Merry Christmas!

First of all Chris, Carson, Caleb and I would like to wish all of our family and friends a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I struggled a bit with a fancy card this year as I didn't have a photo I liked of all of us so I thought I would update my blog (finally!) and include a bit of an update on our family and what we are up to. What a fun year we've had! Our boys have gone from little kids to big boys overnight and watching them grow up is scary, challenging and awesome! I'll maybe back up to the summer so I don't bore you with a whole years worth of info.
  As usual we took on a project or two this summer and worked a bit harder than we played but at least we enjoyed the scenery! We took down our rotten deck at the lake and replaced it all by ourselves with new boards that we won't fall through! We tried to work one day of the weekend and play the other with a new sea doo that the boys really enjoyed. Our cottage is a special place to us and we love spending time together and also with school friends and even a week of VBS at the church in Falcon Lake. A highlight was hanging out on the beach with 3 of the boys that would be in Carson's class in the fall. That stands out to me as a special moment as we always want our kids to have fun and friends that last. Even Caleb would not start kindergarten alone as we made new friends with boys his age that would also be at school with him. It definitely made the fall something to look forward to and not be scared of.
 Caleb flew into kindergarten with confidence and everyday when he comes home he declares that his day was "awesome". It's so fun to hear his perception of life and fun through a five year old's eyes and when he comes off the bus he is brimming with stories. He was really confused at the beginning of the year as to why his teacher would speak only french to him when he didn't understand it. It was not logical to him and I can see why. He quickly adjusted to this new language and is slowly learning in the "sponge-like" environment that kindergarten in immersion is. At his winter concert the other day we were so proud to hear him sing in french and finally share the stage with his brother after dragging him to sit and stay still in the audience for the last few years. It hit me then that time was flying!
Carson also went confidently into grade three and we quickly realized that he had a great teacher and a great group of peers. That is always a big relief and we were happy to see him fall into routine and enjoy school so much. His fluency in french is so great at only 8 years old. Then in October Carson was thrilled to start his first year of hockey and we had so much fun buying the equipment and sharing in his excitement. He plays once a week at a 3 on 3 setting and there is a lot of skill training involved. It's been the perfect program for him to start out with and he loves going. He also is in his last year of the Music for Young Children program and he will be doing his grade 1 piano exam in the spring. Unfortunately piano is not his passion and it's a bit of a struggle to get him to practice but we are determined to see it to the end of this year and I am sure it will pay off in the future.

Helping on the new deck at the lake

Carson at his piano recital in the spring

 I continue to be at home with the boys and have been enjoying my few hours in the morning to myself. They go by so fast!! I do all of my errands in the morning as I find Caleb is ready to chill when he comes home from school at noon. Otherwise I get to see friends and enjoy breakfast and coffee with other moms which helps to keep you sane as well! I also share the landlord duties with Chris as much as possible and work hard to find appropriate tenants, chase rent and address concerns. Of course cleaning always seems to be a part of my duties too. The job continues to take a lot of Chris's time too as there are lots of issues that do not fall under my talent umbrella. It amazes me all the time how much Chris knows about handyman type things and just the other day pulled a big huge plastic hairclip out of a clogged toilet at a rental. Oh brother...not always a fun job. We definitely feel that investing in real estate is the way to go but it sure comes with it's challenges. Autotown Kia on the other hand is a totally different type of business and it continues to thrive and grow as the Kia brand becomes more popular and makes it's mark in the auto industry.
 Before I wrap this up I want to shamelessly solicit one more venture of ours and that is the 2 properties that we have in Orlando, Florida. We rent them out through a property management company and we want to let all of our family and friends know that it is a wonderful opportunity for you to take a great vacation and save a lot of money. We bought a 6 bedroom house in the spring and then bought a 3 bedroom condo in the fall that we completely renovated. We went on an awesome trip with my mom in November to finish up the condo and enjoy the house (it was our first time there). We were also able to purchase annual passes to Disney as Florida residents and we were thrilled to take advantage of that! I pretty much feel like a Disney expert so I would be happy to help you with all your Disney adventures as our properties are both only 2 miles from the gates! The house can sleep 12-14 people so it's a great choice for your extended family with a pool and spa and a games room. The queen bed and bath downstairs is perfect for grandparents and the 2 king size suites upstairs are great for multiple families. Split between a few families the 150 dollar price a night in low season is a no brainer. Also the clubhouse in the gated area of Windsor Hills is beautiful with waterslides and a movie theatre. The condo is great if you want to get away with just your own family. It sleeps 7-8 and is gorgeous with tile, hardwood, granite and stainless steel. Every single item in there is brand new and chosen by Chris and I! There is also a clubhouse in the community of Windsor Palms and it has a huge pool and theatre as well. I could go on and on but I will let you explore with the links I will give you and if you need more info feel free to email me or pass it on to family and friends planning to go to Florida. And of course we would love to extend a discount to our family and friends when you want to go! The website to see info and pictures of our vacation home is villadirect.com and on the left hand side there is a turquoise search engine ("Go to a specific home")where you can punch in the names of our homes to be taken directly to their sites. The house is called seascape and the condo is called casual palms (we need to work on that name...) Well, once again I hope that the holiday season is a wonderful time of family and friends and that 2013 is a great year!

We love Animal Kingdom but have not yet attempted the roller coaster behind us!

This is the pool at the 6 bed house - the boys love it!

Meeting your favorite characters is a Disney must

This is the rock n' roller coaster - Carson and mommy's very first coaster ever.  No, the girl in the yellow is not part of our family...

The holiday lights and music at Hollywood studios is awesome!

This is in front of the 6 bedroom house "seascape"

Mommy and Minnie Mouse - love it!

Click this link to take a look at our vacation homes.  Under search engine for specific home type in seascape and also casual palms to view pics.  villadirect.com