Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Nursery Finished...Finally!!!

   Some people might remember that the months before PJ's arrival were a bit...*ahem*...'hectic' for us. We moved into our new apartment in the midst of renovations 7ish weeks before PJ was due. Now, PJ was quite a bit late...but still the weeks before her arrival were busy with me trying to get my house unpacked, organized, and comfortable enough to welcome home a new baby. We were able to paint our nursery and set up our furniture...but I didn't have time to complete all the finishing touches. My plan was to finish it up a couple of weeks/months after she was born...but well, it just didn't happen as quickly and efficiently as planned. Now that she is over 1 year old I decided that it had to get done before we moved again (no, moving is not in the foreseeable future...but once a procrastinator always a procrastinator!). So after a couple of late nights painting and designing wall hangings, painting lots of wooden knobs, sewing curtains, and finally hanging up all the before mentioned objects....We have FINALLY finished PJ's bedroom :)!!! Yay!!! Here is her Nursery Tour...(Disclaimer: her bedroom is QUITE small, so no, it shouldn't have taken us as long as it did:)!) Enjoy!

Walking into the bedroom. 
Some of my 'designing'  frame work (This is pretty good for me as I am not very creative!)!

PJ's bookshelf...this is the same bookshelf that I have had in my bedroom since I was probably PJ's age :)

Close up of the crib. I made (with Jolene Togeretz's help) the quilt in the bed. I also knitted the blanket hanging over the side of the crib (mostly during our trip to Florida before PJ was born!). The back corner of her crib houses both mine and Mark's teddy bears from when we were little. So fun to add a touch of history and memories into a nursery!


Our gorgeous change table which was refinished by my sister Katie (and her husband). Such a great baby gift :)! 

The wardrobe - we added blue knobs to tie it into the rest of the bedroom. Since our apartment is a little tight on space (still doing renovations) we use the top as storage for all of PJ's toys. 

Our 'cuddle corner'. I made the three wall hangings and the curtains (with sewing help from my mom). 
   I love our nursery for PJ. Its so comfortable and fun! Its a small space but we made it nice and cozy. PJ's nursery is done just in time for me to turn my attention to our new bathroom - looking forward to making that a fun space too!! Hopefully that will be done by this December. I guess we'll see :).  

How PJ feels about finally having a finished bedroom :)! 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Family Photo Shoot!

   Yesterday was a cold and wet day...but before it got too wet Mark, PJ and I traveled to Waterdown to have our family photos done by my Aunt Rita. She is an amazing photographer and I can't wait to see the finished results. I have promised myself that I will do Christmas cards this year (we'll see if that actually happens...) and I am sure that we'll have a hard time picking just one picture to use! Check out her website/blog: Rita Zietsma Photography. Here's the sneak peek she posted for us on facebook!

   Isn't she adorable? I just love her to bits!!! Can't wait to see all the other pictures! :)

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Working Mama...

   Well, it finally came around....the day I had been dreading...my first day back at work! And you know what? It wasn't HORRIBLE. I have to tell the truth...I cried. But I really did enjoy being at work and seeing some familiar friendly faces. I've missed my bank buddies!! I have taken a new position - Customer Service Supervisor. I now have to work the service side of the bank which I have done before, but not for 3ish years! I was a little fuzzy with a lot of key tasks but I know that as I do them again and again in the next couple of training weeks things will come back to me. 
   I am working part-time so that I can still focus on my family and household. My typical schedule will be Monday, Thursday and Friday. Which means I get to hang out with my adorable daughter on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!! PJ is going to a babysitter (multiple babysitters depending on the day) while I am at work. Today was her first day and I got a raving review from the sitter!! According to her PJ was a doll :). She played well and slept well!! Phew!! PJ is typically an easy baby...but you never know what a baby is like once you drop them off! 
   I guess I have much to be thankful for today. I have an amazing God who provided a part-time job for me in order to allow me to meet my ideal of helping with the bills but also watching my daughter grow. I have a great job that will be challenging but also very rewarding and that allows me to deal with people that I love! I have a wonderful husband that drove out and picked PJ up from daycare (since I worked late) and who took care of her all evening. I have a beautiful daughter who was happy to see her Mama, but who also is confident enough to spend the day in a new environment. And to finish it off, my new glasses FINALLY arrived so I can see properly again!! 
   What an awesome God we have that showers us with so many blessings...even during times of hard and scary changes. So thankful that I didn't have to face this day on my own but that He was there with me! 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Dear Peyton

Dear Peyton,
   Recently you turned one! This is an amazing milestone and one that I want to remember. For this reason, I want to take a moment to write down what you were like as a one year old so that years from now I will be able to look back and smile at how cute and amazing you were! 
   You are an amazing sleeper...during the night. You easily fall asleep (if you aren't tired you quietly place in your bed without making a fuss) at around 7/7:30. You sleep throughout the night (unless we are in an unfamiliar place, such as camping!). You typically sleep until anywhere between 7:30 and 9am! During the day you are't as great of a sleeper. You will nap...but not always at a regular time. Sometimes it will be at 10, sometimes not until 1! You definitely keep me on my toes when trying to plan our day. This said, I would give a less scheduled day for a full night's sleep ANY DAY!
   You love food...well some of it! You aren't a huge lover of purees. You LOVE fruit - especially bananas. You like apple sauce, yogurt, and meat. Sometimes you love bread but especially if there is margarine or jam on it (as your mom will do sometimes as a special treat :)!). Even more than food, you LOVE your bottle. You would choose the bottle any day over any type of food. Recently you have discovered where Mommy stores the bottles and sometimes I will find you in the kitchen surrounded by all the clean bottles as you test each one in case I might have put some milk in it for you! :) This Summer you finally decided that you didn't mind the sippy cup, but only because you saw your cousin Kiera drinking water out of one! You already have learned a lot from her!
   You are crawling so fast now! You have been able to take a couple of walking steps at a time...up to 6 without any help! I think walking is too slow for your eager mind so you revert back to crawling quite quickly. You love to investigate and check out everything and everyone...its so fun watching you crawl as you observe your surroundings. You definitely get into a lot of things though! Its been good for Mommy because it has caused her to start to de-clutter and organize the house a little better. When you do walk you get so proud of yourself that you have to sit down in order to give yourself a round of applause:) (which Mommy and Daddy definitely join in on!). 
   You are very social. You love to people watch and often if you are having an "off" day I will take you out in public (the grocery store, the mall, etc.) and you will settle right down as you watch people walk by. You love to point and "oooh" at people too! You rarely get walked by...most people stop to compliment you on your cute smile or beautiful eyes! You are going to a heart-breaker one day, I think! You also love to go upstairs to play with your cousins. You will just sit in a corner and play while watching the "big" kids play their games. Your cousin Kiera really likes you and loves to come and give you things or follow you around. You are a little unsure of her...but I can tell that the two of you are going to be the best of friends one day! 
   Some of your favorite things to do are swinging (the other day you sat in the swing for over an hour and refused to get out at the end!), talking (babbling) to Mommy while following her from room to room during her chores, playing with Mommy (especially building block towers that you can knock down),  having bath time (until its time to get your head wet to clean your hair) and reading books (you LOVE your books!!). You also love all interactions with Daddy as he makes you giggle so much. 
   You are constantly talking to Mommy during the day. You babble about everything and you have quite a few sounds. It really sounds like you are trying to talk to me! I think you will be saying "real" words sooner than later. You do have a couple of words that you have learned. They are "Momma, Daddy, banana (na-nan-na), dog (dou), and gentle (dentle) (you say this when Mommy and Daddy are trying to teach you to stop hitting...you continue hitting but at least you say the word;)). You also know what a cow says: booo, and what a dog says: ooof! (Although you aren't very good at distinguishing what sound goes with which animal everytime...we are working on that!). 
   You laugh so much, every day. You are such a happy child. You find joy (just like your name!) in so many different things. From cuddling your bunny, to "tackling" Daddy, to eating your snack fish or puffs. You greet so many parts of life with a giggle and a to-die-for smile (everything BUT diaper changes). 
   You have been such a fun addition to our little family and your Dad and I feel so blessed to be able to love one of God's little treasures. We pray that you will continue to grow up with that joy and eagerness for life that you are already exhibiting. We also pray that Jesus will become your center and the desire of your heart. Thank you so much for a wonderful first year and we can't wait to see what this coming year brings!!! We love you so much! 
Love, Mommy and Daddy


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Look Who's ONE!!!

   So, its official. We have a ONE year old in the house!! How did that happen?? It feels like PJ just came into our lives and here she is celebrating her first birthday. This is a couple of days (weeks) late...but I wanted to share some pictures of her first birthday. Her birthday landed on a Sunday which worked out great for us to have my family down for a fun party. Her cousin Kiera celebrated her first birthday party 2 weeks (fifteen days) earlier so we doubled the party up and had a great time. :) 

   The night before PJ's birthday Mark and I stayed up late and put up some decorations. Mark says that he has never decorated for a birthday before so it was really fun to share this. While we were decorating we just kept repeating how amazed we were that the year had flown by so quickly! 
Her special "birthday chair". She was quite enthralled with the balloons! 

Happy Birthday!!!

My handsome man helping with the decorations...broken wrist (hockey accident) and all!

Her birthday presents all laid out so that they would be the first thing she saw in the morning :P! 

   It was really cute the morning of her birthday because she noticed the decorations right away. They were greeted with wide eyes and multiple "oohs!". She was really intrigued by the balloons and found them much more interesting than the presents! 

Checking out the presents but then...
Ooooh! A balloon!!!!
She thought that they were so fun :) It was hard to just let her explore because I was more excited about the presents...thankfully I have a patient husband who held me off;) 

   We soon were able to interest her in the presents but quickly realized that it was quite overwhelming for her to have all new toys. We let her open one toy at a time and play with it for a while. She was so excited!! She plays really well and I think (hope) that new toys will help her keep it up!
Opening a present...
Am I really allowed to rip this Mom??? So exciting!
New puzzles!! Even thought she is only 1, PJ loves puzzles and she is actually pretty good at them. She isn't always able to get the pieces in the right spot...but she is good at matching the piece with its pair!
:) She really loved them! Such a ham!

   After our small family celebration my whole family (minus Kara and her new fiance Tsjibbe (more exciting news!!!)) came down after church to party!! It worked out really well in our little home because we are currently "refurnishing" our dining room table and it was outside drying from its coat of paint. The extra space in the dining room worked perfectly for a play room for all the little kiddos!
I love this picture...all four kiddos playing together (ish). 

So sweet!
All the girls...:) I look forward to many more playtimes with these three girlies!
A picture of the birthday girl...I had bought her this new outfit for her birthday...I think she looks adorable!
"After nap" cuddles with Grandpa...not sure what it is about my dad...but PJ will always sit and cuddle with him for quite a while when he comes to visit :). 
Some more party guests...including my new nephew due to arrive in early December! Can't wait to meet him!! :)
Sitting up to drink her bottle because she can't stand to miss any of the action!

   No birthday party is complete without a cake. I baked a cake (box cake...nothing too special) in the shape of a number 1. Then iced is bright pink and put sprinkles on it. Definitely a little girl's cake (Mark and I joked that it looked like Type 1 Diabetes!! :S). We had two candles on it...one for PJ and one for Kiera. 

Singing "Happy Birthday". 

Attempting to "blow" out the cake. :) They needed some help ;)
One very proud Daddy and his little baby girl!
She sure does like cake:)!

   It was a wonderful day filled with family and friends and lots of giggles from our little birthday girl. She got spoiled and I think we will be able to pull out "new" toys for a while to keep her attention. The following week we celebrated her birthday with the Lodders at Mom and Dad Lodder's house. She was spoiled there too and it was another really fun evening! Still in a bit of shock that we now have to say "1" when people ask us how old she is!!! Crazy how time flies :)! 

Strom's Pumpkin Patch


    Wow! Life has been so busy that I have neglected my blog...AGAIN! Time to try to do some catching up! A couple of weeks ago PJ and I went to Strom's Pumpkin Patch with my sister-in-law Lydia and her two darling boys, Kellan and Myles. I absolutely love these two little bundles of cuteness (and their mom as well :D) and it was so great to spend a whole day with them! Unfortunately, the main parts of the farm were closed but we had so much fun walking around the pumpkins and playing with the duck races. I tried to get some good pictures...but its difficult to get these three little bambinos to settle down!

My adorable nephew Myles - he is only 9 months older than PJ...can't wait until they start to play more together!!!
It was so sweet to watch how close these two are now!! They had so much fun running through and climbing up the pumpkins. 

The only picture I got of PJ cuddling her sweet Auntie! 

Checking out the pumpkins:) She is getting so curious!

Myles loves giving kisses...if only PJ would be more willing to accept them ;)

   We tried to get a "group" picture of the little cousins...lol. Here are a couple of my "best" pictures. 




   Awww! I love these three! I am so glad that PJ has been blessed with cousins on BOTH sides of her family!! Lots of fun for these kiddos in the future I think! 
   After roaming around the farm for a couple of hours Lydia and her boys came to our house to enjoy some lunch and the beautiful sunshine in our backyard. It was so nice to sit and chat with Lydia in the background while watching the boys play. Kellan made a new friend in my other nephew Seth and they had a great afternoon playing in the sandbox, on the play center and running around. Such a great day!!!! I hope that there will be many, many more of these in the future! :D

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Clovermead Bee Farm

   A couple of weeks ago Danielle invited me to join them at the local adventure farm -Clovermead Bee Farm - for a day. I had planned on doing all kinds of day trips with PJ during my maternity leave so I quickly agreed (as my Mat Leave is almost up and I haven't done ANY fun day trips yet!). The farm wasn't exactly "local" (at least not according to my understanding of the word "local"). It was over an hour long drive to past Woodstock...but it was worth it! It was so fun to hang out with my nephew and nieces (and my big sis) and enjoy a beautiful fall day. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm (not too hot, not too cold). There was so much to do at the farm that we were busy for quite a few hours! 

PJ and Kiera playing in the sand...Kiera was a little more daring than PJ (who, as it turns out, doesn't really like the feel of sand). 


There was a really cool rope "spider web" that kept Maddy and Seth quite busy for a long time. Its hard to go to these places with such cool play areas and not want to start collecting ideas for an at-home-playground. If Mark only knew the kinds of things I want in our backyard for PJ to play on once we own a house!! It will keep him busy, that's for sure!!!



The farm also had an animal barn that we could walk through to see different animals. In this picture the kids are all looking at the goats. There were some baby goats which were so cute. I wanted to take one home!! (That would have been a surprise for Mark!). PJ actually loved watching the goats and would have been happy sitting and pointing at them for a long time!


At the back of the farm there was another play area - complete with a Noah's ark, two hay bale structures (which had rooms, hallways and stairs), a bouncy bee, ziplines, and lots of swings! It was such a sunny day I couldn't get a picture with PJ's eyes open...so here are some of the best tries. She is becoming more and more determined and on this particular day she refused to wear her hat (hence all the pictures with the hat being held...as if that will stop her from getting too much sun!). 




There was also a GIANT yellow "pillow" that was filled with air that you could jump on. Seth and Maddy loved it...as did Danielle and I! I didn't get a picture of it...but here are PJ and Kiera sitting together watching the rest of us jump (not so gracefully I might add - which is why there are no pictures;)!). 


It was a long day, but thankfully PJ is still able to take a nap in her stroller. I think she is just the cutest little muffin :).


And finally, the reason we went in the first place: the bees! Danielle had been studying the letter I for the past week with Seth and Maddy and they had learned about Insects (specifically bees). They knew quite a bit of information about bees...they taught me a thing or two! Clovermead has an area where their hives are placed in glass so that people can see what is going on. It was very interesting...and a little nerve wracking (I am still quite a wimp around bees!). 



We finished the day off by going through the Bee Store and tasting some of Clovermead Farm's gourmet honey creations. I ended up buying a delicious Cinnamon Honey. Yummy!! It was such a fun day! Great memories and a wonderful way to enjoy some fall weather and learn more about God's creation.