HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Today was Oct.30. Not Halloween yet, but Ryder didn't know that. Ryder also didn't know that he was gonna get stuffed into a big, pouffy pumpkin suit, attire suitable for his first Halloween Party!

The party was for all the babies from our Pre-natal class. Some of them we've seen often and some we hadn't seen since April! I couldn't wait to see all the little cuties! This was going to be possibly one of the cutest days of the year...yep it was!!!

The babies were dressed in costumes fit for a Canadian Halloween...WARM ONES!!! They all got really hot in the house, but we got a group photo before they all stripped down!

We were among the first few guests to arrive and within minutes Ryder had grabbed both these guys' costumes and tried to eat them, making them both cry.....

Ryder spent most of the party in his diaper (his pumpkin suit was too hot.) Taylor lent him her sumo wrestler robe....

VISITING AIM

Last weekend, Marty, Ryder and I flew to Denver, Co, to visit, Aim, Shane and Max.

On the way home, Marty and I discussed our "highs and lows" of the trip. The highs included, bike rides, the pumpkin patch, the Mexican Feast Shane made us Saturday night, visitng with Julie, Todd and Elodie and watching Max and Ryder hang out together.

The bike ride was higher on Marty's list than mine. Aimee took me out despite my reluctance. The bike ride was the first since I broke my collar bone a year ago and I was scared shitless the entire time. Aimee was very patient with me, even though I was in full panic mode the entire ride!! I am glad I faced my fear though and had we stayed longer, I would have had Aimee take me out every day until I had my confidence back.

The pumpkin patch was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. I had never been to a pumpkin patch before and I had never seen sooo many pumpkins in one place. This patch had a petting zoo, bouncy houses and a hay maze! It was a great family place and it was packed with kids of all ages, excited to celebrate fall!

Shane's Mexican Feast was incredible!! No one makes enchilladas and beans like him!! :)

Julie, Todd and Elodie were in Denver so they popped into Aim's for the afternoon, Sunday. It was great to see them too. Elodie has grown soo much! She had beautiful eyes and a great smile. She looks like a perfect "mini me" of Julie!! :) I was also excited for them to meet Ryder!

Ryder getting to hang with Auntie Aim and Uncle Shane was pretty special!!

Actually, watching Aim with Max was pretty special too! She is a great Mom, so happy to just play with her adorable son!!

But the BEST, I mean the BEST was watching Max and Ryder. Max was sooo excited to see Ryder when he woke up Saturday morning. I wish I had recorded his voice saying, "Ryder, come. Ryder have. Ryder get me." I miss it already. Max made a point of making sure Ryder always had a toy, or a snack or a hug whenever he got one! For an 18 month old, Max sure is thoughtful! Just watching them interact was so entertaining! At one point, Max was on all fours trying to teach Ryder to crawl!! Adorable!!

Thanks, Coles, for a great weekend!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

October 25th is Dad's birthday. On this day, in memory of him, we still celebrate Dad's life with his favorite birthday dinner...Hamburgers and French Fries, Apple Pie and Ice Cream!!!

Obviously, this is from a long time ago, but I love it!! Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

For our burgers tonight, we went with some good friends of ours to a "build your own burger" joint downtown. Of corse, Ryder came too. Dad would have wanted him there and he would have spent the meal laughing at Ryder's chubby cheeks, his huge grin, his "flirting" ways with the waitress, the way he grabbed my plate while we were "cheersing" and almost dumped the whole thing on himself and me, the way he grunted the entire time I fed him his pureed carrots and apples and the way he took a huge dump, right there at the table, head turning red and all...yep, it would have all been right up Dad's alley!

I am sad that Ryder won't ever be hugged by his Grandpa Chet, but he will know lots about Grandpa because who wouldn't have a million questions to ask about a man who chose Hamburgers and French Fries, Apple Pie and Ice Cream for every birthday meal???

Questions like:

Did Grandpa used to read stories to you before bed? yes he did, all the time. He would also tell us his own stories, like the one about the "Boogie Man" who lived in our closets. He had us all believing...still to this day, I hate sleeping with my closet door open....

Did Grandpa make his own burgers from scratch? Yes he did! He'd make real fat ones and he'd use saltine crackers to help them stick together. One time he held a bunch of crackers over Auntie Dic's head and told us he could make them disappear, then he crunched them all up in his hands and dumped them on her head...it was funny....for me and him and Auntie Aimee!! LOL

Did Grandpa always play jokes on you? Yep! He was a real big joker. He sure like dumping things on Auntie's head. One time he dumped a huge can of glue on her head....Grandma and Nic DID NOT find that joke as funny as the rest of us did!! He had a real big laugh, it was loud and contagious!

Did Grandpa like Hallloween? Grandpa always helped us make our costumes! There wasn't anything he couldn't create with a garbage bag and some bale twine! He was also a master or design when it came to birthday cake creating. He and Grandma could make a cake into any shape we wanted!!

What was his favorite kind of cake?? I don't know...I'd have to say, he was more of an apple pie guy. That's why every year, on this day, we have pie to remember Grandpa and make sure that he knows we still think about him and love him!!! :)

7 MONTHS OLD!

Today, Ryder turned 7 months old. 7 months old!!!! He has grown cuter, louder and happier everyday! He now recognizes, Marty, Scout and I. He can giggle, eat mushed up "real" food, bathe in a tub, walk while holding our fingers for support, reach for things...(favorites include, the dog's water, my hair, Marty's nose, the remote and anything else he is NOT supposed to have.) He can anticipate rymes and enjoys story time. He can sit infront of the fridge and pull all the magnets off and he can fill a diaper to the brim!!! He probably could sleep through the night, but both he and I are in a habit (that we both secretly like) of getting up at least once to spend time rocking in the dark nursery, just he and I.

I cannot believe 6 whole months have gone by so quickly. I cannot believe that 7 months ago today, I became a MOM!! This is the BEST job I have ever had!!

As a 6 month old, Ryder....

...went on his first hike in the big backpack,

had a naked photo taken of himself and his dog,

...went to his first NHL hockey game,

...started eating baby food

..had to start wearing tuques to keep that bald head warm,

....ate his first hunk of cooked steak,

...went swinging with Dad,

....tried to "ride/eat" Scout,

...hung out a lot with his BFF, Scout!

SWIMMING

Took Ryder swimming today. We went to the public pool for the first time. I actually HATE swimming and figured the swimming thing would be Marty's job, but, Marty is busy working. I want to make sure we keep getting him in the water while he is a baby so maybe he won't hate swimming as much as me. We had a few opportunities this summer to get him in Lakes and outdoor pools but with the end of summer comes the end of outdoor swimming. Sooo....today, I decided to take him to the indoor pool just a few minutes drive from our house. I'd never been there before. I can't remember the last time I went to a pool just to "frolick." Anyway, we walked in at 2pm, public swim time. There were only 4 other people there and we were the only 2, under 50 years old in the place. Thank God, as I may have majorly underestimated the still ginormous size of my boobs!! Yikes! I had brought this string bikini to wear but it turns out the top was WAY to small for the parts I expected it to cover!! I promised myself that if my assets actually stayed hidden beneath the tiny spandex triangle, I would buy a tankini or a more "momish" suit to wear at the public pool next time!!

Ryder and I had the shallow end to ourselves. The lifeguard threw some toys in the water and he and I splashed and floated and chewed on pool toys for half an hour. I even dunked him three times. He didn't even cry once and my nipples didn't get out of my top, so I too left the pool without shedding any tears!

Day 1 of public swim: SUCCESS!!!

I AM TIRED!!

I am tired! Exhausted, actually.

Yep, I get to stay home all day with Ryder. Every day. I love it, I do, but that doesn't mean, I am not tired. I know, I know, I don't have to "go" to work. I could go to bed earlier, like at 8am, when he does. I could nap when he does (does he nap???) and blah, blah, blah, but, I don't. And I am tired.

I get up at least once, more often than not, twice in the night with him (hey, you can't maintain a figure like he's got without getting up in the night to eat,) I choose to walk while he naps in the stroller, or clean, or cook or fold laundry while he naps in his crib and I choose to stay up late watching crap on TV, blogging, editing pictures or talking on the phone. I know it's my own fault. I am tired. I never thought I would be. I mean I am one of those people who can normally function quite well on little sleep. I am a bit of an energizer bunny, going, going, going all the time, but the lack of sleep, after almost 7 months has caught up with me!! Fatigue is starting to mess with me. This morning, I woke up convinced it was the 15th of October. It's actually the 16th. This, I found out, after dragging both Mom and Ryder at 9:30am, 30 minutes west of Calgary to a Used Toy and Clothing Sale that was actually YESTERDAY, Oct.15th!! Ummm, what??? Am I really that messed up??? Apparently!!

Mom? Mom's been known to get her dates confused, or show up at things on the wrong day, but not me. NOT ME!!! That being said, I am glad Mom was with me. She has a great attitude about these kinds of mix ups. She just stood in the hall where we thought the sale was, staring at all the dressed up people who'd shown up to worship there, today. Sunday. The day that hall is transformed from a place where Toy sales are held, into a place of worship and laughed!! I think she was just glad it was me who had messed up the date and not her for once! Ha ha!!! I figured that all was not lost and that we could still make something productive come out of the drive. We could take the long way home and stop by the Farmer's Market..which we did, but, duh. The outdoor Farmer's Markets all end at the end of September as it gets too cold around here come October.

So, that ended up being a bust too...good thing Mom is a good sport! :)

The morning wasn't a total bust. We did drive by Dirt Face at the Farm where we stopped in to say hi. Good thing he is always there, nomatter what day or season!

I am tired and I really want to Blog, but I am going to go to bed. I will post a couple of fun pics just cause it's more fun to read Blogs with pics and then I am going to bed......apparently I need sleep....

Mom, Ryder and Scout, hangin' out.

Ryder in his car seat. He just looked so damn cute!

We will all be happy when Ryder is big enough to "chuck" the ball for Scout by himself!

THANKSGIVING

This past weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving, Ryder's first.

It was super special to me because I got to show him how much we have to be thankful for!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year involved food, yep, alot!

Family and friends, both furry...

..and not

A visit with my 31 year old horse

and a pumpkin suit ofcorse!

In the leaves we held a photo shoot

We laughed alot, it was a hoot

Thanksgiving this year involved giving thanks for the health of those we love

And for the love we shared of those looking down from above

Though we missed our family members who live far away

we thought about them lots on Thanksgiving day

And this celebration was super fun

because it included a special little one!!