Almost 2 years!!

It's hard to believe that it has been nearly 2 years since I said, "I do"! I decided it was time to set aside the baby pictures for a while and focus on getting my wedding scrapbook done. I just love all the photo's done by the very talented sisters - Amanda & Juanita of Dream Photography. Here are a few of the pages that are finished so far:

Beautiful British Columbia

AAAaaah! Beautiful British Columbia! It seems like only a few days ago that Mik was helping us pack our bags!

We have been enjoying our time out in Kelowna over the past few weeks. It is hard to believe our time here is almost done. When we first got here the weather was unbelievable hot and sunny. We enjoyed a lot of parks and beaches but were also extremely thankful for the air conditioning! We were always on the look out for shady spots. We managed to keep the sun off the little guy but it was impossible to keep the rocks and sand out of his mouth. :P

The temperature has come down to a more tolerable level now but the air is full of smoke from the terrible forest fires that are all over the province. Everyone is hoping for rain to help the fire fighters get a handle on the fires. So many people are evacuated from their homes and are unable to get home insurance. It is really a terrible situation for so many!

Here's a shot of the view from the yard here before the smoke rolled in. This province is really so incredibly beautiful.

We have had a lot of time to visit with family and love every minute of it. It will be hard to say goodbye! I know Nana will miss her little garden helper!! ;)

Mik has also been practicing his walking every day. He is getting closer all the time!!

Today we headed to Penticton and took in a little bit of Peachfest and I ate my first fresh peach since we arrived here. YUM YUM!!

Hold On for One More Day

It has taken many days of procrastination before I finally decided it could not be avoided any longer.  Every time I thought I was ready to do it I would look at those beautiful blond baby curls and tell myself, 'one more day'.  I think I was afraid I would look at him and not see my baby any longer and instead see a little boy.  I realized that no matter how long I put it off I could not stop him from growing up so today I took the plunge and finally cut the little man's hair for the first time.  

Before:

This next one you can see the fuzzy spot at the back where he rubs his head on his mattress at night.

After:

Here's a couple of bonus shots from a few days ago - obviously pre-haircut when Mik was enjoying one of his favorite snacks - fresh blueberries!  Yummy!

Oh My - July!

It's hard to believe that it is already July!  Where has the time gone?  We have been keeping pretty busy around here.  I am slowly wading through my old school files and reading up on what's new for next year.  I have very mixed emotions about going back to work.  I really do miss it.  I am happy to say that I love my job ALMOST every day but the thought of not spending my days with the little man makes my heart ache.  

We started off the month with Canada Day celebrations in the park.  By the time we were ready to head home Mikayo was completely tuckered out!  It was the perfect day to be out and about and we even went back in the evening to check out the fireworks.  It was Mikayo's first fireworks so I wasn't sure how he'd react to the noise but he loved it.  He was mesmerized!  

Toward the end of June I took an unfortunate fall on the stairs - 4 stairs to be exact - (darn old houses with steep staircases) that resulted in a dislocated shoulder.  I still can't believe how much it hurt.  We whisked Mikayo off to my sister and brother-in-law's place and headed to the hospital.  Even though it felt like it took FOREVER at the time, the wait in the ER was not bad at all.  A little morphine, x-rays, more morphine, something that completely knocked me out, putting my arm back where it was supposed to go (I don't remember this part thankfully), more x-rays and a sling later we were finally headed home.  I have orders to wear the sling for 3 weeks.  I have less than a week to go and I admit that I am slacking on it a bit but am being extremely careful when it is off.  It is just SO uncomfortable and after 2 weeks the velcro is starting to come undone all the time so it is also a big pain to keep on when I do try.  In any case, the shoulder feels a lot better than it did but it still gets sore pretty easily.  I think it will be a long while before it is as good as new.  The plus side - it is REALLY HARD to change dirty diapers - especially with our little wiggle worm so I have been mostly off diaper duty for the last 2 weeks.  Marty thinks that I will owe him 3 weeks straight of diaper duty when this arm is fixed up but I told him that that isn't how it works.  Hopefully he believes me!

Mikayo has a great little snack container that he can reach into to take out snacks without having them spill.  It's also nice that he can grab a snack on his own.  Without having to wait or ask, he can just grab his little snack container.

He also likes to feed Bear Bear from his snack container (and from the highchair and anywhere else there's food).

Bear Bear sure loves his little brother!

Sometimes he will keep his hand in the container as he trucks around the house.  It makes crawling quite funny... clunk, clunk, clunk, everywhere he goes!

Finally, a little bonus shot of the little man after supper last night.  One more time when not having the use of both my arms comes in quite handy.  We are sure lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy around!

Mommy Time

So, the last while we have been dealing with a sick/feverish little man.  It has been a long few days.  He seems to be back to his old self this morning so hoping (fingers crossed) he stays that way!  It's so hard to have a sick baby and not be able to make it all better.  

Last night I snuck away for a much needed break and left Mr. Sickie with Daddy.  I went to my Stampin' Up group and made 2 great cards.  Thanks Sarah! 

This is a Sucrets box that I decorated for a little Hodgepodge Hardware challenge that we did. The flowers, stamp and paper are all from SU. 

I can't resist sharing at least one shot of the little man so, here's a shot of Mik from last week slurpin' spaghetti noodles.

 

A Weekend Away

This past weekend we packed up the family and headed off to Edmonton.  Marty had a Reiki class to attend and I spent a lot of time visiting with my brother, sister-in-law and their two charming boys.  It was nice to see Mikayo playing with his little cousin who is only about 3 months younger. 

"Sharing" the sippy cup

Sharing the Leap Frog letters

Traveling went okay... 5 hours was about Mikayo's limit though.  I think we will definitely have to take 2 stops on our way to Kelowna this summer.  Here is the little man - still rear-facing at a little over a year old.  Hopefully we will be able to keep him that way for another year!!

The toughest part of the trip was night-time.  Mommy & Daddy forgot the bedtime "guys" and without them we had quite a challenge getting Mik to sleep.  We even went shopping in hopes of being able to buy a replacement but unfortunately it was unavailable.  We settled on  a glow worm but sadly it didn't do the trick.  We were sad to have to say goodbye and head home but were happy to have a good night's sleep!

Looking Back

My birthdays have never bothered me.  Getting older is just part of life and I am enjoying life more and more with each passing year.  35?  Bring it on!!  My little man turning 1 on the other hand was a whole different story.  I still can't believe my baby is a whole year old.  Sometimes I look at him and feel like he is looking less and less like a baby and more and more like a little boy.  Of course he still wants cuddles from Mom & Dad but he is getting more independent by the minute.  It makes my heart ache to know that one day he might not want to be rocked to sleep, one day he may not need an extra little snuggle when he has a fall, he will one day rather hang out with his friends than be here with us and he will one day move out on his own.  The rational side of me knows that most of these things are a LONG way off but part of me sees the big picture and can't help but feel like I need to hang onto these special moments as long as I can.  Just for today, I will enjoy the time I have with my new family and be thankful for my many blessings!

The Celebration Continues...

Sunday night was birthday #2 for the little man.  Some of the family were away for his first party so it was an excellent excuse to extend the celebration.  

The cake was much more fun to crumble and toss around but some did manage to make it to his mouth.  

Daddy helped the little man open his gifts.  

Mikayo is lookin very cool in an outfit that Nana and Grandpa K got for his birthday. 

'Here I am showing Grandpa M one of my favorite birthday toys - my farm & letter fridge magnets.  Thank you Gaby & Landon!'

We were very excited to receive another package in the mail today from Olivia.  Here he is modeling his new cap.  I think it is SO adorable!!!  Thank you!

As you can see, the little man got spoiled like crazy for his birthday.  We want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and generous gifts and for sharing this very special time with us!

Water & Wash

We had another hot, quiet day around here.  I FINALLY finished assembling the little picnic/water & sand table that we got Mikayo for his birthday and he had a lot of fun and got VERY wet playing in it!  He just LOVES water! 

Here he is doing "SO big!"

He also decided to help me pack away some of his 9-12 month clothes that he has grown out of (sniff!).  He decided his job would be to pull all of his clothes out of his drawers and make a big pile and then take the clothes that were set aside to pack away and put those ones back in the drawers.  What a little turkey!

Later, he decided to help me fold the laundry.  As you can see, he made up his own job description!

 

We are all very excited to see Grandma & Grandpa tomorrow.  They are here visiting from Kelowna for a while.  I think they will be surprised to see how much the little man has grown!  At yesterday's doctor's appointment the he was 20.5 lbs and 30 inches.  In the last week he seems to have doubled his food intake!  I think he's gotten chubbier overnight!  We are very lucky that he is willing to eat almost anything we serve him.  Busy day tomorrow - I think it's time for this momma to head to bed!!

All in a Days Work

Before the day had really begun I was off to the specialist to take a look at my knee.  6 x-rays later there is still no solution to fixing it so next is the waiting list for an MRI.  Fun!!  

Today was beautiful so we managed to get outside for quite a while.  We went for a walk and spent some time at the park and in the yard.  When we were inside, Mikayo managed to stay VERY busy!

The work of a 1 year old is never ending!  

First on the schedule:  Emptying out the entire toy box!

Sometimes going on tiptoes is necessary to get the job done!
...and sometimes going above and beyond is required!!

Sometimes however, we need a little help!

Getting stuck in the toy box is no fun at all!!!

Next on the schedule:  Piano concerto - this little pianist is showing so much talent... and at such a young age!!!  ;)

After a hard day's work there is finally a little time left to play!

I really love my ball pit!

The little man as always has had a VERY busy day!  He was even lucky enough to get another birthday package in the mail!!  He says, 'Thank you SO much Auntie Pam & Uncle Dave'!