November

November was a good month. The weather actually stayed really warm! I think it snowed once, but then melted and became nice again. We kept up our park play dates and played outside as much as we could. 

We also stayed a night in the Residence Inn by Marriott, just in Seton. Cindy got us and Scott and Kellie's family some rooms and we were able to swim, eat and hang out together. Of course the kids absolutely loved playing with their cousins and it wasn't busy so we had a lot of fun!!

My pregnancy is continuing to go fairly well. It's been a lot harder this time around for me, but I think it might also have a lot to do with covid and how hard everything in life is right now. I have been feeling so tired and find it very hard to get motivated each day. When there aren't people to go meet up with, and many places have shut down, it's harder to find purpose each day. I've also really missed going to the gym. It used to be my escape where I could get my me time and feel refreshed afterwards. 

I was looking forward to my ultrasound to find out if this baby was a girl and for some reason, I really thought it was. It was no secret that I really wanted one more girl, and I thought this would be the good news I really needed at this time. Jeff was allowed to come for the ultrasound so he was there with me when we found out it was a boy - a very obvious boy! Jeff still talks about the change of mood in that room after they told us, and tears streaming down the sides of my face were all I could do to keep myself from completely bawling. I know it probably seems silly, and I felt kind of bad and guilty to be so sad when I at least had one girl already and some moms don't even get that. However, I couldn't keep the emotion away and it was real to me. I had an idea and plan in my head and it was gone, and I was not looking forward to disappointing Bentley with the news that she will not have a sister. I have two sisters who mean so much to me and I would do anything to give her that! Her reaction wasn't as bad as I thought it was though, she took it really well. However, months later she cried to me about not having a sister and it completely broke my heart. I should also add that there was some inflammation in the kidneys, which we are looking into further, and was just another blow that scared me. It could be nothing, but I will be getting another ultrasound later on.

After the initial shock, it took me a week or two to feel okay about a boy. I'm sure I will love this boy more than anything and everything will be fine. Heavenly Father has a plan and understands the big picture a lot more than I do! I would never want this boy to feel like he was a disappointment, but it was just an initial reaction. I'm praying that my family will feel whole and complete, and that I will understand. 

Knowing Bentley will be my only girl, I became determined to do all the girly things I've wanted to do with her. I've always liked the idea of a cute little girly tree by her bed, so I took her to the store and we had an absolute blast picking out ornaments and everything for her tree! It turned out to be the cutest thing ever. She loved it and it brought us so much joy! I also set up a little boys tree in the bonus room so the boys wouldn't feel left out. It had some dinosaur and other boyish ornaments on it that were also really fun. Bentley and I have also done lots of spa nights together and we love to do face masks!

It was my birthday this month and I had a great day. I received tons of phone calls and messages, my sister Tamara took me out for lunch while Dakota babysat, and then in the evening we went to Rebecca and Trevor's house for games and cupcakes and fondue she made for me! It was the perfect day. 

Jeff was trying to book a hotel for us for my birthday, but it turned out to be closer to our anniversary, so it was kind of a celebration for both! We stayed at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire. It was a great hotel, and we loved the hottub and restaurant. Jeff's parents watched the kids and we had such an amazing time together! The next morning we shopped at Chinook for hours and had so much fun. It happened to be Black Friday weekend so we got lots of good deals and bought some Christmas presents, along with a bunch of dress clothes for Jeff. We only got tired of shopping because we got sick of wearing masks!

We were able to go to the Flying Squirrel with the kids before things shut down for Christmas and they all loved it so much!

Bentley got to go to her best friend at school, Violet's birthday party and her mom sent me some really cute pictures! She has made a cute little friendship with Violet and her mom is so sweet to talk to at school pick up. Anyways, outdoor gatherings were still allowed at this point so she had her party outside. They played games and had a fire.

Lastly, I thought I better post these adorable school photos of Bentley and Deacon. It's been a little bit of a different year for them at school, but I'm grateful they get to go still and that the teachers are doing such a great job at keeping it as normal as possible! Bentley received her report card and her grades were pretty much perfect. Deacon is so loved at school and his speech is improving. 

I also got a couple pictures sent to me of the kids in action at school!

October

The city recommended there be no indoor gatherings and as the year went on, it became strict to only have outdoor gatherings. Then at Christmas time there was a $1000 fine for anyone gathering together, even outdoors. Kind of crazy how things have gone! When school started my friends group decided to do a park play date every week. They started warm and continued on even through the snowy days. It was really fun for the kids to play and for us adults to meet together and chat, even if it got a little cold some days! We also went to the pumpkin festival at the corn maze with the Rodych's and picked out our pumpkins. It happened to be really chilly that day but we still made the most of it and did most of the activities too. 

I let the kids paint pumpkins this year and they had a blast doing it! Leo especially loved it, and just stood there painting his pumpkin blue for a long time. Then I let them put a little glitter on it too. They became our front door decor, along with the few other things I have for Halloween decorations.

We continued our tradition with the Bennett's and carved pumpkins together! It was at our house this time and we grabbed some pizza to eat beforehand and then dug into our pumpkins. I couldn't believe how long Leo sat there playing in the pumpkin guts and seeds, and Deacon and Bentley loved everything about it too. We played some Halloween music and partied! Jeff had bought a huge pumpkin from the corn maze, which was really fun, and I helped Bentley carve a unicorn on the smaller one. They all looked great lit up together. Cooking pumpkin seeds is always really fun to do afterwards too.

Halloween happened before too many restrictions were in place, so we had a small party with the Lockings and McNaughtons. I made some soup and mummy dogs and everyone brought some fun and yummy Halloween treats. The kids paraded around the house and then we put on The Nightmare Before Christmas for the kids while the adults played cards. It was actually so much fun!! Halloween happened to be on a Saturday which worked out great! Later that night we met up with the Lockings again to go trick or treating with them. We were slow, but it was perfect. It was also really interesting to see how people changed things due to covid. There were many creative things like chutes to slide the candy down and people laying out treats randomly all over their lawn. 

Bentley wanted to be a mermaid this year and Deacon loves sharks so I thought it'd be perfect to do a whole family "under the sea" theme. Jeff and I wore a lobster and jellyfish hat, and Leo was a fish. It worked out really well, although Deacon's shark costume was a little hard for him to walk in! He still loved it though, and there was definitely no shortage of candy. It was so nice that the kids could still experience a pretty normal Halloween through this pandemic. Also, the weather was probably one of the best we've had in a while, it was beautiful to walk outside in! The kids had a blast sorting all their candy afterwards and we let them eat it that night, but decided we should hang on to it because Leo just doesn't know when to stop!!