May Musings...

Well, another couple of weeks have come and gone, and it would appear that spring has finally stuck! I am so glad too, b/c this little apartment was starting to feel a little like prison!
We went and visited my Aunt Shannon last week, and we went to the park. I guess Grace forgot that she lived at the park last summer b/c she threw the HUGEST fit when I put her in the swing and at first the only way she would go down the slide is if Shan went with her.

Luckily my aunt is a very good sport! Kai on the other hand loved the swing and didn't really want to get out!
Brit came up last weekend and we took Grace and Kai to the mall for a bit. As per usual, we HAD to hit up the carousel, so that is always fun. On the bright side, Grace is now willingly getting off when the ride is over, so we are definitely improving there! Pretty soon I am sure I will be on a first name basis with the chicks that run the thing though.The other really fun thing we did last week was go out to Olive Garden with Pankhursts. Totally weird that it took us a month and a half to finally make it there! Well worth the wait though!!

Kai really loved those breadsticks!!!
Daddy's and their Girls

So being up here I have noticed a few changes with my girls. Some are good, (Kaia getting teeth definitely helps the whole "eating thing"! Grace's potty training helps the whole "mommy thing"!) But I have noticed some not so great things as well. Grace has gotten a little bit of an attitude. As in, I now sometimes wonder where my three year old went and why she left me a teenager. I am really unimpressed by this, so that gives me something new to work on, and the other thing that has started taking place is Grace has started beating her sister up. I definitely do not like this new development. So it really helps my sanity to walk into the room from time to time and see something like this...
Maybe my daughters will fight... ok for sure they will, but hopefully they will also always love each other. Even though they may sometimes forget.
(And don't worry, this babe has some feistiness in here too, she can hold her own!)

It was a Zoo!

So, after tons of bugging on Grace's part, we decided to go to the zoo this past weekend. Not the best idea we've ever had. (And by we I totally mean me.) Who in their right mind goes to the zoo on the first really nice day of the season. (Which by the way also falls on the May long weekend!)
So, we get there, and all the parking lots are full. Overflow parking it totally full. Awesome. After driving around for like twenty five minutes, and one mini snapshow on Ben later, we decide to stalk a family coming out of the exit.
We finally get ourselves up to the ticket line and wait for about fifteen minutes, once I get to the front of the line I ask to purchase an annual pass. The lady looks at me like I am completely handicapped and explains that I just stood in the wrong line. Wicked. So off we go to the longest line known to man. Forty minutes later I am at the window to purchase my annual pass. I had decided to get a guest pass so that I could always have the option of taking someone else with me. Being as it was only 65 and the regular one is 55 it seemed like the smart thing to do right? Hmmm, so as it turns out you actually have to purchase a regular first, then you purchase the guest one on top of that. Well I didn't really want to shell out that much cash, so I figured I would get myself the regular one and then just get Ben the day pass. Wrong. Apparently that window was only for annual passes. So my options were buy the darn pass or go stand in the other line, (which by this point had doubled since I originally stood in it.) So I get two regular passes. Once I am done that I go meet Ben and Grace. My thoughtful and much smarter husband points out that it would have made a lot more sense to get a guest pass and pay the extra ten, since he really isn't gonna come that often. ....................................................
So back in line I get. However, this time I just kind of budged everyone, and jumped back onto the same window I had just left. Luckily no one noticed, b/c I guaruntee if someone had I probably would have been shot in the back or something. So, we get them changed and off we go. FINALLY! I was pretty jazzed up b/c I was sure Grace would love the zoo. The second we walk through the gates Kaia starts crying. She would not stop! So Ben and Grace went off to check out the Canadian exhibit and I sat on a bench off to the side and nursed Kaia. (Sidenote... I strongly dislike nursing in front of people, so I went to this secluded bench that was off behind some trees, but I still got glares from people and even heard a few rude comments. Needless to say I was totally embarrassed. I was using a nursing cover for goodness sake!) I wish I could say that after she was fed she was good, but that just simply was not in the cards! She basically cried the ENTIRE time. So that was fun.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was a gong show! There were thousands and thousands of people there and the lines to see the animals were endless, the heat got uncomfortable and people were totally inconsiderate! There were (at every single exhibit!) these middle aged people standing right in the way, taking up tons of space without any regard toward the KIDS waiting to see the friggen animals! So, needless to say, we did not check out the entire zoo. After two hours of pushing our way through crowds and catching random glimpes of the occasional animal we were done. And my little girl who has been so pumped to check out the zoo? She had spent the last hour asking to go home and refusing to look at anything anyway.
Well, the good news is, I now have these passes and so we will have plenty of time to try again. And if anyone out there really believes I am happy about that... well thanks for thinking so highly of me!
ps. I have this guest pass, so if anyone is coming up... lets get the money's worth shall we!

So, here is half of this massive snake... I am really just putting this picture on for Kel. Love ya!
And here are my favorite animals in the world!

Smiling Through the Rain!

So we are onto our third week up here and we are still having so much fun! I am seriously hoping that this blasted rain goes away and maybe someday we experience spring, but we still seem to be making do with the bad weather. (Although this lingering cold we are passing back and forth would probably go away if we had some sun!)
We have been to pet stores, baby stores... (hello E-Children!!!) the mall, (Grace and Soph are seriously addicted to the carousel!) and the various other places that Lethbridge seems to be lacking in. (Aside, of course, Anna Banana) So the girls are definitely loving living here b/c it is an adventure for them every day!
I have to admit that I was wrong. Calgary is a pretty fun place to live if you're in the right area. (Which we seem to be!)
Potty training is going quite well, the only things I am having trouble with are the whole public bathroom thing... although that could just be genetic.. and pooping. We are accident free, because she just holds it in. Until bed. When the pull up goes on. Its kind of frusterating b/c she tries to go as soon as she feels like she has to, but she just can't seem to make it happen. In the nearly three weeks since we started it has only happened twice. So if anyone has suggestions, I am listening! I am not complaining though! Thus far it hasn't been a headache at all, so I am lucky. I have to say, even the hard things in parenting are rewarding. Who would have thought I would get so excited about the sound of pee in a toilet!

Anyway, here are a few pics from the past couple weeks...

Mother's Day...


Grace and her Auntie Brit

K... this is random, but here is a picture of the biggest bee I have ever seen! And I truly believe it
very nearly gave Grace a heart attack! Luckily I had bug spray and Kelsey holding some paper towel!

Me and my honey... at the lunch Apx took us out for!

LIfe Changes!

Well, we're moved up, and getting settled in. It took a little longer than we had anticipated due to a couple of setbacks in the moving department, and then Kaia decided to get Tonsilitis and once we had a handle on that she developed Baby Measles.

So that was fun, but now we are here and having fun! Grace is LOVING having her best friend directly across the hall, I am loving having my best friend across the hall, and I am sure Kai feels the same way about Ella. (Not to mention how darn excited Ben and Spence are!!!) Kelsey's apartment and mine pretty much have revolving doors, and it is great! (Although safety handles on the door have come in handy for those times when maybe our girls should stay home long enough to sleep and eat.)
At the urging of Kel I thought that I would post a couple of memorable "Grace-isms" that she has spouted the past week.

We stayed at my parent's house for a bit before we moved up here, and one night we were bathing her before bed, on the towel we gave her was a picture of the Coppertone Baby. Grace looked at it for a while, then turned to Ben and asked him (in quite a concerned voice), "Daddy, is this a child?" We aren't sure if she was worried about the little girl's modesty, or what, but it was a cause of concern for her nontheless.

Last week Kelsey and I took the girls to Co-op. (Which by the way is by far our new fave grocery store!) So the girls are riding together in the cart while Kelsey pushes them, and Grace turns to Sophie and tells her, "Its just so nice having you around!"

We had Brit here this past weekend and we were telling her a story, and whatever had just been said she found it hard to believe so she exclaimed, "Shut up!" (As in- "No way!") Anyhow, Grace knows that that is a bad word and we don't say that, in fact, she usually tells the offending person that. Brit was expecting this, so she quickly apologized to her and said "I know we don't say that." Grace looks at her and says, "Its okay, sometimes good people say bad things." Eyeah.

Anyway, we have started potty training this week... (again!) I know that there are moms out there that are wondering what the heck I waited so long for... Truthfully? I got real lazy! So, now its time, and so far it is going great. I say that one day in, but I am hopeful!

Well, here are some pics from that photoshoot we did with Mand a couple weeks ago. She is amazing and I cannot rave enough about her! I am so lucky to have her as a photographer and friend! I love her to death!