Monday, August 30, 2010

The Party

I loved planning the party. I thought of the theme months ago and spent many a day looking through the party section at every grocery store and dollar store and bargain shop for anything fish, beach and underwater related. My girl was getting a fishy party. Not too baby-ish, not too girly (because there was of course going to be boys at this party), and certainly not hard to find fish related stuff.
We had SO much fun. Maizey didn't notice that Ang and I spent a looonnnggg time the morning of the party cutting fish out of the blue table cloth to lay over the yellow one so it would look like yellow fish on the table shining through the blue water.

She really has no idea that her favorite snack went perfectly with the theme of the party, all she knew was that she got to eat the goldfish crackers by the handful yesterday! She didn't realize that while she napped at the perfect time yesterday her mom and dad were carefully placing close to a hundred little m and m's on a fish shaped chocolate cake with a marshmallow eye and yellow icing (which I OF COURSE didn't get a picture of... so sad). She was just happy to have her friends over.






 Even when it got cold and rainy our guests were troopers....



Eventually it got the best of us and we moved inside for cake...


Missy timidly tasted her cake... but she eventually dove in. She ate two pieces!





Three outfits later, we opened gifts and she got spoiled! She played with her new toys after everyone left and today we put some of her new clothes on her! She looks so grown up in size one clothes! Heh.
It was a great day for us and it was just so wonderful watching her be loved by everyone! We are so lucky to have such a great group of friends with little friends for Missy. She loves playing with them and I love watching it!
So, our first party under our belts! I am already starting to think of a theme for next year! I can't wait to see what happens.... 

Sunday, August 29, 2010

On Your First Birthday

Dear Maizey,
Today you are one. You say all kinds of words, you copy things I do, you laugh, you play with your friends, you sleep all night, you try to put your clothes on yourself, you play shy, you be your funny, cute, sometimes trying self every day and we love you very very very much.
I had to do some shopping for your party and as I stood in front of the party supplies I got a little choked up. I could hear other kids in the store saying dada and crying for mama and all I wanted was for you to be there with me. I missed you. I could hardly believe I was shopping for a one year old birthday party. I can hardly believe you are one year old. I can remember your birth day just like it was yesterday. I snuggled you and loved on you and proudly showed you to all our friends and family. Today I snuggled you, I loved on you and I proudly put together a birthday party for all your friends and family to come to. Those things are never going to change... I am always going to snuggle you (not in a weird way) and love you and be proud of you.
When I started this motherhood journey I really had no idea what it would be like. I see now that I am cut out for this. I am made to be your mommy. I am made to teach you things (like go down the stairs... you tried to teach yourself and it didn't end well) and show you the way and love you and to sometimes let you learn things yourself. You are showing me your independence more and more every day and I am having a hard time at letting you be a big girl already... I cant imagine how I am going to be able to handle it when you are older. I am just going to try to teach you all you need to know to be able to go out on your own and find your way. If I can do that, then I have succeeded.
So... what you are doing now....
You walk along anything you can get your hands on, but you are still not trying to walk at all. Oh well, you will get there.
You play patty cake and laugh when we play `round and round the garden' on your hand.
You love the bath and all meal times.
You are starting to need more challenges in your life - like toys that actually do something. The pots and pans are no longer cutting it.
Your vocabulary is getting extensive so I will try to remember all of your words
mama
dada
up
yep
hello
hi
thank you
whats this
shoes
kisses
friends
mmmmm
uh-oh
(shake your head no)
owwww

Your are finally up to 18lbs!! woooo! Still too little to turn your car seat around... but we will continue to shovel the food into you and hope you get to 20lbs before you turn 5. You are getting lots of hair, we are still waiting for a tiny little pony tail.
We gave you a wagon for you birthday present and you love it so much. You sat in it all morning and let daddy pull you all over the house. It was so cute.
I don't have any more words for you. For your perfect little self and how much joy and happiness you bring to us. We love every single day we have with you. Our life could not be more perfect. Just know that on your first birthday there was so much love surrounding you from your family and all your friends. You are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in your life that love you.
Maizey Rae you are one amazing little girl.
We love you baby girl
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Busy But Good

Our week in review:
 
 Delicious french toast

One shoed mornings

Face down nap time because we are so tired

A visit from my brother Riley. It has been ten months since he last saw Maizey. She was a little leary... she came around (I think) by the end.

 A little pedicure action. Thank You Self.

I canned (with the help of Brians parents) some peaches... 20lbs to be exact! I am so stoked! I am going to do tomatoes also. Its easier than I thought and actually kinda fun! Plus, its a weird sense of accomplishment seeing all those little jars filled with deliciousness just waiting for a cold winter day...


Lastly... I crazy partied with Cartwright and Hummel and their wicked fun friends for the two nights in Kelowna for Cartwrights stagette. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Its been a long time since I partied like that and anywhere near that classy. Good times ladies, good times.
More to come on almost all those things - but I am tired and slightly hungover and in desperate need of sleep so I can be up at the crack of dawn to do the last minute organizing for the big ONE YEAR OLD (I can hardly choke those words out) birthday party tomorrow. So much excitement coming....

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Not So Wordless Wednesday - Crappy Hot Water Tank

Dear Hot Water Tank,
  I would just like to say thank you for crapping out on us. I really appreciate it. I am so happy that we got to spend three hundred and fifty bucks to replace you - I can think of a million things that I really didn't want instead of you... Like my new camera or the photography course next weekend. Because seriously? I didn't care less about those things. You on the other hand? I am so thrilled to have a new brother to you around here. You obviously helped us out on really cold days when we needed to have a hot shower and you of course provided the necessary hot water we need to wash the dishes and make sure they come out clean and sanitized. And don't forget the... oh wait - that's all you did. Other than that I guess you really don't provide us with anything else - like say.... fun and games, or even something nice to look at, or something useful like a shelf. Nope, you just sat downstairs in the corner being not nice looking and taking up a lot of space (which just so you know, we don't have a lot of, so thanks for that one too). I hope your new life is great - where we are taking you, your neighbors are trash and old piles of crap. I hope you are excited. Just remember, this was your choice. It didn't have to end this way,but you, for some reason decided you didn't want to be here anymore. I don't think I will ever understand what happened, but just know - that I was perfectly happy with you and would have kept you around forever if it had been up to me. Good luck at that dump you headed to. I hear it gets really hot and stinky on that side of town. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. Like I said, this was your choice.
I wont miss you, since we have already replaced you. So just for good measure - good riddance. And eff you. I hate you.
Your old friend/owner
AMY

Sunday, August 15, 2010

My Favorites

Some of my favorite moments these last few weeks!

An impromptu picnic at blanket creek. My first time there and I can say with confidence - we WILL be going back!

She reads. I watch. And take pictures!


I just cant get enough of her little feet! Especially since she started loving these sandals!

Tubby time.

Drinking coffee and watching a girl and her daddy talk about stuff.

What Missy wants, Missy gets. Even if it means daddy wearing a bib.

Eating breakfast in the living room while enjoying *our* show!!

No words I have right now do justice to just how happy she makes me!!

Missys first plate of dinner. She ate two helpings. turns out she loves corn on the cob.

We have so few pictures of the two of us, so every time there's a new one, it always turns into my favorite! Until the next one...

The second she gets up, she is looking for shoes (or in this case shoe) to put on. Last week our friend Alicia came over for an early coffee and when she arrived Maizey had two different shoes on... but they didn't fit over her footie jammies so we had to pull her feet out of them. She looked a little foolish, but she was happy that she had her shoes on!

Annndddd..... get ready for my all time fave!!! Let it be said that this was in NO way planned... I had no idea what was going on behind me - I was just snapping away and it wasn't until I loaded the photos onto the computer that I saw.... well.... this....
drum roll please....

 (no babies were harmed in the making of this!!!) I have no idea what she was doing!! 

Please leave me a comment telling me what some of your recent favorite anythings are!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Start 'Em Young

Once again I am amazed by my little Missy. She just goes and busts out all the moves like she has been doing it forever... with out any notice. Big day around here.
It started with her belly button. She found it today. As far as I can remember neither Brian or I have really paid much attention to it - we don't point it out to her or anything. So it was a little surprising this morning when she was sitting on my lap and she lifted up her shirt and stuck her finger in it. Starting playing with it, even though she cant see it when she looks (her cute little *big* belly gets in her way). She can still get her finger in there every time. And she gets a huge grin on her face when she plays with it!
Next it was her teeth. She woke up from her too short of nap crying and chewing on her fingers. I tried cuddling her, but I was pretty sure she was having a teething issue. I said to her 'let me look at your teeth'... she stopped crying, broke out in a big, teeth showing grin and pointed to them. As if she was saying 'they're right here Mom' and after that, every time I asked her where her teeth are - she pointed to them. Then giggled. I tried to get it on video, but she still refuses to perform for the camera.
Last it was the coffee. My coffee to be exact. My coffee from 8:00 this morning that was on the coffee table, hours old and cold. I was sitting at the computer when I heard an 'ahhhh' sound behind me. I turned around to see her standing at the coffee table with my coffee cup in hand... drinking from it... and loving it!!!! I said 'MISSY' and quickly went to her... but before I could get there she quickly took another big slurp of it and exclaimed 'ahhhh' after. I ran into a slight moral dilemma at this point... take it away - because she reallllllly shouldn't be drinking coffee for the love of god... or run and get my camera because that is freaking priceless... I went with the *right* thing to do (for probably the first time EVER) and took it away. I am thinking of trying to re-enact the scene with an empty cup so I can get a picture!! The funniest part is that she she was totally holding the cup perfectly - by the handle with one hand with the other hand cupping it on the other side - like we all do when we are really enjoying a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning. Oh, and she didn't even spill any. She is already a professional at it. I am going to have to keep my eye on this!!

So today we loved her crazy learning and skillful sneaky ways. My Missy just cracks me up every single day!

Also... today is my OLDEST brothers birthday. He turns 30. My dad taught Jaya (who is Travis' oldest daughter) when asked how old her dad is to say 'he is really old'. Today I was thinking back to when I was a twenty year old college student... and I would talk to Travis about 'stuff' - he seemed like he knew it all... he was so much older and wiser than me... he had it all figured out. I would think to myself 'when I get to be that age, I hope I have it all together too' ... he was twenty -bloody-three years old at that time. Wow. I guess I had a lot to learn. None the less - Happy Birthday Travis!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Friday, August 6, 2010

On Just Being

Sometimes it all gets to be too much.
Like when you spend hours preparing your garden, pulling quack grass until you can no longer feel your hands, rota-tilling fresh fertilizer until your arms are shaky from the vibrations, making perfect little rows to plant in, weeding every single night to make sure there is lots of room for the perfect little veggies to grow... only to have nothing grow except for one little row of green beans - that's it... with no explanation as to why? It grew every other year...

Or when you spend weeks getting the outside of the house ready to put the siding on, only to find the day that you are going to start, that there is nothing to nail the entire first row of siding to... so you have to peel away the hours of work you have already done to fit a tiny piece of wood in so you have something to attach it to. But besides that you find that the house is really not square and/or straight, so your perfectly placed siding is going to look crooked, no matter what you do. And just to add insult to injury you first need to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of tools to get started because this isn't just average siding - no its made with some kind of cement particle board that takes a certain blade to cut, and needs certain nails to fit in the air nailer (or else you can hammer them all in by hand, but seriously, what year is this? 1999?).

Oh, and don't forget when you finally get around to washing your kitchen floor for the first time in eleven months only to have a serious avocado incident mere hours later.

It all seems so... fruitless. And reduces me to tears at the sight of cute polka dot sleeper on the 50% off rack at Fields, or by reading a story of a transgendered hen needing to be moved from her home inside city limits because she started crowing like a rooster and you aren't allowed to have roosters in city limits. I know I need a break when that happens. No body needs to be witness to a weeping at the sale rack crazy lady.

So today, we quit. We didn't think about gardening or siding or cleaning. Instead we slept late (of course this just worked out, I obviously don't get to choose how long I sleep!) we leisurely had coffee, we did a little shopping, we had lunch out with Nana and Aunty Myrna, we searched the internet for perfect flash cards and came up with two sets, so we ordered them. We read stories and we played. We just spent the day being... nothing really... just being. We burned our favorite Japanese Cherry Blossom Candle from Rim, we made a fresh pot of coffee well after noon. We definitely did NOT re-wash the sour load of clothes in the washing machine or make our beds. Nor did we care.
I know that Maizey wont remember these days when she's older, but I hope somewhere in there is at least some tiny memories of days spent one-on-one with her mama, just hanging out and loving on each other.
I will remember when it all gets to be too much, that this is exactly what I need. To just be. The only thing that could make it sweeter is if Daddy could be here for it. Maybe next time. He really does deserve a day off once in awhile too.
Now for my two favorite photos of the day... my girl has decided she likes to wear her shoes at all times - We see her picking up random shoes at the door (including mine and Brians) and trying to get them on herself. She points to them, looks at me and says 'ya' along with a nod of her head that means 'put this on me please' ... so I do.


Monday, August 2, 2010

Kokanee Weekend - Where And When All Good Things Happen. Obviously

Dear Kokanee weekend,

   Besides a few long days at the restaurant, you have always treated me well. I love the energy and people you bring to town and all the chaos that ensues when you are around. You can change your name as many times as you like... you will always be Kokanee to me (even though I hardly drink Kokanee). Thank you for being you. Keep letting great things in my life happen on this weekend!
See you next year.

Your faithful friend,
     AMY

Six years ago this past weekend I was a twenty year old college kid heading to a baseball tournament in Revelstoke with my besties. At 5:00 on Friday I was wearing a bright yellow team shirt that said 'Drunk as Fu*k' (only the * was a bear claw) and playing baseball in my bare feet while wearing someones moms aunts neighbours ball glove. I had already drank my weight in beer. It was a great start to an unbelievable weekend. Its all a big blur. There were four of us. Myself, Ang, Andrea and Chelsea. We were a gong show. We had a two man tent and no food to speak of. We played a little baseball, although truth be told, most games we had to forfeit because not enough players showed up (including us - except Chelsea, she showed up for every single one, including the 7:30'ers), we did a little swimming, some cliff jumping, a LOT of dancing and even more drinking. Somewhere in there I met this guy. His name was Brian. He grew up with Ang. They went wayyyy back. Andrea and I joked that we knew him as kids too - he went along with the joke... but secretly he was thinking 'who the eff are these crazy people?' We all spent the weekend being crazy together. I think at one point there were 8 of us sleeping in our two man tent. I remember eating exactly 2.5 meals in four days. I think I showered. I almost broke my foot. I jumped off a 50 foot cliff and landed in the water diagonally. I was certain I had broken my back too. Turns out I didn't. But I did have a bruise from my knee to my shoulder.  I know I partied. I feel confident in saying there was not a single beer left in town when I had finished. We walked to our tent in bare feet every night. I have no idea where my shoes were. I remember on the drive there Andrea and I made a goal for ourselves (please remember we were college kids with a thirst for partying...) - that goal was to get thrown in the drunk tank. Lofty, I know. On Monday we headed home. That guy named Brian asked for my number so I gave it to him. As Andrea and I drove out of town I said to her 'Ya, I am never going to see that guy again in my life'... by the time we got home, he had already called....

(the originals - 2004)

Wow how times have changed.

Last year on this weekend, I was sitting on a patio eating lunch when I got a call from Paola saying she was in labor. There were no beer gardens or partying for me.

This year I was celebrating Liams first birthday with my eleven month old daughter. No beer gardens or partying again.

I was there in spirit though.

(2005)