Mommy's Favourite Present

Christmas has come and gone and we have been SO busy! And although Christmas was a few days ago, MY present came today...in the form of an ultrasound! I am 18.5 weeks pregnant, and that means that the ultrasound can now detect the gender! Curious?!

ITS A...

Thats right.. I am seriously becoming outnumbered! Oh well, at least I can still refer to my clan as "my boys" and I love every single one of them! And maybe my little ballerina will make her appearance as baby number 3. I mean, third times the charm - right?!

The Parental Secret

So its no secret to anyone that kids grow up. It is, however, a secret held amongst parents as to how fast this happens. You can't understand the speed of a child's growth until you experience it first hand in raising the little weed.

Now that Noah has passed the year mark, it seems that every day holds a new something (something as in a new talent, adventure, discovery...you get the picture). He amazes me all the time! He has likes and dislikes (which change constantly) and he is really becoming his own person.

Case and point: The Elmo Song!

By now, Wes and I know all the words (not that there are many) as we have heard it a hundred times. Noah has gone as far as starting to sing along with the "la, la, la, la" parts. And thanks to modern technology (a.k.a. youtube), our little guy can listen to it all day long (...uhm, yay?!). Our squirmy little toddler who would never sit through anything longer than 2 seconds (I wish I was exaggerating) has found his weakness with this song. Whenever it plays he can't help but get a huge smile on his face and wiggle his little body along with the music (...so really, my lost IQ points are completely worth it).

From our family to yours, we give you...The Elmo Song. You're welcome!

Splish Splash

So tonight marked a very interesting experience for us as parents. One that I'm sure all parents get the joy of experiencing at one time or another. Noah popped a squat in our bathtub!!! There, I said it! But here is how it all came to a stinky situation:

Wes decided to show Noah a "fun trick" with a bottle of pop he had bought me (I'm loving gingerale these days...ahhh cravings) which essentially consisted of him shaking it and then OPENING THE TOP! I swear, for someone who is so science-based he can be really foolish! Needless to say that my pop got all over Noah and his highchair... lovely! So because this was all Wes' fault [see how I used this angle] I talked him into giving Noah a bath. I suppose I should say at this point that I can't actually remember the last time Wes gave Noah a bath. Its sort of a Mommy thing in our household. So Daddy doing it was a huge deal!

So anyways, everything was going smoothly. Noah had been all cleaned up, and was just playing around. Everything seemed normal except for one thing... for THIS bath there was one fart-y (is that a word?!) little boy. I made a joke that he was going to poop in the tub and sure enough within minutes he squatted down and started making the infamous "pushing noise". Before Wes could grab him, there is was... a floaty friend. (I hope you're not eating as you read this...)

What happened next was all a blur... (basically because I was blinded by tears because I was laughing so hard!).

Wes started yelling in disgust, Noah was running around naked and dripping water everywhere, and I was crossing my legs as I literally laughed until it hurt.

Needless to say, Wes hates poop (he always has). I think poop is just one of those Mommy things - because I didn't find anything gross about the situation. I mean, its just poop! I see Noah's poop everyday. The fact that Noah actually went (of all times) while in the bath and with Daddy was hilarious!!! To Wes? Not so much.. I told him that he needs to lighten up if he is ever going to make it in this line of work. His reply was to remind me that I didn't clean it up: he did. Good point! No bath, a comedy show, and no clean up?! Looks like I'm the winner tonight!

Thank you Noah for a wonderful evening of pure happiness... even if it has cost me a lifetime of bath-giving!

Happy Halloween!!!

So Halloween has come and past (and so has all of Noah's candy...oops!) and I felt like it needed a blog post. We had a great Halloween weekend. Everything was kept simple, and we only went Trick Or Treating to a few houses (and since Noah is so young he was none the wiser!)

This year we decided to dress up like a family of skeletons! It was pretty easy considering I completely cheated and bought us all outfits online. What did I say? We kept everything simple!

So here we are.. the skeleton family of 4! Yes, I said it. Family of 4. I am due May 26th, and since we were able to tell everyone so close to Halloween, we thought we'd make it a fun announcement!

Halloween brought more than just family-expanding announcements, though. This year, Noah went Trick Or Treating! It was his first time and he did fantastically. He seemed really confused every time someone put something in his little pumpkin basket, but was friendly and was always smiling at everyone we spoke to. After the handful of doors (which were all really just neighbour friends of my parents) we went back to Nana and Papa's house and dumped out his pumpkin basket on the floor [insert wide eyed little boy here]. He was so excited! This excitement ended up in Noah being able to eat wayyyy too much chocolate KitKat bars, and thus went to bed after a drawn out sugar high. But man, he was the cutest sugar-hopped up skeleton I've ever seen!

For Halloween this year, I also made homemade caramel apples (yum!) for my Sunday School class (which is actually just filled with the Deacons). Here is a picture of those beauties. It was a new recipe which I made the night before (which is always asking for trouble) so I'm SO glad they turned out! Who knows... maybe I'll have to make them every Halloween.

We had a wonderful Halloween and we hope that your family did too!

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope that Thanksgiving has brought you plenty of family togetherness, relaxation, and bloated bellies! Thanksgiving has always been my absolutely favourite holiday because the food is absolutely amazing (and it is completely socially acceptable to gorge!), the weather is amazingly crisp and so very fall (which, I love!!), and there is TONS of family time. But this Thanksgiving was a touch different for us.

We always have Thanksgiving with my parents...regardless of it held in Mississauga or Temagami, I don't have to cook for it because my awesome Mom does it all (and does it well!). But this year, they ditched us to visit my Aunt in NY. I mean... are Canadians even allowed to leave Canada over Canadian Thanksgiving? That seems like blasphemy...

So we were left alone, and for once, I had to cook the entire meal. I don't mind cooking.. it is just a huge undertaking! We had turkey, stuffing, gravy (which was a huge success even though this scared me the most!), cranberry sauce (okay.. that just involved opening a can...), jelly salad, garden salad, rolls, mashed potatoes, veggies, pumpkin pie, and apple cider... phew. I'm getting tired just thinking of all the work. I swear that Moms are AMAZING. Not tooting my own horn, per se, but the more I do, the more I realize how awesome Moms (and mostly my Mom) really are. I have a whole new appreciation for Moms as a whole now that I have my own family.

....What was I saying?!... Oh right... making food....

So anyways, while I cooked my butt off (side note: I wish cooking was a work out...) Wes took time out of studying to watch Noah...which is much harder than it sounds because Noah has this nasty habit of loving to be in the kitchen while Mommy is doing all sorts of really interesting things (all of which, he'd love to see up close... while I balance him on my hip). So to prevent Noah from grabbing onto my legs and pleading with me to pick him up, Wes made a makeshift baby gate at the doorway to the kitchen. Interested in your own homemade baby gate? Its simple, really. He used only the finest materials: a cooler, rifle case, and two rubbermaid containers. This contraption was, of course, made by trial and error. Trial as in Wes thought he was successful in keeping Noah blocked, and error by Noah squeezing his way to Mommy. The end result allowed Noah to watch me from the doorway, and Wes to continue studying as I kept an eye on Noah at the door. So efficient!

Wes did take a study break when Ry came over (my parents ditched him over Thanksgiving too...) in time for dinner. And there we sat...attempting to eat our weight in turkey: HUGE FAIL! I didn't even make that much...but it seemed like 3 adults, and 1 baby (who eats as much as I do) didn't even make a dent. Guess I know what we're eating all week.... at least my grocery bill will be small!

The day ended with one passed out baby, 2 mugs of apple cider, and a rented movie (which I'll shamefully admit was that new Fast & Furious movie...Fast 5 or something like that...). Maybe one of these days Wes will actually watch a whole chick flick with me...sigh....

About Face!

So here is it: the mass question-answerer-thingy about the military and why the heck we are choosing to live our lives "in danger." A lot of people are intrigued by our choice.. and I suppose rightfully so, as the military is not a usual route for.. oh, lets say... a Pharmacy student to take.

Here are the basics we get asked most often:

Year Joined : 2008

Current Rank : Office Cadet

Will you serve in Afghanistan?: Most likely not, and if yes, Wes will be FAR from danger (he cost them too much money to lose).

Which area are you? : Air Force (although Wes is considered a "purple" (medical), and can be used in the Army, Air Force, or Navy.

How long will you be in the military? : Wes has a commitment for a total of 8 years (4 during University, and 4 as a working Pharmacist), but we are planning to remain in the military until retirement.

Aren't you worried he will die? : No more than any other wife would...

Now onto the juicy stuff...

We basically learn as we go along with the military, but this is what we have found out thus far about how our lives will be effected once Wes graduates:
First and foremost, once Wes graduates, he is not a licensed Pharmacist until he takes his licensing exam (which he has to wait at least 3 months after graduation in order to try his hand at). But, the day he graduates his rank changes from an Officer Cadet to a Second Lieutenant (pronounced LEFtenant - silly British) and with that his pay increases quite substantially (yay!!!). He will also at this time start a 6 month rotation for the military (which is usually completed in a Hospital - and most likely in the Toronto area).

Once he completes his licensing exam and is a full-blown Pharmacist, he is then promoted to Captain (and once again, pay increase - yay again!!!). And sometime between being a graduating student, and being a Captain we will find out where we are being posted (which will be to a base, and no, it will not be in Toronto). We do get to give them our 3 top picks at some point, but they ultimately decide. Our top 2 picks so far (and by "Our" I mean "Mine" because Wes leaves things like this up to me...): Ottawa, and Borden (ie Barrie). We have always talked about moving far away with the military, such as to Vancouver Island.. but the truth is, all our friends and family live in Ontario, and we cannot afford a house in Victoria anytime soon (...thank you crazy housing market out west!...) which is something we plan to do once we are posted (purchase a house that is... not go to Victoria). And so yes, that is our future for the next 4 years in a tiny, messy bow.

People are always so curious as to why we'd choose the military, but for us it was very simple: it gave us the option for Wes to be what he wanted to be (without $60, 000-ish in debt), financial security for the future (which includes a guaranteed career, and full pension by the time he is 49), and allows him to make a living where we are able to have me stay at home, even while he is still a student (which has been a family ideal for us in terms of having children). There are obviously other factors that are private, but for the masses who wonder: No, we are not crazy - we know what we are doing and know that for us, this is a great option!

I'm backkkk...

So, today I remembered that I had a blog. Low and behold, 2 months have already gone by since I've last posted. All I can say is "oopsie!" Here's what you've missed (thanks to my laziness, of course):

Father/Son Camp
Wes was a house leader at Leadership (which the young men LOVED!)
Noah's 1st Birthday
Wes starting his last year of Pharmacy school (woohoo!!)
And mine and Wes' shared birthday (...I'm still younger, though!)

So... I'm not going to sit here and pretend that every detail of our lives are interesting (that's probably why we have no reality show..) so I'll just go into the summer memories that are much more fun to discuss.

Starting withhhh... my baby boy's birthday! So on September 3rd, Noah turned ONE! I cannot believe that a whole year has gone by since that terrible hospital soiree. Not to mention.. when did he grow?! I see him everyday and do not remember that happening. He is so big now - he is practically leaving for his mission!

Anyways, his birthday was nice and simple: a small party at Nana & Papas with 2 cakes (one for goober-handed Noah, and the other for fork-using individuals), tons of presents, and a Skype call from Grandma & Grandpa in Pennsylvania.



As for his big introduction to cake: fail! He picked at the sprinkles, ate some icing, and then was completely over the sugar rush! I should have just filled the entire cake pan with chicken... THEN he would have inhaled every last bite. Oh my little carnivore...

Besides my son getting ready to leave me, the biggest change to our family has been that school has begun! Wes' program went back to school earlier than most, and is only in class until December 9th! But its not as pleasant as it sounds! He is already worn out from the workload, and finding it very difficult to focus. The poor guy has been in University for a total of 6 years now (including this year, of course) and is very anxious to begin working (and I'm anxious for the pay increase that Captains receive!). The school years are always very tough on all of us: Wes does all the work and carries the stress (which doesn't make him very pleasant at times..), and Noah and I live our lives almost completely separate from him during his long school hours (which, during some months are from around 9am-2am). Pharmacy school is not for the faint of heart! BUT this is the last year, and come January, Wes only has to complete rotations before graduation. So until then we keep mumbling.. "Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th.."

Lately, we have also discovered a lot more about what is going to happen to us after he graduates. Since Wes has been going to Pharmacy school for the military (who then pays for everything, plus gives him a salary), he does owe them time afterwards (4 years to be exact). We get SO many questions about our choice for military life and how it all plays out... so I'm going to do a separate blog post concerning all that (that way, for those of you who don't care - you won't have to read it!).

So in a large nutshell, that is what is going on with our small family at this point in time. I am going to post more often, promise! :)

"Dad"dy's Boy

Ever wish you had more time to just have fun with the ones you love? Us too...

Normally our family life consists of me taking the reins and running the household because of Wes' incredibly demanding schedule (both with pharmacy school, and his summer postings for the military). Unfortunately, for our little family, that means that Daddy and Noah have very little time to interact on a day-to-day basis. Too often Wes is up and at school before Noah wakes, and returns home late at night when he is already asleep.

We understand that this is a really big sacrifice that has to be made for our family at this time in our lives... so we do the best we can to maximize our play time when we can.

*Cue Our Summer Vacation*

Usually in the summer Wes is posted to a military base in St. Jean, Quebec.. and I barely see him. But this year he was assigned to work in a pharmacy instead. And which pharmacy you might ask? Well.. the one beside our apartment complex, of course! (I realize this update is old.. seeing as how the summer is at its peak... but I have a point - promise!).

Anyways.. since he has been home this summer, and basically works a 9-5, it means we have ample family time.. which is something we are taking full advantage of! But more than this being so great for my relationship with my husband, it seems to be the most beneficial for our little Stink, as he and Dad have started to get really close. And boy does Noah love his Daddy! He is turning into such a Daddy's boy! I suppose it was inevitable though.. seeing as how I've become the enforcer, and Daddy is the play-time buddy.

Regardless of me being the mean one, everything is usually "Mom, mom, mom" with Noah... which makes sense, seeing as I'm usually the one with him. It has always been "mom," and never "dad." But today that all changed...

(Okay, enough with the background information blab and onto today's story... )

This morning Daddy got to enjoy the sweet sound of being called after by his little boy. Noah saw Wes sleeping from the hallway and began to get all wiggly in my arms and started calling out, "Dad.. dad, dad, dad." It was so cute and I can honestly say that I've never seen Wes wake up quite so happy before! And Noah couldn't get away from me fast enough and into Daddy's arms (which I don't mind because I get to do things like brush my teeth, haha).

Too bad Daddy had to go to work... which Noah made perfectly clear that he protested while Wes was backing out of the front door later that morning. Poor guy still doesn't understand why Daddy leaves when they are having fun...

Anyways, I hope that things don't go back to normal with this new approaching school year because I love seeing them interact like they have been this summer. They are just so cute together! It makes my mommy heart melt.

On another note... the hutch is being sanded tomorrow - stay tuned for updates! :)

I'm Addicted..

Is it possible to be addicted to your home? ...Or at least, your dream home? Because I'm not particularly in love with my apartment. It is small, half decorated, and not my own. But not having a house certainly isn't stopping me from dreaming and planning about my future home.

And as such I must confess that I am completely addicted to home renovation projects of all shapes, sizes, and budgets. I love finding new home blogs, renovation shows, and (I'll admit it) home magazines. ...Should a 24 year old be obsessed with these things?

Either way, it is not something about me that I want to change anytime soon - I am having too much fun! My husband might have something else to say about it.. but then again I guess I'd change his Magic card nerdom ..so we are equal.

Anyways, people who are addicted to things usually don't come to this understanding until something monumental occurs in their life to shake them to reality. My awaking? An ugly oak hutch.

Up until now the majority of my home-consumed interests have consisted of me and planning (and trust me, I do have some serious talent in that department). But today, for some odd reason, I decided that I needed to search furniture of Kijiji to find a project. And that is when I found it. The ugly hutch I just had to have. And I did have it.. before my husband could say otherwise. And I am picking it up tomorrow.



Now that I have included a photo, I feel I must defend my taste! First off, it is $50. Secondly, it is going to be painted white... or black... but probably white. If this will work or not, I'm not really sure - but for $50, I am willing to find out!

I feel like my addiction just took a nose-dive..

Here We Go

So.. I've done it. I'm a genuine blogging mommy. Now, I feel like we can't start this relationship off as a lie.. and as such I feel I must tell you that I broke down and started this blog because I am lazy. Does that make sense?

Well, first things first: The truth is that I know I should be keeping a journal. And trust me, I know that there are awesome reasons to do so. But my problem is that I am too lazy to sit there and write in a book. I mean, we are a right here, right now (minus online shopping shipping times, I suppose) society and as such I must say that I cannot sit and write in a book. I just can't.. I haven't got the patience. So blogging is really the best temporary fix I could conjure up. Does that make more sense?

Either way, let the online journal-ing begin...