the part-ay

Since Gwen’s first birthday party was well over two weeks ago, I guess it’s about time to write a little recap. The theme of Gwen’s party was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Katie was the one who put the idea in my head and I’m so glad she did because it fit just perfectly. Not only because Evalyn’s first birthday party was also the title of a theme song (A Bushel and a Peck) …(sidenote: I seem to have started a trend here… I need to start thinking of other theme songs that could work for parties for future children)….but also because throwing a rainbow theme birthday party in the summer is the easiest thing ever.

Basically, anything that is any bright colour would work for decorations and bright colours are very easy to come by in the summertime. Most of the decorations were things I already had or things from the dollar sections at Target/Walmart and the Dollarstore.

When I thought of the theme I set Elizabeth off to work on creating an invitation and decoration package. And she did not disappoint. Obviously. Her work is always so wonderful. If you’re looking for invitations, birth announcements, nursery prints or anything of the sort, head over to her shop.

After a few (okay, more than a few) back and forths (thanks for your patience Liz!) we had exactly what I was looking for…

She also made coordinating cupcake toppers, favour tags, food labels and a banner … all which you will see in the following photos. Combined with a friend from church cutting scalloped circles and rectangles die cuts out for me – the decorations were easy and perfect!

I had a major brain fart and planned Gwen’s birthday for Father’s Day. Why didn’t anyone tell me this in the planning process? I’m not sure. Anyway, it wasn’t until well after the invitations had been designed, printed and distributed that I even realized it. Ah well, cute baby Gwennie trumps Dads any day of the week.

When I set out to plan Gwen’s first party, my goal was to have a cute, fun party without going (too far) over the top like I did for Eva’s.

Well, HA. HA. HAHAHA.

The thing is, once I start, I just can’t stop.

But being totally honest, I really did achieve this goal. Although my husband still teased me about the level of detail at this party, it was not as intense as Eva’s. Making 40 candy apples the day before a birthday party? Never again. Like I said, most of the decorations were things I already had and/or inexpensive and easy to make or put together. Especially since I suckered my girl Briar into making all the tissue poms for me. One of my favourite accents to the decorations was wrapping a ton of variously sized, empty boxes in two different patterns of wrapping paper that fit with the colours and theme of the party. This was such a cute, simple and CHEAP way to add a lot of POP to the tables. Adding the extra height and patterns really did a lot for the look of things.

I decided on a taco bar for the food – of course, there’s nothing inherently rainbow like in a taco bar, but it was fun and colourful and most importantly, delicious. I did both taco beef and shredded BBQ taco chicken. We also served chips, salsa, guacamole, queso, veggies and southwest ranch dip, texmex quinoa salad, taquitos and 7-layer dip. For dessert, there were cupcakes (duh) made my Evan’s talented cousin, rainbow fruit kabobs made by my girl C-Bisc, with “fluffy cloud” dip (marshmallow fluff and cream cheese), and a candy buffet.

For favours, I skipped making favours for the adults (sorry, friends!) and just stuck with the kids. At Eva’s first birthday there were hardly any kids so I did the candy apples for adults but this time, there were a plethora of kids so it was great to focus on them. I gave the kids a sand bucket with shovel, filled with “rainbow” stuff – freezies, rainbow goldfish, skittles, playdoh, sidewalk chalk, crayons and bubbles. For a guestbook, I had a copy of a “Somewhere over the Rainbow” book for people to sign (this is the same thing I did at Evalyn’s party). I also had tissue poms hanging in various spots and a 12 month photo display of Gwennie. I don’t have good pictures of either of these things because they were all on windows. The tissue poms hung in place of our curtains and the 12 monthly photos were mounted on scalloped rectangles and displayed on the window behind the food table.

I started to get a wee bit (okay a lot bit) nervous in the week leading up to the party because the weather forecast was not looking good. We were expecting about 25 people, plus kids and well, our house just isn’t cut out for that many people. We were so blessed that the rain stopped about an hour before the party started and the sun poked through the clouds, giving us a beautiful afternoon for the party. The bright side is that our icky, unfinished basement is in better shape than it ever has been since we got it all ‘cleaned’ up in the event I had to banish the boys downstairs to play pool. It was a good thing it turned out to be inside, too, because my Sweet Girl was pretty overwhelmed with the chaos when everyone started arriving. It was good for for us to get outside and spread out.

The day was all together so much fun – a wonderful afternoon of celebrating our sweet girl. I guess for the rest of the post, the best thing is to just let the photos do the talking…

Our Family

Normally I don’t think I’d post so many photos of people eating but every time I look through the pics, I can’t help but laugh at the “baby row”, as I called it. Seven little high chairs all in a row. Are my kids blessed or what?

The cake smash.

After Gwen was finished with her smash cake, I thought it would be HIGH-LARIOUS to pretend to smash it in Evan’s face. Then he started asking me why the icing stunk so bad. I was completely annoyed by him asking this out loud in front of everyone since Caley (who made the cupcakes) was sitting RIGHT there. And, well, you know, she's pregnant and hormonal and I was afraid she would cry and be embarrassed about the stinky icing. So I gave him an evil "shut your pie hole right now if you know what's good for you" stare and took a whiff of the cake to prove it didn't stink. And, yeah, you know the rest. Joke's on me. I was covered in icing for days.

It’s so hard to believe my second baby’s birthday has already come and gone. A year has been quick enough to go by in an instant and long enough to change our hearts forever. Thank you to everyone who has celebrated her first year with us!    

twelve months of gwenna

Gwennie Girl,

I blinked.

I blinked one short blink and suddenly, here we are. A full year (to the exact minute if this post publishes when it’s supposed to) since that beautiful July morning when you stole my heart and made me the mother of two.

It’s gone so fast. Yet, somehow, at the same time I feel like I have soaked up and savoured your first year in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I cherished those lazy naps in my bed with you. I cherished the months that you spent hours snuggled between Daddy and I in our bed. I cherished watching you grow and learn and develop and explore. I noticed every milestone. I didn’t wish it away. I cherished it all. Maybe because I knew just how fast these days would be gone.

You are my sweet slow down baby. When life is moving too fast, you have taught me, at the most important times to stop. To stop and slow down and just be.

You are a beautiful soul. You light up every room with your smirks, smiles and giggles. You make friends wherever you go, waving and chatting with everyone you see.

People always talk about the second child living the shadow of the first, and going unnoticed. I think those people are crazy. You are in the spotlight more often than you’re not. Because, you see, not only do a have a proud Mommy and Daddy doting over you, playing with you, loving on you and getting excited with you about every discovery and development you make – but you also have a Big Sister who loves you up just as much, or more, than we do. She is your biggest fan. I have waited and waited for the novelty of having you around to wear off for her – but it hasn’t. Of course, there are starting to be moments of disagreement and annoyance between you two, but for the most part, she adores every single thing about you.

My blue-eyed girl – the moments we have shared this past year are so cherished in my heart. There is something about the first year that’s just so special. You have come so far, changed so much. From a tiny little babe nestled on my chest to a walking, running, playing, spirited little girl who is joy to me. You are very evidently becoming your own person. You are dramatic and funny and silly. You love to be outside – bringing your shoes to me within two minutes of waking up and banging on the glass of the windows, screaming at me if we don’t head outside right!this!moment. You love your puppy. You love your Daddy. And the two of them together is the best thing. You love your big sister. You love to play with her and copy her and most of all, annoy her. You love all of these things – but at the end of the day, you are Mama’s sweet baby. You begin and end your days cuddled in my arms and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You have captured us – so fully and so quickly. It’s only been one short year – but it’s as though you’ve been a part of our family forever. We can’t remember what life was like without you, and we’d never want to remember. You have made our hearts a million times bigger and filled us with a million times more love than we could ever imagine.

Thank you, sweet girl, for being ours and for making this year the best one yet.

All my love,

Mama

party animal

The best part of Eva’s birthday this year was that she really kind of “got it”. She was excited about her birthday – knew it would mean a party, presents, cupcakes and balloons. Her party this year was nothing compared to last year in terms of the hours I spent planning, making decorations, making food and so on – but she loved it just the same. Well, in all honesty, she loved it even better since she didn’t have a clue what was happening last year. Let’s face it – the first birthday party? That was for me. But this year, it was all about her. And she soaked it up.

She actually got to have two parties this year. My mom had a little party for her when I was visiting since they, and my bro and sis-in-law, weren’t going to be able to make it for her actual birthday. It was just a nice dinner – shrimp pasta and croutons (well, Cesar salad, but in Eva’s opinion salad is just a vehicle by which to eat croutons) and ice cream cake – followed by presents! presents! presents! She was so excited to hear everyone sing happy birthday JUST FOR HER.

I think having this party a week ahead of time was fun because it gave her a little taste of what a birthday party entails and helped her become even more excited for the real deal.

Her party was on the day of her actual birthday and it started out wonderfully – the husband had been away for 10 days and arrived home at 7 am – just in time to sneak in to the birthday girl’s room and wake her up. She was so excited to see him. The morning was a normal Saturday morning and then during her nap we set to work to making the house into birthday party central. I decorated her door with streamers and piled a ton of balloons on the floor outside of it. Unfortunately, she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was less than thrilled when she came out and saw it. Oh well, she got over it quickly and loved the balloons. Bottom right photo? Entitled: It’s my  my party and I’ll cry if I want to.

Shortly after her nap our friends and family started to arrive. Once everyone was there, she opened her gifts and had so much fun. Of course, she wanted to open every single toy as soon as she saw it but she was pretty good at thanking the giver and moving on to the next gift.

After presents, everyone chilled while the boys fired up the BBQ and the deep fryer and got to work. A delicious supper of hamburgers, sausages, cold salads and some deep fried yummys. Eva was so excited to have most of her favourite people surrounding her.

After dinner, we got to the part that she had been waiting for – cupcakes and singing happy birthday. The gorgeous cupcakes and cake pops were made by Evan’s cousin, Caley, who also made Eva’s first birthday cake. Talented, or what?

Again, Eva was so thrilled to hear everyone sing Happy Birthday to her. She would have been happy if the singing never stopped.

It made my Mama heart burst to see just how much she loved every minute of her party. It was a splendid, wonderful, heart full day, to say the least.

two

Dear Evalyn,

You are two. This past weekend, our friends and family all crowded around you as we celebrated your second year of life. You enjoyed every second of it. It made my heart burst so see how much you soaked up all of the birthday festivities.

Of course, much of my time was spent reflecting on the journey we’ve shared so far. From the day I took a pregnancy test and found out you were coming, to the first time I sat in the doctor’s office and heart your little heartbeat, to when I saw your little hands and toes on the ultrasound machine, to the moment I gave birth to you saw your face for the first time. I have loved you so totally, so completely the whole way through.

You are the most spunky, energetic, creative, hilarious little girl. I can’t even sum up everything you do that makes me laugh on a daily basis. You are strong willed with a stubborn streak a mile long and you have a tender, tender heart.

Everyday I pray for you. I pray that you will love God. That your heart will grow bigger and bigger and be filled with love. I pray that you will believe in yourself. Never give up. I pray that you will always be the best that you can be and use your skills to serve God. I pray that you will never doubt Daddy and I’s love for you. That you will always feel wanted, cherished and loved by us. I pray that you will treat others with respect and kindness. Always use your manners and reach out to those in need. I pray that God will guard your heart from the evils of this world and give you strength as you face day to day life. I pray that your heart will be pure. I pray that as your mother, I will be able to help you grow and help mold you to be the girl that God intends for you to be.

You are beauty to me. You are joy to me. You are everything to me.

Here’s to another year together, my sweet little sidekick.

I love you with my whole heart.

Mama

xox

a birth revisited

In honour of my first born’s approaching birthday, this week will be dedicated to her. All things her. And to start it off today, I’m looking back on the day she was born. The most perfect, most wonderful, most beautiful day she was born.

Many of you were around two years ago and may remember the day she was born. But, some of you were not. And some of you may be birth story junkies like me, while some of you are not. So, if you’re interested – here’s her story once again….

~~~

As I look back on the events leading up to the birth of my sweet girl, I am filled with awe at just how perfect it all was. When I wrote last week that God had picked the perfect birthday for my baby, I didn't know just how true that was.

I will begin her story on the morning of September 21st, 2010. This was the second of two days that I had predicted she would be born on (the first was September 14th, which had long since passed).

The Dude had to do some work in the morning in the area of the city that is close to my midwife clinic and I was scheduled to have an appointment at 11 am so we decided to head in together, and I would wait for him while he worked, then we could kill time together and head to the appointment.

He finished worked, we headed to Tim Horton's for some coffee, apple cider, and a biscuit and then killed a few hours at the mall where we picked up some cutes for the baby and a birthday present for the BFF. Soon, it was time to head to the clinic. I was anticipating that my midwife was going to sweep my membranes and was hopeful that it would get things moving. As I mentioned before, I was beginning to have this sinking fear that I would never go into labor and was dreading the possibility of induction.

When we got into the office and she asked how I was feeling I did not hesitate to say, "Alright, do we get to do a stretch and sweep?"

You cannot imagine my disappointment when she said, "I'm sorry, we can't do a sweep today because Carrie (the on-call midwife this week) is at another birth". Even though they know I could have easily went into labor on my own, they don't like to set themselves up for having two simultaneous births, which I could understand. Yet, I was still sorely disappointed. She checked everything out, and told me that I could come back the next morning and we would do it then.

As soon as we left and reached the truck, I broke down in tears. I started sobbing. The Dude reassured me that it was okay, the baby would still be here soon, and we'd try again tomorrow. I told him I wanted to punch the lady who was in labour in the head.

I called my mom and told her what I thought was the bad news. We stopped at the pharmacy (oh, did I mention I also woke up that morning with a sore throat that was on it's way to turning into a full blown cough and cold?), and then headed home where the Dude fixed lunch for the two of us.

Immediately after lunch, I crashed in bed and slept for a good few hours. Little did I know how much I would value those few hours of sleep! When I woke up around 3 pm, we headed out to go for a big walk in the woods where the Dude hunts. During our walk, I started to notice some cramping that felt a little bit different than what I had been feeling in the past week or so. I didn't say anything to the Dude, of course, because there was no way that I could possibly be in labor for real.

By 4 pm, the cramps were definitely changing and I was pretty certain that they were real contractions and this was early labor. I still didn't say anything to the Dude, I had long since learned better than to get myself hopeful when "I thought something might be happening". After our walk, we stopped to rent a few movies and headed home where I fixed chicken, black bean and pepper quesadillas for supper.

While I was cooking supper, the contractions kept coming, each one feeling a little stronger and a little longer. I was getting hopeful, waiting for that magical longer, stronger, closer together trifecta.

We spent the evening watching a movie and skyping with a few family members, while I found myself getting in and out of the bath tub a number of times, feeling like this must be it. Around 9:30 pm, I said to the Dude, "I sure hope this is labor because if it is not ... I am a major wuss".

He said, "You're not being a wuss. You're doing fine. But let's try to take it easy and take it one step at a time".

I got out of the bath around 9:30 after half heartedly timing a few contractions. I wasn't paying super close attention, but I figured that they were coming somewhere between 6 and 8 minutes apart so I decided to call my mom.

Of course, her bags had been packed for weeks so I told her to get to bed and rest because hopefully she would be getting a call in the night telling her it was time. She asked me when I started feeling contractions and nearly blew a gasket when she found out I had been having them since 3 pm and hadn't called her. She said "How close are they? Are they 15 minutes or less? Because, if so, I'm coming now". I lied to my Mama. I said "Oh I don't think they are that close. You don't need to leave just yet". At this point, I was still so uncertain whether or not this was the real deal and I didn't want them to make the two hour drive if I wasn't sure.

She made me promise that if I had 6 contractions within the next hour I would call her. I had way more than six contractions. I didn't call her.

At 10:30, we got serious about spending a good half hour timing things and discovered that they were coming consistently at 6 minutes apart, lasting anywhere from 35-65 seconds each. At 11 pm, I took my midwives advice, and took the magical cocktail consisting of tylonel, gravol, and a warm bath and headed to bed.

Over the next few hours, the Dude was able to sleep quite a bit and I was able to relax and drift to sleep between contractions (and warm baths). The contractions were steady but they weren't hard to deal with on my own. I knew I wanted to get through as much as I could on my own so the Dude could save his energy. I also knew we were in for the long haul so I might as well ignore it the best I could for as long as possible.

At 2 am, I felt like things were certainly picking up so I woke the Dude up and asked him to help me time the contractions. By 2:45, we realized they were coming 3-4 minutes apart.

We knew then that it was showtime, so we called Nana and Papa and told them to get in the car and get their butts over here! We were going to have a baby….

Click here to keep reading… Part Two, Three, Four.

Okay, pregnancy brain! You win. I give up.

Yesterday was a completely normal day. Evalyn and I did what we do and when Evan got home, we had dinner, ran into town to do a few errands, had a snack, did bath time, and put Evalyn to bed. Evan was doing some work in his shop, so I cuddled up in my clean bed (yay for clean sheets day) and did some blogging, some research for work and some real estate perusing. He had to go to work at his side job around 10, so when he came in to say goodbye, I figured it was time to go to sleep.

Off I drifted into dreamland until about 11:30 when I was woke with a start to hear some high pitched, shrill shrieking from my girl. It only last a second or two and then she was silent again. Just enough to wake me up. And suddenly, as I was laying there awake, I got to thinking …

“What day is it again?”

Since I’m not back to my regular work schedule just yet, I feel like the days blend into each other and I’m never quite sure exactly what day of the week or month it is. I knew we would be going out for dinner with my family to celebrate some special events on Saturday. Which was going to be January 14th. And I was pretty sure this was Wednesday. Which probably meant it was January 11th.

My big sissy’s birthday.

The sister that I had had three or four text conversations with throughout the day.

The sister who I had never wished a Happy Birthday to.

How this is possible? I’m not sure. I thought that with the help of my EC Life Planner and Facebook I would never forget a birthday again. But I did.

Which is totally lame since I already have talked about thought about her birthday and know that we’re going to celebrate on Saturday. It’s not like I didn’t know it was coming. It just totally jumped out of my mind. Pregnancy brain, right?

I immediately texted her and told her I woke up and realized it was her birthday and that I’d never said anything and felt so bad. She’s pregnant, too, so I was kind of hoping she had forgotten her own birthday, too. But no such luck.

This morning, she texted me back and said it was no big deal, her husband forgot, too.

At least I can pull the pregnancy brain card. What’s his excuse?

Happy Birthday, Kris!

A Bushel and a Peck Birthday

I started thinking about Evalyn’s birthday party a few months ago. I was racking my brain trying to think of a creative, personal, cute theme that we could center her party around. We were out for a walk one day and I was looking around our farm and the area surrounding it and thought that it would be fun to play on the fact that we live in the country and her birthday is in the fall. My first thought was to do a pumpkin patch or harvest party. But, I just wasn’t feeling it. A few days later, she and I were playing together and I started singing, “I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck…”

And I knew. THAT would be the most perfect theme. I even knew that I already had a dress for her to wear that would fit so well.

The next few months were full of ideas and planning and craft and, you know, LOTS of list making. And in the end, I was so happy with the result. I loved her party. It was absolutely perfect. A day where we were gathered with our friends and family, celebrating the first year of this sweet angel’s life.

Most of the decorations were handmade, whether by me or someone else. A friend of mine from church used her die cut machine to cut out the letters and apples and I made the two sided banner using coordinating scrapbook paper and jute. It turned out 195893 times better than I pictured. The photo display was made using a frame that Ev built, painted and distressed. I printed her monthly monkey photos in sepia with a white border and used small apple die cuts, with brown letter stickers to mark the months. (And, um, yea, both the banner and the photo display are still hanging. And will be for a while). The beautiful painted canvas was a very special gift from my dear friend Gina. This was the first decoration that I had, and so, everything else was centered around it. And I love it. The tin flower pots were bought at Ikea and, again, I used a small apple die cut and brown stickers to personalize them a bit.

For the guestbook, I got a copy of the kid’s book version of the “Bushel and a Peck” song. I stuck some yellow cardstock inside the covers, and had it sitting out with pens so everyone could leave a message for the lady. I also used her first birthday portrait, caramels and other little apple decorations to put finishing touches on the decor.

The centrepieces were made with miniature bushel baskets from Michaels, filled with fall mums and handmade tags, done by me. There were four of them. I love you. A Bushel and a Peck. A Hug Around the Neck. A Barrel and a Heap. I gave these away as the prizes for the people who got the most points on the All About Evalyn quiz.

For the favours, my girlfriends and I busted our butts making beautiful, delicious caramel and chocolate apples. We used peanuts, skor bits, and reese pieces as the toppings. Yum. Tied them up with cellophane, coordinating thank you tags and jute – and there you have it. I also had brown paper bags filled with sweet and salty kettle corn – as that stuff, thanks to my friends, helped me survive the first year of motherhood. They were stamped with a small apple stamp, tied with jute and had a thank you tag as well.

The (gorgeous) smash cake was made for Evalyn by her ever so talented Auntie Caley. And the cupcakes were made by my mom and myself.

Now let’s move on to the party itself. Evalyn was surrounded by her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends as we celebrated her life. What a fun day! The weather was gorgeous. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

Tons (read: way too much) yummy food.

And a snoopy girl who wanted to dig into the gifts.

A few photos of the birthday girl and my family on party day.

She had so much fun opening her presents and definitely had some help from her cousins. The singing Mickey Mouse card? Highlight of her life. The chair she is sitting in so proudly was her birthday gift from her daddy – built with his own two hands.

Watching her smash her cake was hilarious, since she hates to have anything messy on her hands. She wasn’t so pumped. She would grab a chunk of icing and then shake it off her hand as fast as she could. Girlfriend doesn’t know what she’s missing.

It was such a special, perfect day.

One

My Evalyn,

Today you are one. How quickly you have changed, right before my eyes.

From the most beautiful newborn that I have ever seen

to my sweet, spunky little girl.

I cannot think of you without having my heart swell with pride, love and joy. I will get to all of your stats and fun things you’re doing another day. Today, I just want to dwell on you.

You have captured my heart in ways I could never imagine. From your first breath, I loved you more than I ever thought possible. I will never forget those very first moments, when your Daddy placed you in my arms and my eyes met my first born daughter for the first time. I remember praising Jesus for bringing you to me safely. I remember speaking to you, calling you by name for the first time, and smothering you with kisses. I remember looking at your Daddy and seeing the exact same expression of love that I felt in my heart. In that moment, I knew that we had been blessed with the greatest gift we could have ever asked for.

On that day, you made us a family. Just when I thought I couldn’t love your Daddy anymore, I witnessed him become your father. You have created a bond and a connection between us that is deeper than anything we’ve ever known. You are the very best thing we’ve ever done together.

Over the past year as I have watched you grow, I have become a different person myself. I have become fully and completely your mother. All things are different to me now. All things are for you.

Your laughter is what I look forward to each morning. I anticipate seeing you learn and grow and change every day. You are just so much fun to me. I cherish you.

Because of you, I now know a different kind of love. A love so whole and so real and so complete that it can never be replaced or taken away. I will love you unconditionally for the rest of my life.

Happy Birthday to you, my baby.

Love, Mumma

All About Eva

I wasn’t able to get the full birthday party recap post that I had planned to do ready for today because I worked last night and there is a lot going on in our family right now. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that Evan’s grandma is in very poor condition in the hospital and so that is occupying our thoughts right now. If you are the praying type, and you feel so inclined, we’d appreciate prayers for his family. Especially his Grandpa and Grandma.

Since I wasn’t able to get the recap post done (I haven’t even had a chance to sort through my hundreds of photos), I thought I’d give you something else today to keep in the spirit of birthday week. At the party, I put together a little quiz about Evalyn for the guests to complete. Apparently, I made it a wee bit too difficult because her father failed even after knowing the questions ahead of time, and everything. Two of her honorary Aunties did super well and won, getting 14 out of a possible 16 points. The Nana’s and a few other Aunties were close behind.

Anyway, I thought I’d share the quiz and see if any of you think you know Evalyn as well as we do! Feel free to leave your guesses in the comments if you want. Maybe there will be a prize. I haven’t decided, since sharing this is so spur of the moment.

So here goes … all about Evalyn:

All About Evalyn

1. What was Eva’s weight and length at birth? (2 pts)

2. Eva was born at:

a. 1:36 pm b. 1:26 pm c. 3:46 am d. 4:55 pm

3. Where is Eva’s most distinguishing birth mark located?

a. Forehead b. Left butt cheek c. Right butt cheek d. Shin

4. Evalyn has two middle names. Who is she named after?

5. When did Evalyn begin crawling?

6. When did Evalyn begin sleeping through the night?

a. 6 weeks b. 3 months c. 8.5 months d. HAHA! SLEEP? WHAT IS THAT?

7. Which of the following is not one of Eva’s first words?

a. Dada b. Hot Dog c. Fish d. Up e. Puppy

8. What were the names of the midwives who delivered Eva? (Hint: There were 3 of them, one point each).

9. Where was Eva born? (Be specific, 3 possible points)

10. What is Eva’s favourite song?

Silent Sunday: It’s HERE!

The decorations are made. The menu is planned. The guests are on their way.The day is finally here.

This afternoon, we’ll be kicking it autumn style with our family and friends as we celebrate the big FIRST BIRTHDAY of our Evalyn.

Stay tuned next week for a whole line up of birthday posts. I’m going to tell you about the theme, the dress, the inspiration, the invitations, the food, the decorations, the guests, the planning, the games, and on and on and on. I’m going to over do it. I’m going to annoy you. I’m going cherish the last week that my first child is a baby. I’m going to celebrate her life to the max. What can I say? My firstborn will only turn one once. Can you really blame me?

Hello, fall.

This past weekend marks the official end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall weekend for me, and so I wasn’t the least bit disappointed to see that the weekend brought fall weather with it.

We spent the past few days up north in the Muskokas at my parents new cottage. Which, I might add, is very quickly going to become my favourite place on earth, I believe.

My whole family was together – an event that becomes more and more rare as the years go by – and also one that I cherish more and more as the years go by. I celebrated my 25th birthday while we were up there and we also celebrated my brother-in-law’s 29th. There was fishing, boating, board game playing, eating, movie watching, and lounging. It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend – a great way to end off summer 2011.

We got home early this morning and Eva and I have been having a lazy day at home, doing laundry, playing and going for walks (bundled in a blanket, I might add). I’m actually quite excited to dig out the boots, sweaters, pashminas and blankets. Today I have a fall candle burning. The scent is called “Welcome Home” and it’s filling my kitchen with the delicious smell of autumn. Although I love summer and the fun that it brings with it, I always find myself ready for fall. I find it refreshing. It’s the best time of year around this home, for many different reasons.

I have a feeling summer hasn’t had it’s last hoorah, though. Something tells me we’ll see a few more scorchers. But for now, I’m cuddling up in a blanket with a hot chocolate and I’m welcoming fall.

Brain Fart Friday

Here’s what’s flying around my head on this Friday…

My iPhone won’t stop autocorrecting in to I’n. I don’t get this. I’n isn’t even close to being a real word. No matter how many times I change I’n back to in, it keeps happening. Frustration.

Something pretty spectacular is going down in two sleeps. I won’t say what. Just trust me. It’s pretty amazing.

Less than a week until I go back to work. The thought of this is starting to make me a little twitchy. Prayers would be mucho appreciated.

I cannot believe summer is coming to a close. This is the last “official” weekend. We’re heading to my parent’s new cottage and I’m crossing my fingers for great weather.

I’m counting down the days until Eva’s birthday party. It’s going to be so fun. I’m so excited to celebrate the first year of her life with those closest to us.

Speaking of her birthday, she’s going to be one in less than three weeks. Say what?!

I plan on getting my autumn decorations out next week. Too soon? I don’t care. Once labour day passes, all is fair.

I’ve been up to my eyeballs in canning and preserving stuff from my garden. I’ve done salsa (twice), peaches (twice), hot peppers, BBQ sauce, peach salsa and pasta sauce. That’s it for a while. After the birthday, I’ll do apple sauce and pears but for now, I’m taking a break.

That’s about all there is to say today. Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday to the N-A-N-A

Today, we wish my mom, her Nana, the happiest of happy birthdays.

You’ve been there from the very beginning and have been a help and support to me each step of the way. Not just since I welcomed Eva into my life, but since you welcomed me into your life.

A few weeks ago, I had a moment where I needed my Mumma. The tears were flowing and I was down. And, of course, my Mumma was there – with open arms and encouraging words. And I couldn’t help but think that I only hope I will be the same kind of Mom to Eva 25 years down the road that you are to me. One that is a friend. And a supporter. And, quite frankly, the best shopping partner that anyone could ever find.

Thank you for all that you do for us.

We love you!

Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday to the one who Rocks my Socks

Today marks 25 years since my Fabulous Dude was brought into this world. Although we’ve spent a million and two (okay, six) birthdays together … this one feels different.

Because this year, for the first time ever, I celebrate him not just as the love of my life but also as the father of our sweet daughter.

Evan….

You are the best playmate for your girl, the hardest worker for your family, and the most committed partner for your wife. Evalyn and I could never ask for more than what you give us every day. When things are uncertain, it is certain that you love us and will care for us.

Happy Birthday.

Love 2 You.

A Different Kind of Birthday

On Saturday, I celebrated my 24th birthday. This year's birthday was a different kind of birthday. Most years, as my family will attest to, I talk about my birthday for weeks (perhaps even months) before its arrival. I usually have a list of gifts I want, foods I would like to eat and activities I would like to do.

This year, however, something was different.

I didn't think about my birthday a whole lot.

I'm too busy thinking about someone else's birthday.

In fact, the Dude and I went to my hometown on Friday night to Saturday night to spend my birthday with my entire family and when I woke up Saturday morning it took me a while to even remember it was my birthday. It wasn't until Nana whispered something to Little H and he walked over to me and said something about "Birthday. Candles. Happy." that I remembered.

Historically, I have been known for nagging the Dude about my birthday for months in advance. The reason for this is because birthdays were not a big deal in his family but they were in mine. And, thus far, we have not found a happy medium. This year, in order to deter me from nagging him, he made a deal with me about a month ago that he would spend $100 on my birthday gift but every time I mentioned anything about it, he would knock $10 off. Totally unfair, right? Anyhow, I didn't talk about my birthday at all for the month - again, not necessarily because of his redonkulus deal, but more because I just wasn't even thinking about it. But, um, I think his deal was pointless anyway, since he didn't have a gift for me on Saturday. Way to go Dude.

I know that this year's birthday will be the last of its kind. From here on in, I will have a little person to think about on my birthday, as well. I can tell from the way I felt about my birthday this year, that things are changing - my identity is changing. It's not just about me anymore. It's about my baby. And that's okay. It will be fun to share a birthday month and I am looking forward to celebrating my 25th and my baby's 1st birthday next year. And maybe, just maybe, the Dude will even get me a gift.

***Update: Since I posted this this morning, I have recieved a number of hurtful comments (which have been deleted). You should know that the Dude's idea to knock $10 off my gift every time I mentioned it was a silly joke - it has nothing to do with his character or the quality of our marriage. And, he did not let my birthday go by unnoticed. He wanted to give me the choice of buying a GPS for our car or going shopping together post-baby for some new items for my wardrobe. If you read this post and got the impression that the Dude mistreats me, you obviously don't read my blog enough to know my writing style, humor, or the type of relationship we have. Maybe I should also let you know that one year for his birthday, I gave him a crepe pan (and nothing else) simply so that he could make crepes for me and my BFF. Do you think he should leave me because of that, too? If you are only here to search for ways to leave comments that are rude, disrespectful, and offensive to myself, my marriage, my husband, and my family, please don't bother coming back. A simple Happy Birthday would have sufficed.

A Little Boy's Birthday

I spent the majority of last week at my parent's house, hanging out with all the girls in the family and Little H while the boys were up in Quebec on a fishing trip that they got as a gift from "Santa" for Christmas.

We spent most of the week just chilling out together but there were two special events that took place. Little H celebrated his 2nd birthday and my sisters and mom hosted my first baby shower. Since my baby shower was on the same day as Little H's birthday, we celebrated a few days early.

We packed up early in the morning and headed out to meet up with Shanna and her kids to spend a few hours at Storybook Gardens.

One of the first things we saw, the Little H just loved, were the Sea Lions.

He said he wanted to "Kiss dem Sea Lion. Catch it sea lion" and we found him talking about the Sea Lions quite often throughout the remainder of the week.

Little H and Mommy watching the Sea Lions.

Shanna and C enjoyed checking them out, too!

After the Sea Lions, we went to play in the play ground for a while.

Those slides are just too much fun to handle!

Then we watched a Puppet Show. Well, some of us watched a puppet show. C did not like them puppets, so Logi took him away to play in the playground while the rest of us watched. I thought the show was so neat since it was telling one of my very favorite childhood stories about the Little Red Hen who tried to get all the other animals to help her plant the wheat, harvest the wheat, grind the wheat, and bake the bread, only to find that everyone was too busy to help until the fresh bread was made and they could smell the deliciousness. Has anyone else heard that story before?


During the show, some of us just chilled.


After the show, we got to take a turn becoming some favorite nursery rhymes.

Then, we sat down to enjoy a picnic.

And finally, before we headed home, the boys got to take a spin on the Carousel.

We drove home and spent the afternoon playing, opening presents and watching Diego. Ah the life of a 2 year old.

For supper, we had tacos and ice cream sundaes which Little H clearly enjoyed.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest two year old on the block! Auntie Li Li loves you.