Summertime!

Is everyone enjoying their sunny
Summer days?

I sure am!!
And with all of the pretty dresses
everyone bought me,
I'm frilly and girly every day!!

(And, I think I look a LOT like
my mommy!!)

Local Celebrities!

The Deters Family
on Breakfast Television....

http://site.btcalgary.ca/video/?bcpid=5173168001&bclid=5184558001&bctid=24420634001

just in case you missed it!!

Can you believe that we actually get the camera?@#!
I'm SO EXCITED!!
There will be lots more video footage on our Blog
from now on!

10 on Tuesday

1. It's official....I am BLINK Makeup Artistry Ltd.!!! My sister, who is a lawyer in Saskatoon, helped me put through all of the paperwork I needed to have my very own company. I'm so excited, and now need to really promote myself so that it's worthwhile. It would be so great if I could do makeup for a living and still stay home with my kids. So, for any of you who know anyone who needs the services of a makeup artist....please think of me.....I have 4 weddings booked this Summer already!!

2. Olivia sustained her first non-brother related injury. At only 3 months old, she is already mobile. When she's on her back, she skooches herself backwards across the floor. The other day, she went so far off her play mat that she ran into the stereo stand....ouch! She had a lovely little mark on the back of her head, and although there were lots of tears, there was no permanent damage. The other funny thing about her sliding along the floor, she has a bald spot from her hair rubbing off!

3. Hayden is registered for pre-school in the Fall!! I'm not sure who is more excited, him or me!

4. The yard work continues.....and we have so much left to do. We're hoping we can get it all done so that we can still enjoy a little bit of Summer. The fence looks awesome, and the gate and sod come next. It will be so nice for Hayden to have somewhere to play!

5. Has anyone seen the infomercial for the "bump-it" hair do-dad or the miracle bra strap thingy? Is it sad that my first reaction was "those are pretty cool!" And for 2 easy payments of $19.95, I could own them both!!

6. My Epicure party is tomorrow night and I'm SO excited!! They have such great products and they have a lot of new stuff that I'm looking forward to sampling. If anyone needs any replenishment, let me know and I'll order it for you. And if you don't know Epicure, heaven forbid, you are missing out!!

7. I LOVE BBQ. Ralph's colleague had us over on Saturday night so our families could meet, and we had the most delicious dinner. I ate WAY too much. I even had a glass of wine. The overindulgence was well worth it.

8. The carpet is being replaced in my ENTIRE house on Thursday. It's all fine and dandy that we will have brand new carpet, but it is a huge inconvenience to a household with 2 kids and a routine. The only things we need to move are the electronics, computer, and any breakables.....that's an awful lot of work. But, better that than have faulty carpet, I guess. Oma offered to take Hayden for the day and I gratefully accepted!

9. Olivia had a horrible night last night. She was up at 2, 5, 5:45 and 7:30. Grrrrrrr. Is this a lesson in things getting worse before they get better? She has slept through the night 3 times now....what happened?@#! A would love to have some more of the 11pm to 6am please. I'm scared to do the "cry it out" scenerio 'cause it SUCKS. I don't think I'm there yet....I hope last night was just a tiny hiccup in our night routine.

10. Watch BT tomorrow morning.....the segment with Mike the gadget guy......the Deters' are on TV again!! We got to play with the Flip video camera for the afternoon and offer our feedback. It is certainly on my wish list! I made a joke that we should really get to keep it for helping CityTV out..... I'm not holding my breath.

The Evolution of an Anniversary

It's amazing how things can change in 5 years.
Ralph & I celebrated our
5th Anniversary on the 22nd.....
at Boston Pizza!!

Don't get me wrong,
we had a very nice evening.
(And, we did have a lovely night out
for our un-official anniversary last week.)

And what could be better than celebrating our 5 years together
with the beautiful children
we created?!

I can't think of a thing.

Even Olivia had a great time......

On a related topic.....the traditional 5th anniversary gift
is wood. The modern gift is silverware.

I ate my pizza with a knife and fork.
But I didn't get any wood.....
hee hee.

Traumatic Tuesday

Hayden was bit in the face by a dog that we were babysitting!!

I have no idea what happened, but
Hayden is lucky he didn't end up with worse injuries.
One minute he was giving the dog a toy, the next minute there
was growling and screaming.
Hayden knows how to behave with dogs.....
what the hell happened?#@$!

He has a single guy for an owner.
He was a rescue pet so the owner doesn't
know anything about the dog's first 1 1/2 years of life.

The photos don't do it justice.
He had a bloody, fat nose. A swollen eye.
Blood everywhere.
I FREAKED OUT!!!

Needless to say, the dog went to a kennel that afternoon.
He got off lucky.

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

His wounds looks better every day, though his eye is now
a lovely yellowey-purpley color.

Poor little guy.
He hates his antibiotics and whines, "mommy, it tastes gross"
every time I have to administer them (3 times a day.)
Last night he cried "what's happening to me?" because the
medicine gives him diarrhea.
To top it off, the topical cream stings his face.

Stupid dog.
I forgot to mention the dog peed on the carpet
outside Hayden's room, Olivia's room,
and in the living room by Hayden's chair.
And left us a "present" in Hayden's playroom.
He's lucky he's alive.

A visit from Grandma & Grandpa!

The kids loved having Grandma & Grandpa around.....

they got lots of extra snuggles!

Olivia had some serious chats with Grandpa....

.....and one-on-one girl time with Grandma!

Ralph and I even scored a date night!!
We went out for an early anniversary dinner
(at the always delicious Broken Plate)
and then to a movie.
We were home by 10pm but it was SO NICE
to have some quiet time together.


Mom and I took Hayden for his first
Beaners experience.
Our stylist was awesome and Hayden
looked like a very cool little dude!
He chose the red hair gel....

We had a busy weekend and I'm grateful the
weather cooperated!
Dad and Ralph worked on the fence, we made a trip to the zoo,
and the boys played a round of golf!

No matter how long they stay.....it always goes too fast.

A Day Out With Thomas!

We spent the day at Heritage Park
with Thomas the Tank Engine!

Hayden stopped dead in his tracks every time
he heard the train whistle.
When he saw Thomas come around the track he
waved like crazy and shouted
"There's Thomas!"

A photo op with Sir Topham Hatt......
high fives and knuckles all around!
(This was far different from the "Dora & Diego episode"
from last years Stampede!!)
He wouldn't leave until he gave Topham Hatt
a huge hug.
It was so cute!!

Speaking of cute.....
Mommy with her favorite Thomas fan!

Say "cheese!"
I ordered Hayden his hat and whistle
when I bought our event tickets.
Surprisingly, he wore the hat all day!
(he even tried to wear it to bed last night!!)

I hope he remembers this day....
he had so much fun!

Daddy and the babies on our train ride
around the park.

Hayden is always stealing smooches!
Olivia loves her big brother,
but isn't always impressed by his
constant affection.

Happy Mothers Day!
We had a great day in the sunshine....
I'm such a lucky mom!!

Hayden's Photo(s) of the Week!

How can I choose just one?

Hayden's photos crack me up and I LOVE all of them!

I narrowed it down to 5....

I had NO IDEA what some of his photos were.
Just mystery parts and blurs.
This time, I chose the ones with subjects in them.
Next time, I'll run a
"guess what this is" contest!

5 on Friday!

1. I don't want to be boring or unoriginal but seriously.....WHEN IS SPRING GOING TO BE HERE!@#?

2. Cute little hats that come with cute little outfits don't fit babies who have heads in the 97th percentile!

3. On that note, Olivia had her shots on Tuesday. Poor little thing screamed her face off. (I don't blame her. The nurse asked me if I wanted my tetanus shot and I quickly responded "NO!") Who likes needles!? Miss Olivia is in the 97th percentile all around...head size, height and weight (of course!) She's weighing in at 15 pounds and is now 60cm long!! I figured she had a growth spurt because she has grown out the end of her footie sleepers....YEP....she's grown 4cm in two months!! She was pretty sleepy from the trauma......


4. Hayden loves to "pee like Daddy." Consequently, I clean the toilet and the floors OFTEN!! I don't want to stifle his independence....or his manhood.

5. I am going to be the recycling nazi! We just got our blue bins and I am SO EXCITED!! I'm just a wee bit sick, aren't I?! I love all of the new things that I can recycle that I couldn't before..... shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, tin foil, saran wrap, bread bags, plastic grocery bags and ziploc bags....I'm getting all giddy!! Oh, the simple things....

grab a tissue.....

About 10 minutes ago, as we were playing on the floor in the living room.......

Hayden: Mommy, do you love me?

Me: Of course I love you! Always. Even when I am mad at you, I love you. No matter what, I love you.

Hayden: I love you too mommy.

Me: (......pile of mush.....tears welling in my eyes.....) Why would you ask me that?

Hayden: (No answer.)

I have no idea where that came from. I only hope he understands me, and absolutely believes me when I say that I love him forever and ever and always. No matter what.

Thoughts for Thursday!

1. Hayden dressed himself this morning. It's his new big boy thing...."I wanna do it myself!" His Huskie Athletics sweatshirt and a pair of shorts were the items of choice. Good grief. The only thing that would have made that outfit complete were his new McQueen rubber boots.

2. The other day, Hayden was "breastfeeding" his doll. Very matter-of-fact-ly. At least he burped her when he was finished.

3. I need the 'last ten pounds boot camp.' And I've figured out why I'm not losing weight.....I have a ravenous appetite when I'm breastfeeding! And salad doesn't cut it. Nope. I want the BAD stuff. And when I am up for the 5 o'clock feeding, it takes all my strength not to raid the fridge!! I couldn't get to sleep last night because my tummy was growling. Brutal.

4. I am a new lover of Kijiji and Used Calgary. I sold my cake pans and our SUV in only 3 days!! I find myself searching the house for other things to get rid of.....

5. I think I may have jinxed the city of Calgary by putting away all of our Winter coats yesterday. Sorry!

6. I NEED a pedicure! My feet are far from sandal ready. And when this snow melts, I need to be ready for Spring. I don't want to be tromping around in my UGG's when it's 18 degrees!! Although.....that would also conquer the haven't-shaved-my-legs-in-awhile issue.

7. Does anyone know of a good preschool that is accepting late registration?? I have dropped the ball on getting Hayden enrolled and I feel like a total schmuck. My procrastiantion shouldn't affect my child. In my defense, I was having a baby in February and I was distracted.....but that's no excuse!! I feel really bad and I am on the waiting list for a few places. Though it scares me, I think he need it. And who am I kidding....so do I.

8. My TO-DO list keeps getting longer.....and there has been very little progress on crossing things off. I think I should just stop making lists....I get too discouraged.

Hayden's Photo of the Week

Mommy & Daddy got Hayden a

Little Tikes camera for his Birthday.

Auntie Keri made the brilliant suggestion to have
a photo of the week.

Here is Week #1:

I think it is going to be a BLAST
to see the world from
his point of view.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Little Man!

My baby is 3 years old already?!
How did that happen??

We had a great day with lots of munchkins
running around to help Hayden celebrate.
The weather even cooperated and it was nice enough
for the kids enjoy their lunch
on the deck.

The Thomas birthday cake,
that Hayden had requested months ago,
turned out pretty well....thanks to
Daddy's art skills!

Hayden tried REALLY HARD to blow out

the sparkler candle!

I'm pretty sure Hayden thought first bite....

.....was worth the wait!
He dove right in to Thomas' face!!
Manners went right out the
window for this Birthday Conductor!

Mommy even got a sweet smooch....
complete with black icing!

No birthday cake for this party girl!
Olivia was more than happy
to watch all of the crazy commotion
from the comfort of Oma's lap.

Thank you to all of Hayden's family
and little buddies
for making his 3rd birthday
such a fun one!!

Together Again

These pictures are very representative
of how things are in hour house
these days....

There is no doubt in my mind that
Hayden loves his baby sister.
And she loves him like crazy.
She lights up when she hears his voice.
And she is VERY tolerant....

....of his poking and smooching and
hugging and squeezing!

This picture reminds me of the old photos
of my little sister and I.
My goofy face is in almost ALL of Kelly's
baby pictures.

It also reminds me that my little
boy is growing up so fast....
and Miss Olivia isn't as much of a baby either!

Aaaahhh....my beautiful babies.

Thoughts for Thursday....that I started on Tuesday!

1. How on earth is it April 8th already?! Hayden turns 3 in just 10 days......whoa.

2. Olivia had her (almost) 6 week check up on Monday. My "little" girl weighed in at 13 lbs 5 oz!
I rally do produce whipping cream! She grew 1 whole cm and is now 57 cm long. I thought she had grown more....though the "put her head on the line and we'll stretch her out" measuring method is not extremely accurate. I just know she's growing out through the toes of her 0-3 month sleepers. The Dr.'s only "concern" was that she has a belly button hernia. Never heard of it.....but freaking out 'cause my baby girl has a hernia?! I guess it's common, nothing to worry about, the end.

3. I think Olivia is already tired of having the camera constantly in her face!! Better get used to it honey.....I just spent a TON of cash at Michael's on nearly every cutesy pink scrapbooking item I could get my hands on!!


4. Hayden is a chatterbox. He is NEVER quiet. This is exhausting.....but also hilarious. Some of the things that come out of his mouth are priceless. He makes people laugh wherever we go because of the things that he says.....and the best things are usually right on cue.....like when he names who has a penis and who has a 'gina. You just have to laugh. I think his vocabulary and full sentences grow every day.

5. Has anyone else tried to handprint/footprint their babies?? Good grief. I think I had more bright pink ink on me than on Olivia!! The feet were pretty easy.....but try and unclench a baby's fist....forget about it.

6. Last night was Olivia's first night in HER room. I was a bit anxious because she looks so small in that big crib, but she has been sleeping one good 4-5 1/2 hour stretch so I figured it was time. And, she slept a lot during the day (maybe another growth spurt?) so I wasn't sure how the night would go. I heard her make every little noise through the monitor, but she did great! She was in bed at 10:45 and slept until 3:45. Then she was up again at 6:15. I can live with that!

7. I desperately need a hair cut. I need to be that hot new mama.....not the girl with the split ends because her hair is in a ponytail every single day of her life. I don't want to be cute anymore either. I am the 34 year old mother of two. I'm passed cute.

8. I feel like I say "no" about 87 times a day. I've read somewhere that you shouldn't.....but it's such a short and easy way to get your point across. Poor Hayden. I even get sick of hearing my own voice lately. Supermom, I am not. Help. I think I need to lock myself in a room and read my new book...."Honey, I Wrecked The Kids."

9. I NEED to go shower. It may be TMI, but it's been days....many days. Why can't I make the time?