been a little busy...

Haven't been on the blog for a couple of months. Been busy with a toddler, working part-time, starting my Masters of Education, and of course there's this…..

This might be a more realistic picture of his true feelings. 

Summer in Canada…..about 6 months later….

After VA Beach, we flew up to Calgary and met up with some friends who had a BBQ/Pool party with all the babies. Great to see everyone and catch up.

LBC decided he would sit with the big kids. He only ate watermelon the entire time though. 

We also went to Stampede one day. Not quite as fun as last time, as we had 3 one year olds with us, who did little more than stare at the cows.

We stayed in this great little condo that was across the street from a cute little playground and park where we played each day. Thanks for the hookup, Jordana!

We then drove to Invermere and were kept busy visiting friends, farmer's market, did a little hiking, celebrated our anniversary, and of course, a week at Premier to relax and celebrate Caiden's birthday. I think the pictures speak for themselves. It was absolutely beautiful at Premier, as always. His "friends", Tala and Nora were there to help Caiden celebrate. They do recognize each other's existence, but that's where the story ends. One of the greatest moments was the baby mum-mum race. We placed 1 mum-mum cracker on the dock and set the babies down to see who would get it. They each had their own strategy and were all winners in their own way- except Caiden, he just sat there.

Not sure if he had a good time at his birthday, but we did! 

Book reviews.

It's been awhile but I've finally started reading again at night before bed. I'm DONE with parents/new mom/baby books. Ready for something real....

So I chose this book from the shelf. I'm pretty sure this was required reading somewhere in High School. Not sure if I read it then or not. I wanted a book that's really different from my every day life. Couldn't have chosen a better book for that. 

 Grabbed this one off the shelf and LOVED it. Really great, very interesting read about how some people have been successful in life and why.

Well, this one was on the shelf and since I liked the previous one, I had to try it. Not as great as this is a collection of essays that don't relate to each other. Some essays I loved and others were a struggle to get through. 

She's only really written one great book, in my opinion, and this isn't it. This one is slow and about a stay-at-home mom who discovers some butterflies and I have a sneaky suspicion it might have something to do with climate change. Oh geez, a bored stay-at-home mom. Probably not the best read for a bored stay-at-mom.

Ok, I caved and finished a "mom" book. Loved some of the things she said. Really interesting thoughts on comparing "American" parenting to the French. I do have to say that the "American" style she refers to does seem to be very similar to other cultures too. Good advice though. 

She might be one of my favorite authors. I love how she speaks about her faith in such a genuine way. Really enjoyed this memoir. 

Kinda became obsessed with this trilogy. I wrote about the first one in another post and of course had to finish this series.  Lives of women in Saudi. Absolutely fascinating and horrifying. 

Bali at Christmas

Almost here….. 

We've booked this villa in Bali with 2 other couples and a playmate for Caiden! Yes, we do go swimming almost every day and can walk to the beach in Singapore, BUT there's something so nice about getting away. 

Virginia Beach

We had a great time in VA Beach with the grandparents. Took him to a water park, play grounds, the beach, carnivals, baseball games, etc. He loved my parents dog and we spent some time out on the lawn playing. Since they live on a golf course, O took the opportunity to find some great deals on cheap golf.

I love finding old photos. 

 Carnival on the boardwalk. 

Baseball! 

 He did not understand that he could only choose 1 duck….

Playing on the front lawn. 

 doggie. 

afternoon at the beach. 

 My dad's 60th birthday and the 4th of July. 

Loving the playgrounds and parks. 

11 months.

LBC turned 11 months! We get the same reaction when anyone asks us how old he is- "OH! He's a big boy!" Yup, pretty sturdy. He's been "talking" a lot more lately and pointing lots. He can say "uh oh" and "I-goo" which is clearly "thank you".  He's soooo close to walking which we have been saying for months now. He's pretty chubby and has a large head so I'm sure those 2 factors definitely affect his balance. He still gets applause and lots of cheers from Asians when we pass by- just like in Singapore. Even had people get out their big cameras and take pics of him. Not quite sure why, maybe because he's a fat, white, bald baby? He's also a major flirt. Definitely has a thing for waitresses. He's decided that he will feed himself. Rarely does he let us feed him with a spoon anymore. He's eating a lot of the food from our plates. However, not a fan of broccoli, but who is? Loves mashed potatoes, avocado, sweet potatoes, refried beans and rice, tortillas, pizza, chicken, spaghetti, biscuits, fruit- kiwi, banana, mango, strawberries, melons, pineapple. I've really wanted him to like eggs- just because they are easy to cook, but no luck yet. He's can still squeeze into 18 month clothing, but mostly 18-24 month clothing works best. 

 He loves pandas. Who doesn't?

And……since I've waited to post this….. we DO have a little boy who is walking. NOT walking very well and only a few steps at a time, but I think he'll be a true "walker" in the next week.

Washington, DC

We decided to drive over to DC for a few days. Got a great deal on a nice hotel about 4 blocks from the White House. It's a great city to walk around and we probably walked about 8 miles each day- definitely earning those beers. LBC slept for most of it, but he was very patriotic and always kept his flag close. We thought he might start walking at one of the monuments, but not yet. 

belly shot. 

Dear Mr. President, 

We had great weather the entire time. 

Sitting at Lincoln Memorial facing the Washington Monument. 

Found an awesome brewery and instead of a bread basket, they served this. HA! America. 

Get to work, you crazy politicians. I'm pretty sure we saw Amy, Dan and Jonah types from Veep. (this will only make sense if you watch the show)

USA!

flirting.

Waving the flag and then immediately throwing it. 

We went to the Zoo one day. For the pandas, obviously. 

We should have videoed this, because he was sooo excited to see the panda. 

At the petting zoo. 

texas with a dollar sign.

We flew to Texas to visit the great-grandparents. Regular airplanes seem so small in comparison to the large ones we've been flying overseas. VERY cramped for a lap baby, but we made it work. Had a few relaxing days out at the ranch. We drove to College Station one day to see Aggieland and stock up on some Aggie gear and met up with Kim at Freebirds. Had to have one of their burritos and a nice cold Shiner Bock. 

Fascinated by the cows.

 Moo.

Went to get Auntie Reba from the airport and had to stop for some good Tex Mex. LBC was loving the handmade tortillas. 

 Great-grandma

Front porch swing with great-grandpa.

 He loved his big ball. Thanks, Great-grandma!

 Large and in-charge. 

The old barn. 

 more fun on the front lawn. 

The last time I went up those ramps for a home game, I NEVER thought I would one day bring my baby here. 

Couldn't get on the field this time since they are doing construction to add 20,000 more seats. Everything is bigger in Texas. 

lil aggie.