani stretches her legs out lots, and Tyla pulls hers up.

This is our acreage! If you can tell by the sign, ours is right on the corner, sorta below the snow, but by the arrow pointing north. Cara and Paul bought the one across the street, on the top. I think its # 14, if you click on the picture it might come up larger.
The road heading south, towards town. The opening to the right is the entrance to the cul-de-sac, with our land running along the inside of the trees, all the way to the back trees.
The road heading north. Our acreage is to the left.
The property line sticks.
A barn in the trees to the back of our property.

Dani in her carseat and Daddy driving!

This is the front corner of Cara and Pauls house. Can you see it? They got a bit of snow up there this year!
Kylan

Dani showing off her eyelashes she got from her Daddy!

Mags enjoying the snow. (This is back at our house) Roxie in the backyard. This is the front of the barracks in Viking. The door on the left goes to the police station, and the one on the right is to where Scott and family have been living for the past 5 months. They move into the house they bought in a week or so.
Here is all of us at Scott and Tammy's in Viking. Left to right: Ty, me, Tammy, Scott, Daxton, Zac and Chris. Ty had just turned 13 a few days before, so we enjoyed some cake together.
Scott and Chris by the cop shop in Viking. Blue the dog is in there too!

We had a bit of snow at home. Thought it was lots till we saw what Fairview had got!
Tree in the backyard ...
Trees across the street.
Cutsie-butt
Dani got caught talking in this shot!

Road Trip!

Yay! Today's the day we leave on our 1st road trip as a family of 4! I'm very excited - a little nervous to see Dani's reaction to all the craziness that comes with a road trip - but I'm sure everything will be great!! Today we leave for Viking, the most recent post my big bro Scott has moved to. He's a Corporal in the RCMP and his family just relocated to the small town approx. an hour East of Edmonton. We'll stay with them tonight, and head to Fairview Saturday afternoon. That's an hour North of Grande Prairie. There we are staying with Chris's sister Cara and hubby Paul for a few days, before turning South again and staying with my mom & sis -in-laws Yvonne and Kaitlyn in Edmonton. Should be good times! Zac is pumped to see his cousins at both places. Let's all hope we have good road conditions! We just wrapped up a nasty week of blowing snow, and after yesterdays Chinook, the roads should be dry. The News said it was snowing still between Red Deer and Edmonton, so we will have to hope it clears up by the time Chris is done work and Zac is done school! Well, I have to run now to finish up the laundry and tail ends of packing. There is WAY too much stuff to take when travelling with a baby! :o) See ya in a week!

Do you know your alphabet?

A- Available or Single? married almost 2 years!
B- Best Friend? gotta be my sister Amy
C- Cake or Pie? Cake .. all-time favorite chocolate cake
D- Drink of Choice? Dole Sparklers or Fresca cherry & lime
E- Essential Item? mascara - when you can't find time for a shower, mascara can save the day!
F- Favorite Color? blue
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? worms
H- Hometown? hmm, Calgary AB Canada slash farm outside Prince Albert SK
I- Indulgence? cadbury thins toffee
J- January or February? not too much difference in my book...
K- Kids and names? son Zachary Tucker James Buchanan & daughter Dani Eve-Marie Phillips
L- Life is incomplete without…? laughter
M- Marriage Date? July 30 2005
N- Number of Siblings? 2 Bros, Jeff & Scott (wives Allison & Tammy, basically siblings) 1 Sis, Amy
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples
P- Phobias/Fears? Spiders and Moths - YUK!
Q- Favorite Quote? "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
R- Reasons to smile? life is good
S- Season? Autumn
T- Tag 3 people? Tag? ... heh?
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I had a painted horse named Cheeko when I was a kid, rode him bareback and fell off hard!
V- Vegetable You Hate? sweet potatoes
W-Worst Habit? reading the captions on my muted tv while talking on the phone
X- Xrays You’ve Had? teeth, arms (broke both), if ultrasounds count, on my babies and my heart (murmur)
Y- Your Favorite Foods? chocolates, raspberry toast, salad, and every few months a really good steak!
Z- Zodiac? Gemini

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

You're as beautiful now as you were this day 60 years ago! You are fabulous! I couldn't have asked for a better Mom - you are always there when needed, in good times and bad, and I can not thank you enough for being you.

WE LOVE YOU!

Dani and Amy have a conversation...

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Happy Valentines Day!

"Daddy's Gonna Eat Your Fingers!"

This one is for everyone who ...

a) has kids,
b) was a kid,
c) knows a kid,
d) is going to have kids

I was packing for my business trip and my three year old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point she said, 'Daddy, look at this,' and stuck out two of her fingers.

Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in my mouth and said, 'Daddy's gonna eat your fingers,' pretending to eat them.

I went back to packing, looked up again and my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face.

I said, 'What's wrong, honey?'

She replied, 'What happened to my booger?'


Hahaha!!

Happy Birthday Everybody!

Birthday Week! Ok, so today is the start of a big birthday week!

My mother-in-law Yvonne's birthday is today!
~*~*~*HaPpY BiRtHdAy YVONNE!~*~*~*~

My nephew Ty is turning 13 (oh my gosh! he's my oldest nephew) on Valen-TY-nes day!
~*~*~*~hApPy bIrThDaY TY!~*~*~*~

My mom's birthday is the day after, on the 15th!
~*~*~*~HaPpY BiRtHdAy CAROL!~*~*~*~

And she shares that special day with my youngest nephew Kylan who turns 2!
~*~*~*~hApPy BiRtHdAy KYLAN!~*~*~*~

Here are some funnies to make your birthdays (and everyone elses regular days) just a little more smiley!