I'm attempting to play catch-up...I am way behind on posting! I have been filling bow orders like crazy and I'm afraid my blog has taken a back seat! So, let's go back in time... August 4, 2010
We were super excited for the Heritage Festival. It is Charlie's absolute favorite festival we have here. This year we were brave and found our way there on the bus. There are so many people that attend that it is highly encouraged to take the bus to the festival. So, we left the car at home and walked a few feet to the bus stop right by our house...and it wasn't too bad!
The festival has 62 tents set up that represent over 80 cultures. You purchase tickets and each "country" has various food items that you can eat. There are also lots of crafts, music, and performers around.
When we arrived it was time for lunch so we wandered around a bit before settling in England. I ate at the England tent last year too. I'm not the most adventurous eater in the world!
We shared a Cornish Pastie and it was really good! I found a picnic table and while Grayson got fed I enjoyed a Beatles cover band.
When we were done I made Claire pose with me in the yellow submarine! She was still working on the Pastie!
Then, we walked around some more...
Claire won some sunglasses!
We saw some performers...
And posed with a Panda in China.
And then we saw it...the dessert Claire had been waiting for...a chocolate banana!
It was love at first bite!
The sad thing was right after I took this picture, we started walking toward the bus and Claire dropped her banana in the grass and right when it hit the ground, someone stepped on it. And that is how we ended up spending our last couple of tickets on a coke in Zimbabwe and sharing it with Claire! Haha!
It really was a fun day!
I love new recipes and I love Pinterest. Before Pinterest I was stuck in a boring dinner cycle, but lately I have added a ton of new recipes to the rotation and it is all because of recipes I have pinned. I thought maybe I would share some of our new favorites. Who doesn't love a new recipe?
Alice Springs Chicken (from Outback) http://amysfinerthings.com/sherrys-aussie-chicken
We have made this one three times and it is good! This is my favorite dish at Outback and tastes just like it!
Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole http://pinterest.com/pin/214272894740877746/
We have made this one a few times and it does not disappoint. I am a huge roll/chicken/cheese fan, so what could be better than putting them all together in a casserole?
Grayson is one year, one week, and five days old! I guess this will be my last monthly update on him. Maybe I will sneak another one in on occasion! I can't believe I have written about his growth and milestones twelve times! Where did this past year go?
Doesn't he look so BIG here?
I feel like between eleven and twleve months old, Grayson changed a TON! It all started when I put away the pack n' play and let him play on the floor. At first he wasn't in to much and he didn't go very far, but now he is in to EVERYTHING! I think the sentence I say most frequently is "Grayson, WHAT are you DOING?"
And then he started pulling up on everything. At first he could pull up only to his knees, but now he is full blown standing up! I know it won't be long until he is cruising around the coffee table! :)
One day while I was washing dishes he pushed Claire's chair across the kitchen...
my little baby is not a baby anymore!
Grayson doesn't have his "one year" checkup until next month, but I know he now weighs over 20 pounds. He is eating so much and is in a really good eating stage because he loves everything. He has gotten pretty good at feeding himself and spends most days feeding himself every meal. His favorite food is peaches. He can put away some peaches!
Grayson is still wearing 12-18 months onesies and 6-12 or 12-18 months shorts. I just bought him so new carpenter jeans for the fall and bought size 18 months. Don't get me started on how much I love little boys in their carpenter pants....sooo cute!
We have finally reached the sleeping-through-the-night-every-night phase and it is wonderful. I did take him to the doctor a few weeks ago because he was having screaming fits at night, but they finally stopped and it has been smooth sailing since. We think that the screaming was due to a tooth coming in, but we may never know for sure. It will be so nice when he can tell us what is wrong!
We are still working on the sippy cup, though. Grayson still takes three big bottles and has little interest in drinking out of a sippy cup. I know that this isn't a huge deal, but I am still working with him. No bottles allowed in college, haha!
I know some people would love to turn the clock back and re-live the "baby" days again, but not me. There have been some things this past year with Grayson that were just plain hard. I am happy that he is healthy and happy and am enjoying watching him grow and change everyday. I am so lucky to be a "Mama" to this sweet boy!
On Saturday, we took off for Capital Ex. It is like a really big fair. The weather started off kind of bad, but we braved it anyway! We did all the indoor stuff first while we waited for it to stop sprinkling.
We found the kids area and tried to convince Claire to try out a bouncy house and a blow-up obstacle course. She refused the bouncy house and after four tries in the obstacle course (we're talking going in and turning around and coming back out) we gave up. That is how Charlie and I ended up on the slide with Claire!
Sometimes being a parent is just too fun! Ha!
We wandered around a little bit. There was a hall filled with every possible item you have seen on an infomercial. It was pretty interesting. Sort of. Charlie keeps talking about how we should have bought these magic ice cubes that turn regular drinks into slushies. I don't think so!
We watched this guy for a few minutes. He was pretty good!
Then, we went outside to check out the rides. We told Claire she could pink one to ride, and it was a tough choice. There was a huge kids area with a bunch of rides! So, while she made up her mind we ate lunch.
After lunch we found a kids music show and when we saw that the crowd was small, we sent Claire up to the front row to watch.
At first she just sat and watched, but when the other kids got up to dance...she got into it! The musicians started singing a cowboy song and they were letting some of the kids sing in the microphone. Of course Claire was waiting in line to sing. She was supposed to be repeating yippee-yippee-ki-yi...but those words are hard to pronounce, haha!
At the very end of the show they let all the kids come up on the stage to dance. Just watch Claire bust a move! That girl loves to dance (and if you don't believe me you should see her trying to do ballet moves on the pew during church. It.is.embarrassing!)
After the show, Claire was ready for her ride. She kept saying she wanted to ride the log flume water ride but she wasn't tall enough. I'm not sure she would have really ridden it anyway. So she settled for the swings. And I think they were perfect for her.
Getting ready to ride...
WWWeeeeee!!!!
We decided it had been a long enough day so we started to leave, but on the way out we saw this water tank and this guy was getting ready to dive!
He is 80 feet in the air. Just 80 feet!!!
Luckily he made it into the tank!
Then, Charlie wanted Claire see the army trucks.
They tried to recruit Charlie, but he said he would have to bring Claire and they weren't interested! Ha!
It was a fun day. I had been wanting to see Capital Ex for the last two summers, so I am glad we got a chance to try it out!
Grayson is one year old! It must have been that fastest year ever because I am still in shock that it already came and went!
We had a nice Mickey Mouse party for him with our "family" here in Canada. The "real" family was present on Skype, although my parents were in Bermuda on vacation (poor them!)
I had a fun time making Grayson's birthday banner and tissue puffs!
We had the party at lunchtime and the menu consisted of Hot Diggity Dogs, Chili, Daisy's Garden Vegetables (carrots and dip), Toodles' Noodle Salad (pasta salad), Chips, and Le-Minnie-Ade to drink. There was also Mickey Mouse cake for dessert, of course!
I made little signs to go with the food :)
And of course we had a few goodie bags for the kiddies.
Charlie and I worked together on Grayson's Mickey cake. You can learn a lot about someone by making a cake with them! We had quite a time with this cake, but in the end it turned out great and we were pleased with it. My sister-in-law also was a great distraction because she went to the hospital to have my new niece when we started icing the cake and by the time we were done, Olive Elizabeth was born! I will never forget making this cake and checking on her progress the whole time. And of course Grayson will always have a birthday buddy! (We were so hopeful that Olive would come on his actual birthday, but she waited until the next day...but they can still celebrate together!)
Getting excited about guests coming!
Eating lunch...Grayson ate two hotdogs. He has turned into a little pig lately and eats a ton!
We Skyped with my sister and brother-in-law, my mother and father-in-law, and my niece and nephew...and of course my newest niece was there too! They were all at the hospital visiting the baby. And we all sang "happy birthday" to Grayson.
Then came time for the cake!!! I was so excited to see him dig in....and that is what he did!!
That boy loved his cake!
After playing for a while, it was time for presents.
I think Grayson was a little overwhelmed!
He got some help from Daddy...
And Claire presented her cards she was worked hard on.
Grayson liked all of his new toys. He even got Batman Little People! Yay, for some new "boy" toys!
Charlie and I got him a zebra riding toy and he really does like sitting on it!
It was a really fun day for all of us. We just love this boy so much and are so happy to watch him learn and grow! Happy Birthday Grayson!
Last Thursday was the start of Capital Ex here in Edmonton. It is a huge "fair" like event with lots of concerts, rides, and livestock. Captial Ex always starts with a huge parade and this year my friend asked if I wanted to go. Of course I said yes! I love a good parade!
We rode the train to the parade downtown, and boy was it crowded! We finally found a place where the kids could sit and watch.
Air Canada float.
There were over 100 floats and lots of country music...I know! Country music in Canada!
RCMP (royal canadian mounted police)
This float was the "big deal" of the parade. It was Edmonton's float and cost 80,000. I am still not sure WHAT it is!
Capital Ex float.
I think this one was my favorite. Gotta love a beaver float!
Ooooh and the dragons were neat!
Kermit?
The scarecrow festival's float.....scary!
BIG John Deere!
Yes, this is a bicycle! I couldn't even fit all the people in my camera lens!
The parade ended up being an hour and forty-five minutes long...that's a long time! When it was over it was past lunch time so we hurried to find somewhere to eat. The plan was to go into the mall across the street and eat at McDonald's, but after finding two different loooong lines for the elevator, we ended up at a hot dog vendor on the street. I had never eaten at a hot dog vendor before...and it was....okay!
We found some tables around the corner that just happened to be right next to a kids play area that was set up for Capital Ex. Claire was so excited to try it out!
So, after we ate we wandered over to the big blow up slide. Now, Claire is going through this "fear" stage. She has been afraid of lots of things lately, but mostly anything involving heights. And she definitely has never gone into a bouncy house to jump. But today was a different day.
She agreed to slide down the slide if I went with her...so up we both went!
And then she WENT IN and JUMPED in the bouncy house! But, the best part was when she insisted on going down the slide by herself and she really did do it!!
Cimbing up....(I am thinking she will turn around any second!)
And sliding down!
Look how proud she is of herself! Ha! I was really proud too! She was so excited that she went down the slide about 5 more times before we left.
After that excitement we took the train home. By the time we got there, we all needed a nap! Fun days are sure tiring, even to Mommas!
