Another day at the Calgary Zoo

Grayson and I took in a cool, rainy but very nice morning at the zoo with Joanne and Hudson. The boys couldn't have enjoyed themselves more...well maybe if they had been able to run around all by themselves they would have. We saw Gorillas, Hippos and Giraffes, who were inside this time. And as Joanne said, the Hippo was making a noise similar to something you would hear in Jurassic Park. We went for a stroll to the play park and en route Grayson decided that sitting, well falling, into a puddle was a good idea. He didn't get too wet, but didn't mind either way. The boys played for a bit in the park and then we went to lunch. After lunch we saw the primate exhibit with all the cool monkeys. Grayson fit right in. Then the boys spotted the wandering Peacock, yep Grayson saw it this time. And they tried to run after it. I kept telling Grayson it would peck his eyes out but he didn't seem to care. I have to say though, one of the funniest moments of the day was when Grayson walked up to an older boy, not too much older but visibly so, and pulled his soose, dummy, pacifier, whatever you may call it out of his mouth. The boy was absolutely horrified. He was too old for one anyway. After all that fresh air and toddling around, Grayson fell asleep in the car on the way home and continued to sleep for over 2 hrs. Mommy got to relax and watch her weekly dose of Days of Our Lives...cheesy yes but SO entertaining. So even with the slight rain and cooler temps today, it was a great day and we can't wait to do it again.

I almost forgot. Yesterday we were at Joanne and Hudson's again to play and Hudson was riding on his bike. Well Grayson has the same one, but we left it in Kelowna, so he decided he wanted to ride it too. However, he didn't let Hudson get off first and decided they could share. It was TOO funny!!!

Thanks for the awesome pictures Joanne.

PS: OK I am not allowed any more pictures I guess, as they are not uploading. I will try another post.

My favorite

Okay, I know this is already in the "Fun in the Sun" post but this is my favorite picture from our Kelowna trip. You can't see his face but there is just something about it that I love!!!

I can't wait to take him on more trips and get more fantastic pictures like this one.

Thanks for the picture Dad.

Evolution of a chair...and a boy!

We picked this chair up even before Grayson was born. It is one of those vibrating, toy attached baby chairs...but this one grows with the child and turns into a toddler rocker. So, here is Grayson with the chair over the last year.

The first picture shows him at 2 days old. And I believe the second is within a couple of days of that...either before or after.

This picture was taken in September when Grayson was about 2 months old. Even here you can see how much bigger in the chair he sits.

These last 2 are from our recent visit to Kelowna. Not only does he know all the toys, he can take the bar off and climb into the chair himself.

I thought I had more pictures in between September and now but they must only be in my mind...or Kathryn has them. If you do send me one from January OK. I just thought it was neat to put how much he has actually grown against an inanimate object that he has had since birth. These things tend to surprise me since I see him all the time. Spending 24/7 with him I lose the reality of how much he has grown and changed.

Fun in the Sun

There is nothing like Kelowna in the heat of the summer...and the backyard pool helps a lot too.

Grayson and I went to visit Granny and Grampa and make full use of their home and pool. It was such a nice visit. Mommy got to leave with Auntie Krista and take a wine tour, and bring a couple of bottles home, I saw a movie, and was able to go to the Farmer's Market without a baby in tow. Grayson didn't do too badly for himself. He was waited on hand and foot and was treated like the king he already thinks he is.

He got a new swing, went to the beach and the park, and was walked around the property at his command.

He tried all the veggies Gramps had in his garden, and as you can see he was not too sure about the tomato he just bit into. He also took in the pool with Granny, but wasn't too sure of Grampa. I think the big burley man with the mask and snorkel, spraying him in the pool scared him a bit. He got new water wings and a chair like home that he used on his visit. He had so much fun....and mommy was able to relax, that when time came to go home neither of us wanted to. So we now know what we will be doing next summer while daddy is working, but this time we will get someone to watch the cats. They were not too happy with us when we got back. All in all it was a great time and we can't wait to do it again!!!! And I know Granny can't wait until we do it again. She thinks her house is too quiet now without the babble of a certain toddler...not to mention the exercise from chasing after him and cleaning in his wake.

Going to Kelowna

Grayson and I are off to Kelowna in the morning to visit with Granny and Grampa Brown. Mommy's Auntie May is also there, and Grayson's Auntie Krista. I am just hoping the ear infection he has begins to clear up soon and he sleeps better. The last couple of days have been pretty bad.

The weather is supposed to be pretty hot, so Mommy is hoping to spend lots of time out by the pool. With all those people there to watch Grayson it should be nice and relaxing for me. That and they live near lots of Wineries so I should have a grand old time...that and Krista and I may just tour 1 or 2.

I will publish a post with pictures when I get back on Saturday or Sunday. Ta Ta for now.

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

Yesterday we took Grayson to the zoo. It was a fantastic day. Clear and sunny and pretty warm. We tried out his new red wagon, which he sits and rides in quite well. First thing we did was take a trip through the Dinosaur area.

There Shane tried to show Grayson the different dinosaurs and see if he had any interest. He liked touching the statues, besides that he just wanted to wander around.


From there we took a trip around the zoo seeing all the different animals. We saw lions, hippos and giraffes all in the African pavilion.

Then we just continued on our merry way. Shane got a Screamer, which is a slurpee float, I got an ice cream and Grayson had is fruit and yogurt for lunch. He didn't want any of my ice cream. As we were on the path heading out of the zoo, a peacock strolled out of the shrubs.

Grayson was just sitting playing in his wagon and didn't really seem to interested in the bird beside him. I think he is still a little young, but will continue to take him to the zoo to see the animals. It is still fun for mommy, and great to do with daddy when he is home.

Birthday Party: Take 2

OK, where did I leave off? Grayson got lots and lots of presents and loved opening every one. He got everything from new clothes and toys, even though Mommy and Daddy had put in a "no toys clause", our house is only so big and is VERY full of toys; to games and money. So much money that he is richer than his mommy. And as you can see he truly loved the paper even if it was pink and girly as Daddy said.

From there came more eating, drinking and frolicking...but then came time for the cake. As I said before this was a big day and a special cake, so Grayson got a whole piece to himself, and MAN did he enjoy it. Not quite as messy as the cupcake but he still managed to get both hands in and shove as much in at one time as possible. Also note that he is not the cleanest boy when it come to putting anything in his mouth. Even drinking milk from a sippy cup results in a mess...okay maybe that time it wasn't a sippy cup but who can remember.

All the fun and excitement of the day left one little boy SO pooped that he didn't even make it through dinner. Now we are not sure if this is a sugar coma from all the cake he ate or just simple exhaustion. Either way I think the day went over quite well and I am very excited for the years to come when the party really becomes more for him than for me.

Daddy is home!!!

Shane got home on Monday night, so I may be slacking off a bit this week. I am going to try and finish the birthday party story, and we are trying to go to the zoo on Friday so I will create a post about that. Next week we are off to Kelowna for a few days to visit Granny and Grampa, Mommy's Auntie May, and Grayson's Auntie Krista. Hopefully the weather stays warm as I am looking forward to getting into the pool! I will publish a post or 2 with pictures from there as well.

Bye Bye

Birthday Party: Take 1

All right. I will attempt to publish some of Grayson's 1st birthday party stuff as I wait for him to wake up. It all started with a small celebration and a cupcake of his very own on Monday July 17, 2006...his actual 1st birthday.

That night it was just Grayson, Mommy, Auntie Krista, and Auntie Carmen. He had fun and was head to toe in cupcake when it was all said and done.

Then came the weekend and all our guests arrived. We had quite a few people show up or send stuff along for this little boys birthday.

It was Saturday July 22nd and the weather was smokin' hot. The backyard still didn't have a fence, so we made due with our decorations. It was a pirate theme, and mommy had a special cake made, Grayson wore a pirate hat...for about a minute, and everyone ate lots of food.

Grayson had lots of balloons and rather enjoyed being outside with friends and family to celebrate his special day. Then came the presents, again he was a very spoiled little boy and the pile of presents in the sandbox was huge. Not to mention the stuff he had already received and the stuff that had still to arrive.

Someone is awake so this is to be continued......

Just had to!!

OK, I know I said I would write about Grayson's 1st birthday party, but I was just sent this and had to publish it. It is from my friend Mike in Ottawa...the family Speakman link to the right. His son Caleb is 2 months younger than Grayson and as you can see, getting used to the proper technique of the "camping" chair. Mike the label should be WAY more legible. Grayson's chair beverage of choice was a little more tame, but boys will be boys and he had his first beer at 5 1/2 months thanks to his Auntie Kathryn.






Thanks for the pic Mike. Have a great time in Nanaimo.

Party Time

Well, as I was sitting to compose this I realized that I have yet to publish a post about Grayson's 1st birthday party. I am just doing a quick one now, but will sit and write volumes at a later time.

So, for those of you who do not know, our rugby team had something in the water 2 seasons ago and 5 of us got pregnant. Needless to say, last summer was the summer of the "Ram-lamb". One girl, Jade was born 3 weeks before Grayson and a boy Tazer was born 3 weeks after Grayson. Today we had Grayson and Tazer's "Ram-lamb" party. It was a small gathering of the lambs and their mommies and a couple of others who could not make the other party. I slacked off on the picture taking so am counting on one of the other fantastic mommies to send a few my way. For now you get Grayson in the nifty All Blacks, the New Zealand International rugby team's, polo shirt and his new Spiderman chair that D and Reese...well all the Allards got him. He thoroughly enjoys it.




The kids had a great time eating cupcakes and running around the yard naked as jaybirds. Thanh had a little pool put out, so Jade, Grayson, and Tazer were making use of it. Margo could not be there, and Aidan is not quite mobile yet. Next for the birthdays is Margo who will be 1 at the end of September.

Again, I am sorry for neglecting to post about his previous party and I will get on that. It will be big and filled with pictures so may have to be done in 2 parts. But it will be done.

Ta Ta for now.

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THANK YOU!!!!

HOLY BEDHEAD BATMAN

Well, someone had a great 2 hour nap this afternoon and had the bedhead to show for it.



You know it's bad when you can't even keep a straight face when looking at yourself in the mirror...see exhibit A. And oh Alfalfa is that you?

Our Eventful Day!!

OK, as I stated yesterday, I tried to post this before but ran into a few difficulties. So, here I go again.

Yesterday was a very funfilled, eventful day for Grayson and I. It started off with a visit from Kim at about 8:30 am at which time Grayson was showing off his new chair and how he plans to use it.

Fine form if I do say so myself. He has been taking tips from the rest of our family.

From there we were joined by Thanh, Tazer and Jayme and went to a U-pick Garden. We went out for Strawberries but due to the fact that their season is winding down, trying to fill a basket was next to impossible. Therefore we picked lots of fresh veggies, and I tried to make a cabbage soup out of it. I think it is pretty tasty, but who am I to judge. It was too dirty and mosquitoy so I do not have any pictures to publish. It was so much fun and I am so glad they showed us where it is so we can go again next year.

From there we returned home for a nap, which Grayson needed as he didn't even make it home and fell asleep in the car.

After the nap we again met up with Thanh and Tazer and went to another new waterpark...well new to us anyway.It was fun and Joanne and Hudson also met us there after daycare, which happened to be in the same area. Some of Joanne's other friends were there too and because of that Grayson got to snack on one of his favourite things, cherries...which we are all out of.

I wish we had known about all these fun water parks earlier on in the summer, because even though yesterday was Calgary's hottest day so far, there have been many a day that a trip to the waterpark was called for. From the waterpark we went back to Thanh and Tazer's house for dinner and more playtime with friends.

All in all it was a great day and we were both pooped after. Mommy more than Grayson however as he didn't fall asleep until about 9pm...I think it was a little too exciting for him, he needed that extra time to unwind.

I would like to thank all our friends who helped occupy or time and make yesterday and many other days in the past and future so much fun. I look forward to publishing many more funfilled posts in days and months to come.

Technical Difficulties

OK, I am trying to publish a nice post on what Grayson and I did today, but seem to be experiencing difficulties. I will try again during his nap tomorrow. For today however I will leave you with this...my little model!!

Long Weekend Blues

I never know when it is a long weekend anymore. Once you become a stay at home mom, whose partner is only home every third week, everyday seems like the same day...MONDAY!!

I am trying to get Grayson to nap right now so I can do the same. I was sitting here thinking about all those people out enjoying themselves with the extra day to play. We have every day to play and it loses its spark after a while. There are only so many times to go to the Zoo or Heritage Park before you know everything. And with the way the weather has been so uneasy lately, going to the lake is always touch and go. That and Grayson really doesn't sleep when we are out so I have to keep on such a tight schedule.

I think of all these things, and then all I have to do is look at this face and I forget my troubles and remember it isn't about me, it is all about him. And really that is all that matters. As long as he is healthy, happy and cared for all is right in our lives.

But really I must go nap now, I think another tooth is coming as someone hasn't been the best sleeper the last couple of nights.

TA, TA.

Reality TV is making me crazy!!

Summer is here and that brings with it Big Brother. Of course I am hooked...but COME ON!! This is an All-star edition and they are all stupid. Do any one of them really think they can be in an alliance with Dr. Will and Mike Boogie; A.K.A "Chilltown". I did not see the original show they were on, but give me a break. These people are obviously the stupidest people alive to think that they are playing for and with anyone but the two of them. Look at them they are manipulators at their best...give your heads a shake and open your frickin' eyes!!! Oh and Janelle you give blondes...even fake ones, a bad name!! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!! You are their biggest pawn and they have you right where they want you. Man, this has been bugging me for weeks.
Thanks for letting me vent.

The Water Park

So Grayson and I went to a Calgary Water Park today with Joanne and Hudson.The weather wasn't as hot as it has been but it was a good time. There are a couple of play parks along with the fountains and stuff, and the boys really seemed to enjoy themselves. It is something we will definitely do again. After the park we took the boys to McDonald's, and they both had a grilled cheese happy meal. Grayson quite enjoyed it and ate it up like a big boy. He was so pooped when we returned that he has been napping since before 1pm. I think we will do this type of thing more often.

Vegas Baby!!!

OK. So as I said Mommy and Daddy left Grayson with Granny and Grampa and went to Vegas. Besides being 41`C on average everyday, it was Fantastic and something we would do again...but with another couple or two. Shane really wasn't a fan of walking around everywhere and shopping. Also, I wanted to see a show but he isn't too into those. We did do a time-share presentation the first morning, but got a helicopter tour of the strip at night out of it...so needless to say it was a good 2 1/2 hrs wasted. Our pictures from the helicopter were pretty bad so unfortunately I don't have any to publish.

As I said, we did a lot of walking around and site seeing. We went to the Hoover Dam for a tour.

And did lots of walking around on the strip. These are the only photos we took, and many of them are what you would see in any add for Las Vegas.

Okay, so this picture on the left was our hotel...it is mid-strip and quite nice for the price. On the right is the Volcano at the Mirage. We could see it from our hotel room window and it was spectacular when it was on at night.

If you have ever wanted to go to Vegas and have put it off, enough is enough...go and see the strip. It is a trip worth doing.