I had a pretty rough night for some reason. I was wide awake well after 1:00am. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who happily got up with me, chatted a little, then gave me a back rub and watched a little Netflix with me until I fell asleep. It helped so much, and I was asleep in no time. Thanks honey!

That aside, I’ve started to enjoy my mornings a little bit more these days. Granted, it helps that Dekker lets me sleep in so late. This morning Dekker let me sleep until about 10:30am. When I went to his room, he was completely out of his blankets, just all smiles. We had a diaper change and a bottle and now he’s playing away on the floor next to me. He’s very good at playing all by himself and I think that has helped me a lot, being a new mom. But even if he doesn’t need a playmate, I like to be right there, just in case I can add to the fun. I know he adds to my fun a lot!

He will go down for a nap in less than an hour I bet, and then I will have coffee. I’ve never been a regular coffee drinker who needed it to get through the day. I still don’t require it, but it tastes so yummy! Plus, big creamers were on sale at Superstore this week! So I can choose between my usual hazelnut, or the new and exciting vanilla caramel! Caramel it is 🙂 I think I’ll have a muffin beside my coffee. With cheese. Yes, that sounds perfect.

From there, I will have a shower. A hot shower. I never have a shower. I know that sounds dirty, so to clarify, I have a soak every night and wash my hair in the sink the next day. Being completely clean in one setting almost never happens to me. Should be exciting!

A couple of hours after Dekker goes for a nap, he will wake up and eat a yogurt and…something else. I haven’t decided yet. He’s getting a lot better at eating solid foods. I know he’s already ten months and it seems like he’s quite behind, but he’s always struggled with his gag reflex. Even a thicker puree would cause him to gag and gag until he threw up all his milk. I’ve spoken to nurses and nutritionists about it and apparently this is something one can acquire from a parent. Me. I can barely swallow an Advil. Let me tell you, prenatal vitamins were the worst! However, we’ve been a lot more persistent with the solid foods and he’s very slowly improving. He hasn’t thrown up in a few days, so that is a pretty huge accomplishment. YAY DEKKER!

This evening we’ll go to Dalmeny for supper with my parents, and then to practice music for Sunday. An evening with my mom and dad is always nice. We look forward to seeing our parents (who have become our very good friends) and Dekker loooves them! Plus a change of scenery is always nice for him. He does well away from home as long as he’s rested, and he loves music, so he should be good during practice at the church. Lots of new toys, and of course, music.

Hopefully this evening will be nice and tiring, and we’ll sleep better. I find that the weather can also influence my sleep or lack there of. Usually being out in the wind really wipes me out, so hopefully that happens tonight!

All things considered, it should be a good day! Good, good life…

Not so much today, actually.

If you know me, you know I love the rain. I will always stand up for rain. Getting caught in the rain somehow makes me feel more free actually. In the rain, I don’t have to look perfect! If the forecast calls for rain, I dont even touch my hair, knowing any time I spend on it would just be a waste of time. I don’t think I own an umbrella. I know for sure that I don’t own a raincoat. Not for years! I’ve even become more comfortable in waterlogged jeans from running through puddles. I can’t wait for my son to play in the rain with me!

My love for the rain has really been challenged this year. There have been spells in the past where I haven’t been super impressed with the rain, like when it leaked into my basement a couple years ago. But this season, I feel like the rain is really betraying our friendship. As lots of you know, I’m settling into my housewifeyhood slowly, but I’m excited about it. Last year we put in a garden with my parents and it was sooo successful! We have this crazy-grow soil that turned our cherry tomatoes into full sized tomatoes! I don’t know how it happened but it was awesome! This year we knew way more going into it and spent lots of time planning our garden out and what would go where. We planted the whole thing in a few hours one evening and very soon after, things started sprouting! Behold my first bean! 

And then it started raining. I have not been able to step into my garden since then. It flooded a couple of times, and then as soon as the standing water was gone, it would pour down and flood the thing again. An example: 

This photo is before it got weed-covered and all the plants turned yellow. My mom and I kept saying things like “We’ll replant once everything dries out” or “A late garden will be great too” but how late is too late? I’ll be honest, I don’t have a picture of what my garden looks like right now, because I find it so discouraging. Everything is lost. Potatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, green beans, and sugar snap peas. My strawberries and raspberries never came back after winter so there was no hope for those. I’m just so disappointed. I was really looking forward to making pickles and tomato juice! I wanted to can and preserve like crazy! I wanted to pick carrots and eat them after after a quick rinse with the hose! I wanted to make stir fry with all my yummy fresh things! And now I have nothing to show for my excitement and efforts. Currently, I can hear it raining, with quiet rumbles of thunder in the distance, and my blood is boiling. Rain, what are you thinking?!! Don’t you love me anymore?

But really, who am I to complain about the rain? For one thing, my livelihood doesn’t depend on the weather. I don’t know how farmers do it. I am not a strong enough person to be in that profession. Also, no matter how much I mope, the weather will do its thing, and I’ll get over it, life will go on. As usual, its sooo much more important to just roll with the punches and try to see the positives! So here they are.

Rain brings rubber boots! Rain brings fresh smells! Rain brings childrens songs! Rain brings mud squabble! (although hoses work too) Rain sounds pretty! Rain brings freedom! Rain brings imperfect make up and fuzzy hair!

I can even have a laugh when rain brings birds to swim in my garden 🙂

Today was beautiful! As my dad and my husband both had today off, we had plans to meet in Dalmeny for breakfast and then go play in the city a little bit, just for fun. Dekker, however, slept until we finally woke him around 11:15am! So we fed him, watched a few songs on youtube while Brady packed the car… and went to Dalmeny for lunch instead. From there, Dekker and my dad both needed a nap so we played some Skip-Bo to pass the time. After about 1.5 hours we decided we were letting the day get away so we woke the boys headed out to Pure Frozen Yogurt. My parents had never been, and luckily it was pretty empty so they got to peruse everything before they starting creating their fro-yo masterpieces! For those who don’t know what Pure is, its a “frozen yogurt bar.” So there are 8 kinds of yogurt that can be chosen separately or swirled with each other. Next in line is a large variety of sliced up fruit, everything from chunked mango to raspberries to strange “juice poppers” that kind of just dissolve. From there are the crunchy, sweet toppings like crushed up chocolate bars, cereal, whatever your heart desires. Top off your creation with chocolate, caramel, honey, strawberry sauce, maple syrup, or multicolored sugar, and you’re done! The treat is measured by weight, you pay, don’t forget to get your card stamped!, and you’re good to go! But watch out you don’t get carried away because they always come out to cost more than you expect. Quote of the day, you ask? “These get really big really fast!” That’s what she said.

We had plans to take our yogurts and walk by the river but it was so hot outside and we knew they would all be melted during the short car ride. So we pulled a few blankets out of the car and settled in the only shady area that was nearby; between two signs right by the road. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that loud or hot, and the breeze kept the mosquitos away for the most part. It was wonderful and yielded some awesome pictures. Mr. Dekker got a few mosquito bites on his head but didn’t let it get in the way of his playtime out in the fresh air.

Sometimes its good to lay out a blanket and just stop to smell the yogurt.

I went through a time several years ago where I could never find anything positive in any given situation. I would be questioned on how my day was and all I could come up with was the negative. I don’t remember what nudged me towards writing in a journal but I started nonetheless and it was the best thing I could have done. I decided that nothing negative would be recorded in my journals, and stuck firmly to it. Of course there were times I would go several weeks without an entry due to a loss of a family member, fight with a friend, or messy breakup with a boyfriend (since those seem extra traumatic in high school.) But I would come back full force and not even always address it. I’ve reread a few entries here and there over the years and its nice to see that there were some really fun times in my life, amongst the messy times that we all have.

What made me think back to those journals this evening was my son. He’s developing his own personality and its amazing to watch! Of course he’s been quite an individual since he was born, but he’s becoming much more aware of everything. If we take something from him that he’s not supposed to play with, he’ll cry. Up until not long ago, he would just pat the floor and giggle and get on with life. Also, he doesn’t spend every moment of the day gleeful. Not that he’s sad constantly, but he now has a serious, concentrating face, which I actually find beautiful. Just look at him! He’s such little boy, he’s outgrowing babyness.

Even though my son is getting more serious and tough, he still can find joy in just about anything. Things that make him smile no matter what are as follows: sneezing, wind in his face, any song sang in “doo’s,” the beeping sound that comes with dialing on the phone, cameras, yogurt, and many more. He welcomes new things and seems so thankful for almost every experience. I think there is something to that. He finds such joy in little things and then when he’s unhappy, he just gets past it. No grudges, no bitterness, no fear. 

We are God’s children. I’ve always taken that to mean that we will make mistakes, and our Heavenly Father will forgive us and love us unconditionally as parents should. While I believe this is true, I think we can be like children in others ways too. Why can’t we take the tough challenges as just that? Tough challenges! Or messy situations as just messy situations? Couldn’t we be stuck at the side of the road with a flat tire and just pause to smell the air? I don’t know when in life we lose that contentedness, but I think it happens sometimes. I pray that Dekker can keep the simple joy he has now as he sits on the floor clapping away, totally happy with himself, completely forgetting about his rough night last night. He didn’t let that ruin his day like I almost did. I can learn a lot from him.

I’ve decided to be more like Dekker, because he seems to have a better take on what being God’s child is supposed to be like. Also, I’ve decided I love sneezing too. Achoo!

Second post of the day, just a shorty. I use a legit money-making site called LikeNET and I’ll get $10 if I post this here, so…behold! No more advertisements, I swear!

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I buckled and decided to go into Saskatoon yesterday evening. I had delayed Brady’s Father’s Day date for too long and had promised him Montanas. Dinner out plus Kinsmen Park plus a little shopping sounded good and not stressful at all. After I made the decision, I found out that free rides for kids were cancelled, which was very discouraging to me. Silly, I know, but I was pretty disappointed. I started sulking, which convinced me it was time to get out of the house. No need to pout at home. So we got all ready and met Brady at Montanas at 5:00 so we would for sure get a table.
Our server was really friendly and made sure to ask if Dekker wanted a juice or some milk when we got our drinks. Sometimes I laugh at those questions, but I’ve started to realize that at first glance, my son looks a lot older than he really is due to his size. If you look a little closer, his mannerisms and face is all baby, but I get where it comes from. We ordered for ourselves and were told there was a childrens meal of mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. Instead I just opted for an extra side of mashed potatoes since I knew he wouldn’t even dent it.
Our food came quick and was perfect. Everything was flawless until it was someone’s birthday. If you haven’t been to Montanas, when its someone’s birthday, a few of the staff members bring out an embarrassingly large hat with horns for the birthday victim to wear while they sing happy birthday. They got everyone’s attention and announced that there was in fact a birthday that evening. Everyone clapped, and Dekker just about jumped out of his skin. And then be just wailed. And wailed. And wailed some more. It was terrible, everyone was looking and it took a while to calm him down while they sang happy birthday. Suuuper awkward! So everything calmed down until there was another birthday. When we saw them coming out I grabbed Dekker out of his high chair, and everyone was already watching. When they announced the second birthday, the clapping was a lot more hesitant and quiet. I just bounced Dekker like crazy and sang happy birthday in a funny voice into his ear and he did a lot better. I’m used to Dekker being the center of attention in a lot of cases, but this was not the most favorable one by any means. It is hard to keep a cool head in that kind of situation, and as a recovering pessimist, its hard for me to not let that kind of situation ruin the whole evening. We tried to just laugh about it, and it was ok. When we were done, we paid at the table and started to pack up, and only then (of course) did I really take a look at the bill. Our wonderful server hadn’t charged us for Dekkers food 🙂 I love people like that. People who give him a deal, or who secretly stick a sticker to his hand, or who reach over past the till to scan whatever grocery he happens to be carrying so I don’t have to take it from him. Some people really go the extra mile. It reminds me how badly I want to be that person.
After Montanas we went to Old navy and then Walmart. We had another breakdown in the bathroom when someone flushed a toilet. He cried and cried, and I felt horrible because I know I would feel horrible if I flushed a toilet and as a result, made a baby cry. However, the woman came right up and talked to Dekker and calmed him right down. She said her five year old still cries sometimes at how loud hand dryers can be, and she completely understood. Turns out she was pregnant and very interested in new babies again, so she was very understanding, which made me feel a lot better. Whew!

From there we whipped through Superstore, which is normally not a happy place for me. In high school, for some reason I found specifically Superstore very overwhelming, to a point of getting headaches and feeling sick to my stomach. I’m better at it now, but since they’ve split the aisles I get confused again and it just ticks me off. But it was quick and we got almost everything we came for. Coming through the till, Brady and I threw in our “bets.” We never actually bet anything, but we like to guess how much the trip is going to cost us. I guessed $71 and he guessed $76. It was $56 only! Also, it was tax-free day! Not that it saved us tons, but its was such a nice little thing that surprised me and put a little silver lining on my Superstore cloud.
I’m so glad we went to Saskatoon yesterday. Its funny how the devil tried so many times to wreck the evening (or parts of it) just a little, yet so many bright lights made it awesome!

I’m so happy that some of you actually came over and read this. Thanks guys! If you’ve ever blogged, you know its added motivation to have others be part of it. I think I’ll reach a point (or hope to anyway) where its more therapeutic for me and I won’t need other peoples involvement, but currently, it still helps.

Last night we got haircuts. Not Dekker, but he came along for the ride. It feels sooo refreshing to have short hair for summer! The lovely lady that cuts my hair from her home is moving soon and I really don’t know what I’ll do without her. There is something about being able to say “I totally trust your judgement” to someone and come out with a beautiful cut. I also had big exciting plans to go blonde this year, but I’m nervous to start that process with someone and then try to continue/finish it with someone else. So blonde will have to wait. Suggestions anyone? Otherwise I might find myself stalking my hairdresser to her new home in a new province every two months.

After we had our cuts, her husband surfaced from the basement where he was finishing some work for the day, made us all some tea, and we had a really nice visit in the living room while the babies played. It was so nice to spend time with them on a social level, even though our haircut visits are never super formal or anything, it was still different, and we liked it a lot. We left their home around 10:00pm, and while I hope for their sake that their house sells soon and they can get on with their exciting new adventure, I hope they stick around for at least one more cut 😉

We got home around 10:50pm and fed Dekker and put him to bed. Surprisingly, he’s already talking away in his room. He normally sleeps anywhere from 10 to 14 hours, and this is a little less than 10, so I’m just letting him chat for a bit. Maybe he’ll go back to sleep. However, after doing my normal pass through online (email, facebook, LikeNet, now here) I see that lots is happening in Saskatoon today and I’m wondering if I should get him up and go, or if we should just have a quiet day at home. I know the rides at Kinsmen Park are free today, which is awesome! But I also know Brady would be very sad to miss that, as we’ve been talking about taking Dekker there for quite some time. Also, Safeway’s “This Friday Only” sale includes 15 cobs of corn for $5! Considering the quality of Safeway’s veggies usually, I almost want to drive out there and pick some up, since I know it will be gone by the end of the day, rendering a trip by Brady after work completely useless. Also, my gas money alone makes the corn a LOT more expensive if thats all I’m going in for. Tough call, tough call. I still need to find a gift for my nephew, who turned two recently and who I will be seeing this coming week. I’m a little stumped on that, so I know I need to go in and do some serious shopping. However, after my last shopping trip on a wildly stormy day accompanied by tornado warnings, on my own with Dekker, going to probably 10 stores looking for maybe one thing in each, the thought of errand running is just a little overwhelming. Maybe I’ve just answered my own question. I guess we’ll just stay home and get some good naps in. I’ll pay a couple bucks for Kinsmen Park a different day. I’ll buy corn for full price, or just wait for it to finish growing in my garden. And I’ll shop for the birthday gift on Saturday with my husband to back me up.

I suppose the second half of this entry is relatively meaningless, as it sort of cancels itself out, but at this point, I’m still new on here and it looks better to have a longer post, hahaha!

I suppose this is the part where I introduce myself, in case the “About” section hasn’t answered all of your questions.

You know what? After rereading it, I’m pretty sure it has answered everything actually! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Instead, I’ll tell you what my intentions are. I intend to use this blog as something of an outlet. While I adore my son and would not trade stay-at -home-mommyhood for ANYTHING!!!… sometimes a woman needs some conversation with someone who speaks english, or at least the illusion of it. So this will be my “adult conversation” of the day, if you will. Another purpose for this is to remember. Everything. I have a beautiful life that I couldn’t be more grateful for, and sometimes I forget to write things down, and then I forget them for good! Which is a shame. No more of that.

I know that trying to make an entry daily is asking a lot of myself, and I can’t promise that I will, but I will try!

I will wrap this up as I hear my Dekker boy waking up from his nap and I should feed the little guy some lunch. Did you know he’s supposed to be feeding himself with a spoon already???! *sigh* I’ll save that for another day…

Have a delicious lunch! Peas anyone?