A different mindset

This week Aerie has been working really hard. He has a second job and has been taking some extra shifts, as well as working overtime in his day job. I just appreciate so much what he is sacrificing for us and I have been thinking of a way to bless him and show him how much I love him. I haven't really thought of anything yet. But anyway, last night he gets home from a long day at work at 7 pm and after a few minutes of being home he gives me a huge hug and kiss and he asks me what he can do for me to show me how much he loves me. I was like, "what? no no no...you have this backwards...I need to show you how much I love you!" Then he says, "I look around and all I see is your love for me - the house is clean, the dishes are done, supper is waiting for me, the boys are well behaved..."

And I just thought, wow this is what marriage is about; not taking...but giving - not concentrating on what we can get out of our marriage, but rather, what we can give. And it always comes back to us, doesn't it!?

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Risk Night

What is "Risk Night" - some of you might ask? Aerie began hosting these last year and loves it! A bunch of guys just get together and play Risk until somebody wins. I thought it was just a "guy thing" in the beginning, so I would ask some of my girl friends over and we'd chat and eat while the guys played. But the last time we hosted a Risk Night, I decided to play & I loved it. I didn't necessarily love the game, but I am always up for the competition :)

What I love most about Risk nights is that it's different every single time. We always open the invitation to everyone and we end up with a different gang every time. No cliques. I can't stand cliques, so this is just great!

This time Steve + Susie, Stuart + Sarah and Bobby + Christine showed up. The guys played Risk...and we ladies decided to play something else. Well, we tried to anyway, HE-HE! It was late - we were all tired - couldn't concentrate enough to read the instructions to play Mad Gab... or Cranium - so we laughed, and laughed, and laughed about everything. I had so much fun with these girls!!! I wish I could remember more... but I can't. So Sarah, Susie & Christine - you girls will all have to leave a comment and tell us about all the fun you had on Friday night too!

Christine, Sarah, Tracy + Susie
...we laughed a lot

Christine, Sarah, Tracy, Susie +
her little Zoe

Steve, Stuart, Aerie + Bobby

Steve, Stuart, Aerie (rolling -
the dice) + Bobby

A little Friday morning funny...

A man in Newfoundland called his son in Calgary two days before Christmas and said, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."

"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son replied.

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father said. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so I want you to call your sister in Vancouver and tell her."

Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. "No way they're getting divorced!" she shouted, "I'll take care of this!"

She called Newfoundland immediately and screamed at her father, "You are NOT getting divorced!! Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there by tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing. DO YOU HEAR ME?" and she then hung up.

The old man hung up his phone and turned to his wife. "Okay," he said, "they're coming for Christmas and paying their own way."

Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Funny, eh?

So much to do!

I've been busy lately - too busy. I have huge list of things that just have to be done, and my Christmas cards is one of them. Every year we send out between 70-80 Christmas cards and I am running behind this year. So anyway, Aerie comes home last night and tells me that he's been thinking and has decided that he needs to prioritize. I'm like, "great idea!" Then he asks me what he can do to help me. Christmas cards seem to be the big one because they are really time consuming and we want to get them out before Christmas. So after the kids are all tucked into bed, Aerie takes out his glue stick and starts glueing stamps on the envelopes (he has like a million previously used, unstamped stamps) and writing our return address on the envelopes as well.

When he is finished that, he asks me what he can do next, and offers to start baking some cookies while we are doing the cards. I tell him that it's not a good idea because it's too late, and so I tell him that he can wrap up some of the Christmas gifts - and he does. While he is wrapping he starts asking little questions like, "Okay this is for Jaden, who do we put it from? Ethan & Ty or all of us"...I'm like, "I don't know, put Ethan and Ty". Then he says, "What colour of wrapping paper should I use?"...I say, "Use all three"..."What colour of pen should I use?"... So, now I'm starting to give some attitude. I know Aerie just knows that I like things a certain way and I guess he just doesn't want to screw up...but I feel like a mom at this point. All of a sudden he says, "Wow, you're really grumpy!" The truth is, I'm really tired. It's midnight and we are not even half way through our cards.

So Aerie comes back over to the table where I am sitting and starts adding more stamps to the envelopes that I've completed. THEN he starts to do something! He licks the envelopes shut! But along with that came this most disgusting sound of slobber as he licked each envelope. Everytime he did it (about 60 times) I looked up at him with a face of disgust. I'm starting to get real irrritated by this noise and I'm like, "Ugh! Do you have to make that noise - what is that????"

Then he says this to me. "Tracy, how many husbands do you think would sit here and do Christmas cards with their wives, especially at 1:00 in the morning!" Then he starts going through names of husbands that we know and he's like, "Name me ONE guy that you think would do this?"..."And you're giving ME attitude for making noise while I lick the envelopes?"..."You don't know how good you've got it".

We both burst out laughing uncontrollably. It really put things into perspective for me. My mom told me when Aerie and I got married seven years ago to not take Aerie for granted. Aerie is a giver. He is selfless - always thinking about others before himself. He does things to make me happy and take the load off of me - things that I know not many other husbands would do, and although I never really thought I took him for granted, I am realizing that some of the things he does for me/us - I do take for granted. Aerie and I have always made it a priority to be polite to one another behind closed doors. We say thank you & please all the time, and we believe that it is a wonderful model for our boys. We can tell them to say thank you and please, but ultimately they are going to do what we do, right? Even though I say please and thank you to Aerie, sometimes I find that maybe I just do it out of habit. Last night while he was handing me piles of stamped Christmas cards, I said thank you each time, but I don't know if I really, really understood the sacrifice he was making for me - simply out of love. He just loves me and wants to spend time with me. I think that's so sweet.

I have a question. I would LOVE to hear from anyone who knows or IS a husband who would actually DO all these things that I've described here. Just so that I can tell Aerie that he's not the only one :)

Getting to know Aerie + Tracy

Tracy's Answers:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them in pretty paper and ribbon
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Just simple white lights
4. Do you hang mistletoe? You know, we don’t hang one but I would love to!
5. When do you put your decorations up? The first week of December (right after my birthday)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? My mom makes a mean Turkey dinner. I really love turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Oh! And meat pie!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I’m not really sure, there are so many. One would be going into the forest every year and picking out the best possible Christmas tree. My dad always made it really fun for us.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I remember this one day when I was about 12 or 13, my mom and I were downstairs and she told me that Santa didn’t exist. I was so mad! I couldn’t believe that they deceived me all of these years and I felt like a real idiot. I must have had some idea before she actually verbalized that, but I don’t know; this is just what I remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We celebrate Christmas Eve at my parents’ place, so we open all of the gifts from just on my family’s side.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I have wicker balls with tiny white lights inside all throughout our tree, little wicker ornaments, red balls and a star on top. Very simple. I want to add a new colour; I was thinking of an olive green.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Mixed feelings on that. I enjoy looking at the snow from inside cozied up in front of the fireplace. I don’t like the cold, and getting the kids dressed up in snowsuits is a pain.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes I can. I used to figure skate and won a silver medal. But I don’t skate all that well now. I only go skating once or twice a year, so…
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No. Every year my parents let my sister and I go and pick out a whole bunch of new clothes. So that is always exciting.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with family, giving gifts, time off work, the excitement of Christmas morning and most importantly – remembering Jesus’ birthday – the true meaning of Christmas.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Turtle brownies – I make them every year. Do you want the recipe? They’re really soooooooooo delicious. I won’t be eating any this year though, but I will still make some.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Placing a toy at the tip of the boys’ bed for Christmas morning.
17. What tops your tree? A silver star
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Oh, I love both! I get more fulfillments out of giving though.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I don’t know – like them all. But I really, really love my new Bluegrass Christmas CD that my friend, Is, bought me for my birthday!
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Hmmm, they’re not yuck…liver & brussel sprouts are yuck! But they aren’t like really yummy either.

Aerie's Answers:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I am Santa, and I do both.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored is more fun. White is more neat. The more lights the better.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I like to just give a kiss for no reason.
5. When do you put your decorations up? After Tracy's birthday.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? All of them.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Waking up and looking at gifts at 3 in the morning when I was 10 years old.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember, I think I just figured it was impossible the whole time because we never had a fireplace and it didn't make sense how he could get in our home.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Always.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I get the decorations out and let Tracy tell me what matches and how things should look. She has the best eye for that stuff. If it was up to me we would have a very ugly looking tree.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I could live in a house made of snow. I love being outdoors.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with family, giving gifts, time off work, the excitement of Christmas morning and most importantly – remembering Jesus’ birthday – the true meaning of Christmas.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? All of them.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Turkey dinner.
17. What tops your tree? A silver star
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both. I get more fulfillments out of giving though.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silent night reminds me of the reason for the season, jingle bells reminds me of the weather, jingle bell rock reminds me of the fun of family getting together, white Christmas makes me think of Bing Crosby, All of them are great.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I'll eat a candy cane but I prefer a chocolate or a truffle.

Say CHEESE!!!

In case you haven't already noticed, I LOVE photography! I love taking pictures and I love anything to do with photos. So naturally I love posting photos on my blog. I tend to go overboard in the picture department, as some friends and family can attest to. I have been known to e-mail a gazillion photos at a time. So, I figure that by posting them on my blog, I won't have to do that anymore...or as often :) HE-HE! 'Cause we all know that I'll never stop completely, right!

Ah, it's good to get that off of my chest.

Our early Christmas at Cassie + Luka's place

This year Aerie's sister, Cassie, and her family are spending Christmas with Luka's family in Italy. So we decided to celebrate early! This past Sunday we incorportated four events into one special day; Christmas, my birthday, Amy-lee's birthday (15th) and Ty's birthday (20th).

We had a really fun day. We woke up early and drove to Montreal with my in-laws and Aerie's sister, Laura. We went to Cassie and Luka's church service, and then headed over to Cassie & Luka's adorable apartment. We don't get to spend all that much time with Cassie, Luka and Amy-lee, so it was really nice to all be together.

For those of you who know Cassie, she is doing great! Her and Luka are both managers at Starbucks and are extremely busy between working, serving in their church and taking care of their daughter, Amy-lee, who is almost 2 yrs old and an absolute doll!

It was a true blessing to spend our day with Aerie's family. Cassie and Luka made us such a beautiful meal - very yummy! And I was really impressed by Luka's Birthday cake...take a look at the picture. He DID that! I can't remember the Italian name for that cake...hmmm, sorry.

Do you know how blessed I am to have an amazing family myself, PLUS a just as amazing family on Aerie's side!? Our boys are so blessed to have two sets of wonderful Grandparents that love them so much and a bunch of cousins, and amazing Aunts and Uncles. I am just overwhelmed by it all. I thank God so much for my family; don't quite know what we'd do without them.

Biafore's - Pasina's - Murphy's

Aerie showing his sisters some love

Laura + Cassie / Luka cutting (killing) the cake :)

Amy-lee + Ty: What a cutie she is!!! This little sweetie
LOVES to dress-up! Everytime she pressed the button
on her little princess wand, she got so excited!

Ty / Ethan

Biafore's - trying to get at

least ONE good photo to

put in our Christmas cards

Impossible! The boys were

too tired to cooperate...

ohhh well.

Ok. Now Ethan is smiling,

but now Ty won't look at the

camera :)

Aerie + Trace xoxo

This is us waiting for Rose

to take our picture! He-he!

Angela...my beautiful sister and friend

Today I want to share about someone who is very special to me; my sister. I’ve been blessed with not only a sister, but a sister who also happens to be my very best friend.

Ange and I are only two years apart and we have been inseparable since birth. We’ve been through our share of fights growing up – that’s life – but one thing we have never struggled with as sisters is jealousy. We have never felt the need or desire to compete with each other. We knew that we were both different in so many ways, but loved equally by our parents. We have never envied each other, but rather, we’ve celebrated each others’ individuality and strengths.

I have a bond with my sister that goes deep and can never be broken. I love her so much and I’m so grateful to have her in my life.

Ange and I are alike in many ways. We share many of the same interests such as: fitness, fashion, decorating, shopping, reading magazines, singing, watching shows like American Idol, eating chocolate and McDonalds… We have even been told on a number of occasions that we look like twins; we’ve been told on an equal amount of occasions that we look nothing alike. We share many of the same mannerisms and our husbands and parents even get our voices confused over the phone. Another quality that we share is our humour; we always seem to laugh at things that other people don’t find that funny. Even when we are watching a movie or something, we will burst out laughing at all the same parts while everyone else is quiet. When Ange and I are together, we always laugh, always have fun and always have so much to talk about. My sister is the ONLY person that I can think of who I can stand talking on the phone to for hours. Time flies when we’re talking. We even do fun things like e-mail each other cute clothes and styles that we like while we are talking on the phone.

Ange is one of the most conscientious and determined people that I know. No let me rephrase that, she is definitely THE most determined person I know. When she sets her mind to something or makes a goal, I am always amazed at how dedicated she is to achieving that goal. All of our lives I have seen Ange set a goal and accomplish it. This inspires me to do the same. I am determined in some areas, but most of the time I am swayed easily and really unfocused. Ange is totally focused and I love that about her. She loves to makes lists. Oh yes, my sister is a true "beaver".

Ange is also one of the funniest people I know - like HILARIOUS! (I am the funniest person I know, so she comes in second there, he-he...and Lori, you are very funny too!) She loves to make people laugh, in fact, she thrives on that. When she starts, she cannot stop. My sister has a shy side to her, but as soon as she feels comfortable and opens up – watch out!!! She could really be a comedian! Last year I had a girl’s night at my place and I just invited about 10 of my close friends. They didn’t all know each other, and that made it interesting. While we were eating dinner, my sister was amusing us all with her humour. I almost peed my pants laughing. She is so funny!

When Ange makes a good friend, they are friends for life. She is honest, trustworthy, dedicated, fun, sincere, encouraging and a beautiful friend. She loves her family with ever fiber of her being. She is the most dedicated wife and mom that I know, and she loves with all of her heart.

I love you sister and even if we were not sisters, I would still want you as my best friend.

...and now for some funny pictures :) These photos were taken last week on my birthday. Actually, at that Christmas IBEW party that I was telling you about.

My Special Day

Monday (December the 4th) was my birthday. On Sunday I celebrated my birthday with some of my favourite people; Aerie, my parents, my sister, brother in law, niece and nephew and my two sweeties - Ethan & Ty. We had such a fun time! On Sunday morning we went to an annual Christmas party held by the IBEW (my dad's work)... and I'll probably post some of those pictures later. Afterwards we headed over to my parents' place for some pizza & cake. I love my family. I think I have the best family!

So the following day...on my actual birthday, Aerie gave me the best gift ever! He gave me a day off. While I slept in and headed out to the mall to spend all the money that I was blessed with on my Birthday, he took care of 5 cranky kids! He is so great with the kids and they all ADORE him! What an amazing husband I have, eh!

I had a perfect day on my own. I haven't been shopping in a very long time, so it was a real treat and I feel so very blessed. I also had a dentist appointment that day, but I was very happy because I didn't even get ONE cavity! Yay! I got a big headache after I left the dentist office (that always happens), but that didn't stop me from staying out until 8:00 pm!!!! Wooooo hooooo!

Here are a few photos of me with my incredible family. On a side note, do you remember the days when your cake was all yours to blow out? Yep, after you have kids your cake is never really your cake. But that's ok. I may have blown one of those candles out this year.

Ty, Jaden, Mommy, Ethan

Amber-lee, Ty, Jaden, Ethan
and Mommy

Oh, they love this!

Mommy & Ethan

I love this picture!
Aerie is such a nut.

Tracy, Ange & Mike

Tracy, Ange & Mike (he's not
really picking his nose).
He's going to be really
embarassed when he finds
out that I've posted this
photo. HE-HE!

P.S: Can you GUESS how old I am?
P.S.S: Who looks younger - me or my sister?