The Wolsey Family

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2011-12-17T08:16:00.001-07:00

Kaia Rose is three!

2011-07-29T22:16:00.004-06:00

My little girl just had a birthday!

I just love the heck out of her! She seriously makes me laugh every single day and I cannot imagine my life without her! I am so lucky she chose me to be her mommy!

Justice?

2011-07-09T20:55:00.003-06:00

So I want to post something that has occupied my mind a lot lately... due to the fact that I was on mat leave and watched every day of it...

Caylee Anthony.

Most everyone knows the situation. Most everyone thinks the same thing.

I am not going to rehash everything, what I want to say is this-

I am so thankful to be a mother. I am so thankful for the children I have been blessed with.

(Yes, ALL 3 of them!)

I am sickened over a mother that can act the way little Caylee's did. I am sickened over the lack of justice this little baby is going to get. I am heartbroken for her grandparents who loved that little girl like their own.

I am grateful however. Grateful for the knowledge and faith that she is in heaven with so many people who will love her and treat her as she deserves. Grateful that life doesn't end here on earth and that it only gets exponentially better on the other side.

I don't know what would possess a mother to act the way hers did. What would make a mother do the things she did. What I do know is even if she is not going to receive any sentence on earth, there is a much greater one waiting for her on the other side.

My heart breaks that there are people- doing everything they can to have children even if it means hurdling a crapload of obstacles...yet people who NEVER in a million years should be allowed near a freakin child, let alone having them- get to birth and neglect them.

All I want to say is I appreciate my children so much. I love and adore them more than anything in the world and I really hope and pray that little Caylee is feeling that someone up there feels the same way about her.

Avaleigh Britany....

2011-05-10T18:18:00.010-06:00

Well, she is over a month old and I still have not posted. It has been an absolutely crazy past month... still it's about time I got on this!

Our little girl arrived one hour and twelve minutes before her due date... so all that worrying for nothing! She came fast, thus depriving me from receiving any drugs so that was unfortunate- slash totally sucked, but we got through it like so many other mommies have.

She is such a good baby and we kinda love her a lot! Grace is so pumped and for the first few weeks she wouldn't leave Av's sight. Kai is also loving being a big sister and takes every opportunity to kiss her and tell me she loves her.

The other big thing happening in our lives is Ben moving to Regina for the summer. Spence had a few guys drop out and so they made an exception and had Ben go out to help him. It is going to be a really good thing for us, so we're excited but we definitely miss him. It's been a bit of an adjustment to go from having a husband and two kids to no husband and three but we're making it work. Luckily I have really good kids!

Anyway, because it is so crazy around here this post is gonna be short... here are my faves of the pics Kel did for us...

These ones were right after she was born- Kel didn't take them- my sis did, but i love them too.

This is all Kel's handiwork...

And then six days later...

I made it!!!!

2011-03-25T19:13:00.006-06:00

So today is a huge relief for me! I made it through work- that ended tuesday, I made it through my pedi, my wax and my hair appointments and most importantly- I got to see my little girl dance this morning- and get her first gold medal!!!!

I have been having contractions off and on for about three days or so and the doctor told me I am indeed dilated... though I didn't ask how much... so I was seriously stressed out that I wouldn't make it to this morning's competition. I am about 39 weeks and both girls were born just before 38 before... so we cut it close.

Grace and I have gotten up every single Saturday since the end of October to make it to eight thirty am rehearsals for this dance. Hour and a half rehearsals. (I am not a real morning person either.) We have practiced at home and we have missed things... (like sleeping!!) to do this. Grace is the youngest kid in the class for this, she was four when she started and the majority of the rest of the kids are about seven, so its been a pretty big deal. She took it very seriously and wanted to do such a good job- and she totally did!!!

When she walked onto stage today I seriously almost got emotional because I was so grateful to be there and see her hard work pay off. I am so proud of her and I am guessing by the medal still around her neck at this moment means she is kinda feeling the same way.

(And now, everything is checked off and we can have this baby...)

Grace and one of her AMAZING teachers Maryn...

We seriously love this chick!

Should I be freaking out???

2011-03-02T19:40:00.005-07:00

Ahhhh!!! The answer is maybe...!! I am kind of shocked that March is here already. My list of things I really needed to do... has only grown longer! Hahahaha! This is the craziest month and I am starting to think I may not get everything done I needed to! I really should come up with a name for this baby... thats kind of one of the bigger priorities. I have about ten names, but with my first two I totally knew what they were gonna be called. This one... I am wondering if she's gonna come home "Baby Wolsey". That's an exciting thought. Gracie's bday is next week and luckily I actually planned ahead and the cake is ordered, the pool booked and the gifts are bought... so long as baby three doesn't make an early arrival we should be good there! After that we have my mom's bday, (and its an important one!!!) Grace's ballet competition (also really important!!!) and work work work. I am booked until the 22...like really booked! I am honestly praying soooo hard that I can keep this babe in until then! I really really want to finish my clients this month! So I will be sitting on my stool at work with my legs crossed really hard. (TMI? Sorry!)

I am still unsure as to whether or not our new car seat will even fit in my car with the other two... so thats kind of an important (and relatively easy one!) to check off, but hasn't gotten done. We have to figure out a new house being as the one we are currently in is only two bedrooms...

Also, by this point doctor's appts are supposed to be every week... well, I last saw my doc the first week of February and my next appt is not until the 17. Haha! Hopefully; a- the babe stays in that long and b- she isn't breach or something!

Wowza. I mean I am fairly known for being a procrastinator... but this is kind of ridiculous! Hahahaha!

Meh, everything always works out right?!

Fatty Pics!

2011-02-24T19:30:00.007-07:00

I am going on 35 weeks now... my attitude is hopefully improving... ok it probably hasn't much but I know I am going to love this little chick like crazy when she gets here...

Until then Kel has been taking pictures of me and my girlies and I must say she is a pretty phenomenal photographer! Have I mentioned that? Yeah I have and will continue to do so!

Here are some of my fave pics she took...

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

2011-01-08T17:08:00.008-07:00

Every year I get really geared up for Christmas. I love love love it! I put my tree up Remembrance Day weekend, I have my iPod loaded with Christmas music the day after Halloween and I start Christmas baking mid November. I do not tire of the music, I don't mind the shopping.. although I have been done by November the past two years... and I love the craziness of it.

I just wanted to post a couple of my favorite memories from this year's holidays...

Twelve Days of Christmas... it was a new tradition for us and one we'll definitely keep!

Visits with Santa...

Our annual gift opening with Pankhurst's.. slash goofy photoshoot!

Getting quality time in with my favorite people...

Christmas Eve! My favorite night of the year!

Christmas jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Carlson...

Santa cookies and milk...(and the baking and decorating that goes with those cookies!)

Santa gifts!!!

THE FOOD!!!!

Most importantly- family.

And last but definitely cutest... Christmas Photoshoots! (Ok, I wasn't actually there for this photoshoot, but Kel did such a great job...as usual!!)

So Here's The News...

2010-12-03T20:00:00.003-07:00

I have put this off for so long.

I have seriously neglected posting anything other than pic posts for the past few months simply because I was kind of... not telling... for a while... that I am prego.

Yup.

Me, who shouted from the rooftops I was done at two has a bun in the ol' oven. Just over six months in fact.

I am not going to sugarcoat this post- it was completely unexpected... and I was not thrilled at first... okay- or even now. HOWEVER, that being said, I AM fine with it now and I know without a doubt that this baby chose our family and we are going to be so blessed by her. Yup- her. Not only was she unexpected... (notice I am not saying unplanned... thats on purpose people) but she is also a she. When we found out we were expecting we were positive that meant Ben was getting his boy. Why else would we get knocked up whilst on the 99% affective pill? (I warned ya'll I wasn't sugarcoating...)

Anyway, the ultrasound was a couple weeks ago and there was very little doubt as to what our baby is. She gave us a nice, clear spread eagle shot. Now, unless there is something very anatomically wrong with our little boy I am fairly certain its a little girlie in there.

Were we disappointed? Yup. Was I surprised? Nope. I really feel like Heavenly Father gives us little signs sometimes to prepare us for things in life, and the two weeks prior to our ultrasound I had probably five dreams about having a little girl and whenever I thought about what it might be I knew. I wish Ben was getting a boy to "pass on his man knowledge" to, (his words not mine) but I guess one (or all) of our girls will be fluent in "guy-ese".

I do wish we hadn't told as many people what we were hoping for because the awkward pauses and then quick reassurances from well meaning people start to make me a little tired. (Although, if you know me at all you know I do love an awkward pause for the most part... and this isn't sarcasm either!)

I am actually okay with having only girls, I kinda love the heck out of the two I already have and I have already come up with a few positives of having another one...

*I don't have to send a son out on a mission. (Now watch- all my girls will decide to serve!) Listen, I know its a blessing, but honestly I can hardly stand grocery shopping without my kids.

*The circumcision debate. Yup, when it was up in the air as to what were having I had already had four people tell me what I HAD to do. Divided opinions.

*I am not gonna have to buy anything! (Now thats not to say I am not GOING to buy anything... I just don't have to...)

*Girls pictures are so much cuter. Kel, Mandy and I are already making plans.

*Girls clothes are cuter.

*Headbands for babies are just getting cuter and cuter

So, I will love this little girl after she is born. She is getting an amazing dad and the two best big sisters a girl could hope for, and life will be great. Now we just have to come up with a name...

I LOVE Autumn!!!!!!

2010-10-07T17:50:00.007-06:00

Here is the little girlie's reward for being good during conference... surprise surprise- they wanted another photoshoot!!! Luckily- their insanely talented other mom was game and Kel took some amazing shots!

Family Pics...

2010-09-16T19:46:00.004-06:00

So mad props to Kelsey for so many things, but right now I am talking especially about being the bestest best friend and taking some seriously awesome pics of my family! I love them so much!!! Here are just a couple of my faves... I am so lucky to have an insanely talented best friend!!!

I can officially die happy now...

2010-08-22T19:37:00.008-06:00

So I got to have my dream come true this past week. For the past few years I have been slightly obsessed with Michael Buble. He is my number one, all-time favorite singer and I was dying to go to his concert. So when I found out he was coming to Calgary- you best believe I was all the freak over that!

However, when I went to buy tickets I discovered that they were soooo expensive. The cheapest tickets left were near the top for 118 dollars. I just couldn't justify spending it. Not for horrible seats. So I figured I would have to settle with watching his concert dvds over and over, again and again.

But then-

Two weeks ago one of my friends and co-workers Cheryl approached me and asked me if I was going to the concert. I said no, and she went on to tell me that one of her clients was trying to get rid of her tickets for 50 bucks each. I was up and getting my money out before Cheryl had finished talking. Yup. in all 65 bucks and I was going to see my guy!

So we got there, and were on our way to our seats. I am not going to lie- they sucked. They were about as far and as high up as you can get. But I figured, you know what? Its Michael Buble! 65 dollars. Worth it. We walked past the door to get up to our seats and as we were turning around this random Saddledome worker guy walks up to us and asks "Is it just the two of you?" We told him yes, so then he asks us- "Do you want floor seats?"

Insert joke (that I hate- mind you) about bears defecating in the woods here. Only heck yeah!!!

Well, down the rabbit hole we go, and honestly- I am expecting to get turned back around and sent right back up into exile- but alas- they were legit!! Row 31 was a serious improvement over Siberia.

Naturally 7 opens for him- (seriously- youtube them... they were amazing!!!) and then HE gets on stage. My. Heart. Stopped. He was freaking amazing!!!!

So halfway through this amazing, funny, entertaining show Michael, or Mikey B as I call him now, hops off the stage and saunters... (surrounded by a million huge security guys...) down our aisle!!! Literally- inches away from us. Cheryl is having a heart attack at this point and I am having a very serious inner battle- I am sure its a struggle that many people have to come to grips with in their lives, and it is probably the hugest decision I've ever made- Touch him or Take his picture.

I went with picture. I mean, eventually I'm gonna have to wash my hands right? And anyway, Ben's and my wedding picture was getting a little outdated on my bookshelf. It totally needed replaced.

(I know its kind of blurry- my camera decided to die right around this time. We're standing right next to the people with the old hands.)

And if that isn't exciting enough, we turn around and they, unbeknownst to us- set up a freaking stage right behind our seats!

So he sings a few songs there and he was amazing and we got some sweet videos compliments of Cheryl's iPhone. Our night is made right? Nope. (And here's the part where I go all crazy teenage hormone-driven fangirl-) Cheryl and I were standing on our chairs which put us eye to eye with him on the stage. If we had stepped down instead of standing on them we would have been at the stage, but in all the craziness this never really occurred to us till after. Anyway, I was desperately trying to get a good picture of him except the spotlight was shining right directly on him, thus shining right on us. All of a sudden, he sees my camera, realizes what the issue is and tries to block the light for us and poses for my picture!!! Eye contact people. I felt it. He felt it. It was magical.

Hand up to block the light...

Leaning out to smile for me...

Anyway, it was one of the best nights of my life and I am so lucky I had a friend like Cheryl to hook me up. And Kel- I promise- next time you're coming!!!!!!

Here's a nice closing shot to remember him by...

Heres the video of him posing for me...

HELP ME PLEASE!!!

2010-07-05T17:42:00.002-06:00

K. I totally screwed up my blog! HELP!!! How do I undo what I did!? I tried changing the design and got it to the point that i can't even change my background! Why do I pretend to know how to do computer stuff when I so obviously can't!? Does anyone know how to undo changes after using the new blogger design stuff? Am I being entirely too broad and need to specify what I did? I hope not because I couldn't even begin to tell you what I did. Kelsey... come home and help me!

Our Little Ballerina...

2010-06-20T19:40:00.003-06:00

Last week was Grace's ballet recital. She did so well and didn't even get nervous! She still keeps asking me when her next recital is because she loved being on stage so much... (which shocks me due to the shyness factor that affects this kid!)

I am so proud of her and am really looking forward to more recitals! It was so fun.

Dead Babies? Are you freaking kidding me!?

2010-06-13T09:34:00.002-06:00

I just have to get something off my chest. I don't know if anyone reading this did this, (hope not...) I don't know if anyone reading this wholeheartedly agrees with them... (I don't) and I don't even know if anyone reading this saw them... I did.

The other day I was driving home and went through the intersection by the University. There were five picket signs and a ton of protesters standing on each corner. On those signs- that you literally COULD NOT get away from due to their volume- were dead fetuses. Covered in blood. It was so friggen shocking to me and I cannot believe these people. The protest was for abortion and it was Pro-life. Now, here's the thing. I am totally pro-life. I am against abortion as well. Totally. However- I do not, in anyway, support people holding up the hugest signs ever covered in dead babies! I had Kai in my car, luckily Grace wasn't with me- because try explaining that to a four year old. I do not sugarcoat things for the most part with her. We are very honest with our kids, however that is no more appropriate for my four year old to see than it is for me to see! It was seriously disturbing to me, so I can only imagine what it would have done to my little girl.

Let me be clear, I am only expressing my opinion on my own blog. I don't wanna seem like a hypocrite here, but I just really feel like there is a time and a place for things and this was neither of them. It was at rush hour, and I am certain it was planned that way, so a TON of people saw it and it was on one of the busiest streets in the city, especially due to construction. I guess I just want to know why some people think it is ok to bombard you with their opinions. I would never try to change someones opinion by force ever! I am OK that people think and believe different things. I am ok that we don't all agree on everything. So why is it acceptable for different groups, be it anti-abortion, gay rights, religious zealots, etc, etc- to try and push their opinions down your throat?! And don't even get me started on questioning why only certain groups seem to be acceptable or PC in doing so... that's a whole other blog post.

It rubbed me the wrong way and I had to get it off my chest. I would really rather not drive down the street in my city and have to take in the spectacle of anything that inappropriate again. But I'm sure I will.

Where I'm At... (today anyway...)

2010-05-30T09:27:00.004-06:00

So, for grad, we got my sister in law this book that is full of lists you fill out about yourself. Sort of a biography... (autobiography...?) Anyway, I loved the idea and it got me thinking about my lists of faves. Since I use this as sort of an unofficial journal sometimes, I am gonna put down a small list of my faves right now. (Keep in mind this is a completely superficial list. I am in no way going deep or meaningful here.)

*Shreddies. I go through the weirdest food phases, and Shreddies are my go-to right now.

*People magazine. No phase- I've read it every single week for pretty much the past five years.

*Forever 21. Pretty much everything I own is from there. Its cheap. Its cute. And the shipping is free if you spend over 75 dollars. What more can you ask for?

*Perfume. I have specific faves, but I have a collection of like twenty bottles in my bathroom. I lovelovelove smelling nice things- and its nice when I'm one of those things.

*New clothes for my girls. I get such a weird rush when I get them something cute- I already plan the next photoshoot that we'll take in them.

*Photoshoots. I am definitely addicted. Mandy started me on them and now that Kel is taking pics I am a lost cause. There ain't no going back.

*No-Bake Cookies. Also known as Haystacks, Cowpies...(eww!) and Macaroon Cookies. Yum!

*Anthropologie. I cannot afford a dang thing, but it is the first thing I have on my "when I win the lottery "list.

*Phantom of the Opera. The music, the movie... the play- even though I haven't seen it- YET. Even the sequel... k, the sequel's music anyway. Best part? Grace is just as addicted.

*The Jasmine Room. I'm so happy I have discovered this little gem!

*The last photoshoot Kel and I did. I am only gonna post one of the pics, because I put the album on fb, but honestly... I adore it so much!

There are so many more things, but those are my start. Everyone should take the time to do this at some point or another. Its kinda fun to look back and see what has changed.

Its what I'm here for...

2010-05-12T07:48:00.003-06:00

So, Mother's Day.

I know- its passed. But I have been so busy and am now just getting to it...

I am so thankful to be a mommy. I look back at the times before and I wonder how I didn't realize I was missing something. I love being a mom to my girls more than anything. I am so blessed that Heavenly Father let me have these two little princesses. I am so blessed that they chose me. I sometimes wonder what I did to make them want me out of all the other mommys. I try, every day, to do all I can to prove myself worthy of the honor.

Heres what I know- I have the best little family ever, I love them more than anything in the world. I would do anything for them and I am grateful for them every single day.

Also, I totally love my mom. She pretty much rocks my socks.

Picture Update...

2010-04-11T21:00:00.007-06:00

So I promised my step-mom-in-law that I would put up a bunch of recent pics. This was three weeks ago. Sorry Lor. I did mean to do it sooner...

We went swimming for family home evening with Todd and Lori's family- so fun! Grace and Calli... (Grace's aunt...) had so much fun together!

Then that weekend we went to Todd and Lori's to see Ben's aunt and uncle and their girls...(all six of them!) who were down from Utah.

Easter Time!!! The girls were following the candy trail the Easter Bunny left...

Then we were off to my grandparents for dinner and an egg hunt... So fun!!

Grace and her new puppy Lilly... ok, she's my mom's, but Grace seems to have a hard time understanding that...

Gracie and her cousin Katie

Yay for the first thunderstorm!!!! After dinner yesterday we HAD to take advantage of those puddles! I lovelovelove puddle-jumping!

Yup. Holding a snowball whilst puddle-jumping in the spring...

Grace actually got quite into it...

But I had to show her what a real splash looked like...

Tuesday's Child is full of Grace...

2010-03-13T09:04:00.010-07:00

I never knew what I wanted out of life. When I was younger I didn't dream about my future wedding, I didn't fantasize about the job I wanted to do, and I didn't give much thought as to what my calling in life might be. I found it on March 11, 2006. Grace was born that day and all of a sudden I discovered that my life before paled in comparison to what it had just become.

I am a mom and that, to me, is just the best thing anyone could ever be.

That little chickie turned four this week. To tell you the truth, it wasn't as big of an adjustment as I expected it to be for me though. Maybe because for the past few months we have been telling her things like, "when you turn four you have to start taking these vitamins," or "when you turn four you aren't scared of the dark anymore!" Unfortunately for us, it may have backfired slightly, because on her actual bday she was fighting us saying she isn't four yet. Whoops.

There are a few different sides to Grace, she is really shy, which we are working on quite a bit, but under that shyness she is such a fun kid! She loves to dance and she loves to sing. Especially "Empire State of Mind" by Alicia Keys. Seriously, has the whole thing down pat.

She seriously has a mind of her own, and lately I am beginning to feel why some parents have a hard time. I keep on reminding myself that we all have to be tested in various ways to reach our full potential... and Grace is only just getting started! I want to be the best Mom I can, so I just started to look at it as a challenge I must overcome and I just need to deal with each thing in the best way I possibly can.

This little girl teaches me more than just patience though, she has taught me what it feels like to have my whole entire world wrapped up in one little body. She has shown me that once I became a mom the whole world looked like both a place filled with life and endless opportunities, but it is also a place filled with failure and a ton of freakin dangers. I want the best for Grace and I want to be the best for her. I love this girl more than I even knew I could and I am so incredibly grateful to have her as my daughter.

The Month Of Loooooove!

2010-02-27T08:28:00.007-07:00

I haven't written much in the way of updates lately, so here is a brief one on the goings-on of my life lately..

Valentine's weekend was super fun this year. Usually we don't do a whole lot, I am kind of one of those people that usually says- you shouldn't save it all up for one day a year... blah blah blah... HOWEVER- this year, we were like, Why don't we just make a go of it?! Have some fun as well, and the funny thing is, we could probably still love each other the rest of the year as well. Might work.

So, we went out with Panky's Sat night to (....cue the cheeseball factor here...) Valentine's Day. Yup, when we decide to embrace something, we go all the way! So, we all kind found the movie to suck, but oh well. At least we got out right?!

The next morning we gave the girls helium V-day balloons that we had gotten them and we all had a really nice breakfast, hung out as a fam and then churched it. That night Ben and I made the most romantic candlelight dinner-

yup. Those are bbq'd hamburgers. And they were gooood!

It was my birthday on the 19, and so my sis booked a private room earlier in the week at Moxie's so we could go celebrate... (which we also never do!) and it was so much fun! I laughed so hard that whole night. I have the best friends in the world!

Then on the 19, my mama made me the BEST dinner and we had a little partay with the fam. Honestly... such an awesome week!!! I am sort of feeling like we should have started making big deals out of things way earlier in our lives!!!

So the next big thing is Grace's Bday and I am in the throes of planning a shindig for her, which I hope, is as fun for her as mine was for me... which, judging by her excitement level already- I don't anticipate being a problem!

Taking out the Trash...

2010-02-24T13:16:00.005-07:00

Forgiveness is a funny thing. I've been thinking about this for while lately and although it may not make a ton of sense, I wanted to write down my thoughts.

I am the type of person who can have a bit of a temper. In the past eight years...(right around the time Ben and I got together...!!) I have learned not only how to control it, but to sort of calm myself down before it gets to the point of needing to control it- for the most part.

So, when I am mad about something and I actually feel it worth bringing up, its usually for a pretty good reason. The other thing about me however is, once I have discussed, resolved or fixed the issue- I am over it. Seriously, my temper can flare up, but it totally dies out just as quick. Also, I forget things like crazy. So if something happened in the past and someone wronged me, or vice versa, chances are- I've forgotten all about it. Seriously. I have found myself in situations where I act like nothing is wrong at all with someone, just to be reminded later on that something kind of big had occurred in the past. (Can kind of make for embarrassing situations from time to time, but I sorta consider it a blessing.)

Now, having said all that, I have found there are certain times in my life where there was more than anger, there was a really deep hurt, betrayal or humiliation involved. Those seem to be the things that I not only remember, but carry with me. There are, of course, specifics, but they, in no way, are the real issue here. The issue for me is I have been doing some self reflection lately, and I have found myself wondering what the point of holding on to them is, and, more importantly, can I let go?

We are taught in our church, that forgiveness is divine. It is one of the bigger aspects of our beliefs, and so it is obviously an important thing. I truly believe that holding on to negativity in any way is not healthy, but so many of us do it. It is a hard thing to move on when someone has wronged us, and I have found, at least for me, I will seek solace in friends and family by telling them my side of things and having them console me with platitudes. Even after it has become a thing of the past. There is nothing better in those circumstances than being told that you are in the right.

HOWEVER- I kind of have come to realize that I am only hurting myself. I feel a million times better about myself and my life when I take the high road, and when I have positivity in my life. So, I am going to make a new goal for myself- I am going to resolve to let go of my old issues. Our Father in Heaven can forgive us our transgressions, so who am I to hold on to them!? I really hope that it works in the same way spring cleaning my house does- I hope to feel lighter and happier.

I have to add a little disclaimer- I am definitely not holding on to a ton of negativity, I have just found that a couple pesky memories sometimes sneak up on me and they still seem to have a not so positive affect on me, so I am gonna do my best to ditch them. I have too much to be grateful for to focus on that junk.

Just seeing this picture makes me remember how much

more important other things in life are! This is what

I need to focus on.

Still feeling that thankful feelin...

2010-02-09T19:31:00.004-07:00

Soooo, on the topic of being thankful...I want to just say that I am so grateful for my mom. I know full well, how lucky I am that I have the relationship I do with my mom. I can't think of too many things in my life that she doesn't know about, and thats the way its always been.

We have hugely differing views on a lot of things, and I have to say that one of my favorite things in the world to do is get a rise out of her. Its been a good day for me if she walked out of the room at least once, shaking her head at me. That being said, I do consider her one of my best friends, (Thats even despite her being wrong about sooo many things...) She is seriously such a cool chick!

Also, there is the fact that I am pretty sure one of the main reasons I snagged Ben is because he thought I cook like she does... haha! Joke was definitely on him, but he does get to partake of her culinary goodness at least once a week.

She is the bestest best grandma too. My girls get to go to her dayhome every time I am at work, and it is just such a blessing to me to know that they are in a home I know and with someone I trust. Especially since, as it turns out, I am pretty psycho about my kids.

Anyway, Mom, I love you and despite the fact that my goal in life is to seriously aggravate you, I look up to you. Literally. You're taller than me.

Beauty- In the Eye of the friggen Beholder!

2010-02-07T20:07:00.003-07:00

So, at church today, we had a lesson on Satan's various ways of tempting people and leading them astray. It was such a good lesson in so many ways, and I definitely enjoyed it. The thing is though, something was brought up and I realize that although, I am slightly taking it out of context, I felt compelled to address this particular issue.

One of the things that was mentioned in being one of Satan's tools was vanity. Now I realize that there are many people out there who take vanity to another level... (Ehem, Heidi Montag!) what with plastic surgery and people spending hours and hours each day to make themselves look like an artificial variation of themselves- and I do believe this is what our teacher was leaning toward...

However, I do not feel that taking half hour to an hour each day to look your best is necessarily a bad thing. I am not bringing this up specifically due to the lesson today, it has come up a few times lately (and not in a very flattering way either...).

I am irritated that people who take time to have their nails done, or get their highlights touched up, or even those who just take the time to look like they didn't just roll out of bed- are being attacked lately. And probably this has been going on for a long time, but it seems like it has been brought up to me tons in the past couple weeks.

I have had clients tell me that they need to color their hair darker to be taken more seriously. I have been told by a few people that they have to wear plainer clothes so they blend in with their co-workers better. I have had clients rag on people they know because they let their toddlers get their nails painted or their hair straightened/curled from time to time. I myself have been labeled high maintenance a number of times simply because I take the time to do my hair and make up once in a while.

People! Really?! I feel like in this day and age there is NOTHING wrong with trying to look our best. I am not saying that we all need to be beauty queens- I am far from that. All I am saying is, we have got to stop putting each other down for stupid things!!!

I realize that I am slightly more touchy about this due to the industry I work in, after all, if people stop caring about their appearance I am out a job. I just honestly feel like it is not that big of a deal for us be proud of our appearance.

And here is my dirty little confession- I actually paint Grace's nails quite a bit... and I even straighten her hair sometimes! Paint me materialistic, but I feel like it not only teaches Grace to not look like a slob, but the time we spend together actually feels like a bonding experience. And I dare someone to find fault in that!

Time for Part Four

2010-02-01T20:42:00.003-07:00

Okaaaaaaaaay, I have been meaning to do this since my last "things I'm grateful for" post, but I interrupted myself to have that last rant post. Here I am back on track though...

I am grateful for my little sis. She and I weren't close... at all... when we were younger. Well, we had our moments, mostly when I decided to stop being such a rank witch to her, but all in all we didn't get along too great. However, it seems like as soon as I graduated, and particularly once I met Ben... (I am not too sure how that coincided...) we put all our differences aside and found that they actually helped us to be the greatest friends.

She and I have had a TON of great times together, and honestly, when I was in hair school and a brand newlywed living in Calgary, she was the person that kept me from going carazzzay. She drove up like every weekend and gave me some desperately needed girl time.

She is has been there for me through a lot and I always know that if I need some honesty, some advice or a laugh, I can call her up and she is there.

I am really lucky to have her, and it makes me so grateful that I have two girls because I know that someday they will have the relationship that Brit and I share. (Hopefully Grace treats Kai a lot nicer in the teen years though!)

A Work In Progress.

2010-01-27T19:37:00.005-07:00

The aforementioned work in progress? That would be me.

Sometimes I wonder if I've wasted a good chunk of my life worrying what other people think and/or do. I used to care SO much what people said about me, and although I am not quite to a point where everything rolls off my shoulders... (someday perhaps...) I do find that I am not quite as concerned as I used to be.

Maybe that is because I have kids now and my family has shown me what is truly important, but I have found that in the past year especially, it all just seems less important.

On that note however, I am also becoming more aware of how important perception can be. I have had a few people comment lately that they were scared or intimidated of me before they knew me, and truthfully, part of me kind of finds it funny... (its just really bizarre to me), but at the same time, I feel like maybe I should work on being a little more aware of what I am putting out.

I want to go through my life teaching my kids that they don't need to worry about every little comment or gossip, however they also need to know that they are daughters of our Heavenly Father and they are representing our family and our values. I don't think people have the right to judge one another, but, the cold hard fact is we all do. At one point or another we do.

So, my new goal, (which seems to kind of be a recurring goal I have...)is to work on avoiding that. I always get so defensive if I overhear somebody saying something about someone I care about, so what I need to remind myself is this- if I am repeating something that I know shouldn't be repeated, no matter the reason, I am attacking a person that someone else cares about.

And if I can get mad about someone doing it to me, how can I reasonably justify my own anger. I don't know if that makes sense, I have had this on my mind for a while and I needed to get it out.

So, I am sorry if I have ever offended someone who is reading this. I am sorry if I have come off in a manner that intimidated anyone. And I am sorry if I have ever made a comment about anyone reading this that may have been offensive.

I'm working on it.

Things... Part Three

2010-01-18T16:53:00.005-07:00

I am really really grateful for my husband. I am grateful to have the knowledge that we are not going to fall into the statistic that claims that fifty percent of all marriages (that begin in someone's early twenties) will fail. I am a really lucky girl to have married Ben. The truth is, when I was younger I definitely did not have a clue as to the way my life would end up, in fact, I never tried picturing it really. I was not the type to imagine my wedding day, I never really gave much thought toward what I wanted to be, and I didn't imagine the kind of mother I would be.

When Ben and I got married, I was freshly twenty, and moved straight out of my parent's house. Were there adjustments? You betcha! Was the first year hard... well, sometimes, and that kind of had more to do with where we lived at the time than the whole newlywed thing. However, we are going on six years married, eight together, and I feel better about our decision everyday. Probably more than I did on my wedding day, and I was standing there without a doubt then.

I have a husband who gets that sometimes I don't make the smartest comments. Sometimes I say things that most people would have left in their heads. And sometimes I frustrate him in ways he's never been frustrated. Despite these things however, we have learned to accept each other's quirks, and maybe even love them a little... okay- tolerate them anyway.

Bottom line, I am really glad he agreed to be my guy forever, because I think eternity is gonna be a fun time with him by my side.

One of our engagement pics...

Dancing at our wedding...

Newlyweds...

The day we went through the temple together...

The day we were sealed....

Right after Grace was born...

Right after Kai was born...

I just love this dude...

Things I'm Thankful For... Part Two

2010-01-16T09:22:00.002-07:00

I am so thankful for my kids. Both of them, equally. And I have to say at first I wasn't sure if it could be equal. I am probably going to come off as offensive for a minute here, but it is my blog, and this is honestly how I feel... I really thought I was gonna have a favorite. And I was pretty sure that favorite was Grace.

Yup, I just said that.

I had built up this huge bond with her, and while Ben was on the rigs for those two years, it was basically just Grace and I. She taught me a new kind of love and she was my little buddy. I took her everywhere... shopping, outings, dinners, church, staff meetings... I honestly couldn't stand being away from her.

So, when Kaia came along, I obviously loved her to death, and its not like she became this outcast that I shunned, but I sort of felt a little favoritism toward Grace.

Until Kaia started getting her personality. She's hilarious! Seriously sooo funny!

Until she started walking. It was adorable... and I still get a kick out of her "duck walk".

Until she started talking a bit. Yes, its slow coming, but every word is such a rush.

So what I have discovered is, I don't really favor one kid over the other... I favor an age. And that age is basically anything past one. I really don't LOVE the first year. I am different from a lot of moms in the sense that I am kind of counting down the months till my baby has her own personality. I realize it starts to come out in the first year, but it seems like after they hit that first birthday they really start to become fun. I now truly feel like there is no favoritism, (aside from when one of them is throwing a tantrum, then obviously its the other!)

This is my opinion, and I am fully aware that not everyone feels this way, I know my best friend looooves that first stage of "newbornness". I just don't really.

Anyway, I love watching my girls, and Ben has been gone to Utah for the past week, so I feel like I really had a chance to take them in since I was single parenting it. I feel blessed that I got this past week because I feel like I learned so much more just by trying to pay that extra bit of attention to them. Its kind of amazing to me that I can just keep increasing this closeness I feel for them, and I am so grateful every single day for the opportunity to do so.

Things I'm Thankful For...

2010-01-06T10:55:00.005-07:00

I love this chick.

I am pretty sure we were best friends before we were born too, because there has just always been this familiarity between us. I feel so lucky to have a best friend that gets me as much as she does. We tell each other EVERYTHING, and I have never once felt like I am being judged or ridiculed... well except for a certain Christmas song incident...

She is the best friend a girl could ask for, and I know that everyone who is lucky enough to have her in their lives feel the same.

Holiday Musings...

2009-12-30T19:49:00.009-07:00

I have been having a few days lately that for some reason found me experiencing some life reflection. Here are a few of the thoughts that have popped up...

*Kids can whine, nag, and drive you so crazy you start questioning your decision to become a parent. However, the second they finally fall asleep and you see their tiny little eyelashes lying against their cheeks and their tiny little fists curled up against their chests you remember the meaning of it all.

*Christmas is wonderful and it is a great opportunity to see family and friends and be reminded of all we have to be thankful for... (or is that Thanksgiving...) but it shouldn't be the only time of year it happens. I need to try and remind myself daily of how grateful I am to have my friends and family so I stop taking them for granted.

*Every girl needs a good support system and I have that not only in my husband and family, but also in my circle of friends. I am so darn grateful to have the friends I do, and I don't know what I would do without them.

Previously we had had a goofy photoshoot-

Soph was still in that mode...

I had a great Christmas, we saw lots of family, ate lots of food, and were VERY spoiled. I hope that the new year is as great for us as last year was, and i wish the same to everyone else.

Papa and his girls Christmas morning

The Chicks on Christmas Morning

Gracie and Daddy

Me and my Gone With the Wind

box set... sooooo excited!

Kai and her rocking horse from Mama and Papa

Me and my honey...

Kai and her very favorite person...

Yes, my gram made Ben that hat. So special.

At the Little family dinner

The Wolsey Clan

So, Grace was still thinking about that photoshoot

from earlier in the week, and kept yelling,

"Grumpy Face! Grumpy Face!"

This is the reason behind it all...

I am so incredibly grateful to have these two in my life.

They mean so much to me and I just love them so much!

Halloween, Haircuts and Ballet, Oh My!

2009-11-26T19:25:00.014-07:00

Wow! I cannot believe that it is less than a month till Christmas!!!

Here is a rundown of our last couple months...

Halloween... Grace was a Fairy Princess (for the second year in a row! At least it was a different costume right?) Kaia was a ladybug... still brings me the costume on occasion... Ben was a... wait for it... rigger. Super original! Loved it. I was a football player... Ben Roethlisberger to be exact. Out we went and it was super fun! Coulda done without the wind... but who are we kidding, we live in Lethbridge and if it isn't wind it is five feet of snow.

A couple weeks later we put up our Christmas stuff... (I know... I was eager!) Grace is super into the Christmas spirit this year and I love it!!! I am so happy that I have a daughter that seems to love Christmas as much as I do! And I keep trying to instil upon her the true meaning, so she sometimes lets me know, "Mom, we celebrate our brother Jesus' birthday at Christmas and he watches over us and keeps us. (... I think she means safe, being as that is part of her nightly prayers...) So His Father is happy about that."

I think she's getting it...

Last weekend we went to the mall to see Santa and his reindeer, and Grace was so excited!! It was so fun to see all the kids get really excited for their arrival. Nothing like a humongous crowd of kids singing Santa Clause is Coming to Town to get you into the spirit of things! Grace had told me she was going to be nice to Santa this year, because he was so nice, so off we went to sit on his lap. Yup, only stood in line for one hour and fifteen minutes. Well worth the wait though! I mean, come on! We got our picture taken with not just Santa, but Santa AND Blitzen!

Then that night we got home and Grace, (who had been asking for it for the past five weeks like every couple days...) asked me again if I would cut her hair. At first she wanted it "like Britty's" but once we got it to her shoulders she kinda changed her mind. We still ended up taking 9 inches off though, so it definitely is noticeable! I find it pretty cute, and she seems to really like it, BUT she looks older to me now, which I could do without.

And then last week, we got to go watch Grace and Sophie in their ballet class. So my parents, sister, brother in law, grandparents and I went into the studio and viewed their practice. SO cute! The best part for Kel and I was watching Grace and Sophie ensure they were side by side the entire time. Those two would not stop holding hands and the one time a little girl got in between them, Grace automatically sat down so the girl had to let go of her hand, Grace then stood up, ran behind her, grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her to a different part of the circle. Yup, they still love each other, even living in different places didn't diminish their friendship.

Anyway, I am super excited for the next month, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and everything the season entails. Heres to hoping its the best one yet!!!

House, Ballet, Work... and Other New Happenings With the Wolsey's.

2009-10-12T20:48:00.014-06:00

Well, it has once again been a really long time! We are now in our own house and almost fully settled in. I so appreciated my parents letting us crash there for a bit but wow is it ever nice to have your own stuff in your own space!!!

We haven't had too much new happen lately other than the big move. Work is going well for both of us, and the girls are doing really well at day home. Grace is in ballet and after a questionable start we seem to be doing great now! Every time she hears music now she feels she has to perform. In full get-up. That includes the slippers and bodysuit. It is really cute though, and I am really happy she loves it. Of course it doesn't hurt that her bestest best buddy Soph is in it with her! Kaia gets funnier and funnier every day, and we are super excited for when she gets talking for real, because we are pretty sure she is going to have quite the personality.

The other "big change" we have had is our new addition. Nope, I am not pregnant, Ben finally got a Mac. So I am typing this on his "baby" and truthfully? I don't understand too much about computers, but it looks really good, so I love it too. (Plus he is like a kid on Christmas morning

now- every day! So it can't be a bad thing!)

Our Little Ballerina....

Both our Little Ballerinas...

Gracie and her Papa

Kai and her awesome smile...(yup she still does it!)

Snow Day!!

Big Changes!!!

2009-09-07T14:52:00.010-06:00

It has been a super long time since I blogged, and a lot has happened since the last one, so here is an update! Well, first of all, we are done with Calgary! Yay! It was fun and all but I sure am glad that it is over. We are staying with my parents until the end of the month and then we are moving into one of our friends houses here on the west side. Ben is staying on with Apx, they hired him as a service tech year round. It is quite a blessing actually, and I am happy to say my husband will now be working from Lethbridge. Now we will just have to adjust to being around each other so much! I am working at Eclipse again, and the truth is, I really debated going back at all. But, I truly feel like it was the right choice for me, and after two weeks, I feel like I am really settling back into it. Although I miss my girls, I feel like I am a better mom (and wife!!) by working and having something outside our home.

Now onto something that has been on my mind for the past month. In the first week of August, Ben's cousin Ken was killed in a motorcycle accident. It was the saddest thing and we, as anyone who loses someone suddenly is, were totally shocked. He left behind his wife, who is one of the strongest, nicest girls I have and will ever meet, and two little boys. At his funeral I was listening to what everyone was saying and it really struck me how fragile our lives are. I know what a cliche that is, but it really hit me. When my uncle died last year, I realized how much I needed to appreciate every thing life gives me, and all those around me. And the truth is, I really thought I did. But then something else happens and you realize that there is probably no possible way we could ever truly cherish something to its full potential until we risk losing it. (Or actually do.) The things that were said about Ken were so honest and so heartfelt, and I was so touched by the kind of person he was and the way he conducted himself, and it really motivated me to try and be better. It always bothers me a little to attend a funeral and hear people talk about the deceased as though they were perfect or describe them in ways that they weren't at all in real life. But at Ken's funeral, the things that were said were actually true. He really was one of the truly good ones and you were left with a feeling of being so blessed just to have known him. I know how blessed I am to have a loving husband who treats me better than I probably fully deserve, I have two healthy little girls who make my life the happiest place in the world and I have the best family and friends a girl could ask for. So through the sadness of losing a great guy, what I hope to take from the loss is inspiration from the life he left behind. Inspiration to be the best mom and wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend I can be. And at the very least, appreciate every day I get to share with these people.

Now, here are some pics from the past month. (we have really been all over the place!!!)

At Whoop Up Days... This one is for you Kel... (love you!)

We were in Medicine Hat visiting Ben for a bit, and we LIVED at the water slides. (It also reunited Grace and Soph, and Kaia and Ella, so that was good too!!)

K... here is Kaia's new smile... I think it is hilarious and hope she does it for the rest of her life!

Best Friends already!!
I really love this chick and am soooo glad to be back in the same city as her!!!

Our little fam...

And here is the story of our lives... Kai finally decided to be a big girl and walk!!

Goin' to the Chapel!

2009-08-09T08:36:00.006-06:00

So as a lot of you know, my little sister Brit got married a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and everything went really well. She was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, and I truly mean that. It's kind of weird when your baby sis gets married and grows up, but I am really proud of who she has become. She is a really good, smart, caring and thoughtful person and I am so blessed to have her in my life. Its funny, because growing up we really had our moments and my mom would always tell us that we would become best friends when we grew up, something we never believed would ever in a million years happen. Well, lo and behold, mom did know best and I count on her more than I ever believed possible. We have never gone a day without talking to each other on the phone (sometimes two or three or four times...) and I have really missed her while we have been living up here.
Anyway, she got married on the 25 of July and I have to say, I am happy she married who she did. We didn't super hit it off right off the bat, but over the past year I have really grown to love Brad. He treats my sister so well, and he has truly become a part of my family. We went on a little family lunch the day after the wedding, and it was really neat to have him there with us, it felt right.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from the wedding... Mandy again, was our photographer... and we just love her to death!!!

Grace was the flower girl and took her role very seriously!

My beautiful baby sis...
The new Mr. and Mrs. Tyssen Our bouquets... gorgeous!

So cute!
Brit the Supermodel!

The Reception Tents Our Marvelous Ginnie made the best cake and cupcakes!
(...Edible Elegance! Its the BEST!!!)

My baby isn't a baby anymore...

2009-08-06T22:39:00.005-06:00

Well, I have a couple posts I want to do, but this one is first and foremost. My little baby is now a little toddler. I don't really know when the threshold from baby to not-baby is, but I am pretty sure that Kaia crossed it. Its funny how you look at your little one one day, and then all of a sudden the next she isn't as small and helpless as she used to be. I am different from a lot of moms I know in the sense that I don't LOVE the whole baby stage. My favorite time in a child's life isn't when they are first born and all tiny and needy. (I actually really adored 2 and I actually find myself looking forward to each new age, because it seems like it just gets more and more fun!) So, sorry to digress, back to my point... I am not sad that Kaia is one now. I am excited, because it seems like the past three weeks have brought out this little personality and I am so excited to get to know my little princess a little better!

Kaia's Birthday Pary/My Sister's Wedding Rehearsal

So... my mom and dad got Kai a cake, and being as she is NOT a child to shy away from making a mess we were kind of anticipating a good show... we were in for a disappointment! She just kind of poked at it a few times and that was it. Oh well, maybe next year!!

So, I'm not bitter or anything...

2009-07-11T10:55:00.007-06:00

So, here is a little bit of a rant. Okay, maybe not a rant, but I wanted to get this off my chest, so here goes. I was at the park yesterday with Kel and we had been there for almost two hours, so I think that that combined with the fact that it was waaay past dinnertime, made f0r a Grace meltdown. She and Soph had been playing really well together, and then Grace wanted to go on the swing one more time. So we got over there and there was a mom with her one year old on the other one. Anyway, my scaredy cat daughter felt that the baby was swinging too high next to her, so she started crying and wanted out. (Side note... last time we went two twelve year old girls were swinging next to her as high as they could and as a result the swing set was bucking a little bit...) anyway, I was taking Grace out as she cried that she didn't really want to stop, just wanted the baby to stop swinging so high. The mom next to us asked if I needed her to take Kai while I got Grace out so I handed her over, and we did the customary "how old is your kid, they are cute/big/generic comment." Anyway, as she handed Kai back to me, she looks at Grace and says, "Spoiled brat huh?"
Okay, deep breath. I know that people are entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. I am sure that we have all thought that at some point or another about another child. However. I also feel ashamed of myself, b/c I know I did it BEFORE I had children. Who of us, (and I am talking Mothers all around the world) can honestly say that their child has never gotten frusterated, tired, hungry, overwhelmed, ect and gotten upset about something?
The funny thing is, I was more offended than mad. Honestly, when a perfect stranger all of a sudden critiques your child, not only in front of you, but in front of them as well, it just catches you so off guard! It sort of brings out the mama bear in you and you kind of want to lash back!
I tried taking the high road however, and just walked away. But I just wanted to comment on here, that I am sorry to anyone if you have ever felt like I (or anyone else for that matter) judged you or your parenting unfairly. I so totally know that being a mom isn't always tea parties and bubbles. There are the times where you kinda want to drop kick your child through a window... ok maybe thats a little harsh, but you know what I mean. Anyway, what I am trying to say is props to all the moms out there. Our job is super fun, I love it more than anything- But it is work from time to time. And this particular mom isn't passing judgement on anyone.

Anyway, here are some more pics from the aforementioned trip yesterday and a couple others.

Park Time!!!

Gracie and Nana.. Blowing bubbles at each other

My Apx husband and his baby
The Girls now have nightly bath nights together, and this was right after one at my house...
Our other daughter...So cute!

Zoo- Take Two!!

2009-06-24T10:37:00.006-06:00

I forgot to mention on my last post that our last zoo trip was awesome. We, (Kel, Randee, Me and our girlies) all went a couple weeks ago. I think I figured out the best way to do it now... middle of the week, around three o clock. The gates close at 5, so we get a couple hours in and its not super busy! Anyway, here are some pics from our trip...

What is sweeter than little girls?
My Little Fraidy-Cat
(She didn't like the mist coming out from the walls!)
One of my proudest moments! My little Kel, standing next
to her biggest fear. Snakes!
(You have to love the fake smile on her face!)
Here are the girls checking out the giraffes

So cute!
Checking out Grace's fave part of the zoo...

How freakin' cute is this kid!?
As long as Kaia had food she was happy!
Randee let me borrow her mobi-wrap and now I am totally addicted!
(As is Kaia!)

And by the end of the day my girls were a little reversed...

And here are a couple of Grace and Soph... these two are the sweetest girls!

They love each other!

Summer Brings Good Times!!!

2009-06-16T20:51:00.005-06:00

Whew, it has been a busy past couple weeks! (Hence the lack of posts!) We have gone round two at the zoo, (to which I am very happy to announce it went a million times better!) We went home for a weekend, so I could co-host my sister's first bridal shower and we have had tons of outings with Kel and the girls.
I wanted to write on here today though about how blessed I am to have the family that I do. I just spent the weekend at my parent's and it was such a blast! My aunts and uncle stayed over as well, and then Brit crashed there one night too, and I had such a good time! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, (and I KNOW I've never seen my mom laugh that hard!) I am so lucky to be close not just with my immediate family, but also with my extended fam. My aunts are two of the coolest people I know, and I feel so lucky to have the relationship with them that I do. I honestly feel like anyone who doesn't know them are missing out.
We had the shower there as well, and it was so much fun. We had the most random mix of people you could put together, but I think it went well, and Brit had fun, so thats all that counts. In a week and a half we go round two for her "friend shower" and I am just as excited for it!

My co-host and I
The Blushing Bride... Yup, we made her wear that hat!
My Grams and I Some from later that night...

Grace and Gramps... so cute!

Here are some pics from the spray park that we are all addicted to, and also a couple from the other night when we got to babysit Marisa's adorable little guy Parks. He was so fun and Kaia couldn't get enough of him! (Is it too early for her to have a crush??)

And this last picture I believe, is am indication of things to come... she was talking to Ben's Grandma on the phone...

Uncle Randy

2009-06-07T11:07:00.003-06:00

So this has been a tough weekend for me, because all my family is all up in the mountains at a memorial for my uncle, and I was unable to attend. So, I wanted to do my own tribute on here.

He was the kind of guy that, when he walked into the room, you knew he was there. He was loud and boisterous... but in the best possible way. Right after he passed away... (and actually even still,) whenever my family gets together it is so noticeable that he isn't there. Its really weird to have everyone together, but be missing that booming voice.
Whenever you walked into his house he was very quick to offer up something to eat. Didn't matter if it was 10am or 10pm- he was ready to whip up a culinary delight. And no matter what it was- it was gonna have hot sauce or tobasco.
My uncle was a really hard worker, and he definitely instilled that upon me. When I was going into grade seven I really wanted this pair of jeans. I was begging my mom to buy them for me and he overheard. So he offers me a "job" of sorts. He worked and lived at CSL Ford in Cardston, and in the back lot they had all the old vehicles that got towed in. Well, in a lot of those vehicles there were also pop bottles. He offered me free run of the lot and said that I could pay off those jeans (and some!!) with the amount of bottles back there. So, one Saturday I went back there and spent like five hours in the blazing sun, crawling from car to car collecting those darn bottles. He was right though, not only did I get enough for my jeans, (and some!) but I also came away with a valuable lesson. And don't think he wasn't out there helping me either!

I was always very close to him and my aunt, and they were always there for me. Whether it was giving me place to stay... (and I have to say, sleeping on thier spare bed... which happened to be a waterbed... always took me back to the early 90s, so that in itself was a good time!), or going above and beyond when I got into tough spots in life, I always knew I could count on them. He was one of the most dependable people you could ever meet. Everyone in the family knew we could always rely on him for anything. If you asked him to do something, it was going to be done. No questions asked.
It was a relief to me when he and Ben took to each other so well. Not that I worried, but the other thing about Rand was that he was really direct. He told it how he saw it, and some people don't handle that well. Truth be told, its one of the things I loved most about him. Luckily for me and my hubby, the two of them really meshed well, and I have to say one of the things I miss most about him is, when we walk into a family gathering, there is no longer someone there shouting, "Hey Benjie!" Because, I guarantee, there is no one else in the world who will ever get away with calling him that.
So, I may not have been able to attend with the rest of my family this weekend, but he is in my thoughts and I really hope I, in some small way, did him some justice by this post.
I miss you every day Uncle Rand.

May Musings...

2009-05-28T19:14:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-05-18T22:27:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-05-14T22:03:00.005-06:00

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!

2009-05-04T11:56:00.009-06:00

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!

April '09

2009-04-17T12:14:00.010-06:00

Its crunch time... we are moving in a few days and I should be packing and cleaning right now, but I feel like I have slacked off in the blogging department lately, so here I am.
I have noticed a big change in Grace's behavior lately, and I am unsure as to whether it has to do with her reaching a certain developmental stepping stone, or her being three now, but she is definitely switching gears. She now seems to care more about how I feel, and when she misbehaves she is much quicker to apologize. (And have me apologize if the situation is reversed!) Also, her imagination is crazy now, just yesterday she was playing with our Uno cards and by the end of this particular activity they were tucked in to bed, (laying on my empty bookshelf, covered with a towel) and sleeping. Everytime I started to do something that caused any noise at all she was "shhhing" me b/c I was going to wake them up. She also turns into a teenager from time to time- her new "phrase" is "pfft".
Me: "Grace, I'm going to throw you in the garbage if you don't stop jumping on the couch."
Her: "Pfft Mom. You won't do that to me." (Eye roll)
And so it starts.
Although she has also started telling me the sweetest things. The other night we were getting ready for bed, and she came running to me and gave me the biggest hug. Then she looks at me and says,
"Mom, I just miss you so much when you are gone." (I am really never away from her, mainly b/c thats how I feel without her!)
I was like, "Really? I miss you so much too! You're my little buddy!"
Grace: "You're just the best Mommy and I miss you lots and lots."
I don't know if she was playing me for another story, later bedtime, or maybe she really meant it... but I'll take it!

I will say this though, I am really looking forward to the day she outgrows this "Belly!" phase she has. I don't know if anyone in the world has ever had this issue, but ever since she realized I had a baby in my belly... (With Kaia!!!...) she has staked claim over my stomach. She is constantly running up to me and pulling my shirt up to touch my belly. At night she lays down with me and HAS to put her feet on my belly. People I am sure, who have witnessed this, have assumed I am prego again. Its pretty ridiculous, but I guess it is a good way to kind of guage when she needs a little more attention. I am just hoping she outgrows it before she goes off to college. That could be kind of embarrassing!

Anyway, we had a great Easter, had dinner with my grandparents, which is always so much fun.

We also went bowling with Ben's dad and stepmom and kids. I was a little curious how Grace would take to it, being as she had never been before, but she LOVED it! It was so cute to watch and I now know something new we can do for Family Home Evenings!
Calli and Gracie
Every time she would throw.. roll her ball she would run back into Ben's arms to watch it go.
The Clan
Lori and I

Well, time to get to work, here are some more pictures from the past couple weeks.

We took advantage of the nice weather and went for a walk and to the playground! I LOVE spring!

Spring!! (And other new developments)

2009-04-08T17:42:00.005-06:00

Oh gracious, it has been a month since I last blogged! I cannot believe how fast time goes by! All I know is Spring is finally here and I am so pumped! Kaia's face in the above picture totally describes how I feel about it!
Not a whole lot is new with us, we are starting to pack... (kinda!) and getting stuff ready for our "big move" to Calgary. We leave in under two weeks now and I am so unprepared, but everything always comes together in the end, so not much point in stressing out about it.
Grace is getting funnier and funnier. Something about being three I guess. She comes up with the most random things to make us laugh, and I look at her sometimes and just feel so much love!
Kai is getting bigger, and has decided to start saying Dad a whole lot, but I am still waiting on the "mom". So far I am 0 for 2 in the first word department, so we'll see if baby number 3 comes through for me.
Anyway, here are some recent pictures from the past month, I will start taking more now that it is nice out! And, I am super excited b/c we are doing a big photo shoot with Mand next week, so I will definitely be posting those as soon as I get them back!

Scott's last hockey game (So sad!)

Kaia apparently had a long, hard day...

Our happy baby

Our Girls when they wake up... It ain't pretty

Our BBQ with Pankhursts
( I love little girls!!!)

She's 3!

2009-03-12T16:41:00.009-06:00

My little girl turned 3. I have weird mixed feelings about it too. I am happy, because I loved 2, and I think 3 is going to be so much fun. I am happy because my little buddy is getting older and is healthy and growing well. On the other hand... I am so sad! I do not know where the past three years went! I have been with her every single day of her life and I have so many memories of her, but I feel like I've already forgotten so many more! (Thank goodness I now have a blog to record stuff!) I don't want her to grow up, but I am so proud of who she is becoming, so I guess I will suck it up and let her do what she's gonna do anyway. (Very big of me, I know.)

Anyway, I wanted to record a few of my fave memories and pictures of her from the past 3 years.
So, here they are.

1. It was sad for me, but it was probably the first time I realized how much I already loved her...
She was little when she was born, (5lbs 11oz) and fairly jaundiced. I knew NOTHING about jaundice, (including how common it is) and so when I got the call from the doctor when she was about five days old, telling me that she needed to go back to the hospital and get light treatments, I burst into tears. (which is totally not that ordinary for me!)
For the next three days I carefully took her out of the isolette, fed her and stuck her back in. The whole time my heart was broken because I was so worried about her, and I already missed holding her. Obviously she was fine. I was overreacting. Taught me something though- I already needed her and loved her more than I could have prepared myself for.

2.No specific memory sticks out in my mind, but all the bonding that we have done in the past three years. (Even when it was just a snuggle!)

3. Our first camping trip. Not a great time, but definitely memorable. Its funny now. Only took 3 years. I did love showing her Apgar though, because it is such a special family thing for us.

4. When she startes sitting up and really responding to us. I loved telling her I loved her knowing that in all likelihood she understood me.
5. One of the most rewarding things for me about having Grace is watching my Mom with her. They have had such a close bond since she was born and since I have always been so close to her as well, it is so great to see them together.
6. Her Blessing. She did so good, and Ben did so good, and it was amazing.
7. Holidays. Having a child really reminds you how much you loved them as a kid.
(Easter)

(Birthdays)

(Christmas)

8.Family Pics. Sometimes she is such a ham. And I love it!

9. Meeting her sister. Seeing her with Kaia makes me so happy. She is so protective, so loving and I am really proud of the sister that she is.
10. Getting sealed. She cried her face off. (Didn't like that I couldn't hold her and a stranger brought her into the sealing room,) yet it was still such a powerful day for us. What a great feeling to know that she is ours forever and ever. I couldn't possibly be more grateful.

I love this girl more and more every single day. She is my buddy and I am really excited to make new memories with her as she gets older. (Even if I get a little sad that she's growing up.)

Times are A-Changin'!

2009-03-08T15:15:00.007-06:00

Anticipation... its in the air!
I am hugely looking forward to a few things coming up.
First of all- Spring. There are few things better than the time in which the snow is finally gone, the grass is starting to get green and the leaves start budding. I cannot think of a better time for a fresh start, and this is when I really feel like making changes, or tackling new things. (And old things... spring cleaning anyone!)
So, with spring, comes the next thing that is changing for us.
We are moving in a month.
To Calgary.
The thing that I am finding weird about it is... I am excited. I hate Calgary. It is just too darn big for me, and there is just too much traffic. People don't know each other like they do here. However, I am looking forward to our move despite these things. Maybe its because I am so excited to do all these fun new things with the girls this time around. I am also so excited for Grace and Sophie to experience new things together, and grow even closer.
The biggest thing I am looking forward to though, is Brit's wedding. It is weird at times for me to think that my little sister is getting married, I mean, she's just little! (I am sure she'd love being called that being as she is turning 23 this year.) Irregardless of this though, I am really pumped! Watching her go through planning a wedding definitely makes me thankful to my Mom who pretty much did Ben's and my wedding on her own. (Sorry Mom!)

(This feels like it was a million years ago... In a good way!)
Its going to be so beautiful and soooo fun. I am super excited!
So, these are the things that are happening with us in the next few weeks and months. Times are changing, and I am optimistic about them. There is just something uplifting about this time in our life and I love it!

25 Years Young

2009-02-26T14:25:00.014-07:00

I have been meaning to do this for the past week now, and just haven't seemed to find the time. Now however, I am biting the bullet and finally posting a new blog! It is kind of self- indulgent however, so bare with me.
In lieu of Facebook, I am going to sort of steal the little "note" idea that is going around. I want to relate it toward the past year of my life though. It was my birthday last week and I kind of got thinking about what I had learned, how I had grown and what had really changed between year 24 to year 25. So, here is a list of things that I discovered in the past year...

2 is better than 1! The biggest thing that changed for me was the birth of Kaia. I was concerned what a new addition would do to our family, but that proved to be fruitless worry! How could we be a family without our happy girl?

People can leave our lives much quicker than we think. Losing my uncle was one of the toughest things our family has ever endured. I still think of him every single day and I use his absence as a reminder to appreciate everyone I have and love.

My friends are so important to my life and sanity. I don't think I would be the person I am if I didn't have the influences of the girls around me! Kel is my long lost sister. Sometimes we are so much alike it is scary! Only she is the better version of me, and I am constantly inspired to improve upon myself in every way after being with her. I love her to death and would do anything for her! Tash is the girl everyone else wishes she could be. She is always so perfectly put together and self posessed, (even when in sweats!) This is not to mention the fact that the girl's taste in everything from clothes to decor is impeccable! I have stolen many style tips from her, and will continue doing so. Much more importantly though- there is not a selfless bone in her body, and she would do anything for anyone at the drop of a hat. Without complaint. Marisa- she is the girl who you go to when you need someone you can count on. She will tell you the truth no matter what, and honestly, it is a true friend who can be that person for you. She just gets me and when I have needed her I have always known she is there. From being a bridesmaid for me five years ago, to being a best friend today, we have been through some tough times in each other's lives, but through it all we've had each other's backs and that is something that truly is invaluable to me. Then there is my sis. Brit and I have had some times. Growing up they weren't so good. (Sorry Brizz!) Now, all we can do is laugh at how far we've come! We live three steps away from each other, and we talk at least three times a day. Mom really was right, we did become each other's best friend.

My husband and girls are (and should be!) my main focus. Everything else works itself out. By this I mean, if I have happiness at home, if Ben and I are still lovin' each other as we should, and talking as we should, than my girls are happy. If the girls are happy and the parents are happy, we can take on anything and anyone that comes our way. Bottom line is we have each other, and thats all we need. (Sounds trite, but it is true!)

I don't feel older, I don't feel wiser, and I know that I am still discovering who I am, and who I can become, but I also know that I am learning things here and there and thats what life is about. And mine is definitely a great one!

Blowing out the B-day Candles!!

Brit and I

My Babe and Our Girls

I don't quite know what is up with his smile,
but it made me laugh, so here it is.

The Chicks

Me and My
Parents

Missed Moments? Not anymore!

2009-02-08T11:25:00.006-07:00

Last night we were sitting here watching Grace dance (for the millionth time..) and I realized that I hadn't watched any of the videos we have taken over the past seven months. (We bought the camera right before Kaia was born.) Anyway, so we proceeded to watch them before bed. A ton of things struck me as we watched and laughed at our videos. So, here are my observations...

Our kids grow up so darn fast! Just the way Grace has changed since August blew my mind! How did I miss that?!
How much their looks change! I need to be more diligent about taking pictures b/c Kaia does NOT look the same- at all.
How cute their little ideas and thoughts are. Where do they come up with some of the stuff they say? For example, at one point in a video I asked Grace where Daddy was working, she said, "Manitoba", (right) We were making him a birthday cake, so I asked her to put the marshmallows into the bowl, she told me they were "smarchpallows" (yeah, kinda right...) then I asked her how excited she was for Daddy to come home and have his cake. Her answer? "Three." K, well of course! That makes perfect sense.
Kids dancing techniques have got to be the funniest thing out there. If any of you have been at my house, then you will undoubtedly know exactly what I am talking about. Grace puts a dance show on every chance she gets, and I've gotta say, the kids creative!
Baby's laughter is the sweetest sound-ever. We started recording Kai's laughter as soon as it started. And, being the doting parents we are, we then proceeded to film her every time she got going each month after. I dare anyone to refrain from joining in when a baby gets going. We sure can't!
Britney Spears "Circus" and "Womanizer" songs are the soundtrack to our life. (Apparently they are the "best dancing songs"... who knew?
How sad you get when only six months have passed and you realize that your parents, grandparents, ect were right. They do grow up too fast, and they do change in the blink of an eye!

I have now decided that, although I thought I tried to appreciate all the little moments, I need to try harder. My little girls are growing up faster than I want, and although I made Grace promise not to get older than 3, I kinda have a feeling she is going to break that vow.
So, while I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions, I am going to make a "Mommy Resolution" ... I am going to sit back and try to (wholeheartedly!!) take in my family. The other stuff isn't going anywhere, and I could miss out on memories if I don't!

2009-01-19T16:27:00.009-07:00

Does it seem to anyone else like babies all of a sudden get all grown up- really fast!? It seems like just last month Kai was so little and couldn't do anything but sleep, eat and sleep some more. Now she HAS to be standing all the time, she is sitting up, and we've started feeding her baby food. With Grace time seemed to kind of crawl, and I think thats because I was waiting (with bated breath!) for every milestone. They have snuck up and by on us with Kai, and all of a sudden she is six months old and no longer my little baby! I am so excited for Grace to have her little sister be able to run and play with her, but it is coming a lot faster than I expected!

Grace was reading to Kai the other night while I ran downstairs, I came back up to find her telling her- "Its okay baby, I'm here. Mommy will be right back. Don't worry."

We have gotten to spend a lot more time with the Pankhursts, (as I have previously mentioned) and it is so much fun to watch Grace and Sophie play together! They are so cute, because for the first ten minutes Grace pretends that she doesn't want to play, and then, lo and behold, up she gets and has so much fun! (We already have some GREAT blackmail videos!)
I can't wait for Kelsey and Spencer's baby to get here and get big enough for Kai to make memories with!
Here are some pictures of the girls entertaining us...

(They were playing Ring A-Round the Rosie)

Playing with Grace's Barbie House... (I don't
know where Grace's pants are!)

Coloring... Sophie is just seeing if its ok to smile

Ummmm, I think they were "dancing" here

I know its fuzzy, but its so cute! They were
doing their Ballet!

So, not only is Kaia growing up, but Grace all of a sudden has decided that she should be a big girl too! This is not a big deal for those who have outgoing children, but I was just so proud... We got a new nursery leader in our ward this week. I was really worried, b/c Sister Byam is just so loved by Grace... (and everyone!) Anyway, I found out on Tuesday, and so all week we were jazzing Grace up, and getting her prepared to be in the Big Kid nursery. I took her in, expecting the worst, feeling so bad for the poor new sister who has to deal with the wrath my child is undoubtedly about to unveil, and... nothing! She leans toward Sister Swendsen, turns to me and says "Bye". Talk about the shock of my life! Kelsey (who was dropping Soph off) looked about as shocked as I felt! What a relief!!!!!!

Grace on her way to Big Kid Nursery!

My goofy girl

2009-01-14T16:19:00.003-07:00

My "Job"

I was watching my girls today and I realized (as I often tend to do) how lucky I truly am. I love my girls so much! I love watching Kaia laugh her head off at Grace's dancing. I love watching Grace put on her millionth dance show, I even love listening to Grace sing a long to "Minty Christmas". (For those of you who are wondering what exactly this is- its the My Little Pony Christmas dvd that we seem to watch about, oh every single day!)
My girls are why I am here! They are the best thing I have ever done. I sort of never gave much thought to what I wanted to be "when I grew up", and while I still haven't quite accomplished the whole growing up thing, I do know what I want to be- a mom.

New Year!!

2009-01-08T14:35:00.005-07:00

Time To Unwind...

Christmas came and went, and I am going to be honest... I am glad. Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays, but it is kind of a relief when things calm down. We had a great Christmas, we got to see all of our family, and friends, and were totally spoiled! Now that it is over and done with though, I actually feel like we get to spend some quality time with everyone. (And that is so nice!)

Christmas Eve at my Grandparents'

The Barbie House Santa brought Grace

Kai and I Christmas Morning

Ben and I on Christmas Day

Christmas Dinner with my Family

Boxing Day with Ben's Family
(Wyatt is only 11 days older than Kai!)

Kai was completely tuckered out!

And so was Grace!

So now that we are slowing down a bit, we have had the opportunity to do a few things and try a few things.We got to go out with our buddies Spencer and Kelsey for a grown up dinner, (albeit Kai was there, but she slept the whole time!) We are so thankful to have them in our life. They are such great friends and we can't wait to spend the summer with them in Calgary. (Not to mention the fact that Grace and Sophie are starting to re-gain their BEST friendship!)

The Pankhursts... So cute!

We have also started Kaia on rice cereal, and so far it seems to be going well. Grace tries to help her, that doesn't go quite as well. We also have Kaia sleeping through the night in her crib now, and I have to say, it feels like the biggest accomplishment thus far in my parenting career! (We got ten hours straight last night and I feel like a million bucks!)

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the past two weeks, I hope everyone is enjoying the new year, we sure are!

Kaia in the Bumbo

Our poor teething baby...

Grace reading to Soph...

2008-12-22T16:07:00.007-07:00

Christmas can begin!!! (Finally)

Ben is on his way home right now and so that means that Christmas can start coming for us. He was supposed to be gone for a week and it has now been over three. I keep on telling Grace that Christmas can start when Daddy gets home, (that way it doesn't feel like it is too far away. Patience is difficult enough for me, let alone a two year old!) I now realize how very important it is to be with the ones you love during the holidays.

So, we got our pictures back from Mandy, and they are gorgeous! She always does such a wonderful job!
We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-07T11:31:00.005-07:00

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Now I realize that I just posted like two days ago, but I found some new pictures I can put up and there really is no cap on how much I can talk about my children. (Maybe there should be at times...) Anyway, it is starting to feel like Christmas time now! We got a little snow, and Santa's at the mall! Not to mention all the Christmas shows that are on tv, the Christmas music thats on the radio and the city is now decorated! You just have got to love it!

Grace made her first snow angel... although she cried the whole time we did it, she was fairly proud afterward. Weird kid.

My mom had a "Mama-Grace Day" yesterday and took her to the mall. Grace was pretty psyched to see Santa, (as long as Mama sat on his lap with her.) Of course the second she saw and heard him coming down the hall she freaked! According to my mom she started shaking to the point of almost convulsing, and made them leave immediately. So we'll see how round two goes. We got our family pictures taken for Christmas cards as well, so if anyone wants a Christmas card let me know your address and I will get them to you as soon as we get them done.

I took Grace swimming with my Mom's and Tots group a couple weeks ago, and at first Grace was fairly hesitant, but by the end she was running through the water and going down the slide... (with me waiting to catch her at the bottom of course!) I think I am going to try and make a monthly date of it with her!

Ben found out last night that he is going back to work for the next week and a half, which is good and sad at the same time. (Its funny how quickly I get re-accustomed to having him around!) Of course it is only a week and a half and then he is back for like three weeks, so I am certainly not complaining!

On a different note I just want to comment on how blessed we feel. If any of you read my previous blogs you may remember that my Grandpa was not doing very well, and to be quite honest we weren't all that sure he was going to make it to Christmas. Well, my cousin Marty and Ben gave him a blessing a couple weeks ago, (pretty much at the time we were starting to feel pretty hopeless,) and in it he was promised to recover. I took a great amount of comfort in this, and as it turned out he is now coherent, smiling, walking around, (albeit with a walker,) and he is home! I am truly grateful!

It was pretty tough to try and imagine... (or try- as hard as we could- NOT to..) not having our Gramps around. My heart truly goes out to those who have lost someone this past year, because I have to say that I don't know how we would have gotten through the season without him. He and my Gram are the heart and soul of our family center and I think this situation just kind of cemented the certainty of that.

So, this Christmas season, we are mindful of those we have, those we have lost, and the hope that we see through our girl's eyes! Because what is better than Christmas through the eyes of a child!

Christmas is Coming!!!!

2008-12-03T14:46:00.004-07:00

Soooo... one of my favorite times of the year is upon us and I am really excited!!! I am so excited for Grace this year, b/c she is starting to get the whole "Santa thing" and is anticipating Christmas! Its funny how, (no matter how much we deny it,) we start to lose the Christmas spirit we had when we were kids! I never realized, and I think it is because I have always gotten fairly excited concerning the season, but I somehow forgot exactly HOW fun it can be. We are gearing up for going to visit Santa next week at the mall, and I am not too sure how that will go over, being as Grace has always had this huge, irrational fear of him. (Although, he is this huge, not to mention strange, old man wanting kids to sit on his lap... maybe I kind of understand where she is coming from...) So hopefully that goes better than last year. We are done shopping, and all the gifts are under the tree, so there is relief in that. (Even if Ben thinks I am super mean for taunting my two year old.) Now all that is left is getting our Christmas cards done and maybe doing some baking! (Oh who am I kidding... eating my mom's baking.)

Ben is home till the new year now b/c his rig got shut down till January... so it is pretty awesome having him around. We even got to go on a double date with my sister and her fiance last week... (Yup, we went to Twilight!)

Here are a few pictures from November... (I really slacked off in that whole department last month...)

Our Family at Brad and Beth's Reception
(Yes, Grace ALWAYS has to have food with her!)

Ben and I outside the Temple
According to Grace she now has to get decked out in winter clothes, so she is usually in full gear when we go out now. Pretty cute.

2008-11-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

***Yay for Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!***

So... Halloween has come and gone, and it was really fun this year! I was really unsure as to whether Grace would be ok with the whole "trick or treat" concept, being as she is so shy... but lo and behold- she totally got into it! (Might have had something to do with our only going to people's houses she already knows... but baby steps right!) She is all of a sudden really into ballerinas, so we vetoed the original plan of a tomato in favor of a ballet dancer... (albeit one with wings, ah, tit for tat.) She was the prettiest little ballerina I've ever seen anyway!

Attached to her daddy (Of course!)

Her first house!!! (Grandma's house)

She was quite proud of herself!

The last house of the night... Auntie Michelle and Uncle Bob's!

So, aside from our Halloween excitement, I have noticed that in the past two weeks my little toddler is changing. I don't know what is bringing it on, but its so much fun to watch! All of a sudden she is saying these new adult phrases, acting more mature and has even started wanting to play with other kids a lot more. Ok, I realize that the kid thing isn't a big deal for many, but it sadly is for us. Aside from her best friend Sophie, Grace has never really played with other kids, they kind of seem to intimidate her. So my new calling in Mom's and Tots should hopefully fix it a bit, and nursery seems to be helping, but overall I hadn't noticed a huge change, but this weekend that changed...
We went to Grandpa Todd and Grandma Lori's this weekend and their youngest daughter is only 11 days older than Grace. Now usually Calli is trying to play with Grace but she just sits on one of our laps and watches the kids play. However... this time she got right into playing alongside them! I swear, there is nothing cuter than watching 2 little girls whisper and giggle together!

Calli and Grace- getting their blanket situated

In their playhouse

Our little beauty

Other than all of our fun we've had this weekend, life has been interesting. Thanksgiving was a little bittersweet. Great in the sense that we got to see my family and Ben's mom's side of the family, and had wonderful meals with both of them, not to mention great quality time.

First Dinner at my parent's
Kaia was happy (Even if she couldn't have mashed potatoes!)

Daddy and his best friend Grace

Our happy Family

Next dinner- Next day!
Grandy, Ben and Kaia at Grandma Leanne's and Papa Jims

Gisty, Me and Grace

It was also a little sad though because my grandpa has been in the hospital for over a month and we couldn't share the holiday with him. (Or my gram or my aunt Kath who have been diligently by his side every step of the way.) On the bright side though, he is back in Lethbridge now, (from Calgary) and seems to be getting better. Grace does her part in cheering him up, she dances for him!
(Our budding ballerina!)

Kaia giving gramps some love

Gettin' a snuggle from my gramps

Anyway, life is good really, and we all count ourselves blessed to have the life we do! I want to quickly mention my new favorite thing Grace does and then I will end this longest blog ever! She used to listen to me say prayers at night, but I realized that she is perfectly capable of saying them herself, so we have been working on her saying them herself. She is doing really great, and whenever Ben is on the rigs, we pray that he will be watched over. So, to put herself to sleep at night I can hear her (after we have already said our prayers...) softly repeating over and over in her cute little voice, "please keep Daddy safe and warm Heavenly Father". (Of course, she says the same thing when he is home next to her in bed, and is definitely more than warm, not to mention perfectly safe, but you know what? I think he still appreciates it!)

Baby Smiles

2008-10-09T16:35:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed that on those days when things aren't really going as smoothly as you would like, there is always that "saving grace" (pardon the pun...) at the end. (Or at least usually there is!) I have found that when the girls are crying inconsolably or whining relentlessly, (or just in general out of sorts,) I am counting the minutes until bedtime. And it never seems to fail that when I lay those pretty little girls down I will get an "I love you Mommy", or "You're so pretty Mommy" or even just a sweet little smile, and immediately I have forgotten why I needed the break. I am such a lucky Mom, and I count each and every single day as a blessing b/c I get another chance to get to know these chicks a little better. (And for those odd days when I don't get the cute little line, there is always donuts and cookie dough!

I Love my Kids... Really I Do...

2008-10-01T16:09:00.000-06:00

There are a few things that I have learned from having two children. I didn't really expect things to be that different... alas I was delusional. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE having both my girls- I've just discovered some new stuff.

*WHINING* There are actually many variations of whining! Lo and behold there is the "hurt whine", "the tired whine", "the jealous whine", "the bored whine", "the shy whine", "the scared whine", "the tired whine... (the "man- if I wasn't LDS wine"... thats a joke, in case you missed it.) Yeah, I could go on and on, and the saddest part is- I am still hearing new ones, and we've only just begun!

*SHOWERS* Well, shower time has been cut down drastically, and I've gotta say... it wasn't much to start with! Cutting down five minutes to two and a half really forces you to perfect the art of a quick shower! However, I am pretty darn good at figuring out which part of my legs people might not see, thus saving myself from wasting my time doing unnecessary shaving. Gross- maybe, Necessary- you bet!)

*TRAMPOLINES AND BUMMERS* No, no, I am not referring to the trampolines in many a backyard... I am speaking of my bed! Grace has discovered jumping on my bed is a source of great amusement for herself. Of course this was only after her sister was born and often is found laying on it! Its amazing how close my little girl comes to "bumming" near Kaia's head. Truly.

*DUSTING* The discovery of a Swiffer is probably one of the biggest triumphs of my parental life. I cannot tell you how many times I am trying to feed Kaia and at that exact moment we HAVE to play soccer, (or some variation of a game that is pretty near impossible to play while feeding an infant.) However, rarely am I turned down when I instead suggest that we get rid of all the dust first. Not only am I saved from a toddler tantrum, but my house gets a little bit cleaner, (and now that Febreze joined forces with those little dusters my house gets a burst of freshness as well!) I really should write the Swiffer creator and thank him/her profusely!

*SYNCHRONIZED CRYING* It always amazes me how when one is freaking out, the other often pipes in! Its actually a little impressive at times, I mean these girls really know how to cry! In unison, in melody, I think at times they even have rounds going on. My old choir director would be proud!

* LOVE* Yeah, I'll go mushy for a sec. I will be honest, I was worried that I wouldn't care about Kaia as much as Grace, or maybe that some of my love for Grace would have to be transferred over to Kaia. I admit that this was my main concern from the time the Doc confirmed my being prego. I really didn't want to share my love for Grace b/c I just adored her so stinking much!

Now, EVERYONE said that my heart just grows and there is always equal amounts for every child. No sharing- just more.
I scoffed.
I was wrong.
Its weird, b/c I have actually tried analyzing the situation, (not real sure thats a conducive way to spend my time, but it is what it is) It turns out there really is no way to describe it for me- its not really different love, its not really the same, its just love. Plain and simple. (And that is what gets me through the whining, the near-death jumps and the crying!)

2008-09-24T04:00:00.000-06:00

Blessings in Our Life

***Well, we got to bless our little girl over the weekend. It was so nice to have all of our immediate family there to witness it, and Kaia showed how appreciative she was by being a perfect little angel the whole night! I am always so happy when we can all get together for one reason or another, although Grace didn't quite feel the same! She spent the whole night in the arms of Uncle Scotty or Aunt Brit, and pretty much refused to take any pictures! I am always so confused as to why we have such a shy child, since neither Ben or I have the tendency to act that way, (particularly around her!) Oh well, I still love her just the same!

Our pretty lil'
Babe!

"Mama" gettin' a snuggle just before the blessing***

Carlson Family... (Its so cute how my Ben has to squat down to be the same height! He's still one of us even if he is a giant!)

Grandpa Todd (We missed Grandma Lori, but she had to stay home with the kids)

Ben's family... even in my tall shoes I am shorter than my "little" sister Lexie

Our newlywed buddies "Uncle Ben and Aunt Shay"

Our beautiful Grace before we actually went out to the blessing... see, it was just the crowds!!!

Kaia with her Daddy
and Mommy

Ben just went back to work and so its back to me and the babes for a couple weeks. Maybe I will have Grace closer to being potty trained by the time he gets back. (Or at least have given her the desire again anyway!)
All of our friends are back in town from their various summer activities, so we get to look forward to having a lot more "friend time", which is always so fun! (Even if we have to drive out to Raymond for most of it, seeing how TONS of our pals are now residing out there!!)
So, on a completely separate topic I just want to say that I am so thankful for my family and how much joy they bring me! I have realized lately how important it is to appreciate my husband and children. Its funny, b/c we sometimes get caught up in the "drama of life", whether it be our own stuff or other people's issues, and when we take a step back and evaluate what really matters, it is quite obvious! We have this amazing little family that I always prayed I would have. I get such a sense of peace when I realize that nothing else is as important as how the four of us treat each other and love each other. There just is nothing better than being the wife and mother to my family!