Merry Christmas Card

We're so happy to have so many wonderful friends and family; we hope this Christmas card finds you and your family well.

We had a wonderful addition to our family this year on April 9, Ezra James Torrie. He has really brought so much happiness into our home and and we have had lots of fun watching all his firsts. He has 6 chompers, which are really sharp, loves to laugh with his sister, and he just lights up when he sees us. He is a happy, handsome, curious but shy little guy. We love his dimples, his blue eyes and his spikey hair. He just fits in so well to our family.

Our Kali is 9 and in grade 4 at Crestwood School and she has the best teacher: Mrs. Pavelich! Kali has been pretty busy this year with Hip Hop dance, Activity days at church, and piano lessons. She loves her brother and loves to make him laugh, those two have so much fun together. She spent lots of the summer with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Taber where she was able to live the farm life and spent sometime at the lake, she worked hard and played hard. Kali continues to be such a great example to us, she knows how to treat people and is such a peace maker.

Spencer enjoys his job in mechanical building systems engineering and and is saving the world one building at a time. He has liked biking and riding his scooter to work, he basically just loves doing anything outside but especially loves honing his bushcraft/survival skills and hoarding camping gear (much to his wife's dismay). He received a couple awesome Scouting awards this year and is a little sad that he's not an active Scout leader anymore. He's working as the Elders Quorum secretary at church which keeps him busy enough. Spencer is really enjoying being with the kids too. It has been such a great experience to have a big kid and a little kid and learning as a parent as they develop and grow.

Jenn loves having a baby in the house, she's enjoying every phase of him; she especially loves being his favorite person. She is working as a counselor in the Young Women's program at church and loves getting to know and having fun with the girls and other leaders.

We hope you enjoy your Christmas season and that your love of Christ will radiate all year.

With Love,

Spencer, Jenn, Kali & Ezra Torrie

Our Renovations are finally done!!!

We have finished our renovations as of today.

It feels good.  I'm sure we could find more to do, but I'm finished!  Our house in on MLS and we have had one showing so far and there's a realtor showing tomorrow.  I have mixed feelings about moving.  I am excited to be in a bigger house, but it needs some work too.  I am sad to move out of our ward, I love my calling with the Young Women and I've made some great friends.  I know it doesn't matter where you go to church and I'll be fine, it's just hard to change.

Here are a couple pictures of our house.

She likes it!

Kali has started to play football in school and she likes it.  

YESS! 

We have a little stuffed Eskimos football and we have been playing catch in the living room.

SWEET!

She can throw a spiral and can catch the ball too. 

This is GREAT!

I wonder if she'll like more sports this year?

(She's never really been that into it)

She has a gym teacher who is a Mr.

She finally is learning skills instead of just fooling around.

To be honest, the only reason I went to school is for Phys. Ed.

and Recess

Ezra's 5 months old and my short summer catch up.

Ezra is 5 months old today. Its crazy that he's that old already, but it I suppose it feels like we've had him in our family for a long time too. We all just just love him to bits.  We fight over him like the last piece of bacon. We all love to play with him and make him laugh.  Kali loves being a big sister, I think she makes him laugh the most.

Here is a video of dancing Ezra!  Thanks Diane Gibb for the Jumparoo!  He loves it.

Here is a picture of Ezra helping me with dishes.

Ezra at the lake.

This picture is freaky, but for future memory sake I'll post this one.  Kali heard her back pop while she flipped upside down and backwards on a tube ride while still holding on, but maybe it popped when another huge wave flipped her back and brought her back in normal sitting position.  Either way she was lucky to be with Uncle Ryan a doctor who rushed her to the hospital on a back board and had her X-rayed.  

All was well.

These pictures are from the night before Mom and Dad Torrie left for their 2nd mission.  They are so awesome!  We miss them so much.  Here are a few of the grandchildren who live close.

This one is Grandpa and Ez.  They were both asleep just prior to this picture.

Life has been pretty great lately.  Spence and I had our 10 year anniversary go by, we spent it at a wedding reception eating all my favorite things: cotton candy, hotdogs, corndogs, popcorn, slushes, and mini donuts. 

10 years down forever to go.

Since our stake split up all the Medicine Hat wards and created our new ward, I have been the RS secretary. It's been a few months and I have really enjoyed the ladies I work with, we have lots of fun.  But yesterday at church I was sustained in a new calling, YW 1st counselor.  I am really excited to work with the YW, but nervous since I know nothing about the program... at all. The girls are awesome, the president is awesome, I actually knew her when I lived in Edmonton, Alison Crawford (Peterson), and the 2nd counselor is cool too.  It'll be awesome.  

Lastly, we are outgrowing our little home.  We have some projects to do and Spence wants to list it in the next couple weeks.  I have mixed feelings.

I am liking our new ward.

I never thought I really would... I feel bad that I ever thought that.

We actually have another house already lined up, but it's in another ward, where a lot of our friends are. 

The house is owned by an 88 year old lady in an old folks home (probably not the politically correct way to say that), and she was a hoarder.  Her power of attorney is our neighbor and we offered to clean it out for a good price.  Its a 5 bedroom bungalow with 1250 sqft and it has lots of potential, it will pretty much be like a mansion to us. We've been working on cleaning it out this summer and still have a lot to do.  I would like to bring in a dumpster, but Spence wants to look at all the crap treasures to see if he could use any of it. But I can't elaborate on that topic anymore.

We are excited about our new adventures.  We are excited to be a family who has 2 kids. Life is happening and I'm just trying to keep up :)

July Pictures

We've been having a relaxing summer for the most part.

Kali put her googles on Ez, he didn't even mind.

Hillary, Ally and Kali at her birthday, these girls had so much fun together!

Kali and I played don't eat Pete, she kicked my butt.
I used to be so good at this game when I'd play with her, she only ever picked the prety girls.
She was so easy to read... not so easy anymore.

For Mom and Dad Torrie

We went to the farm last Monday, it was wierd to be there without Mom and Dad.  Spencer took a few pictures that I think they will appreciate to see while out on their mission. They are serving in SLC at the Family History centre.  We miss you Mom and Dad!

The pictures were all taken with my iPhone.

 This is the view from the dining room door.  The apple tree looks so green and lonely.

 The same shot but a little earlier, it must be like 5AM.

 This looks out the same door, but points straight North towards the river.

 This must be super early in the morning, before I was up that's for sure.  It's the sunrise over the fenced garden.

The sunrise over the garden.

Ezra's Baby blessing

Ezra was blessed today.

We cheated and had our family join in our our ward potluck instead of having our own family dinner.  It was great, virtually no stress for me which is what I'm all about.  I get a little stressed when I have to plan things, often I just wait for the last minute and hope everything works out.  

After the dinner, we took some pictures.

I actually really LOVE this picture of us.

We are, we are ham and cheese.

(Ice Age 4 quote)

Kali wanted to wear her baptism dress to be matchy matchy with Ez.

This is one for the history books.  Ezra with his two cousin closest in age.  Spencer, who is 18 months older and Averlee, who is 9 months older.  We're hoping they'll be best friends someday.

Spencer is at such a fun age, I just LOVE him, he loves baby Ezra and Kali and he calls me Momma.

Just before this picture Spencer was protecting Ezra from Averlee and making sure everyones soother was in place.

Some of the Torries came for Ezra's blessing. I think they doubled our primary, Sunday school and R.S.  It was so nice to have the support, family is so great.

Gotta have one silly one.

I'm throwing this one in for fun.  Kali was letting Ezra listen to some Disney music, I think he may have liked it.  

Just the night before, Kali was listening to her iPod before bed and came out crying.  She was listening to "You'll be in my Heart" from Tarzan and it made her really emotional.  So cute. She wanted Ezra to hear it too I suppose.

He sure is a cute baby, isn't he?  I am extremely biased.