Aaron's Beauty Parlour Experience

With Aaron starting Kindergarten next week, it was imperitive we have his overgrown goldie locks tended to at once.  Kirsten basically owns his head of hair, so it was only natural that we take a trip to her salon 'The Beauty Parlour', yesterday morning.  She's worked there now for over 3 months yet this was my first time visiting the salon (I know, shame on me).  It's a uniquely stylish place that could best be described as vintage glamourous!  It also happened to be Kirsten's birthday so it was an extra nice visit.

Aaron was too funny getting his hair done.  Between the scalp massage, shampoo and haircut; his facial expressions were priceless!  Large mirror+little boy=funny faces!  When given the option to take it all off or keep his luscious long locks.... as always, he chose to keep it long.  What can I say!  The boy loves his curls (and so do I)!!

The Value of a Quarter Century

She's my baby sister, bosom buddy and best friend.  And today she's 25 years old.  How crazy is that?!  Sisters for a quarter century now (sounds nutty, doesn't it?)!  I thank God for putting Kirsten in my life and in my children's lives, as well.  And here's where I really lay on the cheese (my apologies, but there's really no other way to express my feelings without sounding slightly corny-- but it's worth it!): she laughs with me, she cries with me, she sticks by me even when I rock the boat, she encourages me to strive for more, she's freakin' funny, her heart is one of the most generous I've known, she's sensitive to others' feelings, she witnessed the birth of my first born (against her will, but none the less... lol), she adores my kids and loves them unconditionally, she covers my roots, keeps me stylish (I'm a work in progress...) and she's always got my back.  I could go on and on.... and on, literally.  To sum it all up, she gets me and I get her.  I love her dearly and look forward to the great things that are going to happen in her life; blessed that I can be a part of them.

Happy Birthday, Kirst!

Summer Must-Haves

Two items we discovered this summer that we no longer could go another summer without: Roasted corn-on-the-cob and Arizona Green Tea Iced tea. Both are undeniably cheap (right up my alley!) and seasonably refreshing. Of course, we've always done our corn up the usual, boiled in a large pot, way. Well-- we really let our hair down this summer and decided to throw it on the grill (I know-- crazy, right?!). Love it! And, a hit among the whole family. Nothing tops it off better than a tall can of thirst-quenching iced tea. I finally got around to trying Arizona's tea and was surprised at how great it tasted (not overly sweet and a hint of green tea flavor) and more surprising, the price.
Well, that's it! Other than an over-sized pair of sunglasses and a comfy pair of flip-flops, those are my two recommended must-haves for the summer!!

First Morning Glory

My first Morning Glory bloom of the season-- can you believe it?! Here I am talking about fall and just now the darn thing starts blooming. I haven't done my research and take into consideration that they could, naturally, be late bloomers (I'll have to ask my Grandma Mary Ann, as she's my personal gardening guru). I have a pretty sad looking garden this year. In between being dug-up by the cable company and prodding from the painter's ladders (condo board's been busy this summer...), it really hasn't stood a chance. I'll be lucky if by some miracle I manage to successfully nurture a full grown squash! *Fingers crossed* As for now, I will take great delight in the beauty that is my first Morning Glory.

And the Leaves are Starting to Turn...

In no time at all, September is now around the corner. Like always, summer has flown by at lightening speed. I've already started the back-to-school (or rather, just 'school') clothing hunt, made plans with Kirsten for Aaron's coif, and got a hop on my Kindergarten phone coordinator duties. Yes, that's right-- I have an active role in the Local Advisory Council (LAC) committee this year as Class A's (Aaron's class) Phone Coordinator-- Da da daaah!! My responsibilities include: attending monthly meetings, scheduling parent volunteers for every day of the school year and notifying parents of special events, snack duties, changes in schedule, etc. Basically, I will keep every parent informed of what is going on schedule-wise. I have always desired an active role in my children's educations ever since I unexpectedly sprung parenthood on myself. I want to be the mom who volunteers, has good relationships with the other parents and is well-known and well-liked by the students and teachers. Not only that, but the benefits of having a position like mine will help me to meet new people and hopefully, make some new friends. You can never have too many friends, right!?

In the meantime, according to the weatherman, we still have quite a few nice days ahead of us in the next week or so... Maybe after a couple more trips out to the lake and a few more dips in the pool, we can fully and gratefully, welcome Fall!

We're Baaaaack!

Home sweet home- Just got home from our Kananaskis trip yesterday late afternoon! We had a great time, got to see family from far, far away (B.C., lol)... It was a great sense of accomplish-ment having the whole crew travel there, arrive safe and sound, and enjoy each others company. We've never gotten together like this before, so if it sounds strange to say it was an accomplishment-- really, a family of this size (22 of us in total) makes you wanna shout 'We did it!!', lol. Again, the kids had a great time. For the most part, we barely seen them all weekend as they were off frolicking in nature with their cousins. The only downside to speak of was the million-and-one outhouse trips we had to make with the kids (Okay, I say million, but I really mean, like, every half-hour 'I gotta pee!'). Highlights of the weekend: connecting with distant relatives, playing Phase 10 with my sis-in-laws, birthday celebration for James' mom, scenic trip into Kananaskis Village, and a good ol' fashioned camp-out in the Trapper's Tent with my fam!

I'm Prepared... Mostly.

Just finished the long weekend, and now, buckling down to get ready for this upcoming weekend's events-- Tipi Camping in Kananaskis! It's James' mom's 50th birthday this Saturday and all of us kids (4 sons, 3 wives, 12 grand kids) are making our way out to Kananaskis Country to celebrate it. It'll be the first time all of us will be venturing out on a camping trip together, so I'm convinced, there is some great fun to be had! James' brother Dave, his wife and their two kids are even traveling from Penticton to join us on this crazy expedition. This will be my fourth time camping at Sundance Lodges. I recommend it to everyone! Glorified camping at its finest!! My mom originally took us out there about 7 years ago and I'm so glad she did. It's a little piece of heaven right here in Alberta.

I'm about as prepared as I'll ever be. I started getting the dry goods and whatnot about 2 weeks ago-- actually purchased Rubbermaid storage tubs (**gives the appearance of professional campers**-- a look we're trying to go for. If you can't make it-- Fake it.); desperately trying to catch up on the laundry before Thursday... I tell ya, organization does not come easy for me-- but I think I may actually be succeeding!

The best part is, without having to plan some big, over-the-top vacation outside of the country... This four hour drive away from the city will be one of the best memories together as a family, all year.

*Photos are of last year's Kananaskis trip*