A New Chapter

 We had a very short period of time between getting all of Grandma T's stuff moved out before our new neighbors were to move in! Lot's of hands on deck big and small!  Cleaning:)  moving "heavy objects" and loads of giggles!:) Welcome Grandma and Grandpa Steinmann! Looking forward to spending many many moments with you and building our memory library!

We arrived in Saskatchewan on Thursday to spend some time with family in Eyebrow! Was a great visit and time to re-group and catch up on life! We saw much more of Saskatchewan then I had before - was a nice treat!  The ruts in the above picture are on a main hwy going from HWY#1 to Lake Diefenbaker - was paved last fall, but the melting frost lifted and left with knee deep ruts!   I apologize for all the pictures of me in this post, but I guess I didn't take too many scenery ones without:(  Crazy flooding- most of the farmers will not be able to plant 15% of their land due to flooding - even the beaver have moved in and are creating dams in the sloughs!   Lake Diefenbaker  Elbow, Saskatchewan  The main reason of our trip - William & Amanda's wedding! Was a lovely ceremony and great food! I hardly took any pictures, which I regret now! It seems at the most important times I forget to bring my phone out! Valerie ...

Had been way to long since I had visited my friends in Lewiston and with a few days off I had to take the time!  They are all growing up so fast, in a way I feel as though I've missed a big chunk of their lives, however I can't be everywhere I'd like all the time - learning to enjoy the moments we do get!  The handsome little man  We ventured on a get-away to Toronto for a few days- stayed in a lovely hotel and had lots of fun together!  Then visited the Peoples Church on Sunday - was really neat to see Charles Price face-to-face and hear him speak. Not quite what I was expecting in the church building, but neat experience!  Walking along the lakeshore with some beauts!  Montana's serves the best stake for a nice price! Love these girls and love who they are becoming! It's always a treat to spend some time alone with them! Love you all!  And yes!! Finally got to meet the two newest additions to the Heikoop Fami...

Soooo- we I have another sister-to-be!  Excited to watch and see what God does in and through your lives as you continue to seek Him!  Don't forget we all exist still too guys;) Wedding: July 18th, 2015

 On February 19th, 2015 little Daisy entered the world to forever change our lives (oops I'm talking about a dog!) This part yellow lab/american shepherd has been such a great addition to the Shiry family! She's so well behaved and was easy to train - still we have the odd accident, but all in all she's a good one! All the kids love her...well Jacob is learning to love her!

 This girl has always had a very special place in my heart and although I don't get the chance to see her much anymore - it's always nice when I do! Lots of stories to hear and lots of hugs! ~Love you Katey~ Love who you are and who you are becoming! Love the way you are with your little brothers and sisters! Love your passion for learning! Love the way you just want to help others!  You're a special girl my dear!

 First REAL haircut! They did SO well - I was a bit nervous, but it turned out so adorable! Can't believe I forgot to take a picture!  We LOVE driving! Every time we go for a car ride - Jack wants the driver seat! He knows how everything works- such an intuitive kind of kid!  (not staged at all -lol) This was after his hair-cut - so we got a treat!

 On March 22nd we said goodbye to our Grandmother, mother, aunt and friend!  Grandma moved in the granny flat attached to our house over 12 years ago - we have been so blessed by her living so close!  The relationship we shared was a very special one - you'd always know what she was thinking about everything - she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. One of the things I will remember most about my dear Grandmother is her life of prayer and faithfulness in studying God's word! Every morning on my way through her apartment to my vehicle she would already be at her desk either prayer or in His word (at 6:30am). What a legacy she has left behind - but now she is where she wants to be - in the presence of her Savior! What a reunion that must have been!  So thankful for the opportunity to be involved in many different aspects of her farewell service The arrangement from the grandchildren!

We were able to raise enough money to get almost 100 of these incredible hand lotions to give to those who needed them most! We went to the soup kitchen and as people were eating handed them out (Feb 14th) sharing the love that He has given us in a tangible way!  They were all individually wrapped with a music CD and they's kiddo's helped! It's such a neat thing when you feel you've been more blessed by giving then receiving - after all isn't that was it's all about! How will you share HIS relentless love today!?

My dear brother Micah asked me what design I wanted for my cake - when I showed him a sketch I had done he literally went right to it! It was so cute! I was doing some paper work at my desk and I would hear him mumble under his breath as he was baking!  He would make little comments about all the work and length of time it took just to bake off a few cakes! Makes him appreciate more baking and cooking now!  Working on the design together!  He did an incredible job Et voila - the final product - He was so proud of it and I was so proud of him! He stuck at it right to the end - did the red rose all by himself and made suggestions about the design all the way through - this guy has a good eye! Was special to work on it with him!

Well... not me! While Amy and Matt were vacationing in Jamaica there was lots of excitement happening here at home!  They were gone over my birthday - had lots of friends stop in and show their love! Little Jack LOVES flowers - we learned how to sniff them this weekend!  PD Day to boot - McDonalds provided some great entertainment!The boys are getting big enough now to climb everything! They love it!  Was one of the coldest days of the year and yet they still wanted ice-cream - go figure!  Comfort food!  Lots of willing helpers! In the Cadi on the way home from church! Was a great weekend - thankful for some extra time to spend with these adorable ones that have come into my life! 

Some days we do baking together! Always fun having a few extra hands to get in the batter:) They LOVE standing on the stool and watching the mixer                                       ...and licking the spatula!  Had to put this one in just cause it was cute! Tired out:) It's started to be somewhat of a tradition for us now to have them come to my studio and work on their birthday cakes with me! They love it, and makes great memories for us all!  A beautiful creative girl who is growing up insanely fast! So happy and blessed to watch you as you mature into a young lady Izzy! ...and yes even the big kids get some time in my kitchen! So thankful for these skilled "picky" hands which have come to my aid many times on a late night!