The Kinner Connection

To my mom...

2011-04-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

I believe that as a parent you truly start to appreciate your own parents! This post goes out to my mom who keeps me sane when life gets a little crazy and sets me straight when I need it. Listens, empathizes, encourages, shares, loves. When I look back at all she has done for me I sometimes wonder how she did it all. Thanks mom for all the sacrifices and the continuing love and support.

Nana's visit in Oct 2009 (before her makeover with my hairstylist)

Just a day or two later after she met with Kathy my awesome hairstylist.

Returning home to NS today looking great!

These few I added of my brother Aaron (better know to mom and I as AJ) from his visit here.

He managed to make Alex these great bubble wands from coat hangers so they could make BIG bubbles. It was a huge hit!

Nathan hanging out with Uncle Aaron. They were so cute together and Aaron was a big hit with Nathan becuase he would play cars with him. Still his favorite passtime. LOL

Card Giveaway

2011-03-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Check out my girlfriends blog and card giveaway....
http://wentzellscreativedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/03/mothers-day-card-giveaway.html

Alex's First Kub Kar Rally

2011-03-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Such a handsome and happy boy!

His cub car - it was a little too heavy so we had to remove some pennies.

Some of the cars and trucks all lined up

After the races were all over.

The amazing track. The kids really loved it as it had an electronic timer and everything.

Toothless Grin

2011-03-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Kristin has finally lost the second tooth on the top and so she is sporting her toothless grin. Her dad tried to get her to say all kinds of "S" words which was quite hilarious.

Me and my toothless princess.

Another shot.

Kristin & Goldie

2011-03-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Kristin has only recently gotten used to handling her hamster. It's fun to watch them as they get to know each other.

She tries to make a cage with her legs.

Exploring

Trying to escape.

Handmade Card Giveaway

2011-02-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

My friends, Karen and Kathy, have a great card making blog and are doing another awesome giveaway that you should check out.

http://twostampingsisters.blogspot.com/

Love,
Tanya

Alex and Chewy - Best Buds

2011-01-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is Chewy Kinner.

Alex's favorite Christmas present and the only thing he asked Santa for this year.

Alex really loves him and it has been fun to watch the kids interact with their 1st pets.

Dining Room "Before" Curtains

2011-01-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Just found this picture we had taken of the curtains that were in the Dining Room before. Gives you a bit better idea how dated everything was and it had original paint throughout the house - 22 years old and all the same color.

Dining Room After Photos

2011-01-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

So I finally got to taking after photos of the Dining Room but I realize they are taken from the Front room instead of the entryway to the kitchen like the before shots but you still get the main idea. LOL

Card Giveaway

2011-01-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

My friends, Karen and Kathy, have a great card making blog and are doing an awesome giveaway that you should check out.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftwostampingsisters.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fpun-fun-giveaway.html&h=7dd99

Cheers,
Tanya

The Dining Room Before.....

2011-01-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

OK so not completely before as we put in a new chandelier, new curtains and rod, and bought a new table. We still need new chairs to match but are loving having more space at the table.

Christmas at the Kinners!

2011-01-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Kristin had a lot of fun wrapping random things around the house and putting messages on them. She is still spelling phonetically so I thought it would be something neat to look back on.

The stockings were hung....

Goldie Kinner (the hamster) has his owner captivated on Christmas morning.

Chewy Kinner (also a hamster) had Master Alex grinning from ear to ear.

Nathan is loving that he can finally open the presents. LOL

My handsome hubby!

My princess with the toothless grin.

Nathan wanted to pu on his sweater right away from Aunt Sandra, Uncle Matt and cousins Camryn and Carter.

Alex's only actual request for Christmas (except the Hamster from Santa), a Pokemon Wii Game.

Kristin loved getting a new doll.

Something to build. The days of Lego Christmas' have passed and now we are on to Knex.

Kristin enjoying her little brother's new rocking horse with her doll of course!

Did I mention he LOVED opening the presents. LOL

A little bling for the princess in the form of some awesome new slippers.

Nathan's all time favorite thing....Lightning McQueen and Mater.

Chewy on a roll.

Finally some color in my life!

2011-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

My new TV room after we painted. Finally have an accent wall and it makes the room feel so much warmer. I really like the way the fireplace becomes the central focus.

The TV Room before....

2011-01-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

So it has taken us a little over 2 years to finally paint. I like to at least live in my house the way I like it for a year or so before I have to sell it. LOL

Richard was already well on his way to painting when I asked if he had taken any before pictures so things are a little out of sorts here.

View from the kitchen

Deck doors on the West wall to the Fireplace

Wall to the east of the fireplace

Lucy's contests

2010-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Just setting up a link to my cute BFC's creative blog. She is super talented and a lot of un. Great giveaways coming. Hope you enjoy!

http://wentzellscreativedesigns.blogspot.com/

Tanya

Freezer Meals

2010-11-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well I had a great day on Tuesday with a few girlfriends including my BFC. We spent the whole day from about 10am to 5pm making some freezer meals. It was great!! We each walked away with 20 freezer meals and they are awesome.

The list includes:
Mexican Casserole
Hamburger Soup
Curried Beef
Satay Chicken (recipe at end of post)
Tri-color Pasta Casserole
Pineapple chicken
Fiesta Chicken
Curry Cajun Chicken
Pork Chops with Ginger Pineapple Sauce
Ribs in BBQ sauce

There were 10 recipes and we each walked away with 2 large Ziploc bags of each (Except BFC as she has a smaller family and made 2 Med size ziploc bags for each of our 1 large one so she walked away with 38) (*the Mexican Casserole was in an aluminum dish so couldn't be halved).

I have the Pineapple chicken cooking away tonight in the slow cooker and it smells so good in here! I love being able to just pull something out every other day (usually there is enough for our family to have leftovers the next day) and not have to woory about what is for supper. The other awesome part is that the meals averaged $10.57 each whichis pretty dang good for a LOT of Boneless skinless chicken (60+lbs) and other meat.

Anyway.....here is the recipe for SATAY CHICKEN:
1 lb chicken (skinless boneless thighs work great
2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil

Just combine all ingredients together and BBQ on med high until done or cook in the OVEN at 350F for 30-40 mins or until done. Enjoy with rice/salad or steamed veggies of choice.

If you would like to see a picture of what this loooks like you'll have to visit BFC's blog at http://www.visiblevoice.ca/

Later!
Tanya

Wonderful Friends

2010-06-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Since our move from NS we have made some wonderful friends but the closest friends we have will be moving soon so I wanted to post a picture of our two families together at the Regina, Sask. Temple. We will miss them when they move at the end of the summer but know we'll keep in touch!

Alex

2010-03-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I wish I was a little better with words like my awesome cousin Kristi. She just has a way of making up a catchy title etc and I never seem to be able to do that. Anyway...I digress.

This post is about Alex. My first born. My wonderful little boy who is now 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know where the time has gone. It is so neat because with Alex and Nathan they look sooooooooooo much alike that it is like looking back in time and forward to the future all at the same time when they are side by side.

He really wanted a Pikachu (a character from Pokemon) cake so I did what I could and despite my lack of creativity I think it turned out pretty well.

Then to celebrate with his class I sent cupcakes on his actual birthday as we weren't having a big party this year. These are supposed to be Poke Balls and he was pretty excited. That red icing is craziness to get off of anything including faces. HA!HA!

He is in second grade now and is doing very well. He just rec'd a new to him bike for his birthday and is enjoying the handle brakes and new gear shifting. Has a passion for reading and especially playing video games. I have a hard time keeping up but we do have a lot of fun together.

The Princess

2010-03-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Kristin just celebrated her 6th birthday at the end of January and is growing up so quickly. She is in Kindergarten in a french immersion program and loves her teacher. She is extremely bright in math and very good with spatial awareness. I am thinking maybe an architect? HA!HA! She loves to play barbies and Littlest Petshop but most of all pretend animals. She will get Nathan to be the baby animal and she will be the mommy animal. He follows her around everywhere and the 2 of them have a great time. He likes having someone to play with and she loves being able to influence others.

She just lost her first tooth about 2 weeks ago and was pretty excited. Being true to being herself, she didn't want to put the tooth under her pillow so we placed it in this jewelery box and had it open on the bookshelf beside her bed.

One of her creations that she built out of Magnext. It's just a bunch of manetic plastic pieces and ball bearings and she created this house which I thought was pretty cool as there weren't any instructions. (I'm all about recreating and not inventing)

For Christmas she rec'd a pony and doll from Santa. She was pretty excited as she LOVES horses.

And one of her favorite gifts this year was a dress she rec'd that came with a matching dress for her doll. They make a really cute pair.

Nathan

2010-03-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

So here is our little guy. He is growing rapidly and is a very talkative toddler. He is adamant about what he wants and can easily speak his mind! HA!HA! He is pictured here as Woody from Toy Story for his first party invitation.

He LOVES babies. "I hold it?"

Here he is sporting his goofy smile enjoying his Tigger housecoat.

He is so much fun. He speaks and acts like a 4 year old so I forget sometimes that he is still only 2 1/2. We are working on potty training and he is quickly learning his alphabet. He is sharp as a tack which keeps me on my toes but mostly he is just a loveable fun little guy and he makes me laugh on a daily basis.

I'm Back....

2010-03-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well I am slow in posting and have missed some major events so the best way for me to catch up is to do a post for each of the kids. So here they come!

AND THE WINNERS ARE......

2010-02-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well due to technical difficulty I will just use the Random generator and you will just have to trust me. I Promise I am a very trustworthy person. I have assigned numbers to each of the recipes based on the date of the e-mail in which I rec'd them or the day they were delivered to me in person. So... if you were person A and you gave me 6 recipes you would be # 1-6. Some people sent in multiple e-mails and so therefore your numbers could be 22-28 and then 42-52 for example.

Anywhoo... after much excitement and buildup I am happy to say that I am drawing from 82 recipes which I will happily share with anyone who would like to receive them. Just drop me an e-mail at kinnerfamily@shaw.ca and I will get them out to you.

Now the drumroll please.....

PRIZE A: Microdermabrasion Demo Set retails at $60.00
WINNER: #19 - Suzanne
PRIZE B: Mary Kay Brush Collection retails at $70
WINNER: #55 Dorothy
Prize C: MK Cosmetic Bag Gift Set - Priceless
WINNER: #3 Silvia

AND.................. Because everyone was so patient I have decided to throw in 4 more prizes which are 3 sample packets of the Satin Hands which is soooooooooo nice especially this time of year and a Sample Size Microdermabrasion set that was a Preferred Customer gift.

Sample SH 1 - #68 Laurie
Sample SH 2 - #37 Kristi
Sample SH 3 - #14 Beckey
PCG Microderm - #58 Jessica

Congratulations to all the winners. Just contact me with your mailing address and I will get your prizes out to you ASAP.

Thanks again for all your recipes and enthusiasm.

SUPER FAB GIVEAWAY

2010-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

My cousin Kristi is awesome at finding the neatest things and then having people do giveaways so check it out. It's very handy and a great gift if you don't need it yourself.

http://www.visiblevoice.ca/

PS For those of my followers who entered the recipe giveaway, I am experiencing some minor technical difficulties with posting the Random generator so everyone can see how fair it is so when BFC calls me back(HINT HINT. HA!HA!) I will get on it!

NEW RULES FOR RECIPE CONTEST!!

2010-01-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

New rules......for every recipe that you send me or link to a recipe you love online you get a ballot.

So...instead of the 7 days worth of evening meals for a ballot, you now get 7 ballots for those 7 meals and you can do as many or as few as you want.

ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUBMITTED ALREADY WILL GET THE FULL 7 BALLOTS AND CAN NOW SEND MORE RECIPES IF YOU WISH!!

GOOD LUCK!! Contest ends on Sunday at midnight.

PS I HAVE A FEW EXTRA GOODIES I CAME ACROSS THE OTHER DAY SO THERE WILL BE A FEW SUPRISES.

Scentsy giveaway

2010-01-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

So............my cousin Kristi has an awesome giveaway happening on her blog so go check it out.

http://www.visiblevoice.ca/2010/01/scentsy-weekend-giveaway.html

Meal Planning GIVEAWAY

2010-01-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's a brand new year!!!

One of my favorite times. Getting organized, enjoying my brand new stationary. I'm not sure when that love developed, if it was working as a teenager in the Bridgewater Mall at Mahon's stationary (That doesn't even exist anymore) or even before that but a trip to Staples is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. I have also recently become attached to Michael's the craft store. Neat things to be found. One of which is included with this post. A magnetic Weekly meal planning memo chart with the days of the week on the left hand side and a grocery list option on the right hand side. I WILL plan my meals this year and as a result I will save us money and myself a whole lot of time running to the grocery store every 3 days because I forgot something. I know I'm not the only one out there! HA!HA!

So.............in an effort to feed my family nutricious and healthy meals, be able to meal plan effectively and easily and try to not be too repetitive and boring in doing so I am hosting a GIVEAWAY. As some of you may know I am an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay and have been for 10 years. I am at present really only ordering for myself and some close friends but I have some GREAT GIVEAWAY PRODUCTS! I have included some photos so you can see and they are even much nicer in person! The only thing I need from you is for you to e-mail me 1 weeks worth of supper meal plans with the recipes. I am hoping to get 51 people to respond so please feel free to post on your sites or e-mail the details out to your friends. The best part is that we ALL win as I will then forward a copy of all the info I collect to any of the participants who indictaes they would like to receive it. SO.................THINK ABOUT IT...........

You do 1 week of meal planning and get a whole years worth in return

PLUS

be entered in multiple giveaway draws!

Here's how you enter:

e-mail 1 weeks worth of supper recipes to kinnerfamily@shaw.ca
once you've done that, please leave a comment on my blog indicating such http//thekinnerconnection@blogspot.com (web address included for all the people you e-mail this to)

Here are the prizes to be awarded:

PRIZE A: Microdermabrasion Demo Set retails at $60.00

This 2 step system starts with an advanced exfoliator using the same professional grade exfoliating crystals used by dermatologists - then follows up with a nourishing serum to fight fine lines, refine pores and deliver beautifully smooth skin immediately!

PRIZE B: Mary Kay Brush Collection retails at $70

Professional quality brushes including a Powder brush, Cheek brush, Eye Definer brush, Eye crease brush, eyeliner/Eyebrow brush all in an MK organizer bag.

Prize C: MK Cosmetic Bag Gift Set - Priceless as it was a hostess gift and you can no longer order them.

Large outer bag which is waterproof with 3 other bags that fit inside to keep your cosmetics organized and accessible.

I CAN"T WAIT TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE!

CONTEST CLOSES MIDNIGHT JANUARY 31st so get typing girls and one of these beautiful giveaways could be yours.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

Traditionally I have mailed out a bazillion Christmas cards with a letter inside updating everyone on our year. In an attempt to be slightly greener (as I am still sending out Chistmas cards) I thought I would post our letter for this year.

Hello to all our friends and Merry Christmas,

2009 has been a very busy year for our family as usual. We have been adjusting to life in Winnipeg, MB as that is where Richard has been stationed with his job in Search and Rescue with the Canadian Armed Forces. I do have to say that the temperatures here are something to get used to. Crazy hot in the summer and insanely cold in the winter. HA!HA! However, the wonderful friends that we have made, the cultural opportunities we have been taking advantage of, and the fact that we are now living in a large city with all the amenities that go with it has made up for it. We of course miss our families and friends and look forward to seeing them. We had my mom come out in Feb/09 and then again in Oct/09. It was great to see her and I know it makes it easier to have the separation when you can visualize things better, like the inside of the house, where the kids go to school etc. We also vacationed in Alberta this summer with Richard's parents and had a great time. We drove which was interesting but much more cost effective and then Richard flew back in November to do some hunting with his dad and spend some time in the evenings hanging out with his mom.

Richard is still busy with work. He has had some really neat experiences esecially in the last few months. Just before remembrance day there was a 17 year old Inuit boy from up North that got stranded on an ice flow. Some of you may have seen it on the news or in the newspapers. Richard was actually flying the plane that found him and that the Search and Rescue Technicians jumped from in order to perform the necessary medical treatment. As I am posting this he is just on his way home from a trip to Key West, Florida. He is still very busy with church as the 2nd counsellor in the Bishopric and playing ball hockey on the side. We bought a digital piano for Christmas this year and he is thoroughly enjoying practicing that as well.

Alex is in Grade 2 in a French Immersion Program. He is thriving which isn't a surprise and enjoys his new teachers and friends that he has made. He loves playing outside, riding his bike, running and now with the weather we have snow boarding is his vehicle of choice. He joined the youth choir at school and also really enjoys the craft club. The things he invents and comes home with, made from recycled materials is quite amazing. Great imagination which he definately got from his dad.

Kristin just started school this year and is in Kindergarten. Here in Manitoba it is only 1/2 days so she attends in the morning and then is home with Nathan and I in the afternoons. She is also in french Immersion and is picking it up quite quickly. She loves her teacher and has always been quite social so she is enjoying her new friends too. She is in her 2nd year of dance class taking a combined ballet/Tap class on Friday afternoons and it is a lot of fun. She LOVES to dance and put on plays etc so it is really up her alley. Her favorite games are guess the animal and charades type things.

Nathan just clebrated his 2nd birthday although you would never know it from just meeting him. He has a vocabulary of a 3-4 year old which helps with the communication issues but sometimes is too smart for his own good. HA!HA! He is a generally content little boy who is full of hugs and kisses. He is so busy exploring and following around his older siblings and trying to do everything that they do. He loves to color, play with playdoh, but most especially cars and trucks and trains. He also LOVES babies. He is drawn to them and always wants to hold them. He is also definately a south paw. I have tried giving him his pens/pencils etc in his right hand but he will inevitably switch to his left hand so we'll see how that goes. I read in a Today's parenting magazine that left handed athletes have much higher chances of receiving athletic scholarships so maybe he'll be able to earn his way through college. HA!HA! Only 2 and I already have him at college. HA!HA!

As for me, I am still a stay at home mom. Hardest job I have ever had but also the most rewarding. Some days I think I would trade it to get a days worth of sanity but I only have to spend one afternoon in rush hour traffic or seeing the awful weather outside and I feel so blessed to be able to stay home. I started playing soccer again this summer and had a great time. I have missed it terribly but met some great girls and look forward to playing again next summer. I am planning on taking piano lessons as well and will really enjoy that. I am keeping busy as our Ward Activities Chair at our church which means I plan all the social activities that take place. We just finished with our annual Christmas dinner where we had a full turkey dinner for about 140-160 people. It was challenging but fun too.

Well, I hope this letter finds everyone happy and healthy this year and we wish you all the best of 2010. Keep in touch and we look forward to hearing from you.

Love,

The Kinners

Sweet Jane Bows Giveaway

2009-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

http://sweetjanebows.blogspot.com/

Kristi has posted another giveaway from Sweet Jane Bows website. Go check out both blogs there are loads of great things on both of them- and go enter the give away, maybe it'll be your lucky day!!

I have tried to put a picture on but not working at tme moment so I guess you'll just have to go check it out yourself! HA!HA!

Under Construction

2009-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

This Blog is under construction!

Bare with the designer........she's a frazzle brain!

GIVE AWAY

2009-10-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I am making this post especially for my cousin who is having a draw for a free blog makeover or design. Her site is Visible Voice and she is really good at what she does. I hope you take the opportunity to check it out.

www.visiblevoice.ca

Alberta Summer Fun

2009-09-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from the long lost bloggers. HA!HA! I don't know how everyone has time to do this on a regular basis but I love keeping up to date with everyone.

We just returned from spending 2 weeks at Richard's parents place in Watervalley, AB. It was such a wonderful time for all of us. We decided to drive which had its moments but overall went really well. I am including some pictures of the trip and hopefully will do a little better at keeping up.

All the cousins....Alex, Kristin and Nathan with Camryn and Carter (Richard's sister Sandra's little ones)

Going for a ride on the Quad with Opa. We had a major wind storm and some trees came down on the fencing so they were in repair mode.

We planned our trip so late in the summer so that we would have a chance to meet some of Richards relatives that were visiting from Germany. We had a great visit with Opa's cousins and enjoyed learning more German. Even Nathan got in on the action pronouncing some words better than the grown ups. HA!HA!

Nathan enjoying our ride home in the van. The trip was over 15 hours of just driving which in a 5 point harness car seat is not the most fun not that you would know it from this picture.

Here are the 2 other munchkins in the back. They were in their glory as thay had a portable DVD player and movies the whole way.

The Winnipeg Opera presents Madama Butterfly

2009-06-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

What a magical night. One of the women in my ward at church invited me to go to the Opera with her. I have never been before and I promised myself that while I was in Winnipeg I would experience as many cultural things as possible so it was another check mark on my list. It was amazing! I was thankful for the english subtitles as it helped me so much to understand the characters better as my italian is a little rusty. HA!HA! Our seats were great and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Popsicles

2009-06-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May we had some really nice weather where it would go up to 18 or 20 degrees. Only lasted maybe a week and since has been rotten weather and COLD but we enjoyed it while it lasted. Here is Nathan enjoying his very first popsicle. He was sitting on some landscaping tiles in the back yard having a grand time and he thought that was great. He is getting so big so fast I wish I could freeze time.

Yahtzee

2009-06-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

We have a Disney children's yahtzee game and we were all playing it together. Nathan was sooooooooo excited about rolling the dice that he hogged them the whole time and we ended up letting him roll for most of us. Then after the game was over I let him go to town with the dice. He thought it was too fun and watching him was a riot!

Richard's Birthday

2009-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well I am going to throw some random posts at you as they become available. HA!HA! Our computer was in need of some TLC and now we are back up and running so let the posting begin!

Richard opening his big surprise present ( it is always very difficult to get him something he likes but doesn't know about in advance!)

Rich and the kids with his annual Black Forest Cake.

Rich and his new firepit. Plan was that we like to have bonfinres and now even though we have to live in the city we can still enjoy the outdoors in our little backyard.

The kids of course thought this was great!!

Nathan got in on the eating marshmallows but not roasting them.

Kristin loves smores...

But not as much as Alex! HA!HA!

Fine line between enjoying the marshmallows and dealing with the sticky mess it creates. Nathan was having no enjoyment of the mess! TUB TIME!

Kristin's 5th Birthday

2009-04-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

One of Kristin's gift openings and a run in with Alex. True life at the Kinners! HA!HA!

The Ball Popper

2009-03-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

One of Nathan's favorite gifts from Christmas.

Back In Time...Christmas morning Santa Came!

2009-03-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of the kids on Christmas morning just after they discovered Santa had come!

The tree on Christmas Eve

Here are a bunch of photos from Christmas morning....

Nathan and the hat

2009-03-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blogging for quite some time and, although I still enjoy reading everyone else's fairly often, I felt the need to update ours as well. Having said this, be prepared for multiple posts. HA!HA!

First up is Nathan. He is so cute as all children are at his age. Discovering new things and having their own quirky characteristics. One of Nathan's is that he loves to put everything on his head. In this particular video it is Daddy's hat which does indeed go on a head. However, it does not need to be something that belongs there, just anything in general from receiving blankets to the kids underwear (when he is helping mommy fold laundry) to toys. He did eventually get the hat on properly but I missed it in the video. He was about 14 months old at this point.

Another one of his favorite things is drawing. Not sure which hand is dominant yet as Daddy keeps switching it to his right but I know he does like to use his left. Here is a photo of all three kids using their creative talents.

Alex's creativity led him to adorn our dining room walls like an exhibit at an art gallery of his Pokemon drawings. Below are only a small sampling of the artwork created. HA!HA!

Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents Peter Pan

2009-01-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

With the generous support of my mom, we were able to surprise Alex and Kristin with a night at the Ballet. Kristin started taking dance classes since we have arrived here in Winnipeg and her dance school was offering the opportunity to purchase tickets at a group rate so we thought about it and decided to go. IT WAS MAGICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have wonderful friends, Allison and Chris who babysat Nathan as no babies are allowed. We got the kids all dressed up and they had no idea where they were going. The drive downtown was beautiful as all the street lights were up and they go ALL out for Christmas here. (Gotta have something to be excited about in these temperatures. Ha!Ha!) When we arrived at the concert hall and they saw the posters we told them what we were doing and they were so excited! It was so much fun to hear Kristin whisper "Wow" and "I wish I could dance like that". By the middle of the first act, Alex asked Richard if we could come again sometime. I knew Kristin would enjoy it but I wasn't sure about Alex but he loved it too. We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the performance but took a few before it started to try to have something to remember it by.

Just before the curtains opened

All of us anxiously awaiting the beginning.

Almost time!!

Up on A Housetop

2009-01-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Our first event of the Christmas Season was Alex's school Christmas Concert. It was called Once on a Housetop and they put on quite a performance. The school that Alex attends is extremely ethnically diverse with maybe even 6 or 7 different ethnicities in his classroom. The play was about Chimney Sweeps peeking in and seeing many of the different celebrations that take place this time of year from Chinese New Year to Kwanza. Alex's class sang 2 songs, 1 English and 1 French. I have included some of the French one in the form of a video here and just the one picture. He is in the middle row, closest to the conductor in the photo and the one having trouble with his Santa Hat in the video. HA!HA!

2008-12-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas Newsletter 2008

This year has been a whirlwind and I have no idea where the time has gone but wanted to take a few moments to share some of the exciting events that have happened this past year. It is the one time of year that we really try to reach out to all those we love and especially those who haven’t heard from us in some time.

I am sure that most of you know now that we have been posted to Winnipeg, Manitoba. We rec’d the posting message in March and should have been in Winnipeg by July but there were apparently other plans for us as it took almost 6 months to the day to sell our house in Greenwood. Trying times! HA!HA! We closed the sale on the house and headed out here mid-September and adjusted to life in a hotel room for a little over a week. Very interesting with the 3 kids that’s for sure. I thought I would love going out to restaurants to eat and having someone clean our room but it sounded more glamourous than it actually was. HA!HA! We have since settled into our wonderful new home. We knew that it was meant for us from the moment we stepped foot inside and it has been a wonderful blessing ever since. We live in a quiet neighborhood in the South end of the city called Lindenwoods. We have been welcomed very warmly by our new church friends here and have been blessed by many invitations to dinner and social functions.

Alex is 6 ½ now, in Grade One and has continued in a French Immersion program. He is loving it and I am amazed at how easily he adjusted to new friends and a new school. He is losing teeth like crazy and already has 4 of his grown up teeth in with 3 more on the way. He’s missing his 2 front top teeth which I think is just perfect for this time of year! HA!HA!

Kristin will be 5 end of Jan/09 and has started a dance class where she is learning Tap, Jazz and Ballet and she is really enjoying it. That girl was born to dance! We decided against preschool as it was a little late to register and it is really nice to have her home for a little bit longer. She has a friend Amy who comes to play once or twice a week and she really looks forward to that too.

Nathan celebrated his first birthday in October and has been a pure joy. He has 12 teeth already and is trying to talk up a storm. Over the last few days he has been really trying to take a lot more steps so I think the walking phase will be just around the corner. He has started a screaming phase lately so we are working on Baby Signing with him to see if we can reduce the frustration levels and tone things down a bit. HA!HA!

We were able to have a little company as Richards parents were able to come and celebrate Nathans birthday with us and visited for a week. We look forward to many more visits from friends and family.

Richard has been working like crazy. He is still flying the Hercules C-130 in Search and Rescue and they have a very busy squadron here. He is lucky to have a number of guys on the squadron that he has known for a long time so that made the transition for him a little easier. He is enjoying a little hockey on the side with some of the guys from church and we have been busy with renovation plans for the basement.

I am adjusting to life in the prairies. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit homesick but to be expected after having lived my whole life in NS. The temperatures here are crazy and tonight for instance it is –26 with a windchill of –41. So glad for a nice warm house! HA!HA! I am enjoying having no commitments as I had a very busy volunteer life in Greenwood but have been able to just enjoy settling in and spending time with the kids and Richard. I know it provides a greater stability and the kids are really responding well to it.

We have enclosed a photo and apologize for the quality. The cropping and copying went awry at some point but at least it is a current photo taken Nov 28th at our church Christmas dinner.

We hope that everyone is healthy and happy and has enjoyed a wonderful year as well. We look forward to the New Year and all that 2009 has to bring and wish you and your loved ones a wonderful new year.

Love,Tanya, Richard, Alex, Kristin & Nathan

Oh What fun it is to Ride in a One Horse Open Sleigh

2008-12-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I have no pictures to post today of our adventure as in my great haste yesterday I forgot the camera. However we had such a great time I would feel remiss if I didn't post a little something about it. We had friends of ours who live just outside the city invite us along on their annual sleigh ride. We bundled the kids up in as many layers as possible and still have them be able to walk (Ha!Ha!) and off we went. Cold does not describe the weather accurately, especially with the wind but it was an exciting adventure. The sleigh was pulled by 2 beautiful gray draft horses and had bales of straw for us to sit on. There were about 21 of us in total and we all piled on. All of our kids were very happy when we made it back to the van and my toes were happy too. Then we all went back to their house for a chili dinner and a night of fun and games. Overall, one of the best days we have had in Winnipeg so far and it is starting to finally feel a little more like home.

Here are a few recent pictures of Kristin and Nathan. He has moved on to the bottle and real milk now and it won't be long before it is just a sippy cup. Where is my baby going??

Kristin's Dance Class

2008-12-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Kristin has been loving the dance class she is in on Tuesday mornings. I was able to take a video this morning of some of the things she has been learning.

Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow

2008-12-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

The kids are loving the white stuff even though it's not the right kind of snow to really build anything with. The low temps are keeping everyone in mostly but even Nathan needs to get out every once in a while even if it is only for a few minutes and it takes longer to get dressed and undressed than you actually stay out. HA!HA!

Here's a video of Nathan outside playing with Alex. His siblings are the only ones who can make him laugh like this!

The Santa Claus Parade

2008-11-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, the 15th of November we went to the Santa Claus Parade in downtown Winnipeg. Being in a city of 750,000 didn't know what to expect for crowds or how early we would have to go in order to be able to see so my friend Allison(from home) and I scoped out the parade route on the Tursday before. We figured out where to park, what time to go, how we would get there with the detours etc. It was quite hilarious actually.

The parade started at 5:15pm and we decided to go to the end of the route and wait there. We arrived about 3:45pm with the kids all bundled up and their camping chairs in tow. We got a great seat and had made sure we took lots of food to keep them occupied. We even went so far as to take hot pizza wrapped individually for each of them. We seriously looked like we were moving in with our 2 families of 5. The parade was so amazing. Kristin sat on my lap and just kept saying...."This is the best parade ever!" over and over again. HA!HA!

The gingerbread train float.

This one looked just like Cinderella and Kristin was quite impressed!

Nathan and Sam all bundled up

SANTA!!!!! His Float was quite something. It was so high they had to let him take a detour from the other floats as it wouldn't fit under the overpass.

Kristin watching for Santa

Here he comes

Ben, Alex and Aidan trying to stay warm

Nathan and Daddy

Mommy and Nathan...so stylin I know but I was warm and that's what matters. HA!HA!

Nathan when we first arrived....out for the count.

This is what it looked like when we first got there. Pretty deserted but it filled up quickly. It was a great day and we'll look forward to it again next year only we have already got the plan in place! YEAH!!

Nathan's First Haircut

2008-11-09T19:33:00.001-08:00

Richard has been hinting for some time that Nathan was due for a hair cut and I was able to hold him off with "He isn't even a year old yet" but alas the time had come. It was getting to the point that when he wore a hat he had some serious hat hair which was quite funny.

So we decided the high chair was the best place to start and then we finished it on Daddy's lap. Nathan was not very impressed with the whole process but we started just after supper so he had been in the seat already for a while.

Step one - wet the hair! HA!HA!

Step 2 - the cape and scissors

Step 3 - Say bye bye to the hair

Step 4 - My little baby transformed into our handsome little man. Even with the frown! HA!HA!

Think inside the box

2008-11-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

My little man is too cute! Richard set Nathan in this tiny little box and he started doing all kinds of funny things. Thought I would share as he is such a cutie!

Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow (Think White Christmas)

2008-11-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well I knew it was inevitable but I was really hoping that it would hold off a little longer. When we got up on Friday morning it was a winter wonderland. The kids of course thought it was great and took to the outdoors right after breakfast. Alex stayed out until it was time for school which is saying something! HA!HA! I took a few pictures of our birdfeeder in the backyard. It was such a beautiful sight and we have a big picture window in our dining room that we can watch them which is great. I have heard the snow can last from now on until the spring which is going to be a long winter! The up side is that everyone is starting to turn on their Christmas lights and anyone who knows me, knows it is my favorite time of the year so I am loving that. Wishing everyone wonderful weather!!

We are a hit!

Up close and personal. Richard was trying to take a picture of the one on the ground but them with the delay in digital he captured the other one landing.

Video of Halloween

2008-11-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

A short clip of Alex and Kristin starting out on our trick or treating journey.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

Well Halloween 2008 was a lot of fun. It was our first in Winnipeg and we weren't sure what to expect especially for weather but it appeared as though we brought NS weather with us or custom ordered it for the evening as it was moderately warm and quite enjoyable.

Nathan was dressed as Tigger and stayed home with daddy to pass out treats. Kristin was a Fairy Princess riding a Unicorn and Alex was Batman. This is the first time we were in a subdivision with so many houses so they brought home quite a haul and we didn't even do the whole street. We went up one side and back the other side stopping at our house. Kristin decided she was done and Alex had made a new friend from the street so he came in, dumped his bag and went out again. It was a great night.

"Trick or Treat."

Coming up to the door.

Nathan, Kristin and Alex sitting on our front steps. Nathan was more interested in the hanging ghost than the camera. Ha!Ha!

Halloween Carnival Oct 30th

2008-11-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

It seems like these days Halloween goes on for a whole week instead of just one night! HA!HA! First Kristin wore part of her costume for dance class on Tuesday morning. Then we went to a Halloween carnival on Thursday night at the church. (pictures to follow) Then came Friday...... Kristin attends a preschool story time at one of the local libraries on Friday morning and they wore their costumes there, Alex had a Halloween party at school so he took his costume as well and then the ACTUAL Halloween night on Friday night. They thought it was great!!!

Here is Nathan playing with Sam (My friend Allison's youngest son)

Kristin passing in one of her ticekts to play the water gun game. They had a styrofoam block with golf tees stuck in it and ping pong balls on each. They gave the kids a spray bottle and they had to know the balls off the tees. Kristin was very acurate but she was also VERY close. HA!HA!

My Green goblin cupcakes. They were a hit as I made 4 dozen and they were gone!

Kristin up front, Alex (aka Batman) behind her and then their friends Ben and Aidan.

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-28T11:23:00.001-07:00

We had a great time carving pumpkins this year. This was Nathan's first as he was only a week old last year, however he was a real pro once he got started. The other 2 had already begun and then Richard cut the top off of Nathan's and scraped the inside so it would be a little easier. Then he tipped it towards Nathan so he could put his hand in but all he did was look at the pumkin and then look at Richard as if to say, "what do you want me to do?". It was too funny. So Richard held out the little plastic shovel he had been using to pass it to Nathan and then "accidentally" dropped it into the pumpkin to see if he would go for it. It took a few tries but as soon as he finally did put his hand in he brought out a handful of stuff, passed it to Richard and then went in for another handful and just kept going until it was done. It was great.
This picture was the first handful, still a little unsure of the whole thing. HA!HA!

Here is Alex digging in. This has never been his favorite part but he still does it.

Kristin on the other hand tells us this is her favorite part, getting messy. HA!HA!

The finished products: Kristin drew hers freestyle (far left), Alex really likes Pokemon so I got creative (doesn't happen very often), drew a picture from one of his sticker books and then with Richard's assistance in the creative design managed to carve out something resembling his fav. Pokemon (middle) and then Nathan's was a fun design we printed off the internet.

Nathan's first response to pumpkins was to try to lift one. Never mind the fact it weighs more than he does! HA!HA! He wouldn't give up either until it rolled over.

Nathan's First Birthday

2008-10-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

So Nathan celebrated his first birthday on Oct 22nd. Oma and Opa were here from Alberta and we had a lovely Roast dinner with all the trimmings in celebration of our little guy. He is such an amazing addition to our family. He is so happy, pleasant, content and everything we could have asked for. He loves pointing at things, talks up a storm, really belly laughs at his brother and sister when they are being silly and just loves life. As for the sleeping part, hopefully we won't have to wait until b'day #2. HA!HA!

Alex and Kristin were "big helpers" for the unwrapping! HA!HA! Kristin had decided that her gift to Nathan would be a card that she wrote herself and then she wrapped it up in giftwrap and presented it. She then of course had to open it for him and thought it was great fun.

He didn't have any trouble eating his cake. I decided I would buy his cake this year as things were so crazy with the move and it took Ruth and I forever to decide on a cake that would suit everyone's tastes. Finally the bakery girl came over and asked us if we would like to sample a Strawberry cream cake that was new and proceeded to take one from the display. She gave us generous portions and we decided it was the cake for us. Very light and creamy, and Nathan agreed! Also with it being Strawberry it reminded me of the valley so we had a little piece of home with us.

"What am I supposed to do with these things?"

He was absolutely enchanted with the balloons and the banner that we had up. He almost tried to crawl right out of the high chair. It was too cute!

The Kinner Clan reunited

2008-10-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of Richard's parents coming to visit us for a week and they had a great time with the kids. Opa had never met Nathan so that was wonderful and Oma hadn't seen him since he was born so a lot of changes. Here are a few pictures of our time together.

Kristin and Opa reading a story in German

The kids with Oma and Opa at The Forks downtown

Oma feeding Nathan

Alex and Opa playing an Animal Wildlife game

Our postponed Thanksgiving dinner so we could enjoy it with family.

Nathan enjoying a "walk" with Oma.

STEPS Class

2008-10-25T20:33:00.001-07:00

Kristin has had a love of dance from the time she was very small. As she is not starting school until next fall we thought we would try dance classes and see if she likes it. She has a class once a week for an hour and their class learns Jazz/Tap/and Ballet. Her first class was last week and even though she is starting late she kept up quite well with the other girls. The moms are very friendly so it has also been another way to meet some new people which is great. She had a blast and I can't figure out who had more fun....Ruth & me watching her or Kristin actually dancing! HA!HA!

Fort Whyte Alive

2008-10-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had an opportunity to go to Fort Whyte Alive which is only about 15 mins from where we live in the city. It is a local bird sanctuary of sorts with many different activities going on throughout the year. Richard's parents were visiting from Alberta and so we decided to check it out and were fortunate enough to attend this one:

Be sure to join us for SUNSET GOOSE FLIGHTS:Wednesday - Sunday, September 24 to October 26, we’re open ’til dusk.
As the sun sets thousands of Canada Geese land on FortWhyte’s lakes. It’s a show like no other! Plan to arrive at least a half hour before sunset to witness this natural spectacle! Enjoy an interpretive talk about the migration patterns of Canada Geese, and enjoy food concessions on the South Deck as you relax and enjoy this natural show.

It was AMAZING!!! It was like being in the middle of a National Geographic photo shoot. We were standing outside at dusk with a gorgeous sunset and there were thousands of birds in the air. Then all of a sudden you heard this incredible amount of honking and from out of nowhere thousands of geese were coming from every direction and landing right in front of you on the lake. The pictures don't do it justice but I had to include them. Enjoy.

Finally...an update

2008-10-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well I really never thought I would be doing this...blogging that is. Kristi is certainly an eager beaver and she inspires me to be better at keeping in touch.

We have made it to Winnipeg.... I digress and should maybe rewind for a moment to give the Coles notes version to catch up. Richard rec'd a posting message to Winnipeg in March of this year and we had a feeling that this was going to happen so we had busily prepared the house and were ready to put it on the market as soon as we received the official notification. We really did not think it was going to be difficult to sell our home and had been actively looking at the MLS system for houses in Winnipeg since February. Houses here typically sell in 7-10 days (NUTS) and so we saw a lot of houses come and go. In the meantime it took us almost 6 months to the day to finally sell our home in Greenwood after many frustrations and price reductions! HA!HA! For anyone that did the math, yes were pushing into September and Richard had to come regardless of whether we had sold the house, and I needed to enroll Alex in school so I was very relieved when we signed the final offer paperwork. After a whirlwind househunting trip and a few days to get packed and loaded we were on our way.

And so here we are. We have a lovely home and are very happy with it.

Totally surrounded by chaos at the moment with boxes everywhere and an 11 month old that thinks he has hit the jackpot of excitement with a new experience just waiting around every corner. I on the other hand am not enjoying that part quite so much. HA!HA!

Alex is in a wonderful school and loves it. He has been adjusting easily and would never know he missed 2 1/2 weeks at the beginning.

Kristin is looking forward to having some new friends and is happily at home with me, helping with Nathan and all kinds of other fun things. She is going to really miss Tucker!

Richard has been very busy with work but I feel blessed to have had him at home on the days when I really needed him like the unload and unpack. I know it is supposed to be easier when a moving company does it for you but let me tell you the unpack is much more fun when you can tackle it one box at a time insteda of having everything out and surrounding you. There was honestly more than 1 moment when I was standing in the kitchen without a clue which direction or pile I should tackle next and wanting to run away. HA!HA!

My intent on blogging is to be able to have all of my friends and loved ones be able to see what is happening here on our adventure in the praries and hopefully help to close the distance. Thanks for tuning in and from now on I will try to not be so wordy. HA!HA!