{9} Years

MY LOVE 

{9} beautiful years together! 

“I didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway. And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you” — Kiersten White

This man. Everyday we wing it. Everyday life throws us curve balls and we just swing the best way we can. But 2 babies in, I still have all the heart-eyes for this man 😍 we are constantly cheering each other on from the sidelines as we achieve our personal goals and at the end of the day, as hectic as they can be, we crash on the couch, laughing and flirting like two loved-up teenagers. He drives me all types of crazy, but mainly crazy in love 

I’ll love you tomorrow and I’ll love you forever. Here’s to the next 41 years, handsome! cheers! 

photo d u m p {from when we were babies!}

Our first pic together....back when red eye was still a thing haha  

Right before he proposed

5 Easy Self Care Tips for Moms

Being a momma can be overwhelming and hard, especially when you're in the day-to-day-grind and the nights (and days) seem to be on a perpetual cycle of wake-up-and-repeat. #thedaysarelongbuttheyearsareshort.

Preventing mom burnout is so important. As mommas, we need to remember to take a break + recharge so we can feel like ourselves again, not to mention be healthy + happy!

The reality is momming can be stressful, tiring and often isolating. It can be difficult to make the time to put ourselves first but for our mental-health (and sanity!) it is so, so worth it and rewarding when we do.
Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

• Go for a Walk: exercise is a great way to feel energized and help clear the mind. Taking a stroll can be restorative and relaxing BONUS: you can involve the whole family -- grab the stroller and take your entourage for a walk around the neighbourhood. Not only is it a great example of staying active for your kids but hopefully they will burn a little energy and have a great nights sleep fingers crossed...here's hoping

• Make play dates a friend-date. Making time for mommy friends is a win-win. The littles have someone to play with (and hopefully can keep each other entertained for 5 minutes!) and the moms get to connect with other women in a similar place. Take turns bringing Starbucks/hosting or pack some picnic snacks and meet up at a local park!

• Stay Hydrated: seems pretty straightforward but it can be hard to remember to get the proper intake of water when you're constantly rushing after everyone else! Being sure to stay hydrated and drinking lots of water will help maintain clarity & keep headaches away -- try lemon/fruit infused water or adding ice to change things up.

• Set up a mommy bedtime routine: get in the habit of practicing the same self-care nightly. Wash off your make-up, brush teeth, enjoy a facemask or read a chapter in a book. Setting yourself a regimen can not only be relaxing but something to look forward to as you transition and get ready to sleep. 

• Do Something Just for You: it can be as simple as a bubble bath, or taking time to mediate or practice yoga. I like to set aside time to binge watch my fave shows -- there's something about mindlessly watching an episode or two of The Kardashians or Outlander that just makes me feel relaxed. 

I hope this collection of tips and ideas helps you to find a little time to relax. Tell me, how do you like to practice self-care? 

You might be a BOY Momma if....

You might be a BOY Mom....

1. You might be a BOY Mom if...you empty out pockets-full of rocks, toy cars, sticks and dirt when you`re doing laundry

2. You might be a BOY Mom if...there are NERF bullets everywhere

3. You might be a BOY Mom if...you need to look up to scold your (6) year-old

4. You might be a BOY Mom if...you need a second refrigerator

5. You might be a BOY Mom...when Minecraft is the game of choice

6. You might be a BOY Mom if...you constantly find your son climbing all the things....the table...kitchen counters...the couch...scaling the door frames, etc

7. You might be a BOY Mom if...you know all the names to every Pokémon.

8. You might be a BOY Mom if...you are asked to smell pits, feet, and farts all day long

9. You might be a BOY Mom if...your child's preferred play is wrestling, roughhousing and horsing around

10. You might be a BOY Mom if...you spend all your time referring!

How would you answer, ``You might be a boy momma if.....``?

Our Summer To-Do List 2019

It is starting to feel like Summer! And with the beautiful Alberta weather and green grass and gorgeous flowers, come all the FUN, Summer activities! Our little family typically does day-long road trips as it best suits our family budget and scheduling. Travelling and seeing new (and familiar!) parts of Alberta has kinda become our Summer-thing. I love the idea of spending the whole day exploring and having fun but still being close enough to come home and go to sleep in our own beds (especially with a new baby...sleep is a coveted luxury!)

Summer 2019 will be filled with tons of fun, great food, and lots of memories! We are looking forward to crossing off some of our annual favourites, as well as some new adventures! Check out what made our Summer Bucket-List:

~ Visit Mirror Lake, take the train and get an ice cream (One of many attractions in our little city!)

~ Lots and lots of beach and lake days: All winter long I have been longing for days like this one. I am so excited to visit our favourite spot - Pelican Point and try out new and different lakes and beaches this summer that are within a days drive to us!

~ Spend a day at Leduc in the Alexandra Outdoor Pool and Spray Park and finish the day off with some Tutti Frutti yogurt (of course!). This is one of our most favorite day trips each summer!

~ Spend a day at the Blackfalds Outdoor Pool. I have heard raving reviews about the outdoor pool in Blackfalds (it even has a little beach area!). I think this is the perfect addition to our summer to-do list and am looking forward to checking it out!

~ Explore a new spray park. Our local swimming pool & spray park is currently under renovation and so we will need to travel in order to take advantage of the fun a spray park can bring. I would love to check out the spray parks in either Tofield or Ardrossan. We would make it a full-day adventure by packing a picnic lunch!

~ Visit as many playgrounds in our town as possible! Our local community has been updating & renovating all of our local playgrounds (as necessary). This summer, we want to pack a picnic lunch and spend a day playing + exploring all the “new-to-us” parks in our area!

Would-Be-Nice Summer List:

~ Edmonton Valley Zoo ~ Forestburg Outdoor Pool ~ Drumheller ~ Calaway Park/Calgary Zoo ~ Complete as many things off of the Camrose Summer Activities: 100 things to see and do list as we can!~


What's on your Summer to-do list? What is your top pick from this list?

five on friday

one. Haesten

This boy is officially 8 months old and it’s been milestone after milestone all week!

Shortly after Haesten’s 6-month birthday, everyone including his ped, thought for sure that Mr. H would definitely be crawling by 8 months….w e l l fast forward to June and I was seriously starting to doubt that was going to happen as Haesten was just sooo frustrated with even being put on his tummy. He did not want anything to do with tummy time and wasn’t shy about letting you know that! Last Saturday, Haesten surprised us all by army crawling! He can finally get from point A to point B (albiet slowly but very, very surely!) & he is so happy about it!

We also cut two more teeth for a total of 4 little chompers (3 on the bottom, 1 top) and this boy is bringinggggg out allll the new word-sounds!

two. financial goal setting & planning

As apart of our June financial goals, Pier and I further refined our budget. We have a really great spending plan organized and I am so. freaking. excited. to put it into practice!

This last week we also met with and organized some of our banking features. It felt great to go over what is working for us, as well as, go over the different features &  options our bank can offer us for our specific situation! 

Secondarily, we have continued to shop the sales/discounts as apart of June’s financial challenge and have managed to do very-well in this area the last 2 weeks.

three. 30 day writing challenge

Welp as of today we are TWO weeks into this writing challenge (and after tomorrow -- h a l f way done...eeep!!)

If you are just joining in here (welcome!) I have committed to write AND post 1 blog post, every single day for the month of June. You can read about the first week here

I am starting to feel like I am finding a groove. I am more motivated and have found myself less tired in the evenings before writing. I also really love that I am creating and sharing content -- my ideas are making it to this space rather than just remaining unpublished and filling up space in my icloud (helloooo, 675 iphone notes…..)

four. father’s day kids craft with Home Hardware

Earlier this month, I registered Colden in our local Hauser Home Hardware Kids Workshop to make a Father's Day project.

All the kids made a fun stepping stone, Colden had so much fun crafting and designing one for Pier. Our local Home Hardware even provided all the participants with juice boxes and a little after-school snack! It was such a great time, and I hope Hauser Home Hardware does many, many more workshops like this! Colden was a little superstar and even helped clean everything up at the very end.

This boy has such a giving heart and he loves to give surprises to others. The whole way home, he talked about how excited he was for Pier to see his masterpiece; of course we had to present the Father's Day gift to him as soon as he walked in through the door --Colden just couldn’t wait to gift it to him!

five. tgif with truck cruises

This evening after our normal bedtime routine, we put the boys in their pyjamas, packed into the truck and just drove. It was so nice to take advantage of the longer daylight; we drove aimlessly around, just chatting about anything + everything! Haesten ended up falling asleep and thankfully we avoided all the mosquitoes. While we talked, we made some summer break plans, as well as dreamt about the future (Colden has decided that someday we should all buy houses side-by-side haha!) and it was such a lovely way to decompress and spend some time together as a family!

five on friday

one. fair fun

Our local community hosts a huge outdoor fair with fun rides + games, delicious street food and some pretty amazing shopping vendors. This year was no different and we were blessed with some pretty decent weather all weekend. Colden is pretty much a pro now -- he knew exactly what rides he wanted to go on, what he wanted to eat, etc. First things first, he opted to stand in line to get his face painted so he could relish it the w h o l e day!

Seriously the cutest pirate ever

Jumping on the suspended trampoline!

He was a champ on every single ride. Seriously the boy is braver than I could ever be!

And Haesten was a dream. He loves being outdoors and was more than content to just take everything in from his spot in the stroller

It was such a fun day! Colden rated it a 100/10 and I agreed that it was one of the best days we have had as a family of 4!

two. 30 day writing challenge

Right before the start of June, I joined a 30 day writing challenge (on a whim LOL honestly I didn’t really think it through!)

What that means is that I have committed to write AND post 1 blog post, every single day for the month of June. To be completely upfront...every day has been a little daunting and difficult. I am finding that I have the most time to write after both boys go to bed but I am often exhausted after a full go,go,go day and really have to push myself to get up off the couch and write. #procrasinationproblems

Already a huge benefit of this challenge is that I am seeing a surge of creativity!! Out of nowhere, I will think “oh, that would be a great blog topic” or “I would really love to write about x,y,z”

Today is officially the 7th day into the challenge and we are CELEBRATING because as of this post -- I have made it 1 week!! c h e e r s!

three. last month of school

It’s so hard to believe that there is less than 1 month of school left. Even harder to believe that my not-so-little boy will be wrapping up first grade and transitioning into grade 2. He has really grown and matured over the course of the school-year; I am always so impressed with the progress he has accomplished. He is a terrific little speller and has become quite the little bookworm! In the last month alone, he has read 20+ books all by himself and is well on his way to complete another 20 before the end of term.

The last few weeks have been fun filled + crazy busy. Each day Colden brings home new projects or creations.

Just the other day he brought home a marshmallow/toothpick bridge masterpiece and he built THE most AMAZING boat -- he even had several older kids compliment his ship during pick-up time.

I am sure the next couple of weeks will fly by! There's lots to look forward to including track meet, and a year-end trip, plus all the usual end-of-school fun!

four. financial goal setting & planning

P and I have really been talking about future plans and how we can set up our finances to help us obtain some of the bigger goals we have.

One of the things we are looking forward to implementing is a refined budget. We have really gone over our spending habits and are excited to see how we our newly revised budget will help us reach some of our goals at a quicker pace!  

In addition, each month we are going to challenge ourselves to find new & different ways to save or cut costs. For the month of June, we are shopping the discounts (with the exception of produce) -- when possible we are looking at purchasing items/services that are on sale vs full price. This may mean that we have to really hunt for the best deal OR maybe the item isn't a necessity and can either wait to be purchased until it is on sale or come July.

five. tgif

Here’s to the weekend! Saturday we are off to football practice and a birthday party. Other than that we don’t have too much planned. I have my sights set on some home organizing and hopefully can draft up some blog posts for next week for when our evenings are a little more hectic!

Self Care Thursday

Today, I took a little time for myself.

I put down the dishrag, and just let the washer/dryer run. I ignored the piles of clean laundry, stacks of clutter (helloooo junk mail). I deliberately didn’t look in the corners of my house where the crumbs and dust like to collect & gather.

I put aside all those nagging, guilt feelings.

And. instead. I had a long nap with the baby.

And I just let myself be. And that's ok. Because babies don't keep and neither does a mommas sanity.

Tell me friends. What does self-care look like to you? Did you practice self-care today?

We're PREGNANT with {Baby #2!}

Can’t hide this little secret for much longer!

WE ARE  E X P E C T I N G!!

This fall, our little family is growing!

Words cannot even begin to describe how blessed and joyful we are ♥️♥️ this beautiful video is a special collaboration with Crown Photography. HUGE thank you to Mark and Tracey for bringing this special project to curation!

We had the loveliest day with Mark and Tracey. They filmed while we went about our ordinary, mundane, everyday life. We baked the YUMMIEST raspberry muffins; we played board games & built train tracks all over the living room; we had an impromptu tea party (with the fresh-out-of-the-oven muffins!); and we read the sweetest story book by Barbara Reid about welcoming this new baby into our little family.

Colden is so thrilled to be a big brother!

He took the news in stride, and ever since, has had the sweetest inquisitive questions about this new little one.

"Mom, will it be a boy or a girl?" "What will the baby be for Halloween?" "Will the baby like my stories?" "When can our baby come watch me at swimming/football/taekwon-do/school, etc"

To think of my {first} baby being a big brother to a new baby brings tears of happiness....literally! My eyes instantly well whenever I think of my two little ones together or answer another curious question from Colden.

Pier is beyond excited, there is nothing that makes him happier than being a dad and watching Colden grow, learn & accomplish. Watching his face light up at our ultrasound was absolutely everything to my mama-heart.  

To say that we are all excited for this little one is an understatement, we can't wait and are so, so thankful to be able to grow our family and adventure through parenthood for a second time!

However getting to this moment wasn't easy and we wish the many, many couples & families that are still struggling with realizing their dream of a family the very best ♥️

We have had several appointments, including an ultrasound, and a full blood panel

Our teeny babe looked great, heartbeat has been strong at each check, and most important of all baby is growing, growing, growing! I will share more details later! Stay tuned!

We are so excited for you sweet thing, and oh-so thankful. 

I can’t wait to share this journey with all of you!

Please join us in celebrating, share this happy video and be sure to watch until the end!!

Photography/Videography: Crown Photography
Balloons: Party City

Book: Welcome Baby by Barbara Reid