GrowUp!

Trevor and I had been talking for a while that maybe Denay was ready to move up to a booster chair from her Phil and Ted's MeToo highchair. I had been researching a lot of seats and was having a hard time coming across one that was not, well, gaudy and childish. I remembered seeing one at Cat and Fiddle in Victoria and found it online and re-fell in love with it.

We drove down to Victoria just to pick it up and the little princess is quite fond of it.

This is the Musty (pronounced moot-sy) GrowUp "seat reducer". Musty is a Dutch company that has been selling their products in North America for a couple years and the only retailer in BC is (thankfully) in Victoria.

We are so pleased with our purchase! Denay calls it her "beeg gurl chair". It's perfect just before the summer as her highchair doesn't clamp to a glass table top. It's nice being able to push her chair all the way under the table and we love the low-profile, discrete and stylish look.

Our not-so-baby-anymore girl is doing just the chair's name; growing up way too fast for this momma.

{Summer Sand Smiles}

While in Nanaimo for our ultrasound we thought we'd run by Toys-R-Us and take a peek at some car seats. While on our way in, a display outside caught my eye and my first though was "It's perfect". Then I looked down and saw the price and and thought "We're buying it". We've wanted to get Denay a sandbox since last summer but we're unsure about whether to build one or buy one. We hadn't had any luck finding a good sized, non-junky plastic one. But, alas, the one that caught my eye not only wasn't junky or tacky looking (for being plastic) but it is a perfect size at 3x4ft and was on sale for almost half off!

Annndddd......Denay looooves it.

She won't get in it yet but I have a feeling she, and hopefully her friends, will be spending a lot of time in it this summer!

Yahoo for fabby-ulous deals!

"Look After My Heart - I've Left It With You"

My Princess.

My Angel.

She is the smallest thing I decided to put my whole life into.

:: The Baby Bump Chronicles - Halfway There ::

Yesterday marked week 20 of pregnancy number two!

We had a midwife visit yesterday and Denay was totally ecstatic to hear baby's "harped-eat" again (which stayed consistent in the 140's). I am measuring at 19 weeks and other than a pesky varicose vein, all is well!

:: Official 20 Week Pictures ::

Today we got to go for our ultrasound. Good day. The tech was so wonderful but unfortunately baby decided to hide a little bit and he wasn't able to get all the measurements and pictures so I'll probably have to back again in a few weeks. The heart rate was 137 and by the measurements he took I was right on cue at 20 weeks.

:: Our sweet, perfect baby (click to enlarge) ::

We are hoping between the two ultrasounds to be able to find out what we're having.

And we've also decided that if we do find out, that we're going to keep it a secret.

:: I am just loving having another baby gettin' all knit together in the inmost. It's got me really thinking.....about babies and our family. God has really begun to sow the seeds of desire for a large family. I treasure so deeply the wonder that is the way my Creator made me to carry and birth these gifts of children ::

I am loving feeling baby squirm and kick and can't wait for baby to get bigger and stronger so daddy and can feel too!

So there you go. All is well......

Love you baby!

:: Stars On Ice 2010 ::

I posted this back in March.......last night, I got to see that very performance, live.
One of my mom's dogs was expecting puppies and went into labour (and had five babies) so my good and lovely friend Becca (very enthusiastically) agreed (very last minute) so come along with my dad and Trev. Miss D stayed back with Oma and we had an unbelievable evening. My husband even admitted that, although he went with reservations, he very much enjoyed himself.

I'll confess that went they started to introduce the skaters and (Olympic Gold Medalists) Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir came on the ice, I teared up a little. I'm blaming the pregnancy hormones :)

Just a couple shots from Tessa and Scott's performance to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.

Notice the top right and bottom left shots......yep, that's the infamous "goose". Truly the most graceful, passionate, emotional and beautiful pieces of moving art I've ever seen. I was willing that they would fit the piece in and sure enough, just before the final group number, out she came in a flowy pink dress and as soon as the lights came up, my heart skipped a beat.

Beautiful.

:: A couple collages of the rest of our evening ::

The other superstars of the night were Joannie Rochette and married couple Jamie Salle and David Pelletier who totally blew everyone away with their lifts and jumps.

Oi.

I could go on and on and on.

Awesome night, incredible skating.

Love, loved it.

"Uh-Oh"

At Walmart last week, called the hubby at work to see if he'd like an Ice Cap (which of course he did). Drove down the street to Tim's and walked in to discover they now sell ice cream.

Huh?

Apparently there are now 38 Tim Horton's locations across Canada that are now outfitted as a coffee shop/ice cream parlour.

I payed no attention.

Saturday night rolls around and everyone has been talking about this ice cream. I like ice cream (a lot), I want to try.

I had this......(not my photo)

A Birthday Cake Remix.

Cake batter ice cream, brownie, sprinkles and chocolate syrup.

Yum. Yum.

It is now my mission to try all the "Signature Creations" that appeal to me by the end of the summer.

Some of those include Apple Pie A La Coldstone, Chocolate Devotion, Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cup Perfection.

Uh-oh.

And PS: get the small, it's big enough.

:: A Day For Momma ::

Today.
Today was a good day.

Denay and I had a morning alone. She slept in because mommy and daddy got her in bed late. We bathed, dressed, did our hair, ate breakfast.

Morning: church. Afternoon: reading, dozing. Evening: dinner, dessert, hockey game.

Lovely.

Highlight of my day?

Denay coming home from the store with daddy after church and after a little coaching (and a big smile) says to me in the sweetest voice in the world, "Happpy Mommy......DAY!".

In truth, that's all I needed. This momma was in tears.

We had a nice lunch outside on the deck. Little Miss was in a goofy mood....

Denay napped and mommy read her Mother's Day present, the new Ted Dekker (favy author) book The Bride Collector.
My mom and dad came over for dinner. Between Trev and my dad we enjoyed a very nice dinner of honey chicken teriyaki, caesar salad and potatoes finished off with a hearty serving of dutch apple pie and ice cream.

I opened my gift from my mom and was uber excited to hold tickets to Stars on Ice for Tuesday night. We went together two years ago and this time it's going to be a party of five and a half. Yep. My dad and Trev and Denay (and baby of course) are all coming. Uhhh....can't wait! We're talking Kurt Browning, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Joannie Rochette.

On Thursday the doorbell rang and I opened it to a FedEx man. I opened the package to a lovely card and an adorable Shabby Strap for my camera from my SIL Shawna. The Esty site is temporarily closed but I did find this picture, I got the cute striped one. Thanks Shawn, it's the perfect one.

I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful and inspiring mommies who encourage, bless, uplift, challenge and love.

To all those moms: Happy Mother's Day.

The Finishing Touch?

Is this room ever going to be done?

Every time I add something to Denay's room I'm thinking, for sure it's done now. Apparently not.

I was flipping through the Canadian Tire flyer on the weekend and came across this absolutely precious petite chandelier for almost 50% off.

I found the last one in the store and brought it home. I took it out of the box and was iffy on whether I wanted to put it up. But I took it out the next day and knew it definitely need to be in Denay's room. After almost and hour of fighting, up it was and perfect it is!

Here's hoping this is the final touch on this little-lady room. Denay woke up this morning, looked up a the ceiling and said, "Oh! Pitty!".

I can't wait to move onto turning the spare room into the perfect baby room!

~ Cuba 2010 ~

I'm going to do my best to not landblast you with pictures from our trip but I can't make any promises.

We left on April 18th and walked on the ferry with Denay. Trev's parents came and picked her up at the terminal and the six of us took a limo the airport. We arrived in Cuba at 3:45am and got our rooms at just before 7:00am.

We had a week full of fun, sun and lots of relaxing and reading.......

Be sure to click on the collages to get a closer look!

Also, be sure to check out my photography blog here for a some special portraits of two amazing and super fun couples on the beach in Varadero.

:: Days With An Angel ::

The day after we came home, I so badly wanted to promise Denay we would wake her to the park. This girl LOVES the park. But with the minutely changing weather made that a poor idea. So when she went down for naptime I promised her we would make cookies when she got up. Then without fail, shortly after she woke up, "Mommy, cookie?". She was right into it but mostly wanted to stick her finger in the dough and eat the chocolate chips out of the measuring cup before I could pour them into the mixer.

After Trev's birthday dinner, it was still early enough and sunny (for the moment) so it was off to the park.

I'm still completely and totally exhausted so Trev did most of the running around which left me with a chance to take pictures. I so delight watching this little person run and play and explore, there are few things that are more precious to me.

{Happy Birthday}

We celebrated Trev's birthday in Cuba with a great a la carte dinner and then again when we got back with BBQ'd hamburgers (with all the fixin's) and carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

As soon as I lit the candles, Denay started blowing and she did a great job helping daddy blow them out.

To say I'm lucky, blessed or fortunate to have the husband I do is a gross understatement. Trevor is a loving father, an attentive and strong husband. He is helpful, supportive, patient and giving. He makes me want to be a better mom, wife and person every day.

Happy Birthday Babe!

I love you...........

To Make You Smile.....

Kids really do say the darnedest things.

We were just hanging out with Denay on Tuesday night, enjoying being home with her and she somehow got a hold of a loonie. She was playing with it for the longest time when she suddenly exclaimed "Oh! Duck! Wacka-Wacka (quack quack)". I laughed, surprised that she was able to make out the loon . So I turned the loonie over and asked her who was on the other side......

......and she replied, very matter-of-factly, "Oh, Jesus!".

After a very good laugh, the next thing we know, she's holding the loonie on edge and is running it down the length of our phone, then pressing the buttons and saying "devit, devit". We couldn't figure out for the longest time what she was doing until I finally realized she was saying "debit" and swiping the loonie and typing in her numbers.

Never a dull moment with this girl!

From Fun In The Sun, To Home On The Range

We were here.............doing this.......
......and now we're home and in serious catch up mode.
On the 18th, my husband, myself and two other (fabulous) couples jumped aboard a very large plane and spent the next seven days and eight nights having the absolute time of our lives in Varadero, Cuba at a gorgeous resort.

I'm still completely exhausted but have settled back into stay-at-home-motherhood without a hitch.

And boy, did I miss my baby!

I'll get a full recap done soon but for now, check out the 17-week baby belly update below!

Buenas Noches mis amigos.....

The Baby Bump Chronicles | Week 17

And......voila!

My lovely lump at week 17, taken by my wonderful husband at gorgeous Cayo Blanco in Cuba.

Other than being the only one in our group of six that couldn't have anything alcoholic to drink, international trip #2 while pregnant was amazing. I found myself very tired in the evening (after a full day of doing nothing of course) and combined with the overwhelming amount of cigarette and cigar smoke everywhere, retreated to bed at a decent hour most nights.

Other than that, nothing new to report. We saw the midwife before we left and all was well. I also got my ultrasound appointment for mid-May and I can't wait!
Love you baby!

Parents Unite!

After our last visit to the mainland (during which I experienced my first swap meet) I promised myself I would make a point to attend the biggest one held here locally when it rolled around.

Saturday morning the three of us, my pockets filled with toonies and loonies, were up, fed, dressed and out of the the house to be there at 8:30 and were even fortunate enough to run into our good friends in the parking lot.

After less than an hour, we had 41 items.......

......and spent a total of only $47.

We definitely came home with a complete summer wardrobe for Denay plus a few pairs of jeans and an absolutely "dorable" (Miss D's word) Old Navy button down jacket for the fall (first collage, lower right corner) complete with embroidery and a funky patterned lining.. And the precious pink knit Mexx sweater dress beside it? Yeah, paid $1.50 and it's never been worn.

My SIL will be so proud to hear I even tried my hand at a little bartering and wasn't as terrible at it as I thought I would be.

I was very pleased to find out that the sale comes around again in October......by then we'll have a newbie and if that newbie happens to be a boy we'll be able to save a bundle by going used on a wardrobe full of blue!

Again I stand, full of thankfulness for God's everyday provisions!

:: Our Week ::

For the past month and a bit our clothes have been coming out of the washer dirtier than when they went in. The clothes that were in direct contact with the drum during the final spin would be covered in oily spots in the pattern of the drum. If we didn't catch the stains before the clothes were dried, I have found it impossible to get them out no matter how long I soaked them or what detergent I used.

My dad came over on Monday to drop something off and somehow the issue came up and before I knew it, him and Trevor were stuffed in our tiny downstairs bathroom tearing the machine apart (for three hours).

Long story short, Trevor finally got everything back together on Saturday after a spending a good chunk of cash on a new part. Normally he can be a little impatient when it comes to home repair projects but he did so well and saved us all the money it would have cost to buy a new washer (which is what the parts guy originally told us to do). I have to say that I really missed having a washer for a week :) Thanks to my momma who let me do three loads at her place on Friday! After it seemed Trevor was totally finished with the washer on Saturday, I asked if he would have a look at my vacuum cleaner as it had been smelling like burning and was shorting out when I used it the day before. We popped the handle out of the wand and out popped a very fried prong.......bang-o, no more vacuum.
Sigh.
I started my research immediately and after dinner we were shopping. We found the unit we wanted at Canadian Tire but wanted to check out a couple more stores before we bought. We ended up at London Drugs and found what we wanted on the very top shelf with no price (of course). After hunting down an employee who hoisted the huge box off the shelf and checked the price, we were delighted (and frankly I thought the guy was teasing me) to find out that it was on sale for $75 less than the Canadian Tire price!
Thank you LORD!
We came home with a Hoover WindTunnel that was rated very well on Consumer Reports.
Even though we in no way wanted to spend a few hundred more dollars right before our big trip, we are so grateful for the small provision of an unexpected sale that saved us a little bit of money during an expensive week!
I know it's common for things to come in threes......I'm holding out that the third might be the sale of our queen bed set or winning the lottery......

(Raw Truth)

This week I sat around at table, with eight other (fabulous and amazing) moms of various ages, and cried.

I shared that I felt like a failure as a mother.

Maybe I can blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I was abruptly struck by the brief amount of time I have with my sweet girl and deeply convicted by so many things that devastated me.

As I sat there weeping, I was surrounded with love, support, and encouragement and tears.

I left that morning feeling uplifted and with a concrete belief in a statement I heard twice that morning......

"You have everything in you to parent your child."

I have everything in me that I need to raise Denay.

I was totally overwhelmed at the caliber of mothers I was in the company of, not allowing me to believe the way I was feeling. Coming alongside me to fight against the lies I was being attacked with.

I left feeling empowered and loved and rooted in the knowledge that Denay is not just my child, she is a daughter of the King and I've got Him on my side.

Some of the moms at that meeting read my blog. You know who you are........thank you.

And to all you moms out there that have ever felt discouraged, oppressed, hopeless, angry, frustrated and like a total failure, know that you have everything in you that you need to parent your children.

If you are like me, sometimes it is an hourly battle (on those really rough days) to give all you have to your kids. And on those days that you feel like you don't have anything to give, never forget that you have a Father who can fill you to overflowing with everything you need.

|| Easter 2010 ||

The first long weekend of 2010 has come and gone and left me eager for all the other ones left to come!

Friday was the Good Friday service at church followed by a lot of rain and wind that kept us huddled inside for the day. Saturday we got ourselves up and out of the house nice and early for a trip down to Victoria to do some stroller shopping (more on that in a soon-to-come post) then an after dinner walk to Walmart and the park that caught us in a major downpour and had us totally and completely soaked by the time we got home.

Sunday I was up way too early to be at church to dance and be part of a scripture reading that left me ready for a nap by 10:00am. After church we ate our packed lunch and went to the BC Forest Museum to take in their Easter event. There were crafts, a bunny, scavenger hunt, unlimited train rides and a little bag of treats for the little ones at the end. We took Denay, still in her lovely Easter outfit (thanks Oma) and wandered around the grounds, completed the scavenger hunt and of course took a ride on the "choo-choo".

It was straight to Oma and Opa's for a nap after that.....for Denay only unfortunately.
When she finally woke up we dined on a feast of roasted whole chicken (filled to overflowing with stuffing of course), corn on the cob, herb and garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and homemade apple sauce and all topped off with yummy, yummy (best ever) Dutch Apple Pie (with french vanilla ice cream).

Here I am, 9:07 at night and I'm making myself hungry again :)

It was such a day full of joy and celebration and thanksgiving for the gift of Christ's ressurection.

What a good, gracious Father we serve!

Happy Easter.

{Big Girl Bed}

We had a pretty anticipated event take place around here last night. Back in summer, Trev's parents got Denay an extendable bed for her birthday. It's been sitting, badly needing a paint job, in our back shed waiting for me to get around for Denay to be ready to use it.

We hauled it out a just over a week ago and freshened it up with a coat of white. It took a little digging to figure out that the mattress Ikea makes for it's extendable beds was the wrong size. So a trip to the local foam shop got us a great mattress that arrived yesterday. Bedtime rolled around and Miss D* was all too ready to be in her "beeg gir bad" (big girl bed) with her "blah blah" (blankie) and "pilwoah" (pillow).

The transition was very smooth aside from a stuffy nose and a couple trips for a cuddle (which mommy doesn't mind at all). She's still also doing what she was when she was in her crib, waking up after we put her down but we got up this morning and she hadn't even gotten out of bed when she woke up to play.

Nap time was a little more complicated with her being able to see all her toys and how she can get out. We're so pleased we won't have to buy another crib for when the baby comes and relieved that Denay made this so easy on us!

It really, finally feel liks Denay's room is done, done, done!

Now, onto the baby's room......