We are blessed!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Sorry it is after the fact but I think I have said it personally to anyone who actually reads my blog anyway. We've had a wonderful holiday so far and we feel truly blessed with all that God has given us. We've spent some wonderful time with family and our children are as active as ever. Here are some pictures of the happenings at our house over the last few days.The annual Christmas Eve jammies!The annual Christmas Eve Fondue.
The wonderful family gift - oh my goodness is it ever fun!
The table all ready for turkey dinner and it was mighty fine if I do say so myself.

Musicals and more Musicals

It's that time of year again when we get to attend concerts and musicals and schools choirs and all of that stuff. This year I got to be a part of the Children's Musical at South Abbotsford. It was a lot of fun and the children did an exceptional job. Hannah was in it singing her heart out and she also got to be in a dance and be a sheep for the nativity scene. Ben enjoyed watching (while eating chocolates) and it was a great way to prepare your spirit for Christmas.Benjamin also got to perform for us last weekend. He sang with his Kidsquest class. He didn't actually "sing" a whole lot but he was right into the actions and when it came to singing "We wish you a merry Christmas" he sang his heart out.
And today I got to squish into a tiny gym and watch Hannah sing at school. It was quite entertaining and my daughter certainly likes to perform.

New Job

Well everybody, I got a new job and I am very excited. As of January 15 I will be the Director of Children's Ministries at Greendale MB Church. It has been quite a process but through it all God has made it incredibly clear that this is where He wants our family to be. Hannah and Ben have already made some friends and they are excited about their "new" church. We of course have to say good-bye to South Abbotsford which will not be an easy thing to do. The transition won't be easy but I know that God has prepared a place for us to call home at our new church. The staff are incredible and I know that this job will be awesome. I will be working 1/2 time so I still have plenty of time to be a mom and a housewife. Below is a picture of our new church.

Enjoying the Snow

What an absolute gorgeous day! I love snow and I love it even better when it snows for a long time. Today we had snow from around 8:30am til around 4:30 and we got quite a lot.
I think what I like about it most is that my kids get so excited. They love getting bundled up and coming face to face with fresh untouched snow. As you can tell, they loved it.
Here is the cutest snowman I have ever seen. Ben and Daddy worked very hard to accomplish this masterpiece. Well, Daddy did...Ben decided he had enough and came in to watch his superhero movie. Where was I during all of this? I was in bed with a horrible headache and then when I woke up I decided to stay where it was warm and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee. It was such a nice day (minus the headache). I just wish this silly rain didn't have to come and ruin what could've been another beautiful day tomorrow.

Filling in Space!

OK, so I know it has been a while since I have posted anything but I really don't have a lot going on. My sister in law has been on my back about posting something new so this is primarily for her. It's basically a space filler that I stole off someone else's blog but I guess it's better than nothing.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag?
If it's a present I give than gift bag because it's so much easier (except I wrap for my kids because I need to draw out Christmas morning as long as possible.) If it's a present I receive than it has to be wrapped - I love the anticipation.
2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial - it lasts longer (forever) and I hate watering things.
3. When do you put up your tree?
Usually the last weekend of November.
4. When do you take down your tree?
New Years Day or just before (depends on how tired of it I am).
5. Do you like eggnog?
UMMMMMMM - YUCK!!!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
The one I totally remember is my little Monchichi - it's a little monkey that sucked his thumb.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, but I didn't put it out this year.
8. Hardest person to buy for?
Mother in law
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Kids and Husband
10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received?
I honestly don't know, I've always been pretty lucky!
11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
For any other time of year I'd say email but Christmas really deserves mail - after all I've got to send out the yearly family picture.
12. Favorite Christmas movie?
Polar Express, of course.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Probably October.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Wedding Gifts, Yes. Christmas Presents, I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
FOOD - oh, I guess I should be more specific... FOOD!
16. White or coloured lights?
White - it's more classy!
17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Come, Emmanuel - Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.
18. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Stay Home, but then I've never been able to afford to travel...perhaps travel one day.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
Of course!
20. Angel or Star on top of tree?
I grew up with an angel but this year I actually have a bow!
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning?
One present Christmas Eve (always jammies) and the rest Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
TRAFFIC!!!!!
23. What I love most about Christmas?
Sharing what the true meaning of Christmas is with my kids. Spending time with family.

Fun with the Family

This last weekend we went down to Bremerton where my sister and her family live. My brother and his family also went down. It was great to spend time with my siblings and their spouses and the kids had an absolute blast. Even my little kids just couldn't get enough of their big cousins. Here are a few pictures of the fun we had.

This is Paige trying to show Ben how to play foos ball.
This is Ryan carrying Ben back to the car after enjoying wonderful ice-cream from "Cold Stone Creamery."
This is the four youngest cousins at the waterfront in Bremerton. It was kind of cold!
We spent a lot of the weekend just hanging out and playing video games. In this picture Marc is playing guitar hero. It was so fun that it is definitely on my Christmas list.

I love this picture because it is of all of my beautiful nieces. I hope my daughter turns out to be as great as these girls.
This picture was taken on the way home on the ferry. I think we all had a great time and it is such a blessing to be able to spend time with family. We've already planned our next sibling get together. Love you guys!

Trick or Treat

I have to be totally honest with you and say I am so happy that Halloween is over. Maybe it's because the kids got their costumes so long ago, but I feel like it has taken forever to be done with. Having said that, the kids had a great time and we have over two ice cream pails of junk food to show for it.

Hannah was a barbie cheerleader this year...so cute, and Ben was Robin. I think they made the costume just for him...he was so adorable.
We decided to forgo the whole Trick or Treating thing (except for a few close neighbours) and we went to Northview's Pumpkin Patch Fall Fair instead. It was a great time...although there were a lot of people. It cost two dollars and there were about 40 stations where the kids could play carnival games. At every booth they got a small toy and there was also a cotton candy booth and a popcorn booth. We were there for well over an hour and then as we were leaving each child was given a very full ice cream pail full of Halloween candy. My goodness! So needless to say, my kids were elated.

Marc and I also got in on the action a few days ago as we had our yearly pumpkin carving party. I think they look pretty good.

Lazy Days!

There is nothing quite like a jammie day! Yesterday my kids and I had the joy of staying in our pajamas the whole day. Hannah had a pro-d day so it was the perfect day to stay at home and do nothing. We played games, watched movies ("Surfs Up" is really good), ate popcorn, read and everything else you feel you should do on a lazy day (with the exception of cleaning the bathrooms and dusting the livingroom. There comes a time when these things just have to be done despite it being jammie day.) Here are some picturess that show us enjoying our day. Oh, I almost forgot...Marc got to enjoy his day at work! So sad for him.

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for. A house to live in. Two cars to drive. Health. An awesome family. Wonderful friends. A great church. etc. etc. etc. God has blessed us indeed! I just pray we remember this everyday and not just when it's easy.

Run in the Rain

Yesterday our family participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure. It was actually quite a neat experience. Marc has been apart of this for the last three years but we finally decided that the whole family should participate. Nice year to start. I don't think I have seen rain like I did yesterday in quite a long time. Here are some pics before we got wet.I am not one to run but I have to tell you the rain was a motivating factor. Half way through I said "to heck with the umbrella" and Ben and I took off together in the rain. When I pulled him out of the stroller at the finish line I discovered he had been sitting in a big puddle. And here I thought I was keeping him dry. Oh well!
I kept thinking about what we were doing and that was the biggest motivation. My family has a history of cancer and my grandmother actually died of breast cancer so I hope that within my lifetime we can see a cure. It's really neat to see the kids asking questions and really getting into the event as well.
Another neat thing was that I actually won a door prize and I never win anything. All in all, it was a pretty neat day...rain and all.
Notice there are no pics of after the race...too tired and too wet.

Cruisin'

Last night I had a wonderful experience cruising on the Norwegian Pearl from Seattle to Vancouver. I went with my family and took my sister in law Alison with me (Marc was starting his new job) and while it was quite a tiring experience it definitely was a fun one. It's always nice when the family gets together. There is a lot of joking and laughing and yes...a little mocking too. We ate waaaaaay toooo much but when you are on a place where there are ten restaurants and food available whenever you want it, it's easy to just keep on eating. Here are a few pictures.

Two Princesses and a Car

My children are finally getting into the swing of things and getting along (for now anyway). Here is a picture of them playing dress-up. They haven't done this in a while but Hannah really likes to dress her little brother up like a girl and Ben doesn't seem to mind it. He does make a pretty cute looking princess.
So you would think because we are almost into the third week of September that we would have everything figured out already. Nope! Last week was interesting what with Marc being sick at home. In the midst of that he had the opportunity to apply for a job at a different school. He loves Abby Collegiate but after seven years he was really looking for a change. So as of next week he will be the new English teacher at Robert Bateman Secondary. He's really excited (but sad to leave some friends)about this new job but it also presented us with a new bunch of problems. As most of you know Marc usually bikes to work. Well, because Bateman is farther away it seemed like biking would be more of a stress than a solution. Finally, after 13 years of having one vehicle in our family we bit the bullet and got a new one. It's going to be very weird having flexibility when we are so used to having to work everything out. We feel very blessed!

ALL GROWN UP!

What a busy week! We've gotten into the routine of things (I think) and I am feeling quite busy! I blame this mainly on the beautiful weather because it seems I get nothing done when it is so nice outside. Who wants to be inside doing laundry, vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen when you can be at the waterpark or visiting outside with friends? I am actually looking forward to cooler weather so things can be more ordinary(???).

So my little boy is growing up. I remember when Hannah took her first swimming lesson and her new baby brother was sitting next to me while I watched her. Now Ben has begun swimming lessons and he is doing great. I wondered whether he would want to be in the water without his mom but he could care less if I was around. I guess that 's a good thing. His favourite things have been using a bucket to dump water on his head and being pulled around the pool on a floatie while he kicks and blows bubbles. He just loves it!

Hannah is really enjoying school but doesn't thing Ben and I should be doing things when she is not around. I guess the whole world is supposed to stop so that she doesn't miss out on anything. She has another great teacher this year and is slowly getting used to the fact that there are about twice as many kids in her class than last year.

Marc is sick and tired...literally. He's got a horrible cold and feels kind of lame for having to call in a TOC during the second week of school. We are praying that he will get better soon so that he can have a better start to this school year. In the mean time, it means one more person to pick up after and take care of. Oh well, I really do feel blessed to be able to stay home with my family.

Back to School!

Well today is the day it all started up again and I'm surprised how much stuff I got done. Hannah started grade 1 and is very excited about learning new things. It was nice to catch up with the other moms and see how their summers went.
Marc went back to work and is very tired and would like to actually get a good nights sleep for once (he's been a bit anxiety-ridden). Poor guy, I made him bike to work on his first day in the pouring rain.
I started back at the gym again today and will hopefully be able to do that a few times a week. I also started doing a little preschool program with Ben. I figure if I can get 45 mins out of him a day doing some sort of learning than I have succeeded. He hasn't got quite the attention span to do much more than that at this point. I also even managed to get three loads of laundry done and squeeze in my "stories" for the day.
I'm hoping that today was a good idea of what the rest of the school year holds. I hope Hannah continues to love learning, I hope Marc continues to love teaching, and I hope I continue to be a good mom to my son. I guess with God's help anything is possible.

Fun and Burnt Faces!

Today Marc and I went golfing. You might ask "Why would you go golfing on the hottest day of the month?" Well, we were asking ourselves the same question. Marc told me Meadowlands is a beautiful course and one that I would love. HA! Not quite. Yes it is beautiful but not the easiest to play. Marc also told me there is a lot of shade at Meadowlands and almost always a nice breeze. HA! Not quite. But in his defense, there are some nicely situated benches at the start of each hole that did give us a glimpse of shade (for the 30 seconds we got to sit down). I'm not trying to complain because I actually like playing golf. If we would have started on the 9th hole I could say I played fabulously. Unfortunately the first 8 were pitiful. But we had a great time together and that's what playing golf is all about for me. It's 4+ hours of uninterrupted time together where we can talk about anything and everything. And despite the heat and the burnt faces, it was a perfect way to spend the day together especially seeing the hectic schedule of life starts in less than a week. Yikes!

ARE WE INTERESTING ENOUGH??

I guess I spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs and I thought maybe I had enough to say that I could start one too. But then I wondered "Are we Bergens interesting enough for people to want to read our blog?" and "what really is the purpose of blogs anyway?" I came to the conclusion that perhaps friends and family from afar may want to have an idea of what is going on in our life, and in a time when we forget how to pick up the phone maybe this isn't such a bad alternative (although my husband would definitely argue with me). So I now am attempting to conquer another tool of the internet (when would you say that you use too many???). I hope that some of you find this interesting or at least some of you use this to lessen the boredom of your day. Who knows? Once in a while there just might be something worth knowing about the Bergens.