Pa

This weekend, our Pa, Dave's Grandpa passed away. He will be greatly missed by everyone. He was a very happy, and kind man and always had a story for you, whether it be about his past, or just to give you advice - on concrete or drive ways for example. That was his last piece of advice to us...exposed aggregate was great and looked beautiful, it just was not as "solid". He explained to us how to seal and finish our new drive way and how to keep it looking shiny. I will always think of him every time I set foot on it now!

Ben and Pa, one week old

A poem for Pa

I know we are all feeling a little bit sad,
That we've lost our Pa, our great-grand-Pa, our husband and our dad
Together we have cried an ocean of tears
As we feel so empty after all of these years

But Pa would want us to know he's in a good place
And that he watching us all with a smile on his face
As we have made him so proud, as proud as can be
That he has raised such a beautiful family

Thinking back now I really must say
I feel lucky and privileged to have known Pa to this day
For in my life, he played a special part
The memories I will treasure and keep close to my heart

For me I am glad my little Benjamin he got to meet
And for all of us, be grateful, his life is now complete
To each one of us he has loved and cared
And as a family, we will be thankful for the good times we shared

Although he has gone we will always be together
His spirit will live on in each one of us forever
When you look to the sky, look for the brightest star
As that will be Pa looking down on us from afar

Pa if you are listening say a prayer for us every day
Be sure to protect us and guide us on our way
We know when God called you, you had to go
But we want you to know Pa that we miss you and love you so

And now I would like to thank the good Lord above
For blessing us with our Pa and for his kindness and love
Dear God, if it is not too much fuss
Take extra special care of our Pa as he is very dear to us

Grandma and Pa, with Hudson peeking in

Colin (Dave's uncle), Pa, Maureen (my mother-in-law)

xo xo

Park Night with Granny

Saturday night Ben and I went over to Granny's to visit. My dad was at a shooting competition in Fort McMurray, so we went to keep Granny company. We went to the park at the end of the lake and Ben had a blast! He met a little friend while we were there - Kali was 5 years old. She took to Ben so fast and asked to be in a picture with him while I was taking photos... so cute! Ben really liked her too - it was fun to watch them interact. He had a great time on the slide - fearless!

We were there for quite a while, but I was getting eaten alive by the darn mosquitoes...they love my knees - front and backs! OUCH!

playing with sand on the slide

Zoom!

for some reason - he loves to climb up them more than slide down...

Ben's friend from the park - Kali

pine cones!

Ben sharing pine cones with Granny

Our First Family Bike Ride

What a fun night tonight! Dave was supposed to work on our back splash tonight, but we decided to make it a "family night" instead. We had bought Ben a helmet and bike attachment a month ago and did not install it until tonight. I thought I would have a fight on my hands trying to get him to wear his helmet, but he LOVED it! It is so cute - it is a Bell "Hotwheels" helmet and it has flames and cars on it... Dave picked it out!

We got him on the bike and he laughed the whole time. I would speed up ahead of the boys and then Dave and Ben would come speeding up behind me and pass me and Ben would squeal and smile as they passed me...he had so much fun! After we got home, he had his first cup of "hot chocolate" to warm up (it was chocolate milk in the microwave)...Lucky boy! Hudson had fun too chasing us and running back and forth - great night for the WHOLE family!

We are having so much fun with Ben these days, he is becoming such a little boy... summer will be a blast this year!

This video is kind of blurry - I wanted to take it tonight because it was his very first bike ride, but I will try and get a better on when it is daylight.

I Can See The Floor!

Well, I did not get my office completely finished this long weekend...this is as far as I got - I am still very happy with my progress - no more boxes and a carpet I can see.


Now - on to the worst part....the desk. I need suggestions on what to do with those darn computer cables and cords... I hate them all tangled up under the desk - I know, that should be the least of my concerns right now with that MESSY desk, but I still need to clean them up.

I am not sure when the desk will get done - hopefully during one of Ben's naps this week. Once it is done, I'll put up some photos to show it off. Now that everyone knows how messy it is, I have to be more accountable and get it done! Next time anyone who reads this comes over, I'll know that they know that it should be clean and hopefully it will make me keep it that way.... we'll see ;)

It's So True!

I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth

Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth.

I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed

Than twine a chain of diamonds about my carefree head.

I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright baby eyes

Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.

I don't remember where I found this saying, but I was looking for it in my computer and found it tonight. It is so true! Even though there are days where I am so tired and up to my ears in grime and toys... I would never trade being Benjamin's mama for anything! (well... maybe for that "chain of diamonds") :) Kidding!

He is such a special little man and I am blessed that out of everyone in the world I got to be his mommy!

Saturday at Grandma's

Yesterday we went to Camrose to visit Grandma. Dave, Jon and my dad went golfing in the morning and my mom and I went straight to Grandma's house for a visit. Ben loves his Grandma! He also loves exploring at her house... so much to get into and so much to see! We stayed for dinner and Ben "helped" Boompa(grandpa) stain the deck. Jon just came back from Cuba and brought Ben some little maracas. Ben did not let go of them the whole day. Even if he was playing with something, he had them in one hand. Every once in a while, he would remember he was holding them, look and them and smile and then.... shake, shake shake! So cute!

this is Grandma's couch...she has had it forever!

playing with Grandma

hanging out by the TV

playing with Granny

Ben with his 2 ladies

BIG hugs for Grandma!

walking with daddy (and his maraca)

chillin' out in the rocks, sporting his new shades

Yikes! My Long Weekend Project...

I am not sure why I am letting people see my office in this state. Every time someone comes over, I have the door shut because I am so embarrassed by the mess. This is one room in the new house that never got unpacked... Everything just kind of got thrown in and left that way... Until now! I bought a new "Billy Bookcase" from Ikea - they come with doors now, which makes them look much better. I am going to get this room looking so nice and neat that I will actually WANT to type in here...or maybe even find my scrapbooking desk under that pile of...disaster!

My goal is to try and "tidy up" while Ben is napping during the weekend. We'll see how that goes with my typing - but here's to being optimistic!

I will have some BEAUTIFUL photos up on Tuesday to show off my lovely office/scrapbook room - you just wait!!!

Happy May-Long-Weekend Everyone!

my "lovely" office

the "desk" - if you can see it

my scrapbooking side....uggh!

I HAD to throw this photo in....mmm cupcakes!

Ben's Magic Beads

Well, they're not magic but they sure work like it! A while ago I came across a website that was talking about "baby teething necklaces". I thought it was something that they chewed on to help their teeth... I read further and found that it is actually a necklace made from Baltic Amber - it HAS to be Baltic Amber from the Baltic Sea for it to work. It has a natural component called "succinic acid" in it that when worn against baby's skin releases a natural calming agent. It is all natural and safe and can be used for teething, colic and acid reflux (in adults too). I thought it was a bit gimmicky as I am not too into "natural" and "homeopathic" remedies, but for $26, I thought "what would it hurt to try".

It came in the mail today - and just at the right time. My poor little man has 5 or 6 teeth coming in at once - Yikes! I put it on him this afternoon, and by this evening I realized that he had not drooled or fussed once since it was on. We were at my mom's today visiting and he did not stop with the drooling - as soon as he was wearing his necklace, he was happy and drool free! All I have to say is... MAGIC! We will try it again tomorrow and see how it works! Its kinda cute - I told Dave that he reminds me of Bam-Bam from the Flinstones :)

My little Bam-Bam

This is the back of it. The clasp is two plastic pieces that you have to screw together. If it is pulled on with enough force, it will break away for safety, but the individual Amber pieces will not fall off because they are tied on individually.

The Best Mother's Day...At the Zoo

Since we will be busy tomorrow with our families, Dave and Ben decided to make "Mother's Day" for me today!

This morning, Ben gave me some presents... I got chocolates, a spa day and some muffin tins that I have been wanting!

Then we decided to go to the zoo, even though the forecast was for thunderstorms. We had beautiful weather at the zoo - it was +20 in the sun! Not a sign of rain all day! Ben had a blast. We went into the petting zoo and he had so much fun with the goats and baby lambs. He loved Lucy the elephant and got a kick out of the chickens and bunnies.

We shared our first chocolate ice cream cone of the summer (his first chocolate ice cream ever!). We also took a ride on the Merry-Go-Round. He was not too sure at the start and I was so dizzy by the end... its definitely dad's turn next time! We were going to ride the train - he did his "ohhhhhhh" every time we saw it drive by, but by the end I did not think he would last, so we called it a day.

We got Ben a Lucy the elephant stuffed animal at the gift shop - he absolutely loves it!

On our way home, we stopped off at Finesse Furniture because they are having a huge "Going Out of Business" sale. Ben and dad finished off my mother's day gift with a beautiful hutch for the dining room and urn for the stairs! I am one lucky Mama!

These are some of the many photos we took. I posted a lot of them because there were so many good ones. What a great day!

Getting ready to go to the Zoo

Going into the Petting Zoo

The Merry-Go-Round

Chatting to mom on the train (this one did not move)

Mmmm! Chocolate Ice Cream!

Looking at Lucy the Elephant

Playing with Daddy

Havin` a snack with Mom

Home time with new pal Lucy

Little Boys and Their Toys

This was Benjamin playing tonight. He loves the car set that Gram and Grandad bought him for his birthday! It has been a phase that has lasted for quite a while and now I am starting to think it is not a phase - he just loves cars and trucks! It was so cute tonight listening to him make the "car" sound. I don't know how he learned that, because I have never made that noise when we play, but he sure knows that a car goes "Brrrrrr". I could watch him play all day long! I would love to know what he thinks when he plays in his playroom...does he think it is "a long day at work" or is it just fun? Soooo cute!

Dave and Ben are planning a trip to the zoo tomorrow for mother's day... fingers crossed for the weather!

what a boy!

A Look Back At This Time Last Year....

I just realized that Ben is exactly 1 year and 2 months old today...! I thought I would look back to see if I took photos of him at this time last year and sure enough, I had a folder marked "2 months old today". I couldn't believe the photos when I opened the folder. He has grown so much! My little baby that was so pudgy is now a "little boy", walking around the house, laughing and trying hard to talk. I remember that bouncy chair like it was yesterday! He used to sit in that when we were over at other people's houses for dinner and I got so good at bouncing it with my foot while I ate, not missing a beat, that he would usually sleep the whole way through!

I had to take the chair out of the basement the other day because I had a play date and there was a new mom with a 2 month old baby here. It brought back so many memories! I wish time would stand still for just a while because he is growing up so fast! What can I say - he is the best thing in the whole world!

Hudson always loved to lay next to Ben - best buds in the making!