drowning

I'm knee deep in DIY projects for our reception. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, my escapades have involved plaster, spray paint, rocks, chicken wire, and a few cuts and bruises.

I also discovered that I have a talent for cutting out mustaches.... Its a talent that I don't take lightly, because you never know when you'll need a mustache :).

I have also been attempting to organize and make sure everything goes smoothly on the day. This has proved to be my most dreaded task, in fact every time I look at my list I want to walk away and put it off for another day. However, slowly but surely, I am checking things off my list, one of the most exciting ones was picking up my dress today!

I have decided to keep it a secret and not show a picture, because its more fun that way and the model looks better in it than I do! I will leave you with the newest addition to my ensemble. My mom is a trooper and took another trip to David's Bridal with me when we were in Chicago.

I don't plan on wearing my hair like that, but you get the idea...

Here and There (pictures overload)

We have been so busy since I've been home that I've put my blogging on the back burner. Busy in a good way though. Its been really nice here, so we've been enjoying a lot of time outside and I've been working on all of my DIY projects for the reception. Everything is coming along nicely, but not finished yet!

My mom, Liv, and I drove down to Chicago Friday evening and are here until Tuesday. We are having a lot of fun and I don't know if its because Dani is my twin, but Liv is obsessed with her...she could really care less about me when Dani is around. It kind of works in my favor though :).  It was hilarious when we pulled up here at 1am (yes liv was stilll awake), Liv was going crazy in her carseat. She was bouncing around, kicking, and yelling. She was thrilled to see Auntie Dani and Uncle Bikey in person instead of on skype.

I'm going to try to be better about posting while I'm back home. Its just so crazy when you first arrive somewhere new with a toddler and have to get them used to their new surroundings. 

Some pictures to share.

we've been riding our bike.

using a necklace as a leash to walk Abbie.

boat ride...and some crazy hair!

Lake Superior...how I've missed you.

old friends! (Jill and Ashley)

had to add another one. It was amazing.

Did I mention how excited Liv has been to Have Auntie Dani and Uncle Bikey around??

visiting Auntie at work...hanging out on the lawn.

love for auntie.

we found some princess shoes!

Bikey blew some bubbles with his gum which Liv found weirdly interesting

oh and we played some hockey with sticks...liv was clearly the referee.

Do I smell like puke?

I wish that after every time I fly with Liv I didn't have a story to share, but the trend continues. Nothing is ever smooth sailing with Liv and I. We like to keep things interesting.

Our first flight to Toronto was, like I said yesterday, 3 1/2 hours. I was worried about this because that's a long time to keep Liv sitting still. All went off without a hitch. I finagled an extra seat for us and Liv slept for the first hour of the flight and then happily watched a few princess movies. Everything seemed fined until our descent...

I don't even know how it happened, all I know is I looked down and saw Liv "spitting up" on me...and then I thought to myself, well you are almost 2 years old, so I guess you don't spit up anymore, and then came the 2nd puke followed by the 3rd puke and I just sat there horrified by the smell and by the mess that was COVERING us.

I immediately took off Liv's long-sleeve shirt, my sweatshirt, took away her blankie away and wiped her down as best I could. We were 10 feet from the ground so nobody could help me until we landed and the only help I received was a plastic bag to put our pukey clothes in. We looked a wreck and as I'm trying to de-board the plane with Liv, a diaper bag, over-sized tote,  Liv's friggin' princess suitcase, and our extra plastic bag of puke clothes...The irritating flight attendant warns me more than once about the step down from the plane and how Liv might have problems. I looked at her with my arms full and in my mind I said "Maybe you could shut up and help my daughter down because as you can see my arms are full and we are full of PUKE!"...but I am a lady and I didn't say that. I reallyyyy thought it though. I need to add that while I am struggling to get off the plane, Liv is complaining and dawdling because she wants her damn blankie out of the plastic bag and in her hand, seriously kiddo?

The drama continued because we only had 20 minutes to get to our next terminal, which was in the middle of nowhere with no shirts for kids and I thought it would be evil to get myself a change of clothes and not Liv.

In the end, I'm going to chalk it up to some motion sickness and how hot we get sitting in our take-off and landing position (seriously doesn't anybody else sweat to death like that?). It was miserable...I can honestly say it was the worst flight I've ever had.

Liv seemed fine after...puke covered (even in her hair) and all. She continued her day talking, singing, and dancing. I continued mine trying to apologize to everyone we sat next to.

on the road again...

Or should I say, in the air again?

Either way...here we go again! I'm trying my best to not get as stressed as I usually do. We leave Thursday at 6am, so I'm hoping that the disrupted sleep will help Liv to sleep for most of our first flight...which is 3.5 hours long! Gah, thats a long flight for a nearly 2 year old. I will have our usual arsenal of snacks, movies, and new coloring books to keep my little monster entertained.

Tips that I've learned when travelling with an under 2 year old:
-When packing, pack outfits that can be mismatched

-Bring enough diapers for a day and a half-ish...don't waste suitcase space, buy some when you get to your destination.

-Portable DVD players are my savior.

-Essential sleep items are needed on the plane (for liv, pillow, blankie, sucky).

-We have never paid for Liv to have her own seat, but I always ask the gate attendant if there is an extra seat and they usually finagle something for us (bc really, nobody wants to sit next to a baby if they don't have to).

-Always bring your stroller, we don't even use it anymore for Liv to ride in at the airport...but we do put all of our carry-on's in it so I don't have to lug them around.

-I try to bring a large variety of snacks (some new ones that I know she will like).

-I always dress Liv in layers because during landing and take-off (which is when she usually falls asleep), she gets so hot and sweaty because she has to face me on my lap.

-Stay relaxed. I'm so not the person to give advice on this because I'm usually a frazzled mess, but I try to stay relaxed at least on the flight.

-Always bring something to drink that can be closed tightly because if you don't get an extra seat, there is no way your drink cup is not going to get knocked over by your squirmy child.

-And last but not least, something to read for if and when your child naps and you try not to move an inch because man its a long flight and if they could just sleep for half of it, everything would be much more manageable!

Well, wish us luck! Packing is almost finished (this is a record for me) and we are ready to roll!

Father's Day pt. 2

I was going to post about Pat in my last post, but I decided he deserved a post all to himself. When Pat became a father, it was unexpected. We had been together for 5 years and even though that seems like a long time, we weren't planning on getting married or having a baby at that time.  Along came Liv, and life's way of saying "you thought you knew what you were getting, but you had no idea what I had in store for you!".

This was the first year we have all been together as a family. Many of Pat's friends probably think it seems quite weird and impossible that Pat has an almost two year old. They don't really know him anymore, because he has had to change a lot. Pat has stepped up and he became the Dad I knew he would be. He loved Liv the minute she came into this world. Pat had to give up hockey. He will say that he got what he wanted out of it (he received his Bachelor's and MBA for free!), I am very proud of him for that, but I think if our lives had been in a different place, he would have liked to stay in Belfast to play a little while longer.

Instead, he came home and immediately set out to make us a life here. He has been taking care of us ever since. When we were at University, I would say to him "I have high expectations for you and you are slowly but surely meeting them". I think I can confidently say now that he has met my expectations because there is nothing better than seeing your husband love your daughter more than he could love anybody else.

So, Thank you Pat. Liv and I Love you and.....Happy Father's Day! (I won't be making you breakfast because you don't even like breakfast, but maybe I'll make you dinner :).

Father's Day pt. 1

My real Dad has never been a "real" part of my life. I know that a lot of people can say this and its not an uncommon occurrence. I can say though, that I have never missed out on having a real Dad.

 My Dad's name is Jody. My mom re-married when my sister and I were 6 or 7. He was a huge part of our lives way before that though. I never understood the significance of how a man who had never had children could love my sister and I like Jody did. There was no hesitation and I always knew that he loved me and considered us his own. I now understand because I have a child of my own. I think that it shows the kind of person he is. He loved my mom so much that he loved us too. It proves that blood doesn't make a family and as my friend so eloquently quoted on facebook today "anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad".

I have never called Jody "Dad", but I think and hope he knows that Dani and I have never thought of him as anything different. Now not only is Jody my Dad, but he is Liv's "papa". Thank you Jody for being my wonderful Dad, but also for being Liv's amazing Papa. I love you Jody!

non-traditional

It's safe to say that I'm a non-traditional type. I'm not sure when this rebellion started, but I have been fighting against tradition for quite some time now. I like to chalk it up to my straight laced k-12 years. I was the epitome of a goody-good. I didn't have a sip of alcohol until I was 18 years old. I enrolled in a local University after Highschool and didn't apply anywhere else because I had a boyfriend and that's what you were "supposed" to do. I also joined the cross-country track team which didn't last long and was the beginning of my changed life. I followed that bold move up with breaking up with my boyfriend of four years and enrolling in a University that wasn't in my hometown.

That one decision single handedly wrote the story of my life up to now. I met my husband there. Now this is where things get scandalous, so pay close attention to the sequence of events: I dated him for 5 years, got pregnant (2008), gave birth the best part of our lives (2009), Pat moved to Belfast for a year, moved to Calgary and got married (2010), and now we are having a reception in my hometown in July!

We did all of this before we even owned a home. Is that weird? It doesn't really feel weird, but I think some people might think its a bit backwards. I don't regret any of it because obviously I wouldn't have my family if things hadn't gone the way they had. I'm not saying traditional isn't great. I think traditional and non-traditional both have a place in this world.

If I ever have any doubt about my non-traditional ways, I just take a glance at my daughter because she's anything but traditional...

enough said.