10 on Tuesday!

1. I GOT INKED! I GOT A TATTOO! I'm so hardcore. Just call me Kara Von D. I have wanted a tattoo for years, and I finally decided exactly what I wanted. I'm not going to lie, I almost chickened out. The "what the hell am I doing?" thought did cross my mind. My beautiful wedding bouquet was the inspiration.....so I went for it!

I'm breathing through the pain. I'm trying very hard to find my happy place. That is really hard when there is a tiny and very sharp needle piercing your skin! I made jokes ('cause that's what I do when I'm uncomfortable) and tried to laugh. Without moving. I was also thinking that I must be totally insane for going through with this! An hour? A whole hour under the needle for a little orchid? Omigod. Seriously? Whoever says it doesn't hurt is a LIAR! Let me tell you the truth, it hurts like hell!!

OUCH!!
**Insert many other more colorful expletives here!**
I had to remind myself to breathe. My shoulders were in my ears.
I was sweating so badly that when I got up,
there were pools of sweat at my ankles!

Olivia held mommies hand for support!

Yes, I know, I took my 5 month old daughter to a tattoo parlor, but
the boys had tickets to go and see Ice Age.
Auntie Tessa came and got a tattoo too.

I am SO HAPPY with the finished product.
It was worth the pain.
When all is said and done, I guess it wasn't that bad.
I'm proud of myself for being tough.

Today, however, it looks gross.
All peely and flaky.
And tender.
But super hot.
I love it.

2. Does anyone else sing in the car like they belong in a musical? My singing is only suitable for inside the car.....with the windows up. I have been rocking out and singing at the top of my lungs to the Mamma Mia soundtrack. Loved that movie. At least I sound better than Pearce Brosnan.

3. This heat is horrible for sleeping. We went in to check on the kids on Friday night and Hayden was sleeping on the floor! Poor little stinker was all sweaty and disoriented. Olivia was sweaty but sound asleep. We were sweaty "don't-touch-me-or-look-at-me-or-breathe-on-me" star-fish.

4. Keri and I went and saw The Ugly Truth. VERY funny. There was some "off-color" comedy, but I'm personally okay with the odd sick joke. We laughed out loud and ate popcorn.....is there a better way to spend an evening??

5. Friday night was a beautiful night to sit outside. After the kids were in bed, we grabbed a beverage and the cribbage board and relaxed on the deck. No breeze. Quiet and still. We were the only people sitting on their decks! Why sit in your stuffy and hot house?? Maybe everyone else was hiding in their basements?

6. Apparently, our kitty Gia is a mouser. While we were playing cribbage, we heard what we thought was a squeaking noise. Didn't think much of it. Until Saturday when Ralph found the victim in the grass. I guess I should be happy she didn't bring her kill into the house?!

7. I had my second official BLINK wedding on Saturday. A bride, maid of honor, 2 bridesmaids and the M.O.B. In Okotoks. I was gone from 9a-4p! Everyone looked beautiful, and everything went great until......I got stiffed by the maid of honor!! I was dumbfounded! I didn't know how to react! She knew about the $55 fee in advance so why couldn't she have her cash ready like the other girls?? What is it about money that turns a professional like me into a stuttering idiot? Even though I provided a service, I felt bad for asking for the payment?! What gives?? Long story short, I left her my address so she can send me a cheque. If I don't receive anything within a week....I will have to call the bride!! I seriously hope it doesn't come to that.

8. I know I'm a geek but I dug out my Cabbage Patch Kids for Olivia today. I have 3. I washed the bedding and blankets for their little bunk beds. I found a tote for all of their clothes. I know that she's too little, but I want her to have some girly things in the playroom too. She can't have all hand-me-downs and trucks! She gets all of the Barbies too.....when she's older.

9. The Rico Report. He loves to be comfy. His favorite places to lie all belong to Olivia.....in the bouncy chair, on the nursing pillow and on the play mat. He's a suck. His latest escapade....he helped himself to 1/2 a box of puppy sized Milk Bones! I caught him standing on the pantry shelving having a snack!!


10. "Use ups" are one of my favorite things. I get unbelievable satisfaction from using the rest of something. It can be food or a personal product. Doesn't matter. If I get to use the item up and then throw out/recycle the container.....whoa, that's big fun.

Guess what?!

I did something CRAZY today......

but you have to wait until Tuesday to find out what it is!!

12 on Tuesday!

1. Squeaky Green Dryer Cloths by Method are my new favorite thing. I LOVE all things by Method. Nothing chemical about their stuff. And it's effective. Theses little sheets smell delightful and they are like a moist baby wipe. 1 sheet does 2 loads of laundry. 40 in a pack for $5. Sweet deal. (By the by.....did you know that other dryer sheets have animal fat in them?@#! that's why they feel waxy. Gross.) This is all part of my effort to be more environmentally conscious. I use my recyclable shopping bags. I am fanatical about the blue bin. I want to get a rain barrel to save water. I figure I should do something considering how many Pampers I put in the dump each day. Baby steps, people.



2. Is there anything better than clean sheet day? (Especially when you use environmentally friendly dryer sheets.)

3. I bought Olivia her first bikini yesterday. I figure now is a good time to start her on the road to being comfortable with her body. If you're chubby and you know it.....show it off!

4. I have already started making my list for our trip to Saskatoon. Packing will commence shortly to ensure I don't miss anything. There is an awful lot of stuff we need to take with two kids and a dog. Not sure there will be any room in the car for us when I'm done.

5. Hayden has never loved water. He'll tolerate a bath. He didn't love swimming lessons and has just now begun to put his face in the water to blow bubbles. He's so much like me in that regard. He liked the Rocky Ridge water park.....that surprised me. We're still working on getting him to love his pool/sprinkler in the backyard. I think my kid is the only one on the planet who doesn't like a cool sprinkler on a hot day!!


6. Home Depot has the coolest program for kids. Every month they get to build a little project. They get a pin for their apron and a certificate each time they complete their project. Handy Hayden is available for all your household repairs. Most days he'll be rented out VERY CHEAP!


7. Is it me, or does everyone have a sound? You know.....like I know when Ralph is holding his keys or my keys because they sound totally different. My sound was off last week. I lost the charm off of my Tiffany bracelet. Boo! Daily activities without the familiar tinkle of my bracelet were just not the same. I didn't feel quite like myself. I am happy to say that Ralph found the charm and I sound more like myself this week!

8. I hate Monday's. Not because I have to go back to work.....although what I do is considered work......but because Ralph has to work. It's so much easier to parent with two people.

9. I knew the day would come. My baby isn't so much of a baby anymore. Olivia is moving so everything is changing. No more leaving her on the change table for a quick second. No more lying her on the counter while I run her bath. No more effortless diaper changes. This morning I woke up to her muffled morning noises because she had rolled over in bed. I love that she's growing and developing.....but I also love it when she's still.

10. Has anyone seen the ad for the Slap Chop by the Sham-Wow people? Check it out at https://www.slapchop.ca It's hilarious and I was tempted....

11. Heat does weird things to a kids appetite. Hayden won't eat. Olivia wants to eat more often.

12. I read an interesting perspective on ear piercing in infants. One woman said that you don't ask a little boy if he wants to be circumcised later in life, so why wait to have your little girls ears pierced? Now I really don't know what to do. I didn't circumcise Hayden, so does that mean I can't pierce Olivia's ears? Am I awful for wanting to 'maim' her lobes 'cause I think it's adorable?
Maybe it is like the age old circumcision debate.....I have to stick with the decision I make and live with it.

"Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'.......

......from back to front I'm rollin'!"

At 4 1/2 months old, Miss Olivia decided it was time to move.
She rolled over!!
(Hayden didn't roll over until he was 6 1/2 months!)

Because I still don't have my Flip camera.....
you'll have to settle for plain old pictures
of this milestone!

Olivia is very pleased with herself.
Now, every time I come into the room,
she's always on her tummy!

Ready....

.....kick out the leg...

....swing the leg over....

....success!

I like this point of view!

A celebratory lick from Rico!

Now what??

This is tough work....I need a rest!

10 on Tuesday!

I missed my 10 on Tuesday last week so I have 2 weeks worth of material on my mind......

1. What a morning......Hayden walked into my room at 8:43 this morning!! I actually rubbed my eyes in disbelief. That was the best sleep-in we have had in a LONG time!

2. Hayden loves the Imagination Movers. I am a closet case. We started watching them on Playhouse Disney and we now have 2 albums of their funniest songs on the iPod. Even I sing along.

3. My super-sized non diaper bag carry all by Matt & Nat arrived! I'm in love. I just realized that it is probably called the Aviator because some women would use it as an over-nighter. Not this girl. I'm a big bag for every day use kind of girl.



4. Hayden insists on waving good-bye to Ralph whenever he leaves in the morning. If something happens and Ralph forgets to wave......there is an epic meltdown and an urgent phone call to Daddy to turn around and try again!

5. Rico update. Chewing everything. Learning to love is kennel. Only a few accidents. Still cute as a button. Still the most high maintenance of the 3 children.

6. I NEED this bird bath. Does anyone know where you can get cool birdbaths and garden type things in Calgary? I found this one on line and I think it will cost me about $150. by the time I get it here from the USA.


7. After we saw Tessa and Scott's new house, I wanted a light sensor for the bathroom. What a brilliant idea.....I am always after Hayden to turn the light off. I explained that the magic light that turns on when we go into the bathroom, and turns off when we leave. Wow! Now I can't get him to stop turning the light on when he goes in.

8. Last week when we had our girls get together, the kids were playing and the mommies were visiting. Because my child is always the one who gets in trouble first......we turned around to find Hayden pulling everything out of Keri's purse!! I was mortified! I know it's Auntie Keri but still. I ran over and asked what he was doing. He innocently replied; "I found money!" Good God. How can you help but laugh?! Ever since he bought something with his very own piggybank money, he is obsessed with coins. Don't ever ask me if I have change. He's already gone through my bag!

9. Olivia is making all kinds of sweet little noises. Just when we thought she couldn't get any happier, she surprises us with something new! She also loves to pphhhffftttt(??) with her tongue against her lips which makes for a lot of spit on her face. Still cute. She's really into faces. She loves to get hold of noses, lips and hair! She always wants to hold my hand while she falls asleep...which I adore if its not 3am and I've just gone in to giver her the soother. She also loves to slap her knees while she's having her bum changed. She's so talented....hee hee.

10. Stampede was a Deters/Blakeney attended event this year. We were in great company as we wandered around the grounds......We had corn dogs, played games, ate mini donuts, saw the SuperDogs, ate more junk and then came home. When I got home I realized I forgot to have a deep fried Snickers bar. Just goes to show, Stampede is really about the food!!


*Bonus* 11. Ralph and I finally saw Transformers! Jen was nice enough to come and watch the kids, and we dashed out for some popcorn and a movie. It was really good. The sequel is never as good as the first.......and Megan Fox's giant lips were too distracting.

the Great Outdoors!

We took our first family camping trip to
McLean Creek on the weekend.
The weather was beautiful.
The Gales joined us on day 2 and stayed for a night.
We had a great time visiting and relaxing.
The kids slept awesome.
What more could we ask for?!

Alberta wild roses
were growing all around the campsite.
(I think Ralph deleted the pictures of my butterfly....)

I'm not a neurotic mother but
I was a bit freaked out about mosquitoes
feasting on my 4 month old baby.
Olivia wasn't impressed by
the mosquito screen meant to protect her.

I love this picture.....we are still clean!

The three men in my life.

When life gives you puddles.....
you throw rocks into them to see how big
you can splash!

Hayden couldn't give up all of the comforts of home.
He had to watch Bolt before bedtime.

Now that's a happy camper!!

My beautiful baby girl at sunset.
Look at all that hair!

Rub-a-dub-dub.....
Olivia fills up this tub!

Father teaching son the art of chopping wood.

I think Hayden felt liberated
and became quite comfortable "watering"
the forest....
no matter who might be watching!

Rico wasn't much of a guard dog.
All of the fresh air, and getting into mischief, made him pretty sleepy.
He spent most of his quiet time in the trailer!

It's a good thing no one tried to steal our beverages!

Ralph's favorite camping toy is his sling shot.
He is too much of an animal lover
to hurt anything living so he
created his own targets.
There were some annoying ATV's that would have made
nice moving targets ;)

I vowed I would hit at least ONE can before
the weekend was over.
And after about 87 tries, I did!

And, after about 387 pictures....we finally captured
some cool shots of our target practice.

Poor Cameron sustained a few injuries during
his time in the forest.....
but he's a tough little guy and kept right on going!

Nothing like some pop rocks
to go with all that dirt!
Filthy or not, they are cute as can be!!

The very cool Keith & Jennifer Gale....
our camping companions!

Hayden & Jadyn.
Partners in crime.

We can't wait to go camping again.
We're off to Moyie Lake in B.C. at the end of August
Three times as long....
and three times as dirty!?

Introducing......

RICO!!

We think Hayden did a great job naming
this little character!
We still don't know where or how
he came up with the name but
we liked it right away.
I think it suits him.

Mr. Rico came home with us on Tuesday night
and he's adjusted quite nicely
to life with the Deters!

How could he not??

We let him snuggle with us on the couch,
he has a comfy bed at night,
he had a lovely bath,
and he gets SO MUCH attention
and love.....

Having a puppy is alot like
having another baby.
He's high maintenance and it's super busy.
I bounce between all 3 "children" during the day
and it's quite the juggling act.

He loves to nibble on all of Olivia's toys.
She can't play on the floor unless I'm right there.....
'cause he also loves to nibble on her!

Rico will be a great help in encouraging Hayden
to clean up his toys.
Anything Hayden leaves out.....Rico chews on.

There's a trend happening here.

Snapshots of Summer

The first flower on my Potentilla shrub!

Wheeeeeee!

The red "stuff" they put in Hayden's hair
(at Melonhead salon)
wasn't exactly sweat proof.
After all the tunneling, climbing and sliding....
Hayden had a red stained forehead!

Grandma & Grandpa got Olivia
this cute Summer outfit.
Mommy loves it 'cause it's frilly
and oh so girly!
My sweet little sunshine.

Woo-hoo!
We have rosebuds, people!!!

My thumb is not especially green so I'm
simply amazed everything survived the Winter
(and the hungry bunnies!)
Now, my next challenge is to keep everything alive
and looking beautiful.

I have tons of spare time for that :)