Family Pictures

Once upon a time, I mentioned that we took some family photos with Eric's family. I don't have much to say today anyway, so here they are. 

The whole family: Eric, me, his brother's girlfriend, brother in the white hat, two sisters, sister's boyfriend, his mom up front, along with Chloe, Madi and the two other grandchildren of the family. 

Eric's mother and the grandchildren. I love that they treat Chloe like family too.

10 Things That Make Me Really Happy

Tuesday, May 14 - 10 Things That Make Me Really Happy

(In no particular order at all!)

1. Coffee. And I need some of that right now. BRB! (Eric and I were just talking about how no one uses TTYL and BRB anymore now that MSN isn't huge. Well, it's gone completely now, isn't it?)

2. Obviously my family, and specifically my daughter. I love just watching her. Watching her play, walking her walk, watching her learn. Listening to her talk and babble. Getting hugs and kisses. 

3. Talking with Madi. Or really, teaching Madi new phrases. This morning she said "Chloe, eat your toast." and "Daddy, what's up?" It was fun. 

4. This guy. Especially when it comes to just hanging out on the couch when he's not feeling so great (top) or taking stupid pictures when we've just gotten up and I'm still half asleep this morning (bottom). 

5. The promise of summer. Summer is my favorite. This summer I can't wait to see a friend who just had a baby in March, and meet her little baby. I can't wait to see a friend who has been living in the Dominican for a couple of years now, doing amazing things. Hopefully seeing other friends who live away, as well as friends who live nearby that I barely see. I can't wait for beaches, and bonfires, and sitting out on the deck with a drink in my hand. I can't wait! 

6. Reading a really good book, which I haven't done in probably years, but if I ever manage to get through this awful 50 Shades of Grey book I've been reading since October, I hope my next one is great. I'm open to suggestions! 

7. This upcoming Monday I think I'm taking a day off work to spend it with my little family. It will be our first day all together in over a month, and I couldn't be more excited. 

8. The beach. I really, really, really just want to go for a walk on the beach at night. 

9. Taking pictures. Especially when they turn out really nice. 

10. Reading a really great blog post. So I'm off to do some reading now!

I'm Sorry for Mother's Day

May 13 - Apology

Dear Boyfriend, 

I just want to apologize for events that have not happened yet. 

I'm sorry that you won't get a card for Father's Day. Not even a scribble between folded up loose leaf paper. 

You certainly won't get flowers or chocolate. Or anything of substance. I didn't expect it anyway. 

I'm sorry that you won't get a meal cooked for you. I'm sorry that instead you'll cook a meal for everyone else instead. 

I'm sorry that you're going to have to do a million loads of laundry. 

I'm sorry that your Father's Day will be as sad and unimportant as my Mother's Day. 

Love, 

Your Bitter Girlfriend. 

Ps. At least Chloe gave me love and affection for Mother's Day. 

10 Facts About Me, Told By My Boyfriend

There's a blog called From Mrs. to Mama in which I found a really great post idea and link up. The post was called What My Loved One Thinks About Me. Everyone was encouraged to ask a loved one what they thought about them, or list facts about them, and post about it. I adored the idea so much that I asked boyfriend if he wanted to do it. He agreed, if I would do the same for him. So I did. 

He was told to do a list of 15-20 facts, and  that I needed it by the end of the weekend. On Monday, he sent me 10 facts, saying part two was coming later. It's Tuesday and I still don't have part two. I had to 'remind' him enough to do part one.

His list is cute. It kind of makes me smile. While my list more bitter sounding. Welcome to our life.

_____________________________________________

10 Facts About Venassa - As Told By Eric

1. She cares a lot about our children. Lots of toys and visits to the park.

2. She dislikes facial hair.

3. She enjoys the occasional video game, or at least pretends to for me.

4. Vanessa hates when you spell her name wrong.

5. When on trips, she needs to drive there, but not back.

6. Amongst other activities, Venassa enjoys a night at the movies, sometimes regardless of the movie.

7. Venassa is very about family, lots of phone calls and pictures.

9. Venassa enjoys arts and crafts, even though we don't have much time for them anymore.

10. Venassa will be annoyed when she realizes I skipped #8, but will still chuckle. That speaks to her sense of humor.

_____________________________________________

10 Facts About Eric - As Told by Venassa

1. He hates cheese. Who the #?*@ hates cheese?

2. He is the most patient person I've ever met, and it takes a lot to get a reaction out of him. Lucky and unlucky for me. 

3. He is very easily distracted, unless it's me trying to distract him from something. 

4. He gets more sucked into the kid's tv shows than they do. 

5. His name is actually his middle name. He hates being called by his real first name. 

6. He's probably tired of me whining about his relationship with his phone. Most of the days its a toss up as to what he'd save first in a fire - his phone or me. 

7. He is actually really a good father. 

8. He has The Beatles tattooed on his arm, like they're walking around it. I'm sure you've seen a variation of this picture before. He also had a Pi tattoo that he got covered up but you can still see it. He has (I think) two other tattoos, but they're not as strange

9. When I leave my phone unattended around him, I sometimes pick it up to find I have a new background photo. It's always of him, usually a creepy-looking picture. Here are two the latest ones:

10. He insists on tickling me all the time, and is almost always left with battle scars in the end.

_____________________________________________

So that's us. If he ever does his promised 'part 2', I will do a part two of this post, but until then... that is all. 

Party Weekend

Another weekend has passed. 

This one wasn't my usual kid and cleaning filled weekend. I still did both of those things, but Saturday night boyfriend and I had some drinks with friends. I think it was boyfriend and I. I didn't see him a whole lot all night. 

Early on in the night it crossed my mind that I never take pictures at parties anymore. So I quickly snapped a bunch of random phone pictures. It would be weird if I shared the ones of random strangers, but here's boyfriend and I. 

We were home by two, and up with Chloe around 8. I sat Chloe in her chair to eat breakfast and went upstairs for a minute. While upstairs I just wanted to lay down for a minute. And so I napped for about an hour while boyfriend watched Chloe, unasked. Oops. 

When I was awake, boyfriend woke his friend up and Mom watched Chloe so we could eat. When we got home, I napped with Chloe again. I think I could've napped all day. 

Boyfriend left me alone with the kids Sunday night to watch wrestling with his friends, a huge yearly thing. As luck would have it, Chloe didn't want to go to bed, and woke up twice more through the night. Madi was only up once. But after all that napping, I'm still tired today. 

Happy Monday. 

5 Things.

1. I posted a video of the girls 'dancing' in the car to Gangnam style, and said at the bottom  that there was a secret. A boring secret. If you view the video on YouTube, you might realize it's posted by boyfriend, and so his real name is posted. To save you the trouble of looking (assuming you care), his name is Eric. I may or may not still call him boyfriend from this point on. Eric is quicker to type though. 

2. In my post about Easter, I mentioned some changes. They happened. Mom moved in last night, and I got my new bedroom set. Hopefully it works out nicely, having Mom with us for awhile. I can't see how it won't. As for the bed, Eric and I both agree that it's too soft. We're get used to the lack of firmness in the mattress, and the insane fluffiness of the new comforter. 

3. I took some pictures while we visited a friend of mine last night, waiting to meet Mom. Mostly of Madi. Chloe wasn't being very photogenic. 

4. This weekend is party weekend. Eric's friends all get together for a boring wrestling thing Sunday night. I won't be attending. But Saturday night they also have a party. I'll be attending that one. We're both really looking forward to it. 

5. I have a severe addiction to buying second hand baby clothes. I honestly can not seem to stop myself. It usually starts with me needing one thing, but then I end up with 10-20 things. I need to try to have better control. I wish I was kidding. 

Things That Make Me Happy

I am cranky today. Just ask my boyfriend. 

Why I'm cranky? Well because it's our second snow storm of the week, but I made it to work this time. It's supposed to snow all weekend, so my plans for the weekend are probably ruined. Oh, and money. I have money. So now, instead, it's time to list some happy things. 

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- I made a half coffee/half hot chocolate at work with my own hot chocolate powder. It's not as good as Tim Horton's, but I almost drank it all so I'd say it's good enough. Maybe I'll start saving money that way. No coffee = pretty bad headache. 

- It's almost the month of April, and that means real spring is almost on its way. So far, I don't like the spring that we're getting. Two huge storms during the first week of spring? Unfair. 

- I love Instagram. I don't always upload daily, but I like seeing what other people upload. It seems so much more personal than just reading a blog sometimes. Sometimes I post things on there that I don't on the blog. Simply because if there's a way for me to save my Instagram photos from the website to my computer, I still haven't figured it out. 

- Madi let me try almost her entire summer wardrobe on her Wednesday night. It was to the point that she wanted to keep trying stuff on when we were done. Mostly just to rip the tags off, but whatever. I got a few cute pictures, but this one by far is the best. She is too stinkin' cute. All the clothes fit, except one pair of brand new shorts that I'm going to exchange for the next size up. They fit, but barely. Chloe isn't as interested in trying on her summer clothes, but we're getting there. 

- Summer. The idea of summer coming makes me so happy I could cry. Walking barefoot in grass. Beaches. Swing sets. The smell of sunscreen. Baby hats. Flip flops. BBQ. Sitting on a deck after dark listening to the crickets. It all sounds so amazing. 

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- Coffee is good for me. And I love coffee. 

- Boyfriend and I have somewhat of a hobby together now. Next project? Our daughters' names. 

- Chloe. She's cute and I love her. 

What are you happy about right now? 

A baby's birth and a weekend away!

At approximately 5:30 pm on Saturday night, boyfriend and I were left with no plans. I got a hold of a couple of friends, we packed a bag, and hopped in the car to leave the province. We had to make a couple of stops along the way, but arrived at my friends' house shortly after 8pm. 

That, by far, was one of the most spontaneous things we have ever done. 

We hopped in the car and took a two hour trip, complete with bridge fee (almost $45), gas, food. We didn't think much about it, we just did it. Because we had no expectations at all, it was an amazing time. We went out for appetizers and drinks with my friends, watched a movie, and slept over. 

Nothing quite compared to the sleep you have when you know a baby won't be waking you up through the night. We slept for less hours than we usually do, but woke up feeling so much more well rested. 

The next day we hung out for a little bit then went to the mall. We didn't buy anything exciting, but it was nice to browse around together. 

I had so much fun. 

We got groceries then got our girls home and life went back to normal. 

Boyfriend said he was glad we made the trip, since I've seemed so much more, uh, affectionate since we got home. Yeah it might be true. It feels like all is right with the relationship again and we finally spent some real time together. It was so nice. 

The topic of my blog came up over the weekend, since the friend I was visiting reads it. I told boyfriend the only reason I don't go out of my way to give him my blog link is because all I do is bad-mouth him on here. 

So whatever you do, don't tell him about this post. Cause I actually quite like him. 

<3

We are not photogenic

Ash and me

My favorite married couple

Mmm mmm Arby's. 

And I don't know any details yet, but finally my friend had her baby - the first of my close friends to have a baby. It's about time someone joins me in motherhood. This is baby Emma and her mommy. I can't believe my friend has a baby. It's so exciting. I'm just sad that she lives on the other end of the country so I won't be meeting this little one until July. I cannot wait. 

And?

As soon as I find out how big or small she really is, let the shopping begin. 

Screw Meal Plan Monday today. Other things are more important. I'll meal plan tomorrow. 

That's just life

This is the sequel to the earlier post "We Lost a Little Sleep". Last night we lost more sleep. 

Madi was up on and off starting around 11 pm, and waking up for the last time around 5:30 am. We are tired. We think (hoping and praying!) that she's growing some molars. I'm going to try to take a peek into her mouth tonight to see what the deal is. Drug her up with some Tylenol if needed. At least she's in a good mood in the day, this morning included. 

Pretending to sleep and snore in the car

While I mentioned before that things have been easy with the kids lately, things have also been busy. The girls have a slightly later bedtime than before. That, combined with boyfriend's work schedule and the girls waking up through the night, leaves us not only tired, but with a lot less time to spend together. 

Things have been getting boring and routine by the lack of quality time. I know it's a rut all parents get into. It was getting the point where we were together a lot, but it still felt like I hadn't seen him in awhile. We're working on it, and hopefully this weekend we'll have some uninterrupted time together. We might even get out of the house. We might even sleep through the night. Here's to hoping and praying. 

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Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I've never known how to answer that question. There has never been a clear answer. There's the 'where I want' to be answer, and then where I actually feel like I'll be. And then there's what really happens. And while it might sound insanely negative, there are no happily ever afters. There's just reality. Whether or not it's your happily ever after is really your choice, or your option to change. 

Let's look at how '5 years later' really ends up. 

My answer when I was in high school

I see myself either in college, or just graduating college. Looking for a job related to my education. Doing everything I can to make a better future for myself. I'm going to save money, and not end up living like my mother did - low income, living from paycheck to paycheck. 

The reality:

Five years later, I graduated from college. I was certified to be a legal secretary, but I doubted my education. I didn't feel in any way prepared. I worked at Wendy's. I lived in another province, and chose to move back home. I couldn't find any kind of full-time job, and struggled to get by with the help of my grandfather as I lived with a roommate. 

My answer when I was in college: 

I'd like to say my answer was optimistic - that I was going to find a great job and go on to do great things, but I was terrified. I didn't see everything as working out. I wanted to find an amazing job and live a great life. I was starting to feel like I was just a mess. No guy would ever truly like me. What a sob-fest. 

The reality:

Five years later, I was single after a long relationship, and that was my choice. I didn't have an amazing job, but I had a full-time job that I loved. It was about this time that I moved into an apartment by myself (kind of), and was finally financially stable for the first time in my life. The most unexpected part? I had a little girl, and not long after that, I met an amazing guy. Funny how things work out. 

My answer now:

I don't know where I'll be when it comes to my career, but I hope when this job finishes, there's another great job waiting for me. The girls will be 6 and 7. In school. And they had better be doing fantastic. I'll be with the same guy, married or about to be. We may have another child, or it might be in the planning stages. A boy, I'm hoping. And we'll all be rich and successful. And we'll all live happily ever after. I really hope. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

The post where I get serious

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*The one where I get serious*

I've been upset over something for a few days now, concerning boyfriend and I. In true annoying female fashion, I haven't voiced this. Instead, I've been distant, quiet, snappy, mean, and whatever other mean adjectives you can come up with. 

In this time, I've learned a little bit about boyfriend. 

I don't know if he's trying to give me space, genuinely doesn't notice I'm upset, or if he's scared to bring it up.  This is day 5 of me being upset, and he only acknowledged that something was up yesterday. He said we need to do something fun, and that we're in a rut. He hasn't really seen me laugh in days. He's been cleaning more around the house. He's been helping out more with Chloe. 

Sometimes I wish he would just force me to tell him what was wrong, instead he hasn't even asked. 

Things have been 'off' lately. 

First Chloe wasn't feeling well, and so I was always tired and not sleeping well. There were two different evenings that he had friends over. There were a couple of nights when he worked late, and I was in bed when he got home. There were a couple of nights where he stayed up late watching stuff on tv that I had no interest in. 

So there's been no 'us' time, and how has he not realized that himself yet? 

Yes, I should voice my concerns, but I don't think I should have to tell him that spending actual time together is a relationship requirement. I shouldn't have to make him want to spend time with me. Shouldn't he be doing all that on his own? After 5 days of me being distant, shouldn't it be sinking in that something is a little wrong? Shouldn't he miss me by now? 

It's especially sad, because before this week, things had been so amazing. When things are good, they're great. 

Sometimes I wonder if little things like this will ever 'make or break' the relationship. We haven't been together overly long, so I like to think of situations like this as us working out the kinks in the relationship. Fixing up all the little details to make sure this is the real thing. 

But if the same issue keeps arising, is that what will eventually break the relationship? 

No, I don't think we're breaking up. Not even a little. We've discussed marriage. A couple of days ago he even spoke the words 'Maybe we could be engaged by then'. I'm just scared that this little hitch in our relationship keeps coming back. 

Happy First Anniversary to Me

One this day last year, my life was changed in a big way. More than I ever would've guessed back then.

I woke up next to a boy that I'd been dating for a couple of weeks. It was one of those rare, amazing mornings when you have nothing to do for most of the day and just lay in bed talking. Those are my favorite mornings. By the end of the day, we were officially dating. 

So in celebration of that, some facts on us. 

10 Facts About Us

1. 

I'm older

If he was born 6 days later, we would be exactly 6 months apart

2. 

We're incredibly boring most of the time

When we have free time together, without babies, we have a hard time thinking of anything to do

3. 

We struggle with figuring out new meal ideas

4. 

Boyfriend hates cheese - and it's one of the biggest annoyances in our relationship

5. 

When we first met, immature people were spreading lies about us to each other

Luckily, we were smart enough to ignore the drama because that's all it was - lies

6. 

When the year changed from 2010 to 2011, we were both in the same bar 

celebrating with our friends, but still wouldn't meet each other for another year

7. 

We're both pretty much obsessed with ice cream cake

8. 

We've still never had a fight

9. 

We've only spent one night apart since he moved in with me in August - Christmas night

10. 

We pretty much always watch tv when we eat. It just feels weird if we don't. 

May 2012

July 2012

July 2012

October 2012

December 2012

December 2012

So Happy First Anniversary to us :)

Two Important Dates in January

This weekend was a special one. It marked two the the most important dates in January for us.

The first one was Saturday. January 19. It means exactly nine months until my birthday, but that's not at all important. It was that date one year ago that I said "what the hell" and went to meet boyfriend for the first time. 

There was no love at first sight, no immediate attraction. It was more of a "He seems okay, a little weird. Maybe we could hang out again." Before I knew it, we were officially dating, and before he even said the words himself, I knew I was in love with him. 

It's been one full year, and we have not had one. single. fight. yet. 

We've had a few different moments where we were starting to get snappy at each other, and one of us said "I think we might have our first fight today." But nope, not yet. 

To 'celebrate' our one year of dating, we had supper, a few drinks, and had a night out. Just us. Except we ran into a couple of his friends at a bar. It was a good time. I enjoyed the next night more. 

Hangover day, January 20th, was Madi's second birthday, so we went to boyfriend's sister's house (an hour away) for a party. The  girls were so good. Slept on the way there and back, and were happy girls throughout the whole party. One of boyfriend's older cousins even commented on how happy they are and how we must be doing something right. 

Babies, on party day, January 20

Once we finally got the girls home and in bed, we had a quick supper of tacos then laid on the couch to watch some Raising Hope. As usual, he's so comfy that I started to fall asleep pretty quick, so I rolled over to get even more comfy and only woke up again when the episode was over. Best feeling in the world. Only to find out he slept through most of it too. 

So we were officially laying in bed by 9:30. We are so old. 

It's all about the midnight kiss

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I've broken a lot of "rules" lately. My own personal rules to take pictures. I rarely forget, where the babies are concerned. Birthdays, holidays, funny faces, check! 

But when it comes to me and boyfriend? 

His birthday? Miss. Mine? Miss. Making it official? Miss. Our first New Year's Eve? Miss. 

Missing a photo opportunity for New Year's Eve makes me the saddest, because I was in a dress and he was in a tie and we looked pretty great. It  was also an amazing night. 

So maybe just this once it's okay to let the picture thing slide, because I was busy living life instead of documenting it. 

We went to a house party with his friends, and brought along one of mine. 

Drinks were had. There was middle of the winter outdoor hot tub time. There were a ton of laughs. 

And a horrible New Year's Eve countdown. 

"10... 9... 8... Oh, it's midnight."

But the midnight kiss? Nothing short of amazing. As was the rest of the night, and the next morning when we got to lay in bed for a couple of hours just talking. I think I fell in love with him all over again. But don't tell him that. He's already got a big enough ego. 

It's 2013. Expect me to get a little nostalgic over the next couple of days. 

Life is good.

My little family, not so photogenic.

I am in an amazing mood today, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly why. It's more a collection of little things. 

This morning Chloe woke up super early. I was tired, but it allowed room for some cuddle and play time. Around the time our alarm should've gone off, I dragged her upstairs to bug boyfriend, who was also tired but entertained us and got up without a complaint. Things have been so great with him lately. 

Getting to spend a little time with my two favorite people in the morning sure set the tone for the day. 

My half coffee, half hot chocolate (new addiction) topped up the happiness, and from there, there is just so much to be excited about that I can't help but be in a great mood. 

Christmas is coming. The shopping is basically done, we have most of our Christmas plans made up, and I get 2.5 days off to spend with my family. Boyfriend only gets Christmas day off, but that's better than nothing. 

Christmas week will be crazy. We are adopting boyfriend's daughter for a week - the Friday before Christmas until the Friday after, because her mother is going away. We'd rather have her for a week than not see her at all on Christmas. 

She will mainly be my responsibility, since boyfriend will be working and I'll be in charge of the daycare drop offs and pickups, as well as supper and bedtime some nights. It'll be a challenge but I'm mostly looking forward to it . 

I will also be taking her alone to spend Boxing Day with my grandfather and family while boyfriend works. Wish me luck as I spend a week being a mother of two girls under two. 

Life is pretty sweet. 

The presents are wrapped under the tree

This is our tree.

Ain't she pretttttttty? 

No? I don't think so either. Although the picture gives it more credit than it deserves. It's got some huge gaps that no 'fluffing' could fix, ornaments that are plastic (toddler-friendly) and boring, and not much else. I want a better tree for next year. 

Boyfriend and I almost finished our Christmas shopping yesterday, and that is the results. There are even presents in the far corner behind the tree. We have a ton of presents. A lot for the girls, some for me and him, and some for my family. 

Last night we wrapped presents and listened to random music from the 90s and early 2000s. And Gangnam Style. And eventually went to a friend's place and played Monopoly. I won. It was a great time. 

A few nights ago he told me he couldn't believe we've been together for almost a year already. And how happy he was with me. It kind of made me melt. 

Saturday was his family's Christmas get-together. It was an evening thing, so even though we were definitely going, I was a little scared about how the girls would take it. The party started at 6, and bedtime is at 7. 

Well, around 9:30pm Chloe was holding onto a chair dancing and Lil M was still running wild. Boyfriend's niece and cousins all loved the girls and were great babysitters to let us eat and play a couple of games. Overall, a good time with some nice people. His mother even took a photo of her and her grandkids in front of the Christmas tree and got Chloe to get in the picture. 

We took a 'family' picture of our own, which of course has a million flaws, but the important part is, I look good. 

That's always the important part. 

But I can't share the photo today because I'm at work and the photo is not. 

So, tell me about your weekend.

Men are silly.

It is no secret that I'm a little boring. 

I was reading some blogs this morning about crafts, and activities and the most amazing closet I've ever seen (scroll down near bottom).

Meanwhile, I'm just like... did anything even happen this week worth mentioning? Even just to document for my own sake?

Usually the answer is no. And still is. 

I haven't posted any recent, decent photos of Chloe in awhile. And I have a few, plus like one from the day we put up the tree. Maybe I'll share someday. 

I barely do anything besides work and clean and baby duties. 

But last night I helped boyfriend make biscuits for his daughter. He passed me the measuring cup then I measured, mixed, stuck my hands right in there to mix that gluten-free mess some more. While he watched. Just as all was mixed, and I had a couple of biscuits on the pan, shaping another one in my hands he looks at me with a smirk and says "thank you for helping me make biscuits". 

Oh. Right. So he helped shape the rest. 

Awhile later, when they were done and cooled and we were about to go to bed, we were both in the kitchen. Boyfriend grabbed a garbage bag from under the sink and shook it open. I was half paying attention, but thought nothing of it. I turned back to fill Chloe's bottle with milk, and turned back to him to see him putting the last biscuit in the garbage bag, and twisting it to 'close' it. A garbage bag. 

And then I laughed. And couldn't stop laughing. I finally managed to ask why, and he told me it was because we didn't really have a storage container clean that was big enough to hold them. 

"What about a Ziploc bag?" I asked. He stared at me for a moment with that same smirk on his face, then went in the drawer and pulled out two Ziploc bags while I continued to laugh at him. 

It's the little things. 

And just for fun, here are a few recent, horrible photos of Chloe. 

Someone hopped on the potty herself

This looked like a good place to sit

Chloe helping me clean the bedroom by bringing me the hangers. By walking! 

PS - Enter my Boy Meets World giveaway. Don't make me beg. 

Packing up to make some new memories

This Saturday I packed the first box. 

Yep, I'm moving yet again. 

It seems I don't stay anywhere for too long. It never seems to be more than a year in one spot. 

We need to move though, for so many reasons. This place is too small, the wiring is too messed up, the people upstairs are way too loud, and in the spring/summer seasons it gets way too humid and moldy in here. 

We may have found the perfect place: a bedroom for each of the girls, a playroom in the basement, a fenced-in backyard and a deck. And lots of room. 

But wow the memories in this place. 

My baby grew up in this place. This is where she first started to crawl, first started to talk, and took her first steps. We've lived here since she was two months old. Oh the changes since we got to this place. 

It's where we had our first Christmas and Easter. It's where we had her first birthday. 

It's where I first met boyfriend. Where he first slept over. Where he first told me he loved me. The first place we lived in together. The place where we celebrated our first birthdays together. So many firsts. 

But I am so excited for this new chapter in our lives.

So needless to say, I was a little bit excited about packing this first box.

Now, for the important question.

If you had a big empty room in the basement (carpeted), would you use it as a playroom to keep toys out of the actual sitting room and messy fingers off the nice furniture? Or would you use it as the adult room and put all the videos games and craft area down there?

I was the Halloween Pinata

This past weekend we celebrated Halloween.

We made our own costumes. I was an awesome pinata. I made the costume myself, mostly due to boyfriend bugging me to finish. I was ready to give up on it a long time ago. I'm glad I didn't. More details on that costume at a later date.

Boyfriend was a loser.

I mean weird superhero made out of trash bags and duct tape. It took many nights for him and I  to put together. First we made the pants, then duct taped the underwear part. He even duct taped a belt, so it would match and keep the pants underneath in place. He's wear tape-covered croc-like shoes, and a shower curtain cape.

Great idea, but the suit was kind of warm and had no breathing room so he didn't last too long in it. He went bald as part of the costume. I was, and still am not a fan.

He now reminds me of Harry from Sex and the City. So many bald guys just all look the same to me.

But the weekend was a good one. We were able to get a free hotel room, and my mother kept Chloe overnight Friday (so we wouldn't have to go to bed at 7pm when she did) and babysat Saturday night while we went out.

In the daytime Saturday, we were able to go visit my grandfather for a couple of hours. We don't get to do that often enough, and we also got some great photos of him and Chloe. To be posted at a later date because I've been too busy to upload them.

Saturday night boyfriend and I put on our costumes and went to a party at his sister's house. It was a nice way to spend the night, but I was happy to get back to our room and get to bed.

We made it back home with Chloe in the afternoon, and immediately picked up M, and then it was back to real life for us.

I'm Thankful for...

Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving, so in true Thanksgiving style, these are some of the things I'm thankful for lately:

My little girl

Of course. She's just so full of personality lately and I get so excited when it's time to pick her up at daycare. She was sick the night before Thanksgiving, but she took it like a champ.

* So if we're keeping this one for the books, Chloe's first time getting real sick was early morning on October 8th.

My amazing boyfriend

I don't know how he does it. He's basically my life saver now that I'm back to work with no car. He gets up early to drive me to work most days. Other days he takes the bus and lets me take his car. He's taken taxis for me. He's dropped Chloe off at daycare for me. He's paid extra on the bills so I'd have more money to put towards a car. When he thinks it's his turn to do the dishes he won't let me touch them. He cooks most of our meals when he's home. He does anything I ask him to and the best part? He's never complained once.

My new job

It's my first day working by myself, and I love it so far.

My family and friends

Of course. All all my material things, my health, and so on.

Coming up soon.. pictures of Chloe's cake smash photo session.