This is what we were up to this weekend.

The weekend started with Lily's bath. For some reason, her hair was in a mood, and she looked like a rooster all weekend. Not a curl in sight, just stick straight hair. I tried everything: water, conditioner, lotion, hair product, a barrette and spit. Nothing would flatten it.

Her grumpa thought it was funny.

We stayed at the lake on Friday night, and drove to Fox Creek Saturday afternoon. It was a pretty drive, first through the farm country between Barrhead and Whitecourt, and then through the logging areas around Whitecourt to Fox Creek.

The wedding was my first opportunity to meet Bryan's extended family. They don't gather like our family, and tend to see each other only at events like this. I had met his Aunt Jenny (mother of the bride) at our wedding, but didn't meet his Uncle Russel until this fete. We also met Bry's cousin Robbie, his wife Chantal and their three boys - Aidan (6), Liam (4) and Seamus (2). Included in the meet and greet were the boys' grandparents Eddie and Veronica. They were all really nice, and the boys were just sweethearts with Lily.

(Clockwise from top - Bryan's sister Darlene, cousins Liam and Seamus and Aidan, and Lily)

The boys pretty much mobbed Lily as soon as they were introduced. She had fun playing with the boys, but I think they enjoyed it more. They 'helped' Lily play, but were really gentle and patient with her. It's funny how when kids are around, they will play with anything. We brought a little toy chest for Lily, full of simple toys that she loves. The boys had just as much fun playing with them as she did, even though the toys were only baby toys.

(Logan, nephew of the groom, Seamus and Aidan)

I told Bryan that I would love to have a picture of him dancing with Lily. Unfortunately the music selection didn't cooperate. Lily did finally make some moves to "Ballroom Blitz" but protested to being taken away from the fun. We had to though, so she wouldn't get caught up in the bane of all wedding goers...can you guess what dance the bridal party was doing?

(Please excuse the picture quality of the last one...it was dark, the flash wasn't working, and well, it was the chicken dance...)

Bryan didn't get to dance with either of us - the music was too fast, too loud or too country. Oh well. We have another wedding to go to, sans bebe, in September. I will save a spot on my dance card for that date. After the dance we made our way back to our hotel. We stayed at the Foxwood Inn, which seemed like a better choice than the Grizzly. It looked a bit rough. (This is where my dad would ask if it was a grisly place...) Joking aside, it was a nice hotel, clean and quiet. That's all you really need.

Since the complimentary continental breakfast my sister in law told us about was an imaginary meal, we had to find another option for breakfast.We made our way to the Inn next door to ours and had a pancake breakfast before heading to the gift opening. Lily 'helped' open presents, and did pretty well considering all of the morning activities were taking place during her usual nap time.

Before we hit the road, we had to stop to take a picture of one of the funniest things I have seen in a while:

Even better was that the tower is located directly beside the local RCMP station.

We made it home safe and sound, with a tired and hungry kid. She missed a meal during the day, so we were up for a midnight snack of warm cereal with applesauce and milk. After that she tucked in for the night, and slept until 9:30 the next morning. A good weekend away, but it's always better to be at home.

For my brother...

Hello again all,
It has been...quite some time since I last posted. But some monumental things have happened and I am definitely going to write about them. Two things in the last 2 days actually, my daughter Lily's' first birthday, and of course her first birthday party. I'll talk about the birthday party first. We invited a few people to come share our daughters first birthday; I think if we had better weather and a larger house we could have squeezed in several more. And the party was a rousing success, granted I was outside BBQing hamburgers for about an hour or so, and missed the small talk, but it did seem like everyone was having a good time. Especially my daughter, and well, being the guest of honor, that just seems fitting.

My lovely wife wrote a bit more about this in her post, which is why I am going to be brief.

More important of the two events, was the date of my daughters first birthday. Carrie has been outstanding, getting things ready, giving our front room a whole new look, getting supplies for the party, recovering from a nasty cold which I brought into the household; but that pales to the duty in which she has had for exactly a year.

Gestation aside, my lovely wife Carrie has been a mom for exactly a year; and basically this is the year end report. I couldn't be more pleased to have Carrie be my wife, and for her to be the mother of our wonderful daughter Lily. When I came home from work on Lily's birthday, I brought with me roses for Carrie; because to me, it's not only the celebration of my daughters birth, it is the day my wife gave birth to my daughter. Which has been profound in my life.
I have never had a year with more emotional highs than this last one and unfortunately with more emotional lows as well; I guess that's what being a parent is all about. But the highs definitely outnumber the lows by a good deal; when people talk about the joys of parenthood, a lot of them say it with a smile, a wink, a nod....occasionally a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean. It doesn't detract from it, for the most part, parenting is a joy.
Even with the lows, this last year, has been the best of my life, and simply put, it is because of two wonderful women in my life, my wife Carrie, and my daughter Lily.
I love and adore them both.

Chocolate Chaos!

Lily's birthday party was a smashing success. Especially when it came to the cake.

Waiting for her party guests to arrive.

The cake, prior to the demolition.

(OK, she had her own cake to smash. I don't mind sticky baby fingers in everything, but not everyone is as accommodating, so I made her a little cake.)

First contact.

Mmmm, so far, so good Mumma.

Ooooh, chocolate tastes goooood!

And it's fun to squish!

C is for Chocolate, not Cookie!

Is there something on my face?

Peek a Boo!

Lily had a wonderful time, and was showered with gifts. She was given enough Peek-A-Blocks to supply a small daycare, some great books, beautiful clothes and some electronic toys that will amuse her for countless hours while giving her mom a headache. That's what Advil is for - as long as she's having fun I can tune it out. Fisher Price understands that electronic toys can make parents crazy, so they come with on/off and loud/soft volume controls. She was also given a tree. Yes, a tree. My parents are buying a tree for our yard, in honor of her birth. There is a story behind this. When my grandpa passed away 5 years ago, some of my mom's friends gave her a gift from Hole's Greenhouse with the intent that she purchase a tree in honor of him. Instead of buying one for the house or the lake, Mom asked if I would want one for my yard. I loved the idea. We planted a gorgeous Schubert Cherry tree in front of my bedroom window. It's flourishing there, and is known as the Grandpa Tree. Now we will have a Lily Tree, to commemorate her arrival into our world. We're not sure what kind we will get. I'm partial to birches, but dad thinks that might not be the one to get. Here's why I want a birch. But we may go with a linden or another type. When I see the one, I will know. That's how it was with the Grandpa Tree. When Mom and I were shopping for it, I had no idea what I wanted. I saw a nice tree and went to look at it. Underneath the tree was a pot of pansies that another gardener had left behind. Pansies were my Grandpa's favorite. Then, an employee approached us to see if we needed help. His name was Ron, just like my Grandpa. That was the tree.

I hope that the Lily Tree picks us out the same way.

Our little flower is now an annual!

Happy Birthday Lily!

It's been a year since our Lily came into this world. At 11:47 pm on August 17, she made her debut. Six days overdue, and after some tricky labor, she came out sunny side up. And she's still a happy, sunny little girl. I don't know what I did to deserve such an easy sweet baby, but I'll take it.

This past year has been a wonderful journey of laughter, tears, wonder and amazement. And that's just her parents! I'm not quite sure how having a baby makes time speed up, but it did. I swear I just brought her home from the hospital.

This is a bittersweet day - on one hand, I am sad that she is growing up so fast. On the other hand, I can't wait to see what the next milestone will bring. Well, since that will be walking, I know that it will mean Lily getting into more things than she already does! But walking also means that she will become even more independent, needing me less and less. She's already showing that she has some of my disposition - she likes to do things herself. I think that my mom said my first real sentence was "I do it myself" and Lily appears to be following in my footsteps.

It's a bit surreal - looking at pictures from the past year, I think that she's a completely different person. I guess she is, in a way.

Who is that little tiny person all swaddled up in her mom and dad's arms? That can't be the same Lily.

And that little baby snuggled on her dad's chest, asleep? That can't be her either.

Is this Lily? Peeking out, beside her froggie?

And what about this little girl?

And this one?

It's amazing to think that they are all the same little person.When did she grow up? I swear I didn't notice it. Now she's no longer a baby, but a little girl. In the next year, she will walk, run, and talk. I don't mind so much, as long as she runs back to me after she's done exploring her new world.

I love you so much peanut - you make me so happy.

The Adventures of Lucy and Kevin.

Or, Lily and Evan.

I was watching Evan today while his mom went to a job discussion. Apparently it wasn't an interview, more like a talk about the job that she's pretty much going to have when she goes back to work.

I digress...

The three of us were hanging out at Boston Pizza while waiting for Keltie to finish up. Lily and I hadn't eaten, so I ordered some pizza bread for the kids, and an individual pizza for me. The kids devoured their goldfish crackers and dried fruit bars in record time. (I thought!) I guess I take it for granted that all kids are adventurous eaters like mine. Lily will try anything and everything we put in front of her. I passed her some pizza bread (Thin crust baked pizza dough brushed with garlic, olive oil and Parmesan.) and she chowed down. Evan had a completely different reaction - he poked it. Then he picked it up and put it down. Then he put it on his tongue. Then he took it out of his mouth and put it down again. Then he looked at me, as if to say "What the heck are you feeding me, Auntie Carrie?" So I dipped it in meat sauce and passed it back. That was the trick. He kept eating the pieces I gave him, pretty much matching Lily piece for piece.

A couple of sweet old ladies stopped at our table on their way out, asking how I managed to be left alone in a restaurant with 2 babies. I explained that Evan's mom was down the street at a job interview and that she would be joining us shortly. They asked the babies names, and ages etc etc, and gushed about how cute the babies were. I supplied the usual answers, and thanked them for telling me that my little girl is beautiful and that the little boy has a fantastic smile (and hair!). Then they went on their way, saying "Goodbye Lucy! Goodbye Kevin!" Lily, being polite, waved. Evan grinned and made what I can only describe as a boy noise. How is it that boys are born knowing how to make truck sounds, how to bang things and how to yell? Genetics are weird.

Keltie sprinted in, late, but it was no worry as I had managed to eat my lunch and keep both of the kids entertained while we were waiting. I had doled out the last two oranges from my Magic Bag of Mommy Supplies (aka a diaper bag that weighs as much as my kid...) so it was crunch time. She arrived just in time. Evan turned into more of a boy when his mom arrived, and then my little sensitive miss burst into tears when Keltie ran to use the phone. I guess she didn't want Keltie to go.

The kids were still doing really well despite being tied to a chair (Evan) and a stroller (Lily) for more than 2 hours. Lily started to fuss, so we got ready to leave, and that's when I discovered the carnage.

Under Evan's high chair was a lovely collection of goldfish crackers with the salt licked off and one part of the tail eaten, half-gnawed bits of pizza bread and various pieces of dried fruit bar. The rest of the fruit bar was stuck to the front of his jogging suit.

Lily had managed to turn a napkin into confetti, and had added a few goldfish to the mess, but for the most part, the food I gave her ended up in her. I have no idea where she puts it! That kid can eat and eat and eat.

All in all it was a great afternoon. Lily fell asleep in the car after a quick trip to the grocery store. My mom is making supper, so I don't have to cook - we're heading there as soon as I publish this post.

Fun and games with Molly and Uncle Craig