Spiderman is coming to the Calgary Zoo !

I would be like THE COOLEST MOM EVAH if I take my boys to meet Spiderman, get his autograph and a pic with him next weekend, but Aaron's working so I'd be doing it solo...what to do, what to do...I'm not sure my kids could handle just standing in a line for who knows how long...GAH?!?...what do I do?

Here's some deep thoughts for a Sunday evening....

I love my boys and I talk about them - a lot! I found out recently though that some people find this super annoying. I've kind of been thinking about this non-stop : am I that person that they think should just shut up? And I've kind of come up with two responses for that. First off and foremost I AM PROUD OF MY KIDS. Whether it's because Alex can sleep through the night without an accident or because Joseph can now count by 10's, I'm proud of them. My second thought is that sometimes when I meet new people that I don't have anything in common with, I fall back on the good ole stories about Joseph flashing my tata's in swimming class or of Alex lifting my dress at Henry's wedding to hide his head under it...sorry, that was Joseph too. Well, Alex has done lots of cute things too, maybe not so much nudity though, haha. I'm not very political, I don't really know what's going on in TV-land so instead of trying to bullshit my way through a strained conversation, I can talk animatedly (is that even a word?) about my boys.And I'm not the type of parent to compare kids either, I don't tell stories to make other people's kids seem inferior or take mine look like Baby Einstein, it's mostly just funny little stories or experiences I'd had with them. Know what I mean?

Now, onto the Garage-mahal news. It's almost completed, we just need the siding and electrical done. That's it. It was a pretty short and painless process. I'm feeling good about our decision to hire a company to do it all for us. There's no way we could have done what they did in such a short time! And the bonus would be watching the workers without their shirts on.LOL! The garage is 24 by 26 and it looks like it takes up most of our yard but it's pretty misleading - our gravel pad took up almost the same amount of space depth wise and it's just a bit more width wise. We're going to use the space between the garage and fence as Lyla's dogrun and get rid of the chain link one so it'll free up some grass for the other kids toys.

1. I love my men in my life.
2. Looking in the mirror, I see someone who doesn't believe it's morning already.
3. The best thing that happened to me this week was picking up our new car.
4. Reading is one of my favorite things to do.
5. I always have a good time when I'm out with my girlfriends.
6. I'm looking for kid-free fun this weekend.
7. I'm bein' followed by a little boy that is awake way too early.

Thursday Thirteen

After chatting with an old friend I started to drift off into a world of possibilities that I’ll call the Land of What-If’s…

1 I hadn’t been an army brat
2 I hadn’t given out my phone number
3 I agreed to live in Dover forevah
4 I wasn’t outgoing
5 I didn’t eat cereal every night while pregnant – carbs are not my friend!
6 I couldn’t forgive and forget
7 I didn’t volunteer
8 I didn’t love to read
9 I never took a chance
10 I never quit smoking
11 I finished my business classes in college
12 I didn’t love working with children
13 I couldn’t drive

Those are some of my What-If’s and it seems obvious to me that things happen for a reason: otherwise I would never have traveled across Canada or made as many friends all over the country, I wouldn’t have met Aaron or moved to Mackenzie Towne (which I love love love), I’d have no friends, I’d probably be a bit thinner (okay that doesn’t really go along with my theory, who wouldn’t want to be 5 pounds lighter?!?), I’d have thrown away lots of great friendships over really stupid things not even worth thinking about, there would be some dayhome providers a little lost without some guidance or sometimes just a shoulder to cry on or ear to vent to, I wouldn’t be able to drown out the world and just have some down time, I’d have a smoker’s cough, I’d not be running a successful dayhome and have the luxury of spending my day at home with my boys, I’d not have a kick-ass new convertible parked outside my front door.
Apparently it’s just human nature to wonder about what could have been or could not have been. Things that seemed important ten or fifteen years ago I wouldn’t give a second thought to today, I just wish I’d known then what I know now. Know what I mean?

Need a name for our new baby...

We picked up the car tonight and of course it's raining. Gah, why does Murphy hate me? You know, Murphy, as in "Murphy's Law"...who the heck is this Murphy guy anyways?
Aaron's gone out to buy hockey gear so he can start playing in a spring/summer league starting next Tuesday....as excited as I am I just know it'll cut into my own social life but whatevs, it could be so much worse, right?
Our cement pad was poured yesterday (workers weren't hot at all, I actually wanted these guys to put their shirts back on, uggers!). Today we had the materials delivered so they can start framing tomorrow and they figure they'll be roofing on Friday and it'll all be said and done my mid-week. Yippeekiyay!!!
Only two more sleeps until Kathryn's stagette and because I'm so good at keeping secrets ;) she knows all about it. I kept it a secret for 6 months and I figured that was long enough so it's safe to now tell everyone WE'RE GOING TO BANFF!!! WOOT WOOT!!! That is one of my fave places to go and has lots of great memories attached to it and I'm sure this will be in the top 3 for sure! The plus to telling her what our plan is, is that Kathryn can actually pack for herself now. Now the bridesmaids and I do have a few things up our sleeve that will be a surprise for her.... I didn't spill on everything....I'll be sure to take lots of pictures which reminds me that Mom wanted me to post the ones of her and Hunter!! Gah, just kidding Mom - maybe!

This is the beginning of the garage

the boys are all excited because the cement truck will be here this morning to fill the pad. Mommy's excited to watch the workers...

Our new baby...

You can almost see Alex and Joseph...almost...this was for picture purposes and I didn't have their booster seats in the car yet. And there's the Mommy van in the background, gah, now I don't ever want to drive that again.

That's right folks, it's a white one. And yes, no pic of me in the car yet, what's up with that? I guess we've made our decision to go with newer versus older. Yeah! Mid-life crisis is averted for a few more years.

The weekend is ending way too quickly!

This is during cocktail hour...
Alex in his best party attire, begging for more cake...
Joseph attacking his watermelon - I swear he'd live off watermelon alone if given the choice...

Friday night we had a sitter and went out to a fundraiser dinner with friends. Michelle and I have been friends for a few years but the guys have never hung out before. It was a lot of fun and the boys' had their favourite babysitter over and had lots of fun too. Makes it so much easier to leave them at home when you know they're enjoying themselves!


Yesterday I took the boys to do the recycling with me - that was a long and difficult process but totally worthwhile - and then we went to Mackenzie's 2nd birthday party where they ran off some energy and Mommy had a few cocktails. Yeah!


Today was a baking morning and cleaning afternoon. Ugh! What a mess, but the boys love to help out in the kitchen, even though it's not really 'helpful'.


We're still looking into convertibles. Woot woot! Momma needs a new set of wheels! We've gone back and forth between pros and cons of older versus newer and I think we've settled on going with a new one. Aaron has Tuesday/Wednesday off so hopefully we'll have it figured out by then so maybe just maybe I'll be riding to the stagette in style...

Friday Fill-In

1. I love a PARTY!
2. TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYONE is my downfall.
3. I went to the SHOE STORE to BUY NEW DANCING SHOES, and I SPLURGED AND BOUGHT A MATCHING PURSE AND NEW SUNGLASSES!
4. LIPS OF AN ANGEL BY HINDER is my favorite SONG.
5. If I had a WISH I'd CURE ALL SICK KIDS.
6. One of my favorite things to enjoy is FAMILY TIME!
7. I'm going to BUY A CONVERTIBLE this weekend!

Feel free to play along!

Kids say the cutest things...

As Alex was dozing off to sleep tonight (yeah for me, it's only 6:33 PM right now) and was wearing his fave mini Mr. Potato Head glasses, he looked at me and said "Mommy, some day I want to get married like you and Daddy are married." So, I kind of expanded on that a bit and said "yes, one day you'll fall in love with a beautiful girl and get married and have your own little boy to tuck in at night." Well, he quickly intervened to say "no, we're just going to stay here with you and Daddy."

I hope this boy isn't psychic! I'm planning on doing what my parents did : buy them luggage on their 16th birthday and give them a little encouragement to be independant. I moved out of their house and we bought our first house when I was 19, there was no looking back!

Freedom 45, right Mom and Dad?

Thursday Thirteen

13 Comments From Facebook Connections

1. Some things just stick in your head I guess.
2. I am so happy to hear from you.
3. You look Great, and have a beautiful family!!
4. Glad to have tracked you down, and stay in touch!! Looks like things have fallen in to place for most of us after all these years!!
5. Are you kidding me! Yep this is me I cannot believe it is you...wow..blast from the past how r u? I'm adding you as a friend..talk soon RIGHT!
6. lol you were always the fireball!! how are you! my god it seem like a life time!
7. You look like such a happy mom !!! Motherhood really looks good on you !
8. I am glad you found me.
9. HOLY SHIT !!!
10. Oh my God Lesley... is that you?
11. It's insane! You look great :)
12. Hard to believe that everyone has grown up. WOW
13. They definately were good times. Seems like a million years ago.

A total Degrassi Junior High moment tonight

was when I had my prescription filled at the Wal-Mart pharmacy. It's not really that funny of a story but for some reason I felt like Wheels and Joey Jeremiah (You must remember them buying condoms at the pharmacy, right?) carrying my paper bag from the pharmacy to my hot-hot-hot (NOT) mini-van... Why did the cashier feel the need to put a teeny tiny purchase in a HUGE paper bag? I have no idea but I felt like all eyes were on me and my ridiculously large bag.
What's with our weather?? They forecasted heavy snowfall 10-15 CM today and 15-20 CM tomorrow and so far we've just had some rain...I'm not complaining though - I'm sure it'll come...it always does...

Gah!?! Why do convertibles have a 4 seat maximum capacity?

Aaron AKA "Mr. Practical" pointed out to me last night (as I was mentally picturing myself draped across the hood of my new convertible) that this limits our family. And by that he means ---duhduhdunhhhhhh--- no more babes. Gah?!? WTF?? So, after much soul searching we decided to just put the convertible on hold for the time being...
I was trying to find a way around this fact by starting to research Jeeps but was squashed soon enough with the...sigh...once again, 4 person seating plan...
Does this mean that families with more than 2 kids can't be cool, ever?? Well, I suppose once the kiddies leave the nest (just like my parents did...buh-bye Heather & Les - HELLO MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE IN CHERRY RED)
Sigh...back to the drawing board of what I like to refer to as "Life at the Beck's"...

Do women have mid-life crisis' ???

Aaron was thinking about getting a motorcycle for himself and me being the non-selfish person that I am decided I'd like something for the whole family...a kicky convertible... WOOT WOOT! This isn't to replace the van, just add to our collection.

So, then came the bickering - uhm, I mean, discussing - V6, V8, GT, colour, leather, new, used...the only thing we totally decided on was convertible Mustang.

This is the one that I have my eye on although my practical husband said we'll wait for the Auto Trader to come out on Thursday just in case we can find one to buy private so we save the GST.

Tonight was a great night out for me! Our playhouse went on sale for $50 off so the Toys R Us clerk gave us a refund for $53.02 WOOT WOOT!!!

And then I hit Old Navy to buy some his and hers jeans and traded in my 'Mommy' jeans for some trendy skinny jeans - they even have the zips on the side...must get some kick-ass mules to go with!

The best part was probably coming home to a super quiet house, boys in bed, Aaron just maxin' and relaxin' watching Drive or Driven...whatever that new show is. It's too complicated for me so I'll stick to Teletoon or Treehouse with my boys, LOL!

Do You Think Katie-Pie will be up for the Challenge...

Have A Guy Serenade You.
Have A Guy Give You A Condom.
Have A Guy Give You His Underwear/Boxers.
Kiss A Guy With The Same Name As The Groom.
Order A Blow Job Shot From A Bartender (Yell out your order for others to hear).
Drink A Blow Job Shot Between A Guy's Legs.
Do A Body Shot Off A Guy.
Have Someone Tattoo Your Butt With A Funny Saying (Use a pen).
Have A Guy Give You A Picture Of His Girlfriend.
Have 5 Guys Write Their Philosophy On Marriage On Napkins.
Find the oldest guy in the place and ask him for a dance
Get the bartender to laugh at something
Make a cute guy to chip in for the wedding (points for each $ you get)
Yell out loud at the count of three "Why Am I Getting Married!"
Have a bachelor buy you a shot
Kiss a bald man's head
Get a piggyback ride from a stranger
Ask a cute guy for hemmeroid cream
Find a cute guy to perform magic for you (each trick gets a point)
Have a man speak to you in a foreign language
Get a guys cell phone number and call him right away with deep breathing
Go into the bathroom and make a veil out of toilet paper
Find a cute guy and ask him to practice walking down the isle with you
Dance with two guys at once who don't know each other
Down an alcoholic drink with a cute boy
Dance crazy by yourself on the dance floor
Tell a hunk your craziest fantasy
Show a guy your bra
Let a guy have you place makeup on him
Place a balloon or shirt in your tummy and have guys give you money for the baby out of wedlock
Go to a cute man and make fart noises with your armpit in front of him
Place your finger up your nose and get a guys attention
Pretend like you are a dog checking another dog out by sniffing a guys bum
Lightly spank a cute guy saying, "Do you want another?"
Pretend like you are a ballerina and do a little show for a cute guy
Throw a tantrum in the middle of the party and make sure others can hear you
Point down to your bum and tell a boy how much you love your bum.
Go up to a cute man and start an intellectual conversation about the war in Iraq
Go up to a cute guy and pretend like you are an airhead and talk about shopping
Pretend like you are paranoid and ask a cute guy why they want you so bad
Place some makeup on your face sloppy and ask a cute guy if it is on okay
Find a guy to show you his bellybutton
Kiss a guy that has a scar
Do a lap dance for one of your friends
Pretend like you are having an orgasm while sitting next to a cute guy
Find a guy with a bald head and rub it to make a wish
Get a shot and lead all your friends in prayer before drinking it
Find the cheesiest guy in the place and ask him if he is getting lucky
Ask the guy with the largest muscles if you can feel them
Find a cute guy with a tattoo and kiss the tattoo
Have a guy moon the bachelorette party group
Take a picture on the back of a Harley or motorcycle
Take a puff off a cigar
Put the words "Girls Just want to have fun" on the back of a t-shirt and cover each letter with a condom and play Condom Wheel of Fortune" ask a guy for change for the condom machine
Find a virgin (male or female)
Order a blow job shot with whip cream; drink with no hands
Find a guy and ask him if he would like a orgasm and have him order two orgasm shots for you and him
Draw a tattoo on a bouncer or bartender
Hump an inanimate object and sing "It's my bachelorette party and I can hump if I want to" (to the tune of It's My Party and I Can Cry If I Want To"
Get a white t-shirt ahead of time for the bride to be and a fabric marker and have her get 50 phone numbers from guy on the shirt

Are you getting nervous, dahling??? Just kidding...I think...

And it was a Silly Saturday...

Today, I planned on taking Thing One and Thing Two for a trip to the zoo but they both had other ideas on what they wanted to do. Alex was happy enough to just play one-handedly in the kitchen sink for almost two hours, and Joseph just wanted to colour and create his own superheroes. I'm not complaining...

We even managed to get Alex a haircut. He desperately wants spiked hair but it's way too wavy for that but isn't quite at the curly point. We ended up leaving it long on the top and then shortened up the sides, kind of a reverse mullet I suppose...

Here's my rock star!

Be Afraid Katie-Pie ......Be Very Afraid....

The invites are mailed, there's no turning back now!

My poor little Alex...

dances like his mom. All over the place and with not much rhythm!! Actually after quite a few cocktails I seem to get better, just ask Leanne....
So, this morning while waiting for all the kiddies to arrive we put on some dance music and much to my surprise : JOSEPH CAN DANCE!!!! He seems to practise a few steps and then throws together a little routine. He's awesome! I'll try to get a video of him this weekend for your viewing pleasures...
Alex has an appt with the orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday morning to check his arm and determine if he needs surgery and pins and whatnot. We're hoping not, obviously, the doctor said his arm was casted really well so we'll just have to wait and see.
Have a great weekend! We don't have snow in the forecast so I'm hoping we will too!

Thursday Thirteen

13 Reasons Why I Can't Wait for Spring

1. We can play outside without rain boots
2. Our garage can finally get started
3. Lyla won't need her paws washed and dried after every potty break outside
4. We can pack away our winter gear for another season
5. Aaron can fix up the backyard and lay the rubber matting under the play structure
6. We can spend more than an hour at a time outside
7. We can buy our new patio furniture
8. We can sit outside and use our new patio furniture
9. I can finally get my cracked windshield replaced
10. Long walks
11. Outings to parks other than the one nearby
12. BBQ BBQ BBQ - unlike Jeff I don't BBQ year round-
13. Calaway Park!!

Toot ta la la

here's my boys...

It wasn't an easy photo session so Joseph's little smirky thing is totally acceptable. What I was really going for was the whole homie shot with them standing back to back with their arms folded with attitude...not quite, hey? But they're still cutie pies! Our Happy Spring cards and pictures are in the mail to everyone, enjoy!

Originally I was going to post the boys' newest pic

but Wal-mart was closed earlier than I thought so instead I have a cute story for you...

We're having a house guest for a short while and he has been dining with us as a family for the past few days. Tonight Phil had to work late so he wasn't home for dinner. The four of us are sitting around the table and Joseph stops eating, puts down his fork and looks around the table.
"Hmmm, I think someone's missing" he says. "He's got ears, he's got white hair" Joseph says adding some character to his voice..."It's Phil, Phil's missing!!!" he shouted.

It was so so so cute!

You can get anything published these days

and I mean anything!!!

I went to Chapters tonight for a short reprieve from Thing One and Thing Two and was astounded by some of the crappy books out there!
~You Give Love A Bad Name
this little number is a book of lyrics to the ultimate break up songs...For $18.95
~The Way You Make Me Feel
same author but it's a book of romantic song lyrics, also for $18.95
~American Slang
so parents can 'relate to their teenager using their lingo', chyeah right, for $14.95

I definitely skipped those little gems and picked up a few bargain books as well as a mystery by one of my fave authors. Not a total waste of time...although I was totally tempted to pick up some of those for gag gifts but in the end, my cheapness won...

What an exhausting weekend!

We started our long weekend off with Alex breaking his arm and then it kind of spiralled downhill after that.
One of the dayhome babies was sick this week and spent most of his time at home and then I got the phone call Friday morning that it was chicken pox. Oh no! So, I sent out a mass email to forewarn the other parents and then got the phone call Saturday afternoon that it was actually scarlet fever. So, I phoned all of the parents and left messages and emails to those I didn't speak directly to. The poor babe! As it stands now, it's just the one isolated incident (I'm knocking on wood as I type this). Phew! Although, every time Alex would sneeze or cough I was wondering. He doesn't have the telltale fever or red rash so I'm sure Alex is just run down from his sleepless nights. So am I! I've been bunking with him the past couple nights, I'm worried that he'll lift his arm and drop it on his head, knocking himself out. Chances are slim to none, I realize but he's still my baby!
On a more exciting note: our contractor has started construction on our downstairs beaudoir! Can I get a woot-woot?!? (Yes, it's back - I couldn't come up with anything better and Aaron has stopped teasing me)
So, in a couple days we'll have a partially developed basement. Yeah! Now, if only Mother Nature would cooperate with us and let the ground thaw so our garage can get underway!

You know if it weren't for bad luck...

poor Alex wouldn't have any luck at all! From what we can piece together from Joseph & Alex we think Alex fell out of his chair and Joseph fell on top of him. Doesn't make too much sense but those were the only consistent factors in their stories.
Alex has the highest pain tolerance this doctor has ever seen. Because of it, the doc thought Alex popped his radial bone out of the elbow and did a procedure to try and pop it back in, when that didn't make a "pop" I insisted on an x-ray and it's quite obvious that it's broken. The doc felt so bad for doing the procedure but he said he honestly didn't believe me when I said he's got an incredible pain tolerance...
HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Thursday Thirteen

13 Tips From the Wife of a Funeral Director

1. Join the Memorial Society http://www.funerals-nonprofit-ccms.com/, for $20 you get a lifetime membership which can save you (well actually your survivors) thousands of dollars on funeral service fees.
2. Decide on guardians for your children, it's not an easy decision but you can always change it later on down the road if circumstances change. A godparent or sponser is an individual, chosen by the parents of a child, who vows to takes responsibility for the child's religious education. They are not assumed to be legal guardians.
3. Designate special mementos that you would like passed on to specific people. Whether it be old photos, medals, property or a vehicle.
4. Have a living will. If you have this document than your wishes can be carried out, otherwise it is left to the next of kin who may or may not know how you feel about this.
5. Decide and let it be known if you would like to be buried or cremated.
6. Document if you would like to donate your body to medical science.
7. Choose an executor for your will who will be responsible for carrying out your final wishes.
8. Document if you would like to be an organ donor.
9. Decide with your family which cemetery you would like to buried at. Do you want to be laid to rest in a family plot or start a new family plot where you've relocated?
10. What type of service do you want? An Irish wake with lots of celebrating, or something more intimate for family only.
11. Have a legal will. Can't stress that one enough! It will save your survivors from being taxed on your monies/properties. I realize that we don't want to get rich from having a loved one pass away but at the same time we don't want to go into debt over it either. There are no taxes paid on chatels that are gifted to others in a legal will.
12. Always wear a seatbelt and have your child in a carseat that is appropriate for their size/weight, there are just too many deaths from collisions.
13. Live each day to its potential. Never go to bed upset with your partner and always tuck your kids in bed each night with a hug, a kiss and an I Love You. Don't let the small things bother you in life, it's too short!

The most frustrating job has got to be

stripping wallpaper! It comes off in teeny tiny pieces and takes FOREVAH!!! The papery part is no problem, it's just getting the plasticy top layer off. Talk about tedious. It took me about an hour to do a 3 foot section. Ugh! This is going to be more work than I anticipated. When we decided to redecorate our house I decided to take down the border in the main floor bathroom and repaint and do a new colour scheme including a new border. If it weren't for the fact that we based all the colours on the new border I'd probably skip it, I'm dreading the work I'll have in another 4 years when I decide we need another change...

Tonight was stamping night, we had 2 groups meet tonight so it was utter CHAOS. Some ladies just aren't 'with it' and didn't understand the whole sharing process and turn taking theory. Our projects were pretty cool though, one was a little box which is perfect for a wedding shower favour, you can stamp your special message on the inside of the box and decorate the outside using your colours, and the second was a scrapbook wallet. There's 3 little pullouts for pics and you can journal on them too. Oh so cute!

Another day, another Facebook friend! Hi Kim! Can't wait to catch up, I'm wondering if you persued your chef dreams and got your Red Seal (is that what it's called?) ...I think us three ladies need a get together/playdate with our kiddies this spring/summer!

I've been Facebooked!

It's sweeping the nation and I'm on board. It's very addictive, I'm not sure why? Maybe because of all the possibilities that it brings. Reconnecting with old friends and even making new ones.
So, here's a few memories that I have...

Victoria

• Going to Brandy's birthday party and watching Dirty Dancing and Princess Bride for the first (of many) time
• Listening to Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince on my little ghetto blaster and thinking I was pretty hot sh*t!
• Wishing I had a collection of spandex (because it was just soooo trendy) like some of my classmates - that would be you Reaghan & Brandy!
• Sleeping over at Nora's and phoning in requests to the radio station all night
• Natalie starring in the Monster Mash, good times, hey Nat?

Summerside

• Fighting over sitting in the front row of the school bus, man, was I ever a nerd!
• Going to my first surprise party (hosted by Diane)
• Mme. Carver's aerobics class
• Listening to Ice Ice Baby at Diane's birthday party over and over
• Getting totally excited about dubbing Casey Rogers' Simpsons cassette, once again, yeah I was a nerd
• Let's not forget Chess Club at lunchtimes...

Kingston

• Dancing with Jamie and Marie at Teen Towne to Lady With the Red Dress On by Snow
• Going to April's sweet 16 party
• Playing euchre in the caf
• Lots of parties and lots of friends
• Driving in Mark's gigantic car
• School dances
• Going to Brandy & Paul's year end bowling party
• Listening to my cousin put on an English accent and prank call a guy I liked - hil-ar-i-ous!

Anyways, it's nice to see that everyone seems to be exactly where they'd like to be. A lot of my friends have kids now and are married. At the time when we were moving these are all people that I probably would have or should have kept in touch with. But I suppose when you're 11, 13 or even 15 it's a lot of drama at the present moment...and a lot of regret when you're older and see what you've been missing out on. I'm very excited to see that two of my classmates have married their high school sweethearts! Some things are obviously just meant to be! Love you guys!

Still no catch phrase....sniffle sniffle

But whatevah! I'm sure I'll think of something new soon.

Anyhoo, tomorrow night is my final MOH dress fitting. No chance of losing a couple pounds before that happens but it's all good. The dress will at least fit the way it should with the softer side of me, lol.

But, I'm obviously losing a few inches here and there. Here's how I know:
Picture this, me walking across the street to my oh-so hot minivan (it's sporty and silver, who wouldn't want one, chyeah right) carrying scalding hot caramel coretto and green boring tea for Aaron. When my fairly new navy cords start sliding down my waist. This would have to be the one day I skipped throwing on a belt just to get coffee. So, I'm trying to rush to my van but was definitely walking funny trying to keep my pants from falling right to the ground while my hands were full.

I can almost laugh about this now...

I Don't Care Who You Are, This Stuff is Funny!

Subject: RULES FOR ENTERING ALBERTA
1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Let's get this straight, it's called a gravel road. I drive a pickup truck because I need to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.
3. They are pigs, cattle and oil wells. That's what they smell like to you. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? No. 2 goes south and No. 1 goes east and west. Pick one.
4. So, you drive a sixty-thousand dollar car. We're real impressed. We have a quarter-million dollar combine that we drive three weeks a year.
5. So every person in a pickup waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.
6. We started hunting and fishing when we were nine years old. Yeah, we saw "Bambi" too. We got over it.
7. If a cell phone rings when ducks are coming in, we shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
8. Yeah, we eat beef and pork. You want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.
9. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
10. We open doors for women. This applies to everyone regardless of age.
11. No, there's no "Vegetarian Special" on the menu. Order steak. Order It rare. Or, you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the two pounds of Ham and turkey.
12. When we set a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables and breads. We use three spices - salt, pepper and ketchup.
13. You bring "Coke" into my house it better be brown, wet, served over ice and plenty of it! You bring "Hooch" into my house it better have four legs, a tail and have a nose for partridge, duck or pheasant. You bring "Mary Jane" to my house she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck and have long hair.
14. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don't hit in the water hazards – it spooks the fish.
15. Colleges? Try Olds College. They come outta there with an Education and a love for God and country, and they still wave at passing pickup trucks when they come home for the holidays.
16. We have more Air Force and Army than any other Province, so, "Don't Mess with Alberta".
17. Our military is only used as a backup. Per capita, each man, woman and child owns at least two firearms and knows how to use them.
18. Also, remember that Ralph once said, Alberta can make it without Canada, but Canada can't make it without Alberta.Who says we are rednecks??? We were under the impression everyone else was just backwards!

How can it be Sunday evening already???

Me and Kathryn - after she removed her mandatory headpiece, garter and corsage
Heather and Jonathan
Me and my little buddy (he's still sporting Auntie's eyebrows, yeah!)

This weekend has just zoomed by! Saturday was party prepping for Kathryn's bridal shower today and also fabric shopping for my new curtains for the main floor...it's redecorating at the Beck household...Sunday was filled with the bridal shower from start to finish and now it's not even 9 o'clock and I'm ready for bed. I think we missed 'the window of opportunity' for getting the boys down to sleep without a fight. If we aim for 7:15-7:30 there's never a problem but once we get into 8 o'clock it's a nightmare. Wish me luck!