I STILL EXIST!!

Welcome to the official time of year where I cease to exist to most people around me. My family thinks I hate them, my friends think I'm ignoring them, and the rest of the world thinks I am a snob. Please be assured that none of the above is true it's just Christmas. This the time of year when I hole up in the basement and unless you come and see me for one beauty reason or another then I don't have time for you. I'm sorry if that's harsh but unfortunatly unless you pay me to spend an hour with you ($40.00 an hour) I am swamped. I love my job and it's not normally this demanding on me but hey tis the season to work around here. Not only am I doing hair all day, I also have Arbonne flying off the shelves so I am trying to appease those customers as well. On top of all this I am 16wks pregnant and just starting to get back on my feet. Heaven help me or at least swallow me whole.

I always think well you can't blog without pictures but if you wait for that we may all die a ripe old age so I am going to let the whole piture thing go and try to just let you know my thoughts. There not very profound but there mine and those who truly love me will still be interested somewhat.

So wish us luck this holiday season and I will try to keep you posted.

My Hunny's Hobby!

My Husband decided last summer he wanted to buy an RC monster truck. So being the good wife I am gave him the green light to purchase one. It is pretty cool but I must say it breaks alot but I have come to understand that if it doesn't break when your racing it then your not racing it hard enough.

So Patrick decided that he wanted to make a new body for it. So this last week has been quite amusing for me as I have watched him agonize over cutting out the stickers and figuring out where to put them so there just right. Then painting it and taping it and painting it somemore. I have blue spots on my front and back lawns from where he was spraying the paint. It was really cool to watch it go from a clear piece of plastic to looking like a really cool truck.

I think he did a great job and I am really proud of his hidden crafter that came out. I know you girls are thinking HHMMM a potential scrapbooker he could be, but I won't push my luck.

Ladies don't let your men see this because it will cost you a whole lot more than just your averege remote controlled car. This one runs on real nitro and is mucho loud.

Boys will be boys and I can't say no.

A River Runs Through It! (Cochrane that is)

Earlier this week Jen took my kids for a whole day and over night and half of the next day so my hunny and I could hang out together. When I went to pick them up from Jen's place we decided to head to the Bow River that runs through Cochrane and into the city. We hung out and had a picnic and let the kids and the dog run free through the water. What an awesome plan. Nothing tired kids and dogs out more that sun, water and ham sandwiches.

We had lots of fun and managed to even get a few pictures. Usually I rely on Jen to take the photos but this time I remembered my camera.

David is my little sweethart. I can't call Jen of the phone without David taking the phone and telling me how much he loves me.
Someone should really feed that kid!
A very wet pooch .
This picture is proof of a milestone for Kelsey. She is a very texture sensitive little girl. She has never liked the feel of grass on her feet, let alone rocks and sand and dirt. This is her walking around with one shoe off because she discovered Crocs make really great sand and water shovels. Her shoes then both came off and she wandered around the rest of the time barefoot. You go girl!

I love to see my kids in water it usually means very tired kids later.
Lauralyn was her usual cutey patottie that day and a little over heated.
Bailey in mid-shake. She's like a walking spray park. Anytime we though "Gee it's really warm out huh?" she would immediatly head over to the blanket we were on and proceed to dry off.
This is the girly way to throw rocks in the water. It's similar to the "Bend and Snap".
There's nothing better than a summer day with friends, I just hope we have a few more before the summer wears out. Thanks Jen for another great Hanson/Mckinnon memory!

Upper Kananaskis Lake!

People alwys ask us if we miss the mountains we left behind in B.C. To be honest no we don't. We never really spent all that much time in them and now we have a whole new set to explore. Kananaskis is only 90 mins from our door to the lake and the drive in is amazing.

We aren't huge hikers but we love a good trail to explore and the kids get better and better every time we go about walking the paths and not complaining about being bored. There learning to enjoy the beauty around them and searching for the perfect rock to throw in the water and make the best splash.

This was Bailey's first time really being able to swim and she did amazing! We were so proud of her just diving in with no fear. Everyone told us she would be a natural swimmer but we were still a little hesitant but they were right and she loved it.
Yeah that's right, me and my hunny snuggling in for a quick picture taken by our boy. How do you like my post stampede cowboy hat compliments of walmart $3.00.
On the way back Kelsey ended up on top of daddy's shoulders. She hiked for almost 2 hours so she deserved a rest.
Cute little outdoorsy girl!!
Patrick and the kids enjoying the view.

My mountain family!
Bailey loves to be outside and here she had a good run and even made a few friends to play with.
This was one of the views. The lake is a beautiful aqua color and really freakin' cold. Glacier lakes are the chilliest and prettiest lakes around here.
Me and my boy!

It was a great day and everyone went home tired and happy. Can't wait for the next adventure and maybe next time we will stay longer and camp next time.

Generations of Love!!!

A couple of weeks ago my sweet hubby took both kids to Edmonton to see the grandparents and great grandma. Greatgrandma's older sister Aunty Mary was out visiting from Prince Albert Sask. and we don't get to see her very often. I was unable to go as I had a full weekend of hair and pedi's to attend to but my family went and had a great time anyway.

These are my girls Aunty Mary, Kelsey and Great-Grandma.
I never had the privledge of having sisters but if I had I only hope we would have loved each other as much as these two do.
Aunty Mary hasn't really had the chance to get our kids all that well, but she sure loves them none the less and treats them like her own. Our kids love her like there own as well.
I just love this picture because it's a classic Kelsey moment. She hates to not be right in the action.
Liam is getting to be a great reader and he loves to read to other people and show off his talents.

He makes us very proud.

I sure hope we can see our dear Aunty Mary again really soon and next time I won't miss it.

Making and reliving memories!

Saw this on Jen the Mom's blog and thought I would give it a go. It's all about sharing memories with old friends so the instructions are below and I will leave it up to you guys.

1) You leave a comment on my blog and in your comment you mention a memory that you and I share. Big or little. I don’t care. Heaven knows I’m not particular about memories. I can barely remember what day it is half the time so you could probably make something up and I’d go along with you on it.

2) Repost the instructions on your own blog and see what memories come back to you in the comments.
Like I said, I got this from Nicole so I thought I’d pass her blog on.

Have fun!

Elbow Falls, Bragg Creek AB

Last sunday was so stinkin' hot we decided to head to Elbow Falls (45min frm home) for a stroll through the creek to cool down. The dog really needed a good run so we thought we would wear her out in the water. Bailey is still learning about water and can be a little shy at first but it didn't take her long to get comfy this afternoon.

This is one of our favorite places because it's local and beautiful. We are surrounded by mountains and trees and all the things I had back home in B.C. I love the mountains but I love them even more when I can have the best of both worlds.
Here I am Mountain Momma, pig tails and all.
This is our third time taking a picture in this exact spot. Each time we take it though a new family member is added. This year it's Bailey our 8 month old Golden/Border Collie.
This paticular picture was suppossed to go at the end but I messed up the order. This was Bailey at the end of the afternoon. She was done! It's so nice to see her tired once in awhile. It doesn't happen very often.

We found a good picture log to sit on unfortunatly Kelsey wasn't in the mood to look up.
Not only is Bailey a little shy of the water, so is Kelsey, but she did really well and it didn't take her long to settle into the cold water and she was find to wander as long as I wasn't to far behind.
Nothing like a good game of fetch to tire a puppy out. Bailey played so hard in the water that when she came out for a few minutes she would actually shiver it was so cold. Yet it didn't slow her down for long.
Liam has quite an interest in rocks and we found a big flat one that ended up in the back pack and came home with us.
My mountain girl!
I'm sure there will many more trips here this summer so keep posted.

The Calgary Stampede 2008

This year we made it to the annual stampede here in town. It's always lots of fun and the kids have a blast.

We did soooo much so I will only give you a taste and maybe it will leave you wanting more and we can get some visitors next year.

Our kids love the rides!! I thought Kelsey would be timid but boy was I wrong, she has no fear just like her brother.
Liam is a ride freak, he get's it from his parents.
Our boy has a very sweet soul and a very generous heart, we can't go a fair without him winning something for his baby sister. So fishing was the game of choice this year and we came home with a couple of frogs, a pig and a bird.
Here we were enjoying some down time and waiting for the Superdogs to perform. They were AWESOME! As new dog owners we are especially taken with the canine shows. We also took this time to eat our cotton candy and fudge and finish off the pocket dogs we had for dinner.
This was actually the last show we saw and we were starting to get a little tired so it felt good to just sit and relax for a few minutes.

Calgary Stampede 2008 part 2

Okay so I have to do this in parts so bear with me.

We spent some time in the Agriculture building so the kids could see all the baby animals. We saw baby pigs and chicks and Liam tryed his hand at milking a fake cow. Not bad for a boy who used to be terrified of cows. Even the one's on the side of the road in fields used to make him scream but not anymore. You go Liam your Papa would be proud!
This is the big Budweiser Clydsdale truck, it was massive. So of course we had to climb on for a picture.
This was sooo cool, Liam got to climb into a Army jeep, sit up top and hold onto the rifle up top and turn the crank and spin the whole seat around. I know we shouldn't encourage violence but come on you know you want a turn. He was so excited how could I say no. His dad was so jealous I could tellnhe was replaying a video game in his mind the whole time.
Yes that is me sitting in a torpedo, I make sensless violence look good.

Baby Business At The Calgary Zoo!

No matter who you are or how tough you might try to act everyone coo's over a newborn baby. Even if it looks like a monkey and smells like one too. This is the newest addition to the Calgary zoo. Not sure on the specifics I just know when I walked into the Gorilla exhibit this is what I found. One tired baby and her very tired Momma. I can sooo feel her pain. They were beautiful and amazing to see.

There are many people who think zoo's are cruel and inhumane but I still think they have a pretty darn good life here in Calgary. Besides when am I ever going to be that close to a baby gorilla without the threat of being beaten to death by a herd of monkeys. So I will enjoy it while it lasts.