Shhhh!

07.31.2011

Little man has had a rough week...giving mom a run for her money.
His normal rather easygoing personality disappeared & he turned into Mr. Fussybuckets!
That is why we are rejoicing by the nap he decided to take spontaneously in the middle of the floor this afternoon...ah sweet reprieve! What a difference it makes to the tone of a day when the baby sleeps and is not fussing/crying all day :) I honestly have no idea how moms of colicy/cranky babies survive! My hat goes off to them all...

Reaping the Rewards...

I am so lucky my hubby has a green thumb because I definitely do not (I even killed a cactus once!). This lack of ability combined with many years of childhood garden chores has left me disliking the whole garden process very much...except reaping the rewards. And oh boy - do I love the rewards!

Our family favourite?
Peas.
By far.
Yumm.....

Evidence

07.29.2011

Holy smokes, did this one wake up in a rotten mood today!
It has been a bit of a challenging week with sick babe & grouchy toddler...and I just didn't think I could take another day of grouch...so I worked hard to come up with some toddler-approved distraction.
Making cookies for daddy was the only thing that got a "yes" (after exhausting many other ideas) - phew!
This little man loves to be a "helper".
This little man loves to "taste", "taste" (I'm pretty sure that the reason no lunch was eaten was because so many tastes of cookie dough occurred).
The evidence is all over his face (& clothes...& the counter...& the floor) :)

Stampede!

07.22.2011

Yeehaw!
This weekend we were off to Morris, MB for the Manitoba Stampede.
My BFF from high school days married a bull fighter and now they have two boys...they spend their whole summer on the road, but this weekend is the only pro rodeo in MB, so the only weekend convenient for both our extended families to get together (our parents are best friends, too, and both from MB - we all pulled our campers there and parked right behind the bleachers in the infield). I look forward to weekends like this as it brings back many memories of growing up with horse shows, rodeos and fairs. It was definitely a weekend full of good friends, family & fun!
G & G were so excited to take the boys to their very first rodeo (well first one that B could really understand what was happening, at least). B soaked it all up, loving every minute of it! I was amazed how still he sat for the rodeo performances two days straight, and jumped right on the midway rides all by himself (no fear in this one). As for the little guy - he cooperated pretty well, making rodeo time naptime and just chilling (thanks to big cousin) while big bro had a chance to be an adrenaline junkie (if you can call kids rides that, lol). Momma's fav part was the sitting around - visiting and giggling, and watching B with his G&G taking it all in. I'm so glad we ventured out on the road again for this weekend.
Thanks to our rodeo friends for making it such a great weekend...we haven't seen you in FAR too long and so enjoyed our time with you :)
D-man: you make a great sheep fighter (I bet you follow in your Daddy's footsteps) and B-man: we can't wait to see you competing in the timed events one day!
Let's not leave it so long for a repeat!

Owie!

07.28.2011

Oh dear! B dropped a piece of wood on his big toe last night while outside "playing" with daddy...

This morning, the first thing out of his mouth was "owie" (pointing to his big toe, with a dramatic grimace on his face). The second thing out of his mouth was "band-aid"? (with the corresponding nod and raised eyebrow...when he is asking for something and wants you to say yes...like he is willing you to nod your head yes as well). So out came the band-aids, and onto the big toe one went. Then he asked for another on the next toe, with another "owie" (this toe was uninjured).

I can't believe we have hit the "dramatic owie with accompanying band-aid" stage already! (I love these polka-dot jammies, too!)

Brothers

Love.

Favourites

07.26.2011

You are at my favourite stage right now (although every stage is my favourite).
You are happy, constantly smiling, and totally finding your voice.
You tell stories like nobody's business, sometimes so loud it sounds like you are yelling.
It doesn't take much to convince a smile from you...and you charm many strangers with your big sparkley eyes and toothless grin.
You are always kicking, flinging your arms, and squirming around.
You sure love your big bro, and he sure loves you.

Insignificant

As I was hopping through the long grass on the way back to the car after snapping the canola pics I happened upon this little guy...
(I'm not exactly sure why I've personified it - perhaps because it was a lone puffball amongst a forest of grass).
Although the settings on my camera were all "wonky" (and I didn't realize this until downloading the pictures several days later) and the pictures not as sharp as I'd like, I just loved the light and the tones and it totally encapsulated the day for me.
Warmth. Heat. Love. Serenity. Peace. Strength. Glow. Pride. Joy. Detail. Thankfulness.
Weird how something so seemingly insignificant can bring upon and symbolize everything that the day meant to me and everything that I felt throughout the day, as disconnected and random as it all was.
Powerful :)

A little vent...

07.26.2011
I just have to ask...
why does gaining weight have to be so effortless and losing weight such a struggle?

I am really, really needing to focus on making healthy choices (even when I really, really don't feel like it).

{sigh}.

Iconic...

For me, one of the most iconic of prairie summer landscapes is the canola field...bright yellow blossoms against a prairie blue sky.

It seems we have been on the road a lot lately and with crops so late around our area, I've had ample time to appreciate the blooms. Each trip I've told myself to stop and catch the beauty of the fields, but in true "Jana-style", I kept thinking in my head "I'll stop at the next field"...and then never did. So on the way home from Manitoba this weekend, I made myself take the time and stop (although daylight was almost gone and this particular crop is almost finished blooming).

And the next day, I snapped this with my phone (I love fair weather cumulus clouds - aka: puffballs)...

Loving taking the time to appreciate beauty in the everyday :)

Camping

Call me a bit naive...
I was REALLY looking forward to our annual camping trip to Kenosee.
Last year I just found the time so productive yet peaceful and relaxing that I couldn't wait to indulge in the same this year...
Let's just say I found out camping is not nearly as relaxing when you have a 21-month old who has hit the "terrible twos" a few months early. I'm not sure exactly why this realization surprised me...nothing in life is really all that relaxing when you have a 21-month old who has hit the "terrible twos" a few months early. These nearly two year old beings are totally unpredictable jekyll & hydes! Sweet and happy one minute, devil incarnate the next and just wait a few minutes and you are guaranteed a sobbing or screaming mess! Life is definitely not boring!
So, what did I do with my dilemma you ask?
Simple.
I lowered my expectations.
As in way lowered.
No productivity. No peace. No relaxing (well just a different kind of relaxing).
Lucky for me, I had G & G join the mix for several of our days there, which really helped my sanity level.
We walked, we biked, we endured rain, heat and wind, we sat by the campfire, we napped, we went to the beach, we went to the playground, we attempted to catch bugs, we swatted bugs away, we dug, we dug, we dug...
We had fun!

 We definitely can't wait to do it all again!

Off the Grid...

07.13.2011

I'm sitting here.
I shouldn't be sitting here.
I have a zillion and three things to get done before either of the beings I bore wake for the day tomorrow...
But still I sit.

Today was a day full of emotions and stuff I just want to get "off my chest" so to speak.

First of all...happy bday to my hubby! I'm sorry this day didn't end up to be the celebration I had all planned out in my head. I hope there was part of your day, at least, where you felt special. We love you so much. There is a raincheck on your celebration supper. Promise.

Second of all...the McLaren family lost their matriarch in the wee hours of this morning. It wasn't really a surprise (her health had been failing of late) and is really a blessing for her (no more pain, confusion & suffering) but yet I still feel sad. Sad because she was my last grandparent to "go". Sad because I have so many wonderful memories, and although she has been institutionalized for several years and lived 94 long years, her passing makes it so final. Sad because my Dad lost his mom today. Sad because inevitably, one day in the future it will be me losing my own mom (and this is all the more real to me now that all my grandparents are gone, and my own parents are grandparents now). Sad because I regret not taking Baby S to meet her (I kept saying "next time I'm home"). Sad just because....

Thirdly...I am back after being off the grid for 10 days. We were camping. More on that to come. Some of us around here are in definite need of "detox" (not pointing any fingers...but his name starts with a "B" and he's about 3 feet tall).

Fourth(ly)?...I am a master procrastinator (this just in case you haven't noticed).

Fifth (and final)...homeboy loves himself some naptime in the vibrating/bouncy chair. Thus in turn, momma loves vibrating/bouncy chair (and has taken to lugging it around with us to every destination). If only you could have observed his crunched up coziness in this contraption today. Pure love.

With all the emotional swings today brought, I'm left feeling drained. Exhausted. With a list a mile long. Oh well...nothing like leaving it to the last minute. Its my way of making life just a little more exciting (after all, what fun would leaving on time, with everything you need, not having to turn around, or haul a second bag, having hair brushed & makeup on, trying to pack the car without a screaming baby & grouchy, attention-demanding toddler...be?).

Anyways...I'm back.

Dirt

07.03.2011

If there are two things that you are good at they are:
1. "helping" your dad

2. getting "durt-ee"

You are quite the kid...

0.02.2011

Some of my favourite things about you right now:
- you love, love to be chased and then tickled (you laugh & laugh & laugh)
- you say please & thank-you (although it is more like peees & tank you (and thank you is usually in a tiny little quiet voice for some reason)
- you say "bless you" whenever you or someone else sneezes, coughs or makes a funny sound
- you play with my hair when you are being held
- you gently pat my back when you give me a hug
- you say & do things to get a laugh out of dad & I...we can tell when you do so cause you just pause and look at us with a little glimmer in your eye...it tells us that we should think you are really funny
- you like to say "ummmm" in response to a question and then will either say "no way" or "yesh"

Hello July!

07.01.2011

Hello July!
Happy birthday, Canada!
What a great welcome to the start of the second half of 2011.
We enjoyed a really beautiful day weather-wise (if you discount the wind)...warm, but not blistering hot.
The boys enjoyed playing in the backyard in the morning while momma went for a bike ride & in the afternoon for a couple hours when momma went to the park to work a concession shift.
We enjoyed supper in the park, visiting with friends, and best of all...some quality family of four time :)

Although we all didn't last until the fireworks started, momma set up her camera outside the house anyways...really wanted to try & capture some of the action (something I'd never attempted before)...definitely have a bit more to learn about it, but am excited I was able to capture something.

Around our house, we are excited for all that July brings...camping, swimming, visiting & a bit of travel.
What are you excited about this July?