helllllllllooooooo summer!

Summer has arrived and I love it!!!!! The sun is shining. I am out on my bike again with an added little companion being towed behind in my bike trailer. It's wonderful. And on a sidenote...I feel like my bike was meant for a kid. The little baskets have great storage, it only goes three gears...I predict there will be quite a few bike rides in our future...not just the 4 we have had in the last 4 days.

What has happened in the last month....

With the little: she is practicing her gymnastics skills lately. Swinging on any bar she can find (even if it means it's right above the slide (mom panic). Practicing somersaults. And continuing her love of swings and slides, going head first down the latter. Not to mention the independence that she takes doing them. These adventurous skills were taught lovingly by her dad. She is turning more into a monkey as the days go by (and growing up).

Growing up so much that we are finally starting to see more sleep nights than wake up nights. WOW. I never thought I would see that day come and had no idea it would take a year and a half! Phew!

Her favourite song right now is Handclap by Fitz and the Tantrums. So much so that if you play it, it will need to be played over and over and over again or we will get our out "tantrum" ha. She loves it as it is fast to dance with and slow....but obviously she needs a companion, so as soon as it goes on she must grab a stuffy or doll.

As far as words, we are getting lots of no, and yeah's. Mom is definitely being said with meaning like Daddy and doggie. And we are getting the nods and shakes of the head. She really loves to say car and truck and being in both (the front seat playing that is). Whenever she sees a red truck she always points to it and says "Daddy" which cracks me up. Plus little words everyday that I can't keep track of. ABC's is still a fun song to sing and Frere Jaques, Shaker song, 5 little ducks and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Plus counting to 10 (can you tell her dad is a teacher...good dad).

We have had dates with friends that she particularly loves. Even though she has to assert herself that she is old too and doesn't need to be carried around all over the place. One particular fun day was going to the spray park/park with friends. All the adults got to sit around, eat pizza and talk and the young ones got to jump around on the playground and splash around in the spray park. It was a great night. Lots of geese and poop though...but still fun all the same.

Our gardens are in full swing. The veggies (Mark's passion) in the back and the flowers (mine) in the front. And some future landscaping next year as we tragically lost a tree last week in a wind storm. Crazily so, that we both watched it as it went from slightly bent to all the way over. The ideas now are flowing with some edible shrubs and pumpkins along with flowers and rocks. Next years project obviously as this years is all about the....

Bees. They have arrived. They have a home and it appears that they are producing. All good news and I am sure more to say except I am no beekeeper and really know nothing about it. Except to say that they are extraordinarily fun to watch. When people say "busy as bees" I actually know what that means now as they are busy. The combs look like artwork. And Mark seems to be enjoying it quite a bit which is fun to watch. Oh and only one stung person so far...me as I stepped on one when they first came in. Not bad. In all seriousness they really do keep to themselves and you can go right up to them without fear as they don't seem bothered. Now mess with their home....that's different.

Now it is just time to sit back and enjoy the BBQ's, the ice cream (toddler's with ice cream are hilarious), sport ball (golf last time) and the weather.

My car broke down the other day (oh game of life) and because of summer I am not even bothered by it. Mainly because of my dear bike (going back to the beginning of this post). I love that bike! However picking the car up tomorrow, fingers crossed!

In the news: The oilers are out of the playoffs. Sad night for me as I really started to get into it. Surveys are out to redevelop the playground in our neighbourhood (yay)!

I just finished Girls the last season. Girlboss. Beauty and the Beast 2017. Gifted. All wonderful shows and movies. And I watched Moana again because I love that movie so much! Also saw Love the Coopers...meh.

That's about it!
Happy Summer
xoxo

All the leaves are falling

As I've been watching the leaves change colour and fall to the ground this week I think it is safe to say fall is a coming. Hot apple cider, fall boots, crisp air, pumpkins and harvesting veggies. All the goodness of autumn has come upon us.

But with all the goodness I feel the need to reflect what summer gave us. It was my first summer (in I don't know how long) that I never worked. It will probably one of my last summers as well.

It was full of sun. Water, water and water. Water balloon fights with water guns, much to my daughter's disdain.  Hopefully she gets over that dislike. :) Baby pools, splash parks, outdoor pools, city hall pool, legislature pool, beaches, and the epic "slide in the city" involving us to slide down a humungous water slide down the streets of Edmonton.

Other fun summer events involved good eats. Green onion cakes at Taste of Edmonton and the Fringe. Hot dogs at the legislature and the market. Food trucks. Lemonade. Lots of BBQing, steak, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, shish kabobs, corn, potatoes. Harvesting fresh veggies, eating homemade fries, cooked beets, raw peas, raw carrots and green bean delights. Plus pickling and more pickling. Beets, cucumbers, and green beans (32 jars)!

Visits to the petting zoo, riding the merry go round at K-days, fireworks at symphony in the city (plus Disney music delights).  Seeing Newsies. Going out to dinner with my lovely girlfriends. Hospital visits. Checking out summer movies. Marketing. And of course dog walks with my partner.

Plus my personal favourite, visiting my parents. An incredible trip with loads of visiting, touring, and relaxation.

It was an amazing summer. Farewell high sun and welcome low sun and cool evenings.
xoxo
love

11 months and counting

Oh my little but not so little one anymore. You are losing your baby face and starting to look more toddler-like everyday. You are full of life, love and goofiness. You mimic our laughs when we laugh, our coughs when we cough. You babble when we talk, even reading me a story or two in your own little language. I think I hear a few more sss, mmm, baa sounds in your little lips.

And let's just say you are everywhere and anywhere. Lots of new games, like me putting all your toys in either a tupperwear container, pot, basket....really anything and you tearing through it and dumping it everywhere. Ha Ha. We need to work on you putting things away next. ;) You also enjoy, "catch me mommy". That involves me chasing you around or holding you down as I try to change your diaper or clothes. RASCAL!

You love to climb up our stairs squealing with delight. Especially if it involves shoving a piece of dog food into your mouth or spilling all the water on the carpet. You pull all the DVD's off the shelf, go in our cupboards, and pull apart my dresser drawers or laundry basket. Plus you take apart the toilet paper and occasionally explore the toilet. Really you are just full of mischief and busy as can be.

You are itching to walk like no other. So much so that if we have done a few laps around the house with you holding my hands and I decide to take a break you may just "breakdown" yourself as you didn't want it to stop. You have a love/hate relationship with your walker as you love that it takes you places but hate it when you bump into things as you can't seem to steer it away from walls yet. I have caught you scaling the walls walking and your dad says that you took a few steps towards him the other day.

Yup, walking is on your mind. Dog walks have kind of made you a little infuriated as you don't want to be stuck in a carrier or stroller at the moment. I have even made a point of taking your walker to the dog park and let you test it out on the paved paths. AND people find you absolutely adorable, "What beautiful blue eyes and hair you have." You are catching everyone's eye.

Summer is almost coming to an end. We managed to do quite a bit. Picnic lunches with our mom's group, lots of swimming at both beach, outdoor pool, splash park and legislature, visits to see second cousins and great great aunts, corn maze shenanigans, green onions cakes at the fringe, and visits to the park. Plus we can't forget catching the olympics from time to time! Lots of fun.  And you definitely had it! You are pretty fantastic to go out and about as you are definitely a social baby. Anytime you see an older child you go right up to them with a big smile on your face and shout, "Da, Ba!"

As I say, look out world, she is a coming! :)
love

BBQ delights

"We should have everyone over if Sandra is coming."

He says this a week into being sick. A day after a six hour wait for a test. I stare at him in disbelief.
"Let's do it simple," I replied.
"Sounds good," he responded.

The guest list went out. People volunteered to bring food, salads, chips, smores and buns.

7 hours prior to the dinner party, he starts to make his meal.
Raw veggies of green beans, carrots and peas.
Cooked beets, home fries (four trays).
Homemade hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks (shallot sauce included).

And guess what? We had leftovers (with plenty to give to people) and plenty of food to have this weekend. We had plenty of sun. We had plenty of laughs with water balloons and water guns. We had plenty of good conversations (my favourite is the GoT references). We had a really good time.

So end result. We should have had everyone over and we did. Good job, love

xoxox

Summer end and fall beginnings

Summer has ended. Actually ended three weeks ago. Although we never made it to a fancy place or a crazy hike we managed to keep busy. I worked quite a bit and between that we went kayaking (more than once!), gardened, lots of dog walks and a little escape to B.C. 

With summer winding down we managed to go to a few events. One was a Disney's Fantasia at Churchill square. So much fun. Listened to the Edmonton symphony live with the cartoon bits in the background. I enjoyed it immensely. 

Also went to our last wedding of the year (that we at least know about). An old co-worker of mine got married. Wonderful service at St. Joseph's Basilica. What a beautiful church. And the reception I got to catch up with another co-worker of mine with her little guy. 

Shopping became huge for me in September. I went with Jeaninne and we completed the 'needs to get' for when the little one decides to arrive. Some things were so complicated like strollers and car seats. It was nice to have a seasoned pro with me to show me the ropes. I don't think Mark and I could have wagered that alone. Especially since there were not a lot of customer service people around to help. 

 

Not all was fun and games. I had an internal and sometimes external war with managing my insulin. The management was relatively okay but other times just plain ol' frustrating. Mainly cause no matter how much you followed the food plan and the exercise you would still not come ahead. There were many times I would come home from my appointments pretty upset, just annoyed about how I was talked to. Overall though I have to say, the physician I dealt with was amazing. And speaking with co-workers that dealt with the same issue made it easier for myself to cope with it. Plus a great resource for me as they gave great advice and knowledge. I have learned a lot. Makes me want to set my competency goal next year to this as I feel it could be a great thing to keep increasing my knowledge on. 
 

With that, Mark and I prepared for baby. The nursery got completed with Mark taking on the installation of shelves, curtain ties, moving furniture up and down and aiding me in the cribbage assembly. I took on the painting, decorating, cleaning and organizing. AND curtain rods installation that ended in hilarity. Really happy with how it turned out. 
 

 

That and prenatal class came and ended. Mark stayed captivated for three out of the five classes. But he learned the power of massage so as long as he got that for delivery I am happy. 

 

Now it's rest and relaxation which is really not in my vocabulary but I'm finding my body yelps a bit more if I don't listen. Grrr. I've managed to enjoy the fall walks with some company. And then other times just me and my dog. Took in probably one of the last best views of fall in the river valley today as I got home and all the leaves on our trees are gone. The seasons are changing.....just like our lives are about too....
 

Love

Wells Gray

This is what I have learned:
glamping aka glamour camping is awesome
  AND by that I mean camping in a tent trailer, needing no air mattress and having so much more space, in an actual site and making real food on a coleman stove is fantastic!

 

day hiking is fun but not quite as exhilarating as doing a big km quest in a day.
  HOWEVER one can still see most fantastic things like waterfalls, big beautiful trees and raging waters











kayaking is fun wherever you go and it can still be enjoyable in the rain!







stopping in a town on the way home, like Jasper, has huge perks AND by that you can bulk up on more chocolate and fudge than you would normally never buy and you can take a lovely dip in the hot springs

even if your vacation is a short one you can still have loads of fun with your partner. AND by that I mean playing games, reading, talking, chatting and enjoying each others company







AND it is still nice to come home to our lovely pets!

love

The year so far....

July 1. The year is half way over and my blog shows nothing. But really, quite a bit has happened so far in just over 6 months!

I have been working both the rehab and homecare side of my job and loving the variety of what both has to offer. The learning opportunities have been extensive and I am starting to grapple many new things as I grow in my career. I love it so much that I actually don't mind picking up to a full time position that I often do, or fall just one shift behind of that. It has been really nice to love going to work. And for that I am extremely grateful for!

My parents came to visit in March. We had family pics done, went on dog walks, made meals, went to movies and putzed around. Dad was busy studying to be a fireman and has since passed many tests (and has a uniform to boot!) We also went to Vancouver together for my cousins wedding. A little cool at that time but the ceremony was extremely sweet and touching, with planes flying over head as a tribute to the groom.

That was one of 4 wedding/celebrations we had. Next was onto Calgary to celebrate Mark's cousins nuptials. Exposure to a different cultural celebration was quite fun and educational for myself as I was googling things long into the night after the wedding. Once in Calgary we had to see my Great Aunt Elizabeth and cousins Joanne and Greg. We talked about their upcoming trip to New York where they happen to be right now!

The other two weddings were a little more informal but just as fantastic and fun as we were not present for both couple's nuptials but BOTH decided to continue the celebrations in a local way at a hall. One was my friend Nikki as she got married in Vegas. They hired a food truck, had salads and pop and we all just sat around and gabbed until the late evening.
The other was another of Mark's cousins. They got married in Ottawa that we unfortunately couldn't attend due to Mark's school trip being neck in neck with the dates. But we were fortunate to celebrate here, where there were family competitions set up from bean bag toss, kite flying to crossword puzzles. We had the added bonus of sitting with the bride and groom so we were set for answers! Plus an ice cream truck! Who can go wrong with that!!!!

Mark is finally done work. Lots of hard work this year, plus he got to go on a school trip to New York and Red Deer. Work but still had fun experiences.
Plus on the homefront, lots of dog walks, market time, gardening, spending time with friends, seeing movies, watching Netflix, AND of course we are expecting our first child this October. SO many big changes ahead!

We will see what the summer brings. From all this hot weather the veggie garden is a growing. Mark may go hiking with a friend of ours and I have a less cardio trip planned with a friend of mine.

Until next time!
Love

Man and dog

So men go out and hike

They bring a dog

I love this dog

But after this hike 

My love is a little bit less

Because this happened 

And after two baths

He still smells

Life with a dog

Kind of glad I only had to see him in the end

Love

The gardener

So I have learned to accept (and love) the fact that I married the gardener and that he loves gardening. Remember this. Well the completed back meant that the side was free to do. And guess what? This is what the gardener loves so much! He loves loves loves growing food. And I have been the lucky partner to reap the rewards!

Mid May, while I was visiting my parents, a big chunk of dirt was delivered to our driveway (sadly, some still remains, ha ha ha). That was the beginning of the project. 

The gardener was busy away planting little seedlings of lettuce...three kinds, swiss char, corn, radishes, onions, shallots, green beans, peas, beets and potatoes. And under the heat lamp he fostered little cucumbers, squash, watermelons, pumpkins, and cantelope.

And then one warm spring day, we started to see growth. 

And then we went on holidays. While away the brother came by and watered the garden (and thus taking partial credit for the result). Why? Because we came home to this. 

Craziness. Then the days got hotter. The gardener tended to his veggies. Watering. Weeding. And making multiple trips daily to the back to see the progress.  He could even be spotted at night with his headlamp on checking to see the growth progress. 

And so far this is what we have been lucky to receive. 

Fresh salads, raw veggies, cooked veggies and even some to pickle. Exciting. 

And even the dog has been lucky to snag a few veggies. 

Love

Road trip life

This is what road trip life was like for me this summer. 

Open roads with mountains everywhere

Our big old red truck taking us where we wanted to go

Road trip songs blasting through the speakers

Blue skies, little rain

Laughter, lomg talks, few arguments, more laughs after 

Spontaneous stops because we really had no specific destination

Food trucks like tacofino in Kelowna or real authentic tacos in California

Fruit stands, homemade ice cream, chocolate/gas station stops

Remembering your childhood as you passed by mini golf, go carts

You said that we would stop when we saw some amazing water slides...

Those didn't come till 1000 at night on our way home, ha ha ha. 

Stops at campsites in state parks

Meeting some neighbours close by who made homemade fireworks...

One opts out one opts in

I'll let you guess which one is which 

Ordering pizza at a campsite cause they actually delivered and you just can

Learning about Lewis and Clark

Seeing a bear, YIKES, never get used to that

Visiting a lighthouse 

Playing stettlers at night and getting beaten, ugh!

Exploring the towns

Plenty of homemade fudge, salt water taffy and kites galore

Arcade with old fashioned games like a shooting range (toys) and videos

Visiting markets and buying good eats and toys for little ones

Visiting beaches and spontaneously going for a dip

Run, and or play in the sand

Admiring the driftwood

Driftwood houses too

Admiring the surfers and longing to be that good

If only an ocean was in your backyard

Still enjoyable to see

Seeing the majestic redwoods

Having more that a few moments with the trees

Admiring their beauty, stillness, and age

Having wonderment of all that the trees have been around in their lifetime

 

And doing those silly stops like drive through a tree

And noting how humans can mange to make even a tree a commercial entity

Worrying as we were in a one way line if our truck would actually fit

It did

 

 

Driving away as fast as we came

As we had some wine tasting stops that needed attending

And that it was

Yum yum for me as you played driver that day

Thanks!

 

 

Love