As you’ve already assumed from the title of today’s post, we’ve had a pretty loaded day! I was originally planning to break it into a couple of posts so I’m not scrambling for subjects, but I have stuff up over the next couple of days and I would hate to have these stories be forgotten. So, here goes!

I’ll start with a story from last night that I didn’t share. I mentioned a couple of days ago that Laela has started rolling over. We made a pretty big deal of it, of course. Yesterday evening, we were getting the kids into fresh diapers and jammies together, and I put Laela on her tummy. She rolled over right away and we clapped our hands and celebrated her. Dekker immediately threw himself down onto the floor (no lie) and rolled over. He sat up and shrieked “Woooo!” and clapped his hands. It was completely adorable, and really reminded me that we need to continue to celebrate Dekker and his milestones. I would hate for him to feel left out, or carry any resentment towards Laela for having our attention. He adores her, and I’d like to keep it that way.

My original plan for todays post was going to be on sleep training. I know this is a touchy subject for some of you, and while I have my own opinions, I’m very neutral on the subject. Sleep train, or don’t. To each their own. In preparation for this subject, I’m going to implement the Bambi rule. If you can’t say anything nice…

We allowed Dekker to cry himself to sleep quite young. Probably around six weeks. Our rule was that he could cry for 15 minutes. Looking back, that feels like too long of a time for him to be left crying. However, being the great sleeper he’s always been, he never made it past four or five minutes. We moved him out of our room around eight weeks and he’s been sleeping through ever since. He would sometimes wake up and talk for a few minutes, but then go back to sleep on his own. Great kid, easy sleeper. We didn’t run things quite as quickly with Laela. We probably only started laying her down awake around two months. Maybe even later. By the time we thought we should let her cry herself to sleep, she didn’t really need to. She was more comfortable with her space and would sometimes fuss a bit and suck her fists, but she wasn’t a tough sell. However, at 5.5 months, she’s not sleeping through. Last night, she went to bed at a normal time for her, between 8:30 and 9:00. She gave us a beautiful stretch of sleep, all the way to 5:00am. I woke with her, and listened for a bit. She was making happy sounds, talking away, testing her voice, and flapping. Not once did she really indicate that she wanted/needed anything at all. So I waited. Until she fell back to sleep! Granted, it was just after 6:00am by that point, but she wasn’t upset in the slightest! She slept until about 8:15, and even then, she wasn’t in a huge panic to eat. This could be the start of something wonderful!!

An exciting event from today is that my makeup order arrived!!! I’ve been tracking it online and was so excited to see that it was in town! We decided that, paired with the beautifully mild weather, was a great excuse to take the kids out for a walk. Funny thing is that the kids don’t both fit in our sled anymore. Lucky for us, Dekker was thrilled to be out and walked all the way to the post office and just about all the way back. Cutest kids alive, I tell you!

Inside were a few samples, including shampoo and conditioner, a Marc Jacobs perfume sample, and some anti aging cream. I also got a promotional Dior primer/mascara that is weirdly white. I’m pretty curious about it! I got a waterproof black eyeliner that I’m hoping is better quality than every other pencil eyeliner I’ve used, and that came with some makeup remover. Lastly, what I was anxiously waiting for…

The Naked 2 eyeshadow palette!!! I am sooo excited to play with it!

Mmmmm… Isn’t she pretty?

I didn’t even put any on today. I don’t know where to start, and I want to really enjoy it! I enjoyed just looking at it today, haha! Sad but true. There’s a lot of pretty potential in this case.

The last thing I’ll blabber about this evening before hopping into my bath is my latest green smoothie. Todays was easily the best one thus far. It was spinach, strawberries, mangos, banana, yogurt, and orange juice. I was bragging to Brady that it was the cutest smoothie I had ever seen 🙂 See?

Pink and green! It was completely delicious. The packs I made make two big smoothies, and Brady – who is grossed out at the idea of drinking something green – drank the second one in warp speed. Yup, thats right. A small roadblock I’ve hit with the smoothies, though, is getting the spinach blended up well enough. I can’t get it! And I end up with tiny leaves in my drink. Not yummy. So today, I took my two bags of spinach from yesterday and blended the life out of them and made them into ice cubes. I know its not necessary, but I got them reeeaaally blended so I’m thinking it’ll pay off. Gotta keep this going!

Ok, this post is long enough, wouldn’t you all agree? Bath and snack time for me!

We decided to hit the city for a few things today. Brady is going to be working a decent amount this week, but his schedule is still quite up in the air. Therefore, we chose today rather than waiting until a day where he all of a sudden couldn’t come with us.

It wasn’t a large trip. Walmart had good deals on things we eat and use regularly, so we picked up some veggies, pasta sauce, and yes, some instant/processed crap that we love. We then ducked over to the kids section to pick up some socks for Laela. I feel like socks were so hit and miss in the beginning, and it was impossible to find ones that didn’t fall off. I finally found a pack, so we went to buy another. Also, I purchased – wait for it – tiny little wife beaters for Dekker! I know, its a terrible name, but saying little white man tank tops just doesn’t do them justice. They’re little tough guy shirts, and I was thrilled to find them in a size 4! He’s currently in 3T, but they were the smallest available, and very tight and small, so I’m confident they’ll work. I can’t wait until I have an excuse to put him in one!

From Walmart, we ran into Costco to take advantage of a few deals, like the ecos laundry detergent, and sleepers!! Last seasons sleepers were on for $5.50, which is a pretty incredible deal actually. I bought Laela five. Aaall for right now. Probably not the best move, but those things go on sale on and off, so I’m sure I’ll get my chance again soon enough. So I snapped up some super cute new jammies for her (she is currently sleeping in the pink fish) and headed back to the car. Both kids were awake and a bit grumpy the entire drive home, which was actually the best possible thing that could have happened! Upon arriving home, we fed Laela and put both of them to bed. Where they slept like rocks for three hours straight!! It was pretty much incredible. While they slept, Brady and I did laundry and watched Modern Family. It was blissful.

I folded laundry while Brady made cheesy noodles and meat sauce. Laela started to wake up, and we let her get a bit riled up before getting her, so she would wake Dekker. She did. We sat him down at the table with his pasta in front of him, and he just about lost it. Just crying and crying. We worked to get him to calm down and figure out what he wanted, but he was determined. It took a little bit of alone time for him to pull it together and come sit back at the table. Again, we offered him his food, and he bawled. We started to wonder if his tummy was hurting. I got him to calm down and look right at me, and I asked him what he wanted. He pointed to the counter and asked for a banana. With a “please” and everything. So I went to get him one. I figured it was a nice, safe thing for an icky tummy. He wolfed it down like he hadn’t eaten in days. Once it was gone, he pointed to the fridge and asked “yort?” Yogurt. Dekker thought he was having breakfast.

I giggled a little.

I would cry too, if I had to have just a heavy, beefy breakfast in the morning! So he had his supper of banana, yogurt, life cereal, and milk. And he was happy! Confused, clearly, but happy. After some playtime downstairs, though, both kids were more than ready for bed.

We are also ready to end the day. It was a really good one, don’t get me wrong! We accomplished a decent amount of stuff, got everything we went to the city for, and were home at 3:00! But now, its time to rest our feet.

This is Sunday #2 in a row that Dekker sat relatively quietly through the entire church service. He melted down once or twice in the beginning, but settled in nicely and made it through the whole sermon very respectfully. Go, Dekker, go!!

Here’s a random bit of information for you guys. Before I even start typing, I choose the pictures, if any, that I’m going to add to the post, and I begin to load them onto my WordPress account. Today, I have ten loading. As you may have guessed, almost all of them depict how adorable my kids are. So, beware. Sweet, sweet children are ahead!

We got ready for church this morning in pretty good time. Its so fun to do my makeup in the morning with Dekker sitting on the counter and Laela in her jumper in the doorway.

I have to say, I purchased a new mascara in Edmonton the other weekend that I’ve been playing with. I don’t have much for eyelashes. They’re straight, and short, and just nothing to write home about. This mascara is incredible!!! I love it!

But nothing compared to the amazingness that was my daughters outfit. She looked sharp!

Church was done earlier than usual, so the kids were still in good shape when we left. We headed to my parents house for a lunch of mashed potatoes and roast beef. It was sooo delicious! I am not a picky eater, but roast beef has never been my fave. Thats no knock against anyone at all. I find its just hard to make a roast that is juicy and delicious, even in the crock pot. My mom made todays roast in the oven, and somehow (I don’t know how!) it was the tastiest roast beef I have ever had! So with that, I ate a generous helping of mashed potatoes and was officially overfilled. Worth it.

After lunch, Brady headed into the city for a quick bit of work, Dekker napped, and my dad took a nap as well, so us three ladies spent some time together.

Poor Laela. It doesn’t look it, but she was sooo tired, and not able to sleep well. When she had finally slept for a half hour, Dekker woke up and screamed at the top of his lungs, waking her up. She didn’t have a solid nap until suppertime. We had to wake her to take her home, and she wasn’t too impressed.

Dekker, however, was smashingly handsome. When Brady put his bunnyhug on for the ride home, he immediately put his hands in his pockets, strutted over to my mom, and stood at attention, waiting for her to fawn over him. Which she did, of course. Because he was adorable.

After getting such a reaction, as soon as his coat was on, he rushed into the kitchen and posed again. He is ridiculously beautiful. I just adore this boy.

On our way out of town, we stopped by a friends’ house. She was getting rid of Kcups that she just didn’t care for, and I had dibs on a few. Or so I thought!! I came out of there after a lovely visit with waaay more than I would have ever thought!

And a pie. Ya, I’m not even kidding. Two bags of tea, caramel coffee, cappuccinos, and an apple pie. I definitely did nothing to deserve quite that gift, but I am incredibly thankful! I’m sooo looking forward to putting these drinks and that dessert to good use 🙂 Hellooooo bath time snack!

As if all of this isn’t enough for one post, we got home and the kids were in GREAT spirits! No fight to go to their room to get ready for bed. Lots of giggling and talking. Brady was changing Dekker’s diaper while I was getting Laela undressed on the floor. I pulled her coat off a little too aggressively and accidentally flipped her over onto her tummy. She didn’t fuss, so I figured I’d let her be for a bit, until she got annoyed with it, and then I’d continue on with her diaper and jammies. We don’t put her on her tummy much. She’s so often in a bouncer or jumper of some kind, I’m not one bit concerned about flat spots or core muscles. But today, I am proud to say that she rolled over onto her back for the first time 😀 Go Laela!!! Brady and I jumped around and yayed ourselves hoarse. Dekker just jumped around with us, yelling “woooo!” It was an exciting celebration. Dekker showered Laela in kisses and I just sat and soaked in the joy. It was a solidly good few moments. No tears. No fussing. No dreading the upcoming sleep. Just excitement for Laela.

The end. This is a looong post for a Sunday! I hope everyone else had a really nice day like I did. If not, come over for coffee! I clearly have a lot of it now 😉

Dekker is learning verbs. And he doesn’t want me to miss a thing! Everything Laela does is reported to me.

Mom!

La! La smile!
La! Swing!
La! La sad… (not a verb, but still)
La! La pookie!
La happy!
La laugh!
La! La play!
La! La sleep!
La! La sleep – gone! (one of his favorites. Sigh.)

Today, we discovered “La! La talk!” He was so excited that she was squealing in his general direction. I agreed that Laela was talking, and asked him what he thought she might be saying. He got really excited and responded “La! La eeeeoooooooeeeee!” It was pretty much adorable. But they both really are. While Dekker screamed bloody murder in the tub this evening, Laela and I took pictures.

She’s beautiful and soft and I love her.

Just a quick little random story for those interested, day two of green smoothies went better. Today my smoothie pack contained only spinach, strawberries, and blueberries. I added a banana, a yogurt, and some orange juice. It was not green in color…

…but it tasted quite a bit better! Not exactly where I’d like it to be yet, but we’re getting there. I sound so picky, and I’m really not! It just tastes too watery still. I’m working on it. But that was better today, and I took fish oil and vitamins with toast, which helped a lot!! I only tasted it in my mouth for a short time afterwards, and then forgot about it. Yay!! And lastly, a new thing that I’ve started doing in the mornings that is making me feel better is doing my makeup. No, I’m not one who won’t be seen without makeup. Not at all. I don’t do much on home days like these, but it helps me feel a bit more put together. Its weirdly refreshing! All in all, it was a much more successful heathy day! Anyone else have a successful healthy day?

I did it, guys. I was healthy today. And I really didn’t like it 🙁 I’m gonna need some tips. Be cruel, even. I can take it.

I ate breakfast today, which is kind of a big deal. I had two eggs and a piece of toast, courtesy of the lovely Brady. It was towards the end of breakfast that I remembered that I want to take vitamins and fish oil now. I gave up on this massive horse pills and purchased a slightly lemon flavored fish oil that is beautifully natural, and contains lots of vitamin D. While it was significantly better that draining those pills into a shot glass and throwing it back, it was still icky. I dry heaved. But I took my two teaspoons like I was supposed to. I probably should have done it before I ate. Hopefully I’ll get used to it. At he end of the day, I still taste it when I burp. I also took a fat multivitamin, and it went down easier than the oil. I was having tea with breakfast, and I think taking the pill with something warm helped a little.

Around lunch, I opted for my green smoothie. As some of you know from my Facebook, I still have some figuring to do. I made a strawberry mango spinach smoothie, and it was pretty flavorless. I received sooo many good ideas on my status about it, and I think there is definitely hope 🙂 Bananas, yogurt, honey, a splash of orange juice, and the reminder that fruit will soon be in season and will be juicier and much more delicious. I’m also remembering that one Pinterest recipe suggested lime juice. I had to add quite a bit of water to get the smoothie to actually be smooth, and I think that speaks to the quality of my blender. I wish I could justify going out and buying a beautiful, high quality blender, but as I mentioned, I’m pretty bad for getting revved up about something and wasting money trying it out. I’m pretty sure I need to rock this blender until it dies. Which may not be too long from now! When I finally got the smoothie blended up, the blender was quite warm. Who knows. Also, my smoothie pack yielded easily enough for two smoothies. Brady is not pumped about the green aspect, so I’m on my own. Either way, I drank the whole thing. And it looked like barf, just fyi.

 

Not the fun, electric green I was hoping for :/

So I did my breakfast and vitamins and oil, my healthy smoothie, and then a soup out of my freezer – turkey barley, which was actually pretty yummy! I’m feeling like I made good choices today. Yet my mouth and tummy don’t feel happy 🙁 Would that just be my body reminding me that I’m not super healthy and it’ll take a while to get there? I’m new to actually trying to be good to myself. Is it weird to feel discouraged after a day that, on paper, was good and well balanced?

I am completely thrilled to be able to say that we are officially rid of our 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix!!! We bought that car fairly quickly after getting married and it lasted us one year. One. I won’t get too far into the specifics of it all, but it ran beautifully when it actually ran. It left us on the side of the road more than once. After dumping over $2500 into it, we bought our brand new 2010 Mazda 3, and that blasted Grand Prix has been sitting in our driveway ever since. I tried to list it on kijiji once or twice, and while I fancy myself decently handy and knowledgable-ish when it comes to mechanics, I didn’t know enough information to be able to sell it myself. I got Brady on the job, and he listed it a couple of times over the last year, with very little interest. He reposted the ad yesterday and today, someone came for it. He was completely upfront about all the issues we’ve had with it, and what he know is still wrong with it. The guy drove it around, checked it all over, and still wanted it. $800 later, the car is out of our driveway, never to return. I’ll say it again – I am THRILLED!

The other accomplishment for today was making smoothie packs. I have to ask you people who have done these before, whats a reasonable price? I bought the biggest bag of spinach I could find, a container of pineapple that was probably three pineapples worth, a big container of mango, two pounds of strawberries, a bag of frozen blueberries, and a bunch of bananas. It was around $35 probably. The spinach only went so far, sadly. I made ten spinach smoothie packs and six fruity ones. The spinach wasn’t super expensive, so I guess I’ll just buy two bags next time, but I was hoping to come out with more than sixteen packs! I don’t know. Maybe a couple of dollars is normal. I’m not very good at consistent meals for myself, and often end up just eating supper, so this is my attempt at eating something in the day! It just seems like a big hit if I buy twice as many ingredients once a month and make a months worth of lunches, just for me! Anyone else feel like it doesn’t seem right?

Either way, here’s what I came up with.

 

I’ll point out a few specific packs, courtesy of my labeller, Brady.

This one was labelled as “Pineapple Mango,” yet it contains no pineapple.

This one had basically everything. Who knew that “All Dressed” started with and “m.”

I ended up with a few Banana Berry ones, as I had lots of both ingredients. However, this was our only “Banang Berry.” I wonder what a banang tastes like, and where we got one…

So these are all of the spinach smoothie packs…

 

…and the not so spinach ones. I had forgotten to freeze the yogurt cups, so they’re not in the bags, but they exist, and will be added if I so desire upon consumption. For sure in the non-spinach ones, and there’s not a lot to them. I’m thinking I should have pulled out the almonds as well and thrown them in, but I guess we’ll just keep it simple this first time around. I don’t know, does it look hopefully? And yummy even? I hope so!

 

 

 

 

Is anyone else at all notorious for getting on kicks about certain things and then failing miserably? I’m pretty bad for that. It tends to be the worst when it costs us money. Whether its buying all the materials to make an elaborate quilt (I don’t know how to quilt…) or all the ingredients for a complicated recipe that I never make, I always feel like garbage at the end when I see the waste. However, it doesn’t seem to stop me from becoming gung-ho over random things. Luckily, I think my recent infatuation is exciting, and if I lose interest, it won’t really hurt us. Here goes.

Green smoothies. I know, I know, let me finish. I found an article via Pinterest that got me motivated to make them ahead of time. Mine aren’t going to be super complex at all. At least not in the beginning. By not throwing in all the crazy extras that I’ve never heard of (hemp, chia seeds, etc.) I’m saving a bit of cash in case I don’t get super into them.  Today, I bought my “green smoothies for beginners” ingredients. Some yummy ones, too!

Firstly, I have ziploc bags to make individual packs. The site I’m sort of going off of suggests serving sizes that seem HUGE, but maybe I’m wrong? I bought the recommended size of bags, so we’ll see. Maybe I just won’t fill them full.

The yogurt wasn’t really included in the ideas, but I like the creaminess it adds. Plus, Activia does good things to my body, if you know what I mean, so thats a selling feature. And possibly I’ll have to add less liquid? We’ll see.

The pineapple and mango are treats. If I really wanted to keep it super simple, I could have left them out, but I’d like to try a couple of different combos, and a pineapple mango one just seems like something I would devour.

Bananas, obviously. I’m going to switch out my older bananas for these ones and use them for the smoothies. The riper, the better, right?

Strawberries are a given. Through our big freezer count, I learned I already have two pounds of frozen strawberries, the end of a bag of mixed berries, and a large bag of frozen blueberries. So we’re good for berries!!

And the BIG ingredient – spinach! I’m a bit bummed that this was the biggest bag I could find. one pound for $3. Anyone know where I can get a bigger quantity? The site I linked above suggested 2 C spinach, and 2-2.5 C fruit. According to an online fruit converter, there are approx 6 C spinach in a pound. If I half the recipe, that works for six days, but I was hoping for more I guess. Also, for anyone who has made these before, I’m thinking of blending the spinach into the cubes first, but does it have any different effect other than just freezing it in the leaves? Anyone??

Anyway, I’m excited to start prepping and bagging stuff. If the whole thing bombs (it is still winter…) the worst thing that could happen is that my pre-packaged smoothie stuff sits in the freezer until summer. It won’t go to waste. It may go to “wait,” but not waste. Yay 🙂 I think I’m going to start with the general rule of one cup spinach, to one cup of fruit, to one yogurt. 

It is tim to be HEALTHY! I’m having such a time of it, trying to get started on my road to being healthier. Vitamins, fish oil, better meals, exercise, etc. Someone help keep me accountable, pleeeaaase! I mean that very literally. Text me. Message me. BUG ME, PEOPLE! 

Ok, all done ranting. Hopefully I get to smoothie prep tomorrow. If I do, you guys will know about it!

There’s an article floating around Facebook and probably everywhere else saying that Christians should stop saying they’re blessed, for lots and lots of reasons. I don’t really want a speech or lecture from anyone on why that article was sooo right, because while I can see bits and pieces of where the author is coming from, I disagree with it.

That being said, I felt blessed today as I hauled two huge baskets of laundry downstairs, resulting in six loads. I sorted through the piles, thinking how amazingly blessed we are. Not only do we already have more than enough, but I was recently able to drive to another province with a friend, and shop like crazy for everyone in my family. So now, we have more than more than enough! Not to mention, we have extra towels, sheets, kitchen linens, etc. I felt very taken aback, and yes – blessed. Thankful.

While laundry ran the afternoon away, we all played toys in the basement, as per usual. Dekker took his first ever tumble down the stairs. Only from about halfway down, and he recovered immediately, but it was scary for everyone. I raced over to the stairs and scooped his screaming little self up into my arms. I held him and just shushed him like I might do for Laela, in an instinctual effort to calm him. Through his sobs, he mumbled “Sit. Lap.” So I sat down and got him comfy on my lap. “Snat. Please.” So I held his snack with us and he ate it contentedly from my lap. And when it was gone, so was he. It was not a good feeling to have him fall down the stairs, but he hit nothing, and hurt nothing. If he got a bruise, I still haven’t found it. He is that ok.

By the end of the day, both kids were crying and ticked, so we put Dekker to bed with some short playtime, and Laela is just eating her last bottle now. I adore these children, and I think everyone reading knows that, so I hope I can say this without judgement. I love my kids, but I LOVE when they are sleeping and Brady and I can wind down and relax for a few hours. I love them, and their silence. And their crazy, truly. I love it all.

It was going to be a lazy day at home for myself and the kidlets. Brady was going to meet with a couple to walk through their house and assess the work he’ll be doing in the near future for them. His meeting was for 2:00pm. However, in the morning, I decided I didn’t want to be housed for the day. So we packed everyone up and took off to the city together.

Brady dropped us at the mall, so I hauled the littles around in the double stroller for a little while. I bought a little wallet insert, and a pair of phone-friendly mini gloves. I happened upon a photo booth and got super excited! I got both kids out of the their seats and got us all set up in the booth, only to be met with a blank screen and a broken machine. Grrrr! Luckily, though, Dekker spotted one of those ride-on toys across the aisle and made a beeline for it. And that is where we spent the next hour.

I only had one loonie, so the car only “drove” once, but he enjoyed it and didn’t want to leave. While we played, a man with a ton of keys came around and added a bunch of stuffed animals to the claw game. And then added candy to the vending machine. And then he pulled the photo booth away from the wall, hung out back there for a little while, made a few phone calls, and then pushed it back. I asked him if it was up and running and he said it was. I got excited all over again and said I was going to go do pictures with my kids. He was so sweet, and pulled the cash out of his wallet 🙂 The machine worked but the camera wouldn’t adjust to where we were sitting, so we’re actually only in two of the pictures. Not the best photo booth experience of my life, but its still a sweet memory.

When Brady showed up, we opted to eat something before we left. So, fries it was. Someone loves his seasoning salt!

 

This was probably our last happy moment before arriving home. Both kids were sad and overtired and the trip started to seem like a bad idea from the get-go. However, we had to stop to fill up the car at Costco on our way out. I ducked in to pick up a box of wipes and was met with BABY WEEK! I spent about ten times the amount of money I was planning to, but there were incredible deals on things we need and use every day! 

Wipes were $4 off, diapers were $8 off, and formula was a whopping $5 off each can!!! For anyone who formula feeds, you will understand how wild of a deal this is!!! Savings are great if you can get them.

 

 

This post is going to take FOREVER to get up tonight! And not because there is lots to write, even. Mostly because I am currently uploading 47 photos onto it! For that reason, there won’t be much else to this post. Just a few pictures of the road trip itself, and then the items I purchased. I had a budget, and I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea how much money I spent, but I bought a decent amount of stuff for the kids, some stuff for the house, and a bit for Brady too. So its not like I spent hundreds and hundreds just on myself. No judging!!

So it begins…

Morning breath made that goodbye go by nice and quick, and we began our drive really early.

Checked into our hotel before noon and headed to the mall. And no, the floral scarves were not planned.

Apparently there’s always a rink in the middle of the mall. News to me. But it was a nice stopping point to drink our Starbucks and watch people fall down.

Sangria at The Old Spaghetti Factory…

…with my hot date.

Breaking out the new shades for round #2.

First, Starbucks again. This time hot drinks. White Chocolate Mochas, to be exact.

Then we got stuck in the elevator in Ikea. Felt pretty important to talk to the people on the other end of the emergency button. The emergency button that didn’t work the first time!!!

Say whaaaaaaat?!

Side note: This “easy chair” at Ikea appears to have a fart hole. Just sayin’.

Matching shirts!!!

I’m more than a little jealous that you got to be Bik, Jerilee. Anyone could be Trevor.

We enjoyed some pretty wicked tunes on the drive home, thats for sure! No trouble staying awake 🙂

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Ok, so as if that isn’t already enough of a post, let’s add another thirty or so pictures!! Yikes. Sorry for the bored ones out there. This was just a lot of fun for me, and I want to show off what all came from it! We’re starting at Mac.

I’m actually pretty excited about this stuff. I’m almost out of blush, and I went bolder and tried a new one this time around. Its a way better deal too! And the paint pot is something I thought I’d try as an eye shadow primer, to both keep my eye shadow on longer, and to hide the big blue veins all over my eyelids and under my brows. And WOW!, does it work! And last sooo long! Super happy with it 🙂

This is my super cute new purse from Aldo, where I also got…

…my new sunglasses. Also, to go along with my purse…

…the coolest wallet I’ve ever seen! I found it at Icing. I hemmed and hawed for a while, as it was an impulse purchase for sure. When I finally bit the bullet and went to purchase it, it was about $8 less than I thought it would be! I love when that happens.

Also, texty mitts for Brady from Aldo.

Tried a cheap new mascara from Victorias Secret and I’m actually super happy with it so far 🙂 A nice surprise.

My one and only purchase from Forever21 was this amazingly soft scarf. Its sooo pretty and soft and I love it.

I was pretty proud of this little bag. Bath and Body had 10 soaps for $33, so I picked ten and used my coupon and got them for $23 instead. Considering each soap individually is $6.50 now, those are some pretty sweet savings.

We begin the Old Navy haul with a Laela-sized floppy sun hat 🙂

Laela’s shirts

Dekker’s shirts. Would you believe me if I told you that the red one was on clearance for $3? Who wouldn’t buy that for their kid??!

My tank tops. Yes, they are maternity, and no, I’m not pregnant, but they are long and luxurious and beautiful and comfy.

My “sensible” tshirts.

My one full-price item, and easily my favorite from this store. I love the length of sleeve and the colors.

Now at Stitches, I got these fake Toms…

…and this white sheer, lacy top. I realize the white on white here isn’t working for anyone, so here’s a slightly closer shot, anyway.

Better?

At H&M, I got this beautifully comfy, three quarter sleeved top. Its more structured than it looks, and its such a nice fit.

I also picked up these awesome new kicks for Dekker there. They’re a bit big but not too far off, honestly. I love them, and chose them over knock off converse.

From the Gap Outlet, I picked up a couple of tshirts for Brady for just a few dollars each. I bought them thinking he could wear them as good quality work shirts, but he’s already laughed that off and hung them up with his regular shirts. Glad they went over.

Laela’s stuff from the same place. I was so happy to find her such cute shades. And that hoodie was only $8. How did I not know about the deals here before?!

My Gap purchase – a coral tank top. I love the color.

Ikea is easily the most boring post for pictures. Like cutting boards.

Step stools.

Paper rolls.

Bag clips. Spaceman bandages. Ok, the bandages are pretty cool.

Dessert bowls.

An absurd amount of tea lights.

Loads more dishes for the kidlets. However, NO CUTLERY! The cutlery that goes with these dishes was all out, as it was last time we were through Edmonton. I’m mildly miffed about that.

Lastly, from Ikea, these little puppy face containers. I figure they could be for snacks, or even for toys! They could hold crayons, or grapes, or cars, or rocks, or whatever Dekker’s massive heart desires. They’re unreasonably cute.

And guys, that is it!! I’m not even going to wrap this up with something witty. It is time to be dunked in a bathtub and rest my feet that have been pulsing for three days now.

Sleep tight!