Another babe enters our world...

Wow... so many new lives entering the world these days! So exciting! Another dear friend of mine had her first baby yesterday! I've known Carling for 16 years... we met in the 7th grade, and have been friends ever since. She married her high school sweetheart and they just welcomed their first son, Jet James Stiksma, into their family early yesterday morning. HE IS SO CUTE! He literally is the picture of perfection! A big huge congrats goes out to the new parents!

I am just so touched watching my 2 close, wonderful, amazing friends become Mommy's. Maybe because I remember what they are experiencing in the first few days of their child's life... a love, a bond, like nothing else. This feeling inside that you would do anything for this little person that you just met... the purest example of unconditional love! Man, I am just so over the moon for these families!

However, does it make me want another baby? H-E-L-L No.

What A Wonderful Weekend...

This past weekend was full of celebrations. Saturday was a big, huge day of welcoming people into families!

First off, one of my dearest, dearest friends welcomed her first baby into the world. Avalyn Grace Stenger was born Saturday night at 11:24 pm. She is such a beautiful little babe with cheeks to match her mommy. I simply cannot wait to snuggle her, kiss her, sniff her and give my friend a big hug and kiss and tell her how proud I am of her and how much I love her daughter. Big huge Congrats to Geoff & Kayley... parenthood is a wild ride... hold on tight to one another and enjoy each moment; the good, the bad and the ugly.

Secondly, Cam's little brother, Casey was married on Saturday! So, we all welcomed a new sister-in-law into the family, Hillary. The wedding took place at Beulah and the party followed at the St. Albert Inn. Camerin was the Best Man and Isla was a flower girl. It was a beautiful wedding... elegant, enchanting and full of love. Isla danced her little heart out all night long! We left the reception around 10 pm... crazy, right? She loved being with her cousins and Casey loved loved loved dancing with his nieces! It was so beautiful to see the happiness plastered on both of their faces. All. Day. Long. Congrats to Casey and Hillary Schellenberg... another one bites the dust!

 posing.

Maddie, Kenzie and Isla... the 3 most beautiful flower girls there ever was.

My Annie-Roo.

Us. (*note the girlies not giving a rats ass about the photos)

Besties.

My ladies and I.

sunbathed.

love. 

A beautiful weekend was enjoyed by all and I cannot express how amazing it is to have the sun rain down on us! I LOVE SUMMER!!!!

Words of Wisdom...

from my 3 year old. Here is 3 of my favorite Isla quotes thus far:

1. "Ewww, someone took a steamy dump in here". Said while looking in the toilet at leftover poop particles from it's previous tenant.

2. "This weather is really balls". Said after I (*oops*) commented on our hideous display of 'Spring' yesterday morning.

3. Whilst picking at the remnants of a sparkly tattoo left on her skin, Isla remarks "Argh, in all my years...".

And there you have it folks.

Fourteen Months and Fabulous...

Annie is 14 months old today... no big deal really, other than the fact that SHE IS ALREADY 14 months! Holy Moses... I can hardly stand it. She brings Cam and I endless joy and laughs and love. She truly is one precious little lady. In keeping with this weeks theme, here is 5 facts about Annie.

1. She finally has teeth. 2 of them actually, right on the bottom and boy, are they priceless when she flashes that toothy grin. What a babe!

2. She is as goofy as anything. When I think of Annie, words that come to mind are: silly, goofy, playful, funny and fun loving. She is always throwing herself around... on furniture, on us, on Isla and giggling up a storm. Perhaps another word would be fearless. She is always flinging her body towards something, hoping an object such as a cushion or human arms will break her fall.

3. She does not sit still. For anything. Ever. She is constantly on the move. Always.

4. She is curious. This little princess gets into EVERYTHING. Whenever I open the pantry, she sneaks in. Whenever the fridge is open, she's in there too! An example: this morning, while eating my breakfast, I look up to the pantry to find Annie with her whole arm in an empty peanut butter jar, desperately trying to scrape some remnants off the sides to eat. This jar was at the BOTTOM of the recycling bag. She just has to get her paws on, in, around, on top of everything. /

5. She is a whole different cat than Isla. Completely different than Isla at this age, or at least from what I can remember. Wow. Can't wait to see what she blossoms into!

Annie is such a beauty, both inside and out and the amount of love and fulfillment she brings to my life is inexplicable. What a honey.

Ooh, and one more for good measure.

6. She is a bottomless pit. She will eat everything in sight. It is often me who ends her meals. Really, is one piece of toast, a full banana and a cup of yogurt not enough for one baby for breakfast? Sheesh.

My Lovely Isla

I thought I would do an entire post dedicated to all that is my Isla... 5 facts about her and how incredible she is.

1. She is hilarious: Isla cracks us up multiple times a day. She says the funniest things, makes the funniest faces, plays cute games with Annie, always teases and just brings joy wherever she goes. One of my favorite quotes came yesterday... She opened the toilet lid and their was some remaining poop fragments in the toilet. Isla's response was "Ewww, someone took a steamy dump in here". She's so charming, right?

2. Isla is a girly girl: When Isla wakes up at 6 am, her first instinct is to reach for her princess skirt and her ballet shoes. She constantly wears a poofy, frilly skirt and her sparkly shoes... both of which she changes multiple times a day.

3. Isla is obsessed with dancing: Everything is dancing. Dance around the living room, dance on the table, dance under the table, dance naked, dance in winter boots, dance in the bathtub, dance in bed, dance on the bed, dance with me, dance alone... you name it, she dances. And not just in our home either... dance at the gym, dance in the grocery store, dance in any store... dance anywhere. Her frequently repeated phrase of "Want to see my dance class?" is repeated numerous times a day... this is simply inviting you to watch her dance. It is priceless.

4. Isla is empathetic: Whenever someone is upset, Isla feels it. When I am frustrated or sad, Isla knows and her first response is to say "It's ok Mommy. You're a strong girl. Don't be sad" or some form of these comforting words. She wipes my tears, she hugs me and she takes care of me. It warms my heart. She also does this with Annie (of course not all the time because sometimes she is the cause of Annie's tears). If Annie is upset, she gives her a big hug or makes a silly face to help her feel better, or hands her a stuffed animal or puts her soother back in. She wants to make things better by offering her help. She feels people's hurts and responds with pure love.

5. Isla is A Type: yes, I know what you are all thinking. She is exactly like me. She likes routine, she has a hard time adjusting to change, she's tired at the same times, she eats at the same times and the same foods (when I find a breakfast I like, I eat it everyday for months), she's extremely particular when it comes to bedtime rituals and such things. She's not so particular with cleanliness (much like me) or having things in a certain order, but she is A Type when it comes to planning things, knowing what's happening and being prepared for what's to come. She wakes up, puts on her skirt and shoes and then asks me "What are we doing today?" When I respond, it's the bible. If I vary from what I originally told her, yikes, we are in trouble. She does not respond well to last minute changes (again, SO much like me). Like mommy like daughter I suppose.

I am just falling more and more in love with her these days as her sweet, kind and tender personality unravels. She's such a beauty!

* us, at the ASAC Fundraising Gala yesterday*

Race Season!

I've never been in a race before. Ever. And from what I hear, the atmosphere is addictive. I cannot wait to experience that adrenaline, anxiety, excitement and competitiveness this upcoming race season (however, I don't really believe I am competitive, but Cam says otherwise). And, I get to experience it 5 times! Holy Smokes... I may have bitten off more than I can chew here folks but this reality makes me so incredibly thrilled for my Spring/Summer to begin!

June 1st - Spring Sprint: This race is more of a celebration than a competition. I am joining forces with one of my most dearest friends in this race that raises attention for The Brain Tumor Association of Canada. She is a survivor and I am honored to walk alongside her in support of "The A-Team".

June 15th - Walk Run Ride for Hope: This race raises funds for "The Village of Hope" in Harare, Zimbabwe. Our church, North Pointe, supports this village through prayers, finances and outreach. I participated last year in the 5 km walk but this year, I am challenging myself with the 10km run!

June 29th - Spartan Sprint: This is a 5km obstacle course race. So pumped!

July 6th - Color Me Rad: Funds raised in this race will go directly to the Stollery Children's Hopsital. Enough said. Another close, dear friend of mine asked me to participate alongside her and what could I say? It looks like SO MUCH FUN! Check out this video. Watching this clip made me salivate.

September 7th - Spartan Super: This is the big one folks! 14km obstacle course race... my big challenge of the season! Yikes! But honestly, I am SO dang excited, I can hardly stand it.

And there you have it.

I Bet You Didn't Know...

1. ... that at the age of 16, I asked Mike Comrie (yes, Mr. Hilary Duff) to marry me via a very large sign at an Oilers game. Lucky for me, he said No.

2. (in keeping with the hockey theme)... I invited then Oiler, Jason Arnott, to my 10th birthday party. Since it was my golden birthday (10 on the 10th), I figured I needed a special guest. I legitimately thought he would come. He did not. However, 6 months later, I received an autographed photograph of him in the mail. It was addressed to me and I apparently lived in 'Edmondton" (dude doesn't even know how to spell the name of the city he played for). 

3. I took singing lessons for one year in grade 7 and at my recital, I sang "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. The best part? I was in full mermaid costume. 

4. At the age of 3, my brother peed in my eye. Yes, you read that correctly. Whilst having a bath together, my brother informed me that I "had a fire in my eye and he needed to put it out with his hose". When he put it like that, I had no choice but to have him extinguish the flames. I needed my eye, right? Wrong. That was just his way of peeing in it. 

5. While at a 98 Degrees concert, at age 13, I was approached about becoming a model. They fully recruited me from the massive line up of screaming, pubescent pre-teen girls screeching, awaiting the arrival of twenty-something-year-old men to serenade them. Clearly, that fell through.

6. At aforementioned concert, I was given a rose by Nick Lachey. That's right girls. I can feel your jealousy from here. He placed the single red rose right in my hand. He wanted me. 

And that concludes this edition of "I Bet You Didn't Know...".