Come One, Come All....

It's Saryn's One Man Show...

Everybody is welcome to a never ending show playing at a theatre near you....(or a theatre near us, actually). This show is VERY interactive and is VERY difficult to stop.

Introducing the new actress,
Saryn Cahoon!

She will provide you with side-splitting laughter for as long as you're willing to watch and applaud enthusiastically. She'll never be afraid to ask you to "cap" for her when she does her final bow/curtsy and she excels in improv. You can pick a theme and she will do a 2-5 minute song based on that topic without a moments pause before. The song has multiple verses, with different words and ideas. She has great pitch and does her chorus' with emphasis. She will also do a graceful dance to go along with it that would put the New York Ballet to shame - well maybe not, but they might start keeping their eyes on her...

She is constantly practicing off-stage as well coming up with situations in which to provide. She will find a computer mouse to turn into a fishing rod; a doll or just a blanket to mother; a blanket to turn into a bride or a nun's habit or a dress; you name it! She also cannot get through a movie without acting right along with it. She is every character in the movie and has perfect facial expressions, voices and body movement.

For this actress, the whole world is a stage - literally. She can also find almost anything to turn into a stage... a trampoline (large or small), a fireplace hearth, a staircase landing, her nursery room, Banff, Calaway Park, the Zoo, the pew at church, couches, the kitchen island, the coffee table, her bed, the back deck, the front step, the living room (especially next to the grand piano). If she has an audience, she can figure out a stage. The imagination is endless.

One of her recent "events" hosting this budding actress was held at her Great Grandmothers house. The audience was drawn in INSTANTLY. She was asked to sing a song...just that simple. The audience was blown away with what happened next. Her response was simply, "No, I too ugly!" She stepped off stage and did a quick "shower" while spinning in circles, stepped back on the stage with her arms poised as only a princess could do and stated, "I will be singing the shower song". She began singing a world premiere on one of her pieces that not even her family had heard. After enthusiastic applause, an encore was the only appropriate response. This rising star did not disappoint. Many more "original" pieces were sung and many dance routines to accompany. One 86 year old gentleman (Grandpa Jubber) could not stop laughing.

Just this Sunday during singing time in Nursery, favorite songs were being sung. Saryn stepped on the stage and danced through all the others favorites, but in between each song she was asking for the "butterfly" song. After the director went through My Heavenly Father Loves Me and any other butterfly song, little Saryn still was not satisfied. She was then asked to sing a little bit of the butterfly song that she wanted so bad and Saryn knew what to do. She stood up in her official stage pose and began doing "ballet" to her new debut. "The butterfly song was an instant hit with the other nursery children.

So, as you can see, she is a hit for the young and the old...

So, Come One! Come All!

If there is an audience, there is a show!

So Busy, So Much, So Crazy, Where to begin?!?

I really have been doing a lot around here...and nothing at the same time. Being a mom of 4 really just keeps you busy doing the little things. I honestly feel like I have nothing to post on except for our adventures to the Zoo, Lakes, Elbow Falls and Calaway Park. I need to do those too, but I would like to just write some thoughts about what all is happening in our lives right now.

We'll start at the youngest - and work our way up:

JAYMESON has just cracked his 3rd tooth through and is now constantly grinding his teeth to get the feel of having them on the top and bottom. He's probably the most happy baby I've ever had and is just moving around like crazy. We're pretty sure that he sits nice and steady, but he won't stay still long enough to know for sure. When he moves though, he doesn't face plant anymore, it's a much smoother transition. As soon as we sit him down, he starts crawling. He doesn't crawl with one leg at a time, but more hops forward off of his knees. He also does the monkey stand (on hands and feet) and jumps forward onto his knees. He's climbing stairs and has even made it up next to the coffee table and the exer-saucer and stood there for a LONG time. I have NEVER had a baby move around this much this early. I'm thinking boys just might be different. He's waved four or five times....we're still working on that. He LOVES books - even novels. He'll just eat them up (both literally and figuratively). He's eating solids 3 times and day and likes everything we've given him. He's beginning to use his finger and thumb to pick up cheerios and small pieces of food. He's getting really good quite quickly. We're working on the sleeping at night. Last night was horrid, but on average, he wakes up 2-3 times a night and goes right back to sleep with a bottle (he's starting to do just water in the bottles too, which is great with these new teeth in there). He's constantly crawling under the couches and has a fascination with anything electronic - especially cords. I keep putting cords away, up high, but he somehow crawls under a couch and finds one that I've missed. I have had to keep a very close eye on that little guy. No problem though, he's just too cute and I could watch him all day.

SARYN has been coming leaps and bounds with all that she's been doing. She's been learning the alphabet and knows about 1/3 of the letters. She has become quite the conversationalist and can give any adult a great conversation. Okay, so it's not politics or incredibly academic, but she can do some seriously impressive small talk. The biggest news for Saryn, however, is that she is getting POTTY TRAINED. I've really been bad at putting this off, but I finally decided that it was getting ridiculous. She's almost 3 and I just am going to have to ignore her protesting and put her on the potty every half an hour like it takes. I'm going to have to put on those panties and let her feel really uncomfortable so that she'll be more motivated. It has been miraculous. She cried the first time - and she still will periodically. But over about a week time, she's only had 3 accidents. I call that simply miraculous. She also has suddenly stopped going at night too. She has only had one wet diaper - once again, miraculous. I am absolutely thrilled with her progress here. She's also gained a LOT of confidence from this and she is SO proud of herself. We have started a little tradition of bathroom stories. When she's sitting on the potty, but doesn't think she needs to go. I tell her the tales of Sparkle, the most beautiful pony in the world, and Princess Saryn. They have marvelous adventures and it has made her excited to sit on the potty and have Mommy & Saryn one-on-one time. It's been great. She is also growing like a little weed and really looking a lot older. The baby chub is falling off and she's becoming quite the beautiful little girl.

KIENNA has always astounded me with her sweetness. She truly just is content to do whatever she can to make other people laugh. She is always trying to help and just wants to be loved. She loves to be validated. She essentially walks around all day trying to recruit people to jump on the tramp with her. She LOVES being outside. She could be at the lake or the zoo or on the trampoline all day long. She could also hold Jaymeson all day long if I'd let her. She just LOVES her baby brother. She is always playing with him and wanting to get him to walk, crawl or climb. She loves to make him laugh and is constantly smothering him with kisses. She is SO full of love!

KAIA has lost another tooth.....with another one hanging on by a thread. She will be missing her two front teeth within the week, I'm sure. She is sure growing up so fast. I can't believe how well she reads! She can pick up almost ANY book and sound it out. The ones she has trouble with are little ones like the scriptures and some novels that Jarett has lying around. She is incredibly bright and is just SO excited to learn. She has been practicing her violin a little bit and is teaching Kienna to count in French so she can be ahead of the rest of the class. Kaia frequently is "bored" or "hungry" (synonymous in my books) but she will colour or write a book for hours at a time to remedy that. She is also writing in a journal about everything she does every day. She'd be a phenomenol secretary one day (among many other things). She's been doing latch hook kits, making blankets and begging my Granny to teach her how to knit. She's just driven to learn.

I have been taking care of these little ones and trying to be as helpful as I can while living with my mom. I've been trying to be a mom, wife and daughter and juggle all three roles as best I can. I have recently decided that I will no longer be teaching piano in the fall. Kaia is going to be in school full time and the only time I can teach is when she'd be home. It's going to be hard to not have the money, but I feel like it's the best decision I can make. It's just too hard to juggle that schedule with being a mom. I've also been trying to figure out the rest of my life.... which leads me to Jarett.

JARETT has been super busy working at Peterson Shields this summer. He is doing a summer position and learning a ton. He has worked on applications for an articling position with the major firms in downtown Calgary. He had 8 invitations for interviews and had high hopes. During this process he found out that about 8 MAJOR firms were no longer hiring for next year. That's over 50 positions that are no longer available. There are just as many people graduating next year and WAY fewer positions to fill. Calgary isn't the only city cutting back, so other cities are pushing people over here too. The competition is incredibly stiff. Jarett got 1 call back for a second interview and was supposed to hear last week if he got the job. So far, we haven't heard. Everyone that we have talked to has said it's because he's a family man and the large law firms treat that as a liability, not an asset. His family is something that could distract him from his work and he wouldn't be worth that investment. It's SO frustrating for him. It's been SO hard to watch him feel so out of control of his future. He has a back up position working with my Dad's firm for his articling, so he's really lucky that way. It seems we have hit a cross roads though. This economy is really difficult and Jarett is trying to figure out the best way to support a family. Should we buy a house when he's articling? Should we wait it out a year and live with my parents to save up a good down-payment? Should he push to get a job at a mid-sized law firm? Should he work with my Dad? Should we not move to Calgary but try Southern Alberta? Should we think over the University of Colorado decision? So much to mull over. I feel right in the middle of a railway where there's about 10 switches and I have no idea which to pull to get to the right place. Jarett's also had someone talk to him about potentionally getting him a job that would be all around the world for a few years at a time. The MBA/Law combination would be a huge asset and it would be an incredible experience for the whole family....but it would be hard to be away from home for that long. That's another debate. I don't know if I'd be strong enough to do that. Yikes. There's SO much to think about. So much to pray about - and it isn't just a little choice. It's my family's entire future.

My sister, her husband and their family are all moving in here next week. He just got a job in Calgary and they'll be staying here until they find a place to live. I'm SO excited to have all the cousins together.....but also a little scared. It'll be great!! I love having my sister around.....it'll be a great summer!

Well, that sums up the goings on around here. I've felt like I need to do just a written blog for a while......I think that explains why. Any ideas?!? If anyone has any experiences or advice, I'd LOVE to hear it!

Sundance Lake

We truly LOVE Sundance Lake. It's a lake in my parents community with all sorts of fun things. There's a huge hill to toboggan on in the winter or run down in the summer. It has a beach to play on, there's tennis courts, playgrounds, basketball courts, kids swimming pool, BBQ's, picnic houses, skating rink....you name it. It's awesome. We've been there a fair bit and we'll be there a whole lot through the summer. There's just nothing like it.

Some of our memories from this summer - so far:

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo....

How about you, you, you?.....
You can come too, too, too.....
We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.....

We have Season Passes to the Zoo, and we have LOVED IT!

WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD!!!

The following pictures are from 2 of the times we've ventured over there.

Day 1: May 15th, 2009

The first time was with Brittany, my Mom and all the kids.

Arriving at the Zoo...

Saryn pointing to a hawk that she found

Saryn had been talking about seeing the "Teddy Bears" and saw this plastic one in the Otter exhibit. I thought she would be delighted, but obviously, I was mistaken...

The Bald Eagles were posing for us this day. It was AMAZING! My kids actually touched their feathers through the wires. They were SO close. I didn't use zoom for these pics at all...

I couldn't believe that Saryn would climb on this after her reaction from the other bear...
Glad to be wrong!

My little model.

I love that Kienna is telling the Bear a secret here...

Apparently Kienna has an interest in Dentistry...

Yep, Saryn has her priorities right. She could be watching a hippo or a giraffe right up close, but there's a phone....so what was she supposed to do?? Perhaps she might be a great secretary one day...

Oh yeah, the other perfect thing about the day....it just HAPPENED to be the baby gorilla's first birthday! Kienna didn't notice that, but she DID find a beautiful flower....

Brittany and I were a little scared about the crocodile warnings....


Yep, the birthday girl was putting on her best performance. She even gave Saryn a high five. These girls were in heaven.


Dwarf Crocodiles.... which one is in the cage??


My little man with his Gran....priceless kisses.

Saryn found her real species. Apparently this is her biological mother... this is why she jumps so much!

"Mom, is that really you??"

My little Joey's

My Baby Kangaroos

Somehow even Britt got in there....it really is a snuggly pouch!

At the AWESOME playground there.

The girls played and I got some special time with my baby...

Aunty Brittany is the coolest, she even slides down the slides and saves the girls from the snake.

These might be the cutest Koalas EVER!!

As we were leaving - we saw another peacock (they're all over the zoo). My mom sighed and said, "Oh, I wish just one of the would open their feathers." It was all that this peacock needed. He followed the queue and put on this marvelous show! Aren't they beautiful?? Apparently the males aren't as beautiful as the females, but the females have such incredible colours that the human eye can't see it. I think the males are just about as amazing as they come.

Well, this was the "tail" end of our first trip. What a day!!
(sorry, couldn't resist)

Oh, and what would be a trip to the zoo without stopping for burgers on the way home. Saryn was feeling generous and saved some of her burger to give to "Gran". Isn't she SO generous?? Yep, that's it on my Mom's fingertip.

Day 2: May 27th, 2009
The second time was just me, Saryn and Jaymeson. The older girls were with Manya in Drumheller. The girls had SO much fun in Drumheller - and I was able to spend some really great 1 on 1 time with Saryn. It was a win/win situation all the way around!

Saryn was SO disappointed that she didn't get to see the elephants (ele"p"ants, not ele"f"ants) on the first trip, so it was our first stop...

She was a little scared of the buddha elephant at first....

but got over it quite quickly... here she is rubbing its belly for good luck!

The gardeners have started all their beautiful gardens. A major part of the gardens is under construction, but this is a taste of how beautiful it is...

Jaymeson was such a little trooper. I love his little baseball hat!

All the peacocks kept on fighting. This is what Saryn was saying they looked like...

My cute little man!

The flamingos were fun, but they also kept on fighting. We have a little bit on video. We'll see if we can get that on here too!! I learned on this day where the expression, "Don't ruffle your feathers" comes from. Their feathers stick straight up when they're mad.

She has obviously overcome her fear of statues...

So scared coming out of the snakes mouth

On the way out we got to see the bull elephant. He really is SO much bigger!!


WE LOVE THE ZOO!! We'll be there a LOT this summer....anyone wanna join?!?