What Just Happened??

Okay, so it's been a month... totally unintentional... and I'm totally not gonna apologize.  This pre-baby, crazy Christmas, been out-of-town season has totally kicked my blogging butt.  Don't worry-- I have no intentions of falling off the blogging bandwagon.  Sometimes a girl's just gotta take a little unexpected break.  Sooo.... what's been up around here lately?  Let's just do a little picture recap, shall we?

Over the past few weeks...

We got a wee bit of pre Christmas snow here in Abby... definitely snowman worthy.

Caleb begged me to let him continue with swimming lessons... even though I was so done with sitting on the side of the pool twice a week.  But, he finished yet another level a few days before Christmas and was a little sad to be done with lessons.  I'm going to wait until life settles down a bit before we decide to conquer the next level :)

Eme and I shopped and shopped.  Turns out she's as into shopping as her Mama is... no real surprise there.

I baked a zillion gingerbread cookies for the school bake sale-- torture for this gestational diabetic preggo.  And shocker-- I made it through the ENTIRE Christmas season without a SINGLE bite of Christmas candy/chocolate/baking goodness.  I decided I would make no exceptions... no compromises... otherwise I would likely slide down the slippery slope of sampling too many sweet treats and have trouble stopping.  Needless to say-- the ladies at the Diabetes Clinic LOVE me, and I will admit that it's nice to step on the scale and realize that I've only gained one pound in the last 7 weeks of being pregnant.  My non-exsistant waistline is gonna thank me later!!

The week before Christmas I finished moving the last of Eme's things out of her room and started prepping for baby #3.  Turns out gallery walls murder your drywall.  So I've got some patching and painting to do.  More on the baby room progress to come...

The "nesting" phase made a brief appearance.  It has since disappeared (darn it!).  I did manage to do a clean sweep of a few closets... all the kids crafty stuff found a new home as Eme has demonstrated the tendency to run with scissors and experiment with markers/paint on any and every surface of the house.

On the 25th we took the first flight out of town to head home to Saskatchewan for Christmas.  Doug sat with the kids giving me the most relaxing flight ever-- alone across the aisle free from kids-- glorious.  Best Christmas present ever.

The kids were so excited to be at Nana and Papa's-- and absolutely fell in love with their cousin.  Seriously... Eme tried to smother him.  Baby Toews #3... watch out.

Eme was a frequent helper in the kitchen.

My sisters and I did our annual boxing day shopping trip.  I bought... slippers.  So exciting, hey?  Seriously... it was the only thing that fit.

Guys... I turned 30.  And I have nothing to say about that.  Well, except that I should have actually combed my hair and washed my face before snapping an "I'm officially 30" self portrait.  Oh well... I guess it's all down hill from here anyways.

(side note-- I get a little weird-ed out taking self portraits and always end up looking like a crazy person-- sorry about that)

The kids had the most fantastic time bundling up and heading outside to play in some good old Sasky snow!!  Eme thought Caleb looked hilarious when he got all ready for a snowmobile ride... but soon she was bundled up just as good as he was...

And of course Daddy had a fantastic time playing in the snow and cruising around on the snowmobile too.  Just love this picture :)

And this one too!

And then this happened.

Like most households we were hit with the nastiest most violent flu.  It struck down EVERYONE except me and my Mom.  Honestly... I must have superhuman immunity or something.  After listening to the most awful and wretched sounds coming from every bathroom in my parent's house I thought I was a goner for sure.  I'm not taking any chances though... I booked myself in for a flu shot as soon we got home!

And now... back to normal life.  Doug's been back at work, Caleb heads back to school on Monday, and the baby is set to arrive in about 5 or 6 weeks.  My family doctor and the obstetrician I've been seeing are wanting to induce me sometime during the 39th week due to the gestational diabetes and  because I had an abruption during delivery with Emerson.  So... the countdown is on!  I have SO much to do in January... where to start!!?

Vacation Recap

I'm back!  We're all still a little tired from the loooong drive home but our bags have been unpacked, the laundry's been done (but not folded-- my least favorite), and I've finished the grocery shopping and restocked the kitchen.  Now, how about a few pictures?  I actually really slacked off on the picture taking this time around... but I figured, sometimes that's a sign of a really great vacay... right?  Anyways.  Here's a few for ya.

Let's just say... the week was paradise for my little boy.

Getting a tour of Uncle Joel's truck.

Going fishing with Daddy and Papa.

Going to the lake.

It doesn't get much better than that.

And I just can't help myself.  Isn't this little sweetie adorable?  Almost too much cuteness for this auntie to handle!!!

And, as promised... a few pictures of the headboard my sisters and I worked on during the week!  On the last day we were in town we brought it over to my sister's place and the boys set it up.  I had all of 2 minutes to take pictures (or we were going to be late for the new Bourne movie) so... excuse the quality.  But-- I've gotta say, the headboard turned out to be spectacular.  The fabric looked amazing, it was just the right size, the tufting was perfect, and every little fold/button was perfectly placed.  That's what happens when you work alongside two sisters who are also perfectionists... 

Anyhow, that's all I have for today!!

A Vacation Project

So... I'm on vacation right now!  Last weekend we packed up the kids and drove straight through the night for 17 hours (stopping only for gas) so we could spend the week at my parent's farm.  

The kids did great, the roads were clear during the night, and we even managed to come up with a few smiles when we pulled into Edmonton.

So far we're having a blast enjoying hot weather and some time with family.  Yay for vacation!

And... of course we're working on a little project.  My sister moved into a new place and is getting new furniture.  She really wanted an upholstered headboard, but we were having trouble finding the right one.  So, why not make one?  Here's our inspiration...

designed by Alice Lane via me oh my blog

We picked up all the supplies and started working on it yesterday.  The frame has been built, the foam is on, and tonight we've got to start tufting.

And while we were hard at work in the garage... my two kiddos were busy exploring the yard in their gator.  Caleb was pretty excited to give his sister a ride and show her around :)

More to come!

Over the Weekend

What we did this weekend...  well...

We had a spontaneous surprise birthday party for my little brother-- with homemade decorations and a hand crafted party hat-- complete with pom poms.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Caleb was probably more excited about Joel's birthday party than Joel was.  I guess spending your 22nd birthday with your three older sisters isn't all that exciting.

We also saw Coldplay (amazing!)  My little brother touched Chris Martin's hand as he ran by... surely that should make up for a lame birthday party with your sisters.

We also spent quite a bit of time in the big city.  Gotta take the sisters out shopping.  It's a rough life but someone's gotta do it...

Of course... we dragged the kids along... but they had fun.  Caleb enjoyed being a burger king.

I've been meaning to get Caleb's hair cut... but after seeing City and Colour I'm thinking we should keep growing out the top.  All we gotta do is trim up the sides and the kid would have some serious Dallas Green hair...

And then this morning it was just Caleb and I-- we went out to a local dairy farm for a preschool field trip.  Fun times had by all.  We milked a cow, fed some hay to the cows, pet the baby calves-- but of course, the highlight for all the four year olds was watching the cows make some real live mud pies.

And that was the weekend!  Our out of town guests will be leaving shortly-- back to real life :)

Roll Play

Now, I normally am a fan of the weekend.

But I happen to be a HUGE fan of THIS weekend...

Because, some of my favorite people in the whole world are flying out for the weekend (my siblings and cute little nephew) just so we can all see Coldplay tomorrow night in Vancouver.

image

Can't wait.  If it's even half as good as viva la vida was three years ago-- it's going to be a fantastic concert.

We've all been pretty excited about the events of the weekend around here...

A few days ago we were driving in the car and were talking about how all of Caleb's Aunties and Uncles were coming to visit.  He said, "Oh yeah!  That's when you're going to Roll Play!"

It was just so cute and sincere I couldn't even correct him.  So if Caleb asks... Mommy and Daddy are going to see Roll Play tomorrow night :)

But first-- tonight we're having a little birthday party at our place-- my LITTLE brother is turning 22 today!  They're flying into town in just under an hour now... gotta start blowing up the balloons, pull out the angry birds ice cream cake and hang the "happy birthday" banner-- Joel Caleb's going to LOVE it :)

Ladylike? Not so much...

Emerson's been rocking a few new looks around here since Christmas.  

Are they ladylike?  Not so much.  

First up, "farm girl chic".

As we were opening up Christmas presents with my family there was one for Emerson-- I was told that my little brother picked it out.  And let me tell you-- I was a little bit shocked over the fact that my brother had shopped for my kids.  What on earth would my 21 year old tractor driving, cowboy boot wearing, hunting, and truck driving farm boy brother (and if he was leaning over my shoulder right now he'd be saying:  "tell them I'm single... tell them I'm single!!") possibly think to buy for my 1 year old daughter? 

This.  Pink camouflage John Deere pajamas.

Can't stop giggling over how cute they are.

Nothing runs like a deere.  Not sure how I know that but I do...

Nice work Joel.

And Eme's second not so ladylike look?  I'm calling this one "little lady lumberjack".

I found the faux fur hat at Superstore on clearance during the boxing week sales and could not pass it up.  It is so ridiculously cute... especially with the red plaid shirt.

Emerson, however, hates it.  Hence the picture.  The look says it all-- "oh why oh why do I have to be a lumberjack!!?"  We're going to keep wearing it though... hopefully it will grow on her :)

And that's really all I have to say on the dark, blustery, rainy morning.  My one new year's resolution was to get me and my still recovering knee to the gym in the mornings... but man.  As I look out the window at the nasty weather I can't help but think that staying in bed and breaking my resolution on January 4th was a pretty fantastic decision.  

A Different World

Life on my parent's farm-- it's a different world indeed :)

A place where daily chores are done-- complete with helpers... of course...

Where Uncle Joel shows up for dinner driving this...

And it's a place where Nana still regularly bakes buns-- again... with a helper.

Of course-- no trip to the farm would be complete without a day of shopping in the city.  These days the dynamic is beginning to change-- shopping with three kids can really make things interesting.

Of course-- shopping does have the tendency to wear them out.  I snapped this picture only after they had been holding hands for about 10 minutes on the drive home.

But best of all-- the farm is a place where I get lots of good snuggles in with this little cutie.

I'm pretty sure I don't look this cute when I yawn like this...

And now we're home.  After a quick flight home yesterday we were all happy to see Daddy and crash into our beds for some long, much needed naps. (hooray!!)

And now... unpacking, laundry, and grocery shopping.  All that fun stuff...

Bright and Early

My alarm went off at 4:45 am this morning.  Why?  My flight left at 6:30 am.  This morning I realized why I no longer enjoy flying.  It's because I no longer fly solo... I've had company on every flight I've taken over the past four years.

They did really great.  And they are pretty cute.  But after several hours of entertaining them on the plane I was done.  I needed a break.  Luckily we're staying at my parent's farm for the next few days :)

And... I finally am getting some quality time with this little sweetheart-- my new nephew Cohen.  I think I'm in love :)

On the road again

Over the weekend we began our journey home.  For some strange reason, I find it easier to listen to crying, whining kids at the beginning of a vacation... rather than the end.  As we left my parents place the cries began.  "I don't want to go home... I want to stay with Papa!!"  and then (15 minutes into the drive)... "Are we almost there yet?"  which was soon followed by "I don't it to be a long drive, I want it to be a SHORT drive!!!"  Granted, Eme wasn't making these statements... only her brother... but words were not needed.  Her cries said it all.

Self portrait to document the moment.  At this point I agreed with Caleb... I wished it was a short drive too.

But we did stop.  At the best place on earth... according to this kid.

And we were not alone.  Somehow we managed to convince my siblings to join us for a quick trip to West Edmonton Mall.  It was a tough sell.  not really.

We all drove up to Edmonton after dinner on Friday night, checked into a hotel, and the next morning we hit the mall bright and early.  The boys went to the waterpark while the girls shopped, and shopped, and shopped some more.

Eme came with the ladies.  While she looked like this on occasion...

For the majority of the day she looked like this.  Angry, distrusting stares.  Followed by cries.  She was tired and unfortunately doesn't nap well in a stroller.  

Or maybe she just wished she was at the water park too.

So it was Auntie Angie to the rescue.  She kept that stroller rocking.  Good practice... I think :)

Favorite stop of the day.  Athropologie.  I could have spent hours in that store.  There is so much beautiful stuff to look at.  And the way it's all displayed... oh my goodness.  I, of course, couldn't help but snap a few pictures.

Aren't those hand towels glorious?  They come in every color.

I spy...

decorpad

But for $22.00 each?  No thanks.  Not in my budget.  Home Sense has a lookalike for a much friendly price tag.  My mom has them.  They're amazing.

Trish, you're pretty cute... but so is that mirror.

They displayed lots of their stuff in these rough rustic wooden boxes.  Doug... guess what your next project is :)

This cabinet was FULL of the cutest bowls, dishes, and glasses.  I couldn't help but make one little purchase.

And finally, the piece de resistance... this little number.

So the ladies shopped till they dropped.  And after over 5 hours of swimming-- we soon found Caleb, head resting on the table beside his chocolate milk... fast asleep.  He ended up sleeping through most of dinner.

So then what did we do?  Well... Doug and I had planned to throw the kids into the car and drive to Hinton after dinner so the drive on Sunday wouldn't be as long.  But... the kids were just SO tired and we were feeling a little too energetic in the moment... so we decided to just keep going.  All the way home.  Through the night.

On our way out of town we made a quick pit stop for gas... I ran in to grab the essentials for a through-the-night drive.  Lots of coke, chips, candy, chocolate... you know... those essentials.  The cashiers looked at me funny when I went to pay for my snacks.  In an effort to rationalize my purchases I told them our plans for the night.  Those funny looks kept coming and soon began to say... "you're crazy."

But we did it.  And the kids did awesome.  They slept the entire night... waking only momentarily when we stopped for gas.  This picture was taken at our midnight stop,

 In the moment the kids didn't say much.  They just looked at me with these dazed and confused expressions on their face.

And sometimes they looked at me like this.

We rolled into town at 6 am.  Everyone went straight to bed... except for Caleb-- he said he wasn't tired--  so we turned on Treehouse and hit the hay.  5 hours later... Doug walks in to the living room to find him on the floor... a puddle of drool on the carpet, crazy sleep marks on his cheek, a confused look on his face.  Apparently he was quick awestruck over the fact that he had fallen asleep on the floor.  I was more awestruck over the fact that Emerson slept until 2:30 in the afternoon.

And now we're home.  While it was fun to be on the road, on vacation... it feels nice to be back in our house... and sleeping in our own beds :)