the Costleys

It's a Party!

2012-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ethan had his 10th birthday party last night, he will turn 10 tomorrow! The boys has a blast, we went to the pool first, no sliding this year due to a lack of snow! We came home for a chicken wing supper, wii games, and cake! They finally crashed around 12:30 but were back at it at 6:00am!! Fun times, I can't believe he's 10 years old already!

It's Christmas!

2012-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

The cousins doing their gift exchange.

Boxing Day festivities!

This is the most useful collage, shows which adults got what this year so we can look back next year. Well, except Chris...for whatever reason you got a penguin pillow pet and a piece of Tiramisu in 2011!! I know, the wallet is already in your pocket!

Christmas morning at our house.

Bey blades was a big hit with the kids, and Grandpa!!

Waiting to give presents...

Christmas Family

2012-01-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

It took a few tries to get a nice family picture (thanks to Movember/wind/snow) but Chris finally succeeded! Merry Christmas to everyone!

Seattle Escape

2012-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Jim and I escaped on a trip to the Seattle area in mid November, here we are at the chilly beach near the condo where we stayed! We shopped, relaxed, ate out, Jim joined the guys for a football game while I shopped with Carolyne! It was great!

The Backyard Bear Show

2011-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

We had some fascinating entertainment on Friday night, provided to us by two local black bears! They had a great time on our deck and in our apple tree and hanging around our back yard. Thankfully we could watch their scrounging from inside! Mitchell was the one who first saw one come right up to the family room door!

Thanksgiving Walk

2011-10-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great fall walk on Thanksgiving Monday up at Forests for the World. Ethan especially appreciates the picture of photobomber Grandma. I like Lily and Eve stuffing their faces and Mitchell, the hobbit!!

Summer is Gone...

2011-10-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Now that we've been back to school for almost 2 months, I'm finally putting up the pictures!! Ethan started grade 4, Maren is in grade 2, and Mitchell goes to preschool on Monday mornings with Noah.

We had some warmer weather in September and my baskets were at their peak!! We enjoyed our last (of very few) dinner outside. We planted a maple tree in our front yard in June and Mitchell and Noah transformed into some friendly pirates when they played together!

Our sour cherry tree gave us a lovely harvest which turned into jam, a pie, and some leftover for the freezer. I was able to make huckleberry, raspberry, apple, and saskatoon berry preserves as well! Will be well worth it in the winter!

Down in the Shuswap!

2011-09-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

The must-have Shuswap family photo!

Our campsite, home for 9 nights, was the place to be, especially if you are a squirrel! We nicknamed it "Gypsy Camp" because of all the stuff everywhere! Jim chauffered the millions of floaties down to the beach everytime we went.

"If you smell gas", you may want to check if Jim is in the trailer... Site 182, you were a good place to be!

A trip to the park! Only a smiley picture of Maren on the teetertotter this time!

We had many sunny, warm days at the beach! Maren hardly left the water, Ethan snorkeled and swam, and Mitchell finally figured out how to use a floatie on the last day!

More beach... I think all that bird watching tired Chris right out!

Our first ever visit to the Log Barn and it was fun! Those goats are hilarious and those lollipops are annoyingly sticky (never getting those again). But the sausages and butter tarts were delicious!

Couldn't pass up the go karting in Salmon Arm! Go Team Green!

An evening stop at the beach to skip rocks! Don't you think the headband is a great improvement over the helmet?!

Pop night??

With such a wet summer, campfires were allowed this year, so there was lots of pie and smores cooking going on!

The glowstick light show, we have to entertain ourselves with these somehow every time!

It was cloudy and drizzly after 9 days of sun (except the 2 thunderstorms), so it wasn't too hard to leave this time! Goodbye Shuswap, see you next time!

Cuzzins

2011-08-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Summer Wrap Up: Part 1

2011-08-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Phew! Summer's already over and the pictures are just coming! Ethan has been impatiently waiting for me to get this blog updated, mainly because he had the best summer ever, I think!

Ethan, Josh, and Micah spent 2 nights and not even 48 hours out at Ness Lake Bible Camp as cabin buddies. They said they had a great time, of course none of us were out there to see what actually went on!

I learned how to make bread from sourdough starter this summer! Frances spent an afternoon teaching Kristine and I how to make this awesome bread. I've been baking about once a week since and it never seems to be enough!

Jim and Ethan joined Carolyne & Brad & Micah, Mike & Julie, Mike & Krista, and Ken and Andrew for the week on the Rosemary T. They had a blast, Ethan manned the camera for this trip, so most of these pictures were taken by him!

Gorgeous scenery!

Fish and crab catching!

Around the boat

We took a steam train ride at Ft. George Park.

While part of the family was on the boat, we did some fun stuff with the kids. Grandpa took us to Peterbilt, got to go in a truck and tour around, and blow the horn, of course!

Luckily, it was also Thomas weekend at the PG Railway and Forest Industry Museum (my old stomping grounds!).

Once the crew returned from the boat, we had a whole family get together which included a lot of crab and other goodies!! We had an early birthday cake for Mitchell's third birthday so he could have a little party with his cousins! Then, of course, we took a family picture. What whole family event would be complete without it!! (Thanks Nikki)

Ethan participated in the YWAM hockey camp again this year, with Jim as goalie coach and speaker. He loved it and fulfilled his prediction of scoring a goal in the game on the final day! Mitchell tried to go to but apparently your legs should be longer than your hockey pants!

We had another birthday party with some of Mitchell's friends. It was one of the few beautiful sunny morning in July (maybe the only one!) so we got to enjoy being outside and celebrating!

The Swiss National holiday party found us out at Hans Ruedi and Isabel's farm for fun and good food. I think the horse thought Mitchell was good food! Christian, Annelise, Melanie, and Sabrina even flew over for it!

We took a day trip out to Barkerville, sunny but cool! It was a first for our kids and fun to see them experience it. I think the sugary treats and the gold panning were the highlights!

Cousins!

It was great to have them here again, hope to see them again soon!

Not done yet! Watch for the craziest camping trip coming in Part 2 soon!

Go Fly A Kite

2011-06-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

We spent a warm June evening at the highschool field flying our kite, climbing and kicking the soccer ball. Wish we could get some more warm nights like this!

Random Fun!

2011-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

7 Years Old Already!

2011-06-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Maren turned 7 years old on June 8th. We had a family cake out at Marinka's house, combined with cheering for a Canucks game! Maren had a Hawaiian birthday party with 8 of her friends and a flip flop cake, fun!

Off to the Races!

2011-06-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan participated in 2 track and field events in May. These pictures are from the first one where he ran the relay with his buddies; Josh, Micah, and Lucas. They did great!! In the second meet, Ethan won the 400 meter run!

Frances, Chris and I ran the 1/2 marathon (21k) and Nikki ran the 5k on June 5th. It was a perfect morning and I'm thankful to have reached my under 2 hour goal and have it done!!

Good Bye Everest

2011-06-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Everest, our family's beautiful friend of almost 12 years left us on May 4, 2011. He was friendly, gentle, and always a little "quirky"!! He quietly laid down on our kitchen floor and closed his eyes for the last time late that night. There was nothing out of the ordinary with him that night, it was just time for his body to rest forever. We continue to miss him, writing this finds me with tears in my eyes once again. Thanks to Dezene Huber for sharing the picture that captures Everest so perfectly.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-06-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day with my beautiful kiddos and some of my favorite spring blooms!

Everything Is Coming Up Cats!

2011-06-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

We're trying a new way of filling our summer pots this year!

Easter 2011

2011-06-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen, our hope is in Him!

Big White 2011

2011-03-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'll write more later, for now just pictures or you can make your own captions!! Don't you think we should've taken a whole family picture just to top it off?? I can hear the groans now :)

Lately...

2011-02-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

The Spruce Kings came to Cedars again this year to play floor hockey against the kids. Josh and Ethan teamed up on the grade 3 team and Maren spectated this year!

Mitchell finally all tired out at nap time!

Now we can call Maren "toothless"!!

Loads of Snow!

2011-01-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

Our front door looked the prettiest and snowiest ever, yesterday morning! We have been getting lots of big dumps of snow and are now being treated to balmy conditions but it's also melting all that snow! Welcome to PG!

Brilliantly delicious!

2011-01-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

I made the Ground Beef Wellington from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook and it was yummy and looked pretty too! Comfort food and a contender for our Big White dinner!! Try it out!

Happy 9th Birthday Ethan!

2011-01-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Ethan had his birthday party on his real birthday, January 8th. Ethan, Josh, Micah, along with their dads and Uncle Mike played laser tag (crazy fun and got very sweaty) and then came home for a pizza supper. After supper we headed out to do some sliding and then back home for cake and gifts! The boys slept over and they were all great! (for the Breedvelds: Ethan got part one of his gift yesterday, see the picture in the collage! It's awesome!)

A Very Naegeli Christmas

2010-12-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

What a fun and crazy and loud time as we shared our gifts with each other on Dec 28th! Robots, headbands, matching shirts, lens coffee cups: interesting times!! I say we all weigh in on Julie's new scale now and try again in a month!

Boxing Day 2010

2010-12-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

We joined the Strybos' and their extended family, and the Burnham's for a sleigh ride out at Tabor Lake. We had a fun time and then got to visit at the Strybos home. Below is Dana and her husband Kelly, this one's for you, Dana, my secret blog follower!!

The Best of Christmas Past!

2010-12-25T23:33:00.000-08:00

The "joy" of our lives!!

Christmas morning was lots of fun even after 2 kids not being able to sleep until about 1:30 am!! Can't believe Everest was with us for another Christmas, he always lays down nearby so he doesn't miss the excitement!

Christmas brunch was yummy !

I call this picture "Can't you just see the love between Mike and Julie?"! GET IT??

Why do the fun days always go by so quickly?!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!!

2010-12-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

This is my awesome 2 & 3 year old Sunday School class. They sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and did a great job! The picture of Mitchell is just before a classic Costley meltdown on the sanctuary floor, that's why he never got up front! Once we got back to our classroom he cried and wanted to go back to sing!

The Brer Rabbit part of the show was full of interesting characters, including Ethan as little brother donkey and Maren as a grandaughter, Micah as Brer Donkey and Wayne Hamilton as Brer Bear. Really cute!

We saw the story of the birth of Jesus unfold before us, with a real live baby Jesus. Josh played a great shepherd and Grace was the perfect little girl with nothing to give Jesus. She reminded us, simply, to give Him our hearts. Amazing! All the kids and adults were fantastic! And Hannah was terrific in the choir but I never got a clear shot of her, I'm sure her dad did!!

Christmas is Coming!

2010-12-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

So Thankful

2010-10-22T15:45:00.001-07:00

God has blessed us richly and we are very grateful. The Leboes, Naegelis and Costleys joined forces to create a very delicious Thanksgiving dinner over the long weekend. We missed the rest of the family! In true turkey form everyone was exhaused within an hour after dinner, well everyone over the age of 12!!

September has slipped away...

2010-10-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

It was back to school this month for 2/3 of the Costley kids! They were so excited to go back, now that a month is up, they're not liking the mornings quite as much!!

I love sunflowers, don't they just make you smile :)??

The harvest moon hung around for quite a few nights, reminding us that "He's the only one who makes the moon reflect the sun" and my feeble attempt at capturing it certainly doesn't do God's creation justice!!

To-sink-it Lake

2010-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

We joined the Leboes out at the cabin for the last weekend in Aug. "Chick-a-down", styrofoam up the nose, Sunday night steak dinner and fishing were some of the more memorable moments!

Unplugged.

2010-08-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

So, here we have it. The styrofoam has been extracted from Mitchell's nose by the handywork of Jim with a turkey baster!! He stuffed it up there while we were out at Leboe's cabin today and we couldn't get it out earlier today. Hopefully he has learned the all important lesson of not putting stuff in your nose!

Summer

2010-08-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here is much of the summer of 2010, as promised! Some backyard pool fun in July. The picture of Mitchell reminds me of the "Baywatch" picture of Jim at Shuswap a few years ago, like father, like son!

Ethan ambitiously attended his first YWAM hockey camp and first time doing hockey for a week in July. He did awesome and loved it! Even scored a goal in his first game ever!

Here's the pictures no one wants to see because they bring back memories of the worst plague that has ever hit our extended family! Well, it was Mitchell's party and he can puke if he wants to...I'm just surprised we all stuck around!! Happy 2nd Birthday Mitchell, you gave a gift that kept on giving!

To make sure the virus got around, we had a 2nd BBQ and birthday cake for Mitchell! It was lots of fun at the time!

Happy Birthday to Mitchell!

We ended the cool evening with some time around the fire.

The following weekend we all met up at 10 Mile Lake for a couple nights away and the annual Swiss club party. It was warm, although a little smoky, so we spent lots of time on the beach!

We headed down to Vancouver for the second week of August to spend the week with the Breedvelds. The Vancouver Aquarium was our first stop. It started to rain minutes before we arrived, so we got to wait in line in the rain for about 1/2 an hour. Little did we know that the Premier of BC and the Prime Minister of Canada were attending that day to announce $25 million dollars of funding for the aquarium. We saw both of them very up close, just an arm's length away but I didn't get any pics, too busy looking after 4 kids! It was a very busy visit!

The next day was much more relaxed, watching 5 kids at the park is easier than at the aquarium!

Centennial Beach held lots of treasures for these amateur beach combers!! The park was a blast too!

The kids beat the heat in the pool in the backyard, "Rambo" also made an appearance on the swingset!

We had to make a visit to Thomas the Train, what a neat place!! You see Mitchell was more interested in getting in the pond than smiling for the picture!

Sushi and Krispy Kremes by lantern light were on the menu for Friday night dinner. We taught Brad and Carolyne how to make sushi so they can attempt it on their own next time!

The spray park by Brad and Carolyne's place was awesome!! Saturday was so hot and it was perfect!

On Saturday night we made the trip to Steveston for fish & chips and ice cream, and of course, the park! We had lots of fun, thanks guys!

The past few days, my kitchen has been busy, the "berries" of our labour (couldn't resist)! Chris showed you pictures of the raspberry picking, now I'll show you pictures of the raspberry making!! Plus a yummy pizza and some lovely roses that don't have anything to do with the berries!

2010-08-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

COMING SOON!!!!

Some serious summer blogging will be coming soon, and by serious I mean lots! Sorry for any inconvenient delays!!

Mariners Game

2010-07-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, it is hard to beat a sunny day and a baseball game in the summer. When I was a kid we would go to lots of Blue Jay games and yesterday made me realize how much fun it was to go to a major league baseball game and how I miss it. You got the sunshine, foot long hotdog, warm beer, peanuts and the crack of the bat. Thanks Jeff for getting the tickets they were amazing seats right behind home plate. Wow it was a great day!

Creepy and Crawly Yard

2010-06-29T23:01:00.001-07:00

The past 2 days have been a bit much for me. We found this lovely snake in the backyard. It tried making friends with our rope but I guess it lacked some personality! It sunned itself for a while beside the planter and then it disappeared. I also found this large beetle in my hanging basket. The creepiest of all is the white "fluff" on our bush. Those are bugs, disgusting! Dezene, help, what is it and what do we do??!!

Camping at 10 Mile Lake

2010-06-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

Great weather, no bugs and good friends, made a winning combination for a fun weekend camping trip. We found 6 inch leeches in the lake, gross! Also made some yummy pit pies with the trusty grill-a-snack pie makers!

Maren Lost Her First Tooth

2010-06-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I guess June still is about Maren!! No sooner had we begun our hot dog dinner at 10 Mile Lake and Maren knocked her loose tooth even looser. It took some tears and convincing but eventually she let Jim tug it out (mom wouldn't want to work while she's camping!). And, yes, the tooth fairy does visit the campground, although she forgot the first night because a crying 2 year old kept her up until 2:00 am and woke up all the other kids...

June is All About Maren!

2010-06-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Maren had her kindergarten graduation yesterday, which was very nice. Have to admit that I have never been able to really sit and enjoy a graduation because I always have a younger, nap needing sibling with me! She had fun, got to wear her new dress (thanks Auntie Julie and Uncle Mike), and enjoy time with her friends. Check out the lovely "ladylike" pose in the new dress (lower right, and yes, her underwear were showing and there was nothing I could do about it!!).

The Family Party, Maren Dancing the Night Away!

2010-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the hightlight of the party (courtesy of Chris), I'm working on some pictures too!

Sports Day!

2010-06-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

By tradition, there was the team tug of war and Maren and Josh's team, the yellow hornets, won it! And of course, the running race from preschool up to moms and dads, was the grand finale. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day and everyone had lots of fun!

Happy Birthday Maren!

2010-06-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Maren just turned six on June 8th! She was up very bright and early (5:20) on her birthday, asking to open the gift that grandma and grandpa had left here for her. She snoozed a little more and was up for good before 6:30! She had a fun day at school and after school we went to the mall to get her ears pierced. She was very brave and didn't cry and now she has sparkly ears! For dinner Maren chose to go to White Spot and we had a good time!

The next day, we had a birthday party with 10 little girls, what fun! We did a flower pot craft, had lunch, presents, cake, and a goodie bag hunt. They had a ball and I crashed on the couch after removing the first layer of cake crumbs from the floor!

Mitchell's Fat Lip!

2010-06-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a little shot of the result of Mitchell's face meeting the handle of our neighbor's scooter toy! The doctor glued up the cut and it was swollen for a couple days. I'm sure it's the first of many!

More Garden!

2010-06-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'll enjoy it while I can, we all know it's gone too soon!

The Colours of Spring

2010-05-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's coming...spring is blossoming in our yard, and we're seeing the fruit of our fall bulb digging efforts!

Our Backyard Is Going To The Birds!

2010-05-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

We've really been enjoying our feathered friends in our backyard this spring, there have been so many! This sweet little hummingbird spent a long time feasting on our crabapple blossoms and the others come to enjoy the seeds we put out for them! We love hearing their songs throughout the day! The only complaint so far: "there's lots of bird poop on the slide, mom"!!

Easter

2010-05-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Easter weekend remembering what Jesus has done for us! Of course, it also involved and Easter egg hunt in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard!! Mitchell very quickly understood what the hunt was all about and found his share of eggs! He was especially excited when the older kids were emptying contents of their eggs into their buckets and he found piles more of the coloured plastic eggs on the grass. In fact, Mitchell just found another egg in their backyard about 2 weeks ago, we'll see if we can find any more, keep it going until next Easter!

Big White Ski and Snowboard (for Ethan) Trip

2010-05-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

So, I wasn't going to post this until I got the pictures from my other card which won't dump onto this computer but it is now May and I give up!! This is it, you get what you get, as Hannah would say!

Maren skied for the first time and was great! She wanted to ride the big lift alone and get poles already but we held her back on those points! Ethan is continuing with snowboarding and is getting better and better! Mitchell enjoyed being in the snow and the fresh mountain air caused him to have long afternoon naps!

20 0f us, 10 adults and 10 kids packed into the Novak's beautiful condo, made for some fun, crazy and interesting times! Of course the food was great and I think we needed even more activity to work it all off!

Mom and dad's fondue was a big hit, as always!

At The Top Of The Hill

2010-03-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Jim hit the big 4-0 on March 3 and we marked his birthday with a party with friends and family.

We had a fun time with 30-40 people in our house!! Don't worry Jim, we still see you as a youthful 39 year old! How's the view from up there?

Daddy's Girl

2010-02-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking she'll be ready for the winter olympics women's hockey team in 2024!! ...or maybe she could show Brodeur a thing or two this year!!

Costley Olympic Fever

2010-02-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

So, Ethan received a gold medal in "speed skating around the kitchen and living room".

All 3 kids took part in the Olympic donut eating event which was delicious and the prize was the donut!

Maren's Exciting Week!

2010-02-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Maren made her hockey playing debut against the Spruce Kings at school. A couple weeks ago the school won a cheering contest at a Saturday night game, and the prize was the Spruce Kings coming to Cedars to play a floor hockey game with the students. 3 kids were picked from each class and Maren got picked! She played in the primary game, Hannah was also chosen but she played in the intermediate game. Ethan definitely wasn't impressed that his little sister got to play and not him, but he was a good sport about it!

Maren's bedroom has had a transformation in the past 2 weeks. I used some of my extra time, while I've been off work, to paint and redecorate her room. The change from the light sucking pink to a sunny yellow has been "illuminating"! During the day, I look down the hall and I think her light is on because the room is so much brighter!! We just need to get a window shade and we're done!! Thanks to my Ikea shoppers and transporters (aka. Carolyne & Mike) who helped make it happen!

What's Mitchell Been Up To??!!

2010-01-24T14:34:00.001-08:00

Mitchell turns 18 months old today! He's a busy little guy, learning more every day! I noticed today that his stride is getting longer and he's not doing his funny little quick step run as much :(!

He's picking up some words, "night night", "muk muk", and "more" some common ones. He is an animal LOVER and Bauer doesn't seem to mind his hugs too much! The more I see these milestones pass, the more I realize how truly our life is "like a vapor" and how we have to strive to enjoy everyday and trust God with each day.

Spring Robins?

2010-01-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

I think these robins thought spring was coming too! They are robins, aren't they?? (Plus one waxwing!)

8 Years Old on January 8!!

2010-01-24T14:16:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Ethan! He had a party with his 3 best friends on his actual birthday. They played Wii, went sliding, had a weiner roast in the backyard, and topped it all off with a sleepover. We survived, we're all still here...! It was fun and now we have a year to recover and prepare for next year! I made giant lego bricks out of cake and icing for the cake and then Ethan proceeded to "decorate" it with an assortment of lego paraphenalia, whatever, they loved it! And bonus, everyone got a coloured tongue! Can't believe Ethan's 8 already!

Catch Up, no not Ketchup!

2010-01-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

I still had some pictures that I wanted to share with you from Christmastime! We had fondue at mom and dad's house on December 27th and that was yummy, sorry Hannah!

Raclette was on the menu for New Year's Eve dinner together with a junior hockey tournament game and Rockband for entertainment. Happy New Year!!

Christmas

2009-12-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at our home

Christmas morning!

Christmas day at grandma and grandpa's home

Christmas dinner at Frances and Chris' home

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
Calvin Coolidge

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2009-12-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

How could it not be the most wonderful time with all that sugar, butter, chocolate?? Our home is being prepared... how are our hearts preparing for this most wonderful time of the year when we remember the most special little baby's birth??

Character Day and Haircuts!!

2009-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Maren had Character day at school today. Maren transformed herself into Strawberry Shortcake and Ethan, Josh and Micah became the 3 blind mice. The boys even won 1st place!

Mitchell was also transformed from a baby to a big boy with his new haircut!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2009-11-09T11:43:00.001-08:00

October is gone already (what a bad blogger I am!), into November and started it off with my birthday. Mom and Dad hosted a lunch on the 1st to celebrate Mike's and my birthdays. No pictures of that one, but we did just fan out the candles to avoid any extra germ spreadage, H1N1 wrecks everything!! I felt quite terrible on my real birthday (had a cold and cough) but everyone at work was great to me and Jim and the kids got me sushi and flowers!! This past weekend Jim made a gourmet dinner, including appetizers, steak, seafood, cheesecake, and special coffees. It was delicious and I was spoiled!

Sunny September

2009-09-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Crabapples, cherry tomatoes, a few strawberries and an oak barrel full of carrots were a few of the things we produced in our yard this year. We also had some nice cucumbers, herbs and lettuce! Hoping to add some raspberries for next year!!

Flowers are still beautiful, despite the shorter days and cooler nights!! I'm sure the beautiful sunny weather has something to do with it!! Looking forward to a lovely fall and hopefully a late frost!!

Maren is in Kindergarten!!

2009-09-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

After a long week of waiting, Maren finally began kindergarten today!! No hesitation, no tears or even a hug goodbye, she is full on ready to be there!! She sat in the circle time with the other children and before their teacher, Mrs. Bluemink, even sat down, they were counting to 10 together. Such motivated kids!! She's there now and hopefully will be tired tonight as she had a hard time getting to sleep last night!!

Fun Stuff!

2009-09-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

We rescued a friend in the backyard today, a good sized salamander!! We found him stuck down in the backyard stairwell and cleaned him up and gave him some water. Maren and Joel observed it for a bit and then we put it in the garden!

Ethan is back at soccer for a few more times this fall! Brrrrr, the spectating is getting chilly!!

Papa Jim came to visit us at the end of August. We had some great weather and got in an evening trip to West Lake. Mitchell had some fun on his new 4 wheeler, aided of course, by his big brother and sister!

Ethan's First Day of Grade 2

2009-09-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Ethan's all smiles, I think that he thought it would never come!! He has been so excited to get back to school and his friends, maybe summer was a bit too long??

Shuswap 2009

2009-08-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here come the collages!! Mind you, I picked only 84 out of 282 pictures, I think that's good when there's so much fun to share!

On our way getting sugared up with timbits!

Ethan and Maren just had to jump in on the first evening!

Our first day, at the beach all day! It was a little smoky but warm!

Mitchell loved walking on the road, stretching his legs! Soon he'll be big enough for a bike!!

The girl cousins, clothes and hair to match!

We took a break from our evening bike ride to skip some rocks, or just sink them!

Which one do you think best represents real life?

Family fun center activities: getting soaked in bumper boats and Maren with her amazing 2 hole in ones at mini golf!!

Fun at the park until...

Maren's face got a good whack on the teeter totter, notice the blue bruise on her cheek (it has darkened since!). What a good mother, getting a shot of her child being injured, don't know how I managed that!

Go-karting was the highlight for the men in the group!

What would camping be without food? Ice cream, yummy dinners, smores, campBBQ pies, and much more!

Fun times: Ethan's logging gear, blowing bubbles, playing slap.
"Bring it on baby!" - Ethan

Beach faces.

The best time, relaxing and playing at the beach! And yes Mike, we did do a sand castle war until we thought the risk of injury was too great! We called it a tie!

Bye bye Shuswap and #197! Hope to see you next year!

Mitchell turns 1!!

2009-08-04T21:41:00.001-07:00

It was a hot, hot day for Mitchell's very first birthday, just like the day he was born! He's enjoying pushing his walker and playing in the pool. He can stand on his own and we're sure he'll be running soon! We celebrated with our family, Nikki, and Brian dropped by too. Mitchell loved the blue icing and thoroughly enjoyed his carrot cupcake, so thrilled to have a whole sweet to himself! So glad God gave us this sweet little guy!

Express Blogger!!

2009-07-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

So you asked for it, now you've got it!! The past 3 months are here in a nutshell! After our harddrive crashed, I didn't have access to pictures I wanted, so it just got left for a while. Now we'll get back on track, just in time for summer! Above are our 3 lovely children enjoying a book together in peace and quiet before going to church!

Ethan went to Vancouver with Jim and stayed with the Breedvelds all by himself! Jim was at a course in Sumas. I guess he really loved it there because he definitely did not want to come home, was still crying 2 hours later in Hope! He also informed me that he wants to live with Auntie Carolyne for a whole year and not go to school! Are you up for that Carolyne, trips to the zoo, aquarium, science center every week!!

Matt and Shawna came to PG for the first week of July and Matt put on our new roof on the weekend. This is our prime rib celebration dinner, yay the roof is done! Much thanks to all who helped; Mike, Chris, Brian, Dezene, Greg, Parrish, and Dayna, Justine, and Lori for the yummy cookies!

On Canada Day we went out to 10 Mile Lake to enjoy the sun and water at the Novak's cabin. It was great, and the firework display by Mike and Matt topped it all off! And thankfully, Everest was found after his escape!

Crazy kids in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard!! Those are some dirty backyard feet!! I don't think Noah was enjoying himself that moment!!

Sports day at Cedars! Maren ran against 3 other preschool girls and won first place, what do you mean "size advantage"? Mitchell hung out with his possible future kindergarten buddy, Jackson and Ethan ran against the other boys in his class!

Maren's preschool graduation

Maren had an amazing race birthday party with her friends. They pulled game clues out of a mailbox and played games and enjoyed an earth cake!

This was Maren's 5th Birthday party with the family! Daddy made a special peanut butter, chocolate, smartie ice cream cake for Maren and we all enjoyed it on this warm day!

Frances and I completed our half marathon, and did it in 2 hours, 2 1/2 minutes. The kids also took part in healthy kids day!

Jim built a play area for the kids in our backyard using the treehouse that we brought from our old house. The kids love it, now it just needs paint and some pea gravel underneath.

We enjoyed a muddy but fun hike at Forests for the World.

Nothing like a weiner roast and playing in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard!

Mother's Day with my 3 sweeties!

9 Months Old

2009-04-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mitchell turned 9 months old on Friday. He certainly has entered the mobile phase of his life!! He started to crawl forward last week and is pulling himself up on things now too! He had his 9 month check up and weighs 21lbs 6oz. Food is now his friend too, particularly grapes!

Belated Happy Easter!

2009-04-21T21:07:00.001-07:00

3 sets of open eyes and 3 somewhat smiles, it's another Easter miracle!! But we are mostly thankful for the true Easter miracle which Jesus gave us when He died and rose again. He has given us the gift of freedom from sin and eternal life with him! Maren also decided on Good Friday that she wanted this gift, the first step of what we pray will be a life committed to Christ.

Bubble blowing fun with the bubble wands from the Leboes!

Playing Outside!

2009-03-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

The kids have played outside on the warm, sunny deck two days in a row now! Wow!!

The Wafflegg

2009-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

This morning we had waffles for breakfast and in the pursuit of creative breakfast/egg combinations, Ethan asked for and Jim made a wafflegg. I asked Ethan if it was good and got an "Oh yeah"! Whatever!!

Is Spring Springing?

2009-03-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

OK, yesterday was the weirdest first day of spring ever. Obviously the equinox was causing some weather disturbance. We had sun, cloud, rain, wind, hail, snow and even a lightning and thunder storm! At least the rain melted away a bunch of the snow!!

Ethan's 1st Day Snowboarding

2009-03-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

This was Ethan's 1st day snowboarding and did really great. On his second day we went to a bigger hill and he learned to get on and off the chair lift. Ethan and Dad had a lot of fun, look for Ethan at the 2010 Olympics

Big White 2009

2009-03-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a terrific week at Big White over spring break and were so thankful to be able to stay in the Novak's awesome condo. We had a real mix of sun, cold, snow, cloud but had fun through it all!

On our way, after 2 kids were waiting in the van for half an hour and a dead battery in the Save On parking lot!

Digging the hole and playing in it!

Inside time!

Yummy fondue made by one armed mom and her assistant Brad!

Lots of tubing fun!

Finally, skiing and snowboarding lessons day, well worth the wait!!

Maren practiced her cross country skiing and we got a donut and hot chocolate treat in the lodge while the older kids were on the slopes!!

This was our second day of skiing on Friday, quite cloudy but still beautiful!

Josh and Ethan rode the snowmobiles, Maren found her twin and we warmed up with hot chocolate.

Play time and jet tub time!

Dance Dance Dance

2009-03-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

Maren had her last day at jazz dance class today and so we got to watch this time! She had lots of fun and learned a little dance, the tot's bop. Special thanks to her teacher, Lorna, who has infinite patience, we learned today! The blue socks were Maren's pick, BTW!! I'll try to get the video on tomorrow, wasn't working tonight.

Romantic Raclette?

2009-02-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Valentine's night with a delicious raclette with Grandma and Grandpa, Hannah, Josh, Nikki and Noah! Maren and Mommy made a Valentine's wacky cake and the kids enjoyed some laughs with Madagascar 2. Some very interesting dance moves were displayed during the credits (I like to move it, move it...I like to moze it, moze it)!!

Have 6 Months Passed Already?!

2009-01-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

Our baby Mitchell was 6 months old on January 24th, wow! His first tooth made it's appearance the day before he was 6 months and he's really changing quickly. He likes to roll but doesn't like to be on his tummy. He's refusing to eat food, excersing his will over mom's and I'm being persistent and trying to be sneaky! Oh, the fun begins! He really is a happy boy and at his 6 month check up the doctor said he seemed to have a gentle soul, we'll see if that holds true! He weighed 19 pounds 1 ounce today at his appointment, getting close to doubling his birth weight!

These Days...

2009-01-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Mitchell is suddenly growing up! He had his first taste of rice cereal this week and ate it but didn't seem too excited by it! He was, however, very intrigued by his bib, thanks Nikki! Playing on the floor now involves scooting around on his back and grabbing stuff and getting into things (such as the coffee table!) He rolled over from his back to his tummy all by himself today and screamed and cried (I was in the kitchen and he in the family room). Apparently he wasn't as impressed by his accomplishment as I was! He is weighing in around 19 pounds, what a big boy!

I think we have enough snow now! Well these pictures are from last week and yes, it is melting rapidly this week! Ethan and Maren had lots of fun jumping off the big pile that the graders made on our street and Mitchell watched all the action from the warmth of the living room!

Seven is Sweet!!

2009-01-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

Happy 7th Birthday Ethan!! How many cakes does a seven year old get during birthday "week"? "Too many", says mom the baker!!

Ethan had a fun sleepover birthday party with his buddies, Josh, Micah and Isaac. Hannah and Maren joined the party too, or crashed it? The fun night included Wii games, pizza, a Millenium Falcon cake, wonderful gifts, star wars in the dark, little sleep, and a little too much Journey (any way you want that's the way you need it)! Crazy kids!!

A Christmas Collage of Collages!

2009-01-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

From Christmas Eve and twin girl cousins...

to waxwings in the backyard...

to a pre-dawn Christmas morning at home...

to Christmas day at Grandma and Grandpa's house (and more presents!)...

to Boxing Day at Leboe's and our initiation into Rockband, minus Corey Hart and Van Halen :( !!...

to sliding and jumping on Saturday...

to some family silliness...

to the arrival of the Breedveld's and more presents on New Year's Eve...

to rosy red faces sliding at -15 degrees...

to lots of sliding fun in fresh snow!...

to our post Christmas and post New Years gift opening (Mike could not have handled this 15 years ago, when waiting til the afternoon was torture!)...

When it's all put together, what a blessing that we can celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus, with each other and marvel at all He has done for us through the happy times and these very sad days also.

First Big Snow!

2008-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the view out our front door this morning and it is still snowing now! For me, this brings mixed feelings of joy for the beauty of the fresh snowfall and dislike for the shovelling and bundling up that comes along with it!

Perfect snow angel snow for our "princess"!

Glad that we left some crabapples on the tree to enjoy in the snow, I think the birds like them too!

Everest's favorite time of year has arrived!

Sleepy Heads!

2008-12-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

Mitchell and Bauer caught some zzz's on my lap last night! I guess the only time Bauer gets time on my lap anymore is if he shares with Mitchell!

Mitchell Found His Feet!

2008-12-02T11:35:00.001-08:00

Oh, what are these funny things attached to me? They sure make me happy!

A Visit With Papa Jim

2008-12-02T11:31:00.001-08:00

Papa Jim came to visit us from Ontario. He played with the kids and met baby Mitchell for the first time! We'll miss you!

Tummytime!!

2008-11-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

We're all enjoying a little time on the floor, Mommy just might have a nap right here !

Hi Breedveld's!!!

2008-10-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am in my new 6-9 month outfit from Auntie Carolyne, Uncle Brad, Joel and Nathan! It fits and I love it, it's so soft and cozy! I can't wait to meet you guys!

6 Week Check Up

2008-09-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Mitchell has his 6 week check up yesterday and weighed in at a whooping 14 pounds and 5 ounces!!
Obviously he's doing well!! He's great, sleeping through most nights and giving mommy some rest! Yay!

Back To School!

2008-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ethan headed off to his first day of grade 1 on Tuesday, he's so excited to be back at school! Maren will start preschool in 2 weeks!

It's not everyday that you get to bring your baby brother for show and tell! The kids wondered if Mitchell has eyebrows yet and how big he will be when he grows up!

Mitchell Is 6 Weeks Old!!

2008-09-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Full of smiles!

Welcome to our Chaotic Home!!

2008-08-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd give you a glimpse into our home, crazy as it is, can't wait to be settled! Jim painted a camo wall in Ethan's room and Mitchell and Maren's rooms are good to go!

A Day At The Lake

2008-08-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

We spent last Sunday at Chris' parents lake lot enjoying the sunshine! Boating, canoeing, swimming were all fun things to do.

Mitchell

2008-08-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post some picturesfrom Mitchell's first few weeks of life, including first jogger ride, bathtime, and more. He's such a sweet baby!

Homeless

2008-08-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

As of 10:00am today the Costley family is official homeless. We moved out of our home of 9 years and are now squatting at the Leboe's. A big thanks to Mom & Dad for helping to clean the house and Marcus, Garth, Craig, Greg and Parish for all the heavy lifting.

Baby has Arrived - Mitchell Costley

2008-07-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures by Lisa

2008-07-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Lisa came over a few weeks ago when Jim was away and took some pictures of me and the kids, she did a great job, don't think I have ever seen my kids look so photogenic!!

Ethan's Kindergarten Graduation

2008-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

The graduation ceremony was very sweet, the kids said their bible verses, prayer, songs and even did a little folk dance. Part way through the dance, Ethan looked right at us and said, "I'm sick of this!". When he apologized to Keyarah afterward, she assured him, "It's OK, I don't care!". Can't wait to see what happens in highschool!

The 3 best buddies showed off their finger wag, butt wiggle , taught and perfected by Josh! Trust me, they didn't sit very long for us to get these pictures!

This may be our last family picture as just the four of us! Proud grandma and grandpa came to see Ethan and Josh at the graduation too. We had a few minutes to play in the playground afterward!

A Lot of Bald Heads!

2008-06-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Cedars had a great big head shaving extravaganza to raise money for the Goertzen family! Ethan has been wanting to shave his head ever since Mike did it for him last summer, so this was the perfect opportunity! Rosie Nich had to cut hers if the goal of $3000 was raised and they announced that almost $10,000 was raised as of Tuesday! Over 40 students/staff shaved their heads or cut off their hair to donate for wigs and we got a group shot of them all! We'll certainly see a drop in shampoo sales, maybe we should all shave our heads to save on shampoo to make up for the high gas prices :( ??!!

Cedars Sports Day

2008-06-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

There were sprinkles and sun off and on all day but the kids had lots of fun! Ethan was on team purple, they fought hard in the tug-a-war! Ethan got a first place ribbon for the running race of the kindergarten boys, he said it was his fast shoes! Maren had some fun in the field with Hannah and Mya!

It's Official - The Sold Sign Is Up!

2008-06-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

The sold sign went up on our house on June 10, much to our relief! So we will be moving to our new home on August 14 but we have to be out of our place on August 2! It should be a very exciting and crazy summer when you add a new baby into the mix too!

Maren's 4th Birthday Party!

2008-06-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Maren turned 4 on June 8, 2008, and we had a party the night before. We had a fun time and the sun was out long enough for us to eat outside and enjoy the butterfly cupcakes! The following night I captured her asleep in her new sleeping bag and with her new doll!