Blueberry Patch Fun!

We went to the Barrie Hill blueberry pancake festival this past Saturday and what a yummy time it was! After we ate our pancakes we took the tractor out to the blueberry fields and collected a container of blueberries. Loralai liked picking the berries, she ate one but I guess it was a sour one and she spit it out right away, but she loved just being outside walking in the dirt!

Bits and Pieces

I think that this is my favourite Loralai age so far! She is just so much fun, interactive, she can entertain her self for longer periods, she is starting to listen more, she learns new gestures, words, and actions so fast now! It is so amazing and such a pleasure to be able to watch the kind, sweet, driven, a bit stubborn, little person she is, and has become.

#1 - Mommy and Loralai just having hanging out on the floor fun!

#2 - Loralai is trying to walk and dance down the lawn...so hilarious, the picture definitely does not capture the moment well enough!

#3 - Playing with the water table in the backyard on a sunny afternoon.

#4 - Loralai LOVES sitting in boxes! This is one of the boxes that she keeps all of her toys in, she tossed the toys and played with the box lol...always the way!

My favourite picture by far is number #5! Loralai is just the perfect height to climb inside the tupperwear cupboard! I of course had to take her out since it is dangerous, but definitely not before I snapped a picture...so priceless!!

#6 - Loralai took Grandpa's hand to help her walk up the little hill. She had never done that before and it just made me tear up a little bit! Too sweet.

#7 - We have a little garden in front of our house and Loralai loves to just have a seat on stone edging, it is the perfect height to take a break.

#8 - There was a beautiful rainbow that made the day full of rain worth every minute.

You have to get a little messy before you can get clean!

I am the type of mom that feels getting messy is a great way to not only have fun but also to learn!! I have absoultely no qualms about Loralai getting messy, I figure I can always give her a bath and do a load of laundry, while she can get used to using a spoon and love doing it! So below are a few pictures from dinner time, she ate for almost a solid hour tonight! Must be growth spurt time.

Hey Mom, doesn't orange go really well with my blue eyes? lol.

Now time to get clean!!

Do you like my faux hawk??!!

We still bath Loralai in the sink. I figure she still fits in there, it saves our backs, and she still has lots of fun! Plus she does not try to stand and walk around in there!!

Strawberry Picking

We went to the strawberry patch today to pick our own strawberries! We had so much fun, Loralai especially. We road on a tractor, in the patch Loralai stayed in the isle and did not step on any of the strawberries, she of course ate quite a few of them! When we got back to the main gate there was a store that sold frozen yogurt, so we all got one and I shared mine with Loralai, she just went crazy for it! The very last photo is the end result lol.

1 Year Pictures!!

Last Saturday we went to get Loralai's 12 month photo's taken. We just went to a local Zhers store photo studio, they are not profesional photographers but the price was right, and the pictures turned out pretty cute I think! Sorry that they are a little blurry, they are a picture of the picture.

Starting Summer with a Bang...

at the cottage!

On Tuesday my good friend Maggie and I got together to chat and let our kiddies play. Maggie thought it would be a great idea to have our two families get together for dinner that evening, this idea turned into going out on their boat, to then going up to their families cottage for dinner and a nice boat ride on the lake! Maggie's family has a cottage about 40 minutes north of Barrie, which was just close enough to spend the evening, but just far enough away to get a piece of holiday paradise on a Tuesday evening on the spur of the moment.

We all had a fantastic time, Loralai especially! It was her first ride on a boat, and what a better way to start her out then on a pontoon boat. It was slow enough that she did not get scared, and Loralai and Drake were able to walk around, it was perfect. Loralai LOVED to watch the waves in the water, and she got to have a swim in the warm lake. All I can say is that I hope this is a indication of what the rest of what the summer will be like...warmth, sun, great friends, and wonderful lastly memories!

Loralai driving the pontoon boat, she is such a serious little driver!

Maggie, Drake, Loralai, and I

Loralai leaning in for a smooch!

Having fun with Daddy!

This is what Loralai's face was like almost the entire time we were cruising around the lake, she is just in love!

Loralai in her fancy borrowed life jacket since she did not want to hold on to Mommy's hands while in the lake.

Loralai's Party!!

If I could sum Loralai’s birthday up in one word it would definitely be FUN! She was surrounded by family and friends, including all her little baby friends Drake, Grace, and Sofia. I set aside one part of the living-room and hallway area for all of Loralai’s toys, so that Loralai’s and her friends could play, and boy oh boy did they play! Originally we had wanted to hold her party in the backyard, and I had different activities in mind like a water table (that she received on her actual birthday from Carrie), and her pool with sand buckets and shovels, but it of course rained all day so we had to improvise.

Carrie and I made the 1 large cupcake which was from scratch carrot cake, and the 24 regular vanilla cupcakes. The cake was a big hit especially the carrot cake...delicious!

They say that the first birthday is more for the parents then the child, and I would have to agree, and also disagree on that one. Yes, the theme and decorations were all what I wanted and she does not technically know that it is her birthday, but she did have lots of fun, and all of her friends and toys were there! So I would say it is a little bit of both.

Starting with Loralai’s first birthday I wanted to begin a couple of birthday traditions. My parents had a “Happy Birthday Lyndsey” sign made when I turned a year old and to this day they still put it up every year. It is one thing that I look forward to each year and I wanted Loralai to have a similar special tradition. I (with a little loving help) created a pin the candle on the cupcake game out of felt. This game will be something that we will be able to put up every year, and what is even more special is that it was made and not bought. I also have a fabric Happy Birthday sign, this one I actually purchased from Pottery Barn Kids. I wanted something again that we will be able to take out and hand year after year.

Loralai's 1st Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday to You,
Happy 1st Birthday My Beautiful Loralai,

Happy Birthday
I Love You!!

I can not believe that Loralai is 1 already. My little baby is now officially a toddler, which is a bit bittersweet since I really do miss the 'baby' stage, however I love how so interactive she is now, and I love to see the world through her eyes, and watching her learn and become her own person.

For Loralai's June 16th birthday we took to the park, and then out for dinner to McDonalds for the first time. Her cousin Brandon (9) wanted to take her there and get her "chicken nuggets, fries, an apple juice, and a toy for under 3", his words exactly lol. How could I resist? Of course she LOVED IT! We then went back to Carrie's house to sing happy birthday and open a couple of presents!


Loralai had her 12 month appointment at the pediatricians on Thursday, so here are some fun Loralai Facts:

Loralai weighs 21.5lbs
and is 30 inches in length.

Loralai just started today on 3.25% whole milk and did not even have any kind of reaction, Mommy was expecting a twinge, or to at least have a funny look, but she seemed to like it or at least be impartial to cows milk versus formula. Daddy and I have waited for this day when we could stop spending a small fortune on formula $28 a can every 4 days, to just $5 for 3 bags!! yay

Loralai can of course crawl up the stairs but has just started to get the concept of turning around and coming down the stairs on her belly!

I took her to the zoo the other day and when I showed her the tigers I roared and Loralai copied me, so now she roars lol...so cute!

We are having a cupcake birthday party for Loralai tomorrow, so there will be more pictures and stories to follow!

Reception Photo's

So we finally had our party to celebrate our marriage! It was small and intimate with about 42 people, but everyone had so much fun. Todd's boss catered and the food was fabulous! We had ribs, chicken, pasta, a couple of different types of salad, and steak. I had the cake made by a local cake designer. We had a banana cake for the top, and the cupcakes were made with 4 flavors: caramel, chocolate rasberry, banana, and a vanilla. My cousin Carrie made some delicious desserts, and some sugar cookies that read "I DO", "EAT CAKE", and lots of "T's and L's with hearts!

Since our budget would not allow us to have a professional photographer, and because our favourite photographers live in Florida, we had a family friend Heather take some photos for us which was so nice. Heather got some really wonderful pictures that we were not able to take in Florida because I was not able to have my girls in Florida with us, so I am happy.

Loralai danced the night away with everyone, and like always was definitely my little social butterfly. We had about 12 kids at the wedding, and they were seated at the kids table which was adorned with craft paper, crayons, stickers, candies, and much more.

Enjoy the pictures...