Project 365

Posted in Photo-a-Day, Project 365 by

I’m horrible at keeping new year’s resolutions. (Aren’t we all?) I always set out to accomplish them but by mid-February, I get lazy and just stop trying.

This year, however, I’ve decided to do Project 365. I’m always taking photos of stuff on a regular basis as it is already, so I think this will be pretty easy to accomplish. Every Sunday I’ll post my photos from the week on here, and I’m also keeping them in an album on Facebook. (View that album here if we’re Facebook friends. If we’re not, feel free to friend request me, and if I’ll add you if I don’t think you’re a serial murderer.)

I’ll already admit that some of these photos will be re-posts from Instagram, although I’m going to try and not double-up on photos and use different photos. And I’ll also admit that if it’s 11:30 p.m. and I haven’t taken a photo yet, it’s probably going to be of my sleeping kid. Or one of my dogs. You’ve been warned!

For now, here’s my photos so far:

January 1

January 2

2013: A Year in Review

Posted in Year in Review by

It’s hard to believe that 2013 has come to an end already. It really is true that when you become an adult, time just flies by. I can’t say that it hasn’t been amazing though, because I couldn’t be happier with the way the past year has been. Here are my favourite moments and some post highlights from each month this year:

January
– Isla had her first ever swimming lessons and she took to the water like a fish! She graduated with flying colours and enjoyed splashing in the water with the other babies her age. She also started cutting teeth that month, which proved to be a cranky time for her.

– I battled my body issues while trying to find a swimsuit so I could take Isla to said swimming lessons. I learned that it doesn’t matter what pregnancy did to my body, because I have an amazing little girl to show for all my sacrifices.

February
– I volunteered during a Pit Bull awareness day at one of the local pet stores. I’m a proud supporter of HugABull BC, and it was a fun day filled with pittie smooches!

– I told my story of bullying for Pink Shirt Day. It’s amazing to see how much bullying still goes on in the world today, and even more so when I see parents bullying other parents when we preach to our children to be kind to one another.

– Isla started crawling and cut her 2nd tooth.

March
– Isla started to crawl, which was the beginning of nonstop chaos in my house. We also started weaning, which ended up being a lot more easier than I thought it was going to be.

April
– I found out I wouldn’t be going back to work in June, and while the news was tough, I took it as a blessing in disguise. Since becoming an overall stay-at-home mom, I’ve embraced the role and an really thankful for being able to stay at home, raise Isla and manage the household.

– My mom, Isla, and I took a weekend road trip to Vancouver for some shopping and fun! We also visited Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium and Ikea while we were there. It was a great trip and well needed.

May
– I turned 27 by having dinner with my family. Officially pushing 30, I’m really content on where my life is right now. I also celebrated my very first Mother’s Day, and Kyle, the amazing guy that he is, treated me, my mom, his mom, and Isla to brunch.

– My bestest friend got engaged and I offered her some stellar advice.

June
– Kyle and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary by dropping off Isla at my mom’s and going out for dinner, just the two of us. We had an amazing time, even though we couldn’t wait to go back and pick Isla up from my mom’s.

– The biggest event of the year happened: Isla’s 1st Birthday! We had family & friends over to help us celebrate Isla’s big day, and she was spoiled rotten. I still can’t believe how quickly times flies when you have a child; she’s constantly learning something new and showing off how smart she is to this day!

July
– I reconnected with a friend who I had lost contact with after a series of strange events. I didn’t think much would come of our visit, but it went really well and I was so happy to see her and be able to be friends again.

– Kyle and I headed to the Little Shuswap Lake for the day to visit one of his oldest friends. We absolutely love “lake life” and would love to own a lake property at some point in our lives.

– Other July summer adventures included Highland Games, sanitarium tours, chair upcycling, and petting zoo visits!

August
– August included more day trips to the lake, as well as a overnight journey to visit a friend for his birthday!

– Isla started walking! She definitely took her time learning, but ever since she figured it out, she hasn’t looked back, and my life hasn’t been sane since ;)

September
– I started taking yoga classes after much thought and deliberation. I had always wanted to try it out and when a beginner class was being offered, I decided to go for it. I must say, I have really taken a liking to yoga and I enjoy just having an hour to myself to centre and refocus my thoughts. I can’t wait to start going to more classes in the new year, for sure!

– I met a long-time blogging friend, Angela, who happened to be passing through Kamloops after a family house boating vacation at a nearby lake! It was so great to finally meet her and her husband and I hope that we get to visit again one day!

– I also played a few pick up games of slo-pitch, filling in for players who couldn’t make it. It felt great to get back into some physical sports after a 2-year hiatus.

October
– My mom and I took Isla to a great pumpkin patch just outside of town to find a pumpkin and for a little fall photoshoot.

– I blogged about the great parent wars and how everything these days seems to be a competition about whose kid is better, taller, faster, whatever. I still believe in what I wrote, and I still try to remind myself that the way Isla is growing and developing is just fine.

– Kyle and I booked our November trip to Vegas!

– I started weaning Isla off of her pre-bedtime bottle, which great success. The whole process went seamlessly, much to my surprise. I’ve convinced myself that the next child is going to be a demon that fights everything, because Isla has been a rockstar.

November
– Kyle and I, along with our best friends Dave & Callie, went to Las Vegas for a weekend! Outside of everything Isla, this was by-far the highlight of my year, for sure. I honestly cannot wait to go back one day and do it all over again, because there is still so much I’d like to see and do. (I’m sure the next trip won’t be for a while though.)

– We also celebrated 11 years of dating in November. It’s still so hard to believe that we’ve been together for SO long, especially since we’ve known each other since we were about 6 years old. We didn’t do anything special, but we did take a moment to just say, “I love you.” Sometimes, that’s all you need :)

– As an early Valentine’s Day gift for next year to ourselves, we bought tickets to see Brent Butt, a hilarious Canadian comedian. We even scored 2nd row seats, so we can’t wait to go!

– We went to the annual Santa Claus Parade since Isla was big enough to actually absorb what was going on. It was a little cold, but we had fun together as a family!

December
– Isla got to see Santa and sit on his lap not once, but twice! Kyle’s work throws a kids Christmas party every year and Santa makes a stop to give gifts to all the kids, and then she also sat on his lap for the formal annual Santa photo. She did OK meeting him both times; there were no tears, but she wasn’t so sure about sitting on his lap.

– Christmas! This year Christmas was even more exciting with Isla running all over the place. She was super spoiled by everyone this year and I can’t wait for her to get older so it’s even more magical.

– Kyle, Isla and I wrapped up 2013 by watching a movie at home and heading to bed early!

I don’t know what’s in store for 2014, but I’m sure it will be filled with more wonderful moments!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Weekend Update

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I attempted to have a quiet weekend, and I think I did OK.

On Friday I took all the Christmas decorations, minus the wreath on the front too and the board I stick all my Christmas cards to. Next year I’d really like to get a new wreath, a new tree topper (ours died after the tree fell over), and a new wreath.

Isla and I also tackled some “necessity” shopping at Walmart and Costco and I was surprised at how quiet they were. I guess a lot of people had to go back to work for Friday, so while a lot of the shelves were depleted of stock (Walmart especially), it wasn’t chaotic and I didn’t have to have my elbows up while wandering through the aisles. I scored 2 pairs of pajama pants from Costco for $13, and Isla got a new Dr. Seuss book, on top of our other groceries.

Saturday Isla and I met up with my mom at the mall to spend the gift certificates I received for Christmas. Can I just say how great general mall gc’s are? I really love that I’m not limited to one store and can use it anywhere! Anyway, I ended up buying myself a pair of TOMS! I’ve been wanting a pair for a while now since I love wearing flats but they always wear out. After hearing great things about them earlier in the fall, I just went for it. (Random side note – do they fit small on anyone else? Because I had to buy a 1/2-size smaller than my normal size.)

I also got a pretty sweater and some knee socks. *nerd*

Isla really seemed to enjoy being a mall rat, because when we got her out of her stroller there was no stopping her. She ran around EVERYWHERE and if you tried to pick her up and carry her she’d throw a fit. Fantastic. I fear that I’m going to have to buy one of those kiddie leashes because she’s a hurricane. Ugh.

Sunday was a challenging day. Kyle worked nightshift and got off that morning, so he sleeps during the day for his 2nd nightshift. I like to try and leave the house if I can so it’s quiet for Kyle, but we got a decent dump of snow and I didn’t feel like driving in it, so we stayed home. All was going great until Isla grabbed my half-empty cup of coffee while I wasn’t watching and spilled it all over the couch. (And me.) Then she got cranky. Then she didn’t want to eat her lunch and dumped it all over the floor. Then she spilled her milk. Then she got cranky again. Then she decided she just wanted to sit in her wagon and chill, so she did. Nap time was wonderful yesterday, to say the least. I got myself signed up for more yoga classes, so I’m excited for those. Now to just get the “new mat stink” out of my yoga mat.

Oh, and she also turned 1 1/2 years old on Sunday as well! Hard to believe this much time has gone by already!

I still can’t believe that 2014 is a couple days around the corner. Tomorrow I have my 2013 in Review post ready to go, and Isla has her 18-month immunizations. Womp womp for her! Then on Friday, I have my tattoo appointment – Dun dun duuuuun! I’m not giving away what it is, so you’ll just have to wait and find out. My appointment is in the afternoon, so keep your eyes on Instagram for the first photos. ;)

I’ll leave you with a photo of my little trouble maker.