Still Sick

Today marks day 8 of being sick. I hate it. I hate it a lot. The worst part is that because I am pregnant, I can't take anything for it. It started as mostly head congestion and now it has spread into my chest and I am coughing. Greg won't let me take the cough suppressant, which I can take, because he is convinced that is what led to my pneumonia after I had Finley. So basically I am suffering with severe heartburn, congested face, sore throat and chest and coughing. I am taking Fisherman's Friends which helps temperarily but not long term. I am hoping that by doing absolutely NOTHING tomorrow but lay on the couch and watch tv I will be good to go for Monday when I must return to work. Keep your fingers crossed that this works!

Tonight I am going to get "Carried Away" with my sister as we head to the 745pm showing of Sex and The City 2 - maybe that is all I will need to feel better. Will give my review tomorrow from my couch!

Happy Saturday everybody!

Stupid Calgary Lab Services

As everybody who is pregnant knows, the gestational screen for diabetes during pregnancy is one of the worst things you have to do. It is gross, disgusting, time consuming and just plain awful. When I was pregnant with Finley, my test came back and I had to do it all again for a second time. It was not pleasant - although the lab at Golf Canada Square had a special room where I could hang for the 2 hour second test.

Last week I went for my check up and was given the requisition to have this test done again. I had to have it done by the 30th of May which left me little time considering my trip to San Francisco. I was too tired to do it yesterday so this morning I got up, took Finley to daycare and off to the lab I went. It was impossible to get through to the appointment line so I had to take my chances. I was given the orange crap at 738am and was told that she would give me the 2 minute warning as I had to have it all drank by 748am. They forgot to tell me my 2 minute warning so I completely lost track of time and didn't finish it until they came to me at 802am telling me they messed up and I would have to do it again.

I was so frustrated for several reasons: I hate waiting there, I still am feeling like crap, my sister arrives tonight and I still have to have this done by Sunday. So I left the lab very angry and attempted to call their appointment line so I could book another time to test. After being on hold for 30 minutes I was told I was going to have go back the old fashioned way and wait my turn.

So now, I have to get up bright and early tomorrow morning, go back to the lab and do this all over again. SO NOT VERY HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!!

Bay Area Observations

Here are some interesting observations that I discovered during our trip:

1. 1. I love how environmentally conscious everybody was. There was never just a trash can, there was always a trash can, a compostable can and a recycling can. Plus everything your food was held in was made of compostable materials. It was just fabulous to see. The amount of Hybrid's was ridiculous. Everybody has one and all the taxi's are hybrids. I think part of it is that San Francisco is populated by those who want to make a difference in the environment, but you get all kinds of crazy tax incentives for driving a hybrid and you are allowed to drive in the car pool lane during rush hour which could be a huge bonus. Regardless, it was wonderful to see!
2. I also noticed how you paid the same price for organic, hormone/chemical free products as you did for regular products. In most restaurants, organic, hormone free was your only option. In Trader Joe's, the organic milk was same price as non organic milk. Here in Calgary, you have pay $6 for a litre of organic milk which is like 3x the amount of regular milk. We went to a farmer's market where we got dairy free, gluten free, organic free-range chicken corn dogs and it wasn't even abnormally expensive. Why can't I have this here?
3. Several restaurants in Fisherman's Wharf claim to be the inventor of both sourdough bread and clam chowder in a bread bowl idea. It seems weird to me that they all claim this but I kinda relate it to "The Best Cheesecake in NY" because every place you eat there has this claim and it was clearly not the case. I think Boudin takes the cake for sourdough invention - they have the coolest bread factory I have ever seen but not too sure about the clam chowder. Greg did have clam chowder in a bread bowl at one place and it was really good he said. Crazily enough, it wasn't one of the restaurants making the claim.
4. I don't really understand the attraction of Fisherman's Wharf. It was kinda cool but other then food and souveniers there isn't much there but a crap load of tourists. I would think if you lived in the Bay Area, you wouldn't spend too much time there. We did a complete walk through of it once on Saturday afternoon before ending the evening at Fog Harbor Seafood, which was delicious, and the Aquarium of the Bay. We had lunch there another day and walked through it to get to other places we were going. I would recommend not going on a weekend as the weekdays are so much less busy. We went to the Submarine down at Pier 43 or 45 and it was early in the morning and it was so peaceful and all you could smell was sourdough and clam chowder being freshly made.
5. Alcatraz was by far one of the coolest tourist attractions I have ever been to. I loved it all! Finley and I sat on the bottom of the boat because I get crazy seasick if I am on top and Greg went up and took some really good photos. I would definitely recommend going to Alcatraz and am looking forward to visiting there again when my kids are much older so they can appreciate it.
6. Finley hated highchairs while on vacation. This meant getting a quick lunch in while she was napping in her stroller and experiencing some major meltdowns at supper time. Eventually we figured out that as long as she could sit in a booth on her own, she would eat and be happy. I was concerned that this behavior would follow her home, but I put her in her highchair last night for a quick snack before bed and she was fine.....knock on wood.
7. Everybody seemed to own a Louis Vuitton bag. No matter where you went, there was a tonne of LV. I thought it was maybe just tourists but judging from the Airport, I think they are locals. You still had your standard COACH, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs and whatnot but it was predominantely LV. I had just purchased 3 brand new designer bags myself and I still felt inferior to those around me....
8. 12 degrees in San Francisco is a lot warmer then 12 degrees in Calgary. We averaged about 14 degrees the entire time in San Fran and about 25 degrees in our 2 days in Vacaville/Napa & Sacramento. The wind is quite chilly there and always blows in the same direction - at least that is how it was the whole time we were there.
9. Cable cars and the F Train are cool for a short distance but overall they are brutal. It is something touristy that you need to do when in San Fran but it is not a very effective means of transportation. The BART, MUNI train and regular bus service is SO much better. My only complaint with any form of San Fran transit is that the elevator that you take to get to the street/concourse level from the actual station reeks of urine. And the worst part was that it didn't even matter which area or form of transit you were using. A local told us that this was quite common for the homeless to urinate in the elevators. This surprises me since the weather is so much nicer in the bay area that you would think they would just do it outside. Even Calgary elevators don't stink like that. I understand that money is tight in California but cutting the maintenance of your transit system that is used by both locals and tourists should be a big no-no. I felt dirty and disgusting every time I had to wait underground to get somewhere.
10. Westfield Center is probably the most amazing mall I have ever been in - EVER! Seriously it was amazing - both with the food court, the stores but the design was remarkable. It had spiral escalators through the middle of the mall. It was 8 floors of heaven with such stores as Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, Macys, Victoria Secret, Kate Spade, Frederick's of Hollywood, Kenneth Cole, Kiehl's, Michael Kors, Movado....I could go on and on but seriously it was just amazing. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
11. Access to Outlet malls!! Within an hour from San Francisco, you have access to Gucci outlets, Saks Outlets, Barneys Outlets, Coach outlets, Michael Kors outlets, Converse outlets, Burberry outlets, Gymboree outlets, Carter's outlets....I so wish I lived that close to an outlet mall....although I am pretty sure that both Greg and my bank account are happy that I don't! I did manage to get a fabulous Gucci bag from the Saks outlet which truly made my day - not to mention that I also purchased another black coach bag (Yes Greg I have 3 black Coach bags but the are all necessary due to the pattern, size and style), a gorgeous maroonish color Michael Kors bag and another black coach baby bag - this one with a shoulder strap. In order to get the baby bag, I had to promise Greg I would "try" to sell our existing black coach baby bag - any takers? haha. Finley & QuiniferBrae* also got some fabulous new clothes too!

I am sure that there are more but at the moment, that is all that I can remember. If I think of any, I will be sure to post them! All in all, we had a great time and can't wait to go back when Finley is older and can appreciate what she has seen!

Will start posting some photo blogs tomorrow hopefully. I have some on my picasa site and hope to have them on facebook soon too. Now, I must go rest up and try to get rid of this stupid cold and hopefully watch Lee win American Idol. Hopefully I won't be disappointed like I was with Dancing With The Stars!

We Made It!

Well we made it back from San Francisco last night! We left for the airport yesterday in San Fran at around noon Calgary time and arrived at our house at 9pm! Needless to say, it was a super long day! Our flight was delayed about 2 hours due to weather coming home, so that really sucked and we ended up missing Finley's swimming lesson last night. It was her first in the new season, so hopefully they don't mind tomorrow when we show up!

I was quite surprised with the level of security at the airport in San Francisco compared to the security in Calgary. Which do you think was worse? If you guessed Calgary, you were right. In Calgary, we had to empty every inch of our carry on, baby bag, and I had to take my laptop out of my laptop sleeve. Then Greg went through this intense body scanner and Finley and I got searched from a security guard. They patted down every square inch of both Finley and I. Even our hair and the bottoms of our feet. Once that was done, the scanned the hands of the agent who patted us down, then my hands and then all of my belongings before I could touch them and put them back together again. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to hitting security on the way back. Thankfully, the airport in San Francisco had a special family line which had no line, we threw our stuff in a bin, took our shoes off and walked through a machine - and were done! It was amazing! So much more efficient and effective then what we did in Calgary. We reason it was because Canada is much more worried about sending terrorists to the USA then we are about letting them in.

Anyways, Finley is at daycare today and I am trying to get over an unwanted souvenier that I brought back from California - a stupid cold! It is so awful, my head is so congested that I feel like it is going to explode! At least the stupid heartburn that has been killing me the last few days is gone! Taking the next few days to recover and relax before my sister gets here!

I am working on my observations blog, should be ready to go later today!

Hello From San Francisco!

Hope everybody is having a good long weekend! I heard that there is snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow in Calgary! So glad I am not there!

We've had a great time so far in the bay area! Yesterday was a LONG day and at the end of it, I was wanting to go home so badly but today is a new day and so far, so good!

We spent the first 2 days in Napa & Vacaville, which were hot and awesome! We also hit up Sacramento to see the Capital Building - unfortunately no glimpses of Maria or Arnold. How cool would that have been? I even got to see my first ever orange tree!

Yesterday we arrived in San Francisco which was MUCH colder then Vacaville! We went to the Golden Gate Bridge, had lunch in FIsherman's Wharf, went to the SF MOMA (which btw, is not as cool as the one in NYC...but it had one good floor), played in a park, rode a cable car (so not as cool as it looks), and took the BART to Oakland for an A's/Giants game. I kid you not, I seriously could've used my toque, mittens and scarf there. It was so cold, I thought I would never be warm again! I also got a concussion via Finley's head during the 3rd inning. I have a headache that won't go away and a fat lip.

With exception of the BART, transit here sucks and is severely archaic. I made a promise to myself last night that I would NEVER diss the C-Train back home again....I am sure that will last about 2 days....hahaha

Anyways, off today to Alcatraz, the Farmers Market, Fisherman's Wharf for supper and then Aquarium by the Bay. Hoping it's a fun day without too many tempertantrums from Finley. She seems to be the queen of those at the moment.

I have made some observations about my trip, which I will post once I get home as well as some cools pics....but until then....Have a safe long weekend everybody!

Happy Anniversary!

I am actually doing this post on Monday since we will be in wonderful San Francisco on Thursday which is when you will be reading this and actually our 4th wedding anniversary!

Some days it feels like this photo was taken forever ago and some days just like yesterday. So much has changed since then: we bought and sold our first place together, we bought a new house in suburbia, we have a beautiful little girl and another coming in August, done a lot travelling and some cool things along the way.

No, it hasn't been perfect nor easy and I know there are times when we drive each other crazy but at the end of the day, it has always been worth it. I realize every day how lucky I am, how lucky we are and it is not something that I would ever take for granted.

Happy Anniversary Greg! Thank you for all you do! I love you!

Finley's First Black Eye

So judging from the fact that she woke up with this black eye, I don't think Greg and I are wrong to assume that stitches before her 2nd birthday is a huge leap.

I was getting Finley ready for daycare this morning when I noticed her eye. At first I thought it was dirt from all the playing outside we did, but then I remembered she had a bath before bed last night. Upon further investigation, I noticed it was indeed a black eye and the bone over the eye was swollen a bit.

I have no idea when or where this happened and am hoping that our daycare providers are not getting the wrong idea when I tell him about this latest addition to Finley's ever growing collection of bruises and scrapes. I was a little traumatized about all the markings but Greg says she looks just like an average active toddler who is fazed by nothing....

I tried to get some photos of her bruised eye, but it was almost near impossible...these were the best I coud get...

Finley's First Knee Scrapes

I knew this was inevitable. That it was bound to happen sooner then later. To be honest, I was quite surprised that this only happened yesterday and not much sooner. Finley's first set of scraped up knees.

Yesterday we were dropping Iggy off at my Aunt & Uncle's place to babysit him while we are in San Francisco. It was a beautiful Calgary morning and we were sitting outside visiting with one another since my other Aunt was visiting from Edmonton and would be gone before we got back. Finley was having a blast playing outside and seeing all the new things that are outside at Aunty Leslie's house. She was thirsty so I gave her a sippy cup and she continued to play around outside with it in her hand. She was running on the driveway when she tripped - over what, I am still not sure - and fell on her knees and cut them up. She probably could've avoided most of it had she dropped her milk and broken the fall with her hands, but what can you do. She was fine after some cuddling from her Daddy & Aunty Leslie.

Here are some photos that I was finally able to grab of her legs today after bribing her to sit on her chair and have a snack - notice in one of the photos all the bruises on top of the scrapes - this kid is crazy rough!! Both Greg and I are certain that stitches will be given before her 2nd birthday - hopefully we're wrong!

Safety First

Greg's been installing new flooring in QuinferBrae's* room and soon in Finley's room, so because cutting the wood is quite loud, he wears safety ear mufflers or whatever they are called. He had left them on the front bench earlier in the week and Finley grabbed them and wanted to wear them. She never quite got them on right, but she had a blast!

*names are not as they appear in blog...

Finley's 18 Month Vaccinations

Today Finley went for her 18 month vaccinations. They were supposed to be last week but I had to reschedule due to the nasty virus that went through our household! Typically, she's done very well with vaccinations leaving all her nurses to be pleasantly surprised. I was a bit concerned this time round seeing is much older and more aware of what is going on around her. When we were brought into the room, I think she sensed what was going to happen which didn't please her at all! She only cried when the vaccine went into her arms not when they went it or came out. And as soon as she was done, she was as happy as can be playing with her gigglin baby! She was rewarded by having a package of Gerber Graduate for Toddler Tropical Treats. She was thrilled with the treat and with the fact that she doesn't have to go back for 3 more years!!

The public nurse measured her height and weight. She weighs about 28 pounds and is 34 inches tall which puts her in the 97th percentile for height. They were impressed with her growth since her 12 month shots. She went from 50th to 97th percentile in just 6 short months! However, the nurse did tell me that Finley was "heavy" for her height but that she wasn't concerned - yet. I was a little upset with this and was happy that we were going to see Dr. Bernhardt right after this so I could see what he thought.

Finley had a great checkup with Dr. Bernhardt and was right on track for her age group. When I asked him about the nurse calling her "heavy", he replied with "does she look heavy to you"? And of course I said No. He said he could tell by looking at her that she was just fine and that I had nothing to worry about which made me very happy!

All in all, a good day for Finley!

24 Weeks - Now & Then

Earlier on in pregnancy #2, I was traumatized because I was SO MUCH bigger with this baby then I was with Finley - and I thought I was huge as it was the first time round! Everybody told me that it would even out and of course I refused to believe them but thankfully, I have! As you will see below, the first photo is me with Finley and the second photo is me with baby #2 or as we call her QuiniferBrae (if you watch Glee, you will understand....NO this is not going to be her real name....).

Me with Finley at 24 weeks
Me with QuiniferBrae* at 24 weeks

This pregnancy is going much better then the first one. Only heartburn and the baby squishing my bladder and making me have to pee every 7 minutes are my complaints. With Finley, I had a 12 page list. I think it's because QuiniferBrae* is carrying much lower so not as much strain on the rest of my body. Greg thinks it's because it is the second time round and we know more what to expect. Maybe we are both right? Haha Another obstacle I have encountered recently is my ability to bend over - it's almost impossible! I never noticed this with Finley but I think that's because I never really had to - except to feed the cats and iggy. With Finley, I am always bending over picking her up or her toys or something. I am not sure how it's gonna be as this pregnancy progresses!

As for the nursery, the paint is done, the floors are done and we just need to go purchase new baseboards and have them painted and installed! Am happy that this is almost done but sad because when it is, it means Finley's crib will become QuiniferBrae's* crib and she will be in her "big girl" bed!

I will do Now & Then photos at about 28 weeks to see if we are still even paced as far as belly goes....

*Names are not as they appear in this blog.....

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I celebrated my second mother's day with my wonderful husband and daughter. I also realized that I have been a mom for about 18 months, 10 days approximately and what a difference it has made in my life. A difference I really didn't think would occur. Not sure why, but I didn't think it would impact my life so soon, like it did. I also realized that I have only spent 2 mother's days with my mom since I was in the 10th grade - which was like a LONG time ago. It's not because I don't love my mom, just that when you work in a restaurant like I did in high school and university, you don't get to celebrate with your mom - but everybody else's mom instead. Then I moved to Calgary and well here we are today. So I don't think Mother's day is as important to me in terms of what and how I think of my mom, but more the days we do get to see each other instead. Regardless, I realized after having Finley how blessed I was to have such an amazing mom in my life - I seriously don't know how she did it all by herself with my sister and I but she did and I think we turned out alright!

Here is a photo of the day I became a mom. I became a mom at 8:52am on October 29th, 2008. I vaguely remember the moment that a) Finley was born and b) this photo being taken. This was the first time I held Finley. I think I saw her after she was born in the surgery room but I don't really remember. I remember Greg saying "Here's Finley" and I tried to push her away. I remember waking up at 4am and being able to feed and change her and having no idea what I was doing. Thankfully there were some cool nurses that could help me out! I remember after I was admitted to the ICU, my mom & sister bought me a card and a framed photo of Finley to put in my room. I remember reading the card and crying because I felt guilty that I didn't have all this love for Finley or being so happy that I was a mom not because Finley got to go home before me and I was still stuck in the dungeon Rockyview Hospital calls their ICU ward. I like to blame this on all the drugs, needles, iv's, tubes, and medical treatment that I had gone through but I guess we will find out with QuiniferBrae*. I don't remember the exact time that I felt like I was a mom, but I am thinking it was sometime soon after this photo was taken and we were both at home together! Regardless, this day forever changed my life - maybe not right that second, but changed it was!
This was the morning of my first mother's day in 2009. Note the shirt I was wearing. No Finley did not buy it for me. I bought it at Old Navy back in 2006 because I was having my bridal shower the week before my wedding which happened to be on Mother's Day. I still can't believe how small she was back then...although I am sure I was thinking "I can't believe you are already 6 months old" ..... By the time this photo had been taken, I definitely felt like a mom, like her mom. She was so dependant on me for everything and I loved it! She was such a good baby, she made everything seem so easy!
This is still Mother's Day 2009 but at Johnston's Canyon in Banff National Park. It's one of my favorite hikes and it's a nice brisk one that is great to start the hiking season off. It's always our first of the year! I love the look on her face, she looks so totally spaced out...hahah. It was so easy "back in the day" to get Finley to stay still while you took a photo. Of course, that could be because she wasn't very mobile either!
Mother's Day 2010! My second mother's day! Finley refused to sit still with me while we took the photo. I know, shocking that she was the problem with the photo and NOT me! She was so full of energy and wanted to run around and be free! My mother's day started off with breakfast in bed. I would like to say that Finley helped Greg out but truth is, we were up early and she slept in so she only woke up just as Greg gave me my meal. It was delicious and much appreciated! Look how BIG Finley is now though, it's amazing how much they change in 12 months!
Here is my mother's day present! The bumblebee pot is from Finley via Grandma Toot and the plant in it is from Finley and QuiniferBrae*. The plant is poisonous to cats and since we have 2 who like to climb, it will be on top of my shelving unit thingy in the kitchen where they will be safe from Quincy & Luci. We had planned on heading to Banff or Heritage Park for the day but the weather forecast showed rain this afternoon and it was snowing briefly this morning after breakfast. We decided to hang out at home so while Daddy finished putting floors in the new baby's room, Finley and I learned about team work and super heroes from Yo Gabba Gabba, we danced to The Doodlebops and shopped till we dropped downstairs in the kitchen. Greg then took me out to lunch to Boston Pizza and we all had a delicious meal!
Here is Finley jumping on the couch - something she is not allowed to do but does anyway. If you can't read it, her shirt reads "Perfect Just Like Mommy"! No I did not buy it for her. Her Great Aunty Sandy also knows that I am perfect and bought it for her! Glad to know that my perfection is noticed by others!

After lunch, we came back home and Finley had a nice nap. Greg and I had planned on watching SNL from last night but we both fell asleep after the third skit and woke up when i was over. Finley woke up and we played some more while Daddy did more work in the baby's room. Then Greg surprised me by taking us to the Cattle Baron for supper which is probably the best steak house in Calgary. It's reasonably priced and the quality is phenomenal! I highly recommend it if you enjoy good steak and are ever in Calgary!

All in all, today was a wonderful day spent with Greg and our best girl Finley. I can't really put into words how she has changed my life but I am sure if you are a mom yourself, you understand what I mean. If you are not, one day hopefully you will. I sincerely hope that you all were able to spend some time with your kids and mom's and if you couldn't, at least made the effort to show them that you remember.

So with this, Greg, Finley, QuiniferBrae* and I are wishing Grandma Toot, Grandma Gail, Grandma Jen, Great Grandma Erna, Great Grandma Janet, and Great Grandma Annette a wonderful mother's day and that we love and miss them lots!

*Name has been changed due to privacy until baby is born. Baby #2 will not be named QuiniferBrae

Famous Quotes In Honor Of Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day tomorrow, I found some wonderful quotes that made me think of my mom, my daughter and myself as a mom.  I hope you are inspired by these as I am....

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers
                                                                                             Jewish Proverb

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother
                                                                Lin Yutang

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness
                                                                                                   Honore de Balzac

Being a full time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs....since the payment is pure love
                                                                                                   Mildred B. Vermont

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.
                                 Rajneesh

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children
                                                                  William Makepeace Thackeray

The Virus Has Gone Viral....

Finley had it last week, Greg had it earlier this week and now I have it. I started feeling kinda off yesterday morning but just assumed it was because I had a large glass of regular milk which can make me sick at times. But it progressed through the day and by 6pm last night, I was done. I was so weak and tired that I couldn't even pick Finley up to put her in to bed last night. I didn't have a very good night and this morning I was still violently ill and decided that it would be best to stay home. I just called and rescheduled Finley's 18 month vaccinations until next week since I am not capable to do this and Greg has a an afternoon meeting he can't get out of. Greg dropped Finley off at daycare and went to work, leaving me home alone in my house in hopes that I get better FAST!

I am hoping that I only get it for one day unlike Greg & Finley and can be back at work tomorrow......

Ryan & Colleen's Wedding

This past weekend, we attended Ryan & Colleen's wedding back in Saskatoon. We weren't sure we were going to make it, but SO happy we did! What a great time we had visiting with everybody. Here are some photos:

Finley before the ceremony at the church! She had super cute pig tails but she kept them in long enough for her hair to dry and then pulled them out. She had some pretty funky hair going on. People even commented on it....haha

The beautiful bride Colleen and her parents....

A 60 minute wedding ceremony totally wasn't Finley's thing. Thankfully there were a box of books in the chapel that we could play with that kept her busy for awhile but eventually we had to move into the waiting area where we practiced walking up and down the stairs. She's been able to walk up the stairs for months now, but walking down is new. She is doing very well with it

Finley showing Uncle Brad & Uncle Neil how she can do the puzzles. This was after the ceremony in the church entry way before leaving for nap time...for Greg that is....haha

Finley with a barrett in her hair. She kept this in for about 5 minutes before pulling it out. Her bangs are getting long and I can't stand her hair in her face so I get pretty anal about the barretts and I refuse to cut her hair even a smidgen..

She insisted on wearing one of her Aunty Kristy's necklaces to the reception at the Forestry Farm Hall. She is certainly the cutest little gal in the entire world. But of course, I am biased...haha
If you look by the palm tree, you will see a little girl. Her name is Cadence and Finley played with her during the church ceremony.

Ken & Marleen giving a toast. Ken had probably the funniest speech of the night.

Finley and Makayla (I think that was her name) playing during the reception

Daddy & Uncle Brad giving Finley swinging rides. She loved it when they do that!

Ryan & Colleen's Wedding Cake - made out of ice cream! They had an island theme for their special day which was kind of ironic considering how frigid and nasty it was outside. It definitely warmed you up when you walked inside!

Time for the cake cutting! They didn't serve this cake to the guests, they had 4 other ice cream cakes with island photos on them that they served to everybody. It was a hit for all who were there!

And she is out...for now. She slept here for about an hour between Greg and myself. She woke up and had her second wind. It didn't last long and this wedding became the first time I have ever left a wedding early. We had a babysitter in my mom and sister but Greg and I both were super tired and knew we had a long day ahead of us the following day so we called it a night at like 10:30

Granny Jane caught Colleen's bouquet - how cool is that!

Ryan & Colleen's first dance! The back of her dress was so pretty - so glad we were able to get a good photo of it!

For more photos, check out my facebook or picasa page....

Congratulations Ryan & Colleen Florizone!

Ashton's 1st Birthday Party

On April 30th, Finley's littlist cousin turned 1 and on Sunday, we went to his birthday celebration before heading back to Calgary! It was a great chance to visit with the family since we most likely won't be back until Thanksgiving weekend!

Finley getting a new giggling baby from her Great Aunty Sandy. She loved it so much that she insisted on bringing it to daycare this morning - along with her yellow hot wheels car...strange girl...

The family hanging out before lunch

Kristy and Easton figuring out how much more Easton had to grow before he was taller then her.....not too much more E!

Finley relaxing in the giggling, vibrating Elmo chair that Ashton got for his birthday from his Grandma & Grandpa C.

Finley's Grandma Toot bought both Finley & Ashton a shovel and pail set. Finley insisted that she needed to carry both of them. I really hope she share's better at daycare!

Greg getting his Nintendo DS fix by helping Madi get past some level.

Not too sure what the munchkins were doing here.....

Ashton looking none too impressed with this birthday celebration. He had no idea that this was all for him!

Easton, Madi, Finley, Tanner & Ashton....bestest cousins!

Finley and Madi. She LOVES Madi! She is always so happy when Madi is around to play with her!

Ashton did grab the cake himself but the big chunk of icing on his face is compliments from his Great Aunty Roxie!

Ashton enjoying what I assumed was a delicious birthday cake!

All done! He had to have a bath before he could open presents!

Kristy & Aunty Patsy trying to get out of the way while Greg tickles and fights with Easton & Tanner
Present time! Ashton was much more interested in everything but opening presents. His older brother and cousins definitely helped him out!
Finley wearing the hat that Madi & Tanner bought Ashton. Ashton thought it wa funny to see her like that...

I have no idea what Madi & Finley were doing but Finley is playing with the camera that she bought for Ashton!

I am really happy we decided to stay for Ashton's birthday party! We had a great time and even though we didn't get back to Calgary until almost 10pm, it was definitely worth it!

Happy BIrthday Ashton!