a little of everything

So I'm kind of excited for February to be over. Well, really I'm just looking forward to some not winter weather. Hopefully that is what March brings. Some above zero weather. I'm so spent with winter this year. Poor Alli is so spent with being stuck inside all day. She has started to go get her shoes and bang on the door with them. I feel bad for her, she gets so stir crazy. Alli is getting so smart and "talking" tons. She just cracks me up every day. I'm sure I'll be laughing even harder when she actually says real words. I'll restrain myself from being to much of a mom and telling a bunch of stories!

So on Friday night, Derek and I got away for the night. Just to a new hotel outside of town. We left Alli with Susie and Ryan. (thanks sooooo much!) It was so fun. We went out to eat and found the BEST dessert buffet ever. Went swimming and just hung out together, went to breakfast the next morning and some shoppping. Wanted to go to a movie, but I am getting way too huge for that to be any fun. I've never been away from Alli for so long (which wasn't even quite 24 hours). She did sooo good for Ryan and Susie. It was a nice break for us. And it probably won't happen again for quite a while so I'm glad we did it. And here's what I found on the camera when I got back. Alli getting some slurpee, from Uncle Ryan I'm sure!


The other day, Derek rented a movie and he bought Over the Hedge for Alli. (I think this is the 3rd or 4th kid movie he's bought and she hasn't watched one yet) I swear he's trying to turn her into a tv watcher. I'm sure she'll turn into one like every other kid, but I planned on prolonging it a little longer. She usually watches for 10 or 15 minutes when she is tired and I like that because I get to cuddle while she watches. Well, for some reason when Derek put this one in, she was all into it. I was in the kitchen and she snuck into the fridge when I had it open and grabbed an apple. Then she went back to the tv and pulled out her chair and was all into it for a good half hour. Just laughing and making faces and eating her apple.





I had to put up this picture too. I think I've put up Alli's messy spaghetti faces more than once, but here's another one anyway. When it was time for Alli to have supper the other Derek and I weren't hungry yet, so of course we made her favorite. Derek says, don't worry I'll feed her tonight, you relax. Yeah, this was the finished product. Smart guy, he also volunteered to do the bath following.


I guess I'll put up one more picture. This is why I haven't put up a belly shot as requested. Because I always look like this. I just can't help but put comfy clothes on as the day goes on. And my hair and make up don't quite get done everyday. I got to wear scrubs for work all the time when I was pregnant with Alli, and that is like being in comfy pyjamas all day. It was great. One of these days I'll get a true shot of my ever growing self. Only 2 and half months to go!

ice fishing

We went to Raymond for the long weekend. Got back yesterday. It was a pretty lowkey trip this time. Just hangin out with family and friends. Derek painted at mom's house. He painted the back bathroom over Christmas, and I guess he did a good job so my mom hired him to do some more. He painted the family room and the back entrance and hallway. Quite a large job. It's a dark golden yellow and it looks soooo good. We should have done before and after pictures.

Alli was awake every morning before 8am which is early for her. She is a almost always a post 8 o'clock waker if not 9 on occasion. (yes I know I'm lucky) I think she was up every day early because it's a lot more fun at Grandmas than here. And I still came out on top and slept in because my mom would take her.

Speaking of Alli, here's her latest. She has doing lots of new dance moves. She twirls all the time and moves her arms like a mad woman along with the head bobbing and bouncing her knees. I went out about a week and half ago first thing in the morning and Derek was with her. I came home to an empty bowl of oatmeal. She has been eating it almost every day since. Maybe she finally hit 21 times of trying it and likes it. Weird. But she eats it and thats all I care about. And my final, she learned a new work a couple weeks ago. The word....NO! Sometimes she just says it and doesn't know what she is saying and it's kinda cute. But most of the time she knows what it is and she gets a little or a lot of attitude when she says it. I just can't wait till she learns "mine" won't that be a fun one!

Ok back to the weekend. Every year on Family Day Dereks cousins go out ice fishing on Payne Lake. It's usually pretty fun, cold, but fun. It was pretty nice in Raymond. When we left, we were getting extra socks and boots because we thought it would be kind of wet and slushy. WELL, it was soooo not. The wind was so so so so cold. I'm not even joking, I thought when I was walking on the ice it would push me over. I couldn't believe Alli. She kept wanting to get down and walk around. So I would let her, but then she would trip over the little snow drifts or slip on the ice. I don't know what is with that kid. She does't feel cold. She was so sad to leave. I was the whimp who wanted to leave after 2 hours, I couldn't even blame it on her.

Here we are all wearing our Grampa Hicken gloves. Derek's Grampa is 87 I think and still makes these warmest mittens ever with deer hide. We found this old pair of Austin's for Alli, a little big, but every grandchild has to have a pair! When me and Derek were dating, Derek gave me a pair for Christmas. His grampa told me he knew it must be serious if thats what he was giving me, because you don't just give these signature mittens to anyone. My favorite part is there is a little stamp on every mitten. "Made for you by Grandpa Hicken" So you know it's authentic. And yes, grampa was at the lake from start to finish. Making hot chocolate, keeping the fire going, and doing all the fishing stuff.




I know I was so not a tropper that day, even though I tried. But what really put me to shame is Grandma Hicken stayed at the lake longer than me. If anyone knows her you know thats pretty good, and of course she was smiling the whole time. She didn't bring a touque because she thought her hair would be enough. Once again if you know her, thats sounds about right! Luckly Grampa brought an extra coat with this for a hood.


I'm looking at these pictures and it doesn't look cold, but let me remind you that is was. If it wasn't, I might have taken a few more. But it was only worth taking off my mitts to eat the really good food, not to take pictures.

here's some more

Here is my little cupid with her Valentines day clothes on.














Nothing special for us on this day. Derek has 2 midterms tomorrow.

I think Valentines is a fun day. Kind of an excuse for love day.
Also an excuse for sugar cookies day and I didn't make any. But I would have eaten some had they been around.

So many things to love in my life. I like to love my things everyday, so it's really no different today. I don't get my hopes up for anything to exciting in the flowers or gifts or surprises department because well...I'm married to Derek. I love that I can count on 2 fingers the amount of times he's given me flowers in our 5 or 6 years together. He's so good to me, I don't want all that. I want things like for him to watch Alli while I nap. And to drive me places when I don't want to drive on the icy roads. And to carry Alli while we did WAAAAY to much shopping today. And to make Alli giggle so hard I can't stop laughing either. And to tell me he "likes my hair when it's short, long, brown, blonde, pretty or ugly." (thats a quote from him tonight) Now THAT is what I love to name a few. If it wasn't almost midnight I would go on. So I won't even start with Alli and the many many (ie; chocolate and all food lately really) other loves in my life.

However...
On the topic of love. My cousin Christy got married on Saturday. SUCH a cute couple. So happy for them. Good luck in Saskatoon Christy! It was a fun day. My parents were up for a day for it. Here's a quick shot. Christy was beautiful. Her dress was so beautiful, I wish I had a picture of the whole thing.





A picture says a thousand words, so does my child apparently.


My dad took these on the weekend. I thought they were pretty funny. She seriously gets into her little world on the phone. Just chit chatting away. I swear I don't know where she gets it from...

cupid?

Here's my Valentines Cupid.



Had to take this of Alli having her "dry off" time after her bath.
I don't know what's with the boots. She really wanted them on, even though, as you can see they never stay on.

Happy Valentines!






Hopefully some more pictures up tonight...but no guarantees...

such a poser

She's a poser, but only for like 2 seconds and then on to something else. Then maybe a pose for a second and it's gone. So I caught her taking a quick break on the couch, and then gone again of course.


I've recently decided I don't hate cooking as much as I thought I did, but I hate cleaning the kitchen after more than I thought I did, and I only like grocery shopping at Costco or Superstore where there is more to lookat than just food. So there is no increase or decrease in meals made at all, much to the dismay of Derek I'm sure.

On the topic of food, I really want Alli to like oatmeal. I like it in the winter. And it's so easy to make. We started out with cream of wheat and she loved it, but I don't really like it that much. I've heard you have to try new foods 15 or 20 times before you can say your kid doesn't like it. Well, I've been at since October. I try it once or twice a week. I tried plain oatmeal. I tried lots of different flavors. I tried adding yogort or fruit. I tried cold and hot and inbetween. No luck. I'm sure I've made it to the 15-20 mark by now. She has finished a bowl maybe 3 or 4 random times. The rest have been a few bites and she's done. So I'm wondering if I should keep with the trying. I'm a little sad about it. This week I decided to let her feed it to herself. She mostly just dipped the spoon adn pretended to eat. Sure she looks happy like shes enjoying it, but that was about the only real bite she took before things got crazy and oatmeal was everywhere but in her mouth.



At least once a day Alli heads over to her piano and chair. She pulls out the chair to the middle of the room and tugs at the piano, but she can't really move it by herself. I move the piano in front of the chair and she sits at it and plays and dances. It's cute. Tonight I had the Primary songs on. Alli likes to "sing" along for a minute or two. I was just playing the songs from my itunes and after the primary songes were over what else is next but Prince. So the first song on my list of course is Kiss. At first she just started smiling and really boucing her legs. It was hilarius. Then she started rockin out and running around and dancing. I was all by myself laughing. It reminded me of just the other day, we were in the car. The song Da Funk by Daft Punk came on. I turn around and see Alli bobbing her head along. She seriously rocks out to all that kind of music with a beat and good base. I better get it on video one of these days.



If anyone decided to jump on the declutter and organize your house train with me, I hope you saw Oprah today. She had on the guy who wrote the book I was looking at in Costco last week. That house on the show would make you feel just fine about any secret mess you are hiding. In my cleaning this week I have decided I don't have to to much clutter. Mostly I just don't have places for a lot of things, which is the way it goes in an apartment I guess. Now what I really need is to organzie.

feel the love

Look at this cute couple. You wouldn't know that it was like -10 and freezing cold out when this was taken.

I wanted to post to show some more wedding pictures from Brookes wedding. These are the professional ones. They are all so good. I had a tough time narrowing down a few to show.





I love that they are both crying away in this picture. If it was just one of them sad and the other happy, it wouldn't be as cute. But 2 cutest girls screaming away with a beautiful bride, for some reason I love it.


The other day I remembered some pictures I took of Alli last Valentines and I wanted to reminise. So I looked it up the post on my blog somewhere about here. While doing so I realised I have been a blogger for one year! I actually have stuck to it and I like it too. It's been fun for me keeping up and taking pictures and writing stuff. I hope everybody who reads it likes it too. I guess I'm up for another year. Just be warned, there may be even more pictures with the second baby!


Also, I gotta say, I LOVED everybody's comments about decluttering. Thank you for the good ideas. I even got my dad and Peter to contribute! I am on my way to being organnized. Brooke Byam's comment got me going the most. I went to that flylady website you mentioned and I'm ready to go. I'm a little excited about getting daily tips. Also, I threw away a bunch more magazines again after the comments too. Baby steps is right!