Blog Renovations Part 2

Seeing as my old background took a hike, I took advantage of naptime this afternoon and tweaked the blog a bit. After changing the font colors and picking a new background and coming up with some ideas that I might apply at a later date, this is what we came up with.

Pretty, huh?

I like it. I had been thinking it was time for something new but I just couldn't get off my butt and do it. It seemed like the right time anyways...there were already lots of new things going on. Such as the new car (it still seems new to me!), Adam teaching at a new school this fall, us moving to a new town and living in a new apartment. We aren't moving there until September 1st and it'll be a crunch to get everything done with Adam starting school at the same time but oh well! You do what you gotta do! I'm pumped about the new place though. It's similar to what we have now in the sense that it's a one level duplex but we'll have a full unfinished basement for storage as well as everything we have now. Once the move is over with I'll take pictures to show you!

Oh yeah, and Mya's back to being lactose intolerant. We had been giving her normal milk for a couple months now and she had been doing fine with it except that we started noticing her skin on her face would be blotchy and red. It looked a bit like eczema and I started to wonder if it was the milk...so we cut out the dairy to see if it made a difference and voila! It did! Her skin is all cleared up and she's still not getting any cheese or yogurt and she's back on the lactose free milk. I'll mention it to Dr. Z at her next appointment and see what she says. Frick, I hope she outgrows this because it really sucks that she can't eat cheese or ice cream when those are things she loves.

Ok, naptime is over and it's back to being a mom!

Blog Renovations

So it seems my background has gone on a one way vacation and although I was notified by blogger that it would be taking a hike, I clearly lost track of the days and was surprised by the white spread one day. Just to let you all know, I am aware of how ugly the blog is looking but I've been away visiting family for the last week or so and when I get back home I promise I'll find a new background and set it up. Until then, you'll have to look at my ugly white background and for that, I'll make up for it by sharing with you this little piece of heaven.

Not So Happy Meal

Those who know me well know that I'm a stickler for healthy eating (to a degree...I still love my cookies!) and that I never eat fast food. Especially not McDonalds! They have to be at the top of my list for gross places to eat and I plan to never take my kids there. Mya's never had any junk food like chips, french fries, cookies, etc. and I consider it bad when she does get the odd ice cream or homemade chocolate cake. I'm particularly anal about her food more than my own. With that being said, you can imagine my reaction when I came across this blog http://www.babybites.info/2010/03/03/1-year-happy-meal/. I was so grossed out! And I totally agree that there has to be something wrong with it if even mice won't touch it...yuck! Food should not look like that a year after it was purchased!
Now, onto a totally unrelated topic: look how long Mya's hair is now! She can now have a pony tail in the back as well but we can't quite get the top to meet the back so she's still stuck with her pebbles hairdo for now.


And one more cutie pie picture to leave you feeling all happy inside. We got a little blow up pool for the little to help her beat the heat and she really got a kick out of it especially the part where we had to use the hose.

Come from awayers

It's always nice to see people you haven't seen in awhile and to meet little people for the first time. Corey, Moe and baby Jack were down visiting the East Coast and we got to hang out with their little fam this weekend. Mya was especially excited to see them and ran and gave Corey a big kiss when she saw her. That kid is so funny; sometimes she can act so shy around people and then other times she runs out and gives kisses to people she's never even met. Mya really liked baby Jack too and kept wanting to give him kisses and hugs and she was even nice enough to share the bath with him:


I think he liked her too:


I know this post was short but it's late and I'm super tired from not sleeping well the night before so I think I'm gonna hit the hay. Maybe I'll post more about our adventures tomorrow!

Awesome Pasta Salad

Yesterday I said to Adam that we had to make our weekly menu before we hit the grocery store and frankly, neither of us felt like it. All of our usual menu items felt over played and we weren't really feeling like any of them, but I did however, feel like having a summer supper. So, summer supper we had! We had bbq'd ribs and corn on the cob and I made a kick ass pasta salad. The whole supper was kick ass actually, in case you were wondering. I had found this recipe for pasta salad on someone else's blog and at the time thought it sounded so good I went and grabbed a piece of paper to write it down. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to make it (because I write down a lot of random recipes I find and never end up making them) but I had to have it in case the opportunity arose and looky loo, the opportunity arose last night.

So, here is the recipe:
1 box bow tie pasta (I couldn't find bow tie pasta, so I used tri-colored fusilli and it looked awesome!)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2-2 cups red grapes, halved

1 cup craisins (I had never bought craisins before and didn't realize all the different kinds...I tried blueberry...tasted yummy!)

1/2 cup mayo
1 cup coleslaw dressing

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained1 cup cashews (Again, I couldn't find cashews so we used sliced almonds instead-which we like better anyway!)

Cook pasta, cool and place in bowl. Throw first 3 ingredients in the bowl with the pasta, then mix with craisins. Mix mayo and dressing together first and then pour over noodles. Mix well. Cover and let sit for a few hours to be good and chilled. Only add mandarin oranges and cashews/almonds when ready to serve (otherwise the nuts get soggy!).

This is what the finished product looks like


Time to get the little one slathered in sunscreen and suited up! We bought a blow up pool this morning to help keep her cool this summer and since it's 26 (and feels like 34!) I think it's the perfect time to break it in. I'll post pics of this adventure later!

Hang Ten

We are very fortunate to get lots and lots of clothes (new and hand-me-downs) from friends and family for Mya. There are so many that sometimes I think there's no way she'll ever get to wear them all, but I do try to put her in everything at least once. That's what happened when we were getting ready to head to the grocery store and I grabbed something from her summer clothes pile. It's a hawaiian get up made of light material and it says "Hang Ten" on the front pocket (so cute!). So cute in fact that I got Adam to take a couple pics of her before we left the house. This one is my favorite:


I love her expression and the arms are just a flailin' running down the hall. Also, you can't go wrong with this one. I saw her sitting in the bowl and ran to get the camera before she figured out how to get out.

I worry that when we move, because there aren't any lower windows, Mya won't be able to stand and look out and see the neighbourhood. The window in our dining room is just the right height for her and she likes to look out and watch the boys play basketball next door or watch the birds on the grass. It keeps her entertained when I need a few minutes to get things done and she always squeals with delight when she sees the goings on.

This is her watching Jeff play basketball next door in his driveway:


That's it for this blogger tonight! It's off to bed I go!

Three years

On this day three years ago I was frantically getting ready to walk down the aisle. I had barely slept the night before because I had butterflies in my stomach. It had been pouring rain all morning and I was worried we wouldn't be able to take pictures outside (and we had no back up plan). We were already rushed getting to the hairdressers and after we got there I realized I had left my hair piece back in my parent's hotel room 20-30min away. My maid of honor lent me her car and I sped back to the hotel to get my forgotten items while it was still raining and it was only a couple hours until the wedding. Once we got back to the hotel it was a flurry of activity; getting everyone dressed (including the ring bearers), writing a cheque for the JP while getting my dress laced up, getting make up done, making sure the flowers arrived on time. And once it was time to go, we headed out making sure Adam didn't see me. When I heard our wedding music my heart started pounding and I got those butterflies in my stomach again (I was butterfly free all day because I was too busy to feel them!). After everyone walked down the aisle and me and my dad were left waiting for our cue he turned to me and asked "so, is this what you wanted?" and I couldn't help the huge smile that came across my face because yes, that day was exactly what I wanted. It was the perfect day despite all the snags that happened earlier; the rain stopped just in time for the ceremony and the sun came out shining, everything arrived on time and even though I had forgotten my hair piece and had to rush back to get it, I still got back to the hairdressers in time to get everything done. Those are all memories now and I love looking back through our pictures and reliving that day because it was such an awesome day. Three years have gone by and it seems like I've just blinked and it's passed.

Here's to the many years yet to come!

Canada day and Fredericton

Whenever we go on a trip somewhere we usually take our camera with us because we're picture taking fanatics (if you could see all the pictures on our computer, you'd believe me). But, when we left last Wednesday to head to Halifax for the Canada Day festivities, we had forgotten it and we couldn't turn around to go back and get it. Adam had a job interview in the valley on the same day we were Halifax bound and we were already pressed for time, so there was no turning back for a camera. Well, I suggested it but my suggestion was met with the "are you nuts!?" look and as you can guess, he won (which I can understand). But now, we have ZERO pictures of Mya's first Canada Day. Well, I guess technically it's not her first but last year's didn't count since we weren't in the country.

We started off Canada Day with a pancake breakfast in the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax and it was my first pancake breakfast too! Most years I would get there too late and there would only be juice left or I would over sleep and miss it altogether, but not this year! Mya was really well behaved while we waited in line and she gobbled down her share of my pancakes. We decided to forgo the free cake at the Citadel because they would also be doing the 21 gun salute there and having gone before to the official ceremony thing on the hill and seeing babies in strollers crying, it's been my motto that if you can't plug your own ears, you aren't old enough to go. Same with dogs and fireworks. It's just mean. So instead, we walked to the commons and played on the playground and watched them set up for the family picnic that would be held there later.

Once it was time to head to our parade spot, we took off and Adam headed back to Nana's to get changed for his next interview. As we split Adam said to me "go make some memories!", so off to make some memories we went. That was the plan anyway, well, my plan. Mya had other ideas in mind. I noticed her head was getting a bit heavy on the walk to our preferred parade watching spot and I thought to myself "good! get a bit of a snooze, a cat nap, and once the parade starts you'll wake up." But that did not happen. I parked the stroller on the sidewalk facing the street and put my hoody on the ground to sit next to her and waited for the parade to start. First came a marching band, Mya never budged. Then came another, Mya stayed asleep. When I saw the bagpipes I thought surely she would jolt awake, but no. (I couldn't help but think of that scene from Mr. Holland's Opus where Iris is at a parade with a sleeping baby Cole and the firetrucks go by with their sirens and everyone is plugging their ears being bothered by the loud noise and Cole stays asleep. It turns out he was deaf and they didn't know but I wasn't worried that was the case with Mya!) Mya ended up sleeping through almost the whole thing until a couple floats from the end there were a couple boys playing guitars and they had mics and one of them asked into the mic if anyone had a pic he could borrow because he had lost his. That was it. It woke her up and she was awake and wondered where the hell she was. The look on her face was priceless actually. Once everything was over we walked back to Nana's for some lunch and a little play in the backyard and then we both went down for a nice long afternoon nap. We didn't get up until it was almost supper time...talk about wonderful!

We had been hoping to take Mya to the fireworks because we thought she'd really enjoy them but taking a 16 month old to fireworks at 10pm isn't the smartest, so she went to bed and slept while we had a drink with a couple friends and then headed to Citadel Hill all together. I think she was happier being left in bed anyways. Maybe next year it'll be something we can pull off.

The next morning we were off to Fredericton! We thought it would be nice to visit friends we hadn't seen since our wedding 3 years ago. Mya was a super traveler and couldn't have been better in the car and we made good time too! Rick and Linda were happy to see us and to finally meet Miss Mya. Mya was really happy to meet their 2 dogs and 1 cat! She's definitely an animal lover! It was much warmer in Fredericton than it usually is in Digby so we beat the heat by going to a park that had a wading pool for the kiddies! It was a kick ass place complete with wide open spaces for running around, a playground for getting the energy out and a kiddie pool for cooling down. The water was a little cooler than Mya was used to but once she got in, we couldn't get her out! I'll admit, it was nice for cooling down the mamas and the papas too and it was nice to see some other little kids. Monday morning came and we were back in the car to make the 4.5 hour trek back to Halifax. We thought it best to break up the trip back with a sleep at Nana's rather than push all the way through to Digby so this afternoon we were back in the car again and headed for home.

We did stop in the valley to look at a couple apartment possibilities because Adam got a job teaching for the second semester! Wahoo! We're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll be able to pick up another stint for the first semester and then he'll be all set! I guess it looks like we'll be moving to the valley!

Anyways, we're back home now and everything's been unpacked and put away and I think we're all gonna be happy to sleep in our own beds tonight. It's nice to get away and visit but it's also nice to come back home.