Summer Time and Neva Turns 3!

We have had a great time so far this summer. Although many people have complained about the temperature, I have LOVED being able to get out and enjoy another Canadian summer (for my overseas friends, Calgary heat has been around 25 degrees Celsius). The temperature has been perfect for afternoons at the splash park, zoo visits, lots of playtime at parks, and other fun adventures. 

A highlight for us was to experience the Stampede with Neva. We visited a few pancake breakfasts and Neva got to experience another pony ride. That was a big hit. 

We had a great time at the grounds, meeting up with friends, visiting the barns, and the oh so yummy Stampede food. Bruce and Neva had fun on some of the kiddie rides at the Stampede. I had a good chuckle at seeing Bruce and Eric cram themselves into the little cars with the kids. 

Of course another big highlight was NEVA TURNING 3! Thanks to all of your well wishes and Happy Birthday emails.  Nanny, Neva and I went out for dinner the night before her birthday. At this establishment the moose helmet is a birthday tradition.  - apologies the movie is a large file, I may or may not get around to changing it... ;) 

The party! 

Big Event

Do I have pictures of the house? Of course not. :)
But I DO have pictures of our first trip to the emergency department. Neva fell while playing in the park and managed to get a piece of gravel in her forehead. Thankfully there was no major head injury and her teeth were all intact, but we ended up spending almost 5 hours in emergency for some stitches.


In the waiting room.

The stitched up forehead. Looks a little nasty but it turned out okay. We have gone through a lot of Dora bandaids...

Moving...again

Moving to our new home this week. When we are moved, and my parents return from Europe with my camera, I will give everyone the grand tour. 

I sincerely hope this is the last time in a LONG WHILE that we will move. 

Meet back here in a few weeks :) 

Since I don't have any recent photos, I have added some from a year ago. Neva and Oscar have been spending a lot of time together lately and seem to really enjoy each other's company (just like their mummas). I thought these were great/funny shots of the two of them. 

Here is a self-shot from a year ago. How time flies. :)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone. We had a great week of preparations, gifts, family time, and the egg hunt of course. 

First up was the egg decorating. Thank goodness for the sticker sets that make decorating with a young one a little easier. N was pretty excited to watch the eggs turn different colours. I think she would have decorated 20 if given the opportunity.  

 Next up were the cookies. I bought this great cutting and decorating set that was fun for both of us to use. What I didn't realize was the size of the cookie cutters - as they were hidden in the box when I was purchasing them. Wow! Those easter egg cookies are bigger than Bruce's hand.

N received lots of great gifts from her grandparents. Books and gummies galore (oh, and chocolate for mum and dad). We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful family.

On Good Friday we headed out to the mountains for an overnight stay at the Delta in Kananaskis. We were spoiled by fabulous blue sky and sunshine on both days.  Our trip involved a lot of walking, swimming, and climbing on the rocks pictured below.

Gorgeous scenery of course.

Remember this? 

Updated shot.

N wanted to explore everywhere, especially the steeper areas.

The hotel had many fabulous activities for kids. A highlight was the GPS easter egg hunt on Saturday morning. N was okay-ish with the GPS and FAR more excited about finding the baskets hidden in various outdoor locations. During the hike we were noting that this was probably something the Stroms did for their family... ;)

A definite highlight for N was when the Easter bunny visited and left plastic eggs filled with gummies (as N does NOT like the taste of chocolate) all over the house. That is the most excited I have seen her in a while.

So excited that she had to put some of the gummies  on her waffles. I think she is a big fan of the Easter bunny!

Waaaaay Behind

Hi!

Between selling our house, buying another house, and misplacing my battery charger for my camera, I have not had the time nor the resources (i.e. camera) to update this blog. We are a little short on pictures, but here are a few of what we have up to.

SKIING!
Neva has had various reactions to skiing. Everything from 'no freaking way' - with crying and refusing to put the skis on, to 'yeah baby' - with laughing and giggling. We have all found the dressing part to be a little challenging.

Looks like a natural :)

The giggling.

 Bruce and I enjoyed the Heritage Day Classic Game. It was quite cold that day, the look on the guy's face to my left says it all.

SKATING!
We had a great day with Uncle Chris, Teague and Amara.

More Skiing.
We spent a fabulous weekend in Golden, B.C. The snow was excellent, the lodgings were wonderful, and the company was meh ;) .  Can't wait to do it again next year!

Days spent with N being her usual cute and/or goofy self.

This outfit was followed by N saying, "Quick now we have to go to a party at the pyramids."

We have also had the pleasure of entertaining Flat Stanley for the last few days. He was sent out by N's cousin Sarah so that we could show him what Calgary is all about. I think he had a great time with us.

Busy Bees

The Laughlin household has been keeping quite busy. I have several pictures that have yet to be uploaded from my camera - but I did update the ones from my phone. So here is a glimpse into what we have been doing. 

Socializing with fabulous friends, including lots of great dinners, visits, and a wonderful ski weekend in Golden B.C. My back is still thanking me for that ski weekend. 

Getting Neva's first haircut. As you can see she was thrilled. 

Neva's emotional development has been coming along beautifully....ah the wonderful 2s. 

Playing with the iphone, and some great mom and daughter time. 

Our little Arab-Canadian girl who loves wearing toques but hates wearing pants. 

And of course welcoming new babies (WELCOME LIBBY!). We are so lucky to have our wonderful friends home from Libya. The weekend before Mel delivered (and I think they had only been back for one week and dealing with their own turmoil) they were over helping us sort out our house and move stuff. Now that is friendship. 

T2

We are slowly settling into our lovely home. The house is a disaster. Where is Clean House when you need them? Moving...argh. I also have a paper due Tuesday and I can't seem to get my butt in gear to write the silly thing. It would seem that I can't be bothered to do anything right now. Hmmm... I blame T2 (Tadpole 2).