Little Monkey

 In our last few visits to the playground O has mastered climbing to the top. There are a few different ways to get up there and he's able to do them all but this is the one I'm most proud of. I just can't get over how quickly he's growing up.

Our wedding

It was a casual affair in my parent's back yard, overlooking the Saint John River. We had a beautiful sunny day and it went off without a hitch. Well, almost. My sister, the maid of honor, forgot Nick's ring in the house and my brother had to run and get it as my Dad waited to give me away. It was just the type of little hiccup I had said earlier in the day that I was hoping would happen. Just a little comic relief. We shared the day with 40 of our closest friends and family and it was the wedding I always dreamed of.

Since Nick had a different vision for his ideal big day, we gave him what he wanted as well. The next night we had a huge party in a big field for everyone we'd ever met and even some we hadn't. We roasted a massive pig on a spit, we danced the night away to cheesy DJ dance music. There was a bonfire, a tent village for over-nighters and lots and lots of beer. Both nights where perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding weekend.

So Happy 4th Anniversary to my wonderful husband.

Wuboo forever. X0X0X0X0

Yet another countdown has begun

28 days and counting....

It's that time again when we start getting ready for our next vacation out of Nunavut. We are not planning a big trip anywhere this time, we're just going back to our families in New Brunswick and hanging out. I am really looking forward to spending time with my sister and having my boys get time with their cousin Erik. The grandma's of course want their time and let's be honest, I plan to take advantage of that and have some great kid free time. The boys and I are actually leaving 2 weeks before Nick does so we'll get more time to experience southern summer and all that it has to offer. I'm dreading doing the 4 planes rides alone with 2 kids but if I want the extra time it has to be done.

When my mom was here she suggested we make an 'advent calender' of sorts to count down the days till Oliver gets to go on the plane to see Oma. I finally got around to making it today and we started with the first X. I did head it with, 'lets visit Oma' but in the fine print it says, 'And Opa, And Courtney, And Erik, And Grandma, And Meaghan, And Grandpa....' So nobody can think they are not important. Wouldn't want to offend anyone, we love you all.

So let the list making begin!

Question #10

My Favorite Outfit-

The answer to that one means I have to admit a sad truth... my favorite outfit would be one of my many pairs of comfy pyjama pants and an oversize t-shirt. Since I hang out around the house more than anything else I just can't be bothered to put on my better clothes. They would only get puked on, covered in baby food and dog hair. Not to mention, putting on regular clothes (aka: Jeans) everyday makes me acutely aware of how out of shape I've become. It's much easier to be in denial about your weight while wearing baggy elastic waists and sports bras.

You'll understand that I don't have a picture with this post.

A View From Above

Mom took these pictures from the plane on her arrival into town last week. I've said it before but that view never gets old.

...poke...

A visit from Oma

I've been out of touch for a while but it was for a very good reason. My mommy was in town! It was a great visit and we showed her all the sights and excitements Pang has to offer. Of course she soaked up tones of grand baby time and gave me much appreciated help around the house. Who doesn't love a visit from mom?

The best part about having Oma here is the chance for her to get to know the kids in their own home. Oliver has always been a little strange around my mom and would resist her efforts to hug him or give him any real attention. She is convinced that's because in the past, every time we've been around her Nick and I have left him there and disappeared. She has a point since she has been the primary baby sitter when ever we've been in NB. We even left him with she and my dad for 10 days when he was only 10 months old so we could go to to Hawaii. This time around things went much better. They had a wonderful time together doing crafts and making forts and there was lots of hugs and kisses to go around.

I've never been someone who thought it was overly important to have the grandparents live close by. I didn't have that growing up and I never felt like I was missing out. It kind of made it extra special when we did get to see them. Now having kids of my own, I feel like I'm cheating them out of something by being so far away from family. My sister lives just down the road from our parents and my mom babysits her son and I have to admit, I'm jealous of the time they have together. I know she has a first hand view of all those funny/cute/amazing/adorable things that Erik does and I desperately wanted her to get to know all of Oliver's 'specialness' in the same way. This week she's been able to part of Oliver's nightly dance party, heard how well he speaks, seen how gentle and loving he is with Isaac and has got to know how special he really is. She also got lots of uninterrupted cuddle time with Isaac which was nice since she'd only been around him for about 12 days total since he was born.

I know that the fact that we live far away from the family was our choice and it isn't going to change any time soon. Even when we leave the north we don't plan to be in the Maritimes but hopefully we'll get to have visitors much more often then we do now. For now we'll have to look forward to our next vacation. We only have 5 more weeks before the kids and I leave so we don't have a long wait.