When there was sun!!

         We finally were able to have a mini-family vaca last saturday for the long weekend! Our destination? Drumheller! We have not been in years! Growing up my family would go all the time for various reasons, whether it was helping Dad with his photography or just driving around checking out the scenery and running and climbing in the badlands! Neither Reuben nor I have been to the museum since we were little so we decided to check it out once more! Interesting? yes! Toddlerproof? No! I seem to remember that there use to be a children's area that was interactive and involved more hands on things...there is no such thing anymore, or my memory serves me wrong! Needless to say our trip through the museum was rather speedy to spare our sanity and possibly paying thousands of dollars because our child "broke" a dinosaur! The highlight of the trip for Lucas was spinning the little globes on stands and the life size saber tooth tiger which was deemed "at, at, at" followed by much pointing and wrestling with Reuben as he proceeded to try and climb the exhibit!

It was rather funny watching him trying to walk across the glass floor!!

We than checked out the splashpark which lasted for about 5 minutes when he realized just how cold the water was on his little tootsies! But yet screamed when we pulled him away and put his shirt back on...sigh..I can't win!

 

After that we headed to the hoodoos which i loved as a kid and we figured that Lucas could burn off some energy! He moved in about a 3 foot radius, checked out the rocks and sat down. So much for burning energy! Maybe there was less mosquitos at that level??

However we got rather bored and hot from standing there swatting at little incessant bugs that we drug him further up the hoodoos to try a little climbing...

He climbed..a little..and than once he turned around and discovered that it was a little uneven and steeper than he liked he backed down the slope!

Oh well, we had fun..got a little bit of a tan to help blend away the bug bites and Lucas had a steady diet of rocks and sand! Yum yum!

Just to show that we do exist as a couple...sometimes!

And to round of the day we crashed my aunt Connie's farm just west of drumheller and let Lucas terrorize her house as well! Thankfully she has raised three boys and there isn't much that hasn't happened in her house! Thanks Auntie!! :)

Wedding in Review

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of being in one of my close friend's Naomi's wedding while Reuben experienced single parenthood for a day! (when in all reality he had my parents help all day!!) These are the highlights of the day! Amazingly the weather held out! It was windy but the sun stayed out all day!

Naomi's new sister in law did a wonderful job on the cake!

The bouquets were absolutely gorgeous and the tables were amazing! Naomi put a lot of hard work into them even to the point of sewing her own table runners!

Our attempt at a family picture was of course the usual...Lucas refusing to smile..oh well I was happy with the cuddles and he was happy to see his mommy finally! (awe...sniff sniff!)

It was also a reunion of friends that haven't seen each other for almost 2 years! Lina's first time meeting Lucas! (Lina is in the bottom left picture on the right..she was in Korea for a few years.) My friend Elaine (bottom left picture on left) who was Naomi's maid of honor is getting married in July and Lina, Caitlin (top left picture) Naomi and I will be bridesmaids for that! Super excited for that as well! Elaine's fiance Chris is in the top left picture as well, and of course that is my handsome husband Reuben in the middle pic!

Unfortunately there wasn't any cake up the nose or hitting the walls behind them. I seem to remember that happening at someone elses wedding!! ;)

Congrats Naomi and Trevor! May you have many happy years to come!

Status changes

Yesterday I felt like I was put in my spot! I ran into an old client while I was at the zoo with my sister and nephew. This client has a little baby that is 3.5 months old and adorable by the way! I asked her how she was liking motherhood and she replied that she loved it! She than asked how I was doing and went on to say how according to my facebook status' it would seem that I am not enjoying it all that much! Ouch! Which I than replied that yes somedays were long which is most likely the days that my status' would reflect! I had a pit in my stomach after that and started wondering how many people think that I am not enjoying being a mother! So my mission is to correct that idea! I love being a mother and I would not change it for the world! Yes somedays are long and trying..but is that not the life with a toddler?? Is that not their mission at this age to test every boundary possibly and push every button possible? Yes..i think so! But as a mother it is my mission to teach and to correct. Somedays I fail and loose my patience more easily than not and otherdays I feel like i'm ontop of things. The nickname "monkey" has stuck with Lucas for so long now and it appears that it will stick for many years to come!! He is mischeavous, he is busy, he is funny/goofy, he is lovable. He is also sensitive and quiet at times! And he is a boy, he gets dirty and eats rocks/dirt/pinecones/ants. And I love him none the less! I love watching him grow and accomplish new tasks and say new words! I believe being a mother is the most humbling of experiences that anyone can ever have! It has taught me to be patient, to watch my attitude, to be selfless, to be cheesy, to forget about the giant mess in the kitchen and sit on the floor and play with my child, that a bigger house/nicer yard/more possessions mean nothing in comparison to having your family, that I need God more than anything, and that the little things are made so much clearer now! I'm not going to lie..by the end of the day Lucas' bedtime could not come soon enough but by the morning I am so happy to walk in to his room and great him with the biggest hug and kiss ready to start our day of adventures once more!! So I apologize for the status' that dont relfect the huge blessing that my child is to me..I will be working on changing those! More than likely there will be times that they reflect the kind of day that I am having but more often than not I find I am not the only one in that boat!! Right?? Right??

Fixing the dishwasher with daddy

His new found love!!!

Mother's Day pictures...getting attacked/kissed??

Little blurry but cute anyways

I believe he was whining at this point..not wanting to be held!

These matching tshirts were not planned!! Colby showed up wearing the same one!

Colby loving his cousin "luke"

Playing peekaboo with mommy

One little Monkey

I decided that the fascinating/exciting thing about being a parent is the chance to watch your baby's personality develop with each passing day. As newborns you can't really tell much about their personality other than they dont like to be held a certain way or they are prone to gas! But before you know it they start to assert their little personalities. Lucas was...a very serious little baby, a stubborn baby, a happy baby all rolled into one! He did not just smile at anyone...no sir..you had to work for that smile if it meant you had to jump around frantically waving and clapping your hands while you shook your face till your own slobber smacked you on the cheek! Than maybe...he might crack one little itsy bitsy smile!  But boy did he watch you..his little eyes would follow you in everything that you did as if he was judging if you were doing it correctly or not! Life sure got interesting as he grew into a toddler. Once he started moving and exploring his surroundings his little personality really started to shine through. He was holding in all those smiles so that one day he could shower us with his little goofy, quirky smiles and faces and knew that we would laugh right along with him! However he still does not smile at anyone..ask any random stranger in a store who comes up to him gushing about how cute he is and he looks at them like they are a green alien ready to take him away in spaceship! And i think that he spent those first 9 months watching us to learn how everything worked. How one day he would learn to push chairs and climb to as high as he could go. How the computer buttons or any buttons for that matter work. Where everything that he wouldnt be allowed to touch was tucked away and hidden in drawers or cupboards. Oh he watched..he watched everything! Just when u think u are one step ahead of him he figures something else out! But what i'm really beginning to learn about him is how gentle of a soul he has!  And i'm scared for him. I'm scared because i know that he will have his heart broken many times in his life. I'm scared because I know that he wont be the one to stand up to other kids when they are picking on him. I'm scared because we as parents have the responsiblity of teaching him how to make it in this world and how to be a man of integrity and stand up for what he believes in. So i pray, I pray for his future and for the confidence to stand up for himself. I'm hoping that his stubborness will come into play when it comes to things like that. But i have to say he is one smart cookie! I see him one day becoming an engineer or some sort of mechanics! He has a steady hand and concentration when it comes to figuring things out! Now if only we could work on that speech of his....if i hear "at" one more time...!! ("at" decoded means-cat, hat, any animal other than dog or fish, up, down, out.) So imagine my day considering how many things he climbs up and down, up and down...at, at, at, at,at,at,at,at,at!! Haha! Oh my little monkey man...

Its the new look..its called " onion el a pasta"

ROAR!!

I'm sick of paparazzi!!

The scrub down look after the "onion el a pasta"

Aspiring cook..or just loves to put lids on?

cooking mommy some food

yay for first time in the sandbox

figuring out the whole shovel and bucket thing

I call this the Godfather look "whatchya lookin at?"

he loved the feel of the sand!

carrying his baby sheep around in his easter basket!

child labour starts young!!

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

So I officially fail and should change this photo challenge to 1 year photo challenge cause it appears that is how long it is going to take me to finish it with how often i get to blog! Haha! But I started so i might as well finish, right?

This one is very tough as i have never really had a favorite band/artist. Yes i go through my phases where i listen to a band or artist a little more than another but have never focused in on one particular band. Back in Junior High that would have been easy and i would have said Backstreet Boys! (sheepish smile...but hey who didnt?) I knew all their songs, lyrics, info..you name it! Sad I know.

Now days I turn to artists that inspire me with their raw talent and usually the way that they speak to me through their lyrics, but once again I cant narrow it down to one. So instead I will state a song that I loved/ love till this day and a song that i used in my wedding! I love the simplicity of the song and of course the lyrics. If i could sing and sing well that is..this would be my life song! :)

This is "Fridays Cry" and the song is called "God who is able" 

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

I love roadtrips! This was our first impromptu roadtrip for my bday weekend after we were married. We tend to not have specific places that we stop all the time and fly by the seat of our pants. In the end we end up covering a lot of distance and seeing a lot of things in a short time span. Thank goodness Reuben likes to drive! I think for this weekend we had 3 days and went down to Montana, over to idaho and back up through BC and back to Calgary. Our last roadtrip was when i was pregnant and in one week we went out to Vancouver island/qaudra Island, down to victoria and from there to seattle, over to idaho and back up through BC and to Alberta. Slightly crazy but fun to see lots of different things. This summer will be our first roadtrip with the little guy and we will definately have to take it slower and plan it out. But now we at least know the places that are worth going and spending a little more time. We will let you know how that goes!

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

April is child abuse awarness month!! I get so mad and hurt everytime i hear a story about a child being abused and killed at the hands of their own parents. Yes being a mother myself i know the stresses that being a parent can be and the will power it takes, but to go that far? To physically and emotionally leave scars on your child is not called for at any time!! It breaks my heart!