Happy Birthday to my little Boy

Happy Birthday Caleb! I can't believe you're a one year old already! It has been so incredible to see you grow from a tiny 5 lb baby boy, into a fun, active, joyful one year old!

Just days before you were born... I thought we'd have more time together... just the two of us.



But you came 6 weeks early... before you, I, or anyone was ready. You were so tiny and fragile.

But so peaceful and beautiful amidst so much pain and hurt.

The first time we met... I waited days to see you... and it was worth it. You were cuter than the pictures the nurses brought up to my room!

And then we got to go home together. Even though life was still not as is should have been, I was still so happy to have you home.

You slept, and grew, and smiled, and cried.

And all of a sudden you didn't look like a preemie baby anymore!

You smiled and laughed when the rest of us were crying.

And started to bounce around!

We went places together...

And snuggled in bed together to watch some TV when it was raining outside!

You started to eat all kinds of new foods... and loved them all!

And before I knew it, you were sitting on your own, then rolling, and now you're crawling and racing me around the house getting into trouble!

What a fun little man you've become. We have so many good laughs and giggles together.

I love coming into your room in the morning to see you standing and laughing in your crib. You're always so happy to see me. What a great way to wake up!

Caleb, this year has been less than perfect... but I am still so thankful to have you with me. Know that I love you deeply, and am so proud to be your mommy.

Summer Fun, Wedding Fun, And Another To Come?...

Hey Everybody! Brace yourself for a long post with tons of pictures. As many of you may know, Doug and I had a funfilled Saskatchewan adventure this past week! My little sister Angela got married last Saturday, so Doug, Caleb, and I hit the road and made our way out to the promised land. We left Abbotsford Friday night at 5pm and drove through the night! I was a bit worried about how the drive would be with an 11 month child, but Caleb was fabulous! He ended up sleeping throughout most of the 17 hour drive, which was quite nice. Here was the view from the backseat...

We were lucky to experience a gorgeous, hot, week in Saskatchewan. It was quite amazing to be back at my parent's farm. So peaceful, relaxing, and quiet! Here's the view from the house:

One highlight from the trip, Carolin, a German exchange student who lived with parents a while back came out for the wedding! It was so, so, good to see her again. She is one of the girls in our family, let's call her sister/daughter #4!

One night we had a great bonfire outside in the backyard. Here's a few shots from that night. I think Caleb is totally out in this picture. Trish must have lulled him to sleep.

Doug and I being all wild and crazy, snapping one for the books.

Doug playing around with the color swap option on our camera.

Caleb has a new best friend... his papa! My dad and Caleb have quite a love for each other. They would disappear for hours on end going to the barn, looking at animals around the farm, going truck shopping. By the end of the week Caleb would lunge out of my arms if my dad walked by... I guess I'm no longer the favorite!

The paddling pool sure felt good in the 30 degree weather, eh Caleb?

The majority of the week was taken up by wedding preparations! Here's the reception decorating in progress. It looked absolutely beautiful in there... it felt like you were at an outdoor wedding in a tent! So incredible.

And then the big day arrived. Here's Ang and Tyler reciting their vows (I obviously didn't take the picture since I was on stage. But how did Doug take these pictures... I thought I heard an announcement that there were no pictures allowed!?)

The newly married couple... Tyler and Angela Friesen! You looked beautiful Ang.

Picture time! Here's Dad and Caleb having fun with a Frisbee.

Silly Auntie Trish! Caleb is so lucky to have so many beautiful Aunties!

The lovely couple smooching away for the camera!

Here's a cute pictures of Ang's dress and flowers. They were both gorgeous!

It was quite difficult to get a family pic while I was wearing my necklace. Caleb has a great fondness for jewelery of any kind...

Me and my squirming (soon to be) one year old.

Here's Caleb and his Nana. Gotta love the necklace, once again.

A picture of the bridesmaid flowers. So beautiful.

Here's Caleb at the reception. He was quite entertaining, and distracting, to everyone around him. He has this new thing where he starts laughing quite hard whenever he sees pictures of other children. This proved to be quite funny when the slideshow at the reception began. As pictures of Ang and Tyler as children went up on the screen, all you could hear in the quite hall was Caleb, full out belly laughing and squealing.

And that was the wedding! We arrived home to some exciting news, Doug's sister Kristi is getting married! Keith popped the question yesterday, and now we'll be gaining another new brother in law! Congrats you two! We love you both!

And finally, some pictures from this morning. What do you get when you put together a one year old, some fresh raspberries, and a camera? A mess! (and lots of fun.)

It's time for some fun... (and some new pictures)

Who's sick of looking at those golfing pics? I sure am! Here's a bunch of pictures from the last few weeks (months, actually).

What's this kid looking at anyways?


Okay, could this guy not be in an ad for mascara?

A couple of weeks ago Doug, Rosanna, and I headed into Vancouver to spend the day with our good friends from Calgary. Rosanna and I were patiently waiting for their ferry to arrive, as you may see below.

We decided to head to Lynn Canyon for some hiking and sweet suspension bridge action.

Not as fun as it looks, trust me.

It was fun seeing you two, Gord and Janice. Come back soon!

Two weeks ago Doug, Caleb and I decided to visit Seattle for the weekend. We found a hotel downtown and spent the weekend exploring the piers, Pike's Place, and of course the space needle. It truly is one of the most beautiful and exceptionally clean cities I have ever visited!

The view from up top.

After seeing this picture I am convinced that Caleb looks like his father!

Take the picture already Dad!

And, here's the view from the bottom. Also, not as fun as may think to ride up to the top. I hate elevators. This one is a 41 second, very fast, ride to the top. Enough said.

Caleb really loves his stroller. He spent probably 12 hours that day in his car seat or stroller, and loved every minute of it. I think he's so fascinated by all the views and people that he's as quiet as a mouse!

On Monday Doug and I took advantage of the one nice day here in the lower mainland, and spent the afternoon at the beach in White Rock. Caleb loved the water and sand, as well as all the other kids and dogs! All of a sudden he spotted a large chocolate lab, who saw Caleb an instant later, and the next thing I know there's a huge dog on our blanket licking and sniffing Caleb's ears and neck! Caleb loved it... he was giggling and squirming with joy, while the owners were mortified. Quite the event. As you may also observe, Caleb has learnt to crawl! He's really getting around these days.

And then my camera ran out of batteries. Maybe I'll have more pics in a couple of months.

A Time to Golf...

Last Saturday was a glorious day here in Abby, so Doug, Caleb, Rosanna, and I decided that we should definitely hit the driving range for a little fun. It was Caleb's first time golfing, and I think he's a real natural.

Hmmm, I think this club is as big as my head.

He may be cute, but he's got a lot to learn.

Doug and I working it over.

A family shot. Just so you all know, Doug promptly had his hair cut that afternoon. He looks much better now.

This self portrait was intended entirely for Rosanna's viewing pleasure, but I thought I'd show off my new hairdo to you all.

And because it was just too cute, 2 more pics for you. Caleb made a new friend last week. It was his first experience with a dog, and he's just like his dad... and animal lover. Dreyfus (the dog) would sniff and lick his ear and Caleb would just giggle and get so excited. As Caleb was relaxing on his blanket, Dreyfus decided to snuggle up close. The two of them were the best of buds for that afternoon.