HAPPY BIRTHDAY my Sweet Boy!

Dear Rhys,

I can't believe it has been two years since Mommy and Daddy rushed in the van to the hospital and I wasn't too sure I was going to make it on time. You have kept up that excitement and it's always a special day with you seeing what new things you will discover next.

This past week, you have gotten more and more confident on your bike and it is so sweet watching you follow after your sister. I am so proud of you lifting your feet today - you'll be gliding like her in no time.

Your smile lights up my life and your infectious giggles are the cutest thing ever! I love how your little arms can have such a strong hold as I lift you up into a hug and you cuddle right in to my neck.

I was worried when it seemed like you were never going to get around to talking but your voice is taking flight and new words are being uttered with each day. I know you love your cars and trains by the sound effects you love to give. I love that you are so in love with basketball like your Daddy that you have to keep one in bed with you to sleep.

Your character is making itself known more and more each day. I know that you can be stubborn as anything but you also show such sweetness it can take my breath away. I can't wait as you grow into you to see how you shine through and I hope you will feel that you can count on me for guidance and love always.

Happy 2nd Birthday my Sweet Little Boy!

I love you,
Mommy

Baby visits

We are so lucky to have friends with babies or who will be having babies so I can get my fix. Apparently, my kids like to have their fix too as you can tell by these pictures from a few recent visits:

Brea's first time meeting Baby E

Rhys was so excited and proud to get to hold the baby, I'd never seen him scramble onto the couch so fast.

I want to ride!

Brea has gotten too tall for her Strider bike but has not yet mastered a balance bike so we got her a slightly bigger Norco and passed the Strider to Rhys... boy was he excited!

He is so much more confident than Brea ever was. It definitely helps that he has watched her and knew what he was getting into. At first, Brea was reluctant with her new bike since it was a few centimeters too high for her to be comfortable but she seems to have grown in just a few weeks time and it fits about right now. Since both of my kids are learning to ride and watch Craig zoom around them, they have asked about me. So I got a bike... and had my brother remove the pedals. I'm proud to say I am finally learning how to ride a bike! Just like the kids'! It's been slow going and I had to get a more comfortable seat but I think that with having our daily practice, I'll be at it in a few weeks time - that's my goal at least. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy's new hobby

Craig has a new hobby, after the kids' bath, he plays with Rhys's hair.

He's also tried a pretty decent Astro Boy but I wasn't near my camera and Rhys mashed it pretty fast. Gotta invest in some styling gel for kids :o)

Brea moments

Brea has been practicing of late and developing some skills. I was thrilled to be presented with some art a month ago that she had made and wanted me to take to work. This happens quite often for Daddy since he has a great big wall where he has her pictures and work displayed in his class but I'm not often the recipient of such stuff. The most spectacular part of the piece was the signature of the the artiste herself! Brea has been writing her name more and more frequently now but I'm proud to show you her very first attempt:

She has also been into creating patterns of late with bits of things she finds. I walked in on this on our living room floor one night after putting the kids to bed:

All I asked for was a smile

Brea has a mini-me who's name is Rhys. He follows her around and copies everything she does. If Brea asks for something, Rhys will thump his chest and holler "Me!".... meaning, you better count me in on that too.

If Brea is playing with a toy, he wants it. If Brea climbs on the couch, he does too even though it's twice as high for him.

Brea's been funny for the camera lately, whenever I ask for a smile, she either grimaces or opens her mouth really big. So a month ago when I asked for a smile since they were playing so well together this is what I got...

Vegas Baby!

This spring break, Craig and I were SO lucky to have help from Nana and Grumpa so that we were able to go on our first vacation sans kidlet to Vegas!!! I was so excited and had been planning this outing for months. It is my first time, not so for Craig who's been several times (he's a seasoned pro).

We flew from Bellingham to save some $$ and arrived safe and sound despite the visible haze of alcohol laced fumes in our air cabinet. The people on our flight were ready to PARTY!

One of the desert creature sculptures in the Vegas airport.

A quick ride on the shuttle brought us to our beautiful Spa Hotel, the Vdara. I don't think I've ever had a nicer hotel room, it was complete luxury. My most favourite part was the soaker tub! I stocked up on bath bombs from LUSH while I was there to get all of its worth. Ours is a casino/smoke-free hotel but it was just steps away from the Bellagio and we had a stellar view of the fountains from our 38th floor hotel room.

So we meandered there, actually, I sorta ran and Craig chased to keep up with me as I busily snapped pictures of the beautiful garden display there. It was like they pump extra oxygen into the air or something ;o)

 
There was a Jean Philippe Patisserie that we had to walk pass every time we left our hotel if we chose to traverse the Bellagio and it took some super skills to just walk by without indulging in everything there. This one had the world's largest chocolate fountain.

Another JP display at the Aria, pure chocolate!

We spent most of our days wandering the Strip, there was so much to see. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because I had a list of stuff that I just HAD to see and it kinda made me crazy and after the first day, Craig convinced me to just relax and take things as they came and it was much better.

Displays along the paths connecting the hotels, during our stay everything changed overnight from this to cherry blossoms.

The Eiffel Tower at the Paris LV. It was quite funny the amount of French I heard while in that area. It was like all the tourists were homesick and conglomerated there.

Finding the perfect shoe at the Cosmopolitan.

Craig at the Luxor.

Night-time at the Luxor.

I had to get a picture of a castle for Brea, aka the Excelsior.

We made it to the outlets for some shopping for the kiddies. And I was so happy since it took us past the famous Las Vegas sign which had been on my to-do list.

So, Craig and I are not gamblers. We did do some slots just because we were in Vegas after all. I promptly lost $25, while Craig won $22 - at least we sort of evened out. We were there for the shows and the food. In fact, my most favourite moment was eating at the Sugar Factory right across from the Fountains. There is nothing like a scrumptious lunch in the glorious sunshine with the water show going.

A most delish concoction with a candied flower garnish.

Chicken 'n Waffles!

Mussels (yes, I went to the desert for seafood).

This was at the Burger Bar - I just couldn't resist trying their Berry Beer Float.

Mostly though, I was in Vegas for the Shows! We were so lucky to have made three shows: The Blue Man Group, Criss Angel's Believe, and Absinthe.

Absinthe was by far the best of the three. It is a mix of a cabaret, Cirque and raunchy comedy show under a tent. Its really cozy environment really draws you in and creates a unique experience. It is 18+ and not for the easily offended as the language and content was quite over-the-top but it was so entertaining. I also got the sense that much of the comedy is ad lib so it's most likely that the show will have a different feel each time.

The Blue Man Group was good but I was a bit disappointed by the ambiance of it all. It really took a long time for them to warm up the crowd and it felt kind of forced at the beginning. It is worth mentioning that we were at a Monday night show so that may have played a part. Overall, though, they did deliver a good show.

Criss Angel's Believe I really wanted to see some magic while I was in Vegas so we jumped at the chance when our hotel offered free tickets to Criss Angel with our hotel package. I was a bit leery at first because there are so many terrible reviews of this show but I have to honestly say, it was not that bad. Though it is probably my least favourite of the Cirque du Soleil shows out there. Criss Angel is an amazing magician. He delivered when it comes to creating jaw-dropping illusions but this pairing with Cirque does not work very well. I think they have tried and I know this show has been re-worked several times but I feel like there could have been much more polish. Unfortunately, we attended on a night when Criss was ill (you could hear the rasp in his voice and some coughing) and there was a generator malfunction during one of his illusions (making a motorcycle appear). I was mesmerized by the slight of hand he performed with doves, that was truly breathtaking.

Arriving home was lovely as I did miss my little ones. Rhys may be a little traumatized by it all, apparently, while we were gone, every time he asked for me, he got the response of "Vegas". He'll probably never want to go near there ever. They were pretty clingy for a while but life is getting back to normal and I'm happy to have been able to have such a nice getaway.