Pumpkin #1

Hayden used his creativity,

fused with his love of cars (of course!)

and decorated a crafty little pumpkin.

I love his "silly Halloween smile."

Hopefully his class photo from preschool
will tone down the crazy!

Impromptu

You know when your kids are

being way too cute
and you want to capture
that oh-so perfect moment?

Sometimes it's the silly outtakes
that are the most precious moments.

I never did get
the "perfect" picture.....
but I LOVE how these turned out.
It's SO them.

She may not be graceful.....

....but she's on the move!

Olivia will get up on her knees and rock back and forth, but she's
sticking with the army crawl for now.
Gone are the days when my little girl would
be content just sitting still.
And there ain't no stopping her now!!

Olivia is especially motivated if she's crawling
towards something.





She rolls if she simply wants to get somewhere.

10 on Tuesday!

1.. Hayden and Olivia had their first ride together in a grocery cart today. Maybe I should have taken the photo at the beginning of the shopping expedition when they were both happy ;)

2.. In a related story.....Olivia's grouchiness has a lot to do with the fact she cut her first tooth this weekend. I'm not used to having her be so "high-maintenance." Poor little thing.

3.. We are in a battle royal with Hayden to chew with his mouth closed at dinner time. I think we ask him about 62 times throughout the course of our meal. This morning, while watching cartoons, he said "Look, Bugs Bunny doesn't chew with his mouth closed." Sure enough, Good 'ol Bugs was gnawing away on a carrot and pieces were flying everywhere. Thanks a lot Bugs.

4.. Hayden FINALLY sang me the song he learned at preschool. It's like pulling teeth getting any information out of him about his day!



5.. We finally made it to the Science Center and it was pretty cool. I think Hayden will get more out of his visits when he's older, but we still had fun. Where else could he build a race car, lift himself with a pulley system, fly a spaceship and build a bridge all in one day?!


6.. For those of you who don't check out the Blakeney's Blog, here are the AWESOME Halloween pictures they took of the kids:



7.. Tea time with Hayden and Olivia:



8.. You know those mixed CD's we all used to make. I took 6 of my very faves from my collection, and put them in the rental car for our trip to Saskatoon. It dawned on me the other day......I LEFT THEM IN THE CD PLAYER OF THE RENTAL CAR!!!! Crap. I am so sad.

9.. The Boy Scouts who came to our door on the weekend had impeccable timing. Ralph had plans to go to the bottle depot, but instead of making the trip, he donated all of our bottles! The poor guy could hardly carry the bag Ralph handed over.

10. I love my little Mazda 3. I didn't want to give up the "fun" car. However, I look forward to driving an SUV full time (I only drive Ralph's company vehicle part time) so that I have MORE SPACE! Kids and stroller and groceries have to be very strategically packed. When Ralph's lease is up, I'll get the practical mommy vehicle.....that I thought I didn't want but now know that I need..... and he'll get the fun car.

A Haiku for Honey Crisp

A Haiku:

Hello honey sweet

Gala are crap next to you
In stock, gone quickly


Ralph must really love me.
I phoned him with a request to stop at the grocery store.
Ground beef. Milk.
forget the cat food darling.....
HONEY CRISP apples are in stock at Sobey's
and you NEED to get me some.
please!?

He was a bit bewildered as to the
necessity of these particular apples....

but he delivered.
As always.
(P.S. he loves them too!)

10 on Tuesday....on Wednesday!

1.. Today is pajama day.

2.. Cooking my first Thanksgiving turkey on the weekend was a success! I have lots of leftovers, which I am enjoying, and I'm going to attempt to make turkey soup. What I find funny is that the turkey is such a small part of the meal......it just sits in the oven for 5 hours! Getting everything else on the table at the same time was the biggest challenge for me. It was a whirlwind of pots and pans and mashing and sauteing and whisking and making space on the table. Thank goodness my Mom was there to help!!

3.. Hayden really loved having his Grandma & Grandpa here for the weekend. As they were driving away on Monday he said to me; "I miss Grandma & Grandpa. It's a long drive to Saskatoon." When he's a little bit older, I know he'll love to go home with them for a week in the Summer. Mommy & Daddy will like that too!

4.. As I got ready for my surprise shift on Sunday morning.....gotta love being the "new" girl scheduled all weekend when I'm only supposed to work either Saturday or Sunday....I wondered if it's worth it. I make peanuts for all of this hassle.

5.. Olivia's sleep schedule is totally out of whack. I have no idea whether it's a growth spurt or teeth or a cold or what?@#! She is super restless during the night and wakes up 2-3 times! I only go in if she's crying but I feel bad to leave her. I don't go back to sleep until she's quiet, so I'm exhausted. And, she's been getting up early (6-6:30a) so getting up before her to get ready for preschool or work has been challenging. Lets hope this is only a blip....

6.. Since Hayden has started preschool, he now colors with both hands. And, he chooses more colors per picture. He's like a little Picasso and I have new artwork on my fridge every day. I started a box for all of his masterpieces so we can look back on the changes in his work.

7.. Our yard is not winterized. How can it be when it is 30 degrees one day and -15 and snowy the next! We had no time to clean up, dig out dead plants, fertilize the lawn or take in plant pots. BOOM...it's Winter. Gross. There is a rumor it is supposed to warm up. I sincerely hope so.

8..On that note.....I'm always thankful my hubby is so handy. Tuesday morning was no exception. He got up in the morning and put the Winter tires on my car before we left for preschool. What a guy.

9..Olivia rolls everywhere. Why crawl? If I used time lapse photography with her it would be hillarious. If I leave the room, and then come back, she is never where I left her. Usually she has made her way under the table or a chair or into a corner she can't get out of....


10. Olivia has learned to wave. Hello....Goodbye....Come here....Look how cute I am....she acts like she's royalty.



11. Hayden had no winter boots for our trek to preschool this morning. I felt like a neglectful mother. (I did see a few other little pairs of shoes on the shoe rack when we got to school so I felt a little less bad.) When I picked him up from school we were on a mission for boots. Apparently, so was everyone else in the city. There were slim pick'ns and I refuse to spend $60 on a pair of Winter boots he will wear for one year. We found a cool pair from Children's Place, but it is always a struggle to get him to try stuff on. I made him run around the house in them last night to make sure they are okay. I think they are a bit big, but maybe he'll wear them again next year. Isn't it funny that that's how we buy kids stuff.....with the thought that they might wear it for more than one season?! Hopefully Hayden isn't clumsy this year, on account of his over-sized boots, becasue his Mom wants to save a few bucks!

12. Olivia and I went to Starbucks and had a coffee after I dropped Hayden off at preschool. We were the only ones there, which I assume had something to do with the yucky driving conditions. The solitude was great for two reasons. First, I had a comfy chair for nursing Olivia. Second, only employees were present to witness the spectacle of my Grande, only-sipped-once, Toffee Nut Latte flying across the table and spilling all over the floor!!

Auntie Keri.....do you like my boots??

I took these photos after I had my fresh Toffee Nut Latte and Olivia was safe in a highchair!
I love our Mommy-daughter time. We're going to be expensive if we are always shopping and having coffee....

13 on Tuesday!

1.. Has anyone seen the creepy kids in the new Dairy Milk commercial? The ones with the dancing eyebrows?? Good timing for Halloween....the little girl really freaks me out!! And certainly doesn't make me want to buy chocolate.

2.. Hayden has graduated to a Booster seat and Olivia has bid adieu to the bucket! Hayden looks like such a big boy in his seat, and Olivia looks so tiny in hers. The only crappy thing? Power naps. Neither seat seems especially comfy on the neck if dozing in the car. And the transfer from the car seat to the stroller for Olivia is impossible. Just another case of, "they can't stay babies forever!"

Preschool is tough work!

Shopping with mommy while my brother
is at Preschool is pretty tough too!

3.. My first day back to work was on Saturday. I'm doing a 5 hour shift each week. It was busy so the time went quickly, and it was nice to be in the make-uppy universe again. I felt a bit like a fish out of water and it felt like I had forgotten everything over the last 7 months. I need to find my groove again. And, next week, I will NOT wear high heels in the effort to be cute.

4.. This is why I love mornings....



5.. Flash Forward is a pretty cool new show. The idea that if you were given a glimpse of the future, would you live toward it? Is the future inevitable and already laid out for us? Could you change it if you didn't like what you saw? And also.....why does it have to be on Thursday nights like everything else I love to watch??

6.. You would think that by now, someone would have developed a self cleaning toilet. My oven has the capability, so why not the tiolet? Maybe that is my missed oportunity for a million dollar idea.....

7.. Hayden and I have been going through my old Walt Disney CD's. (They are the soundtracks for Disney movies.) My sister and I used to belt out these tunes and laugh at ourselves for being so silly. Now I sing for Hayden (I even remember most of the words!) and he laughs at me for being so silly. I would bet that my sister is probably singing "Out There" or "Poor Unfortunate Souls" in her head right now....

8. Keri and Jakzen met Hayden, Olivia and I for lunch at Cora's today. Delightful. Great food, good (and a little bit crazy) company, and a great idea on Keri's part. I had never been there before, but I will visit again. The mountain of FRESH fruit that comes with your meal is impressive. And breakfast all day.....yummmmm!!

9.. Do people really understand the difference between yield and merge signs? For those people who freak out behind me at the YIELD sign coming from Stoney Trail to Crowchild.....maybe you should re-visit your driver training manual! And, there are a series of 3 big signs on Crowchild explaining how to leave a gap, mind the gap and MERGE!

10. I will be attempting to cook my very first Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixins on Sunday. Cross your fingers and pray that I don't screw up. My inlaws are all coming, and my parents are coming to town. No pressure.

11. Hayden went to see the movie "Chance with a Cloudy Meatballs" on Sunday. (He called Opa to see if he would like to go too.) Daddy, Hayden, Opa and Brody enjoyed their quality man time together, and Mommy enjoyed her quiet time with Miss Olivia. The only concern...... at times, Hayden seems more interested in the snacks provided at the movie, than the movie itself. I have a similar problem. Love going to the movies....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a ginormous size of buttery popcorn!!

12. I just got an email from the babycenter website called; "baby poop...a visual guide." Seriously?@#! As if I don't worry about EVERYTHING else already. Now I also need to worry about and/or analyze whether Olivia's poop is okay?@#! And I actually perused the photos of someone elses baby's poop! Holy crap! (Hee hee. I just couldn't help myself. )

13. No matter how hard I try, I can NEVER get to bed before 11p!! There is always "just one more thing" I need to do. Like finish this Blog post before it's 18 on Tuesday!!

Wild Thing

It was Wild Hair Day at preschool today.

Hayden decided that he wanted to paint his hair green.
Cool.

The whole way to school we talked about how
the other kids would have crazy hair too.
But, as we waited with the other children to start school,
we realized no one else had funny hair!

I totally thought I had the wrong day.

Then, a little girl arrived with about 12 ponytails
sticking out of her little head.
Whew!

Who wouldn't want to participate in Wild Hair Day?

.....a bunch of "party pooper" moms, that's who!

Bouncin'

Olivia LOVES her bouncer. She gives the springs a workout on a daily basis.
(The video is from 3 separate days....she's not in it all day long!)
She always wants to stand
so it's the perfect toy. She's getting so strong.

Olivia is also a babbling machine...I wonder who she gets that from?!
She finds new sounds and noises in her voice each day and
I think she may be trying to speak "Jakenese!"
"O" or "ooh" are the latest.

She is a happy little (?? - she just celebrated her 24th pound :))
girl who smiles ALL OF THE TIME.

13 on Tuesday!

1.. I have discovered that Olivia is no longer safe in her car seat. The weight limit is 22 lbs. for the bucket. BIG oops. We've passed that by about 4 lbs. After some research, we are off to buy Hayden a fancy Graco Turbo Booster Safe Seat Stage 3. Olivia gets the big car seat and still has to face backwards. Once again.....no nomination for mother of the year.

2.. not only have I been worried about Hayden making new friends at preschool....now I feel like I'm in school again and have to meet new mom friends?! As if I wasn't insecure enough already. Now I'm worrying if they'll like me?@#!

3.. We cleaned up our flex room/office and now we love it. We de-cluttered, added some beautiful greenery, and Ralph bought me a beautiful Orchid. It makes such a difference, and it looks much more inviting.

4.. Has anyone used the crazy hand dryer (by Dyson) in Costco?? That sucker could take the skin right off your hands! In a related story.....I know without a doubt that things aren't as firm as they once were if my hand-skin is flapping in a hand dryer!!

5.. As much as I would sometimes like Olivia to stay a baby forever......we are really enjoying purging the house as we grow out of large baby toys like swings and play mats and bouncers.

6.. Saturday marks my first day back to work. I have picked up 5 hours a week to supplement my maternity leave benefits. I figure this gets me out of the house for a few hours for adult conversation, gives Ralph time with the kids and eases me back into working part time in about 5 months.

7.. A lovely day at Edworthy Park. September the 24th.....and only a few days into Fall? A beautiful, sunny, 33 degree day. Olivia was fascinated with a shower of leaves.....

....and Hayden loved leaf crunching and throwing!

8.. Olivia loves her veggies!! I will remind her of this when she gets older and tries to tell me that she doesn't like things that are green. Or healthy.

9.. I've decided that I only like heat if you can lie on a beach. 30 degrees is too hot for daily activities. I much prefer the 15 degree weather so that I can layer my clothing. Fall means jeans and sweaters no worrying about fat bits hanging out of tank tops and shorts!

10. There are a few good things about your hubby being away. There is no need to make the bed. No need to shave your legs (except when it is 30 degrees and you are required to wear shorts!) No need to explain why you are going to bed early, or just want to read a good book. No need to make big/fancy meals. Those are all fine and dandy little things.....it's more important that my Ralphie is back home!!

11. I love Airport Arrivals. Everyone is happy and excited to greet their people. I got a little misty when Ralph arrived because Hayden ran over to him and jumped into his arms. He totally stole my move.

12. I have discovered that the key to no snacking in the evening, which is my biggest weakness, is to keep busy with scrap booking!! You can't have dirty fingers when working with photos and paper! I must admit, however, that I ate cheezies out of a bowl using only my mouth. Proud moment.....not really. Necessary? Of course. How else would I have the energy to stay up late and scrapbook?

13. Hayden asked me to take a picture of him with his baby sister. How could I refuse?

Having talented friends is so wonderful........

We had a photo shoot
with the Blakeneys of Big Picture Photography.
Casual and low key.
(We are featured in their backyard and at "their" park!)
We got beautiful images of our family.
As always.

The talented Miss Shawna of Small Wonder fame
(check her out at my Blog links!)
took video footage and
put all of the moments together for us.
With the perfect music.

The result is AMAZING!
Thanks for all of your awesomeness!!

Check us out.....

Thoughts for Thursday!

1.. I did it. I got my hair chopped. I LOVE my new 'do. You'll have to wait for the unveiling....I've yet to see a picture of myself since I had it done! (And I won't tell you who inspired it 'cause I'm not even close to being as hot as she is.) Stay tuned for some photos by the Blakeney's of Big Picture....

2.. Hayden's first day of school was last Thursday. My big boy. I was so emotional and he couldn't have been more excited. He didn't even stop one second to give me a kiss or say goodbye! I was standing there thinking, "that's it?" "do I just leave?" Don't get me wrong, I'm happy there was no drama.....it is HIGHLY unusual for Mr. Hayden these days!! When I picked him up the teachers gave him a glowing report. I'm not surprised.... don't kids always act better when they aren't around their parents?! (Hayden did tell me that there were kids who cried the whole class and he didn't like it.) On Tuesday, he actually ran up and gave one of his teachers a big hello hug. I would say that he is adjusting to preschool just fine.


3.. The reason I put Hayden in a morning preschool program (8:45-10:45....eek!) was so that he could continue to nap. HA! Hayden is now graduated to being a non-napper. Ever since we went on holidays he has stopped giving me 2 hours of solace. Damn. I can't get anything done!! And.... I really miss watching my one daytime TV indulgence.....ellen.

4.. Step one - cute new haircut. Step two - fitness class. I had my first session on Monday and it was brutal! I am SO out of shape!! It did motivate me to get my ass in gear.....and I even entertained the thought of signing up for another class mid-week. How do people find/make the time to work out every day??

5.. Is anyone else able to conjure baby cries while they are in the shower? If I am home alone with the kids and I have a shower, I always swear that I can hear Olivia crying. When I step out of the shower.....silence.

6.. Oh, sweet and delicious Taber corn.


7.. Am I horrible for calling the City of Calgary about a neighbor? The corner house on our cul-de-sac is FULL of weeds.....knee high weeds from front to back of the property. And, they killed the free tree from the builder because they didn't water it. EVER. Their house is the first one people see when they drive in to our street, and it's awful! They have 14 days to clean up. At the very least mow or spray killex or something. I'm counting.

8.. Olivia's food explorations have been pretty easy. She loves all kinds of cereal. She loves mashed banana, sweet potato and butternut squash. She's not a big fan of applesauce.

9.. On that note.....Olivia is queen of the poo-splosion. There isn't a day that goes by without her having a major blow-out. Her clothes are never safe. Makes you wonder what babies actually retain from their food.....

10. I have OCD about my kleenex boxes. They have to match the decor of the room they are in. Don't ask me why. And I get really excited if I find a cool new pattern. It's just one of my MANY neuroses.

11. We are the proud owners of a new king sized bed!! I LOVE it. Ralph and I were having a debate about making the bed. He likes it to be neatly made every day. I love the look of a messy, tossed around, well-slept-in bed. To me, in this case ONLY, messy is more appealing. Weird.

12. I think I need a new clock. I love the one we have (we got it as a housewarming present in our first house from Tessa & Scott) because it suits us. But it's not keeping time no matter how many times I change the battery. And it really screws me up 'cause it's the one I always look at!

13. Look at my silly children. They are little hams and they make me laugh.


14. Still no teeth.......and teething sucks.

15. I could have bought at least 17 cards in Paper Roots today. Their "eclectic" collection can usually make me laugh out loud. Nothing like a card that says; "I'm glad you found each other, cause I thought you would die alone" or the sentimental; "Happy Birthday, douchebag." I have a twisted sense of humor but maybe the recipients would find these more offensive than funny?!

16. Ralph leaves for Germany on Saturday. I've been giving him a really hard time about it 'cause it's tough on me when he's gone. It's ALL ME. No helper coming home at 5p. I guess I should remember that he is going away on business, and it's not easy for him either.

Back to Reality

Today I have:

A defiant 3 year old.

A teething 6 month old....who gets
her shots today for an extra bonus

and a puppy with diarrhea.

Can I please go on holidays again?@#!

The "as many as I can think of" on Thursday - Travelers journal!

1900 kilometers

147 pictures
52 Flip videos
30 degree weather
25 hours in the car

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

1.. Watermelon which traveled from AB to BC to IDAHO to BC to AB....untouched!
(One could also represent the trailer hitch that was stolen off of our car while we were in the Wild Waters water park, but I wanted to start on a positive note.)

2.. iPods full of music. Everything from ABBA to House Party to Tiesto to Dave Matthews.

3.. children (technically 2 children and a puppy) who traveled very well in the car. They were such good sports to endure endless hours drining from here to there. And back again.

4.. campsites visited on our adventure. We stayed in Moyie Lake, BC for 4 nights, we went to C'oeur d'Alene, IDAHO for 2 nights, Radium Springs, BC for 1 night and McLean Creek, AB for 1 night. Our conclusion was that a minimum of 2 nights should be spent at each campsite. To set up and tear down the trailer for 1 night was a bit crazy.

5.. new cars (from the movie Cars) for Hayden. Between the Wal Mart Super Center, Target and Toys R Us, we managed to add a few to his collection.

6.. people in the little town of Skookumchuk, BC. The waitress at the Burger Barn counted them off to us. Wow. We found this little spot on the way to Moyie Lake, and we had the most delicious lunch. A burger for Ralph, Club sandwich (with a whole chicken breast!) for me and fresh Greek salad on the side....yum!! Isn't it funny that the places you least expect to find anything, turn out to be something memorable.

7.. mosquito bites on Olivia's head. They were all acquired at McLean Creek on our very last day of camping!

8.. pieces of BC fruit that did NOT live up to expectation. There were no cherries...BOO! so we bought 2 mealy apples, 3 tough ears of corn and some plums. Very disappointing. They must have exported all of their good stuff into our Alberta grocery stores!!

9.. days on the road. I was starting to feel like a Nomad. We're thinking about doing 2 weeks next year. There were so many great places we didn't see.

10. loads of laundry when we got home. I had to wash everything. Clothes, shoes, towels, blankets and car seats all had the lovely smell of campfire.

11. handfulls of Spitz per day. These evil little seeds are a weakness of mine while camping.

12. Bud Light Lime for $13. At a gas station in Hayden, Idaho. Yes please.

13. wasps in our trap. There were a million more who avoided being caught. I have never seen so many wasps in my life. Ralph was the only one who got bit. (Probably because he was hitting them with the BBQ flipper and someone found out. And followed him to the bathroom. And bit him in the neck.

14. times down the water slides. At bare minimum. It took us an hour and a half to get Hayden in the mood, but once he had a taste......he didn't want to leave!

15. minutes in the Spokane Mall to buy a dozen Victoria's Secret panties and my favorite Estee Lauder lippie (which has been discontinued in Canada) at Macy's.

10 on Tuesday!

1.. The bridesmaid who jilted me $55 for her makeup has come through. The cheque actually was in the mail. I'm grateful that I didn't have to harass the bride to get her friend to pay up.

2.. Guess who has been driving around with expired plates on her car since April.....yes, that dumb ass would be me! I probably would still be driving around with expired plates had someone not noticed and told me. How's that for brains....

3.. We finally got a Costco membership this weekend. I sure saw a lot of things that I needed to have! A 3 pack of Starbucks Chai tea for $9......yes please! New jammies for Olivia, a new printer/scanner/fax machine, and a giant piece of pork tenderloin. How's that for a well-rounded shopping expedition?!

4.. Remember how I wondered if I was friendly enough with my neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar? She baked a cake in our oven while we were in Saskatoon. I'm not sure we're that close.

5.. The same neighbor managed to kill 2 of our tetra fish and seriously overfeed the Beta. We thought he was a goner but he seems to be bouncing back. She also let all of my beautiful outdoor flower pots dry out. Some were dead. The ones inside were over watered. I'm confused.

6.. Olivia can sit up on her own!!

7.. We celebrated another milestone and gave Miss Olivia rice cereal for the first time. There will be no surprise when I say she loved it!


8.. We were at a wedding on Friday and we took the kids with us. They were quiet for the ceremony and pretty good for the reception. We kept Hayden busy by letting him run around with a disposable camera. I can't wait to see what the bride and groom think of his photography! There will be everything from guests, the dessert table and plants to the guy who carved the roast!! Hayden was also a big hit on the dance floor. He would "shake his peanut" for anyone who asked. We lasted until about 10pm when Hayden announced he needed to get his pull-up and go to bed.

The happy bride & groom!

I think I was the only brunette Hayden
paid any attention to....
he was all about the blondes!

Olivia was all partied out.

It's tough being irresistible!

9.. The Rico Report: Both of my ears are standing up. I look like I could bring in a new frequency on the radio with these bad boys!! I think my head needs to grow some more.....

10.. I am using a Martha Stewart craft punch for my latest project (thanks erin!) It is awesome and I want more! Not only does it punch out the shape but it embosses it too! Clearly, it doesn't take much to excite me.