First Coyote

So, Chase and I have been married for 5 years now and for any of you that know Chase, his obsession is hunting. He loves to hunt and anything to do with hunting. The problem is, if you go with Chase, you have to hunt the 'Chase' way. A.K.A in complete silence (no swishing of the snow pants, and NO squeeking of the boots on the snow), and once you are in position - absolutely NO movement allowed (okay, you are allowed to move your eyes and the rise and fall of your chest as you breath is allowed).:) I love to go with him even though the rules are strict. We have been hunting coyotes together ever since we started dating and I finally got my first one. (Chase has been a little trigger happy, but always apologizes for 'taking my shot'). Anyhow, this time he wasn't allowed to take a gun. We called (a little 'whistle' or call that sounds like a wounded rabbit that coyotes come to check out) at one place and waited for about half an hour, but nothing. Then we went to another place at the top of a hill and sat on a fence line and called again there. We sat back to back and could see the whole area around us. I was watching one area where I thought it was more likely for a coyote to come in from and didn't see one come in from another angle until it was in the wide open looking right at us. I tried to slowly reach for the gun and get turned around to shoot it but it started to run. Chase gave a little bark and it stopped, but it had gone behing the rise of a hill and only the tips of its ears and barely the eyes were showing over the hill. I found it in the scope and made the shot. As we were walking over, Chase said it was okay if I didn't make the shot, that it was a really hard shot. But, to his amazement, there was the coyote. He says it was the best shot he has ever seen anyone 'else' make:).

I love Mom!!

We are heading out to Chase's parents for Christmas and I am so excited but was feeling a little sad that I am not going to get to see my mom for Christmas so I decided to squeeze in a quick trip at the beginning of December. We had so much fun (as we normally do no matter if we work, play, shop or just be lazy and visit)! As you can tell the kids had a superb tea party with Grammy - I was laughing so hard because they were both being so proper. The hats transformed them! They enjoyed cranberry cider, marshmallows and chips in the sunshine of Grammy's living room and LOVED every minute of it! Mom helped with the kids so I could get most of the Christmas card done and a painting for my porch (I got the idea from a baby card). I had picked out a painting that I wanted to do with my mom for the dinning room and so the night before we left, after the kids were finally in bed we crammed this masterpiece in (we were up half the night, but it was totally worth it). I LOVE IT!! It couldn't have turned out better (it is not quite done but I only have a little fixing on the tree and hills and some more dark blue to put in before it goes on the wall)! The best part was sitting beside my mom and painting it together. Reaching accross each other to assign colors and laugh and laugh and laugh. I am so proud of her talents and love that we created it together. I love my Mom!

The Christmas Letter

This year we once again decided to forgo getting a photographer (can't wait until we are no longer students and can afford luxuries like family pics from a pro)plus because I am slowly learning how to use our new camera and Photoshop, I wanted to give it a try.

This year has been a busy year once again, they seem to be flying by quicker every year. Jan. started out with our new business really picking up (http://www.trailnsecuritycameras.ca/). It went really good, keeping both of us busy until half way through the summer when we started having trouble getting stock in from the manufacturer. This has hurt the business and been frustrating because we can see the potential if we could get stock. We have now been able to get cameras in to fill back orders but will likely sell out again well before Christmas. Hopefully the launch of a new camera this month (made by a different manufacturer) will bring new business in the new year. I was happy to be back in Saskatchewan for the winter - what is the use of it being cold if there is no snow? But let me tell you did I get snow! I think it all landed on my front step which helped me get outside each day as my snow drifts were six feet tall on each side of the walkway by the end of the winter. It was sure fun to have huge drifts right in the yard to play in though!

Chase was busy studying hard until May but as we neared spring I could see the light and started training for triathlon. It was a great season and I was able to do 4 triathlons (my first Olympic distance) and a 1/2 marathon in the fall! I absolutely love it and am so grateful that Chase is so supportive of my training and races. Many days he pulled me off my tush and said 'just go for 15min and then if you want to turn around, then do' and I would always get in a good workout. This is my sixth year and I am definitely hooked for life! I am hoping to be able to do a 1/2 ironman next year, so we will see what happens in life. I was even able to get my level 1 Triathlon Officials Certificate this fall. I also received a new calling as first counsellor in our primary presidency this summer and am having so much fun with the kids in our ward!

Spring brought not only new training but new life into our house. Chase decided it would be a good idea to have chickens this year and you know Chase, 77 new chicks later I am out in the yard helping to build a new house for our yellow fuzzy friends. Kiah loved them and Cayden was hooked from day 1. As soon as he learned how to walk, the second I opened the door, he was on the move straight to their pen. He still loves them and can always be found playing outside with the chickens. He has grown so much this year, turning 1 in May, learning how to walk, getting the rest of his teeth and becoming very proficient at clearly saying what he wants. He is also the best climber I have ever seen and amazes me at where he can get up on top of. He is such a mischievous little boy, and is always in trouble - good thing he is so cute and we love his jolly demeanour!

Kiah is growing up into a little young lady. She is practicing her shapes, colors, letters and numbers and loves when she gets them right. She has become quite the little helper with everything I am doing and lately has started cleaning up on her own. This usually follows a comment with her hands on her hips like 'Mom the house is a DISASTER, I'll help you clean it up'. I have never seen anyone bursting with pride like she did after cleaning ALL the toys all by her self! She is so happy that she is so big that she can reach the light switches :). She turned three in August and is so excited to be in Sunbeams after Christmas (I think it is mostly because she saw the giant bag of treats that I had for the primary kids)!

Chase is mostly busy with his studies. He worked for a couple of the professors at the University this summer doing disease investigations. We are now all continually reminded of different ways we can get different diseases and parasites and are now very good hand washers:)! He is convinced that his parents have Taenia solium (tape worm) cysticercosis abscesses in the brain from going to Peru where 40% of the population has it and will subsequently infect all of us:)! He still managed to find time to get out hunting this fall and got a deer nearly in our back yard to fill our freezer. He started his second year of Vet College in the fall and I haven't really seen him much since. I hear second year is supposed to be the worst though so maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel. Chase and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this November and were able to go out to a nice dinner together. We are also going to try to squeeze an extra couple of days into a business trip to Vegas in January and spend some time together too. Yay - I am so excited!

We did have fun this year amongst all the work. We got away on several camping trips and road trips to see family and friends and hosted many visitors here. Summer also brought 2 new additions to the household - Chase's younger sister Saralynn moved in with us and brought her cat 'Willis' - it's so much fun to have 'Aunty' around! Thank you to everyone who came to visit us, we love having you and a special thank you to all those who helped us chip away at the never ending work of renovating our house and getting our yard in shape. We love you and hope to see you again soon. Love The Wendorff's - Chase, Naomi, Kiah and Cayden

Aunties Rock!!

Chase's sister Saralynn has been living with us for the past few months and the other day we were all at home not feeling so well and she decided it would be fun to build a fort. We love forts at our house and usually use a large portion of furniture and blankets to make them.

Turned around and got stuck at the beginning:)

This fort especially rocked because it was a giant long tunnel and the kids went through it over and over and over again! SO MUCH FUN! She kept adding on more and more so eventually the tunnel went all around the room almost back to the start.

At the beginning they had to crawl through the big book shelf and then under a table, then through the long blue tunnel, then under severl chairs, a couple of benches and then they eventually made it out if they snuck under the blanket at the end. We love Auntie Saralynn!

New traditions

Chase wanted to start a new tradition this year for conference. Spend the weekend with the family watching conference and "eat until we are sick". So he made his request list for all the appetizers he wanted and I headed off to the store. I don't normally ever buy prepared food (can't afford it - and usually don't really like it), but he insisted because he didn't want me to have to work in the kitchen all day but he wanted to eat appetizers all day. Saturday Chase and Saralynn had to go to Alberta and do some ultrasound work and so I watched by myself He got up early and cooked a smokin' breakfast for us - bacon, eggs, sausage, and waffles with whipped cream and homemade chokecherry syrup. Yum!!

Then we watched the morning session - which was awesome!! Let me just testify here for a minute of the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I had been praying for some help and guidance on some things that have been bothering me and was hoping for some guidance through conference. Never have I been touched by conference as I was through this one. It seemed as though EVERY single talk, prayer and even song was answering my prayers and giving me the guidance that I had asked for. I felt the spirit so strongly and had my prayers truly answered. I know that heavlenly father answers our prayers, that he knows us and loves each of us personally and that his true church is on the earth today. I am so happy to be a member and feel truly blessed.

After the first session of conference we got all the appetizers ready. What a smorg!! Veggies and dip, fruit and dip, a bread bowl with spinach dip, crackers and meat and cheese, toquitos, bagel bites, chicken wings, dry ribs, some kind of salmon pastry, jalepeno poppers AND home made cream puffs (that was the one thing I did make). We were still full even at bedtime!

It was a fun tradition to start but I think next spring I will have to premake some more homemade things as they seem so much yummier! It was a great weekend and it was so fun spending time with our family! Great idea Chase!

more birthday party pics

Kiah the fairy princess and her besty Charlotte

Pure Delight!

Belated Birthday

We finally had Kiah's birthday party last week. It was a blast. She has been asking about it since her birthday and there was finally some time to squeeze it in. She invited several friends and since we live a 'short drive :)' out of the city, we loved having their siblings and moms as well. I wanted to carry on the traditions that my mom did for me at my birthday partys and so included some old fashioned games like hot potato, had a fun cake, ran around outside doing a treasure hunt and had treat bags from the 'fish pond'. It was a lot of fun. I had this idea for a 'tea party' before she was even born and it didn't turn out exactly how I had envisioned it but we did have real tea cups with 'tea', made fun hats to wear to the 'tea party', had finger food and a cake in the shape of a teapot with teacups on the side. When I asked Kiah what her favoutite part was she said definately having friends come to her house - and she loved all the awesome presents she got!

The invites

Kiah and the cake: