Movie Review!

Yesterday I took the kids to the new Disney Princess movie "Tangled"!  It was excellent!  I think I have to admit that it is my new favourite princess movie!  Emry seemed to thoroughly enjoy it as well!  I love it when she laughs out loud at movies, it is kind of a mix between an embarrassed laugh and slightly hysterical!  My mom came with us, as well as my niece, Maryssa and nephew, Owen.  We all rode to together in our new van, we were full to the brim, but it was so nice to be able to travel together.  We were even able to get groceries and still have room to spare!  My mom ended up having to leave the movie with Calum because he just can't seem to sit long enough for a movie unless it happens to be one of the Toy Story movies!  Thankfully the cashier forgot to charge mom for a ticket so she wasn't out any money!  And they didn't charge me for Calum either!  My sister Arren met us at the movie with her family and together we took up an entire row!  It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend Tangled to all ages!

Merry Christmas

What a face!

My traditional Christmas toque!

This morning Ashton and Bowen were the first ones to wake up, around 6am!  They were so good, they weren't allowed to come downstairs until 8am, and at about 8:15am they were finally able to see what Santa brought them!  Jared started a fire to take the chill off while the stockings were opened!  Then the craziness began as everyone started to dig under the tree to see what they got!  We realized too late that we should have had Calum open his present from Santa after he opened his others!  Santa brought him a Buzz Lightyear doll and he was so excited about it, I don't think it has left his hand once today!  Well, except for when he put him in the toilet, and dropped him off the table!  Buzz has already been through a lot of adventure today!

Waiting ever so patiently to play with Buzz!

As soon as Daddy had both dolls opened, the first thing Calum did was have his dolls say "Hi" to each other!

Emry asked Santa for a barn, and being the good girl that she is, he thought she really did deserve one!  Her face when she opened it was priceless!

Jared told me quite awhile ago that he would like one of those Air Hog Helicopters!  So the kids gave him one and he has been playing with it for as long as the battery will stay charged!

Remember my post about Justin "Beaver"?!  Well, Jared bought Emry his acoustic CD, she was so excited!  I am sure this will be worn out on our CD player in my new van!

Our boys in their matching Christmas jammies!

Oh, I forgot to mention, Jared gave me a mini van for Christmas!  I opened my last present from him, a remote starter!  I was a little confused when I saw it until he told me it was a remote starter for our car!  I told him I didn't know you could put one of those on a car with a manual transmission, he matter of factly said you could.  The picture on the remote start was a car that really did look like ours, I asked where he found it and he said on kijiji!  Why shouldn't I have believed him, he showed me which button to push and then took me upstairs to see if it worked!  I am a little embarrassed to tell what my first reaction was when I looked out the door!  I punched Jared in the stomach and called him a Jerk!  I kept hinting since we found out I was pregnant that a mini van would be really nice to have!  He actually agreed but we weren't in the financial position to do it since we had to get ready to bring cattle to the farm!  Back in October Jared found an unreal deal that he couldn't pass up!  It is the same colour as our Jetta, a deep blue, although it has pinstripes that I will admit are a little hideous, but will say to everyone else that they add character??!  It is a Dodge Caravan, has two sliding doors and is a 2000!  I am so excited, Armin will actually survive now that Calum will not be able to sit beside him and poke at him!  What a surprise!

It has been a wonderful Christmas, and as anxious as I was about having everyone under one roof overnight, it has gone really well!  We have had a lot of fun, and it hasn't stopped yet!  It is a privilege to be a Puzey and to be able to share in such wonderful family traditions.  To be so close that we can stay together under one roof, even with the chaos, the noise of the kids laughing and playing together bring much joy to a home!

Indulging in a little Christmas cheer!

Not to worry, it's only Sparkling Apple Juice!

The Nativity

Back (L-R) Emry, Ashton, Leah, Cora!  Front (L-R) Calum, Liam, Blake and Bowen

This Christmas all the Puzey's got together starting Christmas Eve!  Everyone stayed overnight with their families.  As tradition when Jared was younger the kids would act out the Nativity, this year we had all the grandkids do it!  Cora, being the oldest, was the narrator, and each of the moms had a part to read!  We sang Christmas songs to suit what took place next in the Nativity.  Leah was Mary and Ashton was Joseph, and little Armin was Baby Jesus.

Bowen and Blake were Wisemen, Emry was an angel, and Calum and Liam were Shepherds!

They all had perfect costumes, well except for Baby Jesus, I am pretty sure there weren't any bright green and yellow sleepers at that time!  Liam played the part of the Shepherd so well, he was so calm, Calum on the other hand was a bit of a rowdy Shepherd.  There were times when he was lounging on the couch looking at the script, and other times when he would act like he was narrating when Cora was trying to!

Baby Jesus was not very happy in his manger, so unhappy in fact Bowen turned to his mom and said, "Baby Jesus is ruining the play!"  The things that come out of Bowen's mouth crack me up, he says exactly what he is thinking!

Overall, for our first attempt at doing the Nativity, it turned out excellent, all the kids were so cute!  And I honestly think they got the message we were delivering!

Champion Ward Christmas Party

For the annual Ward Christmas party Emry got to play an angel in the Nativity, she was so excited and she did a great job!  She sang all the songs perfectly and she even said Leah told her she could hear her voice!  She looked just like an angel in her little costume and her beautiful blonde hair!

The nursery performed their traditional "Once There Was a Snowman" song, and Sister Beverely told me that this year marked the 25th year for the Nursery doing this same song!

He did great job too, except he had to have his teacher there right beside him, Jared and I joked that he is the problem child who needs constant supervision!!


Santa was a huge hit, and Calum was so excited to see him, but not so excited to sit on his lap!

We had a great time, it was nice to have Dave and Char's family with us, Emry and Leah are such good friends, it is so cute to see them together!  The food was delicious, and the company was exceptional!  A great way to set the mood for this Christmas season!

There was a family dance after, and we of course stayed!  Emry had a blast, since she missed a lot of the dances she practiced at school for their family dance, she was able to do them at the church!  Daddy even did the Virginia Reel with her!  Calum was a hit for entertaining the adults, he was absolutely crazy but totally in his element on the dance floor!

Christmas Comes Early!

On Monday we celebrated Christmas with my sister, Arren and her family and my Dad.  My mom was also there for opening presents!  It was a lot of fun, and Arren and Buck even went to Lethbridge to pick up our Grandma Bev!  I love Christmas, I love being with family to celebrate such a joyous time of year.  Yes presents are always a hit, but getting together in such a way always brings such love, joy and fulfillment!  Grandpa Glen was so excited about Christmas this year, the first one he has been home for in 16 years, we might even get to see him on Christmas Day or Boxing Day!  He had his shopping for his grandkids done by the end of November and he was so excited to give them their presents!  For Emry he gave her another snow globe to add to her collection, this year it was a Cinderella one, last year he gave her one with Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Cinderella standing around a castle.  They are so beautiful!  Calum got Toy Story 1 and 2 on DVD, and as soon as he opened them he asked to watch them, he is absolutely addicted to Toy Story!  And little Armin got a shirt that says Baby's First Christmas, and it fits perfectly!  Mom also gave the kids their gifts because she is spending Christmas with Arren's family!  Calum got a race car ramp, and Emry got a horse trailer with some horses and a jeep to pull it with!  She has been asking Santa for a barn this year!  Anyway, it was a lot of fun and the food was great, and the company even better!  Mom and Dad gave Jared and I a new dinning room set!  I am so thankful I ended up selling the old hand me down table with the decorated with planets!  Thanks mom and dad!

Dad Puzey

This has definitely been a trying year.  But one full of many blessings as well!  When Jared's dad was diagnosed with bile duct cancer just over a year ago we knew his time may be cut short, though that didn't stop us from hoping and praying for a miracle!  And in some ways we were given a miracle!  Around the time David was diagnosed Jared decided to register for The Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 200km bicycle ride.  He raised over $5000 and his dad was able to see him cross the finish line.  David was able to see much of our house completed and I know he was so proud of Jared for all the hard work he put into building our house.  He was also able to see Dave and Jared work together to bring cattle to the farm, and I also know how proud he is of his boys, they have been able to work so well together, something David always hoped could happen.  And another miracle, David was able to meet his newest Grandson, Armin David, something I truly am grateful for!

My very first memory of David was when I was in Grade 7.  It was my first year playing basketball, and I must admit I was pretty terrible, very awkward and goofy!  David helped coach that year, and I remember him taking me aside and showing me how to shoot the basketball and dribble, even if Jared and I never did find each other I know this is an experience that made a lasting impression on me and would have stayed with me despite being with Jared.  My next memory of David was when I was in Grade 11, Jared had gone on a motorcycle trip to California with a couple of friends and they were all in an accident.  One of the guys was hurt quite badly and did end up passing away.  I saw David at the 4-H speeches and asked him how Jared was.  I think he started to clue in that Jared and I were dating!

I couldn't have asked for a better father-in-law.  I have really enjoyed these last three years living with David and Myrna, and learning from them first hand.  I am also thankful Emry and Calum were able to get so close to Grandpa, or as Emry would call him, "Gramps, or sometimes Grampy!"  And when David wasn't feeling well enough to eat dinner with us, Calum would go into his t.v. room, turn off the t.v. and grab Grandpa's finger and lead him to his chair at the table!  I am so thankful to be married to Jared, he is so much like his dad that at times it feels like he is still with us.  I am also thankful I could witness first hand how David and Myrna interacted with each other, the relationship they had is exactly how I want Jared and I to be, and to be honest I think we are on the right track!  The love they shared was evident in all they did, they truly were best friends.  There were times when I witnessed David feeling his lowest, but he never failed to ask how I was that day, he was always genuinely concerned for others, and I always did feel his love, even if I wasn't deserving of it because of my occasional foul mood!  He never judged me or criticized me for being human and not always being pleasant.  I truly love David like my own father and I will miss him. I am thankful we are able to be here, so close to Myrna, because I love her too!  She is an example to me in many ways, and I hope I can be a help to her at this time and a friend as well.  Without the love and support of family I know these trials we have to face would be so much harder.  I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who has provided a way for us to be together again.  I am thankful to have the gospel in my life, to have the strength of family all around me, and to have such a wonderful, loving husband who truly is my best friend.

Poor Jared!

Ever since we have had Armin, Calum has decided to crawl into bed with us in the wee hours of the morning!  I would usually just move to the couch to make more room, but lately I have just started out on the couch knowing I would be kicked out anyway!  Armin also sleeps so much better if he is being held, I think one night we went just over 5 hours before he woke up to eat!  Friday night Lalainia and Jason, Ashton and Bowen were here so the boys slept in Emry's room and she slept in our room.  Calum started out in his room but woke up at 11pm so I just plopped him into our bed with Emry.  Armin and I fell asleep on the couch, and when Jared crawled into our bed this is what he was faced with!  Poor guy!  They both like to use him as a foot stool, and somehow manage to take up more room than Jared.  We are always saying it is a good thing they are cute!

First Haircut!

Friday night Myrna gave Calum his first haircut!  He sat so good, I was actually surprised!  Although, whenever I have finished brushing Emry's hair or changing little Armin's diaper Calum always comes over and says "my turn!"  Liam had his hair cut first and when he was done I think Calum was rather excited for it to be his turn!  His hair is still extremely curly but now stays a little more controlled!  What a handsome little boy, and did he ever like his daddy telling him how handsome he was after his haircut!  He was grinning from ear to ear!

Family Dance

Last Thursday was the annual Champion School Family Dance!  We were able to get out of it last year because Emry was only in Kindergarten and they didn't practice the dances like they do once they get into grade one!  In gym class for about the last month they have been learning how to do the Bunny Hop, the Virginia Reel, the Butterfly, the Chicken Dance and the Macarena!  Everyday after school she would show us little snippets of some of the dances and ask how many more sleeps until the dance!  There was no way we could get out of it this year!  However, we couldn't get there until just after 8 pm, an hour after it started because mommy and daddy had to sing in the Vulcan Choral Festival, which has always taken place the same night!  Emry happened to miss all the dances she learned, except the Limbo.  When they announced last song she started to cry, so I went to the DJ, who happened to be Nathan Jackson a friend of ours, and asked him if he could play the Macarena one more time for Emry!  He said a couple minutes of it wouldn't hurt!  So they ended the family dance with the Macarena, it made Emry happy!  Calum got right into doing the Macarena too, only he always jumped and turned just a little late!