A Cloudy Harbour Tour...

I am posting about the girls trip here last week little by little... too much to post all at once. I'm picking up where I left off after everyone got in on Friday night we got up Saturday and went into Vancouver. Since it was a vacation we wanted to find a balance of doing something each day... but still not setting alarms to get up or rushing around to leave the house by 9am. This day we probably left the house shortly before noon and drove into Stanley Park. We came across this really cute place for lunch... a Tea Room that served fresh crossiants (funny since Ali had been craving them) and a nice atmosphere. After lunch we went to the other side of Stanley Park to depart on our Harbour Cruise (it's spelled with a "u" here in Canada... as is favourite). Sadly the weather was not really on our side this day... overcast and a bit cool. The temp was tolerable on land, but once our boat got going it was chilly and about half way through we took shelter from the open air deck on top and went to the second level that blocked the wind. It was a nice tour... but I think we would have really enjoyed it a lot more if the weather had been better (like this past weekend with temps in the 90s!). But no real complaints here... I just enjoyed being with them so it didn't really matter where we were!

I'd also like to say Thank You to Chad and Paul again for watching Braden this day... after Braden woke up from his nap they actually went up to Whistler Village to check it out (but since I wasn't there are no pictures to post)!

Before we found the Tea Room tucked away in the Park we stopped at this lookout point to get a picture.

In front of the boat for the tour, called "The Constitution". The story behind this picture is kind of funny... there was a guy working for the cruise with a camera and he took a picture of us like this before we got on the boat (along with individual pictures while we were on the boat the turned out like glamour shots gone bad). His picture was $15... and didn't turn out that great, but we liked the concept so after the ride was over we wanted to do the same thing and told Katie to ask someone to take our picture... and who does she ask? Well the boat's photographer... oops! :)

This was one of the few pictures from the top deck on the boat before we had to head for cover.

A look at downtown Vancouver from the Marina... an overcast day, but you can see that the city skyline is nice.

A fresh start...

Many people have emailed me when they notice that I've put up "What we're reading"... and if you are one of those people you've probably noticed I've been on the same book (Pillars of the Earth) for about 2 months. That is because I've simply taken a reading hiatus but plan to get back on the saddle. As motivation I got a new book... by a Canadian author. It's called "The Birth Club" and I have no idea what is it about. It was marked 40% off and was surrounded by U.S. authors that I like so I thought... why not? Let me explain...

I have two ways of picking out books 1) A recommendation 2) I look at the genre... and just take a chance... a good cover that gives me some decent information will get me.

I will not read the flaps or backs of books for summaries. I think it is a habit I got into when I was a senior in high school and all I read was Danielle Steel... and if you read her book summaries you always find out that Susie and Mark were high school sweethearts and completely in love when Mark is in a terrible accident... and then years later a still greiving Susie meets Phillip and they have a passionate love affair and she learns she could love again. Cheesy stories yes (and really they are all some variation of Susie/Mark and then Susie/Phillip), but at the time those stories were easy reads and just a good escape. My point is... when I stopped reading the summaries... I didn't know that something was going to happen to Mark... or when Phillip is introduced I didn't know this was going to be the guy. Could I often predict it as I was reading? Sure... but it did make it more enjoyable not to know in advance. (To the left is my favorite Danielle Steel book, "Lightning"... just don't read the summary or it will blow it for you... it's simply a recommendation - which is the best way to pick a book anyway!)

I gave up Danielle Steel about a decade ago and graduated to James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks... a little less predictable, slightly more advanced read that was still simple enough it didn't require too much extra thought. Which brings me full circle to the start of this post and what is going to happen to "Pillars of the Earth"... I'm going to shelve it until I finish "The Birth Club" and get back into my habit of nightly reading. I'm anxious to finish the 900 plus page novel so I'll get it done... in just a few more weeks! :)

The Gang is All Here!

By Friday everyone arrived in Canada (Ali, Lisa on Friday, Paul came up Thursday night). So Friday evening we grilled burgers and ate together at the table like grown-ups. Then the guys went outside to chill and hang out, while all the girls sat inside and began catching up. After a few hours we joined the guys outside. Most of us were in bed by 12:00/12:30 that night, just a relaxing evening...

....In the City

I know probably every woman reading this has already seen Sex and the City: The Movie - but if you haven't... you must. It would probably be a little off the wall to say it's the best movie ever made... but I will say I can't recall enjoying a movie so much from start to finish. I really loved it and cannot wait to see it again.

Last week on Thursday - Katie, Staci and I went into Squamish to see the movie and grab a late dinner... and we all really liked our food at Boston Pizza! :)
Here we are getting ready to leave the house...

Lynn Canyon Park

When I knew the girls were coming Staci and I started talking about things to do and one of the ideas was the Capsilano Suspension Bridge... it was something you can't find in Illinois and sounded like it was the way to go. However when I was doing my "research" for their trip you may recall that I dragged Chad and Braden one Saturday morning to see what it was all about. I wanted to be sure it was "Braden friendly", that I knew where to park and in my mind it was going to be such a big place I wanted to know where we should best spend our time since Braden would be with us it was one of those morning trips and we'd have to be home in time for his afternoon nap.

With all that said... if you recall from my post a few weeks ago about the Capsilano Suspension Bridge and Attractions is was just okay. Certainly not worth the $30 plus when I was trying to plan excursions that were budget friendly and worth it! So I kept looking around and it turns out that Lynn Canyon Park also has a Suspension Bridge in the middle of a temperate rain forest with trails as well as a Eco Center that is kid-friendly... and best of all... it's free.
On Wednesday Katie, Staci, Braden and I packed up and went to Lynn Canyon Park (Lisa and Ali didn't get in until Friday). Was it the best thing I've ever seen in my life? No... but it was very pretty and walking along the trails you felt a million miles away, we got to avoid a huge tourist crowd too. It was really pretty and it totally worth it.
Afterwards we took Braden to the Eco Center... he loved it (maybe the three of us liked playing around in there just as much!) After that visit Braden has been really into dinosaurs, an interest that all my friends played into all week and when he says Allosaurus, he's really saying "Ass" :)

A picture from the Suspension Bridge down below

Lucky...

I am a very lucky person...
I have a great husband that was so helpful this past week when the girls were visiting... Paul also came up again from Seattle to spend time with Chad and Braden while we girls were running around, thank you Paul! :)
I'm not even sure where to get started about this past week when Katie, Staci, Lisa and Ali came to visit... that's probably why when they left on Tuesday I haven't been able to post about it. First off... I am exhausted (in a good way). Secondly (and this is the major reason) - there is just so much to say I don't even know where to begin and it has kind of overwhelmed me. I know... me not knowing what to say??? It was just one of those weeks that I really feel words can't explain how wonderful it was to have my four close friends here. As it was happening and since I've been reflecting, it was one of those times you know in the moment you're making memories that you will remember and talk about 20 years from now. I am so grateful they all took their time and money to get here... I loved the way they all loved our son (he was IN LOVE with them... and from the moment he saw them was completely playing the "I'm so cute and I know all your names and will give you hugs, smiles, laughs and kisses non-stop".
I really am a lucky person to have so many great people in my life and having the girls here this week drives that home more than ever. No matter how far away I am it changes nothing in these relationships and that is the comfort that makes living here ok. My favorite part... catching up and just being in the same place all together (and the super Italian dinner and ride to the top of Blackcomb Mountain... and the fun we had on our 20 minute Shannon Falls excursion, and... too much to talk about right now so I'll get up some pictures and stories on the blog starting tomorrow and over the next few days.)
Girls - Love and Miss You so much already. See you when I come home in just about a month!

My man celebrates three decades!

I'm a day early - but since Chad is in Montreal and I'm getting the girls tomorrow I wanted to be sure I took a moment to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD! We'll celebrate in style on Saturday evening with fajitas, salsa music and Margaritas... I love you! :)

Giddy Gal!

I'm very, very happy that some of my girls will be here to visit... starting TOMORROW! Woo-hoo! Staci and Katie arrive tomorrow and and Lisa and Ali will be joining us on Friday. Everyone departs the next Tuesday - we have some things planned and while I'd like to think I'd be posting on the blog to let you know what we're doing... I'm positive we'll have too much catching up to do for me to sit in front of the computer! :) Girls... I can't wait to make more memories with you!

Staci (wearing black), Me, and Lisa at our going away party!

Katie (left) - Matron of Honor, Me, Ali - Maid of Honor, on our wedding day!

Happy Daddy's Day!

Chad and Braden this morning watching the Cubs game

Chad and Braden at Wrigley Field a year ago on Chad's first Father's Day!
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Happy Father's Day to the men in my family - my husband, Keith, Uncle Jim, Pete! Also to all our friends that are new fathers or are expecting... you'll appreciate having a day that you can sleep in as late as you want and breakfast is waiting for you when you get up... because it isn't what happens often! :)

Chad is a great dad... Braden adores him and wants to do whatever Chad is doing... or wants Chad to do whatever he is doing. They have a precious relationship and I feel lucky that Chad's the kind of dad he is. I know after working all week it's hard to want to chase around a kid all weekend, but he does it not only without complaining, but you know that he loves watching his mini-me learn and grow. I also appreciate the time off Chad tries to give me on weekends, even though I'm not always good as showing it... I really do notice all the effort and am thankful he wants to be so engaged in his son's life.

Speaking of time off... I wanted to give Chad a chance to sleep in as late as he wanted with no interruption. We succeeded, and even though Chad had a few cocktails last night he was still up by 9:15 (but laid in bed with Braden until 10:00). At that time the Cubs game started... Chad watched the game... Braden played - it's exactly what Chad asked for... to not have to run around and do anything! :) Although sadly Chad did have to leave at 1:30 and fly to Montreal for work, so we didn't get to enjoy any of the gorgeous weather as a family, but other opportunities will be there so it's not the end of the world. So... thank you Chad for doing all you do and loving your boy the way you do. Happy Father's Day!

When writing about Father's Day I feel like I need to write a little something about Jimmy... not because today is a day he comes to mind... he comes to mind every day in little ways - when we pass the golf course in our neighborhood, certain songs, TV shows, and just day to day life trying to adjustment and accept that he's gone. He was very proud of both his boys, and I think what is was most proud of was watching them both become great fathers themselves. I am grateful that I was able to know Jimmy for about 6 years and understand why Chad and Keith loved him the way they did. What a great man - father, grandfather, husband, son and friend... Thanks Jimmy, for EVERYTHING... you aren't remembered on just this day of the year... we remember you today and all the days in between. And just so you know... I'm happy to say that Braden has a whole lot of his "PaPa" in him.
I'm not trying to be cheesy, I just felt compelled if I was going to write about Father's Day I don't do it half way.

First Hair Cut

After 18 months it was time to take Braden in for his first professional hair cut. It may appear that he doesn't have much hair to start with... but it is in fact long, just very light. It kept growing over his ears and was getting what can only be described as a little "tail" in the back... and if I didn't take him in soon Chad was going to come after him with the clippers and quite frankly that made me nervous.

Now that his hair is cut, Chad and I both like it so much and wish we had done it sooner. I got a few pictures of the experience... and Braden was NOT happy (unless we were counting the horses along the wall). I hope he gets to like the barber chair more since we'll probably keep his hair on the shorter side.

What the heck is she doing to me?

The cape didn't last long...

All done... how do you like my new "do"? (Sorry about the drool, I'm getting my last few molars)

I laughed out loud

Looking through the garage I came across a book, probably left here by the previous owner. The book is named, (or is the book "called"... I don't really know) Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints. The book reads like it's out of the 1950s (but I checked and it actually was printed in 1981). The book gives a few good tips for things, such as "Don't buy a car on a rainy day. All cars with dull or blemished finishes look better when they are wet", and another one is "Be sure to wash the bottom of small children's shoes before professional photos are taken. Kids are almost always posed with their legs folded, and the bottom of their shoes show". Other little tidbits like that maybe will one day be useful... but then I made note of a few that I just thought were out there... I laughed out loud and can only think that maybe it's a joke? Who knows - but I thought these were worth sharing for a chuckle.

- To eliminate the mess from cigarettes and cut down on the alcohol bill, invite a clergyman to your party.

- If you're still in bed when your husband walks through the door at the end of the day, dab a little liquid cleaner behind each ear. It'll make you smell as if you've been housecleaning all day and deserve dinner out.

- When your house is so messy you want to throw up, just take off your glasses and things won't look so bad.

- If you want to eat less, use chopsticks or eat in front of a mirror.

- The best way to ensure your dinner guests will enjoy what you serve is to keep them waiting until they are good and hungry.

- When you are sick, keep a police whistle near your bed to call your husband.

Do I have a crafty or domestic side?

If you know me well you know that sadly I'm not all that crafty or domestic. It's one of the many things I'm working on since I've been here. I just gave Braden his report card so now I'm giving myself a performance evaluation on cooking and cleaning.

COOKING - despite my best efforts I'm just not that good - I guess I don't have a natural knack for it. Lucky for me my husband thinks food tastes good as long as 1) he didn't cook it 2) it doesn't involved peanut butter or scalloped potatoes. I'm not sure why a lot of things I cook aren't amazing... I really try... I follow the directions, it's a mystery. But I can say now that I have to cook EVERY night... I have gotten better, but I have a long way to go! Grade: C. Satisfactory, but needs improvement.

CLEANING - Area Most Improved. Since I've been "on my own" and left for college I've lived in a dorm room, sorority house, apartments with girlfriends and our 1400 sq ft apartment in Chicago... any of those roommates know I wasn't a slob, but I wasn't the first one to jump up and keep things tidy. Living with Chad when we moved into our condo I got much better... until out place got so cluttered with baby gear and wedding gifts - we simply ran out of space. Chad has always been a fair help with the household chores. I cooked... he did the dishes... I grocery shopped.. he did the laundry and so on. With the move to Canada and now that I'm home with Braden and Chad is working or gone a lot the shift has happened where I naturally absorb most of the responsibilities, most of the time. (Chad still does chip in and does his fair share on weekends and in the lawn- and dinner dishes are still his #1 duty). With all that said - it's amazing what more space (2900 sq ft) will give you and everything has its place. Things in the house look pretty good day to day. Now I could always wash the hardwood floor upstairs more often or dust more consistently - but I've got a toddler that keeps me busy so I'm not losing sleep over it. Grade: B. A higher grade is not granted since I could still do more and the "office" downstairs is more like a miscellaneous, not-really-put-together space... but there is a door so I just close it. :)

EXTRA CREDIT - I mentioned something about being sort of crafty earlier (and crafty I am not). Well... I have been thinking about redoing the dining room chairs for a long time now, but I just kept putting it off since it's not really my thing. Today I bought the fabric and did it... it's a big deal for me, I used a staple gun and everything! Here are some before and after pictures, I don't think the lighting is all that great, but I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. I'd be willing to give more projects a try.

Overall, I may not be super crafty or domestic, but I'm making an effort. And as long as my two men are cared for and happy then it's enough.

Before - a multi color... tweed maybe?

After - soft green. I picked two patterns and they match opposite each other.

I think the lighting isn't that good, but hopefully you can kind of see how it looks together.

Future Architect or Artist?

Braden has really begun to enjoy playing with blocks and coloring. It's so neat to really watch him concentrate at his very important tasks. He gets better at both every day!

Ten blocks high! I've gotten to 12 before and knock them all over and say "Crash!"

Braden's masterpiece (Mom helped me out by coloring the car)

I really dig my new Lego blocks. Mom or Dad help me out by building a base and then I just go to town!

Peek-a-boo through my Lego skyscraper!

No one told me...

We had our second swimming class this morning and Braden has already made some big improvements. Week One - he did not know what to think - he had a major grip on me arms wrapped around, head on my shoulder and legs wrapped around my waist and would not let go. So later in the week we went just the two of us and "practiced" - back at class today and he's practically fearless. I look forward to continue to take him - even outside of the "classroom" setting.
But... no one told me that this class would give the parents a major workout. Today Braden was put in a life jacket and I had to tread water with him in the deep end - sounds easy? Yeah, I thought it would be... but it really wasn't. It was probably only for ten minutes - but if felt like much longer. But I won't give up and when we go again later this week we'll try again, and the week after and so on... I am determined to get better at it.
*** As for pictures - I'll get some next week (my camera is able to go underwater so I should have brought it this week) - and Chad plans on going to the pool with us too sometime in the near future so I'll have an extra set of hands and free to work the camera!

Braden's 18 month Report Card!

Bare with me... a big reason I'm doing this blog is so I can have a journal and last Friday Braden turned 18 months old so I thought it was a good time to do a quick assessment! We didn't have a doctor's appointment like you usually would as we're still getting some things settled here and before we left the states I had Braden get all his vaccinations to take him to his 2nd birthday. So I did get his height.. tried to get his weight as accurate as I could... and didn't get his head measurement (but I can tell you the kid has a big head!). I then put it into an online boys growth chart calculator to see where he's at. Lastly I finally sat down and started writing down all the words he knew over the course of an afternoon... we read a lot of picture books so he knows a lot of random words. :)
The Stats:
Height: 34 1/4 inches (just over 2" 10') - - he's grown 2 inches since we got here! 95th percentile Weight: 28 lbs - 75th percentile
16 teeth
Shoe Size: 7... but not for long!
Sleep time: One nap 2-3 hours, to bed between 7:30/8:00 and up between 6:30/7:00
Words: I stopped counting last Friday at 138 - but it's hard to keep up since he's learning more everyday. For instance this weekend he learned heart, circle, yo-yo, see-saw and catch. He isn't really putting 2 or 3 words together or anything yet - just a lot of pointing and telling you what it is. This whole language thing is really cool though - I know it's nothing extraordinary - all kids do it, but I've just never seen it unfold before my eyes... pretty amazing.
There you have it - thanks for reading his "report card"

Buddies at Alice Lake

Alice Lake is a big area of campgrounds, mountain biking trails, hiking trails, playground, an amphitheatre, and a large lake for swimming. The class I was going to with Braden ended two weeks ago, but this past Friday I met up at Alice Lake with a few of the people I met, and they brought along some other friends. There were six moms and six toddlers that met for lunch and some wading in the water. It started off kind of cool outside, but warmed up enough to change into swim trunks and get in the water. Braden enjoyed the company and so did I... hopefully we'll do it again soon! I didn't take many pictures so not a lot to choose from - next time I'll take better ones. (ps... this weekend I finally figured out how to take pictures in motion - so no more blurry pics!)

I'm no Oprah...

I'm not sure my recommendation will carry much weight... and I'm pretty sure that everyone has already heard of this - but just in case there are any of you that haven't...

I'm a huge fan of the Skinny Cow desserts... http://www.skinnycow.com/ - easy on the waistline and still tastes good. Don't get me wrong - nothing beats the real thing, but this is a good substitute. My favorites are the vanilla/caramel cones and the vanilla ice cream sandwiches.

Walk... don't Run!

Random thought - Braden has now gotten to the age where he's running everywhere... he won't just walk anymore. It's not always a full on sprint, but he's kind of jogging, but in a scattered-sometimes unbalanced sort of way. It's cute... but now we have our first scraped knee. It's a fact that he didn't just skin his knee once - he's done it three days in a row.
Sunday we planned on going to the pool because Braden and I start swim classes tomorrow, I thought it would be nice to go and get aquainted with things and have Chad's help. BUT... I screwed up. Before we left this morning Chad said, "are you SURE the pool is open this early?" and I said, "Yes, Chad - I'm sure" - well... it wasn't... every other day of the week it is - but not Sunday. Oops!
Instead we let Braden roam the open soccer fields trying to chase geese and in the parking lot he discovered puddles - exciting moment for Braden. Once home Chad was happy that he could watch the Cubs (we don't get many games on TV here) - Braden went down for a nap for about 3 hours. Chad was so excited to see the Cubs that he also fell asleep from the 2nd inning into the 9th - but Chad needed a nap too...Big thanks to my man for helping out so much this weekend - and without being asked! I won't embarass you here by naming all the great things you did to help this weekend - but you know what they are and I really, really appreciated it!

Running into the geese roaming the soccer field - About 3 seconds after this picture Chad ran after him, the geese are still bigger.

Just doing my run-jog thing back to the car... wait what is this??? Water on the street? And it splashes when I jump on it? Love it!

Running into the puddle... running out of the puddle... running into the puddle... and on and on

The Suspension Bridge

Saturday we got up and out of the house pretty early to go to the popular Capilano Suspension Bridge - http://www.capbridge.com/. Our reviews are mixed. Don't get me wrong, it was cool... but it didn't match the hype we were expecting. To be fair - we did have Braden with us, so we couldn't do the TreeTops Adventure or some of the other attractions that may enhance the experience. With that said, the views walking across the bridge were very nice(although Chad said that the golf course where we live had better rapids and views, I haven't been on the course so I can't comment). We also managed to get some good photos with the totem poles - it's one of the attractions and were made by a local native nation.

The Kids Market...

I've been to Granville Island two times before - but this third time I was able to finally stop at the big Kids Market. My description probably won't do it justice - but there are more than a dozen stores in the large building, it has an open layout between the stores and they all have a local feel and many of them have a sort of speciality. For instance - one store is all hand puppets, one store is all things made of wood. The best part about this is that all the stores have play areas and kids can enjoy the toys. Outside there is an ice cream shop, large wooden boat for kids to climb on and ducks and geese inhabit the nearby pond. Braden was a big fan of the whole experience.

Braden made friends with a young lady two months his junior. They talked Roosters and Ducks.

Oh... the Thomas the Train Set - everytime he has seen one he's been endlessly entertained. One day we may have to get him one. In the meantime he'll do with just playing when we come across one.

Trying to play with the big kids on the boat, they didn't let him drive.

When Braden gets this close to ducks and geese - it's serious business. I got some more pictures but eventually had to put the camera away when I had to keep my little guy from crawling over the ledge and chasing the birds into the water.

Some scenery...

Woke up on Wednesday morning with Braden around 6:30am and this is what was outside our door. Sure I've seen a rainbow before, but always in a distance and high in the sky... this one was right in front of me and was HUGE.

Braden and I went for a walk on the waterfront in Furry Creek

It was about 6:30 in the evening, and the sun was still high - way over the mountains. It doesn't get completely dark here until after 10pm.