mommy blog

Road Trips With Kids

We are a family that does a fair bit of tripping around. Our flying and vacation experience with kids is very minimal – we took one trip to Mexico. Hallie was not even two and Jackson was two months old. To say it was a disaster would be an understatement. We have however done A LOT of camping with them and many driving road trips. With every trip, you learn how to make things a little easier or smoother. This Friday I am taking a solo road trip with the kids as Henry needs to stay home and work. As I started packing the kid’s clothes this morning, I thought it may be a pretty handy post for others moms out there. These tips work well for me and my kids. They may not be the best solution for you, but if they can add to your idea list then my goal is achieved! If you have any tips you would like to share as well, please feel free to comment or message and we can build the list.

Packing. I used to feel quite guilt about being an over-packer. Especially when Henry and I were dating and I couldn’t go to Las Vegas without packing about 27 bathing suits. Now with two small tots, I like being prepared for MOST situations so unfortunately that can go hand in hand with overpacking. ‘Everything but the kitchen sink’ is a saying that often comes to mind when packing to go away. I usually start packing a few days before we are leaving. It may be a tad too early but really, these kids have enough clothes that I can actually get away with that. It also keeps me organized and my stress levels slightly lower in the days leading up to going away. I have a mild case of OCD (probably quite severe) and need things to go in a certain way. I also need to have time to clean my house top to bottom before going away which also adds to stress. I don’t know why I need to have it clean. I think I just LOVE coming home to a clean house. So this morning I decided to organize which clothes the kids would be taking. They share a small black suitcase and I get the large one. If Henry were joining us I would share with him but I don’t need to in this case and can pack as many pairs of shoes and shorts as I like.

Kids Clothing. Miss Hallie is potty trained for the most part. She is really great at using her potty and gets better every day at using the ‘big potty’. That being said she still tends to forget if she is having too much fun and might have the odd pee accident. For this reason, I will double the amount of bottoms needed for her. On this particular trip I can do laundry if I feel the need to, but sometimes that isn’t the case. Better to have too many pairs of pants and panties than not a single pair. Pour last camping trip I made that error and panties just weren’t an option on the last day. #momfail . I also like to stick to dresses with her. Easy knit sundresses that she can pull up easily when she needs to go in a hurry and ones that won’t get wet if she has a tiny accident. It still blows my mind though how many times a day I end up asking girlfriend ‘where are your panties?!’. Jackson is much easier to pack for now. As a baby you had to worry about blowouts and basically bring ALL the onesies. Jackson is quite ‘tidy’ in this area so enough shorts and shirts for the days we are there, plus a couple of emergency outfits, and we are good to go. I say he is easy but it has to be said – that kid has style. He will not leave the house without his fedora and sunglasses so one needs to make sure all accessories are in order. Dapper is his middle name. I used to go overboard on footwear but since it is summer we stick to 2 or 3 pairs: Flip flops, rainboots for each of them as they are obsessed with wearing them, even indoors and naked, and if we have a fancy occasion then I will throw in a nice pair.

Summer essentials. Right now that means sunscreen and bug spray. Oh and if you get eaten alive by the mosquitos like my kids, some form of anti-itch cream. We are now trying out the Bee Sting Relief Cream by The Humble Bee (Canadian brand made in Chilliwack, B.C.). It serves the same purpose for mosquito bites as it does for bees and is really effective. Plus it’s natural for the kid’s sensitive skin which I love. I don’t always get suckered into all natural with them. Obviously I try to keep the ingredients list as simple as possible but bottom line, I want results, and natural doesn’t ALWAYS do that. In this case though, it’s working. My favourite sunscreen for the kids is Baby Aveeno, plus the face stick in it for easy application. If I have to chase them down then a spray can of Coppertone will get the job done. Right up there with those serious items are the other essentials: bubbles, sidewalk chalk, balls and sand toys. Again, I try to keep it as minimal as possible and easy to pack. But it just makes travelling with kids a little more fun for them when these items are included on the packing list.

I am not even going to touch on food and road trip snacks as I still need to learn more here. Between keeping it healthy and finding snacks that do not explode all over the inside of my car, I am still at a loss. Apple sauce pouches for the win right now!

As babies my kids were never great sleepers but as toddlers they certainly LOVE being in a bed. That still doesn’t mean sleeping but they take after their mama when they like to snuggle and get comfy. I like to make sure we include some comforts from home. This means a couple of their blankets each – I sew and they each have a nice little collection of cozy printed flannel blankets. I also bring the pillow that each of them sleep on. Same for Henry and I. What can I say, we love our own pillows. Unless we are staying in a swanky hotel. Then it’s hotel bedding all the way! They also get a couple stuffies each, the one’s they can’t go anywhere without, and their glowworms which double as reading flashlights once they ‘go to bed’. Throw in a few good books and we are set for sleeping tight.

Some mom extras…. Recently on trips I have been taking a diffuser and a few select essential oils. For general joy and calmness throughout the day, I like to have a mix of Orange, Grapefruit, Bergamot and Geranium. Anyone who shops at Anthropologie, this is the same smell as the Capri Candle! For nighttime sleepiness where the kids will be sleeping I combine Thieves and Lavender. Normally some Northern Lights as well but I don’t have any of that at the moment. Thieves is great to bring along in any case as it’s great for immune system and keeping pesky bugs away that we ALWAYS pick up on the road. Damn you McDonalds Play Centre….. Wine. Bring it along or buy it when you get there. It’s gonna come in handy. Good toiletry bags. I recently bought some of these off of Ebay. I love that your toiletries actually stand up in them and have elastic to secure each one. Plus I love the colors. It’s all about the little things in life that bring you joy. Tupperware. I used to be a consultant for it so I happen to have a fairly decent amount of it. It comes in handy for EVERYTHING. I use sandwich keepers to hang on to crayons, face paints, even for empty juice boxes so that you don’t have them littered all over your car or floating about in your purse. I use the smidgets for taking medication along, carrying chewing cum, even concocting essential oil blends with coconut oil in them for the road. I made a pain killer one for my neck when it gets sore from driving and a peppermint one for the kids in case anyone gets car sick. Wipes. Wipes, wipes, wipes! I use them for almost everything and keep multiple packets on hand, stored in secret compartments in every nook and cranny of the car and suitcase. Might just be my kids but we can never have too many baby wipes. These also work great when your feet are ALWAYS dirty camping (mine are and I can’t stand it). Lastly, DVD players in front of each child. I did many road trips without and many with. With is better. Even if that means four hours of Peppa Pig and two kids who now have slight english accents. I will take it!

Now I must get back to filling these suitcases as the day is quickly leaving me. It’s a ton of work getting ready to go on any trip with kids but in most cases, it’s worth it.

Babies Grow Up

When I started this blog it was mainly because I found out I was having a baby. I wanted to document the growth of my adorable bump. Which eventually lead me into the not so adorable 9^th month of just being huge and desperately uncomfortable. My intentions then switched gears into survival mode and learning how to be a first time mom. Learning how to keep a human alive, how to work WITH my newlywed husband at keeping a tiny human alive while focusing on our marriage and helping it flourish in it’s infant stage. The blog was comical, raw and loving all in it’s own unique way. Slip in a massive move to a new city where we knew no one, as well as the news of a sibling on the way, the blog began to encompass many things.: Family, parenting, chaos,a new business, cooking, crafting. . . Really whatever I decided to write about. Fast forward to the present. The blog has taken the back burner big time. I have taken time off of writing but keep feeling the heartstrings pulling to find more time for it. Yet again, I feel the direction shifting. It’s no longer going to be about surviving babies, but more so the children they are growing into. My kids are still young. Nearing four and two. Yet they seem to be these growing forces of energy, personality, and increasingly strong abilities to outsmart their mother. They take me to the brink of losing my mind and patience, and reel me right back in with their snuggles and giggles. How do they have the power to do this? And how are they so bad at doing things sometimes? I try to hand them the open goldfish package in the gentlest way, yet as soon as it reaches their hands it seems to be on fire and explode into the air. I will be picking up goldfish until they go off to high school, I promise. Even as I sit here writing this, I am quietly hiding behind my coffee and laptop, as I know Paw Patrol will end in ten minutes, and so will the peaceful silence. Rider and his pups will happily rejoice about their latest savior and as that theme song blares, my darling children will automatically turn to me, zombie-like stagger their way over, climb ALL over me demanding snacks, strawberry milk, more paw patrol, ice cream, and anything else they can think of. (This actually DID happen too, as soon as the show was over. It’s like a weird magnetic mom-pull.) Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT a complainer nor do I ever want it to seem like I am ungrateful for my children. I love them to absolute bits and pieces. I am just in complete amazement about how they shifted from my tiny babies into these crazy little humans: Tiny toddler explosions that keep going off in weird ways that you don’t expect. And this ride is just beginning. Babies, I fear were the easy part. Children, for now you win! I have seen your special powers over the last few weeks! Unfortunately I can only blame your dad, and myself as you had to get it somewhere. So I am excited to see what direction this blog will take next. Excited and scared for what parenthood holds. Hopefully I can find time amidst the craziness to keep documenting a few of our stories here, and the lessons I am learning along the way. Thank you for joining me and reading along!

Spring Break

This post is a little late but hope y’all had a great spring break!! My kids are little and not in school so it doesn’t really apply to us but for whatever the reason may be, it still felt like a break. It was like everyone else’s routine was flipped sideways so we could get away with it too. We had busy days to start. A ton of fun stuff planned too! However, don’t they say something like ‘make a plan and see what your toddler thinks of it’. It’s murphy’s law in my house I promise you that. Both kids got super sick. Hallie had a really gross cold that simply made her super emotional all the time and gave her the hall pass for cartoons and ice cream whenever she wanted. Jackson however took the ‘man cold’ to new levels. He is JUST coming round the corner to feeling well. Needless to say, all plans went out the window and we were somewhat housebound. We still managed to get out and play at the park and what not, but we definitely kept to ourselves. I really didn’t want to be that mom who spread the kid’s cold germs like confetti. It is such a relief now though that everyone seems to be feeling better. We had a pleasant shift in the weather today as well so we are hoping for a sunny Easter weekend away in Grand Forks and not such runny noses. Hey a mama can dream right!? One delightful morning I did want to share with you from our sicky spring break was what we called pancakes and pjs. Hallie was adamant we all wear our cozy housecoats one morning so we decided to really make a morning of it and test our new Pampered Chef pancake molds. Couple lessons learned. They are a ton of fun, especially when you get to the final step of actually eating them. Second lesson, there is an art. These are quite tricky to master (especially if you are a perfectionist) but I think after a few rounds of trying, I will get the hang of it. Come on now, we all want star shaped pancakes. No room for the boring ol’ circular style anymore right? Gotta step up my pancake skills stat.

(If you want to get your hands on these they are sold through Pampered Chef, and are quite awesome! The silicone molds are a great size, super durable, and I LOVE the pancake mix shaker. Can’t wait to take it camping and only have ONE dish to do after making breakfast!)

(Who knows what happened to the housecoat!)

New Year, New Blog Post… finally!

Well my big January 2018 comeback to writing was slightly delayed. Did anyone else find it extremely difficult to bounce back from the holiday season and get into a routine again? I sure did. Still am struggling a bit actually. But slowly, as we begin our activities again, put down the holiday celebratory cocktail and pick up that clean eating schedule again, things seem to be shifting into place. Our holidays were BUSY. The front door seemed to revolving with friends and family filtering in and out. It was of course very welcome and a lot of fun! Exactly how the holiday season should be. Certainly gluttonous as well. Salads we non-existent and meat and cheese platters seemed to dominate. We laughed, we loved, we ate and we drank. The kids had a ball too. Christmas is absolutely going to be a hit with them every year. Now that January completely zoomed by, and February has made her debut, we are focused on being healthy, happy and trying to slow down the day-to-day. As I do every year, I looked back on last year’s resolutions. Well not even resolutions. More like lifestyle commitments. I smiled when I saw that we had managed to incorporate it all. I didn’t really do anything different this year. Just a few mini goals and when you add them all up, it just means try to BE better all around. Spend more time in the present with my kids and husband, less time looking at Facebook on my phone. Buy less on Facebook! Damn you to hell mom swap and all the dollars you sucked out of me this year on things I didn’t need, nor was I looking for until I scrolled passed. You know you have been a victim too! Less television, more reading. More crafting and creating! Clean smarter and not all the time. Less laundry! I realize these are all remedial tasks so far…. be kind to others and go out of our way to help people out. Volunteer. Donate. Be mindful of our neighbours and friends. Be thoughtful, intentional and surprising. If I learned anything in 2017, life is short and throw a curve ball.. It reminds us of that often and sometimes in painful ways. 2018 will be more about making all of our moments count, and less about stress, worry and grudges. And though we are already well on our way into the year, I am excited to dive in. Cheers to all of the days ahead, and hopefully more blog posts on my part!

Cutting Board Rejuvenation

I am a big fan of my wooden cutting boards in my kitchen. I have different types of wood and different shapes. Not only do I use them multiple times daily I also like to have them displayed on the counter. This means I need to keep them looking fresh. I always wash them after use but sometimes, just like many areas of the home, they need a deep clean. In an attempt to move more chemical-free at home, I did some research to come up with a cleaning recipe used by many. Effective and as natural as it gets.

What you will need:

Lemon cut in half, use one half of a lemon per cutting board

Coarse Sea Salt

White Vinegar (you can also use a vinegar cleaning agent)

Oil

Start by covering the board in white vinegar. Sprinkle a heavy dose of sea salt all over the cutting board. Use your half lemon to scrub it into the wood. While doing this, squeeze the lemon so that the juices pour out. I did this for about two minutes. Then pour a couple tablespoons of oil onto the board. Continue scrubbing with the lemon, mixing the oil into the salt and vinegar and covering the entire surface of the cutting board. Do this for about one minute. Let sit for fifteen minutes. Rinse clean. Voila! Fresh and clean, looking good and ready for use.

The End Of Summer

Somehow we have gotten ourselves into the middle of August. Normally I am a glass half full kind of gal and would be thinking we still have lots of summer to go, including a nice September! This month however seems to be a huge downer. The BC Wildfires have taken over the province. Not only is it super smoky but it also seems to bring the temperatures right down making it feel very fall-like. Of course the bigger issue here is for the people in the dangerous areas closer to the fires. My heart goes out to the evacuees who have been forced to pack up with very little notice and stand by waiting to see if their home survives mother nature’s rage. It really is heartbreaking. The community I live in has been outstanding with supporting evacuees which I have to say makes me so proud to live where I do. Unfortunately there is not an end in sight for ending a lot of these fires, but we pray for all of those effected by it and hope for the end soon. Perhaps maybe we can claim back a little of our summer too! We certainly plan to pack as much into the last few weeks of August. This week is a busy one as I have the Farmer’s Market tomorrow for my business which always makes for a hectic week. I am also getting all aspects of family life ready for the end of the week…. parent’s vacation weekend! Yes. We are leaving for three whole days. Gramma has a friend joining the toddler battle field and they are taking care of the two little rascals all weekend long. I know right now I am going to miss my babies like CRAZY (no FaceTime calls allowed, lesson learned on a previous trip – drunk momma talking to babies = ugly crying in the bar). Hubby and I are headed down to Vancouver to see some friends, do some shopping, eating and drinking, AND to see Zac Brown Band! I find it slightly hard to contain my excitement for this show as I have been hoping to see them live for maybe the last five years. So bring it ZBB, this momma is so ready! Once we return we have to pack right up again and head out to see family in Grand Forks, kids and all on this trip. Here’s hoping for a couple winery pop-ins on the way there. And back. We’ll see! Then once we get back from that trip it is right out again in the trailer for a weekend on the lake. Funny how all of this vacation time may just exhaust us. As long as no one gets sick I am going to be happy. Germs ruin the best of times in this family lately. All of this busyness and thinking about the fall season approaching really just leaves me wanting watermelon, sprinkler jumping, sticky popsicle kisses and wet grassed sweaty babies. Summer is so wonderful here in Kamloops and we are totally feeling shafted with it being cut so short. It actually even started late after the longest winter of all time. Time to get out as much as the smoke allows, and soak up all the last sunshine filled summer moments that we can, am I right? So as I catch up on the first Bachelor In Paradise episode (Can I get an Amen for the classiness of all these fabulous people!) I toast you – cheers to the end of summer and all we can cram into it without losing our minds!

OHYA! Did I mention how excited we are about potty training. Public toilets (she thinks its the best…..) Pirate Pack dates. Oh and our new funny faces.

Who looks like they ate FOUR pirate packs…. it’s my one sitting on the floor haha! Oh Jackson . … . .

Put Your Big Girl Pants On

I will be the first to admit, I am rather slow at certain things when it comes to parenting. Potty training – still ain’t happening. Not my fault now though, she has chosen to embrace the diaper. The battle shall be hers and hers alone. For now. . . Drinking milk from a bottle – the effort is there I promise you. I have tried every sip cup on the planet and girlfriend still wants her milk out of a bottle. It’s not like she is dependant on it to go to sleep or anything, she plain ol’ likes it. But yes I know, it’s gotta go. Lastly, the crib. Hallie was in her crib up until quite recently. She never attempted to climb out of it and slept quite well in it, so why on earth would I let the lion out of her cage. Or lioness I suppose. After a few road trips though where we had no choice but to set her up in a ‘big bed’, we decided to take the plunge and stick her in a toddler bed. Well that didn’t really last long at all. She LOVED it. I however did not love trying to be a contortionist when trying to comfort her in a nightmare. I would be lying half on the floor with my back twisted and my arms attempting to stroke her hair. Two nights of this and a new decision was reached. Toddler bed OUT, bigger bed IN. Since my kids share a room and there is really no room whatsoever, we went with a twin. After a month of just a mattress on the floor (yes I know, parental neglect) I ordered a lovely bed on Wayfair. I am so excited to share a few snippets of the big girl ‘side of the room’. There a moments every day that I see this baby girl turning into a big girl. It’s so hard as a mom to watch this happening but at the end of the day, that is what we are here to do. Raise these little people into bigger people and send them off into the world. Oh ya and hope that we did a thing or two right along the way. Perhaps that why mommas keep having babies. One gets growing up and the baby fever sets in again. I always tell myself Jackson is here because I wanted 2 (or 3?) kids and wanted to give Hallie a sibling close in age. But lets be real folks, it was baby fever! Lord help me when I see too many preggos in one day. For now though these two troublemakers are keeping me rather busy so lets keep the baby makin’ at bay. In the meantime though, we can pick out super cute bedding and throw pillows for their big girl room.

Mother’s Day Is Every Day

I completely forgot to post about Mother’s Day but every day is Mother’s Day right?! Of course it is! When you are a mom, all days are filled with every emotion possible. The roller coaster can take you from zero to ninety with the tiniest gesture from your children. A grab of your finger or a heartfelt hug with their little arms can make your heart burst with love and happiness. A surge of patience can be felt as you discover yet another crayon scribble on your white kitchen cupboards and walls. Red hot frustration when you find your expensive eye cream being used as ‘finger paint’ on sofa, of all places. Sadness when you finally get a moment to yourself and all you end up doing is missing your little one. Relief when you finally get them into bed for the night. Guilt for feeling relief that they have gone to bed and you finally get a break for the day. And lastly, back to love and bursting happiness as you creep over their crib and watch them sleeping before you pass out from exhaustion in your own bed. Or sofa. Whatever is closest. This roller coaster happens daily too! It’s absolute torture – I kind of love it too. That is why I feel like every single day is Mother’s Day in a sense. We do however get that one day a year when it is publicly acknowledge and usually filled with spoiling of some kind. My day was great too! I must admit the weekend started off rocky. Being the emotionally unstable and pregnant woman that I am lately, I chose to pick a fight with the husband the day before. I have absolutely no clue what I was pissed about, couldn’t remember for the life of me right now. Whatever it was it blew over. It is not uncommon for me to overreact lately! (I don’t recall being like this in my first pregnancy…. it’s because it’s a boy I swear!) Sunday, Mother’s Day, ended up going much smoother and without arguments. I woke up to a beautifully cooked breakfast and enjoyed a full pack of bacon. There is never enough bacon. After a big home cooked breakfast, we played around and took some photos! I really wanted some belly shots before I got too large and some candid moments with Hallie. Henry is pretty good with the camera too so we had fun with a mini photoshoot. The afternoon revolved entirely around eating – again! I think that is what we did all day. EAT. That is what you do when you are pregnant though right?! The weather was really undecided so the moment we had some solid sunshine, we set up outside for an early supper. I as usual had a ton of fun styling the table and experimenting with using different serving dishes. My favourite detail of the meal was actually using lush throw and pillows on our chairs. Just added a touch of class to the table.

Aside from all of the fun we had, the most important thing about the day was the quality time spent with my family. With my mom so close we got to spend it with her so we had three generations present; myself, my mom and my daughter. Such a special time to appreciate the women in your life and honour the blessing it is to be a mama. I know how proud I am to be Hallie’s mama and am filled with excitement (and major nerves/anxiety) to be a mama of two very, very soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day and again, so sorry for being so late to the party on this post!

Shame Shame Double Shame!

If you are the author of your own blog, then you know it takes a fair bit of commitment and diligence to keep up a regular post routine. You really have to stay on top of your writing game and exercise willpower to ensure your posts stay up to date. The minute you start taking breaks (or two weeks off in my case) you start to lose motivation and your initial inspiration that makes you write in the first place. I am thinking it was just life’s overall busyness that got in the way but over the last couple weeks, I couldn’t even find time to relax. It seemed every waking moment that my baby girl had, I spent running around keeping up with her. If it wasn’t her it was the endless mounds of laundry or the never-ending housework. Throw in multiple craft and DIY projects that I HAD to start all at the same time for some reason, and well there just wasn’t any free time to write. When kiddo was asleep I was either trying to accomplish some sewing or I was staring aimlessly at Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram searching for inspiration/wasting time. It’s like pure parental exhaustion sets in and the mind is capable of only staring at a computer screen of pictures. I didn’t even try to watch television. That seemed like too much work hah. I feel like the root of these busy days is a slight issue with time management that I will need to rectify pretty darn quick if I ever want to accomplish anything ever again. Unless I am not alone here? Is it a pregnant thing? Is it just too hard to stay organized when you are preggo and kept busy by the world’s busiest toddler? Good gracious I pray I am not alone. I do think if I get back in the habit of lists, using my planner and updating my whiteboard calendar (which is still on March), I might feel that I have a TINY bit of control in this crazy household. July is coming so soon too! Before I know it, there are going to be TWO BABIES needing my constant attention…..and then I am not sure what happens to the rest of that to-do list. Put on hold until they go off to kindergarten I imagine. Because after all, they are the number one’s. I jumped on my laptop earlier today actually thinking ‘ Okay! Let’s get a post done!’. Simultaneously, Hallie took a bit of a turn after her nap and was completely miserable with a fever. The afternoon quickly turned into cuddles, cartoons and anything that would bring a smile to that goofy’s goose’s face. No time for blogging when tiny hands need to hold onto yours! So presently, that is where we are at in the Hayward House. A million projects on the go, tons of things to do, two tiny toddler hands to hold, and not enough hours to do it all in. I am giving myself a bit of homework to get cracking on some posts and STICK TO POSTING THEM! No more falling off the wagon.. For now I am going to share an overload of pictures that can sum up just how busy the last little while has been. Hope you are having a great week and looking forward to a beautiful weekend ahead!

Getting our gardening on! Everyday we are outside it seems. We are working on two giant boxes for veggies and this is my succulent garden on the front porch. Loving how it turned out! Next on the list is some potted plants and flowers for some vintage crates, also for the porch.

Bathroom Renovation! This was completely unintentional. I had wanted to paint the bathroom white FOREVER! It was the sickening peach color, much like the rest of our house – which I intend to paint before baby boy arrives. Crazy much?! Anyways, things sort of took a domino effect and before I knew it, we had completely changed up the entire design of the bathroom. LOVING it so much! Next I would like to paint the vanity cupboards with some plaster paint, just to tie it in with all of the other neutrals. But overall, very happy with how it turned out.

This next series of photographs is simply me trying to keep up with my crazy baby girl! Sure keeps me on my toes this one!

Dreaded 18 month immunizations – took it like a champ!

If only all days could be THIS peaceful…

Lastly, parents weekend away to attend a friend’s wedding. I still stand by my theory that weddings are way more fun when you can drink. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful wedding and a really great weekend. Not to mention I had the hottest date at the party. Hellooooooo three piece suit! #love #myhubbyishot

Family Fun At Easter

Happy Easter every bunny! See what I did there? =) I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend, spending time with your loved ones and soaking up all of the joy that Easter brings – and all of the chocolate! We have had a full house for this holiday weekend. Not only is my mom close by, my father-in-law is in town and staying with us for the weekend. The weather was cooperating up until this morning – Sunday. We had beautiful sunshine and spent most of the last two days outside in the backyard. I hope everyone got their Easter Hunt in yesterday though because right now it is pouring! I am almost relieved Hallie is too little to know what is going on or we would be outside in our gumboots searching for tiny colourful eggs in the mud. There is nothing wrong with that – sounds like a good time actually! My head cold is being stubborn though and I would mind staying in with my steamy cuppa coffee. Selfish mommy! When the whole house is up and at ’em we will attempt an indoor hunt. I think if we both carry a basket and I SHOW her how to collect the eggs, she may get the hang of it. I already surprised her this morning with her ‘Easter goodies’. She looked quite stunned and happy to wake up to a little display of presents! We even decorated the living room with balloons and streamers which delighted her to no end. The holidays are really special, even MORE SO with little kiddos. It’s just going to get better and better the older she gets too! I can’t believe next year I will have two rascals to be the Easter Bunny for. This year her basket consisted of a tiny stuffed rabbit that she seems to like, and plastic bunnies and carrots filled with Teddy Grahams. There is some chocolate but she hasn’t seemed to notice – don’t think I will give it to her until AFTER breakfast. I also had a bigger bunny but she looks rather scared of it. May pop that guy away till later too. The Easter Bunny even did up baskets for the rest of the family! Mainly just chocolates but for the hubby, I tucked in some cute hockey inspired baby boy clothes. Okay so technically it’s a gift for baby boy coming soon, but something to get hubs excited nonetheless. Well I am a little blank on the words this morning as I have yet to finish my coffee. A bag of mini eggs is calling my name too! But here is a collection of fun photos from the last couple days. All filled with good food, smiles, dirty party dresses and most importantly, LOVE! Enjoy you Easter Sunday friends!