Edmonton!

We took a little mini vacation to Edmonton this past weekend. It was a long weekend here in Canada because Monday was Victoria Day. Dan took Friday off work, so we had four wonderful days of vacation.

Dan planned the trip and booked us in the fabulous Hotel MacDonald, a Fairmont hotel. It was a beautiful hotel and we had a suite, so Allie even had her own room!

The view from our room.

Allie and daddy playing on the front lawn of the hotel the first night.

Saturday, after mommy got to go to the spa, we went to THE MALL. That is how it is referred to by people in Edmonton and Saskatoon. It is a mall that is bigger than the Mall of America. It was impressive!

Allie and Dan in the amusement park.

"Look at that guy daddy!"

We also went to Fort Edmonton Park. I loved this park! It showed what Edmonton looked like in different time periods and had buildings you could walk in to and people dressed in clothing of the time period that would answer questions. We took an old train to the mid 1800's fur trading post, and then walked through the town in 1895, 1905, and 1921. This was my favorite thing we did, maybe because when I was young I lived in Virginia Beach,VA and we would go to Williamsburg, which is kind of the same concept.

I took a million pic's, but here are just two of the towns in 1895 and 1905.

Allie LOVED this pigeon. She followed it around and would point and scream with delight. It was after we saw her with the pigeon that we decided to take her to the Edmonton zoo. If a pigeon could get her this excited, we could only imagine how she would react to real animals! :)

This was the look we got when she finally got too close and the pigeon flew away. Bring it back mommy!

We stayed downtown and Allie was sort of obsessed with the street. It was a full time job for Dan to keep her out of the street.

The Edmonton Zoo!

Allie loved all the animals, but she also screamed with delight after spotting this pink ball in an empty cage. Oh the joys of getting to see the world through a toddler's eyes. I never get sick of Allie's excitement over all things...big or small!

There was a lot of pointing going on at the zoo. Allie wanted to make sure we didn't miss a thing!

It was a WONDERFUL trip! Dan did a great job planning the trip and I so enjoyed exploring a new city with my two favorite people. We have lots of trips planned this summer and I can't wait!

Randomness

Every now and then you need a random blog post. I just downloaded some pictures from my small camera that I always carry with me in my diaper bag. Here are a few pic's.

Allie's new favorite spot in our house!

We went to the zoo last week for Nixon's first birthday. We had a blast. Here are Allie and the birthday boy checking out some geese.

In typical Allie style, she's trying to make a break for it. She won't sit still very long!

Ryan was cuddling with his mama, but Allie just forced herself between Anne and Ryan. She's not an attention hog, is she? :)

I'll post some fun pictures from our trip to Edmonton soon!

Just Another Wednesday

Today is just another Wednesday for Allie and me. She's been pretty sick again this week, so we're laying low and staying home. As we were going through our morning, I was reflecting (yet again) on how blessed I feel to be this girl's mom!

I also reflected on how lucky we are to have the best dog in the world. She is so great with Allie and Allie finally understands that she needs to be GENTLE with Bella.

Hugs for Bella.

Kisses from Bella.

Bella even teaches Allie how to share. Allie loves to give Bella her toys.

This is one of Allie's favorite toys. Is there anything in there?

Yep, found something!

Hmmm, Allie is thinking about what else this toy box is good for.

I don't think this is what the box is for!

Allie and I have so much fun every day. Because she is a "spirited" child (according to The Happiest Toddler on the Block) we usually leave the house about 9:00 AM and have activities all morning. I find if I don't get her out, she gets bored, grumpy, and naughty. So, we don't have mornings like this morning very often. And, even though Allie is still a bit sick, I am enjoying this lazy morning at home with my favorite girls!

Thankful

Today Allie and I got together with most of the women that sat at our table during our MOM's (Morning Out for Moms) program at a local church. MOMs met every Tuesday morning and we got to sit at a table with other women, have coffee and breakfast, listen to speakers, and have great volunteers take care of our kids. This program was such a life saver for me, especially last fall when Dan was working so much and Allie and I were alone a lot. Getting a couple of hours to myself while Allie was cared for by trusted adults, was a true blessing.

Here is a picture of most of the women from my table.

And here is a picture of most of our kids from the play date today.

Allie was just a little tired after the play date!

I spoke at the volunteer appreciation for the MOMs program last month. Below is an excerpt from what I said (through tears!) at the luncheon. For all of the moms reading my blog, I hope you can find a program like I have found with MOMs!

Excerpt from volunteer appreciation luncheon.

I moved to Saskatoon from Minnesota with my husband, our dog and our 3 month old daughter one year ago. Both my husband and I are from the Minneapolis area, so we left behind large families and lots of friends. It was a big change for us to move to a city where we didn’t know a soul. For the first six months, my husband worked very long hours and most days I was left at home alone with my baby. Since she was so little and not very interactive yet, and also since I didn’t know anyone in Saskatoon, it was a very isolating time for me.

As summer was drawing to an end, I had met a few people, but still didn’t feel connected here in Saskatoon. Then, a woman I met told me about this MOM’s group. I immediately called LuAnn and asked if there was space since the registration period had already ended. She put me on the wait list and said they were trying to find more volunteers so everyone could come that wanted to come. She called me back about a week later and said enough people had signed up and I could come!

Tuesday quickly became my favorite day of the week because of this program. For the first time since moving here, MOM’s helped me to feel connected. It allowed me to meet new friends in the same life stage as me. It allowed me to get a bit of a break from my daughter so I could be a better mom. MOM’s taught me how to be a better parent, a better wife, and, most importantly, a better follower of Christ. It was also a treat to eat great food each week and drink coffee that was much better than what I make myself at home.

Looking back on this past year I can see God’s hand so clearly in my family’s lives and I honestly can’t count all the blessings he’s bestowed on my family. But for me, the biggest blessing this year was finding the MOM’s program. I don’t know where I would have been without this group and I am so thankful to all the volunteers who worked hard to make it possible for me to attend.

Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day today. Highlights included sleeping in, going out to lunch, and swinging by Babies R Us to buy Allie some toys for the backyard. Let's just say Allie made out like a bandit on Mother's Day. But, isn't the best gift a mother can receive a happy child? I think so.

Please note Allie's walking skills. She is now a pro and I'm a happy, happy mamma to have her walking!

Allie got a new water table and I think it is pretty fancy. Her ongoing obsession are balls, and I'm happy to report there are 5 balls that came with this water toy. It's a bit cold to fill with water today, but she still had a blast playing with it!

But the big deal is this little gem we saw and decided Allie had to have.

She was completely terrified at first. Good thing daddy was there to comfort her.

Once she realized daddy wasn't leaving her, she had a lot more fun.

She really liked the slide.

Bella was a tortured soul because she could not figure out how to get herself inside. Unfortunately for Bella, she's just going to have to learn to be okay staying a couple feet away from us when we are playing with this particular toy. For those of you that know Bella, know that this could spiral her into a deep depression.

In completely unrelated to Mother's Day news, Allie's new favorite spot to hang out in is the teeny, tiny space between her crib and dresser, behind her garbage can. Can somebody please tell me what is up with these toddlers contorting their bodies to fit into the smallest possible space? I guess as long as she doesn't get hurt, I'm okay with it, but she does have about a thousand toys just down the hall!