Pulling the wool over Santa's eyes

Eli is a smart cookie. He waited until AFTER Santa arrived to get into mischief. I walked around the corner this morning to this:

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of our friends and family a very happy and safe Christmas! Tomorrow marks day 1 of our busy Christmas holidays. We are so lucky to have so much family to share it with. xoxoxo

Bananas for bananas

I let Eli watch cartoons during breakfast. It's the perfect opportunity for me to get ready for the day while he eats. This morning, he was watching Waybuloo, and the children on the show were eating bananas. Eli had finished his breakfast, but was insistant on eating a banana, because the kids on TV were eating one! It's so fun to watch him make the connections to the things he sees and hears. At least until that banana is a toy or video game right?

An 18 month interview

Eli mostly still babbles but he has started to say a few words. It's pretty exciting since I have been waiting for him to say "mom" for at least 6 months. Finally my persistence has paid off! He also seems to think he's two years old as you'll see in the video below.

Dance party

One morning, a few days ago, Eli and I were hanging out in the master bedroom. I was putting away laundry and cleaning (although, you can tell I had not gotten very far in the video!). It was quiet, and dark and calm. I walked out of the room to put something away and left Eli in the room. From the hallway I suddenly heard music, LOUD music, so I grabbed the video camera and caught this on tape. The first few seconds he doesn't know I'm there so you can see he's really into it. He tones it down once he sees me but there are still some good moves for you to see. Enjoy!

Sorry this video is so dark. One of the pitfalls of an older home is that they didn't put lights in the master bedroom. Not sure what the logic was on that one.

Oh la la!

My dad turned 60 last weekend (hope I'm allowed to publish that on the internet!). We are celebrating tomorrow night. Brent is making his killer secret recipe ribs which we only get a few times per year. Jacqueline and Kyle are bringing the sides and I'm in charge of dessert. I was totally stumped as to what to make. However, thanks to Morgan for blogging about FoodGawker I had a tonne of inspiration. I decided to make this amazing looking Mile High Lemon Brown Sugar Meringue Pie. It was super easy, fun, and looks amazing. I can't wait for Dad to taste it!!

He's a shower guy

I am 100% a bath person. I use my jetted tub almost 365 days a year. Nothing is better than a warm bath on a cold winter night. Eli however, is a shower guy. He must take after his father - yet again. I always start with a bath for him but lately all he does is ask for the shower to be running, so why fight it, he's pleased as punch this way. It's actually way easier for us since he rinses his own hair!

Who doesn't love a big pile of leaves?

We raked up the leaves in our yard a few weeks ago. All it took was one windy day and they all came down. Eli has his own little rake and loved to help. We also had some fun burying all the boys in a big leaf pile.







We couldn't forget the fur brothers...

Gone too soon

We unexpectedly lost a very special family member. Andrzej (Andre) will be missed by so many people. He truly lived life. He loved an adventure and tried everything at least once. I already miss the sound of his laugh, he found humor in so many things.

I copied his obituary from the Herald since there is no way I could find the words to describe him. Also, check out the video at the bottom of Andre in flight.

Andrzej, I hope you are somewhere where you can fly to your hearts content. We love and miss you.

KOPEC , Andrzej Franciszek November 12, 1962 - October 29, 2009 Andrzej flew to a higher place on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. He was taken from us as a result of a tragic accident while hang gliding. Andrzej arrived in Canada in 1988 without any help and on his own. He taught himself English and one of his proudest moments was achieving his Canadian Citizenship in 1990. That same year he met Nancy, the love of his life, and her family became his beloved family in Canada. Andrzej has a wonderful family still in Zakopane, Poland, who he was in constant contact with. Andrzej brought his family to Canada, where they got to see and fully understand why he loved his new home so much. They were and remain very proud of his accomplishments. Andrzej excelled in everything he undertook. He achieved the status of Master Electrician in Canada and worked at a variety of companies. His latest position was at the Children's Hospital, where he loved going to work every day. His co-workers will miss his infectious smile and compassionate heart and nature. He loved his home town Zakopane, where as a young man, he excelled in all sports and mastered ski jumping. He also loved Candle Lake, Saskatchewan, the mountains and, most of all, Waikiki, Hawaii. Andrzej had a passion for life and lived every day to the fullest. He tried all of the trail riding and motocross sports, and was an excellent athlete, dancer, musician, and attempted to master surfing while in Hawaii. In June of this year, he discovered his ultimate passion and happiness in hang gliding. He instantly bonded with his friends Larry, Kevin, John, Ivan, plus others, and was having the time of his life when a tragic accident changed all of our lives forever. Andrzej leaves behind his family in Poland: mother and father, Zofia and Franciszek, sister Krystyna, brother-in-law Marek, and beloved niece and goddaughter Moniczka. Andrzej will be treasured and missed by his "sweety-hearty" of nineteen years, Nancy Chmilar, her children Burdine (Brian, Evelyn) Rex, Brentley (Jen, Eli), and Brandon. Her family Doreen and Marvin Peterson, Linda Michailuck, Burdine (Colin) Acheson, Lory (Jon) Ross-Hill, Bill (Joanne) Saggs, Dianne (Silver) Laverdiere, extended family and all of Andrzej's friends (including his four-legged friends) will all miss Andrzej dearly. There is a huge hole in our hearts and Andrzej will remain in our lives every day through our love and memories. His compassion, tenderness, sense of humour and love will hold steadfast. The following lines exemplify his passion and love for hang gliding: "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Andrzej, my sweetheart, I love you so much and you are the love of my life. I know we will meet again.

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End of October already?

It has been a busy few weeks at our house. Well actually our house has been empty for a while, but we've been busy. Too much to blog about at once so I'll give you the coles notes version.

- I ran the Investors Group Thanksgiving 10K over the Thanksgiving long weekend. It was cold, but I did it! My ipod died before my legs did so I had to run the last few kilometers in silence. Thank goodness it didn't give out earlier. Brent and Eli came downtown to watch me cross the finish line and it was so nice to see their faces waiting for me at the end. Now I can check that one off my life's "to do" list! Thanks for all the support, it was so encouraging.

- Eli has started going to a dayhome on Mondays. Ms. Tanya is the lady's name and she is wonderful. Eli gets to hang out with a little girl named Daisy (isn't that the cutest) and play all day long while I get some me time. Needless to say we are both enjoying it.

- Brent and I went to Vegas with Casey and Jaelynn last week. It was a much needed vacation for us. We had a blast (thanks guys!). Did loads of walking, eating, gambling...the usual for Vegas. The highlights were 2 cirque shows, Frank Caliendo comedy show, Titanic and Bodies exhibits and the most amazing dinner at Fiamma resteraunt. Eli stayed home with Grandma K over the weekend and then headed to Baba and Gido's place for the week. He did great with all the grandparents. I think he had a really good time. THANK YOU for taking such good care of Eli and Winston and Paul too.

I think that's pretty much it. Here's a video clip of the comedian we saw in Vegas. So funny!
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New Tricks

Eli and Brent are always having fun making wierd noises. It must be a boy thing...

Worlds Best Playdough recipe

Did you know that you can make Playdough at home? It's so easy, and actually really fun to make. It takes no time at all and you know exactly what is in it. Plus it's dirt cheap!!

World's Best Playdough Recipe
1 cup white flour

1/4 cup of salt

2 tsps cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 tbsp oil

2 tsps food colouring

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium pot. Add water, oil and food colouring. Cook and stir over medium heat. When mixture forms a ball in the pot, turn out and knead on a slightly floured surface. Store in airtight container or plastic bag.

For variety, add Kool-Aid powder to dry ingredients instead of food colouring. It will smell great!

Watch out Eric Clapton

Last night we went to Grandpa Carlos' house to celebrate Sebastian's 17th birthday. Eli just loves the guitar and especially helping Grandpa play it. I always wanted to put Eli in guitar lessons so hopefully he still likes it in a few years. He just helped himself to Grandpas lap to play.

New Friend

Over the last few days Eli has made a new friend. His name is Ervin Thursten. He is fun to carry around and eat with. He is a must for bedtime too. Eli's great Auntie Linda adopted Ervin for him, what a lucky guy! Lunch time, how exciting Ervin wants to sit with me! He needs a bib too, things can get messy around here. I like how he still has his arm around him.

Starting him early

Eli sometimes likes to sit in a booster seat at the kitchen table. I was looking for a place mat for him and came across this one. I'm sure he would have preferred animals or a cartoon, but I just couldn't resist. We will be working on him saying "Metamorphic" tonight.

What's better than snack time?

Snack time is great, but NAKED snack time is awesome! It's the perfect way to make the most of a summer afternoon.

Another Etsy find

I love love love Sweet Papery on Etsy. What a great idea, an address label stamp! They also have self inking stamps on their website. I signed up for the newsletter so that when they have a discount code I can order mine. What an neat gift idea as well!

Here is the design that I like:

Airplanes and Automobiles

I took Eli to watch the airplanes take off and land this week. He loves to watch airplanes in the sky. It was very neat and he really enjoyed it. Although, I think his favorite part was sitting in the front seat of the car. There were so many buttons to push, he was in heaven.



If you noticed that Eli's voice is a little raspy, he's had a hard time adjusting to Daddy going back to work, there have been a lot of tears around our house in the last week!

So many photo opportunities so few photos

I'm such a bad blogger. I never bring my camera anywhere. How can you have a blog with no pictures? Part of the problem is that our camera is big, so it's not exactly convienient. We just got a video camera so I've been playing around with that. I'll post some video soon!

Last night was a perfect example: We went for an everning bike ride and it was awesome. As we were starting out along the ridge overlooking fish creek and we saw 2 horses coming towards us. It was 2 conservation officers on horseback and we stopped and got to pet them. Eli was so cute in his little bowling ball helmet petting the horses. Then we headed down to The Ranche, and it was so pretty, then through fishcreek with all the bridges. I think I said to Brent at least 5 times "I wish I had the camera".

I've never been one to take lots of pictures, so I'm making a mental note to make more of an effort in that department. I don't even think I've taken any pictures of Eli for over a month. How awful!

Change of Pace

After being in limbo for months, Brent and I finally made the decision that I'm going to stay home with Eli. Not forever, but for a while. I was looking for a job (admittidly, not as hard as I could have) but companies just are not hiring geologists right now. Sure, the odd geologist here and there found work, but in general, most companies are not hiring geologists. I found myself in this wierd place where I was looking for a job, but not at the same time. So, it feels great to finally have made a decision. I'm excited for the next few years and feel lucky that I can be home with Eli.

That being said, it is a huge change. Just the change of pace itself has been an adjustment. I went from fast paced, deadlines, and stress to literally stopping to smell the roses, and feel the leaves, touch the dirt, examine every stick on the ground. What I could do in 5 minutes at work (write an email) takes me 20 at home. At work I could start something and finish it, at home it feels like I start something and it never gets finished, or gets undone as soon as I finish it. It's so different, but I love it. Sure, I get frustrated and the days are still long (longer actually, but no commute downtown which I don't miss AT ALL), but learning to slow down and relish all the little things has been good for me. So what if my house is a disaster now, I don't have to wear work clothes! I'm a little nervous about trying to get back into a job in a few years, but I can't be the first woman to ever have get back into the industry after taking some time off. I'm sure it won't be easy, but definatley not impossible. In the mean time, I'm still learning but from a new boss, who is a lot shorter than my previous one. ;)

1 year photo shoot

We had Eli's pictures taken since turning one is a pretty major milestone. They were taken by Melinda Gombert Photography. She lives close to us and she does these messy photo shoots that I just couldn't resist. I'm amazed at how many pictures she actually got considering how busy and all over the place he was. After the normal shoot, we stripped Eli down and let him play in a big pile of jello. It was so much fun, he just giggled the whole time. It was like a kids dream come true.

On the left is a newborn photo taken by Ashley Skjaveland and on the right one of Melinda's. I brought the same blanket with us for the shoot:


With Dad:





With Mom:


A couple more:




Jello Fun:

Where has the time gone?

Brent had 5 months off and I have no idea where the time has gone. As of yesterday he only has 2 weeks left. Wow! I have gotten so used to having him here it's going to feel strange without him. We've been so busy trying to make the most of July - including getting a lot of use out of the telescope at night. The International space station was orbiting the northern hemisphere the last few days so we've enjoyed watching it. It's so neat to think that there are 13 people on it and we could see it.

We've been hanging out in the yard, going to the lake, riding our bikes, ate a tonne of pancakes during stampede, lots of bbqing, trips to the zoo, heritage park, calaway, golfing (for Brent) and late night games of Carcassonne. This is the life!

The only downer is that the boys in this house have been sick for the last few days. This is Eli's firs time being sick and it's no fun. They both have had a mild fever for a couple of days so I'm hoping they are both back to normal by the weekend. Eli is one grumpy dude when he's sick....so is Brent.

I had a zillion pictures and couldn't decide which ones to post since I'm so behind. So here's one of a typical moment in our back yard...ahhhh.

Long overdue landscaping post

Brent worked SO hard on our landscaping and I am only now getting it up on the blog. How bad of me!! He pretty much did a complete overhaul of the yard. We now have a sprinkler system (which I've never had before), new fence, new deck, new sod in the back, new trees, a dog run and the front beds are re-done. I didn't realize how lumpy the back yard was until I had the new sod to compare it to. Eli is also enjoying the yard, especially the rocks and shed.

Front when we bought the house:


New Front - we still plan on replacing the cement walkway with brick...one day!


View of the front rocks/path from the neighbors yard. There used to be giant juniper bushes here and then Brent cut them down. I lived with those ugly roots for 2 years. This is so much better:



Old fence:


New fence:


New Maple tree, I can't wait until it gets bigger. So pretty!


Original Deck:


New Deck:


The dog run comes right off the deck and along the side of the house, it's awesome!


Brent's shed and the lilac tree to the right:

Etsy fun

I could window shop on Etsy for hours. It takes some serious restraint not to buy things sometimes. Especially when they are as cute as this:


Will power did not win out on this one, since I bought it. I know where I'll be doing my Xmas shopping this year...

Tales from the hardware store

Over the past few years, Brent and I have become very familiar with our local hardware stores. After shopping at all of them, Rona has become our least favorite. We actually avoid going there whenever possible. Unfortunately for us, it's the closest to our house, and when you have a small child, sometimes convenience over rules.

Last year we replaced our BBQ, Brent's patio caddy finally gave out and he treated himself to the BBQ of his choice. (We did not buy it at Rona). The other day, we stopped in at Rona, and they had our BBQ on display. Now it comes in fancy new colors, I guess that's the new thing in BBQ's! Brent opened up the grill of our model and inside was a note from an obviously disgruntled customer. It read:

Last Year's Price: $899
This Year's Price: $1099
RONA'S RECESSION GIFT TO YOU!!!!!!!

We had a chuckle, and could relate to how that person felt. Brent shut the lid and left the note for the next person to find.

The next day, Brent went back to return something (not a fun process at Rona). They had lifted the tops of all of their display BBQ's so that people could see the inside. Being as smart as they are, they left the note there, now on display for everyone to read!! This just confirms how ridiculous this store is...yet, I'm sorry to say that I'm sure we'll go back.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to our dads. We love you xoxo

Party Time

It was Eli and his cousin Evelyn's birthday party on Saturday. We had a joint party for both of them since they are only 2 days apart in age. We did a disney theme, and I think the kids had lots of fun. Eli crashed right after cake so Evie enjoyed opening presents on her own! I don't think I've ever had a birthday party that big in my whole life, they sure are starting out with a bang. Thanks to everyone who came!!

Cake time


First bite


Evie checking out her new baby

Happy 1st Birthday Eli!

Just a quick second to pop by and say Happy Birthday to Eli! What an amazing year we have had. I'm so proud to be your mom. xoxoxo

A little different

We bought a new shed and have yet to assemble it. I was skimming through the instruction manual and I noticed that this manual seemed different than any other I've read. I enjoyed some of the introduction since it really put things into perspective. We are often in a rush to get things done which causes frustration. This is by far no Ikea manual!

A few outtakes:

- " The first step is simple... RELAX! You have made a great purchase, but Rome was not built in a day. Plan to spend a good part of your weekend putting together your fine Garden Shed." Our philosophy is if it comes together quickly and easily, it surely will come apart quickly and easily!"

- " Grab a friend to join in on the fun! This is not a one-person endeavor. (Brent needs to read this!) We have found that not only will things go smoother if you have two or more people participating in the construction of the shed, but it will go quicker as well. So, the more the merrier!"

- "Now that you're ready to begin the construction of your wonderful new Garden Shed, step back, take a deep breath, get yourself a large cold beverage and enjoy yourself. We guarantee that after spending the right amount of time building your shed, you will be able to enjoy it for years to come."

Copy cat

Eli is really into copying sounds that we make. It's especially handy entertainment in the car. Here he is with dad, with his latest sound.

Sledding in June

We kicked off June 1st with some sledding in the yard. Eli loved it! The things you come up with to be outside when your yard is under construction. I found this little sled at our community used toy and clothing sale on the weekend and I have a feeling it's going to be worth every penny. Plus it came in handy to cart around my other purchases at the sale. That place was worse than Costco, if you didn't buy something that caught your eye the minute you saw it, it was gone!

Sod day!

I am very behind on my landscaping posts. Brent has been working like a madman on the yard and he's doing an amazing job. He's my superhero! - with a tan I might add, even a farmer tan is pretty good for May. The new fence is in (just waiting on gates), yard is cleared out, rototilled and graded, dog run is built and filled with rocks, deck base is built, benches are started, stairs are in, trees are planted and tomorrow is sod day. Phew!!!!!!

We decided on an Ohio Buckeye tree for the front, and a maple and lilac for the back. I'm very happy with our choices. We went to Beaver Dam nursery and it was excellent. It's just outside of Okotoks. They were very helpful, had everything we wanted (in pots) and the prices were great. The lilac that we wanted at Spruce it up was $175 on sale for $115, and we got it at Beaver Dam for $78. Pretty good.

I don't want to post pictures until everything is done, but here is a sneak peak at the fence before and after.

8K

Check out my running ticker, I did 8 K last night! Whoo hooo. Lance Armstrong even came on my Ipod and congratulated me, how cool. That's my longest distance EVER. It wasn't too bad, my legs were tired but my lungs were great. 10 K here I come.

Ga ga

As in Lady GaGa that is. Eli loves her music. He claps and laughs, it's too funny. Here he is getting his groove on.

Progress report

My running clinic has started - finally! We ran 6 K our first class which I thought was rather lofty since it's only a 10K clinic. Running more than half the distance seemed like a bit much to start off with. Oh well, it's pushed me to keep up with the group which is not a bad thing right?

I'm happy to report that I have found my route. I discovered a pathway that goes all along Fishcreek. It's beautiful and I don't even have to drive anywhere to get there. I definatley enjoy running in the evening. It's cooler, the sun is not as bright, and it's the time of day I need a break the most. Also, music is of paramount importance. I don't know how people run without music. I get the whole wanting to be alone with your thoughts and all, but music just makes it so much easier. On the topic of music, my ear holes must be abnormally shaped because I can not find a pair of ear buds that fit me. I'm on my 4th set, and no luck. If anyone knows of a great pair of ear buds that stay in, I would love to know about them!! And lastly, although I'm not a fan of tight clothing these days, I admit, they are way more comfortable to run in than my baggy sweats.

Timber!!!!!

Over the last couple of weekends Brent and Jim managed to take down the big Spruce tree out front. The first weekend was spent cutting down the branches and top of the trunk and hauling it away. This weekend they tackled the stump and roots. It was a big job, and the tree was quite thick! Brent counted 41 rings. I wanted to keep this tree, but really it took up most of our front yard and dropped needles everywhere. It made our yard quite unusable. Our plan is to put in a new leaf tree that won't grow to be as big. I've been researching and I think I've narrowed it down to either a Manchurian Ash, Ventura Maple or Schubert Chokecherry. I'm not a huge fan of birds (well, not a fan of them waking me up in the morning), so the berry trees are not my first choice, even though they are very pretty. Lots of pics for you to look at!! Before - it seems wierd to see the snow there.

Here you can see the original tree bed that was put in (in black) and the actual size of the tree bed needed is probably 3 times that.
Step 1 - remove the branches

And we were left with this. The tree had 2 trunks because a previous owner cut the top off when the tree was young.

Then each trunk was cut off and we had this stump left for a week.

The strange flyer lady in our neighborhood rang our doorbell and told me we should carve it into a totem pole. When I told her we wern't going to do that she said she might come steal the tree in the night. After seeing how much work it was to get the rest of it down, I would have liked to see her try!

Over the next week, Brent had to dig out all around the tree to expose the roots. Luckily, Spruce trees don't go very deep, but the roots spread out wide. Then the big climax of taking down the trunk. hahaha

Finally, all the roots had to be sawed in order to be lifted into the trailer. They were super heavy. Not that I know first hand, but the looked darn heavy. And of course, and Eli photo to finish with. Eli supervised as usual.