The Calder Family

A (sort of) new baby!!

2011-01-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

On October 28th, 2010, Ella Skye Calder was born. I know that was a while ago. I guess I have a hard enough time keeping up with our family website and facebook. I don't know how many people actually look at this blog, but I thought I would post some pics of Ella in her first photo shoot with my amazing friend Helene Farland.

2nd Trimester rocks

2010-05-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, I knew that the second trimester was better than the first, of course experiencing it three previous times, but this time for some reason it has been that much sweeter! I can actually go a whole day without taking a nap and not feelin exhauted by the end of the day! My house is clean, I'm starting to exercise again, and life is good!

Oh, have any other prego moms had any crazy cravings? Mine has been grapefruit (I can't get enough!), Montreal smoked meat sandwiches (Kevin was able to track on down for me one day - I know, he's sweet) and cream of mushroom soup. Kind of random!

Kevin got back from India 2 weeks ago, and though we haven't seen him a ton (he's had to be on-call a lot), it's been so nice to have him home! He has some awesome pictures that he took on his Facebook page - I don't have his camera and so can't download them onto this computer. He did spoil us all a ton, and we all have new outfits! Here is a picture of the dresses and little Indian outfit that Kevin brouht back for the kiddos. Aren't they so cute?

I did Monica's hair in rags the night before, for the first time, and they turned out pretty cute! I think Ethan looks like a little prince (although it took a bit of convincing and a little crying before he would wear the outfit!)! They were all so happy to have their daddy home. This is one of their favourite things (dad included!)...

A new post!

2010-04-19T17:04:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been about 7 months since my last post! The reason for that is I didn't really feel I could completely fill in the picture without being too emotional! I wanted to be able to post when I felt good and happy about my situation, and right now, I am!

I'll have to go back and explain what happened...so we were doing P90X, and a lot of people asked why we ended up not continuing. The real reason is that I became pregnant! Kevin and I had planned to go on a cruise to the Eastern Carribbean in the beginning of November, which is why we were doing P90X. The monday before the cruise, I was waiting in line to get Ethan and Kristen's H1N1 shot (we waited a LONG time), and we were only a few people away from the nurses, and I realized that I was starting to miscarry. I was devistated of course. Luckily, one of my friends was in line with me, and she was able to console me as I was crying. I then took my little ones to the nurse, and she gave me a look and said, "I know it's almost harder for Mom than the kiddos to get the shot"! She thought I was tearing up because of the vaccinations! I explained that no, I was fine with getting them vaccinated.

Kevin met me at emergency, and I had an ultrasound. Even though I was at 10 weeks, the baby was the size of an 8 week old fetus, and there was no heart beat. I was really heartbroken. I saw my family doctor, and she said that it should still be fine for us to go on our cruise. There would be a doctor on board if we needed one.

So, Kevin's mom arrived and we took off for our cruise! It was so nice to get away and be by ourselves. I was still in mourning, but it was nice to just be with Kevin and not have to worry about anything else. Anyways, we got on the cruise on Saturday, had a "sea" day on Sunday and then Monday we were heading to the Dominican Republic. We were there about 5 minutes, when I rushed to the nearest toilet (a port-a-potty!!!) and realized I was in trouble and was hemorraging. I was in shock, bawling, and Kevin didn't really see where I had gone, so it took him a minute

to find me. We were able to get back on the ship, went to the doctor, and we ended up spending most of the day there! They were able to get things under control (I won't go into details!) and I was able to go back to our room that night. The next port was the US Virgin Islands, so I had to get an ultrasound to make sure all was okay, and it was, and we had a wonderful rest of a trip. We even got a bit of sun!! All in all, even considering the really scary aspects of the trip, it was a really nice vacation with Kevin.

We still wanted to have another baby, but we were both a little worried. We ended up getting pregnant, but I was so scared that something would happen, that I seriously was stressed out whenever I felt something "weird". There was even a time when I seriously, with very strong emotion, felt like the baby didn't make it. I cried like I've never cried before! I was so full of grief. It was awful.

BUT, I guess I'm announcing to anyone who actually reads this, I have made it through the first trimester and I am officially in my second! I am almost 14 weeks along, and I am due October 22. We are pretty excited to have a fall baby. I went to the first prenatal checkup and was able to hear the strong heartbeat, and teared up because it just made it that more real that I was actually pregnant and the baby was okay!! I feel big, but I'm pretty sure that a fourth pregnancy is usually bigger than the previous ones! Anyways, that is our news, and I didn't want to say anything until we were in the clear. So there you have it!

P90X

2009-08-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I have committed ourselves to a huge endeavor of completing the P90X training program. For you who don't know about it, it is a program containing 12 workout DVD's, a training schedule, and a nutrition plan. I decided that it would be good to track our progress and record what we go through. We started last Monday, and we are discovering how intense this program is. It's not just the workout, but the nutrition plan is very strict as well. It's all about portion size, eating only certain foods and only certain amounts, cutting out almost all fat, eating a lot of vegetables and protein, and making everything from scratch (no processed) . I guess the words that come to mind about this last week are: exhaustion, cravings, a LOT of cooking, and building self control (when I see something that is not in the program to eat, I am so tempted, but I know I'll feel guilty if I eat it). It's nice because Kevin and I are doing this together and we can encourage each other. This first week has been really hard, I think mostly because I've spent a lot of time cooking (I have to cook Kevin's lunch for the next day - usually after I put the kids to bed). We've almost survived the first week, and now we're trying to simplify our approach. We only have one more workout to go and then we can rest! (1 rest day a week). I'll try to post at least once a week, even if it's for our own benefit! Wish us luck!

Summertime, and Pictures!!

2009-07-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Summer has been wonderful so far, and we've had a lot of fun with more to come. We've been to the lake, the "ocean" beach, to the spray park, the shubie wildlife preserve, picking strawberries and making homemade jam, and just playing in our backyard with all the neighbour kids! Sometimes there are up to 9 kids playing in our house. It's been so fun for our kids.

Monica and Kristen were the recipients of 2 free gerbils and they have been the highlight of their summer! They love to hold and pet them and take care of them.

Okay, so I finally figured out an alternative way to download pictures onto my computer after the first way wasn't working. Hooray! now my posts won't be so boring! (and I'll have to take more pictures!)So here we are:

Monica just before her dance recital at the end of the school year. She loves dancing!

Sisters! They love each other, really they do (sometimes it's hard to tell!)

My smiley little guy! He's such a happy, loving little boy.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

Clouds in the Sky

2009-06-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, after my blog that I'm so tough, I guess I'm not so tough after all. I'm fine with physical work, for the most part, but I'm having a hard time keeping up with the emotional and mental work! I've decided that being a single mom is not fun, and to any single moms out there my hat goes off to you. Your job is very hard!! I try to keep it together when I'm with my kids, but it's difficult at times! The other day Ethan was crinkling some paper in his hands, and said "garbage" and went and threw it in the toilet! It made sense in a way, so I can't really blame him, but I had to rush to the toilet and save the papers before the toilet clogged, and then realized that what he had thrown in there were pages from my scriptures that he had torn out and crumpled up!! Yikes. I was not happy! He has been so cranky lately too, but really, how can I really be upset at him when he runs to me saying "Mama" and gives me a big hug? It's a good thing there are small ways us moms are paid, or it might not be worth it! Anyways, I'm very excited that Kevin gets home on Sunday after being gone for 2.5 weeks. We all miss him!

stronger than I think

2009-06-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

So Kevin's been gone for a week now, and we have a week and two days to go! Almost halfway there. It actually hasn't been too bad, other than missing him a lot. I think that I really am pretty tough. I think that if someone called me "wimpy", or even "girly" I would have a problem with that. I just spent the last few hours working on a rock wall, hauling rocks from construction sites (the construction guys said it was okay! just in case you were wondering) into the vehicle, and then from the vehicle to our back yar. I had to pause halfway through to put the kids to bed, and then kept going at it, and then mowed the lawn. I feel really tough right now ;). I find it quite satisfying to work outside. I think it's the farm girl in me coming out. My kids are troopers too. They came with me to pick out the rocks, and Monica and Kristen wer carrying the "best" ones and puting them into the car. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I wouldn't be able to use them on the wall because they were so small. They had fun though. There you have it - work can be fun!

My busy life

2009-04-29T11:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I know that some of you thought I fell of the face of the earth for a while, so I thought I better write something to update our lives! One of the problems is that our computer will not upload pictures, and I was kind of waiting to post until I could get some pictures on here, but to no avail! So this will have to be a non-picture posting.

I guess first of all my brother is doing so awesome! He's been able to be transferred from the hospital to a specialized center for people who have had brain injuries and he gets to go home on the weekend. They are working on increasing his strength, and I had to laugh when he told me in his water polo class that he has to play with one hand to make it even with the other team! I am so, so grateful for this miracle and it has attested to me that prayer definitely works!!

Our family is doing awesome. I am a few weeks away from running my first half marathon here in Halifax. I'm very excited! I also have been passed the torch from Amber Richards in our Relief Society, so I'm going to be very busy. But life is good, and I couldn't be happier.

Monica and Kristen are loving dance and gymnastics, and violin lessons are going well. They love the warm weather, and were ecstatic to discover new neighbours with 4 kids around their age, who love the outdoors just as much as they do.

Ethan is growing like crazy, and is now walking everywhere, getting into anything he can, and is starting to talk. He absolutely LOVES balls, and will scream the word at the top of his lungs when he sees one. He loves animals, though they are all "kitty" to him, and loves playing with his sisters.

Kevin is doing his rotation in ICU which keeps him really busy. He's been working a lot on research projects, one of which he will be presenting at the Canadian Plastic Surgery Meeting in Kelowna in June (he'll be spending 2 weeks in BC which he's really looking forward to). He's also been working a lot on writing his music. He's been able to finish a few songs and they sound really awesome. Maybe he'll become famous from them someday! Needless to say, he's not getting much sleep, but he is getting lots done!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful spring FINALLY!

Update on my brother Christopher

2009-01-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give an update on how my younger brother is doing (I guess I can't really call him little as he is over 6 feet tall!). He is now out of the coma and his eyes are open. He can move his eyes and his left hand a bit. He will make eye contact with people and will squeeze your hand if you hold it, but he will not respond to commands. My mom says that it seems as though he is aware of people visiting him, which makes it hard not to be there to visit him, but I know that the rest of my family is out there with him, which is a comfort. He got pneumonia for the second time, but it seems to be under control. He is okay to leave the ICU, but is just waiting on a bed.
It has really been so wonderful to have so many people expressing their support through prayers and kind words. It's really been a huge help to my family, and I know that angels have been watching over my brother. I've learned so much from this experience so far, and I know that I will learn so much more throughout this experience, as it will take a long time for Christopher to heal. The doctors have been pretty optimistic, which is such a huge relief, but they also have said from the beginning that it will be a long, long road. It is really really hard not to be out in Alberta right now, and I'm not sure that I'll even get out there until summer time (and even then...) but I'm glad that there are a lot of people back there who love him and will give him the encouragement and strength he needs to get through this.

Please pray with us

2008-12-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how many people actually check my blog anymore. I know I am quite the slacker when it comes to blogging, but I hope a few still do. I just wanted to ask a favour of those who read this.

My little brother Christopher has recently been in a car accident in Alberta. It was during a really bad storm and the roads were aweful. He was with two other boys and they were heading home, and turning left off the highway when they lost control of the vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic. They were side-swiped by a cemi-truck. The boy in the passenger side was killed instantly and my brother, who was sitting in the back seat, was severely injured. They had to rush him to a hospital two hours from my parent's home town. He is now in the ICU on full life support and in critical condition, and he is in a coma. We are not sure the extent of his injuries and we are just waiting.

I know that prayer is so strong, and know that the more people praying for something, the stronger it is. If you would be able to join our family that would be really wonderful. Thanks.

I love my kids

2008-12-12T17:28:00.001-08:00

I was just thinking, after a long day, that even though being a mom is hard, tiring work, it sure is rewarding. I just thought I would list a few of my favourite things about being a mom (in no particular order):

- When Ethan looks up at me with the biggest grin ever, and when I tell him to come to me he giggles and crawls towards be as fast as he can.

- When Kristen crawls up into my lap, snuggling into me and says "I love you Mommy!"

- When Monica reads a book all by herself to me, which has many new and difficult words, and every page she looks up at me with a grin so proud of what she is doing.

- When Ethan gives me a hug and kiss

- when Kristen draws or creates anything (from lego creations to drawings) and exclaims proudly that they are for me.

- When Monica and I dance together and she just loves it.

- playing peek-a-boo with Ethan, and he's the one peeking!

- I could listen to Kristen's laugh and see her smile all day!

- doing a craft with Monica; she loves doing crafts and eats it up when I join her.

I think the list could go on for a long time, but these are a few that I can think of off the top of my head. I think I'm pretty blessed to have these kids of mine. They are pretty great!

Update for the last few months

2008-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would update what we've been up to lately...I haven't been on here for a while. So the kids had fun on Halloween - Monica was the Wicked Witch of the West, Kristen was a bat (she wore her costume almost every day for the 2 weeks before Halloween), and Ethan was a little Tiger. They had a lot of fun trick or treating, and just last week finished the last of their candy!

For a stake Young Men and Young Women activity, Kevin and the rest of the leaders took them to Hatfield farms, and we were able to take the girls for a REAL pony ride! They were completely extatic! They talked about it for days after!

Here are a few shots of the crew that I take care of during the day (4 kids), and then the whole crew after school (6 kids). We have a lot of fun!

We enjoyed our first snow fall, and boy, did it ever fall! We coul not believe the amount of snow that Kevin had to shovel off our driveway. Thanks honey!

Annual Noggin's Corner Farm Family Trip!

2008-10-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

It isn't fall without a trip to Noggin's Corner Farm. We did this last year and had such a great time, we had to go again! It was a lot colder this year, but we still had a really great time. Such a fun tradition that we for sure are going to keep up every year!

We had so much fun picking apples. Now I have to do something with them!

Feeding the cows;

the girls didn't want any of the cows to be left out!

Picking out the perfect pumpkin!

My Son is a Genius

2008-10-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

So, at nine months, Ethan already knows how to flush the toilet, and can do this by himself! He is a sneaky little guy, and whenever the bathroom door is open, he makes a bee line straight for it as fast as he can crawl. He pulls himself up on whatever he can find that is sturdy enough (and sometimes he finds out too late that it is not so sturdy!) and tries to figure out everything. So he got into the bathroom, pulled himself up onto the toilet, and found a cool little lever that moves when you pull on it! Voila! Instant cool flushing noise! Luckily the toilet lid was cosed, or I'm sure he would have found the swirling water too tempting to stay out of. I'm not sure if I should call it genius, or mischievious. Whatever it is, this kid is going to keep me on my toes. What will he get into when he can really get around?!

It's been a long time...

2008-10-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

So, after many months I decided to check on my blog, and realized it's been about half a year since I posted anything! I'm sure that most people have given up checking this blog, but I thought I would update anyways, just in case!

Summer was sweet! I was able to fly out to Alberta for 3 weeks with my three kiddos. We were able to go hiking, do a lot of water skiing (yay!) and just hang out with the fam. We spent time with both sides of the family, and it was just the right amount of time. It was great for our kids to see their cousins. They still talk about spending time at the lake and going in Grandpa's boat!

We hope that the cousins don't forget each other before we're able to get out to Alberta again (or they come here...hint hint!)

A week ago Kevin's brother Wayne and his wife Rhonda and baby Benjamin came out to the east coast, and we had a great time! We toured around, went to PEI, and saw the usual tourist sites. We found a great recipe for seafood chowder, had steak and home-cooked lobsters and took them for REAL fish n' chips. It was a super great time!

Things are going to get busier around here - I'm going to be caring for another little girl full time - that makes 2 full time and one after school in addition to our 3. We have a little neighbour girl who likes to come hang out at our house as well after school, but it's all good. We have fun! Kevin is with the ENT (ears nose throat) specialist for the next three months, and thinks it will be good.

I can't believe how fast time is flying! This month Kevin is going to turn 30, Monica is a few months into grade one and starting to get really good at reading, Kristen is a natural in her gymnastics class, and Ethan is already pulling himself up to standing at 9 months! But I have to say, Life is Good!

What a day!

2008-04-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

So today was a busy day! I babysit 2 other children besides my own on a full time basis, which my girls actually really enjoy. They have other kids to play with, and it keeps them busy and playing well together. Today we were lucky enough to add 2 more to the bunch! Merv and Annie Young were packing up and loading the last of their stuff today, and so we took Chloe and Gracie to hng out at our house. I wish I got a picture! It was a lot of fun, but pretty tiring. It makes me think of my own mother, who had 7 children under 10. Today I had 7 children under 6, but only for one day. It made me really think about my mother and how much she did for me, and how much time and effort went into every single day that we were at home. WOW! She's seriously my hero. I never really realized until I was a mother, and I'm still realizing it more and more every day what she did for me and my brothers and sisters. THANKS MOM!!! You really are a wonderful mother, and I know that you sacrificed a lot for us. I know that a simple "thank you" is not enough to pay back all those hours that were put into raising me, but I hope to be able to let you know how incredibly thankful I am. I love you!

All alone

2008-04-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'm here by myself (with children) until the beginning of May. Yep, Kevin is in New Brunswick doing his mandatory rotation in Emergency. I miss him, but try to keep myself busy (like checking other people's blogs, going on facebook and cleaning!) During the day it's fine, but nights are a bit lonely. It's amazing how much I take having Kevin around for granted. I guess I really love him alot! The girls miss him too; especially Monica. She is close to tears when she tells me (every day) that she wishes Daddy was here RIGHT NOW! Wouldn't you know it too, that Ethan rolled over for the first time while he's gone! It was a pretty exciting moment - the first real physical milestone for him! The girls think it is so exciting that he rolls over on his own now (from tummy to back). Next goal, rolling from back to tummy!

Skiing in March

2008-04-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Last month we thought it would be fun to take the girls skiing for their first time. Kevin is a better snowboarder than I am, but we figured it would be difficult to take the girls snowboarding, and so since I have been skiing a lot longer than Kevin, I took both girls, one at a time, skiing. It was a lot of fun! The greatest part was that the girls loved it and had an awesome experience. I'm hoping this leads to more confidence next time we go. By the end of the day my back was really hurting, and I didn't really have much energy to go on many runs on my own, but it was worth it. We were so sneaky too...Kristen fit into Monica's coat (kind of) as well as her skiis (with an extra pair of socks) and so we only had to pay for one rental and one lift ticket! If you look closely at the pictures you can tell (Monica on the left, Kristen on the right)!

Another post - a goal of mine

2008-03-10T12:53:00.003-07:00

I accidentally published my last post twice, and I didn't know how to delete it, but I do know how to edit it, and so I decided just to make another post! So I just wanted to post one of my goals this year, because I know that if you tell people your goals, it helps you be more accountable and actually make them happen! So I want to run in a few races this year, and work my way up to a half marathon. I think a full marathon at this point would be a bit much, but maybe someday I will do one. I figure that you have to start small and work your way up! I would also like to do another triathlon as well, but my main goal is a half marathon. So now if you see me you can ask how my training is going, and maybe it will motivate me not to eat as many treats!

Looking forward to winter being over!

2008-03-10T12:53:00.001-07:00

I've decided that life is busy, and that life can be hard. I think I am ready for it to be warm outside so that I can get outside and work off some energy. I think Mother Nature is teasing me - last week there were a few gorgeous days, then there were a few really rainy days, and then today it snowed again! I am definitely ready for it to be summer!

Our Little Boy

2007-12-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

On December 22, at 2:22pm, a beautiful little boy, Ethan Mathias Calder, was born into our family. He was 8 lbs, 15 oz., and was 21 inches long. We were very excited and pleased to find out our baby was a litte boy, expecially Kevin. He was beaming for the rest of the day! Monica and Kristen love him a lot, and love to give him kisses, hugs, and try to give him toys to play with. They love to help me change his diaper, wrap him in his blanket, and even try to help feed him!

Ethan loves to sleep and eat, and has a very sweet and content personality. We love him so much!

Marriage is fun!

2007-11-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've seen a lot of people with their lists of favourite things, lists of random facts about them, and other types of lists. I thought I would do a list of fun things that Kevin and I have done together that might be interesting to some of you. Here it is:

1. Backpacking in the mountains - one of the first things we did together after we were married was go on an overnight backpacking trip together, and we've done a few more trips since then - the West Coast Trail (6 days), and the Howe Sound Crest Trail(2 days) to name a few. They were awesome experiences, and it's amazing how conquering over nature brings you so much closer together!

2. Bungy jumping - I know it's crazy, and we didn't actually go at the exact same time, but we watched and recorded each other. What a rush! It was really scary!

3. Travelling (just the two of us) - so far we've been on two trips together. One to Europe in the first year of our marriage (pregnant with Monica), and the other one was to Mexico (pregnant with Kristen). Both times they were a lot of fun. It's a good thing I travel well being pregnant.

4. Running/excersizing - when we can, it is a lot of fun to get out and pound the pavement together, or get on our bikes together. It was fun to train for a triathlon together last year. Unfortunately, Kevin wasn't able to attend the triathlon, but it was fun to have his support!

5. Dancing - both Kevin and I love to dance, and we don't get many opportunities to do so as married folk. Gone are the days of institute dances when we were dating. Once in a while we will find a place to dance, and we have a great time! One of our favourite dances is to jive & swing. Kevin's pretty good at flipping me around!

6. Eating - I know that it goes without saying that most everyone loves to eat, but we love trying different ethnic foods. Vancouver was awesome for having a ton of different restaurants. Some of our favourite cuisines include East Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican and Japanese (sushi) to name a few.

There are other little things we like to do together, but these are the ones that maybe are unique to our relationship. We love having fun together!

Halloween

2007-11-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

For Halloween Monica wanted to be a Chat Noir (black cat), and Kristen wanted to be a princess. That was until last minute Kristen decided she no longer wanted to be a princess, so we scrambled through our costumes and we convinced her that a pumpkin would be a pretty fun costume. So here they are!

Noggins Corner Farm

2007-11-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

I am caring for 2 other children full time besides our 2 girls, which keeps me busy. This doesn't stop us from getting out though! One friday in October Monica didn't have school and Kevin had the day off work, and we took the whole gang to an apple/pumpkin/corn maze farm. It was a lot of fun, and it was probably the most beautiful day of the season!

Entering the world of BLOG

2007-10-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I decided to break down, get myself organized, and join our family in the Blogging community. I thought it might be nice for mine and Kevin's families, who all live in Alberta, to keep in touch with us this way. I am very new to this, and so I hope those of you who have blogs will forgive my inexperience, and hope someday ours will be as nice as yours. You'll have to bear with me until I've learned all about this program. Any pointers would be great.

This is our little family - Kevin, Renae (me), Monica and Kristen. At that time I was about 10 or 11 weeks pregnant. I am almost 33 weeks now, and so I'm a lot bigger. This is the most recent "family photo" that we have, and so I thought it would work as our opening blog.

We are now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia on the balmy east coast of Canada. It is wonderful to still be living beside the ocean (we lived in Vancouver for 4 years before we moved here) but it is amazing how different the east and west coasts differ. We already love it, and we've only been here for 4 months. I think it helps a lot that the people we've met so far are really wonderful and made us feel very welcome.

Anyways, enjoy our blog. Hope that you come and visit often and check out our family's progress.