Just Me and My Mom

One of Annabel's favorite books is Mercer Meyer's Just Me and My Mom.  This month we have plenty of time to practice the scenes!  Eric took a work trip to South Africa for 10 days, was home of 4 and then off to California for half a week.  It's conference season, but be in-between presentations, he is able to have fun.  He was able to meet up with our friends Cameron and Brent and they took in a baseball game and lots of golf.  

But, Annabel and I have been having fun too. 

On her birthday, we went to a big park.  This swing happens to be right about the height of Annabel's head, so when she ran towards it and it was rocking a bit, it swung up and hit her right in the chin!!  Down she went!!!  This happened twice.  She was ok and it struck me funny; I still giggle if I picture it.

DQ birthday treat!!

A couple weeks ago, we had rain for at least five days with one nice night in the middle of the week.  We took advantage and after work and day care, walked around the zoo.  These cougars were so close and so big!  The peacocks were fanning.  It was a beautiful night.  I found out that Annabel loves popcorn!

One very rainy Saturday morning we checked out the new indoor playground a couple towns away.  It was so nice.  Annabel played forever and had a lot of fun.  She went down this slide backwards on her stomach for awhile until she built up the courage to go on her bottom.  It was more fun that way.

We've made a couple trips to the library to gather books to entertain us in the evenings.  She was calm on this trip, but the next trip she thought the shelves of books were great places to run behind and dodge mom chasing after her. 

A walk around the neighborhood.  It's hard to say no when she brings me my coat and shoes.

Last night we had a great night!!  It was gorgeous out so after supper I decided we needed to go somewhere!!!  Jazz Fest free stage it was!  She danced and ate more popcorn!!  She held onto that bag tightly and didn't want to share.  By some miracle, there were no bugs!!

Walking the river area after the show. 

Lunch at the farmer's market where I had a delicious acorn squash, purple onion, and goat cheese pot pie with a veggie quinoa salad.  Annabel tried a bounce house for the first time...and it was free!!  She also loved the playground.

The hardest part about temporary single parenthood is getting us ready in the mornings and meal plans!  I took Monday off as Tuesday is Canada Day.  It was going to be impossible to find day care on Monday, so I'm enjoying an extra long weekend.  Tomorrow we are planning to get together at the church mom's group I frequented when Annabel was a baby and Tuesday there are some Canada Day events at a park.  I may be all parked out, but we will see.  I would love to watch some fireworks, but a 9:30 or later darkness makes it a bit challenging with a toddler.  

Overall, we are having a good time, but I think Annabel is missing Eric and tiring of only me as she is finding more and more ways to be mischievous.  At least Eric will be back to celebrate (after work) for the 4th!

We have a 2-year-old!!

Happy, Happy 2nd Birthday to Annabel!!

We spent a couple weeks in Wisconsin at the end of May, so we celebrated early.  Annabel loved opening up her presents and now responds with "cake?" when I talk about any party. 

She is talking more and more and surprising us with a new word about every day.  I asked her to put on her pajamas she got as a birthday present from Grandma and she started singing Happy Birthday!  She has been in the world for two years now and appears to be taking full advantage of figuring out how everything works.  She loves swimming, books, and her letter puzzle.  Her favorite foods are chicken, cheese, fries, peas, and fruit snacks.  Based on the amount she talks her friends at daycare, I think she likes them too.  We, of course, continue to greatly love being her parents!

Early present before our trip to Wisconsin.

Her first real doll.  

Pool at Buppa and Damma's.

We all had a great time at a birthday cook-out at Neil and Jodi's house.  Annabel loved playing with all of Ava's outside toys, especially the water table.

Annabel and cousin Ava

Enjoying her new Duplos from our friends here, Savannah and Warren
You can see our weather has been slow to warm up this year.

She even says "cool dude!"

Her new love is running and yelling "run" while doing so.

Being silly at Dada's eye appointment a couple months ago.

As her mama, I can't help but reflect a little on the day she was born and the past two years.  What a blessed day!

Happy Birthday, Annabel!

Happy, Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of our friends and family!  We hope you are all enjoying a nice dinner together.   We will join in our hearts from afar.  

We have been enjoying our four day (yes!) Easter weekend so far.  Even though Eric has spent most of Friday and Saturday grading essays I'm sure he now wishes he hadn't assigned, we've been able to do some fun Easter activities. 

Friday we were hoping to start the weekend out with a trip to a petting zoo at the mall, but tons of wet, icky snow with wind kept us home all day.  We hid Easter eggs a few times inside the house; Annabel has been insisting to keep the plastic eggs separated.  I guess she wants to hunt for twice as many!  I was hoping to find a large, organized egg hunt, but there didn't seem to be any in town.  Maybe next year I'll have to organize my own.  

This kept her entertained for quite awhile, but I'm not sure how safe it was as the main reason we were washing the eggs was due to them having an odor of gas or tar or something!

Playing at church before the musical last weekend.  She is really interested in letters lately.

Displaying one of her new long bibs made by Grandma Paula.  She requests this one saying "E-I-E-I-O," because the bottom has a barn on it. 

  We made homemade play dough.  It brought back memories of my parents making it for us.  She is sporting her new jammers she received for Easter from Grandma Paula.

She knows how to double-fist for Easter....egg in one hand, carrot in the other!

Saturday we greatly enjoyed a puppet show.  It was a half hour showed called Magical Munsch, based on the children's books by Robert Munsch.  We were unfamiliar with them since the Canadian author's stories seemed to have not crossed the border (except for I Will Love You Forever).  It's a wonder, because they are really funny!

The center of her egg is "re-row." ("blub, blub" bib made by Grandma).  Blub-blub is how Annabel says fish.

We left for church way later than planned, even though we were up fairly early for the 11 am service.  Does this happen to anyone else?  At the last minute we were scouring the house for Annabel's shoes, only finding one. 

Annabel liked looking for her Easter basket, even if we practically had to tell her where it was.  I look forward to watching her surprised expression every year.  So fun!!

We are now having a relaxing afternoon (actually, I have been making Raspberry Jello dessert {and, no, it is not a salad} for over an hour with no end in sight....how many steps are there?!! Mix this, then let that set for 30 min, then make this and let that set on that for another 30 min....I'll be lucky if it's all set by evening)  Our pastor and his family invited us to join their family Easter.  His children are all around our age and have little ones, so it should be a nice evening. 

Canadian Winter

Overall, winter was so bitter cold this year that we didn't spend a ton of time outside.  I'm so glad we did get out one weekend in February where the snow was beautiful and the temperature was mild.

I promise she was excited to finally go sledding. 

Thankful for friends who let us borrow an awesome snowsuit and Stonz boots!!  The suit worked great and the Stonz are just an excellent product.  Thanks, Nancy and Matt.

Pure sledding joy.

We walked through the Forestry Farm (zoo).  This lynz would have attacked Annabel had there not been a fence.  He growled and lifted his huge paws up at her. 

Annabel was running ahead and tripped, but didn't want her hands to touch the cold snow! 

Sometimes the long winter days inside get a bit long, so Annabel knows how to liven things up.  Cue Macho Man Randy Savage

Annabel LOVES this game that her and Eric invented.  One of them runs to a wall and stands really close it with their hands behind their back and then the other follows.  It goes on forever with lots of giggling.  I told you we are are just FULL of excitement around here.

Heading to daycare on hopefully one of the last snowy mornings.