WEDDING ADVENTURE

Lastnight, we went to our first formal event since the potty training began.   Ryder was one handsome lil guy rockin' his chocolate brown cargo shorts, his blue and brown plaid button shirt and his undies!!!  I felt confident about this situation as he had pooped at home earlier so I figured we were in the clear. I managed to stuff a couple diapers in my purse and to be on the safe side, I stuck in an extra pair of undies and some track shorts as they could fold up really small.  I really didn't think we'd need them, infact, I was hoping we wouldn't as green and white striped shorts really wouldn't compliment his button up shirt.

The ceremony was in an indoor garden downtown. Ryder played trucks quietlyish through the whole thing.

We had to walk to the reception area a couple blocks away. Ryder helped by insisting that he carry my purse.

It was while Marty and Ryder and Peanut were standing in line at the bar that Ryder mentioned to Marty he had to go "potty potty."  Marty came back to find me, (not sure why he didn't just take him, but..) By the time Ryder and I got to the bathroom which wasn't in the actual ball room, it was too late! He had tried to tell us and he had tried to make it, this was a genuine accident...a messy one. A very messy one.  He panicks when he sees the poop so as soon as I got the undies halfway down he starts trying to get his feet out of them as fast as possible which just gets messier. By the time he was free of the undies he had poop all over the inside of his legs, on my fingers and after I sat him on the toilet, it was all over the seat, which then got on his arms and hands! I removed his shirt as I feared poop would end up on that too!  EWWWWWW! I sat there staring at him for a couple minutes. How was I going to clean this up? I had no wipes, no phone to text Marty and we were too far away from the wedding room to leave him while i got the wipes.  I was hoping someone would come in so I could ask them to go to table 6 and get my hubby and the baby wipes, but no one came.  Finally, after Ryder finished the "business" he had left, I cleaned him up the best I could with TP.  Once all the chunks were off of him, I pulled him off the seat and very careful not to get any on my dress, I stood him up on the sink counter, naked except for his sandals and wet papertowels so I could "sponge bath" him from the waste down!  After cleaning the toilet seat, sanitizing both of our hands and putting his shirt back on, we headed back to the wedding, pantless! Yep, it was turning into that kind of party! LOL. The best thing about Ryder, is that this kind of thing does not rattle him at all. He paraded back into the party, put on clean undies and the green and white shorts and rocked it!!! 

 

Note his green striped shorts....

 

Shortly after, Peanut needed a diaper change. I attempted that one with her still in the stroller. In a rookie move, I took off the dirty diaper without putting the clean one under her and ofcorse she peed at that exact moment.  The stroller was now wet and so was she!! Ooops!! 

So I guess I could say the wedding was "shitty!" but ofcorse, it wasn't really!! He he! We had a great time and it was so much fun being out as a family!!  Today, we head out on a 2 week camping road trip. More adventures to come!!!!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and always be prepared!!!

 

CITY FANTASY

As a kid I always had this fantasy about what it would be like to live in the city. I always figured there would be other kids around all the time and everyone would come to our house and we'd run and bike and go to each other's houses and everyone's Mom's would offer us lemonade and fresh baked cookies...like I said this was how city life was in my mind.

Maybe that's why I have loved sooo much having all the neighbourhood kids over to our front yard this summer.  

One day I drug the sprinkler out to our front yard (I knew if I did, kids would come.)  You know, that's almost the shame of having such great back yards, no one plays in the front ones around here anymore and it makes it harder to meet your own neighbours.  Marty is always working in the garage on his landcruiser so he's managed to meet lots of curious husbands who wished they had a cool garage project. They'll stand and talk his ear off all evening. I've managed to meet a few other Moms while chasing our kids on bikes down the sidewalk, but as far as gatherings of kids in front yards, this we had yet to experience...until the sprinkler. 

As soon as I brought it out, kids came!! The girls loved it (they are older than Ryder, but they are still at the age where they love "mothering" little ones.) The boys came on their bikes to check it out and even though they ranged in age from 8-10 they thought Ryder was sooo cute. Before I knew it they were encouraging him to chase them on their bikes. They were so respectful, staying within the bounds of the cul de sac that I had set out for Ryder. Finally, my own little childhood fantasy was coming true: All the kids were at our house!! To my delight one of the other mothers even came over with lemonade!!!

Ever since that afternoon, the kids have been hanging around a lot. The girls come over everyday begging to take Scout for a walk. They are awesome at including Ryder and waiting for him while they run through the soccer field next door.  On hot days, I bust out the sprinkler and everyone is welcome to come splash around.  Ryder really isn't into the sprinkler yet, but he loves watching everyone and having them all over here. This is what summer is all about!!!!

I didnt' get too many pics. I dont' want to be the creepy lady taking pics of other kids in their swimming suits, but here's what I got.

 I love that Ryder isn't shy about hanging out in his undies (impromptu swimming trunks)

 

I love all the bikes strewn on the street. Proof of a bunch of kids having fun!!!

 

 It's such a novelty for me, to have so many kids around (I know, I know, I'm a teacher, I have kids hanging around all the time,) but I mean neighbourhood kids, Ryder's friends.  If we have to live in the city, sharing this laughter and joy makes it worth it!!

Ofcorse, we still bring our friends out to the Farm to hang with Dirt.  I still get a lot of joy out of being the one to give kids their first ride on a horse!!!

 Here I am "wearing" Peanut while leading our little friend for the first time!! This is not Uncle Dirt. IT's Panda. He's my good friend's horse. Dirt is great "on the ground" the kids can lead him, brush him and feed him til the cows come home, but Panda is safer for riding.

 Snacks in the dirt, that's how we roll!

Ofcorse, we can't always hang out with friends, but we have eachother and sometimes that's all we need!

 

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and bust out that sprinkler on beautiful days. If you turn it on, they will come!!

RANDOMS (PEANUT IS THREE MONTHS OLD

Peanut is in her third month. She weighs around 14lbs and she is smiley, chubby and beautiful. She is starting to be more and more awake and more and more loud. :)  She needs to be heard over her brother afterall, right?  She prefers to sleep on her tummy and she loves being "worn" in the baby carrier.

Ryder continues to be full of energy! He can be sooo happy and sweet when he wants to be, but when he is tired...look out! He's loud, insistent and cranky!!
He loves to pull his wagon and "fix" things that are "broken down." He's big at "taking the motor out" and putting "oil in it."  He often requests screw drivers to fix things and he is always looking to call a tow truck for some reason or another. He has also mastered the question of "Why??" and he is not aftraid to ask the same "why" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... 

 Yep, definitely stuck. Gonna need a tow truck!

 He's still bigger than most of his buddies, and he loves to hug. Sometimes he's sooo affectionate that he knocks down his little friends or scares them with his too tight squeezes.

 He loves water and hoses and buckets...hey, what kid doesn't?

 The water play started out fully clothed, but eventually ended with everyone in their undies and diapers!

I love my kiddos, though, I'm not gonna lie, this month was a tough one with me being so sick, Ryder being potty trained (still) and Marty gone stampedeing as much as he was. I got a taste of single parenting and I am glad I don't have to do it. I respect so much Mom's and Dad's who do this day in and day out by themselves. It aint easy, especially when you are sick!!!!

WE survived though, and I am soooo excited to report that 6 weeks after starting out three day potty training bootcamp, Ryder is finally, mostly potty trained. He's telling me when he has to go and he's even pooping in the potty!!!!!! Life is about to get way easier, right???

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and double up on Vitamin C if you feel a cold coming on!!!

STAMPEDE 101 (2013)

This year marked the 101st Calgary Stampede! It was amazing that the "show" got pulled off at all after the giant flood that drowned downtown, but come "Hell or High Water" the show must go on and "go on" it did!!! 10 days of rodeo, chuckwagons, fire works, fairs, rides, pancake breakfasts, beer and good times!!  We love Stampede! The whole city embraces it by taking the 10 days to wear jeans, boots and hats to work, by enjoying free pancake breakfasts throughout the city and by partying to celebrate our western heritage!  

The whole even begins with a parade on the first Friday of Stampede. We took Ryder downtown to take in the first few glimpses of the party that is the Calgary Stampede!

 In the spirit of Stampede I took Ryder to see Uncle Dirt. I dressed him in Western duds, and let him play with the ropes and buckets and horses like normal. Since he was all dressed up, I couldn't resist taking a few pics!

 Trying to rope the "dummy"

 Helpin' Mom

 I had to get Peanut some boots too!!

 My girlfriends and I took our kids to one of the Stampede pancake breakfasts. There were pony rides, balloons, face painting, and ofcorse, pancakes!! All of it FREE!!

 Ryder and his lil buddies in line for pancakes.

 So happy to have a balloon!!

 Eating our pancakes on the grass.

 The baby girls showing their Stampede spirit with their adorable boots!

 Unfortunately, Ryder, Peanut and I got really sick just after the parade.  We got horrible colds that we just couldn't shake. We were sick the whole Stampede. Since I am the Mother of a three month old, I am also not getting enough sleep at night, so this cold hit me hard and has hung on. I just couldn't/can't shake it.  One night, we even had a babysitter booked, but I just didn't feel up to going out "Stampedeing at all!"  Marty even took Ryder one morning to the grounds on Kid's Day without me!  He was approached by a few photographers asking him to sign waivers so they could take pics and possibly publish them of Ryder.  Check out this link:

http://o.canada.com/2013/07/10/calgary-stampede-kids-day/#.Ud-FrgKbeAY.facebook


Finally, yesterday, the last day of Stampede, I felt well enough to venture to the grounds to soak up some of the excitement. We didn't think Ryder was quite ready to sit through the whole rodeo yet, so we didn't take in the show, we just took in the fair and some mini donuts!!

 Ryder and Marty watching the horses in one of the rings.

 Testing out the driver's seat of a back hoe.

Stampede is awesome! We are huge supporters of it, especially Marty who is sure not to miss a party or breakfast the whole 10 days!!! I am telling you, he is one handsome cowboy, talk a bout a "tall drink of water!!"  Next year, I won't be nursing a baby and hopefully, I wont' be so sick so I'll be able to take my handsome cowboy for a spin or two on the dancefloor!

Stampede is over for this year and I'm sorry I had to basically miss all of it because of my horrible cold, but it will be back and so will I!!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and teach 'em all how to holler, "yee haw!!!"

ROOKIE

Sooo, yesterday, I made a rookie mistake...I went to the park unprepared!
I was looking after a friend's two kids and a friend of mine had come over with her two kids, so when we decided to walk with them all down to the park I loaded snacks, bug spary, sunscreen and jackets into the wagon and off we went!  What I hadn't banked on, was the fact that Ryder was going to poop!! Ahhh, there we are at the park, a good 20 minute walk from home and Ryder is standing there saying, "Mommy, I pooped!!" Ahhh!! I had nothing except a diaper for Peanut, which was not going to fit Ryder!  I can't believe I had forgotten wipes, undies, a plastic bag!!! What did I do? What could I do? I pulled his wet/soiled gear off, wiped his butt with his shorts, threw both the shorts and undies in the trash and sent him back down the slide!!! He wore his hoodie home tied around his waist, but first he played..commando!! LOL

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and be prepared...or be good at improvising!!

7 DAYS OF HOLIDAYS!

Last weekend was the Canada Day long weekend, with July first being Canada Day.  We had been originally planned to go camping for the weekend with Nic as that is our tradition, however with the flood situation around here, camping was becoming less of an option with roads to our favorite sots being under water.  Lucky for us, we received a last minute invite to join some friends up at their lake house in BC.  We had never been to their lake house before and were excited for a hot weather weekend on a lake!! Nic came down to our house so she could join us. We weren't gonna spend Canada Day without her! She knew what she was getting into when she piled into the minivan with Me, my hubby, my toddler, my three month old and my dog, but I'm sure that didn't make the caos any easier to observe! She witnessed two poop blow outs, one was the three month old's in her diaper and out the back of her shirt in the van and the other was the two year old's in his undies with sandwhich in hand in the booth at Subway restaurant in Golden BC...and that was just within the first three hours of the 7.5 hour road trip!!
We made it to the lake house at 2am, so we got settled into our beds right away, eager to wake up to sunshine on the lake!!!
All in all there were a dozen adults, a two year old, a three month old and 4 dogs at the Lake that weekend.  We met a bunch of new friends, Scout played like she hasn't in months and the kids were showered with attention!  We had a fantastic time on Shushwap lake!!  Sunday, at nap time, we left the lake (though it was hard to drive away from paradise) and headed for Kelowna.  We planned to spend some time with Marty's folks.  Nic and Marty were only going to be able to spend the night, they had to head home Monday as they both had to work Tuesday. The kids and I stayed until Thursday. We flew home, thanks to Trish being super generous with her Airmiles! 
While Marty and Nic were in Kelowna with us we: swam in the pool, went for a boat ride, ate fantastic food and basked in the sunshine. After they left, the kids, Grampa and GG and I continued to swim at the lake and splash parks, go for boat rides, eat delicious food and soak up as much sunshine as possible (except Peanut who I insisted stayed in the shade.)  We had an awesome, relaxing holiday. Grampa and GG took great care of us and they didn't seem to mind at all that Ryder pooped..in his undies at least once every day!  (He did pee in their potty and not ever in his pants nor in his bed nor on Grampa's boat, though, he did pee off the back of Grampa's boat into the lake "on the fishies" so I am proud of him for that!)

Catching up on gossip on the road trip.

One of the most beautiful places I have ever woken up to!

 Playing trucks on the retaining wall.

 Where we live our babies do not get to be naked enough, it is just too cold. I loved having my kids in their skivies all weekend. Nothing cuter than chubby babies and toddlers in nothing but their "gear."

Marty took Ryder out on the paddle board. Adorable!

KELOWNA

There was plenty of sunshine and smiles all week!

 Boat ride!

 Ryder LOVED driving Grampa's boat!

 Grampa still has Marty's super soaker from when he was a kid and it still worked!!

 GG snuggles!

 Loved driving!!

 

Lots of Beach time! Because there were no bugs, or wind, Peanut spent a lot

of the sunny days under the umbrella on her "sleep donut."

 

 

 

  

Peanut did go for a dip in the lake too!!

 It took Ryder a while to warm up to the idea of playing in the water, but once he did, he had the best time!!!

 

 

After one of the beach days, Grampa's truck wouldn't start. GG had to come to the rescue! WE got to ride in her convertible!! 

July First was Canada Day

 Grampa and GG took us to the celebrations by the lake!

Night time cuddles with Grampa before bed.

 GG snuggles!

 Bye GG and Grampa and endless sunshine!! We sure hope we can come back soon!!!

 I flew home with both kids by myself. First time flying with two! Ryder was pumped to be on the plane. He didn't want to sit down at take off time as he wanted to be kneeling so he could see out the window. Other than that, he was awesome for the one hour flight!  Peanut pooped twice (I changed her on my lap both times) and I nursed her once...all in all a very successful adventure!

I wish I had time to write more about our trip, but finding time to write these days seems to be next to impossible. I hope these photos will jog my memory of our trip when I look back on this one day. :)

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and find some sunshine!!!