Snow Day

We did get some snow, not as much as we were warned, much to my kids disappointment. One Sunday morning we got alot so I decided we were not going to attempt to go down then hill to church, so instead my Dad came over and pulled the kids behind his truck. It was so fun and they screamed so loud. Again on another Sunday it was snowing and the neighbors were headed to the hill so we joined them. There is a hill in Mission that is north facing and still had enough to slide, so fun. So we had a few Sunday mornings being thankful that God created snow!!

Christmas 2010

Once again I am behind in posting. I had great intentions to keep up things but we have been too busy, which is soon to change and homeschooling 4 has proven to be alot. Most days are great but there are more difficult ones than I imagined. Christmas was great. Mark had a few days off. Mind you in was just enough for him to get sick and than get better before going back to work. We all laid around lot, some of us with buckets. Being sick slows you down which is not all bad. On Christmas Eve my cousins came over for a visit. We live in the same town but rarely see them. It was a special gift to us. It actually helped put us in the Christmas mood, seeing some family. In the evening we went to church with all our neighbors, came home and snacked and of course did the new pj thing. We spent to Christmas morning opening presents and then off to my moms for turkey. Faith got sick around 4pm and by 4am four out of the six of us were ill. Bonus was the kids watched the entire Sound of Music CD with me, whatever it takes.

Grampa came a few days later for a month long visit. New Years Eve we went to the neighbors and ate and visited tons. So blessed to call our neighbors our friends.

The 2nd Honeymoon

Hola! Just over a week ago Mark and I got home from Mexico. What a fabulous time we had! It was so wonderful to be just together. We flew my cousin Alicia, in from Saskatoon. The kids could not wait to see her. They had a great time with her. She went above and beyond in the call of duty and even thought she felt lousy while she was here (she always gets sick in BC) she made an amazing board game with the kids. It was a great memory maker for my kids. I really hope she enjoyed them. This meant so much to have her here and be willing to even do this for us. I was so relaxed and it was great to have the kids in their own home altogether.
My parents treated us to a night at a hotel by the airport so we could leave our truck for the week and go in the evening before our flight. We flew direct from Vancouver to Cancun and then got a bus to our resort in Puerto Aventuras. We were about 20min south of Playa Del Carmen. We soaked up the sun, snorkeled, ate great and just enjoyed each others company. We did not do any excursions. We both just wanted to hang out and relax. At home we do so much and are always on the go, this was just nice to sit. No responsibilities...aaahhh! We did go into Playa once to check it out, do abit of shopping and drop some presents off at the hotel where my mom and dad stay and have made friends. Our resort was amazing and we would go there again. It was perfect for the price and what we wanted. The kids called this trip our 2nd honeymoon...sure...call it what you like, I would strongly recommend a 2nd honeymoon!

Happy 15th Anniversary

Yesterday Mark and I celebrated 15 years of marriage. We are actually headed to Mexico for a week but last nite after soccer practice and all were in bed we had dinner by ourselves. We used to do that weekly and we both said we need to start doing it ok more regularly. He came in from work and surprised me with flowers and a Pandora bracelet. This really did surprise me because I didn't think we would exchange anything since we were going on a holiday. The kids call it our 2nd honeymoon. I am so looking forward to some undivided time together but at the same time if I think about it too much I get all teary cause I still find it hard to leave the kids. My cousin from Saskatoon flies in tomorrow nite. Hope they have a great time with her and don't make her too crazy. What a blessing, that she even was willing to come.

Mark, thank you for a wonderful life. I am so proud of you and love being your wife. Thank you for all you do for me and the kids. I love being your best friend! So thrilled to walk this life with you. Praying God continues to lead and guide our family as we continue to lay our desires before Him.

Mark is home!

Success! Mark got home late Friday nite from a week long hunting trip up past Prince George. They got 2 moose so there is lots of eating to be done. We are happy he is home and thrilled he is filling the freezer!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Monday

I am still in my PJ's at 10:30 had a great visit with my neighbor friend till after midnight. What a blessing that family is to ours. I fed the kids breakfast in the back lane and they are all enjoying a beautiful morning with friends. Jess has gone to mom's to help with dinner prep and hang out. I have plans to get some things done in the house today, so here goes. The pic is from last Thursday. We went to the zoo with friends for the start of our science co-op in the diversity of life. Hope to get a fall family picture when Mark gets home.

Bringing us up to date!

It has been has great year this far and here I am on 10-10-10. Thanksgiving really helps you reflect on how much we have to be thankful for. God is good. We are blessed as a family in so many ways. Today in church Nash made a list of all that he is thankful for on his hand, he ran out of room, I love that, so he got home and made up a longer one. This is the week that Mark always goes hunting. We miss him but also enjoy the unstructured-ness of this week. Well, maybe I do cause meals aren't as big a deal when Daddy is not coming home for it. We did our turkey dinner with him last Monday and one tommorrow with Grama. We just have an extra long Thanksgiving weekend.
The following photos are just some of the highlights of this past year. This helps me feel OK with moving on and blogging. The kids also enjoy reading this like a short story or journal of the Shipton Crew.



This summer flew by. It seemed like we waited for it to come and then it was over. Here the kids are playing in the sand in Long Beach, Wash. We went with Mark's parents. We swam in the pool and flew kites. We also went to Oliver and the Shuswaps for a few nites
Nate celebrated his 5th birthday in July. It was a hockey theme. He wanted his 2 friends Jesse Peters and Jesse Peters. One is a wee bit darker than the other that is how we tell them apart.

We went to the Canada Parade. Our new neighbors came too. They have 3 children that are great friends with our kids. The Peters family has been a wonderful addition to our neighborhood!
Nash played baseball in the Tadpole II division. They had a great group of boys on the team. They came in 1st place this year! Jess turned 11 in May. We had a swim party with 10 girls at the pool. We also had a family party. These clothes were for her Maplea doll.
Mothers' Day we went to Harrison for a picnic lunch. The kids played and got wet in the lake.
We went to the park for a picnic with my brother's family and mom & dad. Here is the 7 grandkids!
Faith turned 6 in May. She had a Tinkerbell theme party with a group of her friends. We did crafts and played games. She had a great time.
We took Grampa John to the Abbotsford Heat game for his birthday. We ate good food, cheered hard and saw some fights. Nash was there also but at his friends birthday party across the arena.
Our new addition....Nash got a hamster for his birthday. Never thought I would allow it but I caved and he is so cute.
Nash turned 9. He had a swim party with all the neighbor friends. They all came here for pizza and then we took them all to the Walnut Grove Rec Center. We also had a family party.
The Olympic torch came to town. The kids got in their olympic gear to watched it run by.
Faith performed this year at Malanka in January for Ukrainian New Years. It was so adorable and they did an amazing job.

And the school year begins....

Our first day of school...had French Toast for breakfast, did an art project on Van Gogh and went to a Not Going Back to School Party at the wave pool with about 100 other friends.

I have not blogged all year so I don't know where to start. I may just bring my year up to date in point form and pictures and move on. Life is flying by. We are into our 4th week of school. Grade 6, 4, 1 and K ...aaahhh! So far so good. Feel pulled in all different directions but would not have it any other way. The kids still want to be at home, so that is a blessing. We are back into soccer and piano lessons too. We have a new school room this year, still some finishing touches to happen but it is great to have all our stuff in one room and all together.



September 7 Grama Selma's Birthday. We love you Grama!

Happy 2010

Had so much fun with friends last nite. So much to blog. More to come later.
Happy New Year Everyone!!

FPO LAST M

Last month Mark gave me his work schedule and said that in this particular Friday he had to go to work for abit in the morning. The day before I went and got my hair done and he was home with the kids..I thought. He snuck out and did some grocery shopping. He was acting kinda odd. My the end of the day he told me what was up. He was sending me to the spa and making me an amazing 4-course meal. wow So Friday morning I got up and he insisted on driving me to Wild Orange Spa. He had also made me eggs benedict for breakfast. I got to the spa and sat in the steam room for quite awhile. I was secretly hoping my mom was coming too, oh well, another time. I first got a massage, then a facial and then a pedicure. I felt so pampered it was crazy. Mark picked me up about 2 and wanted me to nap, not gonna happen but I did relax with the kids on the couch before our yummy dinner. He made artichoke dip, French Onion Soup, Couille St Jacque and Creme Carmelle. So spoiled. It was the end of my kids term so it felt great to relax. Mark said this was kind like my hunting trip, which he goes on each year. Did I mention he went on 2 this year? So not a big deal and even better when he shots something. Thank you Mark was such a wonderful treat of a day. So love you!!

Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday after church we came home and had lunch. It was abit rainy but the didn't hold the kids back. They all headed to the woods with a bunch of neighbor friends to play in the fort they have made. They are so enjoying their time out there. Just the other day Nash took Nate and Faith out there for the first time. I was feeling a little apprehensive to send them but I decided to go for it and see if Nash would step to the plate. Well,he sure did. They all came home so dirty but had tons of fun. At dinner time they both wanted Nash to sit between them. Clearly, it was a relationship building time. Yesterday I think there were 9 kids hanging out together, boys and girls ages 4-12. I only checked on them once.

While they were out I made some very yummy cookies. I think they are even kinda healthy. They have flax seed, sesame seed and craisins in them. They taste like a granola bar. By the time it was dark the kids were all inside, eating cookies and popcorn, trading peek-a-poohs and watching a movie. Sent them all home at 6:30 and ordered pizza. Fun day, lots to be thankful for

Thankfulness

I know it seems I don't post much anymore. I think about it and that is about as far as it goes. I thought with it being Thanksgiving last weekend I would post cause I have so much to be thankful for. Last Sunday we went to my Grampa's place called the Hallmark. They served us turkey dinner in a family dinning room and we didn't have to do all the dishes. It was a nice relaxing change. Then we went for a walk in the dark around Fishtrap Creek. This year has been so difficult for my Grampa.

We just completed our 6th week of school. Jess is in Grade 5, Nash is in Grade 3 and Faith is in Kindergarten. This is my 6th year of homeschooling and I am continually learning new things and new ways to teach things. We have a had 5 field trips and all our activities are well under way. We are just as busy as last year but our schedule seems way better. We even have days where we are able to be at home all day. All the kids are in swim lessons. Faith, Jess and Nash are in piano. Nash and Jess are playing soccer and go to Treasure Quest every 2nd Tuesday evening. Faith is doing Ukrainian dancing. Lil' Nate just goes with the flow but some days are harder than others for him. So far we have enjoyed a beautiful fall. Lots of playing outdoors and riding bikes and with both little kids now off training wheels we go on alot of bike rides. We are so thankful for our neighborhood and all our friends. We have also begun skating as a family. Faith and Nate had never been and are doing really well. Another bonus of homeschooling when can go and skate when everyone else is in school. There is a little rink close to us that is always open. Mark is now assistant store manager at the Save On close to us. He has gone on to 2 hunting trips this fall and just brought home a buck. He is so great at providing for us here on the home front.

Serving Others in Love

Praying I will use my gifts to honor God, to be a servant to all, even washing my kids feet. Warning: this is graphic and abit tear jerking and completely mind-bogging that this happens

How can I make a difference? What can I do to help?

Holidays

We spent last week in Oliver, BC at lakeside.bc.ca What a great time we had. This is place I remember coming to when I was younger. With our 4 kids we stay in the Cabanas. You bring all your camping stuff minus the tent. We even have a sink with cold water and a couple of outlets, maybe that is why I can do this sort of camping for a whole week. The weather was fantastic. We have been waiting for this family holiday cause our one to Oregon was cancelled till next summer. A couple of weeks before we left Faith learned to ride her bike on two wheels and while we were at the campsite Nate learned. The whole campsite was cheering him on! Nate is now also out of is baby seat and into a booster. My baby is growing up. Part of me is delighted to see him take off on his bike and part of me is a little sad. My parents also came up for 2 nites to surprise the kids. It was nice to have them to there with us. Mark also just purchased kayaks for us all. Faith and Nate still have to ride in our boats but Mark did find out the hard way that Faith is able to use the orange boats and he had to go for big swim after Faith. We had tons of fun using to kayaks too. We came home to lots of clean up but it was well worth it. I canned 40lbs of peaches that we picked up in Keremeos. We are now on our countdown till school starts. I think I have everything in order and ready to go, supplies, curriculum, etc. I am aiming not to over schedule us. The 3 oldest will be taking piano. Faith is taking Ukranian dancing. Nash and Jess are playing soccer and all 4 will be taking swim lessons. There is still alot of play time and down time in all that. Now I am praying for right attitudes from everyone. They say that want to be homeschooled so I will continue to work with that until the Lord shows us different.

PS Mom if you want to see pictures on my blog bigger just double click.

There is so much more to post about our summer. This was just a highlite, perhaps there will be more to come later.

Lil' turkey

Who wouldn't sleep well on a tummy full of cookies. I baked cookies today cause it was much cooler than it has been and my Natester kept helping himself. Every time I turned around he had another one in his mouth. I finally said put them on the counter and go up to your room. I told him he should rest and that he did.
I have never had a child challenge me the way he does. He has made me re-think my parenting and sometimes I am just at a lose. He says and does things I have never had a child do. He gets into things I have never had a child get into. He can also be so cute....thankfully! He says this thing,...."Mommy I miss you". How can he possibly miss me when we are together every minute of every day? I still treasure it.
PS He just woke from his nap and asked if he could have more cookies...what a guy!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words than this post is worth a few million. I am so far behind so to bring our life and goings on up to date, I thought I could just post some pics. These go from most recent to the end of May.

Roller blading with Aunt Deedy

July 1st Canadian eh'

July 14th Faith had her adenoids and tonsils out

Father's Day morning
We all surprised Mark wearing Oregon Duck shirts. If it's Dad's team, it's our team too!!

A visit to Sooke to see Mark's parents. Mark and his Dad hanging out on the front steps.

Playing in the pool with Papa. It got abit carried away and there were a few bare bottoms showing. hehe

At Faith's ballet recital. Faith was a puppy..so cute!

Baseball season ended in June. Nash tried being catcher, definetly not his favorite position.

Jess loves to pitch.

May 25 Jess turned 10..time sure does fly.

I also just had a very small gathering of 15 grads at a friends place for our 20th reunion. It was fun, visited with everyone and talked about everyone else. Hopefully we will pull off a big 25th reunion.
Our Oregon trip was cancelled firstly because the 3 bedroom did not come available like we thought it would, Mark got transferred to Save on here in Abbotsford as Assistant Store Manager and his holidays changed and Faith had her tonsils out which was a last minute part of the operation. The recovery time is much longer than just having her adenoids out. It is good we are staying home and not doing much. I am working on my attitude cause I was really looking forward to this holiday time.
I most sign off cause I am being paged in 4 different directions and we have nothing to eat for dinner.