2009 Update

So I was checking out my blog, and decided that if someone was to read it, they would come to the conclusion that all we did in 2009 was get an H1N1 vaccine, so I thought I would do a quick recap of 2009.

In 2009:

WE HIKED A LOT...

We tried to get out to the mountains as much as we could, we were able to get out there with friends and family a few times. During the summer Maija was mostly riding in the backpack, but I think she still enjoyed the outdoors. We went to Ptarmigan cirque, Black Prince, and many other small hikes around Kananaskis. Jocelyn, Daylyn, and Sloan came to one with us, and they have promised to do A LOT of hikes with us next summer, so I am really looking forward to that! Here I am with Missie, Nathan (my niece, and nephew) and Maija in Ptarmigan Cirque.



Maija loves looking out for wildlife, she loves deer, and often hunts them ;) She thinks hunting just means looking for them, little by little we will explain the rest ;)

WE HAD OUR FIRST BACKPACKING TRIP...



I was a bit hesitant to go backpacking with a one year old, since I had never done it in the first place, but once again Wyatt, and his family offered a new challenge, and after giving it a try, it was actually fun. We went to Picklejar Lakes, and I found the hike a bit steep, but the view at the end was breathtaking! In the campground there was a lake, and Wyatt's Mom, and Dad caught lots of fish, so we were able to eat fresh fish during our camp out.

WE HAD OUR FIRST OFFICIAL ROAD TRIP WITH MAIJA...

We started our road trip by having a family camping trip with my family, we ended up staying in this beautiful cabin in Canmore, that one of Orlando's friends lend him. It was "camping" in style, well it was not camping at all, but it was so much fun. We played cards, listen to loud music, hang out in the hot tub, it was awesome!

We drove out to BC, and camped for about a week. We went to Fort Steele, Jasper, Fernie, Kimberley, and a few other places. It was a great trip, the only thing was there was SO much rain, so that kind of changed our plans a little. We are hoping to try another road trip this upcoming year, but maybe we will actually make it all the way out to the coast.

Here we are in BC, in the Paint Pots hike, it was super short, but Maija loved touching all the dirt, from which, back in the day, they used to make different paints.



WE GAINED A NEW BROTHER....



Wyatt's sister Whitney got married on August, it was a beautiful wedding. Wyatt took their wedding pictures, it was good to have a good looking couple as models. Stephen is a great addition to the family, not only does he make Whitney very happy, he is also a great Risk player, and he can for sure hold his own at one of the LAN parties that the boys, and Whitney often have.

MAIJA TURNED 2...



My baby is no longer a baby, but a toddler, she is growing too fast! We had a little family birthday party for her, she told everyone at work, that Obama was coming to her party (Obama is Maija's word for Grandma, she has an Obama, a Bumpa, and a Lita). Maija is awesome, she has a great attention spam, she can read for hours, some of her favorite books are the complete adventures of Curious George (she reads this almost daily), I love you forever, the very hungry caterpillar, much ado at the zoo...honestly there are so many, she loves the library, and could go there daily. She can count in both English, and Spanish, and she has a great vocabulary in English, and is learning a lot of Spanish too. She is even teaching Spanish to her Daddy, and her grandparents, they all know how to say grapes, and kisses in Spanish, it is really cute.
Maija is a working girl, she comes to Southland three times per week, and has a lot of friends. Thanks to our job, we are able to go to the pool often, and Maija is super comfortable in the water. There is so much to tell about Maija, I think I will write another post just about her.

WYATT AND I CELEBRATED OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY...

It was a fun night, we took pictures, had a great dinner, most of all, it was great to think about how far we've come. Wyatt is the most wonderful guy, I just can't really put it in words, and really time does fly when you are having fun.

WE HAD A GREAT YEAR...



It was hard to summarize our last year into 500 words or less, but this will hopefully be a good way to remember 2009.

Winter Hike

Today was such a pretty day, so Wyatt, Maija, and I decided to head out to the mountains for a little winter hike. Maija was excited about playing with the snow, and getting to eat some of those cookies that her Obama made (Obama, is what Maija calls her grandma). It was awesome, although the snow was pretty deep in parts, and I ended up spending a lot of time on my bum! Here are a few pictures. I'm also trying out my new camera. Wyatt got me an Olympus E-500, and as soon as I finish reading the manual, I'll be ready for my photography course.

Maija was happy to just ride in the backpack today, since it was very slippery, and the snow was pretty deep, the funny thing is after a while, she actually asked that her Daddy take her, and not me, since I kept falling down. I really have to work on my balance ;) I blame it on the boots. So once we switched packs, Maija was happy again.

Here she is with Daddy...



We saw some cool wildlife, Maija kept saying "Bah, Bah, Bah" after we saw some nice Rams. I hope my little one will develop a love for the outdoors.It was really a cool day!

H1N1

So I thought I would blog about our experience today while getting Maija's H1N1 shot. We showed up to the Avenida Mall clinic at around 8:30-9 am, and lined up for only about 5 minutes, and got a number, and a time to come back. We were told we could come back between 10:30-11-30 am, and wait for our number to be called. We went for a long walk, and we had breakfast, and went to the park, which was so much nicer, than sitting outside in a long line up.
We came back, at around 10:15 am, and they were a bit off in the time for when to come back, so we went to check out a kids' clothing store, and then by 12:30 we went in after our number was called. I was so impressed with the nurses, and other health care workers. Considering they were dealing with hundreds of crying children, they were pleasant, and professional, and boy were they working fast! Our nurse was so kind, and well, I was also SOOOO proud of Maija, she didn't even cry at all (the nurse said she was her best girl today! I was so proud of her!)! It was a good experience overall. Although I know it took just as long as it did for people to get the vaccine last week, it was so much better than it would have been to sit in a long line for hours, and hours....

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!!!

I just wanted to send out a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the nicest, coolest, kindness guy ever. Happy Birthday Wyatt, Maija and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. You are a great father, an awesome husband, and my very best friend, thank you! I don't say it enough, but I am so grateful for you, for your listening ear, for your sense of humor, you really make me happy! Thanks!. Our lives are a lot like our hikes, and poor Wyatt has to spend a lot of time encouraging, and pushing me forward, and I am so glad for that! I love you Wyatt!

Memories....

I have to admit I am not the greatest at keeping my journal up to date, but you know what is fun, reading back on it! I just spend the last hour reading back on my dating days, it was fun, and neat to see how much thought, and prayer went into finding Wyatt. It was also a laugh to read back on funny moments with roommates (hello Trois Rivieres!).
I found that I tend to express my feelings about people a lot better in writing, most of my entries finish by talking about how cool and awesome my hubby is! ...also I have never before referred to Wyatt As my HUBBY! So yes Wyatt, I love you, you are cool.
But what I loved the most about reading my journal, is seeing the role that Heavenly Father has played in my life. It is great to see how blessed I am, and how lucky I am to have the values, and believes that I do have. It was great to look back on moments like my mission, finding Wyatt, and my wedding day, so if any of you guys are like me, remember that although it is hard to write the journal, it is a really uplifting, and fun experience to read back on it.

Girl's camp

A few months back I was called as Camp Director for YW's camp, and I was super hesitant about the whole thing, how could I leave Maija for 4 whole days!?!?! I prayed, thought about it, and then realized that Wyatt is a very intelligent, and capable man (did you guys see the last post? the guy is a genius!), anyway, with a big prayer in my heart, I left for camp, and it was GREAT! The girls were wonderful, the spirit was there, and the activities were, although tiring (the hike was SO long, and my pants were literally in pieces when I got back down the mountain), VERY fun, and more importantly, Maija, and Wyatt were A OK. Although, I have to admit, I was glad to know they missed me, that evening I got about 45 minutes worth of hugs from each of them! I love my little family!! I will post pictures soon.
Camp Impeesa ROCKED!

Drum Master

I really should have posted about this a long time ago. Wyatt has been working on a project for almost a year, on and off. But he is finally getting close to completing it.

When Wyatt and I got married he owned a set of drums, which he unfortunately had to get rid of since we moved into a condo, at that time he decided to purchase an electronic drum set, and was pretty happy with it, since it allowed him to play without getting us kicked out of our home ;) But then a few years later, in the typical Wyatt way, he decided "hey I should just build my own electronic drum set!" and so he has.

He has made the frame for his set, written the program that allows the set to actually work, design a circuit board for the electronic component of this project. Honestly my explanation of it won't even do it justice, so if any of you guys are interested, and will like to learn more, click here, and you can learn about the design, theory, schematics, and more regarding his Drum Master Brain. It honestly blows my mind!

Here is a picture of his set, I find it really impressive, this guy REALLY never ceases to amaze me!