Haley late for school!

She's gonna hate me for putting this picture on here but she was getting irritated when I wanted to get a pic of her stars and she was supposed to be getting into class. Ah pre teens...so much fun!

Oh Christmas tree!

 Searching for the perfect one.

 And our tree is home!

 Time to decorate!

Ah...It's done....Oh and did I mention that Keiran was driving in the snow?!

All in all, it was a good day.

Fort Steele!

 Keiran and I went on a field trip to Fort Steele to go ice skating and sleigh riding! It was so much fun!

Aprils thought of the day.

Arent you excited?! I know I know......everyone awaits the day when April has some wisdom to share and clings to the very words she writes hoping to one day grasp the intellect of such a person.........WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? I dont know!! HaHa!

I was just outside re-arranging the destroyed furniture to take pictures of it for the insurance company and thinking about where we are in life. Stress, anxiety, frustration....these are some of the words that come to mind. At this point I think Mic would be happier being a used car salesman than a trucker. And it will be a lean Christmas here at the Dekkers household. I start to get really angry, and dwell on these thoughts.............then I hear a voice in my heart..............."Quit being a big baby!...and I love you my daughter."

I know that life seems hard for some of us at times.....maybe alot of the time. But then I am reminded of countless situations where people have endured far worse than what I have to live with. My life is a piece of cake in comparison. I have healthy children who love me. A faithful husband. A home to live in. Awesome friends. And a wonderful in-law family. Our family has food to eat. We have vehicles to get us around. We have warm water to bathe with. The freedom to walk down the street and not be in fear.

When we base our value on the things of this world and what we have...we will always be dissapointed. About the things we havent done, or accomplished. The places we haven't seen. The things we haven't accumulated. I see things in store or on TV and I WANT them. But then I realize that even if my entire house was just the way I wanted it and life was"perfect"....my house could burn to the ground and my perfect life could crumble right before me.

As long as we hold tight to the fact that God is up there somewhere and he loves us.....then its easy to count our blessings. So many times we dwell on the negative and only see the things we are missing.......but if we do that for too long then we are really missing....God. We are missing out on the relationship he is offering us. And that will fill us so much that all these meaningless things mean nothing.

Hold tight to what you have....all those things that REALLY matter. Remember that no matter where you are in life, God is there with you.

If only I could have this tatooed on my forehead than maybe one day it would sink in. But I fall down and get discouraged. And than all of a sudden....there He is, speaking to me...telling me to chill.Bringing me back to reality.....giving me the love and hope that I need to get back up again. God you are amazing!

Hopefully this speaks to your heart. Love you all!

WARNING! Hideous couches in photos!

Here are some shots of the new place......no I didn't stage (or clean up) anything before taking pics. So this is raw and uncut...but you'll get the idea. And these couches are the loaners that we have received.....which we appreciate very much...it's nice to not have to sit on the floor. They aren't what I would call "stylish" though...maybe if you were a cast member on "That 70's show". But the place is a work in progress.

This is the living room when you enter the front door.

Then the dining area.

If you  turn to look to your right, its the kitchen area.The white pantry is were I keep all of our food items etc that won't fit in the kitchen.

Down the hall and to the left...our room. There is a little walk in closet to the right and along the wall to the right (not in pic) is my "creativity" area.

Right across the hall is the bathroom. To the left behind the door is our laundry area.

At the end of the hallway is the kids room.

It's sort of L shaped...hence two shots.

And back at the living room again. That cove for the TV......not working. So when we get our furniture replaced we are gonna change it all around.

So theres the tour of our place.

Much love sent your way!

Snow Memories

Here's the fam on the lake..our place is somewhere to the right at the edge of the lake.

Some locals were ice fishing already. There were about 7 holes in the ice. Some of our neighbours said that soon there will be little shacks on the lake and it looks like a scene from "Grumpy Old Men" Isnt that awesome!

There were a few families having a birthday party and as they were leaving they threw more wood on the fire for us....sweet hey? People are so nice out here.

The house we are living in is somwhere along there...I think its hiding in the trees a bit...but thats the lake.

Haley "Walking on thin ice" Ha...Ha.

There is a park called Idlewise park on the other side of town where they set up a fire on the top of the hill and you can sled to your hearts content. Some people bring snacks for a full day. The kids had fun( so did we)

All in all Cranbrook is turning out to be a great place for us and we are finally feeling settled.

 Love you all.

The Fam

The Parade and Christmas lighting!

 We had so much fun at the parade in Cranbrook! It was amazing with snow! After the parade, we went to rotarty park to see all the pretty lights and then played tag in the snow! It sure kept us warm! It really didn't seem that cold....I think the drier climate really helps! Then there were people handing out free hot chocolate and cookies....it turns out it was a church that we kept hearing about...so we are gonna check it out this weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend!

We are here!

Well,

I know its been a few weeks but thats how it goes when you move I guess! I'm sure a few of you have heard that all our big furniture had been water damaged in the move(Thanks UHaul), so it's been an interesting transition.....But it will all work out, and we have to remember that trusting in God will get us through. After all, I'm pretty sure that this isn't the worst thing that could have happened to us! The kids are loving their new school and teachers. Mic has steady work and I am getting everything ironed out in the house so we will soon be settled into our new life.As you can see its been snowing recently...this is only from 3 days of snowing! We miss you all and hope that this blog will be a good way to keep you all close to our hearts.

Much Love