The Countdown is On!

Yep, the baby is due in about 2 weeks. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. We had a little bit of a scare and thought that baby was going to come early, so we kicked into high gear (both mentally and physically) and got the hospital bag packed. Now I feel a bit more prepared... I'm ready to have this baby!

Now it's a bit of a waiting game and enjoying the rest of summer. We've been going to the splash park quite a bit which Anders loves and is good for me. We also have a couple of BBQs and friend gatherings which will be fun. And to be honest I'm starting to get excited about Fall... I know I should be probably living in the moment and enjoying Summer, but I just help myself. Fall is such a fun time for us... I just love the crisp mornings and fresh air. Opening the windows and cooking something hot and delicious makes me feel so content. And Fall is the start of our family's birthday season... we'll start off with baby, move into Derek's day, then Anders, Christmas, Anniversary, New Years, and wrap up with me . Thew!

Lots of good to look forward to!

Loving This Little Man

As the impending due date approaches I am beginning to think about how our little family is going to change. I know that I'm going to grow to love this little addition (already do) but I also know that my time with my special little man is also going to change. I remember my mom telling me that a couple of days before she had my brother she held me and just cried. I didn't really understand that until now. Every little moment with Anders is so special. Especially seeing him grow. I love all his hugs and kisses. I love how he says "hi da!". And most of all, I love those big blue eyes and special cuddles right before bed.

Around This House

chasing bubbles

family BBQ mural/ first tricycle ride/ first flowers

canada day boat ride/ banana boat/selfie 

 future firefighter?

29 weeks already... I can't believe how fast the time is going. But this baby is getting biiiiiiiiig. But it's a healthy and very active little one which is the important thing. I still haven't experienced any major cravings due to pregnancy. I kind of wish that I could blame some of those late night ice cream sessions on the baby, but really it's all me.

Around This House

Summer has finally come and we are enjoying all the time outside... especially Anders. I swear, this kid lives outside.

We are enjoying a bunch of outside activities. Some of the favorites right now are playing with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, pulling wagons, going on the swings, collecting rocks, watering flowers, going on grandpa's boat, and jumping in puddles.

We also took Anders to the Banana Boat for the first time. He had fun looking at all the different ice cream flavors. Unfortunately my Black Forest Delight was out of commission due to the lack of cherry sauce, but the soft serve sure was gooooooood! 

Colour

The sun is out and the birds are chirping and I have my windows open... Spring has finally come!

And with this Spring comes the need to wear bright colours in all shapes and forms. Not only in clothes, but also in lipsticks and nail polishes... yummy!

In the last couple of weeks I have been guilty of a slew of lipstick and nail polish purchases. But I don't see this as a bad thing... I actually see it as a fairly cheap way of updating your look while also giving you time to have a bit of fun. I also find that while I'm pregnant I like to pamper myself a bit more when my body is growing out of control (in a good way) and sometimes uncomfortable. A little nail polish and lipstick help me to embrace this body and give it a little love and appreciation :)

So here's where I'm at today. I gave myself a mani yesterday and got this nude and gold inspiration from Pinterest. I absolutely love it... I have never bought a nude nail polish before, but now that I have it just seems so simple and beautiful. The gold sparkles also make it fun and who wouldn't love a little sparkle in their every day life?

As for lipsticks these are my top three right now...Revlon 510 Berry Rich for an everyday "pretty" glow, Maybrlline 885 Vibrant Mandarin (which looks hot pink on me) for a rockin' neon feel, and Revlon 29 Red Lacquer for pretty much everything else. Seriously, this poppy red goes with EVERYTHING. Love that. Also, with a bright lip I usually keep the rest of my makeup fairly neutral, so not only does it look great, but it is also speedy. Perfect for a mommy of a very active toddler.

P-R-A-Y

Derek and I have been trying to get in a better habit of saying our family prayers more regularly  We feel that this is a special time to show our love to our Heavenly Father as well as our family.

I am a visual person so right away when Derek and I talked about this I knew I'd need a sign or reminder of some sort. I knew I wanted something simple but also something that wasn't "corny". I thought about it for awhile and then it came to me... scrabble magnets for our fridge!

We had an old scrabble game that we never used so I thought the magnets would make not only a good prayer reminder, but we could also leave little notes or a fun "word of the day" on the fridge. I went to work, and in about 30 minutes I had some scrabble magnets assembled and a new fun family activity. It never gets old to see what comments Derek leaves... sometimes they are sweet and sometimes I have no idea where they came from. But it is always fun and interesting to see what is on your family member's minds. Anders also has fun with them- under close supervision of course. When we are busy doing other things we make sure the magnets are high on the fridge and out of reach.

Overall this small change in our kitchen has created some great family bonding time!

Around This House...

Unfortunately spring has not come... we still get the occasional snow fall and cold wind. As a result Anders and I have been spending more time inside than I'd like... I even think I'm getting a bit of cabin fever. We have been keeping busy baking, reading, doing puzzles, and going to indoor play structures. Hopefully spring will come soon, I long to see that green grass!

My baking interests have also been a bit off, instead of wanting to make a bunch of fruit pies and fluffy deserts, I've been loving cinnamon and ginger, spices that are usually used in the fall. I don't know ifit because I feel that I need to snuggle up in a warm blanket or if it's the pregnancy, but these fall treats have been delicious and very satisfying. So I'm just going to embrace it!

Baby is growing and kicking like crazy. We had our ultrasound last Monday and we have a beautiful and happy baby on our hands. The little one must have known he/she was on camera because there was quite a show and even a few kicks at the technition. I am feeling grateful that everything is on track. Now I want to start to go through baby clothes and start to get ready for the arrival... it is still a few months off but the ultrasound made it so much more real. I'm trying to take everything and live in the moment; time is flying by so quickly and I have a feeling that it is just going to go faster! :)

A Little Cinnamon Makes Everything Better

Yesterday I wore a spring dress which gave me the hope that spring was here to stay. "Not so!" screams Mother Nature when I woke up in the morning to this...

So Anders and I decided to whip up some warm comfort goodness aka cinnamon buns!

It is my mission to find the perfect cinnamon bun recipe since they are one of Derek's favorite treats. I have tried quite a few recipes and this one is by far the best I've made (however if you want to do a recipe face off I'm open to try more recipes!). They are easy to whip up and don't take very long considering you have to make the dough and clean up... about 1 hour for everything.

Cinnamon Swirls

3 1/4 cup flour

3 tsp quick rise yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon (I put in more... maybe double this)

1/3 cup butter

raisins (optional)

Set aside 1 cup of flour from total amount. Mix remaining flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt in a bowl. Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until hot to the touch. Stir hot liquids into dry ingredients and mix in egg. Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough that does not stick to the bowl. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 5 min. Cover and let rest for 10 min.

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter together (I melted my butter so that the brown sugar would dissolve). Roll dough into a rectangle 9X12 inch. Spread with cinnamon mixture and sprinkle with raisins. Roll dough from long side, jelly roll style. Cut into equal pieces (about 12). Grease pan with 2 tbs. olive oil, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp. syrup. Place rolls into greased pan. Cover dough and let raise until double about 20 min. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 min. or until browned.

Enjoy!

A Little Off the Top

I really wanted to let Anders hair grow... I love little boys with longer hair. But when we got to church today it just looked sooooo bad! Usually when I wash and comb it, his hair dries and looks ok, but today it was just one 'ol big mess. Not cute. So I had to give up my dream of Anders having beautiful soft whispy hair.

Today was the day... his first haircut. And you know what? It wasn't half bad .

Oh Baby!

Today I felt the baby kick for the first time when I was driving home from work. Just wanted to share :)

Bunnies, Chicks, and Chocolates

I don't know why, but I was really excited to celebrate Easter this year. Maybe it's because we have a little boy in the house. That's probably it. Anyway, I started making plans a couple of weeks ago, and I think so far we are having some fun!

We woke up at 7:00 and went downstairs. I left Anders' Easter basket on the floor and he bee-lined it. Instead of putting a bunch of chocolate in the basket I decided to put some small toys that Anders could use in Spring like sidewalk chalk, Play dough, stickers, a windmill, and bubbles. I also put in a bunny puppet that we had already, but Anders didn't seem to notice.

We also had a little egg hunt. Derek had a great idea of putting Cheerios inside of the plastic eggs and Anders absolutely loved it. His eyes would light up whenever he found another egg.

In the afternoon we went to my parent's for dinner. I made a trifle which was a nice spring treat. All in all we had a wonderful weekend and some nice family time. Now on with the snow melt, I want summer!

I'm Feeling Good

I have to be honest... pregnancy and me just don't mix. When I was pregnant with Anders I was throwing up multiple times per day for the first 6 months and had on/off nausea with the occasional throw up session for the next two months. Month 9 was ok thank goodness and I just had the normal pregnancy related uncomfortableness, but I was happy that's all it was!

So when the signs of pregnancy started popping up  (not being able to stomach anything but carbs and having no desire to eat, but needing to eat every two hours) Derek and I knew we were pregnant again without needing a test. Our thought was "yay!!" followed by "oh no, pregnancy here we go again". But I really can't complain, I feel so blessed that we could get pregnant and have another little one around. Plus, Anders was a wonderful baby, and honestly I'll take a really bad pregnancy for a happy and healthy baby.

But today I'm having a really good day. My nausea has been minimal and it sure makes me appreciate feeling "normal". Throughout the day I was just overcome with a feeling of gratefulness. Here is some of what I'm grateful for:

• A wonderful husband who has been taking care of the house and Anders and has said on a number of occasions "Why don't you go relax and have some you time?"
• My boy with an irresistible ticklish neck and contagious giggles.
• My supportive extended family who have helped by making meals and looking after Anders on the really bad days.
• A nice hot cup of cranberry apple cider with lemon.
• My body and that it is strong enough to support growing life.
• That I was able to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies and enjoy the smell of them baking.
• My home and that it feels like home.
• All the baby preparations and planning for the future.

Joyfully Announcing

The Pitter Patter of Little Hearts

I love Valentines Day

Seeing all the men line up for flowers at our local store

And the chocolate, oh the chocolate

in the red and pink boxes

Nothing is better than early morning whispers of "Happy Valentines day"

With after work dates

To make this a fun mid week celebration

of the love we share

The Big O-N-E

The day has finally come... Anders first birthday party!

The cake was delicious and the house was filled with the gibber-gabber of loving friends and family.

 We definitely did our job of filling the little kidlets with a sugar high that would last a week.

And Anders got more than his fair share of new toys, including an awesome rocket ship.

 We loved this time getting together with our loved ones and went to bed happily exhausted.

This year has been such a blast with our little boy. He brings so much laughter and cuddles into our home we are truly blessed.