The Boy's

Tate Bradley Leader (in the blue) , me, Jack Richard Leader (in the orange)

(this picture shoes you just how small they really are, they are not even that long, but they do have big feet, and long toes and fingures) The boys.

(this shows you just how different their features are. Tate has a big round face with no hair, and Jack's face is long and narrow, and has lots of hair.
Jack Richard Leader
Tate Bradley Leader

Double the Trouble

The Leader boys are here!!!!!!!!!

Last Thursday my friend Laura had her twin boys.
They were born in Stratford with one weighing 5lbs.15oz, and the other weighing in at 5lbs.13oz. The names of the boys are Tate Bradley, and Jack Richard.
On Friday Stratford let her and Tim take the boys and travel back to Listowel hospital so that she was closer to her daughter Addy, and to her family and friends.
Curt and I made a trip up to the hospital on Saturday afternoon and meet the new additions to the Leader clan. They are so adorable. I have never held a baby that small before, and Curt did not even attempt to (he really does not do that well with newborns).
The doctors told Laura that it would be 6 weeks until they would find out if the boys would be identical twins or not, but I am pretty sure that they will not be. You can just tell my looking at them that they have some many feathers that are nothing alike. Tate has a big, round, chubby face, and Jack's is long and thin. Jack has lots of hair, and Tate has barley anything. Tate has great big eyes, and Jack's are just normal. We will have to see if these features change any, but my verdict will be that they will not be identical.
I will post the pictures of the boys tonight.
Mom and babies are doing extremely well, and I am sure by know Laura is ready for about 2 days worth of sleep. They will be spending the next 3 weeks are her parents house so that her mom can help her out with the boys, and with Addy, but then after that the happy family of 5 (with 3 kids all under the age of 16 months) will be back in their house, and ready to get back to normal routines (but really, will anything be normal for their family again, probably not!!!!!!!).

Paddyfest - 2007 Edition

Well, Paddyfest has come and gone for another year.
This years we went to the arena on Saturday during the afternoon, and then to the dance on the Saturday night. Personally, I have the best time at the arena in the afternoon seeing the people that you really only see once a year, Paddyfest.
The Road Hammers played at the dance on the Saturday night, but unfortunately I had a full boy to contend with, and only got to hear about 4 of their songs.
It was a pretty mild Paddyfest, compared to ones in the past, and I didn't have that much to pay for yesterday, which was a blessing.
Here are some highlights from the festivities:

the boys preparing for the evening with pizza, beer and hockey

the girls at the dance

the Road Hammers

Luke and his dance moves - part deux (if you remember back to New Year's)
Our bartenders for the evening, my mom and sister

Break for the day.....

Take a break from your hectic day, and take the underwear quiz.
(Just a fun little quiz to lighten your day):
http://www.jokesunlimited.com/underwearquiz.php

House Guests

This week we had an extra 4-legged friends wandering around our house. Sid and Lois were on a snowmobile trip, so Ty came for some holidays.
When Ty come for holidays a few months ago we found out the hard way that he did not enjoy sleeping in his kennel when the other furry friend got to sleep in a big comfy bed. Curt had taken him outside before we headed off to bed, and he did his pee outside. We were then in the bathroom getting ready for bed, and Curt told Ty that it was time to go into his kennel, and he proceed to shit on the floor and then go to the spare bed and got comfy for the night. At that point we knew that he maybe didn't want to sleep in his kennel, and wanted the luxuries of the bed that Lexy got to enjoy. From that point on we know that there was not point in even bring his kennel over when he came for the night.
Ty come on Sunday night, and when he comes he always sleeps in the spare bed, and never with Lexy on the foot of our bed. Since he was there for 3 nights this time, he had to share the bed with Destiny when she came on Monday night. When Curt went in to check on them before we went to bed, this is what he found:he then told me to come in, and by the time had went down and got my camera to take a picture, Lexy had made herself comfortable in the bed. She maybe thought that she was missing out on something.
After I took the picture, and got settled back into bed, she made her way back over to our bedroom and we all got settled for the night.
I was a little worried about Ty rolling over and suffocating Destiny, but when I got up to go to the washroom before I fell asleep he had moved to the foot of the bed. This was good. I managed to get a good nights sleep, not having to worry about the two of them in the other room.

Winter Fun

Saturday night we went tubbing in Kitchener at Chicopee Tube Park. It was a great night to be out, probaby the only nice night that there has been for a while now.

This was our half time break. We had to have our snack and drink out on the deck because the snow was meling on us, making out hats and mits wet.
(picture of the hills)

The Results of Valentine's Day

Curt and I took the pictures of the flowers that he sent me on V-day so that he could finish his scrapbook page yesterday!!!!

Valentine Update:

Well....what a day yesterday turned out to be. Curt is just full of surprises. He used to be the most predictable person that I new, and I could pretty much play out his every move, but in the past 6 months he has shocked the hell out of me a number of occasions.
About 1/2hour after my post from yesterday I had a delivery of flowers to work. (I will post a picture of them tonight) It was an arrangement of Gerber Daisy's, two red and two white. First off, I am not a big fan of roses because they do not last long, and second, the mark up of the on Valentine's Day is horendus, so he went for my favourite flower, their beautiful.
I was home before Curt last night so I started to get dinner ready. We had steak, potatoes and ceaser salad. Unfortunately Curt had to shovel out the driveway when he got home from work, so that meant that I had to start the steak. I am not the best BBQ'er, that is defiantly Curt's department, and unfortunately I got the one side of Curt's steak a little crispy. I managed to get the rest right, and all he had to do was scrap off the first layer of the steak (the black crap), to enjoy it.
Before we sat down for dinner we exchanged our presents. I had got him a new pair of shorts, a couple of tee-shirts, and a new pair of swimming shorts (stuff that me will need for our honeymoon), and I made him a card. I had already got my flowers, so I did not expect to receive anything else, but the sly fox pulls another trick out of his bag. He had put together 2 pages in one of my scrapbooks. One one titled 1998 (should have been 1999, but no big deal, it can be changed later) and it was filled with the first Valentine's day card that he had gave me (homemade), and a picture of me with the first bouquet of flowers that he had give me, along with the card from them and the card of the florist that it come from. On the other page he had titled it 2007 and gone out and got some heart stickers, bordered it with them, cut out a few of his own heart, put them on a ribbon, made a homemade card and put it on the page. There was a big blank spot for a picture of me with my flowers I had got, and the card that accompanied them. Unfortunately I did not take my flowers home because I thought that I would be able to enjoy them more at work, so I did not get the picture with them yet, but I will get that done tonight, and complete the page!!! What a ROMANTIC.
The rest of our evening was as any other around the Strachan/McLaughlin house. We watched television, I worked on our wedding invitations, and Curt went to hockey @ 9:00.
I hope that Curt keeps these romantic jesters coming, even after September 15th.
To add to my comment from yesterday, I hope that Valentine's day does not change when we get married, as I fell that it was wonderful that way it unfolded yesterday!!!!

Happy V-day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Last night when I got home from work and the town trucks were out in front of our house because we had a water main break. They advised us that the water would be shut off for a couple of hours. That meant there was no laundry, no washing the dishes, no toilet flushing, no brushing our teeth before we went to bed, no alot of things.

Because of the limited household chores that I was able to do last night, all I did was watch t.v., and work on our wedding invitations. It also resulting in me having to get up a little earlier this morning and get that load of laundry done that I was going to do last night, and load the dishwasher for it to cycle today so that we had some clean dishes for our dinner tonight. I had some spare time before I headed off to work this morning, so I thought that being as it was Valentine's day I would wipe the snow off of Curt's car so he would not have to do it before he went to work. Well I think my efforts went un-notices because it is almost 11:30, and I have still not got an e-mail to thank me for it.

Tonight is going to be just like any other Wednesday night around our house, except for the fact that we might eat dinner at the dinning room table instead of in front of the television. We are going to have steak for dinner, and I got cake for dessert, and that is pretty much the extent of our V-day. Curt is going to hockey, and I will watch my regular Wednesday night shows on the tely, and go to bed!!!!!!!YIPEEE

I wonder if Valentine's Day will get any more interesting once we are married?????

Birthdays!!!!!

Happy 26th Birthday to Beckie!!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to Beckie (on January 31)

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!

Happy 24th Birthday to Cara!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy birthday to Cara (on February 2)

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!

Our Engagement Party

Saturday night my mom and dad threw us a party to celebrate our Engagement.
The night was so much fun, and my mom out did herself with the decorations and the preparations for the party.
She had a theme for the party which was 'casino night'. When we arrived we were all handed $50.00 in play money, and that was what we had to bet with for the evening. There were three playing tables that you could gamble with, Blackjack, Pass the Ace, and Horseraces. With the money that we won from the games we had a silent action on some prizes. Everyone handed me their money at the end of the evening, so I was the big winner of all the prizes, except one. Destiny was at the party and she was the only child there. She was so proud of herself for winning money, and she wanted a prize so bad, I did not over bid her for the prize that had her name on.
It was suck a fun night, and it was great to be able to celebrate our Engagement with some of our family and friends.
Here are some highlights of the evening:

An easel that my dad made for us that held a picture board the my mom put together, that greeted us at the door. This will be a great decoration for the wedding. The cake that my mom made for us. (Notice the faces on 'the gumbies')
The Horse Races table which had a lot of action and noise at it!!!
Laura, Jill and I.

Thank you to everyone that was able to attend, and for those of you that were not able to....sorry missed such a good time!!!!

Winter is here..........

AND I LOVE IT.
There is nothing that I love more then a big snow storm....when I am at home.
Yesterday they had been calling for our area to get snow squalls over night, and in to today. When I woke up this morning it did not look like there had been much snow over night. I went to the gym, and from 6:45-7:40 this morning we got hit. I went home and got ready for work and it was fine when I headed out at 9:00. The closer I got the Milverton, the snowier it got, and it has been crazy here all day. One minute I will come out of my office and there is not a flake in the air, and then 5 minutes later I will come out, and you can not see across the street. I guess that is the definition of a squall. I think that I might just try to head out of here a little early tonight and try to make it home before it gets dark.
Not much is up for the weekend. We are going to go to the Anchor for lunch tomorrow. It is a new restaurant in town and it just opened last Friday. There is one in Wingham, and I have been there for lunch when I work up there, but have not been out to the one in Listowel yet. After lunch we are heading to Harriston to meet with a florist to get some her ideas for the wedding, and after that we are going to visit my friend Laura. She is the one that is pregnant with twins, and she is now off of work. She is not on bed rest, but the doctor has advised her that she better take it easy. She developed toxemia when she was pregnant with Addy, and was on total bed rest for about a month before she delivered here, so I hope that does not happen with these two!!!!
Anyways, not much else is exciting in our life, but if anything develops, I will be sure to post.
Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!

Uneventful Time of Year

Well we are into the January blas.
Last week it was more like April, then it was January, with people even seeing buds on their lilac trees, and their daffodils budding through the ground This week we have finally been hit with the weather that is more appropriate for the second week of January.
This time of year it seems that there is nothing ever to celebrate. The VISA bills are coming in from Christmas, people are trying to loose this extra inches that they earned over the holidays, and everyone is trying hard to fulfill their new years resolutions, whatever that may be. This year I decided that I was not going to make a new year's resolution. Since this is going to be a year of change (big change), I thought that would be enough for me to tackle without adding something else that I try to fulfill.
I have been back to the gym full fleged this week, working my ass off to look good in my wedding dress. Curt and I have also tried to start to eat a little more healthy around our house. I am going to do a big grocery shop this weekend, and we are going to stalk up on fruits and veggies. Not very often would you find those in our fridge, but we both need to look good for our wedding day. The only problem that I have is that in my canister on the counter there is about 6 mint smoothies left, and I have to get rid of them so I am free and clear of my temptations.
The wedding plans are back into full force. If you remember back in the fall I was looking for pine cones for a craft...well they were for something for the wedding and I have finally found some trees in town that have the type of cones that I need. On Sunday we went to Curt's parents place for dinner and Lexy and I decided to walk to their place. We packed a plastic bag and headed over. We stopped at the trees and filled our bags. This week I have been working on drying them and it is going very well. What I do is put them on the registers, and then when the heat hits them, they pop open. Curt and I were laying there watching television one night and all we could hear were the cones popping. It is very neat.
We are off to the wedding show this weekend (we being Jill, my mom, and possibly my sister). Curt was to come with me, but when he found out that Saturday was Hockey Day in Canada that soon changed is mind. I didn't mind thought, it will be much more interesting with the people that I am going with, not to mention that I will not have to deal with someone that would have bitched the whole time we were there.
Curt and I went to the show on Saturday night to see The Pursuit of Happiness..........AWESOME MOVIE. I would strongly recommend that all of you go and see it. I cried for probably 3/4 of the movie. Everything that happened just seemed to pull on the strings of my heart, and the water taps turned on. Curt thought that it was a great movie to, but did not find that it brought his tears out.
Anyways, I hope that my January gets a little more interesting, and I am able to post more blogs then I have in the past week and a half.
Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year's All

Last night we brought 2007 in with a bang. As of Saturday morning, there was nothing planned for a New Year's Eve celebration, so we decided to have people over to our house. Curt called up the crew, and everyone came over last night to ring in 2007 with us.
We did an appetizer dinner, much like the week before, had a games night which consisted of a mean game of Roulette, Pictonary, Charade's (sp???), and some other one that I am not sure of the name of, and brought inn the New Years with Dick Clark's Rockn' New Years Eve Bash!!!! After we rang in the New Year, we ended the night with some dancing (well a few of them did)!!!! It was a late night, and never really saw the morning, except to get up and go to the washroom. By the time we crawled out of bed it was 12:30, and then we spent the next 1.5 hourscleaningg up from our celebrations. I can't waituntill next year when the celebrations move somewhere else, and I don't have the mess to clean up in the morning/afternoon.
From our house to yours.....Happy New Year!!!!!

The Memories of the Past Week

What a week....it feels like it has just been swept up from underneath me, and all that is left are the memories of what used to be.
Christmas is such a busy time, and there is so much hype leading up to the big event, and then in a matter of 2 days, it is all over. It kind of leaves me a little depressed after though, there is so much excitement for a month before, and then boom....it's over. People have been telling me that I better get used to it though because it is the same with a wedding, although it is a lot longer then 1 month of planning, and then in 1 single day....it is over!!!!! With Christmas at least we can look forward to the next year, but I guess with the wedding I will not have another one to look forward too.....I hope!!!!
We had a great Christmas at the Strachan and McLaughlin households.
We started our Christmas by going to church on Christmas Eve with Curt's mom, dad, Abner, Karen and Destiny. That always get me wound in the spirit. That was about the only thing that did it though. When there is no snow on the ground it is sure hard to make yourself feel like it is Christmas!!!!
After church we went for a drive around town and looked at all the light, went back to Sid and Lois's and had a snake, watched a Christmas movie, and headed home.
Christmas day we woke up and did our present exchange between the three of use. Lexy, Curt and I must of all been VERY good this year because Santa was extra generous to us!!! We then headed back over to Curt's parents and had coffee and Bailey's in the hot tub, had brunch and waited for Trisha and Clint to show up to open our presents. They were running late, so we ended up having to open gifts without them there. After we got spoiled, we packed up the remainder of the unopened gifts and headed over to Curt's grandparents place to do our visit and present exchange with them and the rest of the McLaughlin family.
After we were done with the McLaughlin's, it was time to go and see the Strachan's. We went over to my mom and dad's for our family Christmas. My dad had to work on Christmas day this year, so we had to wait to open our gifts until he got home. He was to be home in fairly good time, but it ended up that he stopped at my aunt and uncles in Atwood, and his truck brook down. His company called a mechanic, but they couldn't fix it, so he had to leave it stranded in Atwood, and hitch a ride back to town with the mechanic.
Once he arrived, we opened our gifts with my parents, Cara and Justin, and my grandma Robinson. We then had a traditional Christmas dinner of lasagna, chicken wings, hashbrown casserole, and salad (we were having turkey the next day at my mom's family Christmas, so we thought that it would be nice to just have something simple), and cleaned up. Before we left we decided to have a heated game of pass the ace, and of course, neither Curt of I won!!!!
As usual, Curt and I both were spoiled by both of our parents, getting way too much....but greatly appreciating it.
So Christmas is all over for another year, and only 361 more sleeps until next year!!!!
Here are a few memories of the past week:

Curt and the dogs on Christmas morning at his parents house....... Curt and I gave Destiny the 'Deal or NO Deal' game, so after she opened it, Sid was teasing her and asking her where her dress was, so she went to the bedroom and changed into there flowergirl dress from Ryan and Nicole's wedding.......Curt and Trisha @ Grandma and Grandpa McLaughlin's place on Christmas day.......

Grandma Robinson opening her gifts.......

Lexy opening her gifts (with a little help from her dad).......

My mom opening the ring that my dad got her (for my mom and dad's 25th wedding anniversary she wanted a today, tomorrow, forever ring. she didn't end up getting it because they took a trip instead, so this year when both of her daughters got engaged, she thought that it would be great if she could get a new diamond the year that her daughters got thier's.....she got it!!!!!).......

The Night Before Christmas

by Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Friends Christmas Party

Last night was our friends Christmas party.
This is the second year that we have had this party, and it is always a blast.
Everyone had to bring a gift that would suit their gender and we did a Christmas gift exchange. Also new this year, everyone had to bring a shooter for everyone else. This resulted in some pretty messy people by the end of the evening.
It was an early night, compared to some that we have had in the past. We were in bed by 1:30. I guess that is what happens when you start at 4, and when you get older!!!
Anyways, here are some highlites of the evening:
the Christmas gift exchange our mad game of Pictinary the guys in the hot tub over at Curt's parents Just a few more days and all of the Holiday festivities will be over for another year.
It is always such a busy time, that we do not get the chance to see everyone that we would like to. So for those of you that we have not had a chance to have a Holiday visit with,
From our House to Yours.....Merry Christmas.

HOHOHOHOHOHO

6 MORE SLEEPS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma

Thursday was my Grandma Robinson's 84 birthday so last night we went to my Aunt Lois and Uncle Ron's house for cake and ice cream to celebrate.
When it came time for my grandma to blow out the candles, two little helpers jumped right up on her knee to assist with the task at hand. Here is to many more birthday celebrations with my grandmother!!!!

Get Your Christmas Elf Name!!!!

Mine would be (as Sandi): Daffy Fluffy-Paws
(as Sandra): Happy Fluffy-Paws
Curt's would be (as Curtis): Chipper Twinkle-Toes
(as Curt): Goofy Twinkle-Toes
What would yours be??????
http://www.jokesunlimited.com/christmas_elf_name.php
post a comment in the comment area and let us know what yours would be!!!!