Another fun Paw-ty!

As most of you already know, when it comes to planning parties I can't help but to go a little bit over the top.  It's who I am and who I've always been. When I was younger my mom happily passed on the party planning duties to me when it came to my younger brothers' birthdays.  

With a new baby in the mix, Aaralee's second birthday kind of crept up on me this year.  I ended up doing most of the planning rather last minute, but it still came together perfectly and she had a great time! I tried to keep the guest list small after seeing how jam packed our house was last year.  "I'll only invite people with little kids..." I told Ryan. As it turns out, Aaralee has a lot of little friends and cousins. Our house was full of noise and toys and sugar high toddlers.   

She loves puppies and doggies so her party theme was an easy choice.  Contrary to popular belief, I am not a naturally crafty person, nor is baking/cooking my strong suit.  That said, planning a birthday party can get really expensive, really fast, so I try to do as much of it myself (and with Ryan's help) as possible.  

It was so much fun decorating for this party. Paw prints led to the front door, a fire hydrant helped guests find the washroom, and there were puppies and bones galore! 

No party of mine would be complete without loads of candy and sweets.  There was no shortage of junk food here, despite finishing off one very successful week of healthy eating... it was only one day, and it was for Aaralee, so it was a worthwhile setback.  

The cake came together perfectly, no thanks to me! It was my idea, but in the end I think that I decorated an ear before Ryan took over. We were up until 1 am fighting with piping bags and globs of icing that quite literally looked like piles of poop, but when all was said and done, we had a sweet puppy cake.   Most importantly, it tasted delicious and the birthday girl approved.  She was beaming as we sang "Happy birthday" and wasted no time digging into her giant slice of cake. 

After cake, it was time for presents!  Although it took awhile (she needed to open every toy and read every book before moving onto the next gift), she's really got the unwrapping thing down pat this year.  She tore into the gifts with excitement, pushing aside the cards and clothing as toddlers tend to do.  She was so lucky to receive such fun new toys and pretty new outfits!  

As the party died down, her little friends left with their very own puppies and we carried on snacking and playing the afternoon away.  Despite the fact that she'd refused to nap the entire day, she was pretty happy for the majority of the day.   It was a great party for a great little girl!  Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated her turning 2 with us!  

Aaralee is 2!

Last week my little girl turned 2 years old. TWO!  It happened so fast and she didn't even ask my permission.  Gone is my tiny, baby-faced, clumsy little toddler and in her place is this real little person who loves to dress up, always runs instead of walks and talks to us all day long.  

The past year has been a whirlwind of adventure for Aaralee.  She experienced her first overnights without us, her first trips to Mexico and Disneyworld, and she even became a big sister!  

Looking back at photos and videos from this time last year I'm amazed at just how much she's grown and changed.  She loves to talk... she'll repeat everything that we say. She still loves to eat... peanut butter toast is her current favourite.  She's a whopping 24 pounds and short like her parents.  She has exceeded my expectations as a big sister.  She refuses to go to bed at night without first kissing Briley, and she is always eager to bring her blankets and toys.  She even tried to feed her baby sister a large chunk of broccoli yesterday, but Briley declined.  

To sum it all up, Aaralee is pretty amazing. As her mother I'm obviously very biased, but I'm so proud of her and I love watching her grow up and become her own little person.  I couldn't be more thankful for the past 2 years and for the fact that she's all ours.  I love you so much, Aaralee Marie! 

To celebrate her special day, we started with a playdate with her friend Noah (and his wonderful mommy) at Cafe O'Play. We love it there.  I can sip coffee and sit with Briley while Aaralee runs wild and burns off some energy.  After 2 hours of playing and snacking, we headed home for a much needed nap while we waited for Daddy to get home from work.  Once he was home we headed to the mall for an evening of fun!  

Aaralee's absolute favourite toy at home is her toy stroller. She pushes it around the house all day long, so as a special treat for her birthday we let her push it through the mall.  Cue happiest toddler in the world.  

She ran and ran and ran, taking a break at Galaxyland to ride the carousel, train and balloon rides.  Once we'd had our fill of rides we headed for the food court where our lucky little lady indulged in french fries and her first ever chocolate dipped ice cream cone.  Once she'd conquered her gourmet meal, she was sticky, messy, hyper, and oh so happy. 

We spent a good hour running up and down the ramps on Bourbon Street before it was time to go home to bed.  If she had to pick one day to be her favourite in all of her 24 months of existence, I think it's safe to say that her birthday would be that day.  Mommy and daddy were tired, but it was worth it.  

Happy 2nd birthday sweet girl! You are so loved and we can't wait for all of the adventures that this year will bring us.    

David + Jesse are MARRIED!

Wedding season, like summer, is slowly tapering away for another year.   This weekend Ryan and I attended a beautiful wedding... astonishingly only the second one of the summer for us!  I love weddings, so I was rather excited to make the trek to Grande Prairie to witness Davey and Jesse tie the knot.  Not only because I was in wedding withdrawal mode and excited to attend my first wedding with 2 grooms, but because despite the distance between us and rare visits, I still consider Davey to be one of my closest friends... so close that I can't even type his name as "David" without it feeling awkwardly formal.  

Davey and I met in college, when he lived across the hall from us in our residence building.  Moving to Edmonton was a new start for both of us and we bonded quickly over our love of junk food and pop music.  Back then we'd have laughed if you'd told us that our future husbands would be from our home towns.  Life is pretty funny sometimes.  

Ten years later, I was so excited to be able to attend his wedding! Although we'd only met a few times, I loved his fiancé Jesse and thoroughly approved.  Because Aaralee is incapable of sitting still for more than 30 second increments, we left her with Grandma for the weekend and embarked on the 4 hour drive with only Briley to worry about.  She was a road trip champ and we only had to make one stop to feed and change her. 

We arrived at our hotel to settle in and get ready in our free upgraded room... Thank you, Cute Baby! These days I'm rarely found wearing anything besides pyjamas or yoga pants, so it was fun to put on a pretty dress, and even some mascara!  Ryan put gel in his hair (another rare feat!), Briley donned her prettiest pink dress and off we went!  

The venue was a beautiful bed and breakfast and we eagerly awaited the arrival of the grooms.  Each walked down his own aisle to the meet at the alter where they exchanged perfect vows... and then they were married! I'm so happy that we live in a place that allows for people to be married based on the fact that they are in love and want to spend their lives together, regardless of their gender.  

After the ceremony we enjoyed a delicious dinner and everyone danced the night away.  Briley spent a bit of the wedding napping in the wrap, and a large amount of time being passed around from one baby-loving guest to the next.  She especially enjoyed her time on the dance floor with Davey's mom.    

My personal favourite part of the wedding was the cake.  This was partially due to the fact that I really, really love cake, but primarily because this cake was a beautiful, tall cake with rainbow layers hidden on the inside. A rainbow cake?! So pretty, so delicious, and I must find an excuse to bake my own as soon as possible.  

We got back to the hotel around 11:30 pm.  In all honesty, I can't remember that last time that I stayed out so late!  We crawled into bed, tired from a very long day.  Obviously all of the dancing wore Briley out too, as she had her longest stretch of sleep in weeks!  We woke up the next morning without a toddler demanding breakfast, so we stayed in bed a little while longer.  When it was finally time to pack up and get ready, we all felt well rested and happy!

We stopped in for a post-wedding brunch to say goodbye before we hit the road for the long journey home. After several pee breaks, far too much fast food and one diaper blowout, we were happy to get home and pick up Aaralee. I'd sure missed my little monster! It was a wonderful weekend to wrap up the summer, and I couldn't be more happy for Dave and Jesse. Congratulations to the newlyweds, and thank you so much for the honour of attending your special day!

The End (of Summer) is Near.

Ahh, Summer.  You came just in time.  You lifted our spirits after a long, cold winter and brought us outdoors in anticipation of barbecues, beaches, camping and sun tans.  You were hot, you were glorious, and just like the summers that came before you, you've gone by far too quickly.

This summer in particular has gone by extra fast.  It was a blur of sleep deprivation, chaos and love after we welcomed our second daughter in June.  They say that with a newborn the days are long but the weeks are short... no words could ring more true.  There have been days that felt like they'd never end.  Days with a crying toddler and a baby who refused to be put down, days in which showering felt like a major accomplishment. There were many long, long days, but in retrospect they really went by far too fast.  I'm not sure how it's happened, but my tiny little Briley is already 2 1/2 months old and her big sister is fast approaching her second birthday.

We've spent the majority of our summer in Edmonton, a change from our usual weekly camping trips. Our free weekends just never seemed to line up with the weather... if I'm going to rough it, I at least want to be warm while doing so.  As it turns out, keeping busy in our city isn't that difficult in the summer.  We try to get out at least once per day, whether it be to a park or the gym, for a walk around the block, or just to wander the mall aimlessly.  We've been to farmer's markets and festivals, showhomes and on several drives to explore the fancy, mansion filled neighbourhoods.  

A couple of weekends ago we packed up the car and the kids and drove to the Villeneuve airport for the Edmonton air show.  As a family of aviation geeks (even Aaralee has come to have an obsession with "ay-panes"), we were rather excited! As we approached the airport, there were very few vehicles to be seen and certainly no huge crowds as we'd anticipated.  I was initially disappointed at what would likely be a rather lame event, but thought that I'd double check the ticket dates as sleep deprivation sometimes gets the best of me these days.  Oops.  As it turned out, we were a week early. I apologized profusely, and thankfully Ryan laughed it off.  It was just a trial run to ensure that we knew how to get to the airport!  

We returned the next weekend (after triple checking the dates) and it was an entirely different place.  Cars and people everywhere! I'd pre-purchased tickets online, but Ryan won us an extra pair. We decided that instead of giving them, we'd go both days.  The first day was a bit chaotic with long lines, a mess of traffic and a bit of disorganization... we gave the event the benefit of the doubt... after all, it was the first show in 10 years.  The next day was substantially better and we had a great time watching the amazing performances and chowing down on food from the food trucks.  Aaralee enjoyed herself, and Briley slept through the majority of it.  As long as the show returns, we will as well! 

These last few weeks of summer we plan to spend plenty of time outside as well as taking advantage of everywhere that is free for kids under 2.  I'm cheap, and sadly Aaralee is about to actually start costing money to bring to fun places! If anyone wants to find us between now and her birthday, we'll be riding the carousel at the mall over and over and over again.  

I hope that you all enjoy the remainder of your summer and that it goes by super slowly... unless you live in Dubai and are praying for more bearable temperatures.  There is still time for adventures and summer fun! 

A 2 under 2 Roadtrip!

Over the past few years, it has become somewhat of a tradition for my mom and I to take a road trip each summer.  Each year has come with new challenges and increasing difficulty.  I thought that I was crazy going at 31 weeks pregnant, but the next year I realized that it was a lot more work to take a baby. Turns out that bringing an 11 month old Aaralee was a piece of cake in comparison to making the journey with a toddler and an infant.  I'm not one to let much slow me down, so I packed what felt like our entire house into my moms cramped vehicle, and off we went!

This year we were joined by my Aunt Michelle, which helped even out the child to adult ratio.  I wasn't too concerned about Briley.  She hates her carseat but once we are driving she tends to sleep for most of the journey as long as her belly is full.  Aaralee, on the other hand, is almost 2.  She has discovered boredom and fights sleep and sometimes screams for no good reason besides being a toddler.  Oh, and it just so happened that she was busy cutting her 2 year molars which made her just a bit more fussy than usual.

Thanks to Elmo on the iPad, a backseat full of snacks and frequent stops to feed Briley, we got through our first day of the trip.  We called it a day in Revelstoke, BC.  It was Briley's first time leaving the province!  

We were all happy to be out of the vehicle. We checked into our hotel room, loaded up the stroller and headed downtown for dinner.  We were all fairly indecisive when it came to finding a place to eat, but eventually we settled on a restaurant with a nice little patio near some live music to drown out my inevitably noisy children.  The meal was amazing!  After dinner Aaralee happily danced as the band played. She was having so much fun that she didn't want to leave, but alas, we were all tired from a long day of driving.  

After a rather sleepless night with everyone crammed into one hotel room, we packed up and headed onwards... after stopping for coffee, of course.  We drove into the gorgeous Okanagan, stopping along the way for fresh fruit, photos, and the usual diaper and nursing duties.  Aaralee boycotted napping and was rather miserable for the duration of the drive. 

Eventually we made it to our destination... Kelowna! We checked into what would be our home for the next 4 days and admired the beautiful lake views. 

  Once we'd settled in, we headed to visit my mom's boyfriend's sister (my Fitbit competition) and her husband... confused yet?  They fed us a delicious meal and we made use of their swimming pool to cool off in the 35 degree heat.  

The next few days we kept busy by touring wineries, shopping, and lazing on the beach. We had the freshest fruit, the most scenic walks, a nice dose of sunshine and some ice cream.   I'd be lying if I said that it was a relaxing trip because the reality is that I have 2 kids... one of them sleep deprived and the other who wanted nothing other than to constantly be held. Despite this, it was a fun few days and I was thankful for the change of scenery and adult company.  

The week came to an end and it was time to bid farewell to Kelowna and begin the journey home.  The beautiful lakes sparkled as we drove away, making us long for more time.  Vacations are never long enough!  

We spent the night in Golden before the long, boring drive home.  When we finally approached my mom's house in Red Deer, my legs were sore from sitting in the cramped backseat and Aaralee was in full blown tantrum mode.  We spent the night at her house before continuing home in the morning, and despite the end of our vacation I was relieved to be home.  I'd missed my husband, my dog, consistent toddler nap times and most importantly, the magical baby swing that lulls Briley to sleep. It was a hectic week, but I love exploring new places with my girls and can't wait to do it all over again next summer.  

Briley's Mountain Room!

My recent post about our camping trip reminded me of the fact that I've yet to share pictures of Briley's nursery!
Aside from the obvious tiny human to love and cuddle, one of my favourite things about welcoming a new baby into the world is being able to decorate a nursery.   Aaralee's nursery was my dream baby room come true, and I still love it to this day.  When we found out that we were expecting our second child, I was quick to evict Ryan from his office. He was forced to relocate to the basement so that we could begin creating another special room for our second baby.  

Aaralee's room was inspired by our love of travel.  Globes, airplanes, and a giant world map set the decor.  We love to explore the world, but we also love home... thus the inspiration for Briley's room.  When we aren't jetting across the world, we are driving to the mountains for camping, gorgeous scenery, and fresh air!  It was decided that the room would therefore become a mountain/woodland themed nursery. 

We waited until we found out that she was a girl before we got serious about decorating, and then the room came to life.  Everyone assumed that we were having a boy given the theme of the room, but I was sure to incorporate a good dose of pink and girly touches!  With a little bit of creativity, craftiness, patience, and Ryan's cooperation, we ended up with a perfect room for our newest family member! I hope that she inherits our love of the mountains and the great outdoors!  

I think it's safe to say that Briley likes her room... although she won't actually spend the night in it for a little while yet!

Crib Bedding/Pillowcase/Dreamcatcher/Felt Fire: Etsy

Bookshelves/Bench/Rocking Moose: Ikea 

Wooden "B"/Nightstand: Homesense

Fox Quilt:  Gifted from a lovely friend... go buy things from her Etsy shop! 

Wall Triangles: Urban Walls

Tree: Painted by Ryan

Name/String Art Moose/Mobile: DIY

Briley Goes Camping!

When Aaralee was just a few weeks old we packed up the car and headed out to the mountains for our very first weekend away.  We love the mountains and at the time I felt so adventurous and proud of myself for making such a journey with a tiny baby.  Now that we've readjusted to life at home with a newborn, I felt ready to take Briley on the same trip.

 I was so excited to get out and enjoy the fresh mountain air, until I began my search for a hotel room.  Maybe it was because of the Calgary Stampede, or the fact that it was just Canada Day, or maybe it's just because it's summer.... whatever the reason, the few hotels that had vacancy were ridiculously overpriced.  I accepted the fact that we'd probably spend the weekend at home.

My husband is always a problem solver, so his solution was simple. "We could just go camping!", he suggested, as if camping with a 2 1/2 week old baby is a totally normal thing that all parents do.  I may or may not have laughed out loud at his suggestion before realizing that he was actually serious.  Don't get me wrong, I love camping and I fully intended on going out later in the summer.  That said, staying in a tent with a toddler and a newborn while recovering from major surgery just didn't appeal to me.  Using his incredible powers of persuasion, my husband somehow managed to convince me that we could still have a fun weekend away.  Before I knew it, I was packing our bags.  

Packing for two kids under the age of two is no easy task.   Aaralee's obsession with dirt and messy food meant that she'd need several outfits and both would need approximately 73 layers to keep warm at night.  We'd need double the diapers, triple the wipes, and basically every item from Briley's limited newborn clothing selection.   Once I'd successfully packed for both girls, I faced the even bigger challenge of packing for myself and my postpartum body that is too small for maternity and too big for pre-pregnancy clothing.  I left Ryan in charge of packing the camping supplies, himself, and the dog.  Eventually we were ready to hit the road. 

Just as we approached the highway to leave the city, we were met with ridiculously slow moving traffic. We always, always check the traffic before we plan our route, but on the one occasion that we forgot to, we ended up stuck in construction.  Things were slow moving, much to Briley's dismay.  Our tiniest family member loves being in fast cars and tends to be very vocal about her feelings towards driving too slow... apparently it runs in the family.  We eventually made it past the construction, at which time our air conditioning chose to quit working.   It was 30 degrees Celsius and we had many hours of driving ahead of us.  We called the Subaru dealership in Red Deer and fortunately they were able to squeeze us in on our way through town.  We piled into the air conditioned building with our kids and dog for an hour while they tried to fix the problem.  As someone who was hesitant about this trip in the first place, this was not the reassurance that I'd hoped for.  

After what felt like forever, we were back in the car and back on the highway... and guess what?! The rest of the drive was perfect.  Both kids slept the entire way to Banff as Ryan and I sat shivering in the front seat, vowing to appreciate our functioning air conditioning.  We arrived to the campsite where Ryan's parents had been since the night prior.  It was a beautiful evening spent eating campfire pizzas (my favourite!!) and watching Aaralee happily run around.  

Bedtime approached and I was nervous.  Would the kids be warm enough?! Would Briley's crying wake up other campers?  Would I get any sleep, at all? Low and behold, our newborn daughter slept BETTER in the tent than she had been sleeping at home.  Granted, we still woke up during the night, but that was to be expected. I was pleasantly surprised as I woke up feeling refreshed the next day.  

We spent our second day soaking up the sun and fresh air, eating more campfire cooked food, and wandering Banff.  

That evening, the clouds rolled in and it began to rain.  The temperature dropped and I bundled the kids in extra layers for the cool evening ahead. It was a brisk night in the tent, but everyone kept warm with the exception of me. It's not easy crawling out of a warm sleeping bag to feed a crying baby at 2 am.  We got through the night, and Briley slept well for the second night in a row.  I might have to spend more time outdoors at home, it appears to have magical sleepy baby powers.  The sun came out in the morning and it was a perfect send off as we packed the car for the journey home.  

Camping with a newborn isn't for everyone, but as it turns out, it's entirely possible.  Briley slept through the majority of her first trip, but I think in baby language that means that she thoroughly enjoyed it.  Now that we've crossed the scary first-trip milestone, we can look forward to the rest of the summer and hopefully many more trips with our mountain-loving little family!