goodbye blogger.

I've been admiring a few Wordpress blogs for about a year now, impressed with their clean look and spiffy options. More recently though, two of my friends have moved over to Wordpress from Blogger and so I too am making the switch. I've been secretly working on my blog for a little while but I still have no clue how to work their high-tech system. I'm learning though and feedback or suggestions will be very welcome.

So...I hope to see you over there and if I end-up hating Wordpress then I'll see you back over here:)

Take Care.

Bob The Builder.

James had this fab idea of taking one of our under-the-bed bins and filling it with play sand for the kids. Seriously...best idea ever. They've already spent hours just sitting there and playing, and apparently singing. Too cute. (sorry for the bad quality of video, my camera was in a bad mood)

things i was able to pack into the 24 hours without the kids.

(in order)

1. Make myself a massive (somewhat gluttonous) lunch without the kids eating half of it.

2. Watch Fashion Television without having to listen to Curious George in the background.

3. Lounge around on my bed reading my Hobby Farms magazine with peace and quiet.

4. Have a bath without Rhys asking what time it is.

5. Get ready to go out without breaking up a fight over a toy.

6. Buy a big bag skittles without having to buy something for the kids...or having to deal with them crying for candy.

7. Go and see a non-kid friendly movie (Couples Retreat).

8. Buy a bottle of wine.

9. Stay up late without having to worry about getting up at the crack of dawn.

10. Slept well past the crack of dawn.

11. Get ready in peace again :)

12. Go out for a breakfast buffet and actually carry on a conversation with my husband without being interrupted a million times.

13. Write goals for our next two years without being interrupted a million times.

14. Drive in the truck without having to explain the itinerary for the whole day (something which Rhys has become obsessed with).

15. Go to Chapters and spend an hour quietly looking at books without having my limbs torn off of my body in different directions.

16. Get overly excited to see the kids on our way to pick them up.

♥

I'm having a lot of trouble trying to come up with words to describe these past five years of my life. They've been crazy years full of things that I never imagined would happen to us, or at least not in our first years of marriage. Life has taken us down some seemingly random roads full of sharp twists and turns, some good and some, well, let's call them character building. Marriage is not what I expected. I expected a long honeymoon stage. I expected us to find great jobs where we got paid a decent amount of money so that we could buy a cute house (one that wasn't a fixer-upper). I expected us to have lots of time to hang out with friends and go on fun trips with other couples, or just the two of us...because we would be able to pick and choose. I expected us to think about having kids when we were 26, which would give us enough time to build a solid foundation and save up some money. I expected us to have enough money to buy nice wines and expensive cheeses which we would consume together all curled up on our fashionable sofa sharing about our days and joking about our co-workers. Sounds a little fairytale-ish? Yup. I have this thing where I get my hopes up and I have all of these high expectations that I put on myself, others, situations, anything really, only to have them all dashed and disappointed. Because who can really live up to all of that? Who really gets that life? I suppose some people do, but they are few and far between. Yes, I think that the one word that I would use to sum-up these five years of marriage would be unexpected. I didn't expect to get pregnant two months after being married. I didn't expect to be a mom at 21. I didn't expect us to go through this many jobs, including two layoff's. I didn't expect us to live in five different places within four years. I didn't expect to have my second child at 24. I didn't expect us to have to find a new church, and essentially a whole new community. When I stop and thing about it I could pretty much say anything that has happened since we've been married was not even close to what I had pictured. This sounds like a real drag doesn't it? I suppose that I could look at it that way (and I have to admit that there are moments when I'm feeling overwhelmed that I do) but I like to think that God has put all of this on our plate because, for some reason, God thinks that we can handle it and He's choosing to build our character. If I had gotten the marriage that I was expecting sure it would have been easy, but it wouldn't have caused me to look deeper into myself to find strength and faith and patience and love. I like to think that I'm much more of the woman and wife that God wants me to be because of all of the craziness that has happened to us.

So here's to five unexpected years of marital bliss....I mean craziness.

silly boy.

*out of nowhere*

Rhys: "But I don't see God."

Bria: "Are you thinking about God right now?"

Rhys: "Yeah, I want to ask him if this is a hay bail tractor or not."

winnipegger in training.

ruffle scarf.

So I was drooling over the Anthropologie website today, wishing that I had tons of money to spend in that store (wishing that there was an Anthro store in Winnipeg actually), when I realized that I had some cozy fabric kickin' around and that I could easily make my own ruffle scarf. Fifteen minutes later...Presto! My Anthropologie inspired fall scarf. I already have an order in for another one (although it will be a mini-version of mine for the mini-me that lives in the house). Don't you just love it? My only regret is that it should be about 2 feet longer...and it was, until I ruffled it.

*yes, i do look weird in the picture. my kids were yelling at me to make them lunch and i decided to ignore them and take a picture to put on my blog instead.

7:00 am.

There are times when I feel really bad about being a SAHM. James runs out the door first thing in the morning and works non-stop, sometimes through lunch, and gets home late to provide for us while I just stay home...all day, every day. There are days where this really bothers me, I feel like I should be doing more or pushing myself harder to take on more things or get a better education so I can help out too. I have these moments where I buy into the unspoken 'you're not really that successful if you just stay home with your kids' mentality that has invaded our society.
This morning, however, was not one of those moments. The kids wanted to have a cuddle on the couch before we started our day, something that doesn't happen often enough. Rhys brought over a pencil and piece of paper and started writing out his numbers. Amelia sat looking through her Peter Rabbit books and I sipped my coffee. It was a wonderful moment because I felt as though I was contributing to my kids in a way that making more money never ever could. I was giving them my time, my attention, my cuddles, my counting skills, and they were getting mom all to themselves.

hello october.

Well, it's October. All of my fretting and complaining didn't make a difference to our ticking clock, it just kept going. We may as well kick off the month on the right note so here's an adorable song for you to listen to. Hope you like it!

goodbye september.

While I usually find myself excited for the arrival of October, eager for the crisp weather requiring cozy knits and Pumpkin Spice Lattes I instead find myself wondering where the heck September went? I seriously have no idea and I actually feel robbed of a whole month. Please tell me I'm not the only one feeling this way!??! Apparently the whole month snuck right past me while I was enjoying the lingering heat and adjusting my household to include one more. October is wonderful. October is fabulous. October is my favorite month out of the whole year...I'm just not ready for it! I usually spend September gearing up for October. October means digging through stacks of Rubbermaid bins to find all of the fall/winter clothing that I didn't get around to organizing into just one bin and instead dispersed it into anything that had room enough to spare. October means starting my Christmas gift making if I hope to have another handmade Christmas. October means cleaning up the yard that I was just getting used to spending time in. October means gearing up for a Halloween sugar-induced coma in November which requires one to stockpile toilet paper and canned goods so as not to sink too far into filthy slobishness (i think i just made up a word). October means beginning the heartache of seeing my tan fade to pasty white after spending so long trying to procure it. Sigh. And after all of this you're left wondering why I love October...and I do love October. I just usually spend September dealing with all of the frustration of seeing our warm weather slip away and by the end of the month I come to terms with the situation we find ourselves in in this northern climate and am ready for all of the loveliness of autumn to begin. But no, not this year. September got away on me and only this morning did I realize that tomorrow is October and that I have not done any preparation what-so-ever except in printing off a recipe for a homemade pumpkin spice latte which I suppose is all one really needs to do to prepare for fall. Ugh. Someone tell me they are in the same boat!

prunella and i.

Meet my new purse.

I started making my new purse today and I was so excited about it that I even finished making my new purse today.

Actually, Prunella did most of the work and I just helped out here and there.

I'm very happy with how it turned out.
Especially the green flower.

oh, go read a book!

Well, that's just what we did. Rhonda (my sister-in-law who lives 3 streets over) invited the kids and I to hop on the bus with them and head on down to the library. I haven't actually been to the Millennium Library since it was re-opened so it was a nice treat, that and the weather was unbelievable today! Considering I have a library fine of $50 left over from high school I tend to avoid the whole 'book-borrowing' scene...who needs free books anyways? I actually enjoyed reading all of the huge books to the kids (Robert Munsch is always a favorite) while Rhonda looked for potty training inspiration. I may have to come back when we are in the pit of winter weariness and are in need of some new scenery. They've even got a coffee shop, count me in!

king of the castle.

So I made Rhys a castle today cuz, you know, who needs to spend 150 bones on the Schleich one when you have a perfectly good, albeit old diaper box, some toilet paper rolls and some construction paper! "Not I!"
I don't really know what I was thinking though, sure it turned out great and he hasn't stopped playing with it all day, but who in their right mind makes their toddler a castle at 7:30 in the morning! Don't do it! It's not a good idea! If you're ever tempted...just don't! Someone slap me. I need to re-think this time management thing. Sure it was a good thought to make the super-cool castle first thing in the morning so that the 'spirited' four-year-old has something to do all day...but one doesn't actually follow through. I couldn't figure the stupid thing out for the life of me and I ask you...WHAT IS THERE TO FIGURE OUT??? It's four walls with some toilet paper rolls stuck on the corners! There. That's it! But no, I was trying to do math and math and I don't get along on the best of days, and then I wanted to make a draw-bridge, and then I thought a little matching village would be fun....well, I simply don't go through enough toilet paper to facilitate the building of a whole village so we just stuck with the castle (and a few trees). Anyways, all my silliness aside, it was actually a fun project and Rhys is really happy that he now has a home for all of the knights that he got for his birthday.

getting better.

Today I made Zucchini Bran muffins, Corn Chowder, Rice Pudding and Biscuits. I did the laundry, cleaned up toys and had my sister-in-law over so the kids could all play together. I did dishes and read over some recipes that I'd like to try out. I also checked Facebook twice, read the Free Press website and looked up some craft ideas. I accomplished all of this while caring for three toddlers.

...I think that I'm getting better at time management.

things i've been able to accomplish while avoiding facebook for the week.

1. Upcyle my shirt (see previous post).

2. Go to the Walk-In Clinic and wait for 2.5 hours to see a doctor for 5 seconds.

3. Take the kids to the park.

4. Make a monster batch of cookies.

5. Read 6 McLean's magazines (I happen to really enjoy this magazine and if anyone would like to bless me with a subscription for my birthday {Oct.13th} I would promise to love you forever).
6. Convince Rhys to get a haircut.
7. Prep the kitchen for James to paint it.

8. Visit the local thrift store and buy a bunch of fabric, a table runner, two tank tops and a whole pile of children's books for $4.
9. Exercise 5 times.
10. Take the kids to play with their cousin's on two occasions.
11. Keep a way tidier house.
12. Successfully take care of three toddlers (meaning that they actually get fed and their bums actually get changed).
13. Overall feel like a better more useful human being.

upcycle.

I finally have a sewing space of my own! Ya-hoo! I'm so excited to be able to keep all of my sewing/craft things in one corner of the house and not have to haul them out every time I want to be creative. It makes a huge difference, believe me. Anywho, today was the first time that I actually used Prunella in her new space. I had a shirt that I had bought from VV a loooong time ago and I finally got around to taking it in. I totally understand that most people will think this is the ugliest shirt on the planet, but that's probably why I like it. I think it's cute. It was actually a maternity shirt so I had to take it in a whopping 8 inches on each side and now it fits like a glove. Yay for re-purposing and yay for my new space! I have big plans for my sewing area so I'll have to keep you posted as it evolves.

a bit of erskine life.

{this isn't ammie playing peek-a-boo, she's just mad}
{oooo, one girlfriend! *cough* i wonder who that is!}

{opening gifts at the birthday party. thanks to everyone who came

by the way, rhys had a blast!}

{it's julia...need i explain more? (and this is why we get along so well)}

{church picnic + bouncy castle = new heights of excitement}

{rhys trying to impress his lady friend}

{the erskine brothers were in charge of the meat...it's just so fitting.}

{a whole pile of veggies from my garden. all of the hard work pays off in the end}

and now he is 4.

Yet another year has flown by leaving me spinning around wondering where the time went. Rhys is four today! I can't believe it. I know it doesn't mean much when it's not actually your kid, but it's crazy. Seriously. I'm not going to do a mushy sentimental post this year (but if you want one you can go here and read last years) but I will say just this one thing...ready?...You know your son is four when he starts making fake moustaches and wearing them around the house. There. Happy Birthday Rhys!

hope.

So I've been rather absent from blogdom lately and for that I apologize. I truly feel bad for all of my faithful readers who stop by every day hoping to get yet another small glimpse into the crazed life of Bria, or a laugh at my expense, or a look at how weird my children are. Instead of being updated and entertained I've unjustly left you to watch 'Pasta Restaurant' over and over again. I'm just joking, I know that you don't stop by every day. Anyways, my blog has been fairly quiet this week because my mind has been the opposite and I fear that if I start typing I won't stop and then I'll say things that aren't ready or needing to be said. And so I've just kept my distance...until now. Here we go.

I had a friend come over the other day for a much needed heart-to-heart. I called her the day before to ask her if she could find some time to be with me while I wrestled with a few (many) heavy things. She came over the next morning and I must say that I feel blessed to have her in my life. Friends like her a much needed breath of fresh air. It turns out she had been praying for me and had been led to a specific verse so she decided to share it. The words rang true and ministered to exactly where I found myself at. The verse was Romans 5: 1-5 which says, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." ...

Hope does not disappoint us. Hope does not disappoint us. That line took my breath away and since that day I've been saying it over and over and over. Truth be told, I noticed my heart begin to change and grasp at this idea of hope before my friend shared this verse with me but when you are faced with the truth of scripture as it directly relates to what you are thinking and feeling in the depths of your being...man, it's like fireworks.

At a time where I should be writing about how the world is against me, I find myself writing about hope. Actually I find myself thinking about it, praying about it, and most of all trying to figure out how to live it. Hope has been swirling around in my mind and heart for a few weeks now and I've been slightly reluctant to open the can of worms.

As many of you know I've been fairly (read: insanely) stressed these past few months, and indeed these past few years. Life, for me, seems to be getting harder and harder and harder. Why has God brought me through this? Why is God allowing this or that or the other thing? I ask myself these questions day in and day out. It's not that my circumstances have become less...bleak (there are still many things that I have no clue what to do with), it's that I've begun to look at them in a different light and put my hope in the Lord and not in man. I'm not sure why God chose these past couple of weeks to perform a heart change in me but I'm glad that he did. I've started seeing God's blessing in my life, I've started seeing his hand at work, I've started running to him when I feel panicked or anxious. Part of this movement was brought on by listening to one of my favorite pastors from a church in the States talk about the book of Ruth. He spoke about God's invisible hand of providence, sanctified suffering, how Ruth was faithful and not foolish, how God is sovereign and good, how Naomi was brutally honest about where she was at, oh, there was so much more. (I suggest you just head on over there and listen to it! I posted a clip from the sermon a few posts back and you can access the whole sermon through that.)

I think that's what I'll leave you will today. I have a lot more to say and hopefully I was able to formulate my thoughts enough to convey where my heart is at. I honestly feel so strange for feeling all of this. It is against all odds (or at least it feels like it) that at the end of each day my heart has stayed intact and that my hope is in the hands of the Lord, and that, my friends, is because God wants to help, and He can, so He does.

rhys' vlog - pasta restaurant.

Yes, I did take this video, but it was too cute and it was something that Rhys did, so it works. Enjoy.

cedarwood.

I finally made it out to Cedarwood with the kids. James happened to mention that he had some work to do about 10 minutes away from the camp, so I half jokingly asked if he could drop us off while he did it. It worked out well. I got there during my brother (who is the new director) and sister-in-law's 'family time' so we hung around the sandbox and then went down to the beach and let the kids get all wet and dirty. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for very long, but it was a good visit. Rhys and Ammie were excited to see their cousins and have some different scenery to look at and I'm sure that James was happy to have some company along for the ride.

p.s. my kids have crazy hair.

rhys' vlog.

So my dad bought Rhys a video camera few weeks ago and he's totally smitten with it. I'm also excited that I no longer have to hand over my precious camera and trust the toddler hands will care for it properly. He's still getting used to the whole point the thing at what you're wanting to record (as you'll see in the first video), but I'm sure he'll catch on pretty quickly. I thought that it would be fun to post some of them on here every now and then for all y'all to see. Enjoy Rhys' vlog (vlog is short for video blog btw).

random bria - magnificent blue.

There's something about the ocean that has this tight grasp on my heart. When I see pictures of it, when I watch videos of it, when my toes are tickled by the lapping waves my heart beats a little faster and I get excited. I don't live by it (obviously), but for being born and raised in the prairies I've managed to spend a good amount of time staring at it's vastness. I can't really pinpoint the exact moment that it's beauty seeped deep down into my soul but I do remember loving it from early on. It could have been on one of our trips to Mexico as a child, or it could have been walking along the beaches in California, or possibly seeing rows upon rows upon rows of boats in Annapolis, or living on 'The Gully Wumper' experiencing the thrill that sailing brings.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the prairies. They are unbelievably majestic in their own right, but the ocean has a hold on me in a way that the prairies never will. I find myself longing to see it, to dangle my feet in it, to hear the roar of the crashing waves.

The ocean became a spiritual place for me when I was in Australia. My good friend Jen and I decided to take a boat tour out to see the reef (cuz who goes all the way to Australia and misses that!?). What some people may not know is that the reef is about, depending where you were docked, a good hour out into open water...there is NOTHING around, save for a few other boats with tourists. You can either go scuba diving or you can snorkel, and we choose to snorkel. I can't think of anything that could top the thrill of diving into open ocean, the possibility of nearby sharks (and that wasn't an assumption, they told us there were sharks), not being able to see the bottom, and swimming for my life just to get on top of the reef. It was crazy. My friend took in a huge gulp of salt water and spent the rest of the time sick on the boat, so that left me to fend for myself. I paid a lot of money to get out there and for all I knew it might be my last chance to see the reef, I didn't want to waste it. So on our second dive I went in by myself, scooted over to the reef and began taking in the sea turtles, the coral and all the little fish. What truly hit me out there in the open water was the vastness of it all, the beauty of it all, the depth of it all and the wildness of it all. We can never measure the ocean (we are still discovering new pockets and new species) and we can never tame the ocean. It is big and fierce. And what I couldn't get out of my mind was how much bigger and how much deeper is God and his love for us.

When I was in Mexico with Rhys and Amelia I tried to spend as much time as possible by the ocean. Rhys hated it and Ammie was too young to take her in, but I stole away and had little moments by it and all of the same feelings about God came flooding back. Maybe that's why I'm longing for the ocean, I've had a few special encounters with God and adventure by it and maybe I'm feeling like I need some more. That's probably it, now that I've written all of this down (again, writing helps me process), but I do love the ocean. I hope and pray that I will have many more opportunities to look out onto the magnificent blue waters and contemplate it's wildness and beauty.

On a separate note, James has never seen the ocean.

(photo taken by a friend, sarah jenkins.)

redeeming ruth.

I really enjoyed watching this clip and listening to the scripture. It's an intro video to a sermon series called 'Redeeming Ruth'. I haven't watched the sermons yet, but I'm going to skip over there right now and start.

300 mph torrential outpour blues.

feelin' blue today. the white stripes help a bit.

i have no idea what to call this.

I was standing in an aisle at Micheal's yesterday holding two watercolour sketch books trying to decided what weight of paper I liked better when the little voice in my head brought me back down to reality. "When will you have time for this?" it said..."You're not even that good and you're not going to frame any paintings, what a waste of money!" and, as per usual, I believed the voice and put both books down wishing that I did have time and that I was better at painting.

I remember hearing a woman talk about entering into motherhood in regards to packing for a trip, or something to that effect. You leave certain things behind, you pack what you want to bring along for your journey for later, and you wear an outfit during your travels. She said that motherhood was similar in that you just need to leave certain things about yourself behind, things that were maybe not that important to you. You also need to pack things that are meaningful that you might want to continue later on, when baby grows up. And finally, there are certain things that make you YOU, so one needs to wear those regardless of becoming a mother or not. This analogy resonated with me and pulled at one of my heart strings, I just wish that I had heard it before I became a mother. I would have given more time and thought to what I believed made me special and unique, what I just liked to do, and what I could live without. I guess where I'm going with this is that I feel all muddled inside, like I'm holding onto things that I just kinda liked and I let-slip the things that really made me Bria.

I used to paint all of the time, it was one of the major ways that I expressed myself and I've lost that. I realize that I don't have the same amount of time to dedicate to painting that I used to, but when I do sit down with my brushes there's just nothing there. I've lost my inspiration and drive and I feel like I've lost a part of me. Theater was also a huge passion of mine and I haven't done anything theater-ish in years...years.

Everyone inevitably says, "oh, just wait until the kids get bigger, then you'll have the time to do what you want" but in the meantime I just sit around feeling as though there are these huge holes in my character. I feel like I'm not fully Bria, but maybe I'm no longer good at those things that made me Bria and if I'm not then I've lost part of me, and then what makes me me in place of those things? That was a horribly confusing sentence and it's left me even more confused. Hm.

peanut and butter.

Over the past little while I've been noticing how much my son is changing. Part of me wants to hold onto his baby/toddler side, but there's no stopping it, he's growing up and there's nothing I can do about it. Of course I'd like to slow it down for practical reasons; not as much clothes shopping (he's not yet 4 and he's in a size 11 shoe), not as much grocery shopping, not as many questions to answer (which are becoming more and more complex), but the growth in body and mind is inevitable and I suppose I should embrace my ever changing son for who he is right now. However, I must say that having to make a peanut butter sandwich after every meal to temporarily appease his insatiable appetite is a bit much...but I'll have to get used to it since he is James' son after all. More often than not James will have dinner, then second dinner, then a snack and possibly some dessert thrown in there. If Rhys skyrockets over six feet (which we, along with our pediatrician, are expecting) than this is just a taste of things to come. On the up side I have been enjoying some of the deeper conversations that I've been able to have with my son. Things like, "Why are there good guys and bad guys?" and "How can God be everywhere and still right beside me?"...it's interesting to see his developing mind begin to think in spiritual terms. Like the other day when Rhys asked me to watch Curious George with him, I said that I couldn't for some reason or another and he quickly responded, "Well, I think that God wants to watch Curious George with me!" I'm sure He does son. I'm also starting to think about his fourth birthday, which is almost one month away, and I've already been told who to invite and everything he wants (which included cowboy boots and a periscope)...such a change from last year. I hope to cherish all of these moments with my boy as much as possible since this is his last year at home. Yes people, my boy is going to be heading off to school next year (and I'm sure that I'll write a frantic-mother blog when we come to that bridge). It's hard to imagine that I'll be shopping for school clothes and school supplies this time next year. I wonder how many peanut butter sandwiches I'll have to pack in his lunches? Crazy.

wide open spaces {or: i love target}

Well, I'm back from my holidays and it's taken no time at all to be bombarded with the chaos of everyday life. I experienced a sort-of shock when I walked in the door and had excited yelling toddlers running around, popcorn popping, and blue chalk all over Ammie's new bed and walls..all within two seconds of me getting home. Crazy. But it was glorious to be taking care of myself for a few days; something that I've needed for quite some time. My mom and I had a great time shopping without toddler potty breaks, diaper changes, or greedy tantrums. We ate out while carrying on a conversation without toddler interruptions such as, "Mom, what do soldiers do?" It was sheer bliss waking up slowly in the mornings at my own pace, going for a walk and grabbing a coffee. I took my time perusing through racks and racks of clothes or trying on shoes, walking up and down every single aisle of a store. In case you all think that I'm a horrible mother now, I will have you know that I missed the kids like crazy...but it was still great to be away. Heck, I didn't have to bring kids into the fitting rooms with me! How great is that!??! I saw tons of mothers shopping with their children piled high in the shopping cart and every time I just thought how great it was to be bria for the weekend...not mommy. It was also nice to experience some self-indulgence after a year of skimping on everything I could think of. So thank you mom, for taking me on a much needed breather! I feel as though I can keep on truckin' for a little while longer :)

{bria with a vat of red wine}

{bria with a vat of coffee}

{bria with a vat of yummy margarita}

random bria - three things.

Thing #1 - The Apple Crisp that I baked yesterday made for a very tasty breakfast.

Thing #2 - I'm beyond excited to get away tomorrow.

Thing #3 - The Matt Epp show that James and I went to last night rocked my socks.

Do yourself a favor and listen to his music here.

time to myself.

Life has been a bit quiet these past couple of days! My wonderful mother-in-law whisked away my children on Sunday so I could get a much needed break from the bum changing and the question answering and let me tell you, it's been delightful. I'm looking forward to seeing them in a few hours because I never quite know what to do with myself when the kids are gone. Whenever I get a break for more than a minute (though few and far between) I always end up suffering from feelings of uselessness for part of the time. Am I the only mother afflicted by this? *Please let me know if you have similar feelings as it might help me deal better*

Anyways, James and I were able to go out for dinner, ice cream and a late movie which helped me to feel semi-normal again. Yesterday I was able to fully follow my own schedule and did whatever my little heart desired, which didn't include washing the dishes. Bliss. Today I went to the dentist and then to my hairdresser to get a much needed haircut. I feel new again. The cherry on top will come Friday evening when my mom is treating me to some time away from the kids, the husband, and the house. We are getting in her car and driving down to Grand Forks for the long weekend to do some shopping, eating, golfing and a bit more shopping. I'm so excited I can hardly bear it. (You know you need a break when Grand Forks and golfing is making you hyperventilate! Seriously.) Life has been so stressful and hectic these past few months that I'm looking forward to getting away (even if it is only a 3 hour drive) and just being me for a little while. I find that it's so easy to loose myself in the hub-bub of everyday life, especially when there are little people that need you non-stop. It will also be nice to have a conversation with my mom without being interrupted 109 times! Ha.

So here is my new hair and I just love it...

(and yes, it is a vanity shot but I'm sure you can deal with it. wink.)

ammie screams for ice cream!

Yesterday my little girl turned 2! I still can't believe that I'm out of the baby years...for now. We decided to throw an Ice Cream Birthday for Amelia since it seems to be her favorite thing these days. I'm not exaggerating either, she'll jump up and down yelling "Oooooo" if I tell her she can have ice cream after dinner. She also tries to get back into the ice cream shop to get another cone every time we go to Sub Zero...the kid is obsessed. Anyways, it seemed to me that Ammie had a grand ol' time eating ice cream before dinner, opening gifts and seeing all of the people she loves to bits. Here are a few pictures from her big day.

Ice cream cone #1Me, enjoying some strawberry ice cream with strawberry coulis on top. Yum.

Ice cream cone #2

Ammie with her new best friend (not sure why, but Ammie is IN LOVE with cats!)

New heels.

Ammie is going to be moving into a big bed and getting her soother taken away soon, I can't wrap my mind around how fast these past two years have gone by! Some days it feels like someone broke into our house in the middle of the night and replaced my baby with an overgrown two year old. I might just have an emotional mommy moment when we take the crib apart.

Sigh.

On a stranger note, Amelia got a toy from her Grandma that can be used for pretty much whatever the kid wants (I'm thinking salad bowl) and Rhys has taken a liking to it...along with his uncle Garrett.

Monkey see

Monkey do.

in a miniature world.

Every once in a while I like to take a breather and stroll along the sidewalks of the Internet, eyes wide with wonder of all of the beautiful creativity that can occupy the different places. It could also be that I'm looking for things to distract me from having to sweep the floor for the fifth time that day, but the other way sounds a bit better. Today I stumbled upon one of the best tools for photography that I've found so far...making your pictures look miniature! Totally useless when you actually think about it, so don't actually think about it. Humor me and be as excited as I am over this whole new world of mini! Since there is no registration or sign-up fee I quickly uploaded a picture that I took a few days ago and now I have a picture of the miniature sized bakery at Victoria Beach. Can life get any better? I think not. Isn't everything so much cuter when it's pint sized anyways? You just want to wrap it up and take it home, don't you!??!

You can find the entertaining tool here.

our very first erskine family camping trip!

I can't believe that it's taken this long for us to get our act together but we finally did it! We went camping! The four of us had a blast sitting by the bonfire, roasting marshmallows, going swimming, and sleeping in the tent (even if there was a crazy thunderstorm). I'm excited for having many more camping trips as a family, especially after seeing that it is do-able with two toddlers. {And just as a side note, I must say that I love our truck! It works for camping on so many levels, but the best is that the back can be used as a change table. Very helpful when you've still got a kid wearing diapers.}