celebrating mama.

Yesterday was Mother's Day! For the first time ever I participated in the holiday not only as a daughter, but as a mother.  I have my gorgeous little girl to thank for such an honour.  I still can't get over how lucky I am that I get to spend all day, every day with such a sweet, silly, adorable little person.  We have so much fun together, and Mother's Day was no exception.  Although she's a bit too young to recognize the occasion, her daddy did a wonderful job of making me feel special.  

Because we were staying in Edmonton for the weekend, Aaralee and I made a surprise day trip to Red Deer on Friday to see both mine and Ryan's mom.  We brought flowers and cards, but as expected the highlight of both of their days was seeing their granddaughter. I've said in previous years how much I love and appreciate my mom, but now that I have my own child can I understand the true extent of all that she's done for me.  My mother-in-law did a great job at raising the man that I married, so of course I couldn't forget about her!

My first Mother's Day treat came a day early. After a great deal of persistence on my part, my husband went out to get me a Frappuccino. It was the last day of Starbucks's Happy Hour and I could definitely not miss out on half priced caffeinated bliss.  I had been upstairs getting ready, and found a cute, Starbucks toting surprise when I came back down. Fortunately, she's not quite at the age in which she gets angry when we take things from her.... 

We spent Saturday evening among friends at Kevin's birthday party. Aaralee slept through the noise until it was time to go home!  It was a later evening than we are used to, so what wonderful treat it was when our baby slept in later than normal the next morning. It's as if she realized that there was nothing I'd appreciate more on Mother's Day. My husband banned me from diaper changes or housecleaning for the duration of the day, so as he tidied the kitchen I indulged in some rare sleepy baby cuddles. 

I even had the opportunity to take a nice, long shower... long enough to wash my hair and shave my legs! If nothing else from that point forward, the day was a win.  However, since I'm such a lucky girl, our day was only beginning.  My one weekend request was that we have sushi, so for lunch we went to Japanese restaurant where I ordered whatever my heart desired. It had been so long since I'd enjoyed sushi, and my goodness, it was delicious.  

It was a beautiful sunny day (after snow the day prior) so after lunch we headed to a nearby park to play outside for a little while.  Aaralee loved the swings but was not too certain about sitting in the grass.  Since she was born in September the weather has been miserable the majority of her life. The outdoors will take some getting used to, but we'll make the most of our short summer.  

After a bit of playing we drove to Spruce Grove to meet up with our friends Alex and Chad and their kids.  They were going for a walk so we joined them and their giant dog Fezzik.  We walked the loop by the lake and stopped to let Fezzik go for a swim. Aaralee was content in her stroller as I pushed her around the bumpy trails.  

Our last adventure for the day made me extra excited for the fact that summer is on the way.  Back in Spruce Grove we went to the park to roast marshmallows! Aaralee sat in her baby tent while Ryan made a fire and I proceeded to make my first smore of the season.  Our lucky baby may or may not have had her first taste of roasted marshmallow... thanks to her daddy, of course. I can't wait for summer and camping and many, many meals cooked over the fire. 

It was getting late, so we headed home to get the baby to bed, stopping on the way to pick up supper. Ryan grabbed a pizza to share and I grabbed Subway... we all know how much I love my subs.

After we'd finished eating I relaxed while Ryan bathed the baby and got her into her pyjamas. I fed her, put her to bed, and came back downstairs to relax with a glass of wine after a great day with my amazing little family.  I don't know what I did to deserve this life, but I'm so blessed to be able to call myself "Mommy". Thank you, Aaralee... you make every single day so much fun! I know all of the words in the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and the lyrics to the obnoxious songs on your toys. I wake up at early o'clock and tote you around until my arms are numb.  I wouldn't trade this for anything in the whole wide world!

a sad goodbye.

This blog post has taken me a long time to write.  On most occasions I log on, ramble away with no real direction, say "good enough" and hit publish. This time around, I struggled to find the words.  I'd type a few sentences out only to delete them a few minutes later.  I always say that it's not official until it's blogged, but some things I'm just not as eager to make "official".  

Last Saturday, my grandma passed away.  She'd been sick enough that we knew it was coming, but the fact that it didn't take us by surprise didn't make it any easier.  

I was close to my grandma, which I'm sure can partly be credited to the fact that she was only 40 years older than me.  Growing up, people often mistook her as my mother instead of my grandmother.  We had many conversations over Facebook and text message, and she was so proud to have recently learnt how to use FaceTime.  Whether she intended to or not, she always had a way to make me laugh... such as the time that she told me she'd Googled what "Twerking" meant.   On one of our last Facebook conversations in late February, we talked about planning a trip together. She was retired and wanted to visit some place new, I was on maternity leave and an experienced traveler happy to play tour guide. The next day, she went to the doctor and shortly after that, she was admitted to the hospital.  Everything has happened so fast that it's hard to comprehend that she's already gone, and that we'll never have the opportunity to take that trip.  

She was an amazing grandmother not only to me, but to my cousins Chantelle and Kiara as well.  She was supportive of our life choices, whether she agreed with them or not.  She was my biggest fan, telling me time and time again that she was certain I should be a singer, model, writer, photographer... and whatever else I'd decided to pursue at any given time.  She never missed a blog entry, and cried reading 90% of them when I lived overseas. She accepted Ryan as part of the family and gushed over our daughter... her first great-grandchild. She even cuddled with Niko and offered to dog-sit despite years of declaring her dislike of dogs.  On one of my last visits to see her in the hospital she told me how proud she was of me as a mother, and that will stick with me for the rest of my life. 

It was impossible to leave her house without a full belly and a second helping of dinner. As a child, Grandma's house meant consuming my favourite foods and being allowed to use salt and butter to my heart's desire.  Nothing was ever more important than her family members, and I'm so lucky to have been one of them. 

It's only natural to wish for more time together.  All of those times that I bypassed her home in Ponoka en route to Edmonton because I didn't want to get home too late... if I could go back now I'd stop and visit and stay to chat until midnight.  We can't change the past or bring back the people that we love, so instead of wishing for the impossible and wasting time with regret, I choose to be thankful for the time that we did have together. For nearly 28 years. For the sleepovers and camping trips. For the lunch dates and Facebook chats. For the fact that Ryan and Aaralee were able to meet her.  Most importantly, I'm thankful for the fact that my grandma is no longer in pain and is reunited with her love, Gary.  I know that right now they are together catching fish and getting suntans on the most beautiful of lakes.  

She'll be greatly missed by myself and our entire family.
 I love you Grandma, and I can't wait to tell Aaralee all about you as she grows up.  

baby's first beach vacation!

Another week of vacation is behind us and we are home, sweet home... sadly.  I could have used another week or 6 of beach and sunshine and warmth... maybe by that point it would actually start warming up here in Edmonton and I could leave the house in flip flops.  

We had a great first family vacation enjoyed by all three of us.  It was completely different than any trip we'd been on before, which was to be expected given the fact that the majority of our life currently revolves around a 7 month old.  There was no tequila (thankfully), no parasailing or snorkelling, and for the first time ever we didn't even leave our resort. We spent a lot of time in the shade and came back with only slight suntans. We went to bed early and spent extra time in our hotel room.  Before becoming parents, that would sound like a terribly boring holiday, but little did we know we'd have so many new experiences to make up for the ones that we could no longer do.  We proudly watched as our baby earned her first passport stamp, and watched the look on her face when we brought her into the ocean for the very first time.  We heard her squeal with excitement as she splashed around in the pool and tried to limit her consumption of sand on the beach. She chatted happily to the staff and other guests, thrilled with the attention that she received everywhere we went.  From the moment that we stepped into the Punta Cana airport, she was one happy baby.   

Of course, taking care of a baby isn't quite as relaxing as lying on the beach all day, every day, but I didn't mind.  Tired from the sun and water, Aaralee slept better than she had been back home and thus, so did I.  Being the considerate baby that she is, she even napped quietly in her stroller while Ryan and I enjoyed a delicious dinner on our anniversary.  Of course, there were a few meltdowns throughout the week... but that's pretty standard for a baby. These occurred mostly while trying to apply sunscreen, a hat, or failing to share our food and beverages with her. As a result, she spent a great deal of the vacation playing with empty plastic cups as it was often the only way that Ryan or myself could enjoy our cocktails without tiny hands trying to grab them.  

The week flew by as it always seems to and before we knew it we were headed home. After some delays, nearly missing our connection and trying to block out the sound of someone else's screaming baby for 2 flights, we were back in Edmonton. There was snow on the ground and it was cold, despite the myth that "spring" had arrived.  I was sad to be home, but happy to have had such a great vacation with my great little family.  I'm already looking forward to the next one! 

busy busy

Oh Blog, I miss you.  

I really do mean to update you more often. The intention is there, but as it turns out being a mother to a nearly 7 month old baby is rather time consuming. Especially when said baby is very active and already getting into anything that comes within her reach. Changing her diapers is something I'd equate to wrestling a mountain lion and when she's hungry (which is always... have you met her parents?!) the whole world knows about it.  I love my busy girl, but with my husband working south of the border for the majority of the past 3 weeks... I'm tired... too tired to blog. 

Of course, there comes a time in which procrastination overtakes me and I return to my faithful spot to write instead of doing what I'm actually supposed to be doing... in this case, cleaning my house and packing for vacation. 

Yeah... that's right.... vacation! Tomorrow my husband finally returns to Canada and on Monday the three of us jet off to Punta Cana..... woo hoo!  We've never been to the Dominican Republic before, but we are certainly looking forward to it.  Our baby will get her first dose of real warm sunlight and stick her little toes in the ocean.   We will celebrate Aaralee's 7 months of existence on Thursday and our 2 years of marriage on Saturday.  We'll overindulge in true all inclusive style, undoing all of the hard work that we've put in at the gym for the past few months... and it will be totally worth it.  

Rest assured, I'll overload you with stories and many, many photos upon our return... which reminds me, I should charge my camera battery. Now that I've successfully killed some time I really should go do something productive. Like watch Thursday's episode of Big Brother Canada, obviously.

 See you in a week!! 

My husband is old.

Today is a very important day! Today, Ryan turns 29 years old! Yes, my husband shares his birthday with St Patrick's Day. It's rather fitting. He likes beer. He likes the colour green. At a towering 5'5, he's my own leprechaun.

Unfortunately, we aren't together today, as Ryan is away working somewhere in the Dakotas.  Although he shrugs it off as no big deal, I'm sad that he has to wake up all by himself on his birthday.  I've done that a time or 3, and it's not much fun.  Birthdays are for being spoiled and eating cake... I don't care how old you are. It's his first birthday as a daddy, and Aaralee is quite sad that she won't be with him.

 We had a mini-celebration this weekend, complete with a breakfast of green pancakes, lazing on the couch, dinner at a Thai restaurant, and visiting with our neighbours.  

We will finish our celebrations upon his return! 

Happy birthday Ryan. I love you! Aaralee, Niko and I all miss you and wish that we could be with you today!  Indulge in something delicious for dinner, you are in the USA... home of the most fattening and yummy things to eat!  You only have a birthday once a year!

half birthday!

Have you ever blinked, and upon opening your eyes discovered that half of a year has passed by? Take it from me, folks... it can happen.  Just a few seconds ago, I was in a hospital room holding my brand new baby girl.  She was so perfect, so tiny.  All of a sudden she's 6 months old. She's giggling at me with her one-toothed smile as she bounces like a maniac in her jumper.  It's hard to fathom the fact that I have a 6 month old baby.  I'm just a blink away from her first birthday. 

I've loved every minute of being Aaralee's mommy.  A couple of years ago I truly felt that my life was complete, but I had absolutely no idea. I had no idea that this tiny little person would come along and change me so much.  I love watching her take on her very own personality. She is a sweet, happy girl... but stubborn like myself and Ryan.  She makes me laugh, makes me smile, deprives me of sleep, pukes on my clothing, and makes me realize love in its truest form.  I feel like time is flying by at record speed, but don't get me wrong... I love every stage and look forward to the next.  I can't wait to see her crawl, walk, and say her first word (mama, it's going to be mama.)  

Happy half birthday to my beautiful, amazing girl.  I love you more than I ever realized that I could! 

new ride!

Dear Green Cavalier,

We've been through a lot together. You were the second car that I've ever owned. We've been to Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia... and of course, Alberta.  

We've been on many road trips, camping adventures, and to and from work. We even went to Disneyland, and the Boeing Factory!  Once, you almost got charged by a grizzly bear! You've witnessed many arguments between my husband and I over directions and navigating. You brought home my puppy. You brought home my daughter.  We have some great memories together.

You've let me down a time or 2... you nearly died in southern California late at night climbing steep hills in the heat. We had to stop a few times on the Coquihalla during construction for fear that you'd overheat.  You have a bit of a dent in your rear bumper, but that wasn't your fault.  This summer, you left me stranded on the side of the highway in the 30 degree heat, 8 months pregnant with a full bladder. I wasn't very happy with you, but I forgave you once the tow truck arrived 2 hours later.

I knew the day that I bought you that someday we'd have to say goodbye.  Green just wasn't my colour and you were a bit of an impulse buy.  The day has come, and I'm sorry to tell you that you've been replaced.  I've found somebody else... somebody younger, and more attractive. Somebody with all wheel drive. Somebody with command start. Somebody SILVER.  My husband has always wanted to purchase a second Subaru, and since he's the one that knows about/cares about/fixes our vehicles, I wasn't about to argue with his decision.  It's not the SUV that I told myself I'd own when I became a mother, but it's no mini-van either... thank goodness.

Don't take it personally, Cavalier. We just weren't meant to stay together. You're in high demand and I'm certain that your new owner will love you and take you on many adventures.
Goodbye, Cavalier.  Welcome to the family, Impreza.