I'm ONE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to our sweet little cupcake!!

XOXO

10 on Tuesday!

1.. Happy Birthday to me.....really?? 35?@#! Oh gawd. Is it too early in the day for wine?? There will be Baileys in my coffee at the very least :)

2.. I figure I should get a boob job while I'm in for my tummy tuck. How do you politely ask for donations to your "plastic surgery fund" for your birthday??

Let's be serious. I'm afraid of pain and I'm not 100% sure I could go through with it. But I like to think that if I exhausted all other options, and I have a spare 3o grand (HA HA!!) I may go under the knife. This also begs the question, where would I stop?? Would lipo and botox be next?? I wonder that if you start.....would you ever be finished??

3.. Because my children always need to be different.....Olivia's teeth are coming in an unusual order. She has had her bottom two front teeth for a month but nothing else has made an appearance. Until this weekend. She's skipping her top two front teeth and moving right along to the lateral incisors (aren't you impressed by my dental terminology?!) And she's getting both lateral incisors and a canine ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Good times.

4.. Mom & Dad arrive tomorrow and Kelly & Jeret arrive Wednesday evening for a visit/Olivia's 1st birthday. Mom & Dad will get the kids swim for their last lesson on Saturday which is pretty cool. I always look forward to doing every day type things with them 'cause I know that's what they miss the most. Kelly and I have a sisterly day of fun planned for Friday so I'm really looking forward to that too. Shopping, shopping, shopping!

5.. Ralph is leaving on Sunday the 28th to Toronto. For a whole WEEK. Again. 2 children and a dog with NO BREAKS. Aarrgghhhhhh!! I know it's only 5 full days but still......

6.. My first BLINK Beauty Basics makeup session was a HUGE success! Special thanks to erin for hatching the plan to surprise me with a party of fabulous girls I know for my "first time!" I was really nervous at the beginning but you girls made it fun and easy to start this new venture!

7.. I have, once again, lost all hope in humanity. On Family Day, we went skating at the Tuscany Club. We didn't know until the next day, but we left without Haydens brand new ski pants. And when I went back to the Lost and Found bin.....are you surprised to hear there were NO SKI PANTS turned in?@#! I know that it is our fault for leaving them behind, but aren't any other people on the planet taught that if it doesn't belong to you, don't take it?? Would a parent not question why their kid came home with new ski pants? Or, perhaps it is some moral-less parent who helped themselves to something that didn't belong to them. I could have helped myself to some new boots of mitts as I was digging through the bin out of spite......but I KNOW BETTER. How frustrating.

8..Olivia is facing forward in her car seat! I decided that I would rather risk the serious spinal injuries, instead of two broken legs from facing backwards, so that she is more comfortable. And she LOVES the new view.....

9.. I went out to wash the windows yesterday and Hayden came out to "help?!" He found the one mud puddle in the backyard....

10. The crazy glue has finally come off of Olivia's head! Truth be told, I have been picking at it for days and pulled the last of the bandage off last night :) I was a bit surprised that she is still left with quite a mark. I guarantee I'll be putting all sorts of lotions and potions on it daily to ensure it's not a permanent mark.

10 on Tuesday!

1.. My sister called yesterday to tell me that David Gray is coming to Calgary in May!! Guess who'll be on line ordering tickets first thing tomorrow morning....ME!!

2.. Method Laundry Detergent. My NEW favorite thing from the fabulous Method people.

It has the most brilliant pump so there is no drippy mess...which is a huge pet peeve of mine with liquid Tide and the like. It cleans really well, isn't perfumey and is purely AWESOME :)

3.. My Rube en Rutje project for the kids is complete! These little cuties (Rube is in Hayden's room also) make the wall in the kids bathroom much more fun!


4.. Olivia hates socks as much as her mommy.....



5.. Hayden got 2 new pairs of sneakers this weekend. We were in the car on the way home and I started singing "who's that kid that's rockin' kicks....." and Hayden finished "he's gotta be from out of town!" They really DO hear EVERYTHING!! Even if it's just Miley Cyrus on the radio :)

6.. When I was at the doctor on Friday (possible TMI alert in #7) I was reading Blush Mom magazine and I came across an interesting article I could totally relate to. It was about guilt, and how it really is mommyversal. The feeling that there are no simple decisions, that every choice we make could somehow be monumental and have the potential to screw up our children, our relationships, our finances, or ourselves. And, when we second-guess every choice we make, guilt is an inevitable consequence. I know I feel like this on an almost daily basis.

7.. I stopped nursing Olivia last Saturday and I have been in tons of pain.....which I never had when I weaned Hayden.....so I went to get the "girls" checked out. After waiting for an hour and a half, I finally saw my doctor. Know what happened after she asked me to lift my shirt?? Her exact words were; "ohhhh, you should get a tummy tuck." WTF?@#! As if I am not self conscious enough already!! She totally overlooked my swollen and deformed boobs because apparently, I am in desperate need of a TUMMY TUCK?@#! To which I, half laughing with shock, replied "are you going to pay for it?" Can you believe that?! I NEVER go to the doctor unless I have to....and I chose to wait for an hour and a half just to be told I need a tummy tuck and cabbage for my bra?! A prescription for produce?! She won't give me drugs to stop milk production but she believes in me going under the knife for plastic surgery?! Eff me.

8.. The fun for the weekend didn't stop there, people. Rico bit Olivia. Yes, that's right.....and my stomach still flips if I think about it. To make a long story short, she crawled by him while he was eating (she wasn't going for his food, she was at least 2 feet away from him) and he lunged at her face. Blood running down her head and screaming. Instant swelling. Walk in clinic, Children's Hospital, crazy glue and bandages, bedtime 11:30p. Thank God she's a resilient little thing.



9.. Family Day was much more fun. We went for a skate at the Tuscany Club and Hayden had a great time. Olivia and I watched from the sidelines....

10. I just realized.....I have only 6 days left to be 34. That would explain all of the gray hair :)

Just Random Thughts...

I was thinking about something.

And, what prompted these random thoughts, you ask?

Maybe I have been feeling bad about my
record-keeping skills with Olivia.
Maybe my kids are growing SO fast and I'm not sure
where the time is going.

There are some really cool differences/similarities between my kids.

There is no debate about the fact I have chubby babies.
And, I swear, I'm over people talking about it.
But I will say this, at 11 months old,
Olivia is slimmer than Hayden was at the same age.

Poor Olivia.
Its looking like she'll have mommy's ears too :)

However, Olivia may only have 2 teeth

for the rest of her life.
Hayden had 4 pearly whites by this time.

Genetics are truly awesome.
Olivia has blond-ish hair with mommy's brown eyes.
Hayden has brown hair and daddy's blue eyes.
But I still wonder if Olivia's hair will go dark like Hayden's did??

They both have the scrunchie nose smile.....

....it's TOTALLY a mommy thing!

They both have a junior temper.

Olivia has been having little girly "hissy fits"
if she doesn't get her way.
I'm still trying to figure out how to diffuse Hayden
when he loses it.

Hayden was, and unfortunately still is, a thumb sucker.
Olivia won't suck her thumb. Or a soother.
She plays with her hands to fall asleep.
And in general, Olivia has been a much better sleeper.

(Thank goodness they are both

sleeping until 7am these days!)

Regardless of who has more "book-keeping,"
I will continue to observe and enjoy
these two little monkeys :)

Monster Boy and Bat Girl

We had a MAJOR find at Old Navy last night
which prompted this
little photo shoot.

a PINK, BABY GIRL, BATMAN shirt!!

Ralph was beside himself!
(and I'm amazed he showed the restraint
not to buy one in every size!!)

You really must need a fleet of photographers
to get TWO children smiling
AND looking at the camera
AT THE SAME TIME!!!

Really.....they are still adorable :)

10 on Tuesday!

1.. Hayden got into Bearspaw's Pre-K program! Starting in September, he'll be going Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 12:30-3. Woo hoo!!

2.. I really want to turn Olivia's car seat around to face front. She is, of course, well over the 20lb requirement but I've now read we're supposed to keep them rear-facing until they are TWO?! Her legs are touching the back of the seat and I'm pretty sure she would rather look forward. I'm not trying to sacrifice her safety for comfort......but seriously?! TWO?!

3.. Does anyone else have the problem of nasty banana stains on clothes?? I have never seen anything un-colored stain so badly. Olivia has two pairs of white PJ's and a new white tee that are unwearable because of bananas!! I've tried almost everything to get it out and NO LUCK.

4.. Big trip to Ikea on Saturday.....but what was supposed to be a very purposeful mission was not so much. We wanted shelves for the kids playroom......OUT OF STOCK. How 'bout the DVD holders.....OUT OF STOCK. We did get a great new desk.....Yay! And a whole lot of other little stuff like wrapping paper that I really needed?!

5.. The more I think about it, the more I think I should just wear a tankini on the beach and be done with it. I will NEVER be bikini ready for Mexico.

6.. I CANNOT go to bed with wet hair. I looked so scarily tousled this morning that I needed to wear a hat. I envy people who have easier hair to manage. These are the days I miss my ponytail.

7.. Hayden is such a smarty pants. He knows "odeen" isn't a number:



8.. Olivia doesn't sit still any more.....and why would she? She has to keep up to her big brother!!

9.. Olivia is quite the liitle spaz lately too....and she is pretty much always this happy:



10. Mom....does this remind you of anyone??

(Note: It was only after Hayden paid Grandma a visit in Saskatoon that she realized he had been pushing buttons in her fridge and was responsible for the loss of many vegetables!)

10 on Tuesday!

1.. Olivia is way too smart for the snack trap. She pops the lid off for better access and couldn't be bothered to put her little hand through the plastic trappey-bit on top. I need to find something for snacks with a non-removable lid......Rico would disagree. He enjoys cheerios.

2.. Ralphie found bean bag chairs! 2 kids sized, and a big tennis ball looking one:


I also found some great wall stickers.....at Home Sense! (They are primary colored dots in all sizes, and some that look like mirrors.) I'm going to order some pink dots for Olivia to mix in with the blue, green and yellow. I think it's going to be a pretty fun place to play.

3..What's wrong with me?? I have to be in a bikini in 39 days and I am either too lazy or too.....something......... to stop eating crap and start slathering myself in firming cream to get ready for the beach!! I have no will power. Getting in a bikini should be the best motivation there is and yet somehow even that isn't working.

4.. Our washing machine is still not working properly and I now need to raise hell with Coast Appliances. I actually took Flip video of it this morning making it's elusive and awful squeak (that it will never make when the technician is in the house for the service call.) I don't have time for this crap, I just want a new machine.

5.. Sunday was my first full day back to work. 8-4:30. It was nice to be busy at work, but I couldn't help thinking of all of the things I would rather/should be doing. Work really gets in the way of life sometimes.

6.. My website will officially be http://www.blinkmakeup.ca It is under construction as I type and I can't wait to see the finished product.

7.. I LOVE my photo collection in our bedroom and I just made it SO much better. I ordered a custom print from Kal at [i] love life, which arrived today, and I think it works perfectly! Plus,
I like the symbolism that Ralph and I are at the center/beginning of this family tree....


8.. I love getting mail. I love the anticipation that something good is coming. Birthday cards, Christmas cards, magazines, art, photos, anything from ebay.......as long as it's not bills.

9.. I registered Hayden in U4 Soccer yesterday! I can't wait to see him running up and down the field on Saturday mornings this Spring. I have been wondering how many activities are too many?? Skating.....Swimming......Soccer........Preschool.....he's gonna be a busy kid. I think it will be really good for him, but I don't want him to feel like his whole life is a schedule.

10. Preschool registration is tomorrow night. I'm hoping Hayden has better luck than Ralph or I because it's a lottery system. Cross your fingers he gets in......Bearspaw is only 2 minutes from the house and how excellent would that be?! Olivia could nap in her own bed instead of the car!