Rested, Relaxed and Ready for Christmas...almost

This past weekend was amazing!!! 3 of my girlfriends and I went to the Banff Springs for the weekend and spent most of our time at the spa there - it was perfect! I have never been to a spa so beautiful!! I felt like royalty - lunch was brought to us while we rested in huge individual couches with warm blankets, we had our own private pool that was in the spa. There were 2 different kinds of saunas - one was a normal one and the other was a eucalyptus sauna (great for sinuses). I had a Hot Stone Massage and then a Pedicure in the afternoon....ahhhh!

We did some shopping, lots of eating and a lot of "spa-ing" - could not have asked for a more relaxing weekend. I was so happy to come home to my 3 boys though - I sure missed them all!

Ben was at my mom and dad's house tonight and Dave was out working, so I had the house to myself. I have a Christmas bake exchange this Friday at my house, so I thought I'd decorate a bit and start my baking. There are going to be 9 ladies, including myself, and we each need to bake 9 dozen of one thing. How it works is everyone shows up, has some drinks, talks, listens to Christmas music and basically gets a night "out" and then we all pass out our baking... everyone ends up with 1 dozen of everything that was brought.... Christmas baking done and December hasn't even started! I think it will be a lot of fun. As you can see, I made 9 dozen Butter Tarts tonight.... very tedious!!!

While they were baking, I made a quick Christmas banner to hang over the fireplace - nothing fancy, just something quick and festive (I added some "bling" to make it sparkle - you can't really tell from the picture)

All in all, it was a nice evening!

Swimming, Trees and Treats

This past weekend was a great one! Friday, Ben had swimming and Gram and Auntie Carrie came to watch... Ben was a bit grumpy and being a "mama's boy".. so at times it made it hard for Dave to keep him in the water and not wanting me. We got through it and then went to Montana's for dinner with Gram and Grandad. We were there for 2 hours and Ben was such a good boy! Gram and I sat and entertained him at our end of the table. We colored, read book and played with cars on the table, while Grandad and Dave talked. At the end of the meal, they brought us the bill and some suckers...Ben's eyes lit up (he has never had a sucker before). I did not think it was the smartest thing to give a 20 month old, but I told him to suck it and NO biting.... he listened so well. He licked the sucker the WHOLE way home, not once taking a bite! When we got home, the first thing he did was take the stick to the garbage - he is very tidy!

We had a nice visit with Gram and Grandad that night - it was late, so they could not stay long... Ben and Grandad were dancing like the Wiggles and Gram and him were playing hide and seek! I wish I had my camera that night.... next time!

Saturday we put up the Christmas tree! I know it is early, but I do not have a free weekend until December and wanted to get it up. I will not turn on the lights until December 1st, but at least it is up.... I love my tree!

Sunday was my mom's birthday. I made a cake and cupcakes and we had the Keg for dinner. Yum! It was a nice evening... hope mom had a good day!

This weekend was a great "family" one! We have not had a weekend where Dave has no jobs to go to and can just be at home! There needs to be more weekends like this past one!

If anyone is wondering.... I will not be showing photos of our decorated tree until December 1st when we turn its lights on....maybe a few days sooner if I get too impatient (like that will ever happen) ;)

Banana Bread and Lights

Last week seemed to fly by! Last Sunday, Ben and I spent the day inside while Dave worked outside. I did not know what to do with Ben... he seemed tired of playing with toys and I just could not bring myself to read "Peter the Cruise Ship from Alaska" one more time! My uncle - aka Great Uncle Booga, decided to get Ben a book when they were on their cruise with my parents a few months ago. When he was in Edmonton, he gave it to Ben and Ben was not too sure about either the book or Great Uncle Booga. It didn't take long before Uncle Booga and "Benny Terry" were buds... and the book has been one of his favorite ever since. We sometimes read it 5 times a day! I feel like a bad mom, but some days I "hide" it, so I get a break from good old Peter and his friends Push and Gulp the tug boats - oh, you can't forget his eagle friend, Baldie.... ;) Anyway, I have gotten off track....

I was sure the next thing he would want to do was get out the "Book", so I decided to see if he wanted to make Banana Bread instead... he raced into the kitchen and pushed the stool over to the counter (that's his spot for baking). He is getting so good... I read out the ingredients one at a time and how much we need. He watches me go and get the ingredients and then he helps me put everything into the bowl. His favorite part is turning on the mixer AND beating the eggs in a bowl..... what a cutie - he takes his time and is so determined. It is great, because he listens great and is so calm - a nice and relaxing activity AND we get baking out of it! He crouches down by the glass of the oven and watches his creations bake....love it!

I went outside after we were done to check on Dave and he was working away, putting up Christmas lights.... what a great guy! I can't wait until we get to turn them on!!!

I HAD to throw this photo in.... this was Ben after his new haircut... a Mohawk!

Halloween 2009


(a little blurry, but our only family shot of the night)

We had such a great day yesterday with Ben. This was his second Halloween, but the first one where he actually knew what was going on. He was so excited to get into his costume this year. We first stopped at a few of his friends' houses to drop off some goodies. We made cupcakes and little treats for everyone. We then went to Gram and Grandad's house and Auntie Carrie was there too! Ben got to see them for a bit before we went off trick or treating. He stocked up on some treats from their house and then we stopped at Uncle Jon's house - he was waiting for us all dressed up! It was funny, because Ben was a little unsure at first and didn't want his picture with him... When we were leaving we tried again, and we got a great photo of Mr. Penguin and Captain America - very cute!

Then it was on to Granny and Boompa's house, where we also got to see uncle Richard all dressed up and waiting for Ben. Ben loved that costume - a big Puppy! We all ate dinner and went off trick or treating. Richard and Ben would go up to the doors and get their candy... the first house Ben did not understand what to do, but by the end, he was running up to the doors and opening his bag himself(with a bit of help. We all had a blast...It was nice that the boys dressed up for him AND let me take their pictures! I think Rich and Ben had fun trick or treating together. I know I had fun "testing" Ben's candy to make sure it was all safe! ;)

Happy Halloween!



Captain America and Mr. Penguin



let the fun begin!



a puppy and a penguin



checking out the loot



after a hard night's work



sampling the goods

Before and After




Lately, Hudson has been shedding so much. I don't know why this year is the worst, but it is!!! There are clumps of hair all around the house and any free minute I have is spent vacuuming them up. It is starting to drive me crazy! I decided to take him to Fabulous Furballs to get trimmed and brushed. They shampooed, conditioned, blow dried, clipped nails, raked the heck out of his hair and gave him a nice "puppy cut". Before we left, I took a photo of him. Ben got quite mad that I was not taking His photo, so I had to take his too...

I was so impressed with this "salon"... all of the groomers were in smocks with "bling" on the backs of them (there names were done in Swarovsky crystals). Everyone there was quite trendy... lots of guys with tattoos and piercings and the women were all quite funky. The salon was beautiful... chandelier on the ceiling and great decor... quite out of place for a grooming shop - I liked it! Anyway, we picked Hudson up later on that day and WHAT a difference! He looked so much younger and less "frizzy".... When we got home, I took an "After" photo of him and again, Ben started to fuss. I asked him if he wanted his photo taken, and he quickly stopped whining and posed for a shot - what a funny guy!



This was Hudson's "before"


This was Benjamin's "before"


This was Hudson's "after"


This was Benjamin's "after"

"Num Num"




Today, Ben I and I did some baking. He had his breakfast and I was not sure what we should do until nap time, so I pulled out my cookie cookbook and the first page that opened, was.....my favorite cookie ever! SNICKERDOODLES!

I asked Ben if he wanted to "help mommy make cookies for daddy" and his answer was "num num" (I'll take that as a yes!). He was such a good helper - mixing the eggs with a spoon, helping pour the sugar in the mixing bowl and watching them in the oven while the cooked, all the while saying "num num".... When the timer went off, he can running to the oven. He knows to stay back while mommy has the oven door open...he will stand at the end of the kitchen and not even take one step until the door is fully closed and I give him the "okay". We let them cool and then sat in the kitchen and did our taste testing... you can imagine what words came out of Mr. Benjamin's mouth...."num num!"

I think we will try and bake more often - that way he learns about the kitchen and daddy gets fresh cookies when he gets home! Its a win win! I just need to find him a cute little apron (a cute BOY apron that is)






I got a cute Halloween plate a few weeks ago and thought it would be cute for our cookies today - we'll see how long they last on the plate ;)

Ooooohhh... Halloween is almost here!

I must say, Ben and I were quite productive today! We had his "Time for Two's" class this morning with his 2 "girlfriends" Taylor and Emmerson - they are twins that are 1 week younger than Ben. I met their mom in my mom's group about 6 months ago and honestly, I think they play together at least every other day. They are great girls and Paulette is a awesome girlfriend! Anyway, after our Class we came home and Ben had a 2 1/2 hour nap.. which gave me 2 1/2 hours to get some work done...very nice! When he woke up, we had lunch and then decorated the house for Halloween. He had so much fun "helping" me put decorations on the doors and on the walls...he is a hoot!

I loved this sign. It is metal and looks nice and antiquey (is that a word?)


My lovely cream colored pumpkin... a great Hallmark find (by my mom!)

A fun little metal sign... Ben likes to scream every time he passes by the spider...

Ok, so here is where the real fun began... I told Ben to watch Hudson for me as I quickly stepped outside onto the porch to take a photo of the front landing and my wreath. They were out of view and down the hallway a bit. I could see them, but the camera could not (as I was trying to get focused). I took the photo and looked at it on the camera, and saw my 2 boys right in the shot. I started to laugh, which made Ben laugh too... the next thing you know, he has his face pressed right up against the window and is laughing and licking it....

So much for a "Martha Stewart" shot.... oh well, I like this one better! ;)

I know I have been posting long blog entries lately... I have just not been on here for a while so I am making up for it now I guess. This little video is of Ben tonight. He is quite the performer lately. He LOVES the Rock A By Bear song by who else but the Wiggles. He knows all of the actions and whenever we are in the computer room, he points to the computer for me to play it. I had the camera on my knee and he did not know it was on. Here he is dancing one last time before his bath...it is so funny that even at his age, if he knows I am video taping him he gets embarrassed or shy and won't do it, but if I pretend that I am not he dances away!

Let's Go Bananas!


Last Sunday, we took Ben to his very first concert! It was the Wiggles...his favorite "band". He loves to watch them on TV and whenever he hears their music, he stops and starts to dance. I remember first watching them on TV when he was only a few months old and he loved the bright colors and music. I would get teary back then because I would imagine him at one of the concerts dancing and clapping.. I used to think I was so lucky to have a baby and that one day "when he was big", we could go to one of their concerts. I never thought they would come to Edmonton (seeing as they are from Australia and back then I did not know how "cool" and popular they are)...When I heard they were coming, I think I was more excited then Ben!!

Before we left, I told Dave that if we make it to at least the half way point of the show, I'll be happy. I packed books, water, treats and toys, just to make sure that he stayed in his seat and that he stayed occupied...he has a great attention span for certain things, but I was not sure how he would do. As soon as we got there and got seated he had his eyes glued to the stage. It was probably 15 minutes before the show started, but he did not even try and get off of my lap... he stayed there for the entire show! (he got up a few times in the aisle, but just to dance). We were so proud of him. When the show was over, he even walked holding our hands the entire way to the truck...what a big boy!

Dave got him his first concert T-shirt... it has all of the Wiggles' faces on it. When he wears it now, we have to first go through and he will point at each of them and I have to say their names. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, we'll get to do it a few times before the shirt goes on... needless to say - we only wear it if we are not in a rush to get dressed! ;) I love him to bits!

family photo....the best we could do

Ben and Dad rockin' out

the stage

the Wiggles!

Dave was able to get this video when Ben didn't see him... this is him half way in, clapping away to the music... I love it!

I've Lost My Baby Ben...

The other day I was making Ben his lunch and I asked him to head over to his highchair so I could lift him in. I went to the fridge and when I turned around, he had pulled himself onto the bench at the dinner table. He tapped on the table, as if to say "this is where I am eating today mama". I asked him if he wanted to eat at the table like a "big boy" and he grunted his "yes". He ate his whole meal with the proudest smirk on his face! He looked so small at that great big table all by himself and that is when it hit me.... I've lost Baby Ben. I now have a Little Boy! So sad, but at the same time So Fun!!

We spent the next morning watching some of the Wiggles and eating grapes on the couch. He wanted to be "cozy" on the couch, so I got one of his baby blankets. That made me even more sad... it covered his legs and part of his tummy but that was it. His toes stuck out of the ends! I can still remember swaddling him up in the same blanket and having extra!! My Little Man is getting so big! I try and remember all of the little things about these past 18 months and most of it is a blur....where did the time go!?

We went for his shots on Wednesday and he got weighed and measured....29.6 pounds and 33 inches tall! He was 7 pounds and 21 inches when he was born. He was so brave, but for the rest of the night when he was not occupied doing something, he would look at me and then grab his arm and point to where the needle went in and then he'd start to cry. He layed down on the couch with me for 15 minutes and we sang songs and I rubbed his arm. He has not cuddled like that for 9 months - since he had the flu in January.... as much as I wanted him to feel better that night - I loved the fact that he wanted to cuddle with his mama on the couch!