33 Weeks

I've been getting ALOT of comments on this very ripe belly of mine lately. Only 7 weeks to go will we meet this little one...exciting!

7|9|2010

Our week of swimming lessons flew by. The sunshine finally came out for the kids to enjoy during these early morning lessons. Above Ace is doing cannon-balls off of the diving board and below Scarlett's class is playing chop-chop-timber. They were both excited to pass their swim classes today!

7|8|2010

My sister Amber & her boyfriend Chris moved to Oxbow today from Calgary! This is BIG news for our family as we now have all three of us siblings living in the same town...my parents are ecstatic! These two purchased their first home together here...it's beautiful and perfect for them. Amber will be taking a month off to get settled and is then going to work at Salon Diosa, a local hair salon. Chris will continue to work at his job for Horizon Drilling which he travels back & forth to Northern Alberta for. We're just thrilled to have you guys live here!

7|7|2010

Someones learning to ride her big girl bike! Scarlett impresses us in that she's always eager to try new things. She was so proud with her progress today while practicing.

7|6|2010

Scarlett's first swimming lessons started this week at our local pool. She's really enjoying them and is an absolute fish in the water. Here she is with her Salamander class and her friend Nicolas...I think the water is warm because they're all smiles!

7|5|2010

This week started out with a rainy Monday. Here the kids were watching the lightening storm and the sudden downpour of rain out the window.

7|4|2010

Zoned Out...these kids are watching a movie in Dad's truck after a busy Sunday of running errands.

7|3|2010

Photographing Clayton & Lacey's wedding today felt so great! It reminded me of why I love to photograph weddings so much...everyone is so happy, lots of variety in the types of photos to take and capturing the love of the newlywed couple is so rewarding. My favorite part is when the ceremony is over and I get to have the bride & groom to myself for a while. I'm so thrilled to be a part of their special day!

7|2|2010

It's been one of those weeks where I just had to get away.

The stress of the Calgary emergency we were dealing with has been really tough.

So I headed to Minot by myself, the drive was so relaxing.

A HUGE thanks to my Mom for looking after Ace & Scarlett all day!

I met my sister and her kiddos there and we went to Twilight Eclipse.

It was soooo good, really enjoyed it!

Loved this scene in the movie.

It was so nice to take a day to myself, refresh & prepare for what life hands me next.

7|1|2010

Happy Canada Day!

We celebrated today by making maple leaf finger Jell-O.

When Cory was finished work, we had a great family supper

and set off to find some local fireworks.

We hung out in the car, just us, enjoying the evening.

Unfortunately Ace missed out on the fireworks display...he snoozed instead.

Canadian Kids!

6|30|2010

Cory & his crew working on the new home my sister Christa & her husband designed for their family.

6|29|2010

Our house smells like a burnt marshmallow!

This morning we had a bit of a panic.

While I was having a quick shower, I set the kids up with a show to watch on TV.

When I hopped out of the shower, a hysterical Scarlett greeted me.

I eventually understood what she was trying to tell me...

'THE KITCHEN IS SMOKING!!!'

I flew down to the kitchen (in a towel).

After a couple of seconds I realized the smoke was coming from the microwave.

It was actually BILLOWING out of the microwave!

I turned it off, there was no fire, but just alot of smoke damage.

What had happened was, Ace hadn't been feeling good with a fever,

so Scarlett wanted to warm up his snuggly dog for him to cuddle

(it has a removable bean bag tummy which you warm in the microwave).

It was actually sweet what she was trying to do,

but we never let our kids use the microwave,

so it's unfortunate she took it upon herself and it ended in disaster

(as you can see in the photo).

Poor kid, I think she learned her lesson and she was just

devastated about what happened to the puppy.

We are very fortunate we didn't have a fire!

6|28|2010

Smoothie Obsession

Ever since I came across this simple recipe on a new blog I surf, I have been obsessed with making fruit smoothies. I love how it satisfies my afternoon snack craving and is so healthy...not to mention made with ingredients we always have on hand. I often share one with Scarlett & Cory...but we have yet to get Ace to try one.

6|27|2010

Even though it was windy today, we headed to the beach for our first sandy adventure of the summer...so happy to have my ROCK back home after he tended to a family emergency in Calgary for the past 6 days.

6|26|2010

A playdate with the cousins

Fun Stuff Friday

Just some fun stuff to share with you this Friday!

Lime Ricki has the best 'Mom' swimsuits if you ask me.

Can't wait to purchase one post-pregnancy.

You can get lemon drops by the pound shipped to you from www.candy.com

I have the perfect friend in mind for this item from The Vintage Pearl.

I have been adoring subway art for some time now and came across this tutorial to make your own. Not sure when I'll get around to making one, someday I hope.

Project to keep track of all our summer to-do's, instructions can be found here. Hoping to make one this week and get our summer activities on track.

Tornado Season

Just a few short hours ago, a tornado was spotted just Southeast of Oxbow. About a 5 minute drive from town. Luckily no one was injured, but it did cause some damage at a local farm. It's that time of year again!

(I can't take credit for these photos, pulled them off of Facebook)

6|25|2010

Day One of Summer Holidays for us. We headed to the park this morning for some playtime before it became too hot. Funny how I used to play on this exact same equipment when I was a kid.

6|24|2010

Today was Ace's final day of Kindergarten.

We whipped together this little card & gift for his wonderful teacher.

He had such a great year with and we appreciate everything he has learned from her!

These were unbelievably easy to make. This is one weeks growth of grass seed planted in small terracota pots from Michaels. They are so cute, glad I have a few more to adorn my kitchen window for a while or to give away as last minute gifts.

6|23|2010

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. ~ Emerson

Took this photo at our neighbors house, Arlie & Larry's, after a short rain.