The Evolution of Me

2012-01-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

My dear Sullivan,

Wow, today you turn three years old. I can’t believe that you have already been with us for three years!! You are such an incredible little boy and I am so lucky to be your mom. Every day, I am truly grateful to have you and love you so very much. The last year has been an incredible one for you my little buddy!!

You accomplished a lot this year. Your biggest skill is your attempts at communication. You have taken your time to talk, but boy oh boy do you work hard to express your thoughts. We are working hard with you on sounds and letters, in an effort to understand the things you tell us.

Your favourite thing to say is “apple pie” and also “timmy’s”.

You spent the summer on your run bike and towards the end of the summer were getting much braver than I am ready for!! You realized downhills are fun and get a lot more glide now and you aren’t really afraid to go fast (yikes!!). You love going to the playground, but have a love/hate relationship with slides. Some days you are brave but other days, you just aren’t so sure!!

I am pretty sure you are part fish. You breezed through Duck, and Sea Turtle and this week you start Sea Otter. This will be the first time you have lessons without mom or dad. It will be interesting to see how you listen. However, you love the water, and the songs from lessons, so I think you will be just fine.

You love playing trains, watching trains etc. And this year, you got an extra special train and firetruck that your grandpa made for you, and the moment that gift was opened, it was something you instantly wanted to play with.

You love helping in the kitchen. Anytime I go to bake anything, you are grabbing a chair and pushing it into the kitchen so you can help. You will grab all sorts of ingredients like baking soda, baking powder and any spice I ask you to. You love measuring, mixing, pouring, stirring, whisking etc. It is incredible to see the passion you have in the kitchen. It’s a lot like your dad actually (who is amazing in the kitchen and loves to cook!!). We have made pumpkin bread, cookies, cakes and all sorts of other baked goods. You are still a bit afraid of the stove, so you aren’t as keen to help with that sort of cooking. So, you can only imagine your excitement when you got the play kitchen from Grandma!! It was pretty cute watching you and your brother go to town with that kitchen.

Sully, it has truly been an honour to get to know you. You are an amazing little guy and really, I am thankful every day to have you in my life. You make me smile. You make me laugh. I love the way you drop everything and come running when I shout, “extra kiss and hug” before I go to work. I love you my little prince. Keep on being curious and excited about life.

Love, Mom

My swimming superstars!!

2011-12-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since I became a mom, I knew that swimming was a skill I felt very important that my children have. I wanted them to be comfortable in the water and able to fend for themselves. Well, it's still a work in progress, but both boys, most certainly love the water and any opportunity they get to go swimming is scooped up faster than you can imagine. Lessons however, have been another matter.

Let's start with the youngest. Sully is definitely part fish. He has to be. He loves water so much, and isn't afraid to try anything. He jumps in, he goes under the water, he does his floats, he even loves the songs (Tiny Turtle Tim being his favourite of course). He also loves just playing in the water. He breezed through starfish, bored even as it was all babies and he wasn't even so interested in listening, but he has grown up since then... he also breezed through duck. And I know you probably can't fail those, but really, he did well. Next up was Sea Turtle, and times have changed and Sea Turtle is now a parented class (used to be a sort of half parents, half not). Well, today was the last day, and once again, he just flew through the whole class. Every week, doing better than the last, including today, where he whizzed through it all, including the slide that half the kids freaked out over. And, the lazy river. So now, he is an aspiring Sea Otter (a new level added, so perhaps this will be the telling level on just how fishlike he is).

Sebastian, on the other hand, lessons haven't been his strongest suit. To start with, he has absolutely zero body fat, so the first round of Starfish, he shivered and was purple the whole class. We took Starfish a second time just cause he was too young for duck (and you know, he was the first born, so you are totally on top of everything haha). He did fine in the classes, and moved on to duck, again, all was fine. Then, enter Sea Turtle, he tried, but no success, so he tried again, still no... he wouldn't put his head in the water. Finally the third class, he figured that out, and we had success. Keep in mind, this is the class where you have to start in the class with your child, and gradually as the weeks go on, parents no longer have to be in the water. Salamander came along, and he was in and out of that class on the first try!! And then came Sunfish. It's a demanding class, where they want a lot out of the kids. So, he tried, and tried, and tried, and finally after three rounds at one facility, where the last round had at least 4 different teachers (can you say new teacher every week???), we decided to try a new facility. Enter Vecova. The pool is actually warm!! So, this time, we tried Sunfish, little Sebastian was not shivering the whole class the way he was at Cardel. And, the same teacher was there every week!! Well, he was still not successful, but really improved and his confidence in the water was much greater. We registered him again at Vecova, and this time, at the halfway point, it was still not looking positive (they send home a little note about the likelihood of passing, and his said likely not). We practiced with him at least once or twice a week outside of classes, and he worked so hard to do everything that was asked of him. Keep in mind he does have DCD and as a result, multiple step, multi limb activities can be tough for him to master. But, with a lot of hard work, he got through Sunfish. Jeremy sent me a text and I literally had tears in my eyes. He earned that one. It was a lot of effort on his part and it really was a huge accomplishment. So now, he can go into crocodile. I'm so glad he got through Sunfish, if no other reason, than it shows him, that hard work really does get results. Plus, he'll age out of the preschool lessons soon, so it really was his last chance to get through Sunfish!!

So great job my little ones, you did amazing!! Best of luck in your next lessons!!

Always grateful!!

2011-12-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for so many things in my life, that I just felt compelled to share some of them.

I am so grateful for my husband. He is fantastic. He is the best dad to our little boys, who are so lucky to have him around most days for rides to school and swimming lessons. He works only part-time so that he can be there for all those important things going on with them!!

I am grateful to Sebastian. He came into this world, barely clinging to life, and fought very hard to stay here. Today he is in kindergarten and just amazes me every day with his witty comments, his zest for life and his amazing abilities at climbing and gymnastics. He's curious about everything and soaking up french like a sponge!!

I am grateful to Sullivan. He's such a little cutie. He has such an incredible passion for cooking. We just finished making pumpkin breads actually. He will bring out all the ingredients, and just loves pouring and mixing and all things baking. He is lots of fun, and he's words are now exploding, so he gets to be more fun every day!!

I am grateful to my dog. Cronos. He makes me feel loved every night when I get home from my shifts. I just wish his silly tail would heal itself. He somehow injured it, and it's been bleeding and as I'm sure you can imagine, it's not the easiest thing to clean up... but he is on the mend... I hope...

I am grateful for my extended family. I am so lucky to have the family I do. Most especially parents and siblings, but more than that, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins. Yeah, I'm lucky!! I wouldn't trade them for anything. So many great memories, and many more to come!!

I am grateful for the friends and coworkers I have. There are so many people in my life that I feel honoured just to have their conversation and company. People who make me laugh, and offer philosophical discussion. Friends who help me out when I'm stuck (especially when it comes to a work shift I couldn't get off!!). Friends who run with me. Friends who walk for coffees. Friends who climb, and do triathlons. Friends who simply are there with a phone call or a funny status or tweet.

I am grateful to live where I do. I am lucky to be Canadian. I don't take that for granted. I know there are countries out there, where you can't speak your mind. I know there are places where people struggle for basic necessities and basic rights, and I am lucky I am, where I am. There are plenty of military out there that leave their families to go off and help other countries to get the same freedoms I have, and some of them are lost in the conflict. My heart goes out to them and their families!! Especially at this time of year, when families are missing those loved ones!!

I am grateful for my health. There are so many people suffering from all sorts of illness and disease. I am so lucky that to this point, I have been relatively healthy. I will try and use my health to benefit those around me (can you say, Ride to Conquer Cancer?? Please, sponsor me!! I have a long way to go yet!! You know you want to... tax receipt... quick before the year ends!!)

I am grateful for so much more, but those are the big ones, and the ones I will focus on today. Because really, family and friends are where it's at!!

Join the 2012 ride...

2011-10-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Since today is Gear Up day, and the whole point is to try and find some people who might want to ride, I thought I would repost about the ride back in June. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to email, comment or text and I'll help you out and fill you in. The ride is truly incredible. It's worth the time and effort training and fundraising. You won't regret it!! It's beautiful, it's fun, it's epic. And best of all, you are surrounded by so many incredibly, like-minded people who have all taken the time and effort to do something big. Put all that energy into one place, and it really is incredible what can be accomplished. The research that is being funded is putting Alberta on the front page. The projects are incredible, and every dollar donated gets matched usually two times over, so the impact is huge. And the projects funded are varied and support a variety of different cancers. I mean, we all know someone who has been affected, and many of us know several people. Some lose their battles, but with the research going on, maybe soon, we won't lose anyone else to this horrible disease. So come, be part of something incredible!! Register today and you get free arm warmers!! But, want to know what it's like? Here was my recap from June...

The 2011 Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer

So this past weekend, I set out on a brand new journey. A new adventure. Something big. Something awesome. And something that, up until the day before, I wasn't entirely sure I was going to do. Fundraising is always a challenge, and the ride to conquer cancer was no exception. For me, coming off of Mother's Day, where we always put in a good effort to raise funds, since we know that the Mother's Day Run supports NICU and since that cause is obviously very near and dear to us, it was tough coming away from that, and turning around and basically asking all those same amazing people who supported us in that, to turn around and support the ride to conquer cancer as well. And really, things were not looking so good... with one night to go, I had $1000 left to raise... and since we aren't really in a position to afford that, it was tough deciding to go ahead or not. In the end, after getting a couple more donations, I went for it. I wanted to honour the donations I had already received and devised a plan to raise the rest, through a combination of a 50/50 draw and bottle drive.

So, then it was time to pack... hmmmm... deciding the night before a 200km ride, is not always the smartest move. I was scrambling trying to get everything together. Where was my platypus pack? Found the bag, found the backpack, found the tube, couldn't find the end piece... I remember Sebastian playing with it. It could be anywhere. Well, eventually found that, but then couldn't find my riding sandals (yes, my clip shoes are keen sandals... they are AWESOME!!). Well, Jeremy saved the day on the sandals, and I should also point out, that he was out in the garage working on my bike. Tuning it up, cleaning it up, making sure the gears shifted nicely and the brakes worked properly. He too, was signed up to ride, but hadn't raised any money, so him riding wasn't even a consideration that day. The work he put into my bike though, really meant a lot. He also offered up his bike. He has a nice Argon tri bike, but I just felt I'd be more comfortable on my mountain bike, so went with what I knew. Might not have been the fastest choice, but it was the choice I made!!

Went to bed with the alarm set for 0500hrs... did I mention I only work nightshifts? This was a VERY early morning for me, and the boys as well. We put my bike on the car, packed my bag, and off we went, headed for Spruce Meadows. It seemed a bit surreal, but there I was, getting ready to embark on a journey more epic than anything I had ever done before. To date, my longest ride has been 50km. So, the idea that over the next two days I'd go 200km seemed just a bit unbelievable. Yet, I knew I could. I never really doubted I had it in me... well, there was one point, but I will get to that in a bit. So I have to check in, since this was a last minute decision, I hadn't done that yet. Which is also the point where I hand over my credit card number and hope I might actually raise something in the next two months!! From there my gear was checked in, then it was time for a snack. Ran into my cousins and my uncle and chatted a bit, they didn't realize I was actually riding. The ride was important to them as another uncle had died from brain cancer and as they were quite close, it was especially hard to watch him suffer and ultimately lose his fight. Then, before I knew it, it was time to line up and get ready.

There were bikes as far as the eyes could see. I mean, when you have 2280 riders, you pretty much have 2280 bikes (except for a couple tandem bikes), and even an eliptical bike. And then there was every kind of bike for the rest of them. Road bikes, mountain bikes, tri bikes, mountain bikes with aero bars (Jeremy found this particularly amusing). And the riders came in all shapes and sizes. There were young people, old people, tall people, short people, thin people, fat people. Literally, every conceivable possible rider was there. Some had barely biked a day in their lives. Others were seasoned athletes for whom this was a mere training ride. It was really an incredible group. And when you realize that collectively, we had raised over 8 million dollars, that is powerful. That kind of money can do a lot of good in the world of research. And it's because of all those funds that everyone was there. And then there were the bikes with yellow flags on them. Each of those riders were cancer survivors. Having already battled a brutal disease, they were out here showing that cancer couldn't beat them, and taking on a huge challenge at the same time!!

There were a few speakers and of course by the end of it, I was in tears. Thank goodness I was in sunglasses. Jeremy was super emotional too (understandable since he lost his dad to cancer). It made the ride matter, it made doing this important. There are so many fundraisers out there, collecting for so many things, and all of them do matter. But today, this one really mattered. And for every person that has ever been diagnosed with cancer, and for every person that will be diagnosed, this mattered. This group of people went out of their way to try and help fight this disease. To honour the memories of those lost, to celebrate those fighting, and to try and make sure that nobody else will suffer in the future. So to everyone who took the time to donate and help me get to the starting line, thank you. Every donation mattered. Because together, with all the other donations, the money raised really will have an impact. An epic impact!! It's putting Alberta on the front stage of cancer research!!

And then we were off. I was a bit nervous on the count of my sandals and the fact that I don't have a lot of experience with clip shoes on a bike, and with so many bikes, it took a bit to get everyone going at a pace that is condusive to balancing while in clip shoes. I managed however and all was good. It was very emotional starting the ride, being part of something so much bigger!! Very soon, I settled into my ride and just kept riding. And then came the first hill, and there were people who stopped and walked their bikes up. I'm happy to report I made it to the top. And so the ride continued. With lots of hills. Soon, I approached the first pitstop in Okotoks. I was impressed I had made it that far. Grabbed myself some gatorade and a bagel with peanut butter and was on my way. Next pitstop came along and I got to snack on fruit cremes and munchies... yum!! Lunch was the third pitstop and now more than 60km was done. Chatted a bit with my uncle in Longview and then I was off again. The day was filled with lots and lots of hills and the last two legs were super windy. It was a tough ride, but it was good. I decided against the last pitstop as it was about half a kilometre off the highway and didn't really feel the need to stop, just wanted to get to the camp!! By now my butt was rather tired and not really too happy with my decision to bike so far all in one day. However, I finished and arrived at camp in the mid afternoon. Best thing ever? Having a chocolate covered cherry in your bag to eat at camp... yup, it was sooooo tasty!!

Camp was interesting. Hundreds of tents lined up in rows. Portable showers. Food. Drinks. Shops (Sugoi and gear for the race). Massage tent. Medical tent. Yoga tent. Racked my bike upon arriving and grabbed my gear. The whole thing was so well organized!! Had a shower, the shower felt so good, and the water was even hot. Who knew there were mobile showers like that!! Dinner was nice. Chatted with my uncle and cousins, and ran into a friend from work. It was nice running into her as she had given me all sorts of hints and tips for the ride. And for her the ride was especially meaningful as her dad had died just a few months earlier from cancer.

I wandered around, checking things out, filling up my platypus pack, and eventually headed towards my tent. Met my tentmate who was from BC and super nice. We chatted for a bit, and soon it was off to sleep. For being in a tent, on a foamie on a definitely not flat piece of land, I slept surprisingly well. Sadly however, I woke up to rain. This was not part of the plan. It took awhile to will myself out of my sleeping bag. The rain was depressing me to no end. I did not want to ride in the rain.

So, packed everything up, dropped my gear at the trucks, and headed off, wearing slightly different clothing from the day before. I kept my Sugoi compression tights on, along with my Sugoi bike shorts (you'll notice a trend here hahaha). Then I put on a long sleeved tech shirt, with my new Ride to Conquer Cancer jersey (also made by Sugoi), over top, and finally my Sugoi all weather jacket. At the last moment, I added another light jacket underneath, as it was really quite chilly. I had my helmet on, and away I went in search of something to help my feet (remember? bike sandals?? not so ideal in that weather!!). At the 2012 sign up tent they had garbage bags they were handing out, so I took one and made pseudo booties by wrapping my feet in the bag and taping them up. I also turned my bike gloves into mitts by wrapping part of the garbage bags around them and taping them (yeah, it was that chilly). I went out to my bike, and then had to clean out my sandals underneath so they'd be able to click in (since they were covered in mud). Yup, it was challenging, and hadn't even started riding yet. And I was absolutely dreading putting my sore butt down on that seat. Lucky for me, it was not nearly as painful as I was imagining it would be.

And off I went. It was raining, it was windy, it was cold. And, it was uphill. I had opted to skip breakfast as I didn't feel like standing in line in the rain, so I popped a GU gel and off I went. It was tough. And it was really cold and windy. rain was coming up under my sunglasses somehow, still trying to figure that one out!! The first pitstop was a welcome site. I grabbed a bagel and a banana. Stood there freezing while I ate it, then got back on the bike. Bikers were dropping like flies. Sweep vehicles went past, loaded with new bikes every time. It was tough to watch, and tempting to give up. At the second pitstop, they were asking who wanted to be swept. I made myself new booties with mylar blanket pieces so my feet would stay warmer, and headed out after some cookies and munchies. The hills going into Longview were tough, so stopping there would have been easy!! And then, the hills leaving Longview were tough. Fortunately, the next stop would be lunch, so I pushed onwards, even though it had started brutally raining again. At some moments, between the wind and the rain, even breathing wasn't so easy!! By the time I got to Turner Valley, the rain had subsided again, so lunch was pleasant enough. Ate and headed out. This time, it was the wind. Biking straight into the wind. Are you kidding me? First all the rain and cold, and now a strong head wind?? It was tough. And still some hills, let's not forget. By the end of this leg however, things were improving, the pitstop was in sight, and then, my chain falls off. Instant panic. I'm in clip shoes, and about to fall off my bike. Thankfully, I was able to get my one foot unclipped and then steady myself before falling. Phew!! Flipped my bike over, put the chain back on, and biked the 250m to the pitstop (yup, I was that close when it fell off). Got my final snacks and at this point knew I'd make it.

In chatting with a sweeper, there were 300 bikers who didn't even start on day 2, and they were picking up bikers 4 at a time from the course. And a bunch of others stopped at the pitstops. She even said good athlete type bikers couldn't take it. Lots of hypothermia that day!!

The last stretch was good. The beginning part was still tough, but let me tell you, once I hit 22X, I was a whole new rider. I had a renewed sense of energy, a new passion. And I pushed. I pushed hard. I got up to 65kilometers an hour even at one point. I just road and road my little heart out. And I thought about why I was there. Why I had just put myselft through 2 grueling days of biking 200+km (cause it's actually longer than 200km by the way, hahaha). I thought about my grandpa, and how I had seen him going through radiation at Foothills, back in the 1980s. I thought about Jeremy's dad, and how quickly cancer took over his body. And how hard it's been on Jeremy not having his dad, his go-to guy. I thought about my uncle, who was actually my godfather even. I went out and saw him in the summer before he passed away, trying hard to fight, but the cancer was winning. I thought about some of the kids I've seen at Ronald Mcdonald House, in the midst of chemo with no hair, trying to just be regular kids, probably not really understanding the battle they are facing. Cancer is horrible and takes away people we love, well before we should ever have to lose them. This ride gets people trying to do something about that. The funds raised go towards research. I truly hope one of the research projects leads to a cure, or at the very least, more effective, less destructive treatments. And the spinoffs. Some of the drugs go on to help with other diseases that just don't get the funds and attention that cancer does. So what this epic ride does, has an epic impact on the world of cancer resarch and treatment. It will make a difference.

As Spruce Meadows got closer, I was full of emotion. I was happy, I was sad. I was missing people that matter. People that should have had more time here. My heart was heavy for all those left to survive without their loved ones. It was very emotional, but in a good and healthy way. I am, so far, blessed with good health. I have a responsibility, to use that health to make a difference to those that aren't so lucky. It's important to take the time and be passionate about these causes, because they really do matter. I could hear the end. All the cheering, the announcer. It was incredible. I rounded the corner and the sides of the finish were lined with people cheering. The Canada flag (and several other flags), were all flapping in the distance. It was amazing. It was the perfect ending to two days of pushing myself to new limits. I rode through the end with tears streaming down my face. I saw my boys. I was so excited for them to be there and share in that moment. It really was epic.

Thank you so much to every single person who donated to this ride. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your support! Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for helping me reach my goal. Without each and every one of you, it would not have been possible. I am eternally grateful!!

So I'm signed up to do this again next year. And so is my husband. I want to keep trying to help and to make a difference. It's important. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have inspired someone else to join us. It's not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Fundraising is tough. Training is tough. Heck, the ride itself is tough, but it's amazingly well supported and worth every moment. So take these words, and be inspired. Come bike with us, and if that's not something you can do, then support us. Because it's that support that makes it possible for us to do this, and truly, it's the ultimate example of how much bigger we are, when we all work together for a common goal. So, if you want, feel free to donate to the 2012 ride!! 2012 link here!! You get a tax receipt... you know you wanna...

And it would be especially nice if you donated to Jeremy, because he didn't get the chance to ride this year, and I think really, he needs to do this, for his dad!! So here's the link to his page... Jeremy's Epic Ride

A Family Picture, with everyone looking and everyone smiling!!

2011-09-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Banff is just a stone's throw from Calgary, and so we end up there a lot. I love it!! The last time we went, we did a bit of touring just to remind ourselves just how pretty it is. And, somehow, we managed to get this shot, and for that I am grateful!!

3 Valley Gap

2011-09-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, on the way home from Penticton, we had a day to spare. We left Penticton after getting me signed up for Ironman 2012. We knew it was a long drive, and so we headed off. We stopped in Kelowna for a Starbucks (being married to a Barista has its' advantages!!), and after this, all three boys were asleep. At some point, Sully's cup fell upside down onto his lap and it slowly leaked all over his shorts and his carseat. They were soaked. And, Sebastian had to pee. We were planning to stop in Revelstoke but turns out it was going to have to be sooner. I knew 3 Valley Gap was coming up, and that was it. We pulled in, Jeremy grumpy, Sullivan grumpy, Sebastian grumpy (sensing a theme here??), and so I took Sebastian to the bathroom, while Jeremy changed Sully. Then, we had to deal with the carseat, so I took both boys in to play at the train table while Jeremy figured things out at the car. I was tired and really didn't want to go any further. Jeremy eventually finds us, and I suggest that maybe, just maybe we spend the night? He reluctantly agrees and we check in.

It was fantastic. It was awesome. I mean seriously, I have two little boys, they love trains, and there is a roundhouse full of trains. See where I'm going with this? We checked into our room, and headed off for the roundhouse. It was great!! Truly. My boys were ringing bells, and getting on and off train cars, engines, buses, really, they were in absolute heaven. Then we went for dinner. As Jeremy point, this is a place my mom and brother would love. All those comfort foods you'd expect: fish and chips, beef dip, veal cutlets, steak sandwich, poutine, really, not the healthiest maybe, but certainly tasty!! Sebastian is eating and says, "I just love eating dead fish". I couldn't help but laugh!!

After dinner, Jeremy went to relax, and I took the boys down to the lake. We checked out the water, checked out the helicopter, watched the boat leave, and then played on the playground. They had so much fun. It was such a great little stop and I am so glad we did!!

Now, going to sleep was not quite so pleasant... Sully, our normally amazing little sleeper, was terrible!! Fortunately he eventually went to sleep, but yikes that took a while!! The next morning, we had breakfast and went back to the roundhouse and ghost town. It was great. We explored the mine shaft, the antique cars, the covered bridge, and once again, were back in the roundhouse checking out the various train cars and engines, including a small train that was built by the family that owns and runs 3 Valley Gap, the Ghost Town and Roundhouse.

I'm sure there are many people out there who have pondered a visit, but always thought, oh, maybe next time. Well, we loved the place. Truly. The staff at the resort were so friendly and nice. The food was excellent. The grounds are beautifully maintained and so pretty with all types of flowers along the various walking paths and bridges. The scenery is stunning, with a lake, beautiful mountain back drop, train tracks and tunnel nearby and let's just say, the echo in the valley when the train blew it's whistle was amazing!! There are tons of things to do as well, with only one night, we concentrated just on the Ghost Town and Roundhouse, and truly, we just scratched the surface of those, since, for the most part, it was about letting the boys explore. The family has acquired many different buildings, cars, and traincars over the years, making it a truly historic museum. They have captured life in the area in the early years when the railway was just being built, and routes still being found. There is even a ghost car, all decorated in a Halloween type theme. Aside from there however, there are boats to rent, or boat rides to take, and helicopter rides as well. As well, there is an indoor pool with a gorgeous ship painting along the wall. We never got a chance to try the pool, only because we didn't have a lot of time. Oh, and there are a few special rooms as well, one with a 360 view, another made of rock. Truly, this is a magical place.

Will we stay there again? Definitely!! And next time, we'll probably stay at least two nights. It's relaxing, it's beautiful and it's fun. Sebastian has already asked us several times when we are going back... next year, little buddy, next year!!

Before Ironman...

2011-08-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

So, a lot of time and effort went into Jeremy's attempt at an Ironman, and on Sunday, all that effort was rewarded with Jeremy proudly crossing the finish line at Ironman Canada. It was a truly amazing accomplishment and one I am just so proud of him for achieving!! So, what exactly happened on race weekend? Well, it went a little something like this...

Got off nightshift, packed the car, and drove to Penticton, with a couple stops along the way in Yoho (for lunch and some running around) and Kelowna (for a Starbucks and a playground!!). We arrived and met up with my mom at our hotel (Apex Resort, a half hour outside of Penticton up a winding mountain road). The hotel was fantastic (basically more like a condo that gets rented out when the owners aren't using it, and by condo I mean 3 bedroom townhouse style unit with kitchen, laundry, hot tub etc... super nice!!). We settled in for the night, had some supper and went to sleep!!

In the morning, we headed down to drop off Jeremy with his coach and group he'd done a lot of his big training days with. I took the boys to the beach and they played in the lake, chased ducks, played at the playground etc. We then met up with Jeremy shortly after and headed to get him registered. This involved signing waivers, getting his athlete bracelet, his pack of numbers (for the helmet, bike, run, etc), a chip, a chip holder and an opportunity to sign up for 2012 (which he did not since 2012 will be my year). It began to start feeling real for him. We went and met up with my mom for lunch at a yummy local burger place called Burger 55. It was very tasty!! In the afternoon, we met up with the staff at SUGOI, the people who made Jeremy's entry a reality, since really, he had only entered a twitter contest multiple times, and that's what led to his entry. They were fantastic and it was so nice meeting the people behind a company we already loved (did I mention their gear rocks!!). In the evening, Jeremy was off to the athlete banquet, to welcome and inspire all the participants. It was primarily a vegetarian affair, but Jeremy said the food was excellent!! (think pasta).

Saturday Jeremy spent the first part of the morning prepping all his gear bags, one for gear before the swim, then gear after the swim to bike, then gear for the bike to run. After that, he was off for a group ride with the Vitalize group he'd trained with in the summer. Post ride he dropped off his gear and then we met up with him for lunch. In the afternoon the boys were in heaven playing at the water park and my mom was in heaven because there was a mini donut place just around the corner. It was nice. Dinner was low key, we just hung out at the resort and made some quesadillas. Jeremy wanted lots of time to just relax and a simple dinner. Mission accomplished. We got the boys to sleep, had a dip in the hot tub, and soon headed to sleep as well. Jeremy slept well, good thing!! I, on the other hand, was tossing and turning, woke numerous times, all worried we'd miss the alarm or not get there on time, or whatever!!

Morning came, and Jeremy had his special needs bags, and away we went. We soon realized, he didn't give himself quite as much time as he'd thought, and as a result, was rushing a bit once we'd arrived (still 45 minutes before race time). He had to drop off the special needs bags, pump up his tires, get in his wetsuit etc. In the end, he had to trust someone else to pump his tires for him, got everything where it needed to be, and with only a few minutes to spare, was in the water and ready to start...

Next up I'll post about the actual race, but want to get some of the words right from Jeremy, since obviously he was the one racing and can say it best what it was like racing to become an ironman!! So stay tuned, have to bug him to get me some notes!! But I will tell you, the adventure was warm (who are we kidding, HOT), there was a wasp involved, tacks, a donut and an Elmo sticker!! But you'll have to wait for those exciting details...

Privacy versus caring...

2011-08-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

I work in an industry that is very vigilent when it comes to privacy etc. And, in many ways, I carry this over into my personal life. I always assume things are none of my business and don't ever want to interfere with someone's personal business. This might come across as me not caring, but I assure you, it's actually me trying to give someone their privacy!! I do care, I am interested, but I don't want to be nosy or anything. I need to try and find a better balance between holding true to privacy concerns and issues, and making sure that people in my life know I care!!

When it comes to strangers, I often act the same way, and again, I am sure I come across as cold and uncaring. Today though, things were a tiny bit different. After a very lazy afternoon, I finally got the boys out of the house and off we went, as a family with the boys on their bikes. First stop was Starbucks. I probably haven't mentioned this, but with Jeremy working there now, life is a little more caffienated, in the best of ways!! And, on a day when I was feeling lazy, having a mocha in hand, made for a much better ride for the boys, hahaha. When we got to the park, after a nice bike for them, there was another little boy there, on a jeep type vehicle with a motor. Sebastian was very interested in this, and the little boy was willing to let him have a go. It was fun. Sebastian was so excited to try it out, the little boy had a new friend, and Jeremy and I chatted with the parents while the boys all played. Later, when Sully wanted a turn, their little boy got to try Sully's run bike, so everyone was excited!!

It was a fun visit to the park, and nice to just chat with other parents, asking them questions, and generally appreciating life with little ones. I am making an effort to be more social with complete strangers and especially within my community. Even nominated a house for most beautiful gardening etc...

I was inspired by that list yesterday and, in checking it over, here is where I stand:

1. Sending positive thoughts and prayers to someone who recently found out a growth was cancerous!!

6. Last week gave a set of dishes we weren't using to a family that lost everything in a fire, and donated about 8 boxes of clothing and stuff to diabetes.

17. Walked to Starbucks with the boys, and then onwards to the park... no car until I had to get to work!! Love those days when we just appreciate our own area!!

Not bad for the first day!! Looking forward to what the next 30 days have in store!!

Spreading good karma...

2011-08-16T02:20:00.000-07:00

So,I'm sure I've mentioned this website once or twice before on this blog, and if not, I know it's come up multiple times on facebook, mostly because Marc And Angel Hack Life, always have such amazing and inspiring posts. This week, the post was called 30 Good Karma Things To Do With Your Free Time.

It's a great list... a total feel-good list. Really, most of these things are so quick and easy to do!! I think I will attempt to do these 30 things in the next month or so... it should definitely be possible, right? Anyone else want to join in? Think of all the happiness you'd be spreading, and how fun it would be to compare ideas etc... I shall let you know how it goes...

On a side note... today I dropped off all the donations I had left for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. It felt very nice to get that done. I went into the ride hoping I'd be able to raise at least $1000 in the next 60 days, and thanks to some pretty amazing people I was able to do it!! I am so grateful to everyone who donated. I wouldn't have been able to do that ride without each person who took the time to donate, give bottles, buy 50/50 tickets... it was a challenge, but y'all made it easy!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Now, the question remains, will it be possible to do this again next year... heck, you could even complete number 18 on the karma list by donating to Jeremy's ride next year!!

Getting rid of stuff...

2011-08-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

I live with something of a packrat. Truly, whenever I try and get some reassurance about throwing something away, inevitibly Jeremy will give me five reasons why we should keep whatever it is I am trying to toss. And, he has such a hard time with me throwing anything away!! As a result, he is almost never wanting to try and declutter anything, so it's on me to work on that part of our lives!!

I've worked hard trying to declutter some stuff in our lives, but it sure isn't easy sometimes. Part of the problem, is, some of the stuff I'm trying to toss is toys for the kids, and that sort of thing. The items are in good condition and really, if the kids haven't seen them in awhile, they love playing with them, so even though they have more toys than they need, I feel guilty getting rid of something that they would still use. This is compounded when it was gifts from people. Then, there is even more guilt attached. I'm not quite sure why, there just is!!

However, in the interest of our house, and having an ability to keep things somewhat orderly, I have to keep trying. And, I work to try and find a new home for the stuff as well, rather than simply throwing out things that may be of use to others.

I also made a goal for myself. If I managed to get rid of a bunch of clutter, then I would get a new wii game for the family, but not before the clutter was gone!! And finally, that's happening. It's rather funny actually, we got a call from diabetes asking if we had anything to donate, and I quickly said no and hung up. Then, the next day, I remembered the boxes I'd already packed up and readied in the garage. So, I called them back and arranged a pickup, and tomorrow they will stop by for the stuff. Yay for finally dealing with boxes I got started months ago, and others from sorting through the boys clothes last week!!

I might even take in our old paint cans tomorrow too, after all, visiting a fire station is always fun!! And the one we'd be going to has a mini bronto even (Sebastian LOVES the aerial trucks)... and really, twist my arm, and make me talk with firemen...

So, next up will be the new wii game I think...here it is...

I can hardly wait!!

Jeremy's Olympic Distance Triathlon

2011-08-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

So, Sunday was a pretty big day for Jeremy. Originally, back before he won the entry to Ironman Canada, from Sugoi, Jeremy had a different plan. For 2011, his plan was to complete an Olympic distance open water triathlon. The very race he planned this to be was the Lake Chaparral Triathlon. So, funny enough, that's the race I signed him up to do, not realizing his original plans. Once he won the ironman entry, that was no longer a concern for him.

Personally, I felt it was important for him to do an open water triathlon before Penticton. I also thought it was important for him to do a bit longer of a race. This way, he'd get a chance to practice swimming with a bunch of other people. To know what it's like to get kicked and hit etc with so many people starting to swim at once. It also would give him a chance to swim in a race in open water. Up until the race, his open water swims were all swims where he would break etc which isn't really ideal in a race. It would give him a chance to practice siting, and just see how he felt overall swimming for a long period of time in the water.

Signing him up, he instantly got nervous and wasn't sure doing the race was the best idea. He was sort of figuring, "go big or go home". He didn't want to do a race that would possibly make him nervous about swimming ahead of time and potentially scare him off the big race.

Well, in the end, he did great. He was in the water in his wetsuit warming up when I got there with the boys. And he was excited and ready. And the race started and off he went. We watched as he swam off (okay, who am I kidding, I watched, while the boys were playing in the sand). I kept on watching and eventually saw him come around for his second lap. He went on to finish all 1500m and didn't even need to take a break (I knew he wouldn't). Happily, after the fact, he reported that his pace for the swim, matched his pace in the pool. His objective going into the swim was to pace himself and he did exactly that.

I stayed behind at the beach for a bit and saw another friend head off for her sprint triathlon while the boys played in the sand and water. Eventually though, we moved on to the road to try and catch Jeremy on his bike. And, we did. We saw him go by twice (he had to do 4 laps to get to 40 kilometres). He looked happy and strong on the bike. He reported later that he did push on the bike and wouldn't push like that for ironman.

After that, we waited for him to go past on the run. He took forever to pass by and reported after that his transitions were slow and it might be an area to work on in the future. We chatted about how for an ironman, a slow transition is really okay. If you spend an extra five minutes to eat a snack, or body glide all the important places, it's better than crashing your bike trying to eat as you ride or the chafing that might result or whatever other things you might have done in transition.

We were waiting for him to go past for his second lap and ended up on the other side of the fence seeing him as Sebastian needed a pitstop at the portapotties. From there, we headed to just before the finish. Sebastian wanted to run in with his dad, and Jeremy happily allowed this.

The boys were great. We brought our bells and a few other noisemakers. Sebastian was yelling things like "looking good guys", and "nice form" and "run this way" and all sorts of other little things. Soooooo cute. And Sully had fun ringing the bells. Next up we are getting a couple cow bells though, because they are cool too and louder and for those ironman athletes, that's important!!

So, there you have it. Jeremy finished his first open water triathlon. And now, we are less than three weeks away from his epic event... I can hardly wait!!

My Kid of Steel... open water edition...

2011-08-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty neat!! Today someone in our family did an open water triathlon... no, it wasn't me... no it wasn't Jeremy who is busy training for ironman... then who might it have been you may be wondering? Why, our five year old!! Yes, the first person in our family to complete an open water triathlon was in fact, Sebastian. He is definitely a kid of steel!!

We arrived early, got Sebastian all set up in transition, he was body marked, got his chip, had some prerace fuel (Crispers) and away we went to the pre-race meeting. We got the low down, and soon they began, first with the oldest kids, and continued each wave, getting younger and younger, until finally, it was time for the seven and under group to go. They waited until all the 8&9 year olds were finished their bike before the little ones got to start. Before that, Sebastian and Sully were playing in the water,
playing in the sand, and just having the best time. Had to stop a couple times so Sebastian could warm up (the kid has no body fat, and so gets cold rather quickly.

Sebastian decided he wanted his mom to swim with him. I had been campaigning for dad, as I had NO desire to be in the freezing cold icky lake water. However, despite all my efforts (ask Jeremy, there were a lot!!), in the end, it was me going into the water with Sebastian, brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Believe me when I say, it took every fibre of my being to get into that water and did not really appreciate it when it got too deep to stand and suddenly my whole body was thrust into the freezing cold. However, knowing Sebastian was that much colder, I tried to at least not hate it too much!! He did good. He was cold. But he kicked and doggie paddled and slowly made his way across the lake. Soon enough we were getting out, not without a hand from the volunteers though, that boat launch was slippery!! We ran into transition, and my poor little guy was just shivering. We helped him change his shirt, got his socks and shoes on, glasses, helmet, bike gloves, jersey, number belt, and away we went to the mount/dismount line.

Sebastian got on his bike and was motoring (he calls it his police motorcycle). He did great. I basically had to run to keep up with him the whole time on the bike. And before we knew it, we were back at transition again (I don't think he actually biked 1.5km... it seemed way too short, but he did exactly what every other kid in his age group did.

Back to transition, dropped the bike, helmet and gloves, flipped the number to the front, and away we went. Again, he was just trucking. It was fantastic. He didn't stop for one second, and the look on his face as he crossed the finish line was one of pure joy!! And let's not forget the very cool medal he earned!!

All in all, it was a fantastic race. He did great. He was excited. He said he was the ogopogo (because his swim cap was green). And he just had fun!! It is so cool to see him so excited and happy about something that is so good and healthy for him!! And he is so happy to do these races. I know how important it is to be active, and seeing him be active like this, from a young age, will hopefully keep him going long into the future. I hope he continues to be active. Knowing how he can be quite challenged to learn some things, it's pretty special to watch him accomplish something like a triathlon. Not sure what's next on his agenda, but I do know his brother won't be far behind him (and since he's part fish, I see triathlon in his future too!!). But for now, I will celebrate Sebastian as the amazing little Kid of Steel that he is!! Great job little man, you make us proud!!

My little Sullivan speaks...

2011-08-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

So, Sully has taken his time with words. But my oh my, they sure are coming fast and furious now. And, you can pretty much get him to repeat almost anything. His favourite thing to say though is YELLOW, although it sounds more like LELLOW. It's really quite cute. Now, he will point out anything yellow, and pick yellow clothes to wear.

Other things he says:

Bun-bun (his little green bunny)
Bear-bear (his little Starbucks Christmas bear)
Boo - Blue (we go through other colours now since he's so good at yellow)
Mama - yeah, I like this one hahaha
Da - his dad
Nonono - he's very good at saying no... like really really good
Bye Bye Poop - as we slowly start potty training, yeah, well, it's cute to hear him say this as he's waving goodbye and flushing away his personal garbage, so to speak

And he's my little chef. He LOVES helping in the kitchen. If you ask if he wants to help, he'll drop whatever he's doing and go running to the kitchen. He loves using the measuring cups, and stirring, and pouring and using the mixmaster. He just has so much fun. He'll help me find ingredients, and pull them out of the cupboard. It's so fun cooking with him. I just love his enthusiasm. He helped me make chicken drumsticks the other day, and puffed wheat squares, and pancakes... pretty much if you can let him help, he's there and helping!!

And he loves stories now. He'll bring books to you to read and won't leave you alone until you have read to him. His current favourite are the Scaredy Squirrel books. He loves them!! And really, they are such cute books, all about facing your fears etc.

Monkey see, monkey do. Whatever Sebastian does, Sully does. Literally. He is a little carbon copy. Wants to do everything his big brother does. Today, our neighbour came over to ask Sebastian over to play. I said all he needed was his hat, so Sully ran and got his, and was DEVASTATED when he wasn't going over to the neighbours to play!!

Oh, and he is sooooo cute on his run bike now. He's even starting to get a bit of glide happening. It's adorable really!!

And hiking. We hiked to Grassi Lakes the other day. And he hiked the difficult route. We brought the backpack with us, but he wanted nothing to do with it, until about 200m before the lake, then he'd had enough, but he hiked the whole incline and all the hard stuff!! My little trooper!! It was fantastic!!

That's my little guy. He's fabulous. I just love hearing him talk. It's fun!! He is truly a toddler and I love how much fun he's becoming.

Our Ironman in training...

2011-07-25T17:42:00.001-07:00

So, of course Jeremy's plans for Ironman Canada this year are certainly making life busy in our family. A lot of my plans have been changed or adjusted to allow for Jeremy to get in the big long training rides, runs and swims. I'm so excited for him and what he has accomplished. He is setting such an amazing example for his kids and it's so cute to hear Sebastian talk about "the ironman".

This past weekend, Jeremy went to Penticton with the group he took his total immersion swimming from. He has learned a lot from Grant over the past year or so and the philosophy of this company has been the guiding principal that Jeremy has been following for most of his ironman training. So this past weekend, Vitalize hosted a camp in Penticton for people training for ironman. They got to swim in the lake, bike the course (and all the hills it entails), and run as well. It was a real breakthrough moment for Jeremy. It was sort of the defining weekend on whether or not he was going to be ready for ironman, and happily, he had an amazing time and is now excited (but still nervous), for Ironman Canada. He is still struggling with the open water swimming. It's a very new beast for him and it's been challenging to say the least!! He is still getting used to the cold, and the waves and the choppiness of the water and the motion it provides. And he's still learning about siting and all that good stuff. And let's not forget the part where you have to overcome your fears of drowning and being in the middle of the lake where the Ogopogo might be waiting to snack on you!! Well, at least the swim is first, and at least there is still time to work on all that stuff!!And time to get an open water race in ahead of time!! Because, unlike the calm order of a pool triathlon, an open water swim is sort of like mass chaos with flailing arms and legs everywhere!! I know I have seen a funny little training video on that, and if I find the link again, I'll post it!!

So next up for us, will be the Kids of Steel triathlon in Lake Chaparral. Sebastian will make his open water triathlon debut, and then the next day, Jeremy will make his open water triathlon debut (hmmmmm... rather amazing that my 5 year old will already have done an open water tri before my aspiring ironman!!).

And soon Jeremy will began tapering... because, in less than 30 days now, we will be in Penticton for his race!! Where did the time go???

And the coolest part? Sugoi is where Jeremy won his entry, and they've been awesome!! And next up, Jeremy's race kit will arrive... and he'll be sporting some pretty fantastic gear!! How lucky!! Now if only they want to sponsor me next year... I mean, I love their gear too!! Especially my new cycling jersey from the Epic Ride!!

I love that our family is becoming so active. I just hope it continues through next year... and it should... I just need to get signed up to volunteer at this year's ironman so I can sign up for next year...

My KID OF STEEL!!

2011-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

So Canada Day was a very special day in our family this year, as it marked Sebastian's debut into the Kids of Steel triathlon program and was the first triathlon he did entirely on his own (a couple weeks earlier he was the runner on our relay team at the Canmore Try a Tri). Needless to say, as parents, we had been going back and forth on whether or not to register him for the Turner Valley Kids of Steel event. Sebastian sees us training (specifically Jeremy training for Ironman Canada) and doing work for triathlon, and has naturally expressed an interest. As well, given how sports in general can be challenging for a child who has delays in gross and fine motor, it was nice to see he had an interest. But, we didn't want to set him up for failure, and wanted to make sure at the very least, that he would succeed in his attempt. We have taken him swimming numerous times, and he's been in swimming lessons, but he is still not that good in the water. I knew he could get across, it just wasn't going to be that quickly!! And I also knew life jackets were optional, so swim, check. Now biking. Again, he is not a super strong kid, so biking has been challenging. However this year, he has grown a lot and biking has become something he is enjoying now. He has biked at the park with his friends and is getting much better with handling directions, braking, steering etc. Plus, training wheels were an option, so biking, check. And well, running, we knew that wasn't going to be even a challenge for him, so running, check. So we signed him up, still not entirely sure how it would go, but after seeing his reaction and desire about biking after the Ride To Conquer Cancer, we wanted to fuel that energy!!

So, last week, we took him swimming again, and he did fine. We took him biking, and he did fine. And then we practiced transitions. And he LOVED this. He had so much fun, transitioning from swim to bike, and then from bike to run. He pretended he was doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. I tried to tell him, that the cancer ride was just a bike ride, and he said, "mom, I'm just pretending." It was cute. And he pretended his runners were clip shoes. And his pedals were Speedplay (those are the pedals Jeremy got for his birthday). But the part he was most proud of, was having his very own cycling jersey. And I believe, even last night, he had his cycling jersey in his bed with him, so it was close to him. Yes, kids are cute.

Bring on Race Day. It was an early morning, as Jeremy was also competing, just not in the kids of steel, hahaha. We cheered him on, ran into a couple people we know, and saw him leave on the bike and come back on the bike, and then saw him finish the run. With all sorts of bathroom breaks in between for a certain someone I won't name that drinks water and juice like it's going out of style!! The boys had fun cheering the bikers on, and playing in the grass and in the gazebo while dad raced. After Jeremy finished (and was happy with the entire race, renewed confidence, yay), we hung out for a bit, and soon it was time for the kids to get ready.

Brief Intermission for ODE TO SULLIVAN:

Sully, you are my little guy
Pretty much the apple of my eye
You were a trooper all day
For that I say yay
Soon enough it will be your turn to tri!!

Back to our regularly scheduled program:

So, Sebastian racked his bike, set up his transition mat, layed out his clip pedals (runners), helmet, gloves, glasses (can't swim in those!!), cycling jersey and number. He was ready. We changed him into his bathing suit and bathing shirt. He got body marked, (Sebastian trying to show off his body marking) complete with a happy face on the back of his leg!! He put on the life jacket, and the waiting began. The big kids started, and each age group from there, until FINALLY, the seven and under category. They had to swim 50m.

When it was Sebastian's turn, he got the second lane, he crossed the timing mat, and his race began. Poor kid has not an ounce of fat on him, so getting into the outdoor pool was COLD. Then, he didn't appreciate getting splashed very much.
But, he went across, kicking his little feet, and attempting to scoop water with his arms. It was slow, but he finished. Then, had to go to the bathroom, so quick trip, only to get partially lost and then finally, he was on his way to transition.

At transition, he was just shivering. Poor kid!! He got all ready, towelled off, put on his bike jersey (and got a few compliments for it), shoes, number, glasses, bike gloves, and helmet. Once the chin strap was done up, he could grab his bike and walk it over to the mount/dismount line. He told the volunteer in transition he had speed play pedals for his clip shoes, it was so cute. Away he went on his 1km ride. He rode the whole thing, no problems at all.

Back at transition again, he took off his helmet and gloves, moved his number around, and off he went, this time with his dad for his 500m run. He totally rocked the run!! He is an amazing runner!! And he crossed the finish line and was so proud of himself. He did all three!! He shouted "mom, I did a triathlon!!".

It was awesome. He got his medal and grabbed a snack. Couldn't have been prouder. And we were so super proud of him too. For a little guy that weighed less than 2 pounds when he was born, that we didn't even no would make it, and if he did, had no idea what the consequences of his early and rocky start must be, it was amazing to see him finish this race. I definitely had tears in my eyes watching him!!

And, he's already talking about his NEXT triathlon... love it!!

Some songs I am just loving...

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love songs that have a positive message and just make life feel great. This past week I found two such songs, and they are even by the same group from the same album (are they even called that anymore??). OneRepublic sings "Marching On" and "Good Life" and they are both fantastic. For some reason, I got the "Marching On" song stuck in my head after the Ride To Conquer Cancer and the words just resonate with me as such a perfect song for such a journey. And the words in general are just fanastic. Same with "Good Life". I am just loving the songs!!

The epic ride...

2011-06-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend, I set out on a brand new journey. A new adventure. Something big. Something awesome. And something that, up until the day before, I wasn't entirely sure I was going to do. Fundraising is always a challenge, and the ride to conquer cancer was no exception. For me, coming off of Mother's Day, where we always put in a good effort to raise funds, since we know that the Mother's Day Run supports NICU and since that cause is obviously very near and dear to us, it was tough coming away from that, and turning around and basically asking all those same amazing people who supported us in that, to turn around and support the ride to conquer cancer as well. And really, things were not looking so good... with one night to go, I had $1000 left to raise... and since we aren't really in a position to afford that, it was tough deciding to go ahead or not. In the end, after getting a couple more donations, I went for it. I wanted to honour the donations I had already received and devised a plan to raise the rest, through a combination of a 50/50 draw and bottle drive.

So, then it was time to pack... hmmmm... deciding the night before a 200km ride, is not always the smartest move. I was scrambling trying to get everything together. Where was my platypus pack? Found the bag, found the backpack, found the tube, couldn't find the end piece... I remember Sebastian playing with it. It could be anywhere. Well, eventually found that, but then couldn't find my riding sandals (yes, my clip shoes are keen sandals... they are AWESOME!!). Well, Jeremy saved the day on the sandals, and I should also point out, that he was out in the garage working on my bike. Tuning it up, cleaning it up, making sure the gears shifted nicely and the brakes worked properly. He too, was signed up to ride, but hadn't raised any money, so him riding wasn't even a consideration that day. The work he put into my bike though, really meant a lot. He also offered up his bike. He has a nice Argon tri bike, but I just felt I'd be more comfortable on my mountain bike, so went with what I knew. Might not have been the fastest choice, but it was the choice I made!!

Went to bed with the alarm set for 0500hrs... did I mention I only work nightshifts? This was a VERY early morning for me, and the boys as well. We put my bike on the car, packed my bag, and off we went, headed for Spruce Meadows. It seemed a bit surreal, but there I was, getting ready to embark on a journey more epic than anything I had ever done before. To date, my longest ride has been 50km. So, the idea that over the next two days I'd go 200km seemed just a bit unbelievable. Yet, I knew I could. I never really doubted I had it in me... well, there was one point, but I will get to that in a bit. So I have to check in, since this was a last minute decision, I hadn't done that yet. Which is also the point where I hand over my credit card number and hope I might actually raise something in the next two months!! From there my gear was checked in, then it was time for a snack. Ran into my cousins and my uncle and chatted a bit, they didn't realize I was actually riding. The ride was important to them as another uncle had died from brain cancer and as they were quite close, it was especially hard to watch him suffer and ultimately lose his fight. Then, before I knew it, it was time to line up and get ready.

There were bikes as far as the eyes could see. I mean, when you have 2280 riders, you pretty much have 2280 bikes (except for a couple tandem bikes), and even an eliptical bike. And then there was every kind of bike for the rest of them. Road bikes, mountain bikes, tri bikes, mountain bikes with aero bars (Jeremy found this particularly amusing). And the riders came in all shapes and sizes. There were young people, old people, tall people, short people, thin people, fat people. Literally, every conceivable possible rider was there. Some had barely biked a day in their lives. Others were seasoned athletes for whom this was a mere training ride. It was really an incredible group. And when you realize that collectively, we had raised over 8 million dollars, that is powerful. That kind of money can do a lot of good in the world of research. And it's because of all those funds that everyone was there. And then there were the bikes with yellow flags on them. Each of those riders were cancer survivors. Having already battled a brutal disease, they were out here showing that cancer couldn't beat them, and taking on a huge challenge at the same time!!

There were a few speakers and of course by the end of it, I was in tears. Thank goodness I was in sunglasses. Jeremy was super emotional too (understandable since he lost his dad to cancer). It made the ride matter, it made doing this important. There are so many fundraisers out there, collecting for so many things, and all of them do matter. But today, this one really mattered. And for every person that has ever been diagnosed with cancer, and for every person that will be diagnosed, this mattered. This group of people went out of their way to try and help fight this disease. To honour the memories of those lost, to celebrate those fighting, and to try and make sure that nobody else will suffer in the future. So to everyone who took the time to donate and help me get to the starting line, thank you. Every donation mattered. Because together, with all the other donations, the money raised really will have an impact. An epic impact!! It's putting Alberta on the front stage of cancer research!!

And then we were off. I was a bit nervous on the count of my sandals and the fact that I don't have a lot of experience with clip shoes on a bike, and with so many bikes, it took a bit to get everyone going at a pace that is condusive to balancing while in clip shoes. I managed however and all was good. It was very emotional starting the ride, being part of something so much bigger!! Very soon, I settled into my ride and just kept riding. And then came the first hill, and there were people who stopped and walked their bikes up. I'm happy to report I made it to the top. And so the ride continued. With lots of hills. Soon, I approached the first pitstop in Okotoks. I was impressed I had made it that far. Grabbed myself some gatorade and a bagel with peanut butter and was on my way. Next pitstop came along and I got to snack on fruit cremes and munchies... yum!! Lunch was the third pitstop and now more than 60km was done. Chatted a bit with my uncle in Longview and then I was off again. The day was filled with lots and lots of hills and the last two legs were super windy. It was a tough ride, but it was good. I decided against the last pitstop as it was about half a kilometre off the highway and didn't really feel the need to stop, just wanted to get to the camp!! By now my butt was rather tired and not really too happy with my decision to bike so far all in one day. However, I finished and arrived at camp in the mid afternoon. Best thing ever? Having a chocolate covered cherry in your bag to eat at camp... yup, it was sooooo tasty!!

Camp was interesting. Hundreds of tents lined up in rows. Portable showers. Food. Drinks. Shops (Sugoi and gear for the race). Massage tent. Medical tent. Yoga tent. Racked my bike upon arriving and grabbed my gear. The whole thing was so well organized!! Had a shower, the shower felt so good, and the water was even hot. Who knew there were mobile showers like that!! Dinner was nice. Chatted with my uncle and cousins, and ran into a friend from work. It was nice running into her as she had given me all sorts of hints and tips for the ride. And for her the ride was especially meaningful as her dad had died just a few months earlier from cancer.

I wandered around, checking things out, filling up my platypus pack, and eventually headed towards my tent. Met my tentmate who was from BC and super nice. We chatted for a bit, and soon it was off to sleep. For being in a tent, on a foamie on a definitely not flat piece of land, I slept surprisingly well. Sadly however, I woke up to rain. This was not part of the plan. It took awhile to will myself out of my sleeping bag. The rain was depressing me to no end. I did not want to ride in the rain.

So, packed everything up, dropped my gear at the trucks, and headed off, wearing slightly different clothing from the day before. I kept my Sugoi compression tights on, along with my Sugoi bike shorts (you'll notice a trend here hahaha). Then I put on a long sleeved tech shirt, with my new Ride to Conquer Cancer jersey (also made by Sugoi), over top, and finally my Sugoi all weather jacket. At the last moment, I added another light jacket underneath, as it was really quite chilly. I had my helmet on, and away I went in search of something to help my feet (remember? bike sandals?? not so ideal in that weather!!). At the 2012 sign up tent they had garbage bags they were handing out, so I took one and made pseudo booties by wrapping my feet in the bag and taping them up. I also turned my bike gloves into mitts by wrapping part of the garbage bags around them and taping them (yeah, it was that chilly). I went out to my bike, and then had to clean out my sandals underneath so they'd be able to click in (since they were covered in mud). Yup, it was challenging, and hadn't even started riding yet. And I was absolutely dreading putting my sore butt down on that seat. Lucky for me, it was not nearly as painful as I was imagining it would be.

And off I went. It was raining, it was windy, it was cold. And, it was uphill. I had opted to skip breakfast as I didn't feel like standing in line in the rain, so I popped a GU gel and off I went. It was tough. And it was really cold and windy. rain was coming up under my sunglasses somehow, still trying to figure that one out!! The first pitstop was a welcome site. I grabbed a bagel and a banana. Stood there freezing while I ate it, then got back on the bike. Bikers were dropping like flies. Sweep vehicles went past, loaded with new bikes every time. It was tough to watch, and tempting to give up. At the second pitstop, they were asking who wanted to be swept. I made myself new booties with mylar blanket pieces so my feet would stay warmer, and headed out after some cookies and munchies. The hills going into Longview were tough, so stopping there would have been easy!! And then, the hills leaving Longview were tough. Fortunately, the next stop would be lunch, so I pushed onwards, even though it had started brutally raining again. At some moments, between the wind and the rain, even breathing wasn't so easy!! By the time I got to Turner Valley, the rain had subsided again, so lunch was pleasant enough. Ate and headed out. This time, it was the wind. Biking straight into the wind. Are you kidding me? First all the rain and cold, and now a strong head wind?? It was tough. And still some hills, let's not forget. By the end of this leg however, things were improving, the pitstop was in sight, and then, my chain falls off. Instant panic. I'm in clip shoes, and about to fall off my bike. Thankfully, I was able to get my one foot unclipped and then steady myself before falling. Phew!! Flipped my bike over, put the chain back on, and biked the 250m to the pitstop (yup, I was that close when it fell off). Got my final snacks and at this point knew I'd make it.

In chatting with a sweeper, there were 300 bikers who didn't even start on day 2, and they were picking up bikers 4 at a time from the course. And a bunch of others stopped at the pitstops. She even said good athlete type bikers couldn't take it. Lots of hypothermia that day!!

The last stretch was good. The beginning part was still tough, but let me tell you, once I hit 22X, I was a whole new rider. I had a renewed sense of energy, a new passion. And I pushed. I pushed hard. I got up to 65kilometers an hour even at one point. I just road and road my little heart out. And I thought about why I was there. Why I had just put myselft through 2 grueling days of biking 200+km (cause it's actually longer than 200km by the way, hahaha). I thought about my grandpa, and how I had seen him going through radiation at Foothills, back in the 1980s. I thought about Jeremy's dad, and how quickly cancer took over his body. And how hard it's been on Jeremy not having his dad, his go-to guy. I thought about my uncle, who was actually my godfather even. I went out and saw him in the summer before he passed away, trying hard to fight, but the cancer was winning. I thought about some of the kids I've seen at Ronald Mcdonald House, in the midst of chemo with no hair, trying to just be regular kids, probably not really understanding the battle they are facing. Cancer is horrible and takes away people we love, well before we should ever have to lose them. This ride gets people trying to do something about that. The funds raised go towards research. I truly hope one of the research projects leads to a cure, or at the very least, more effective, less destructive treatments. And the spinoffs. Some of the drugs go on to help with other diseases that just don't get the funds and attention that cancer does. So what this epic ride does, has an epic impact on the world of cancer resarch and treatment. It will make a difference.

As Spruce Meadows got closer, I was full of emotion. I was happy, I was sad. I was missing people that matter. People that should have had more time here. My heart was heavy for all those left to survive without their loved ones. It was very emotional, but in a good and healthy way. I am, so far, blessed with good health. I have a responsibility, to use that health to make a difference to those that aren't so lucky. It's important to take the time and be passionate about these causes, because they really do matter. I could hear the end. All the cheering, the announcer. It was incredible. I rounded the corner and the sides of the finish were lined with people cheering. The Canada flag (and several other flags), were all flapping in the distance. It was amazing. It was the perfect ending to two days of pushing myself to new limits. I rode through the end with tears streaming down my face. I saw my boys. I was so excited for them to be there and share in that moment. It really was epic.

Thank you so much to every single person who donated to this ride. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your support! Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for helping me reach my goal. Without each and every one of you, it would not have been possible. I am eternally grateful!!

So I'm signed up to do this again next year. And so is my husband. I want to keep trying to help and to make a difference. It's important. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have inspired someone else to join us. It's not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Fundraising is tough. Training is tough. Heck, the ride itself is tough, but it's amazingly well supported and worth every moment. So take these words, and be inspired. Come bike with us, and if that's not something you can do, then support us. Because it's that support that makes it possible for us to do this, and truly, it's the ultimate example of how much bigger we are, when we all work together for a common goal. So, if you want, feel free to donate to the 2012 ride!! You get a tax receipt... you know you wanna...

And it would be especially nice if you donated to Jeremy, because he didn't get the chance to ride this year, and I think really, he needs to do this, for his dad!! So here's the link to his page... Jeremy's Epic Ride

The Ride To Conquer Cancer

2011-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is something totally new for me. Tomorrow I am part of the ride to conquer cancer. This is 200km ride spread over two days. It's in the beautiful foothills with the spectacular Rocky Mountains in the background. I hear the route is a little bit hilly. I think I can do it. I hope I can do it!! It's something totally new for me. Although I've always enjoyed biking, I've never really put my heart into it, the way I have with running. So this is totally new territory for me. But it's a challenge I'm ready to face, and a challenge I'm excited for.

This ride raises money for research. Important research. Because of this ride, Alberta is doing some cutting edge research that's making a real difference. The funds raised have funded many projects, including research into childhood cancers, brain cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even blood disorders. The thing that really gets me though, is how far reaching this research can be. Cancer gets a lot of focus and rightfully so, since it does affect so many people. But there are tons of other diseases that end up with spinoff benefits because of the cancer research, so even if those diseases aren't the initial focus of the research, they benefit from the research. Take for example Avastin, a drug commonly used to treat cancer. Now, an injection of Avastin into the eyes of a preemie suffering from severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), fixes ROP even better than traditional laser therapy could with the added benefits of no surgery required and most kids not needing glasses later on. For our son alone, this treatment would have made a huge difference. So, in only 5 years since he was born, a cancer drug has crossed over into a disease that we have dealt with as a family directly.

Don't get me wrong though, cancer has definitely been a part of our family. When I was little, I watched my grandpa try and battle brain cancer, yet still succumbed to this awful disease. And more recently my husband lost his dad to cancer. In less than a year, he was diagnosed, attempted to fight it, and sadly lost his battle. My godfather also tried to beat brain cancer, yet once again cancer proved too much. For me, the hardest part is watching these people with iron will try to beat something that their bodies were just unable to. And then, the families they left behind are left with a huge hole in them trying to figure out how life goes on, with such a pivotal person missing. It's truly awful.

So, rather than sit on the sidelines, I'm choosing to do something to help. I am choosing to help raise money to fund research to find a cure. I don't want to see anyone else suffer this horrible disease. I want the spinoffs to help my mom and others suffering from diseases that don't get the same focus. I want a cure to be found so that if someone else I love is diagnosed, the battle can be fought, and won. Cancer doesn't have to win. So much progress has been made, and many people are beating it, but there is still so much work to do. This is my part. This is what I can do. And you can do your part, by supporting my ride. It won't be easy, but this ride is nothing compared to what people suffering from cancer face on a daily basis while in treatment.

I'll let you know how it goes, but in the meantime, please consider making a donation to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, supporting my ride: https://secure2.convio.net/cfrca/site/Donation2?idb=1774709699&df_id=1604&1604.donation=form1&FR_ID=1372&PROXY_ID=2607040&PROXY_TYPE=20&JServSessionIdr004=k4j5k5vwo2.app209b

And I promise to blog about the ride after all is said and done... thanks!!

A Family Triathlon!!

2011-06-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

Clearly, I have neglected this blog to nearly the point of no return. However, I have good intentions and therefore I will try my best to commit to having more regular posts of an interesting nature. Will I succeed? Time will tell I suppose, but for now, if I get at least one post a week I'll be happy.

So, what has been going on lately? Well, Jeremy is busy training. Training, training, training. And a little bit of work thrown in, just for good measure. He is currently loving the training and the working. Our family has definitely become a busy household though and some weeks it feels like we go nonstop. However, there are some nice times and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Take today for example. This morning, Sebastian had preschool, Jeremy went for a run, Sully hung out with me, while I wrote my anatomy quiz. Then, we all went swimming as a family and that was fun. Jeremy snuck in a 500m quick swim, and then Sebastian and I did a 50m swim. Sebastian is excited to do a triathlon this year, but needs some practice at swimming and biking before that is going to happen!! He did good, and this should give him some confidence as he gets ready to try out triathlon. Of course his first race is going to be a team effort in Canmore at the Canmore Try a Tri on Father's Day. He is very excited for that and we are now officially registered as a team. Jeremy will be our swimmer, I'll be the biker and Sebastian will be our runner. Sullivan will be there to cheer us all on since he is a bit little still for this type of thing... but he'll get his day, just give him another year or two!!

This afternoon I think we'll go biking. Sully on his run bike and Sebastian on his big boy bike. They have been wanting to bike forever and we just keep having excuses. Well, today will be the day, although the beautiful sun has just been covered by some ominous dark clouds...

And fire trucks. Our world revolves around fire trucks. But more on that another day...

Ironman Family!!

2011-04-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

We've sped things up a bit in our family for our Ironman aspirations, because, if you can believe it, Jeremy won an entry into Ironman Canada. I mean seriously, what are the chances!! The race sells out so fast and you pretty much have to volunteer and sign up in person to guarantee yourself a spot (that was my plan for this year!!). The contest was put on by Sugoi, and it was a natural fit because we love their gear so now, not only will he be doing an ironman, he'll be all geared up in Sugoi's awesome clothes!!

So, we are now going to be an ironman family. Life is going to be centred around Jeremy's training for the next 138 days until the race in August. It's exciting, but it will be a big change. Jeremy will have to put in hours every week to make sure his body is ready for the brutal reality of an ironman (swimming 4km, then hopping on a bike to go 180km, then running 42km). Given that his longest ride up until this point has been 25km, it's a daunting task. Luckily, he's starting with a pretty good base. We've been training for the Calgary Police Half Marathon, so actually, on the day the winner was to be announced, he'd done a 20km run. And, he's been swimming on average, about 2 days a week. So really, it's just a matter of stepping things up. His challenge, of course, will be balancing training with raising the boys and keeping our house in some sense of order. But, if we all work at it together, we are going to rock it!!

So, this year will be full of new adventures, most of them fitness related, but lots of fun and a chance to bring our family into an entirely new domain. So very excited for what lies ahead!!

If you want to read his adventures of training, check out his blog...

http://www.triplesportdad.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Jeremy, we are super proud and excited for you!! And here's a photo of the guy post 23km bike ride (and don't forget the 2km swim he did in the morning!!)

Happy 5th Birthday Little Man

2011-03-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, apparently my little man is not so little any more. I can't believe you are five years old!! I can't believe it's been five years since that very scary day when we welcomed you into this world twelve weeks before you were ready!! I still remember it like it was yesterday and I will forever be grateful to the doctors and nurses that saved your life!! They truly gave us a miracle when they gave us you. I know the beginning was scary, and you probably will never truly understand just how sick you were, but a quick recap for you anyhow...

We went to the ultrasound, and after lengthy secret discussions, they sent us to Foothills, and a few short hours later you were born at 1300hrs weighing just 1pound 13 ounces (830grams). You were intubated almost immediately, due to the fact that you couldn't breath on your own. And, very quickly, all your medications started up. You took meds for blood pressure issues, meds to paralyze you so you wouldn't fight the machines, meds for pain, meds for your heart, a fat drip, an IV, and soon it was blood transfusions. And then the ventilator you were on wasn't good enough so they moved you to the oscillating one. And then they added nitric oxide, and you were maxing out on that. There was nothing else they could do, if you didn't start responding then the course of treatment would change drastically.

Our heads were spinning from all the new things we had to learn. You were our miracle, but you had a long road ahead of you, including a real test at only one week old when you coded. That was scary. Really scary. Once again though, the doctors and nurses were there to help. That was a real turning point for you. I mean, the road was still rough, don't get me wrong, but at least we talked in days and not hours when talking to the doctor.

You've had your challenges. The bowel perforation, the eye surgery, two different hernia surgeries, delays in speech, gross motor, fine motor. But through it all you have been this amazing little guy. Truly, our super trooper.

We look at you today, and seriously, you blow us away with how far you've come. I have no idea how we were chosen to be your parents, but I so grateful to have you for a son. God truly gave us a gift when He gave you to us. I will spend the rest of my life being the best parent I can to you (and your brother), because truly, I am the lucky one!!

So, you started out as this tiny little 28 week baby, and now you are five. You have rock star glasses (with transition lenses), that are new from January, and you look very stylish in those. You have an incredible smile. You give the best hugs. You say the sweetest things.

You started gymnastics this year, and today is your last day of this session. You have learned so much in gymnastics!! You can do a somersault, log roll, stork stand, walk across the balance beam, koala hang on the bars, and you especially love the foam pits!! You took skating lessons again this year, for the first time, without a parent!! You are now in Sunfish for swimming lessons, and you have done great with Sportball.

You completed your second block of preschool treatment and although you are still very delayed with fine motor skills, we have been working very hard to get you excited about fine motor stuff, and eating better. You've done another feeding assessment (with yet another one to happen in April). Although, truly, in the last three months, your eating (specifically using cutlery), has come a long way. And soon, you will be going back to perinatal for your final assessments. We are both excited and nervous for that visit (another long morning at the hospital with test after test after test). You also started rock climbing and I take you every week or two and my goodness, one of these days, you are going to get to the easy button!!

You love reading stories. Favourites lately include "Believe In KatieLynn" (about a preemie baby, that makes mom cry almost when she reads it to you), any book about the body, and any book about pirates. You love playing playmobil and setting up scenarios for emergency responders (usually traffic accidents or fires, enabling all three emergency services to come out, including STARS!!).

You are becoming an amazing big brother. You will help Sully set up track for the trains, and often play trains with him, or playmobil, or you try and convince him to play upstairs with you, where you usually hijack your dad's phone and play "Bad" by Michael Jackson, while dancing. You also love listening and dancing to Kate Perry, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Coldplay and They Might Be Giants. If you are going through the ipod on dad's phone, you will search until you find Fix You by Coldplay and come play it for me (because it was one of the songs from the torch relay).

You are also starting to help around the house. You are excellent at letting Cronos in and out. You help with the cooking sometimes, and especially like helping out with puffed wheat squares!! You are hanging up your own jacket and making efforts to keep your toys neater. I appreciate your efforts at all this!!

You are in your second year of preschool and doing really well, bringing home all kinds of arts and crafts, swimming, trips to the library, climbing, and I'm sure more to come!! And wow, next year you will be in kindergarten. We did a lot of research and toured a few schools and talked with speech pathology at perinatal, the nurse at perinatal and other parents and finally settled on putting you in french immersion. I'm excited for you to learn another language and looking forward to helping you with it.

You have been such an amazing part of our lives little man, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for your smiles. Thanks for your willingness to try new things. Thanks for being such a good brother to Sullivan. Thanks for being such an incredible son. We are so grateful to have you in our lives!!

Love, Mom, Dad, Sullivan and Cronos the Super Dog

Sebastianisms:

"we have to clean this world, it's the only one we've got"

"mom, I don't want cookies, I want a healthy snack"

"can I have your phone" (seriously, we hear this probably 50 times a day!!)

"mom, can you pretend I'm a little baby in the hospital and you are coming to visit me? Don't forget to wash your hands"

"I have a great idea..."

"Extra kiss and hug!!"

My baby is 2!!

2011-01-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe that my baby is 2 years old today. I mean, when did that happen? Time really does fly by!!

Wow, what to say. Sully, you are incredible. You really are. You have such an amazing curiousity about everything. You are always watching and learning. And you absolutely idolize your big brother. If he can do it, you want to do it too. You started the year crawling and very

quickly moved onto walking. You still don't say much, but you are always making noises and babbling in your own special way. You have an incredible smile. You are very determined and if things are not going your way, you are very quick to vocalize your displeasure. And your eating is incredible. You are excellent with a fork or spoon and seldom will let us help you eat... even if you make the hugest of messes!!

And sometimes you can be such a little mama's boy. I have to say, I don't really mind this one bit. Since I am working fulltime, I don't get a lot of time with you, so it's nice when you want to cuddle. One night in particular I recall, when you were upset and overtired, you just snuggled right in and fell asleep on my chest while we were rocking on a chair. It was so sweet.

You love water, in any form, and had a lot of fun in the summer playing outside with the water table, running in the sprinkler and going in the pool, shoes and all.

You also love colouring. It's incredible to see how interested you are in crayons and markers. When your aunt Kim came over in December, we decorated sugar cookies and you were totally into it!! A week later, you were decorating Christmas ornaments, again totally loving it. This time, when it was time to stop, you were so upset.

And trains. My goodness you love Thomas and the trains. You can point out any train we ask you too, you love the show, you love your Thomas and Percy shirts, and you love building trains and tracks and are very good at it. Sometimes, you'll make your train so long it falls off the track and you get all frustrated. Funny, your brother used to do the same thing!!

You also started in gymnastics in the fall, and have done quite well with it. Sometimes you are so desperate to be in the big class with your brother that you forget to enjoy your own class. You do an excellent log roll, and climb ladders with no problem to get a toy (but then grab the toy and forget to hold on to the ladder, oops!!). And you love searching for fishes in the big foam pit.

Sullivan, you truly are a gem. I am so lucky to be your mom!! You are in such a special place right now because your dad has been home with you for the last year. You have no idea what a special gift it is to be home with a parent!!

We've spent the last year watching you grow and change from a baby just learning to walk, into a full on toddler. It's been such a treat. Keep on being curious and being the amazing little boy you are. We love you so much and look forward to the next year and what it has to offer.

Love, Mom (and dad too!!)

Is it really the end of 2010 already??

2010-12-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe that 2010 is coming to a close so quickly. Time really does fly!! But it's been another fantastic year. I feel so lucky to have the amazing family and friends that I do!!

So, where to begin... in January I had one of the all time best experiences of my whole entire life. I had the privledge and honour of being a torchbearer for the 2010 torch relay for the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. I won't go into all the details as I did that back in January, but suffice it to say, it was awesome, amazing, unbelievable. And made even more special by the fact that my family was there to share that moment with me, even though it was in BC in the small town of Oliver.

I was still nursing my stupid foot injury so didn't get the opportunity to train a whole lot at the beginning of the year. I spent lots of time at chiro trying to get my foot better. I was completely out of the habit of exercise and managed to put on about 20 pounds. It was not so fun!! Needless to say, life carried on, and I eventually got back in the groove. I did a short triathlon in May, along with the Mother's Day run 5km, and this year, we had Jessica and Scott running with us, and even more special, little Sebastian ran his first ever 5km race. It was incredible. We also did the Rock the House run in August, this time with my friend Jody. I did another triathlon in August, with Jody as well, and felt quite good about my performance, despite the fact that I had only tried Jeremy's bike the day before the actual race!! Oh well, it worked fine, haha.

The Strathmore triathlon was a real turning point for me. After a year of very poor fitness and eating, I wanted to make a change. I was tired of always having an excuse as to why I didn't exercise, so that day marked the start of no more excuses. And, now, it's January 3rd, and I'm still going strong, having done something every single day since August 15, 2010.

Jeremy and I did Melissa's Road Race in September and it was great. He hadn't done the race in several years and we had a babysitter (thanks Joan), so we even got to grab a bite to eat after at my all time favourite restaurant in Banff, the bison. It was wow factor amazing as always. Next up was the Ambulance Chasers and this one Kim came along for the run. Sebastian was most excited about this, and we spent the race pretending to be trains or STARS or firetrucks.

I also started to watch my eating using the MyPlate application on livestrong. It is a fantastic little calorie counter that has an app for the iphone also. Using this helped me lose about 25 pounds, to the point where I now weigh less than I did before having kids. I still have a little way's to go, but I'm back on track again and looking forward to more results!!

Jeremy and I were both accepted into a personal trainer certificate at Mount Royal University, so I look forward to learning more so I can help others reach their fitness goals. It starts in a couple weeks and I am very excited for this!! I also took the first AFLCA course so that I can get a certification in fitness.

Work was certainly a challenge last year and sadly it made it very hard to be excited about a job I truly love. I look forward to the changes ahead this year and hope that things will be a bit more promising!!

Jeremy had a good year as well. He was at home with the boys and it has been great for them. He's also started working diligently on the basement and I'm hoping that 2011 will be the year it becomes functional usable space for our family!! Jeremy also hit his bottom in terms of weight and exercise. We both managed to come to this conclusion around August and haven't really looked back. He's lost 35 pounds, and looks amazing!! And he's also learned to swim and completed 3 triathlons last year. He also ran his best ever 10km at the Melissa's race finishing well ahead of me (but is still chasing the one hour mark!!). He ran his first ever half marathon as well, being the Police Half. It was fun cheering him on, but very hard being sidelined for one of my favourite races!! Jeremy is also looking forward to getting started on the personal trainer certificate. He also had the opportunity to take a coaching clinic for triathlon in December. He's hoping to do an open water triathlon this year!!

Sebastian finished his first year of preschool and also got through sea turtle on his third try, and then breezed through salamander. Now however, he's working on sunfish. He went to pedalheads bike camp in the summer, and took skating lessons in the fall again (this time all by himself!!). He finished a second block of preschool treatment and did quite well. He's still quite delayed with fine motor and also gross motor skills, but he tries so hard and has the best attitude. If only he could apply this attitude to his eating, which continues to be a struggle. We went camping once in the summer and the boys loved it!! He also started taking gymnastics. We figured it was a good way to build his core, and it has been incredible. He loves it and is now doing somersaults and having the best time!! He loved his advent calendar this year and had so much fun leading up to Christmas. He amazes me every day.

Sullivan had a big year too. He went from being a baby, to a full on toddler, walking and having a very independent streak develop. His eating is phenomenal. He uses forks and spoons and nearly always insists on feeding himself. He adores trains and all things Thomas. He builds tracks and runs the trains along them. He loves colouring, even on the couch on occasion. He loves books and is always bringing up books to us to read. He did swimming lessons with his dad and loved being in the water. He enjoys anytime we go swimming as a family and has the best time. He also started gymnastics and has done well with it. He's often a bit sidetracked and wants to be with his brother, but we worked hard getting him to focus on his class. He loves his brother and copies everything he does. It's quite cute actually. He also had fun with the lead up to Christmas. He loved decorating cookies when Kim came over, and had a lot of fun decorating ornaments too. He goes to child minding at Cardel and totally went from being attached to his stroller to participating in any of the activities they do there. He's a wonderful little toddler, and I can't believe he's almost two!!

That was our year in a nutshell. Busy and fun. And now, I look forward to 2011!! Time to think up some goals for this active little family of ours!!

Back to Harry Potter...

2010-12-23T01:08:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a few years, and I've decided to have another go at the Harry Potter books. I mean, I know I love them, but it's time to love them all over again!! I just finished the first one, and it was just as good as I remember.

I am very excited for a few years from now when I get to read them with my boys. It will be so neat to share this world with them... but for now, I will enjoy it all on my own...

My amazing little guy...

2010-12-20T23:01:00.000-08:00

So, I have two kids, obviously, to anyone who's read this blog before. My oldest is 4 and a half. He was a preemie, and as a result, things did not entirely go according to plan with him. He's a great guy, and I love him with all my heart. His timeline has been unique and he's faced some struggles, most noticably in regards to fine motor skills. So, things happened at his pace and for us, that was completely normal.

Now, enter his little brother. Sullivan is a happy go lucky little toddler that is about to turn two. He doesn't say much, but we took him to the doctor, and that's fine. It's normal and he's trying, which is the most important part. He idolizes his big brother and it's so cute to watch him try to do everything that Sebastian does. But when it comes to fine motor, these two are world's apart. Sullivan loves to feed himself and really doesn't appreciate any help you try to give him. It can be a bit messy, but he's incredible at it. I'd say he has about the same fine motor skills as Sebastian even. He feeds himself more than Sebatian does even.

And then there's colouring. This is something else he loves. Sebastian has not even a passing interest in colouring, but Sullivan loves it!! Today he spent over half an hour colouring a train picture. It was amazing to watch. It's incredible to see how different these two are with skills like that. Sullivan is also keen to build train tracks and trains in a way that Sebastian has never been. It really is amazing the differences between them that way.

I love them both, of course, and I've been awed by the difference between a preemie and a fullterm child and how it has related to their development. Sebastian has taught us about patience and we've learned all sorts of activities and skills to help him along and encourage him to work on fine motor. Sullivan is just excelling at it, at his own pace. He plays games on the iphone. He is constantly bringing us books to read him. He's really good at the look and find ones. I'm blown away by his progress. And I appreciate so much how different he is from his brother. They are definitely each their own person!!

Anyhow, suffice it to say, kids are amazing. They each have their own little path to follow and it's so neat to watch how different they are from one another!!

Thanksgiving in Medicine Hat

2010-10-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

So, we went down to Medicine Hat for the long weekend. It was a lot of fun. The boys were very excited to visit with their grandparents. The dog was super excited (as demonstrated by the incredible whine that started the moment we turned onto the road to my parents house).

We did something new this time, in that we took the boys swimming at the leisure centre. The wave pool was absolutely freezing, so we didn't last too long there, but the tot pool was a nice temperature and had tons of toys, the boys were in heaven!! So, Jeremy and I took turns in the lap pool. It was nice to swim in a lane all by yourself!! That pool was quite deep though, but it was good. It can be a 50m pool when needed, which I thought was very cool!! We each got in about a 20 minute swim and after that headed out. It was a beautiful facility. Next up was a quick stop at Starbucks, as it was buy some flavoured via get a free drink day. Forgot to get Sebastian a hot chocolate, so went back in for that, and, ended up with a survey, so upon completing that, it will be another free drink. Yay!!

That evening, we had a yummy supper and then Sebastian and I walked down to the creek. He really wanted to go and it was earlier enough that we went quickly. The dogs came with us (of course), and we had fun. On the way back, we were visited by 4 horses. The horses were a bit too close for comfort. They sort of surrounded us, and I tried very hard to stay calm and not panic, but it was a little intimidating. And, they seemed to be chasing Cronos, so anytime he ran in front of us, they were really moving around. I didn't want one of them to get startled and kick us or something. Eventually Cronos sort of stayed behind them, and then they didn't move around quite as much, which was nice!! Once we got back on the other side of the fence, I felt a huge sigh of relief!! Then, dad came out and we fed the horses some treats. That was nice, although Sebastian was still a bit afraid. Although, really, if I was about 3 feet tall, and a horse, that stands about 6 feet tall kept sniffing me, I'd be a bit timid as well. Sullivan, on the other hand, loved it!!

Sunday was fun as well. Jeremy and I went out for a run in the morning, and that was nice. Pretty funny that the last two times we've gone out together, it's been for exercise!! Oh well, it was nice. We went for lunch and then afterwards, took to the boys to a playground. They had so much fun. Sebastian was playing with another boy and having a great time. Sullivan was going up and down the slide. Then, we checked out a coffee shop in Riverside called the Zucchini Blossom. It was neat, part grocery store, part coffee shop, homemade pastries, muffins and cookies. They had little juices, and fantastic coffees. We enjoyed these while the boys finally napped!! Excited to maybe go back there sometime for paninis!!

That night it was time for turkey dinner and it was fanastic. Played with the boys again, fed the horses again (that showed up about the same time as we had fed them treats the day before).

Sleep isn't always easy to come by in Medicine Hat, the dogs often bark, and the boys are all restless in the unfamiliar surroundings, but the coffees help with that, and the company makes it all worthwhile. We had a wonderful visit, but it's always nice to come home again!!

This week, I'm hoping to get a hike in, but I'll have to keep an eye on the weather and see if that's likely or not...

Fun times in Coventry Hills

2010-10-08T03:10:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I was between 12 hour nightshifts. I am not a big fan of 12 hour shifts as it leaves you very little time for the rest of your life. And, with two young boys at home, I value the time I have with them!!

Yesterday, once Sullivan woke up, we went over to the park. Sebastian was excited to play with his dump truck and crane, so we took them along. The boys were alone at the park with me, and I managed to get a few exercises in (pushups, squats, dips, lunges, that sort of thing), and then another boy came along. Sebastian started playing with him, they were chasing each other and having fun. And then, some neighbours came along, Sebastian's little buddies, and they brought some dump trucks too. And then, some more neighbours came along, and their little guy brought a dump truck too. And then a whole other group of kids came along. At one point, I bet there was close to 20 kids there. It was fantastic. They were all interacting. There was lots of playing with the rocks and dump trucks, some games of tag and hide and seek, sliding and playing on the playground itself. It was great. We ended up spending almost an hour and half there. We've never gone there for that long before. But it was fun and both boys were loving it, so we just kept on playing. And it was so nice to see that we are finally developing a community and getting to know some of the kids in the area as well as their parents.

So, even though I only had a couple hours at home yesterday, I totally made the most of it with those boys of mine. It was awesome, and I went to work with a big smile on my face, because I had a fun afternoon!!

October? Seriously?

2010-10-05T22:32:00.001-07:00

Once again, I can't believe how the time has passed, it's crazy!! Life has been busy, and fun. Sebastian is back in preschool, 3 days a week this year. Both boys started gymnastics this year, and that's been great for them. Sullivan is a loving his trains and building track. Sebastian is so busy with Playmobil. Life is fun and certainly keeps us busy!! In August we did the Rock The House run, Sebastian's second 5km. In September, Jeremy and I finished Melissa's 10km (first date in forever and we go running. Crazy!! And in October we ran the Ambulance Chasers 5km. Jeremy ran his fastest ever 5km, and I ran with Sebastian and Kim (my sister), while pushing the stroller with Sullivan. It was a good run and a beautiful evening with the fantastic reward of Spolumbo's after the race. And now, we have no races on the radar yet. Time to sign up for something else...

In the meantime, here's a few pictures from that last little while...

The importance of giving blood...

2010-08-30T19:20:00.001-07:00

So, I have had a very rocky road with donating blood. I remember as a kid, my dad would go, and I thought this was just so incredible. I mean, something as simple as the liquid running through your arteries and veins, can be used to help save another person's life!! Seems like such a selfless thing to do!! However, I also had this irrational fear of needles. I remember getting shots in school, and anytime blood needed to be drawn, my veins were not always the easiest to find. But, the day I turned 16, I was ready. Next time my dad went, I went with him. My blood got checked for type and I was in business. Except, somewhere in the middle of the whole thing, I began getting lightheaded and nauseous. It was not pretty. Needless to say, they stopped just short of a pint of blood. I was a semi-successful donor. Did not return for a long time. Then I lived in Florida for a bit, and the bloodmobile came to my workplace, so I decided to try again. Got refused once for low iron, donated successfully twice, and a third time had to stop partway through (back to that fainting light headed thing again). Grrrrr... Oh well, when I got back to Canada, I tried again, and once again, was stopped partway through. This time, they banned me, for life. I was sad.

You see, I really really wanted to be successful, but this stupid irrational fear played mind games with me, and prevented me from success. Well, after I had an emergency c-section to deliver my very sick preemie baby, I wanted to try again. I had to do many blood samples while pregnant and survived a surgery so figured it was worth it. Even more important though, was the fact that my little son, born weighing not even 2 pounds, needed blood. And, over the course of his very rocky beginning, he ended up using 12 different donations, from 9 different people. Think about it. If those people hadn't taken time out of their day to do make those donations, my son would not be with us today. What they did, helped to save his life. He wasn't making his own blood yet, and without the donations, wouldn't have had the ability to deliver oxygen throughout his body. This simple act, by these people, is part of the reason my son is with us today. That is a big deal. It's a huge deal. Every time I hug Sebastian, I am so grateful he's with us. And knowing that complete strangers helped make that happen, made me want to once again try to donate blood. After all, it saved his life!!

So, I called Canadian Blood Services, and asked if I might get a chance to try again. They said sure, and the very next week, I went to a clinic to try. And I was rejected. This time, because I was breastfeeding, and needed the blood for that purpose. Grrrrrrr... and then I was pregnant again and breastfeeding again.

Fast forward to this weekend. I'd been intermitently checking the Canadian Blood Services website to see when they might be close by to try again, and knew they were going to Cardel (the recreation centre by our house). I decided to be brave and go. I drank extra juice in the morning, and headed over. Jeremy was kind enough to take the kids to Costco and let me go (thank you so much!!). So off I went, with The Book Of Awesome to read, while I donated (figuring reading about feel good things could only make donating go well). I was nervous, but excited. I wanted to succeed more than anything. I filled in the mountains of paperwork, answered all the questions, and soon I was waiting to donate. Again, was a bit nervous, but kept thinking of the good that could come of it. She got me all set up, and was super nice. I had an extra juice. And soon, the needle was in and the blood was flowing. And I read my book. And it was great. Soon enough, it was over, and not once did I feel lightheaded. I was so happy, I nearly started crying. It was emotional. But I did it!! And in 56 days, I can do it again if I want!!

I think I have conquered that irrational fear. Two c-sections, mulitple vaccinations, and countless blood draws later, I'm a little more comfortable around needles. They still aren't my favourite thing, but I get that it's a means to an end, and a very important end. And if that's what I have to do to donate blood, then I think I will be able to handle it again!!

The rest of the day, I was just beaming with excitement. I still can't believe it. I'm so happy. I feel that I need to give back. I want to know that some other parent out there has their child because someone took the time to donate. It's so simple and really takes very little time. And in the end, if someone you loved needed blood, wouldn't you want to know that someone took the time to donate? So, please, if you can, take the time and donate, it really does save lives!!

My little firefighter guys...

2010-07-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, we got a dressup firefighter outfit a few months ago. And, it's a hit. Truly. And it's not just Sebastian that loves it. Sullivan loves it too. As a matter of fact, either would wear it in a heartbeat. A couple weeks ago, there was a pancake breakfast near our house and we ended up going just for the entertainment. I had just finished making breakfast when we kept hearing a helicopter and I looked out and realized that it was STARS landing. I also noticed a couple firetrucks and an ambulance. So, we quickly ate our breakfast and then headed over to the breakfast. We weren't going for food, we were going to check out the emergency services equipment!! And, Sebastian decided that maybe he should wear his firefighter outfit as well. So, he got dressed and off we went. It was awesome!! He had the best time!! He sat in two different firetrucks, went in the back of an ambulance, then saw STARS take off, and finally sat in the front of a police car (who, ironically enough had gone for the pancakes only to discover that he had a line up outside his car as well, haha). He had a great time, and even though he loved the firetrucks, his favourite part, without a doubt, was watching the helicopter take off.

Anyhow, here's a few photos of my little fire fighter guys.

Sebastian with STARS in the background...

Sebastian in the back of an ambulance...

Sebastian driving the firetruck...

Sebastian chatting with the police officer inside the police car...

Sullivan trying on the hat...

And finally he got to try on the jacket...

Not sure if he's so proud cause he's a firefighter or just that he got to wear Sebastian's dressup clothes...

My little cutie...

Life lately...

2010-07-15T02:19:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I think the iPhone has been nothing but cruel to my blog. Because of the iPhone, I'm hardly ever on the computer anymore, and don't seem to update this blog with any kind of regularity. That totally sucks because it's such a great way to keep track of life and what's been happening with my boys!!

So, what has been happening? Well, Sebastian finally made it out of SeaTurtle after three tries in his swimming lessons, and only because we asked the teacher and he showed her he could put his face in the water. We decided to capitalize on that and signed him up for Salamander. And, the progress he made was incredible and, drumroll, he passed Salamander on the first try!! So, we again worked with momentum and signed him up for Sunfish. However, I doubt he'll be getting out of it on the first try. But, we helped him get past a major roadblock to his swimming. Just this week, we got him jumping in the water by himself. It's funny though, he pretends he's a chef making me food and then jumps in. He was so afraid to jump without holding someone's hand. The first time, I pushed him. It might not have been the nicest thing, but he was practically jumping, so really, I just helped him along. It helped. He asked me to push him again the next time. And then the third time, he jumped in by himself. I was so proud. And after that, he jumped into deep water. It's great!! So next up, we have to get him swimming. He needs to be able to swim 5m on his own. He's still too afraid to do that. But now that he's jumping, I think the swimming will not be far behind. But I think we'll take a break now and perhaps try swimming again in the fall or winter.

He finished his second round of preschool treatment in June. It was awesome. It was so much better than the first group. The therapists were incredible. I thought the first group was okay, but after the very disheartening finish to the group, and then seeing this group, I realize this group was amazing. They just seemed so much more cohesive and were very much more positive about Sebastian. The physiotherapist especially was fantastic. They offered so many ideas and spoke so nicely about Sebastian and his situation. They are even hoping to have him back in the fall, although at the moment the limit is two sessions, so we'll see if that happens. Anyhow, this time Sebastian got to try riding a bike, and loved it, so we went out and got him a bike. He's so proud of his shiny blue bike. He's had a few falls, but he's learning. And he loves it. He asks almost every day to go riding. For him, this is huge!! We signed him up for a bike camp in August and we'll keep working with him until then to get him more confident on his bike. Jeremy figured out today that part of his problem is bike fit. We need to adjust his handlebars so that he can balance better. Then when he turns, his whole body won't turn at the same time knocking him over...

As for Sullivan. He's a riot. I just love that little guy. He's starting to say a few words, and do a few signs. His first word was "quack" in answer to "what does a duck say?". He also says "mom" and "dad", and if you ask him where Cronos is, or Sebastian, he'll point them out. As for signs, he's got "hungry", "eat", "food", "all done". hmmmm... the kid likes to eat I think. Actually, I know he does. He's an incredible eater. You can put pretty much anything in front of him, and he'll gobble it up. Except he wasn't too crazy about strawberries, but then at his Grandma's last week, he ate two of them. He's playing with all sorts of toys and does great building towers with blocks, playing with trains and putting track together, and loves playing with animals etc. He also loves books and is constantly bringing books to us to read to him. Like all the time. He also loves being outside, and is obsessed with the little water table. He has cups and manages to absolutely soak himself, having a complete blast in the process. And he idolizes his big brother. And will want to do anything that he does. The best example of that was at the pool. Watching his brother jump in, over and over, then, when I took him to the toddler pool, he stood on the edge and jumped in, over and over. And then he practiced his front floats, just like Sebastian does. It was soooo cute!!

So life is busy, and fun. The boys keep it that way. I love it. And I love them. It's been a fun summer so far, and I look forward to more hiking and biking and swimming and everything!!

He finished his second round of preschool treatment and it went so much better than the first time.

Mother's Day Run through the years...

2010-05-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

So this year marked the 5th year that I was a mom on Mother's Day. Granted, I wasn't supposed to be a mom the first year, since Sebastian was not due until June, but he had his own agenda, and we went with it. I thought I would include pictures from all the runs we have done now.

The first year, a group of coworkers ran with me. This was truly special and meant a lot that they would come out and support us in such a special run. It was highly emotional since Sebastian was still in the hospital making the most of the NICU units at the time!! I remember reaching the start line and tears were welling up in my eyes. Oh, and this was when my broken leg was still healing, so 5km was the farthest I had been in a very long time!! We stopped by the hospital on the way to the run, and again afterwards. I can't remember for sure, but Sebastian probably weighed around three pounds by the time Mother's Day rolled around and would have been about 6 weeks old, at 34 weeks gestation.

The second year, the weather was a bit rough. It was rainy before the race began (thus the rain cover on the stroller). Sebastian slept for most of the race, and again we just walked the 5km. It was special as he was finishing the race with us, when a year earlier, he was still in the hospital. So it was a real treat to bring him along, plus there was a NICU Grad celebration afterwards, except the weather didn't really cooperate for that one!!

The third year, Sebastian was in a tv promo for the race. It meant a lot to share our story and help promote the race. We wouldn't have him if it wasn't for the NICU staff and what they do, and the money raised at the race buys new equipment for the unit to help the babies get the best possible care, so really, how can we not run!! This year, I ran the 10km, while Jeremy ran the 5km. I played a special list on my ipod of all the songs I listened to back and forth from the hospital. Once again, it was a very emotional run, but in the best way possible. I will never forget the fear I had when we found out how sick Sebastian was and that he was going to be born the day he was. It was such an intense feeling of fear and helplessness. There was nothing we could do to help him, except for hope and pray. Doing the run this year, and listening to all those special songs was a perfect way to celebrate him and how far he has come.

Last year, my friend Cindy was running the Mother's Day run as her first ever 5km. This was a big accomplishment for her and so I ran the 5km with her, Jeremy ran the 5km on his own, and Cindy's mom walked with Cindy's boys. We finished and afterwards we all met up for snacks on the city hall plaza. The boys had a great time racing back and forth across the plaza.

Which brings us to yesterday. This time we had Jessica (Jeremy's sister), and Scott join us. It was nice to have people to run with and Sebastian was beyond excited to share the race with his aunt!! Every year we decorate our shirts with little phrases, "Proud Preemie Mom", "NICU Saved My Son", etc. This year though, was the first year that Sebastian's shirt was a race shirt, since this was the first year he was a registered runner, with a chip for his shoe and everything!! And he did great!! It was very typical four-year-old running. Lots of stop and go, but man, when he's going, he really motors!! He was darting in and out of people, and it was great. His shirt got noticed several times, so that was a good thing too (spreading awareness etc). He had a super time and finished in 50:21. Way to go my little super trooper!! We are soooooooo proud of you!!

And now, we'll look forward to next year. I'm sure Sebastian will be excited to run this special race again. After all, NICU saved his life!! We've been raising money for the race every year except the first year. And to date, have raised over $5000. I'm so grateful to all my family, friends, and coworkers that have supported us over the years. It means a lot that you donate, and I assure you, that the money goes directly to the equipment that is purchased, and the equipment is what is most needed on the unit to help out with the babies. This run gives the unit a chance to get some of the new technology that comes out, like the vein viewers they are buying this year. They even had those on display at the Fitness Fair. Very neat way to see veins so that there aren't any unnecessary pokes when trying to get an IV in (just imagine how small the veins are on babies who weigh less than two pounds!! So thanks again for your support!!

So there you have it. Five runs in a row. Looking forward to the next five!!

Sebastian's first 5km race...

2010-04-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sebastian is gearing up for his very first ever 5km race at this year's Mother's Day Run. Now, he's done a few races already, the kids race at Disney (200 yards), the Mother's Day kids race (about 100meters), and his longest to date was last year at the Okanagan Marathon where he did the kids race of 1.2km (although preparing for that he ran 41km so that on race day he actually had run a whole marathon). But this year, he wanted to race with me in the Mother's Day run. This race is very special to us because they raise money for Neonatal Intensive Care, and Sebastian was a preemie who made very good use of the NICU unit. I know that we've told his story many times before, but here it is again for anyone new and for anyone just wanting to feel inspired, because believe me, he's an inspiring little guy!! Here's the link to Sebastian's pledge page if you want to make a donation: http://www.eventsonline.ca/cgi-bin/events/forzani_cal/pledge.pl?id=JME1745063

On March 24th, 2006, Sebastian was born into this world via an emergency c-section after an ultrasound revealed he was very sick with fetal hydrops and was likely not going to make it unless he was born that day. We rushed to the hospital and bumped a bunch of other people so he could be born right away. It was such a scary event!! Before that day, I was wondering how in the world I was ever going to deliver a baby, yet on that day, didn't even have time to stress about it, as I was prepped and in surgery so quickly so they could get him out. He was intubated almost immediately and aside from a very brief stop where they held him up so I could see him (thanks Jeremy for asking them to do that), was whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Foothills. This began a whole new world for us. Jeremy headed off to be with the baby while I went to recovery for surgery. I was given a polaroid picture of Sebastian and that was it. My legs were frozen so I couldn't walk to go see him. But he was really too sick for visitors anyways!!

Eventually though, I was taken down by wheelchair (I also had a broken leg you see). I washed my hands and headed into the unit. He was so tiny, weighing only 830 grams (1lb 13oz). And he was hooked up to so many machines. It was really quite scary to see the first time. I believe at one point he had 9 different IVs going. They poked him in the head, arms, legs etc. He was on drugs to paralyze him so he couldn't fight the machines. He was on drugs for pain. He was on a fat drip. He was on drugs to help with his blood pressure, other drugs to help with his heart. When they did rounds it took forever to go through all the stuff that was wrong with him. The list was long. The first weekend they kept adding more machines and switched him from a conventional ventilator to the oscillating one. Then they added nitric oxide. He was at the maximum settings on everything (for example, you can't get more than 100% oxygen). There was nothing else they could do. If he didn't start improving, there was nothing else that could be done. And, miracle of miracles, he did improve, and slowly, they could start changing the medicines and try to wean him off stuff (many of the meds are really not that good for you in terms of side effects etc). At one week old, he suffered a huge set back. He had a bowel perforation. It required emergency surgery and although he'd been weaned off the nitric oxide and oscillating ventilator, he was back on both again. It was a scary day!! After that though, he started improving and when he was 17 days old, I got to hold him for the first time!! I'll never forget when they placed him on my chest and he just snuggled in and slept. After watching him struggle day after day, it was amazing that I finally got to hold him, to touch him, to just be his mom.

He continued the road of a NICU baby. He had ups and downs but slowly grew and a month after he was born weighed one kilogram (2.2lbs). He got to experience a whole new set of milestones. No more bili lights, getting off a ventilator, then getting off the next ventilator, weighing a kilogram, his first dirty diaper, getting the different meds weaned. Getting into an isolette (once he was stable enough to be behind glass), getting out of an isolette (once he was able to hold his temperature), getting off oxygen, being IV free, being feeding tube free, being apnea free for 24 hours, going for his first ambulance ride (moving to PLC, six weeks after he was born). Finally, spending the night alone with his parents and no monitors, and then, taking him home.

It was a long road in the NICU, but he was amazing through the whole thing. He certainly gave us a few scares, but fought on. He was a little super trooper the whole time. He's amazing!! After coming home, he ended up back in the hospital two weeks later for eye surgery and hernia repair surgery. It was scary seeing him intubated again, but two days later, that was done and he was home again. He's had some complications from his early arrival, but for the most part, he is a thriving little four year old. He's sweet, loves to cuddle and loves to run. He loves it, the running. He loves getting out his runners, putting on his Garmin watch, even though he doesn't know what any of the numbers mean, having mini races, pretending to be cars racing down the highway, pretending to be an airplane or HWC1. It's non stop with him and it's just so much fun.

Every day I am so grateful he's with us. I have so much fun hanging out with him. Everything, from building trains to running together, to playing with water or making something in the kitchen. He's got an incredible zest for life and is just curious about everything. His imagination is fantastic and he's a little sweetheart!!

But, it all comes back to the NICU and the fact that without that unit, and the incredible nurses and doctors that work there, he wouldn't be with us today. He was incredibly sick and had a lot to overcome in addition to just being early. So always, we will be grateful to the staff at the hospitals for saving our son. He is a NICU graduate and soon, he will be a proud finisher of his first ever 5km race. The Mother's Day run raises money and buys specific equipment for the unit. As a child who used some pretty specific equipment during his stay, I know that this stuff makes a huge difference to the kids. So, please, support Sebastian in his first ever 5km, in a race that means more to him, than he even realizes at this point!! Here's the link again to his page...

http://www.eventsonline.ca/cgi-bin/events/forzani_cal/pledge.pl?id=JME1745063

A cookbook review at the daring kitchen...

2010-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that I got to review a cookbook for The Daring Kitchen. I got to review The Best of Chef at Home: Essential Recipes for Today's Kitchen. Want to check out the review? Here is the link:

http://thedaringkitchen.com/cookbook/best-chef-home-essential-recipes-todays

Oh the challenges...

2010-04-10T15:43:00.001-07:00

I love my boys. Truly. They are both amazing kids and I am so lucky to be their mom. Every day, Sebastian is becoming a more incredible kid. And Sullivan, I am absolutely blown away by him and his potential. Yesterday, he was putting together his own pizza with the Melissa and Doug pizza set. It was so neat to watch. Nobody showed him, he just figured it out from watching his brother play. Truly, impressive. I have fun with them every day. We dance, we sing, we run, we play. Life is beautiful and they make me smile all the time.

Some days though, I feel a little bit blah. Let me explain. By now, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know that Sebastian was born premature. He was born at 28 weeks, and he was super sick when he was born. We were not given any guarantee on his outcome, whether or not he would live, and what kind of life he would have if he did live. Really, it was stepping into the complete unknown. The only thing they knew for sure, was that if the pregnancy continued, he would die. So, we went ahead with the emergency c-section. He was born, ventilated immediately, and his roller coaster began. I won't go through all that again, because, well, been there, done that. But suffice it to say, a baby is supposed to be inutero for forty weeks. Twenty-eight weeks, really isn't ideal. Not by any stretch. And the time missed inutero, has an effect. There are consequences for that missed time. Those consequences vary from child to child, from case to case, from family to family. Sometimes there is almost no leftover remnants of the lost time, however, in most cases there are consequences and they range from very mild to very severe. Sebastian is fortunate that most of his challenges have been fairly minor in the huge spectrum of things he could be facing. But those challenges are there none the less.

The older Sebastian gets, however, the more we learn about some of the consequences of being born that early. Now don't get me wrong. For the most part, he's a regular little boy. But there are some things. Like his glasses. He ended up having very severe ROP and had to have surgery so that he would not go blind. Of course a side effect of that, is the glasses. It's not a huge deal, I understand that, but it still limits him in some ways. Had he been born fullterm, he would not have had ROP.

And fine motor. He is very delayed with fine motor skills. Again, it's not super serious, but he just turned four, and has the fine motor skills of someone who just turned two. So, what does this mean? Well, unlike his peers, he can't use a fork or spoon very well. This is a huge challenge for him. He can't undo or do up his pants. He can't do up zippers on his own. He can't draw or write anything. I know these aren't the biggest deal, but they are things we have to work on, things that most other kids his age can do. And he's working on it, my goodness is he ever. But without a doubt, it slows him down. I hope he will catch up. We are told he should, but it's suddenly becoming harder to be a parent, watching him be challenged by things that others pick up with no issue.

Part of me feels so guilty for the challenges he has. I don't think I have any reason to. But I just feel like, if he hadn't gotten so sick in utero, and didn't need to be delivered early, that he would be just fine now. I wonder if I should have done things differently during the pregnancy, yet what could I have changed? I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I exercised, I ate a variety of foods. I drank water. I took my vitamins. I did all the things I was supposed to. Well, I broke my leg, or better yet, my dog broke my leg. And I wonder if that somehow caused the rest of the issues. The doctors said it did not, but the doctors could not find a reason that he got sick in the first place. I mean, I know I can't look back and second guess everything, but I just hope there was nothing that was in my control that could have prevented this.

Now, having a fullterm child, I am becoming more aware of how much extra work Sebastian has had to do on many of his skills. Sullivan picks things up no problem. He has incredible fine motor skills, probably equal to, or better than his older brother. He grasped the concept of eating immediately, with very little assistance required. He is already trying to dress himself. He is keen and interested in everything around him. He loves the outdoors. Very little slows him down. It has been a totally different experience. And I truly appreciate that.

On Friday I met with his preschool treatment therapists to learn about the assessments they had completed. He rocked the language and speech. I mean, he is doing amazing!! He has the vocabulary of someone who is 5 years, 8 months. He speaks clearly, is easy to understand and uses good grammar the majority of the time. Amazing. Awesome. Way to go little man. Gross motor is still a little behind but not too much. Fine motor, while, I already spoke of that. He measures very low on the spectrum. And we knew he would. And this explains so much about the things he isn't doing. And we know where we need to work.

But, we were confronted with a whole new set of issues. Related to sensory inputs and overloads and stuff like that. It was tough sitting there listening to them talk about it, yet it again, explains a lot with some of our challenges with Sebastian. His unusual sleep patterns, his challenges with food, and more. I asked if this is something he grows out of. They said, he was born at 28 weeks, there are consequences to the lost time. One of them is the heightened sensory inputs, and no, that will not change. Will he end up with a diagnosis? They don't see that at this point, but he will need to learn to find outlets to help him cope with the information that comes in at rates and ways he can't handle. He will meltdown, he will run, he will figure out what he needs to get to his happy place. And it helps explain his eating even more. Between all the tubes that were shoved down his throat, and what not, his mouth is ultra sensitive. He has a very hard time eating things of a certain size, or texture, or what have you. So, aside from having the challenge of not being able to use a fork or spoon very easily, he also has a hard time with sensory overload in his mouth. And in the end, is happiest drinking. It doesn't send funny messages to his brain. And when he has difficulties at swimming putting his face in the water, it's not just about putting his face in, its about what's happening to his ears and eyes and hair and everything else. Even though he works really hard to do this, his brain sends messages that counteract what he's trying to do. I still don't understand everything they were talking about, as this was totally new and not something I expected to be jumping into that day. But, we will have to work with him on this stuff, and help him find ways to get to his happy place.

So, for anyone out there, please be patient. He doesn't always get the correct message when you are talking to him. And sometimes, other things in the world around him distract him to a point where he just can't handle it. So he might get totally fixated on one thing. That might not be the hill to take a stand against him. His eating likely won't be that great anytime soon. And it's okay if you help him with his pants or with a zipper. He's still learning, and may take awhile to become more independent. It's okay when we have to help him eat, or he won't. It's okay if we help him get his socks and shoes on, or he'll just go without. It's okay if we help him with the bathroom, even though he's potty trained, that doesn't help with the fact that he can't do up his pants. So, we will keep working on things. We want him to succeed just as much as anyone else. We aren't trying to take away from his potential, we are working with him to reach it. He might look and sound like any other kid, but he is dealing with an extra set of things that other kids might never have to. That's a lot for him to carry, but he does it well.

I love my boys. They are both amazing and they are both very much their own person. I will be forever grateful that Sebastian is with us, as I know his odds were extremely dismal in his first weeks. And if the price he has to pay to be with us is in some of these challenges, then I will help do whatever I can to give him the tools to succeed. And yes, I'll be a little sad that things are more challenging than they should be. But for the amazing little kid that he is, I wouldn't miss it for the world. And in Sullivan I'll appreciate things they way they usually go. They really are both great kids. And watching them play together and chase each other around the house laughing the whole time, is so worth every moment. Thank you Sebastian for helping me develop patience and an ability to stand up for you and what you need. And thank you Sullivan for testing that patience and keeping me in check. I know I have a lot to learn yet about being a parent, but I have the greatest little teachers!!

Happy Birthday Sebastian... 4 years old!!

2010-03-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I completely cannot believe that you are four years old!! I can't believe, that four years ago, on this day, I was going to an ultrasound with your dad to just double check that everything was okay with you, and that I had a physio appointment booked for after that (I had a broken leg and it wasn't healing well!!). And I remember that ultrasound appointment well, as so many people had to come and look. We knew something was wrong, but nobody would say anything until the next person checked it out, and 3 techs, and two doctors later, someone finally talked. You were sick. You were really really sick. They would have liked to give me some shots to help your lungs along, but there wasn't time for that. You were too sick. If they didn't get you out, you weren't going to make it. You had hydrops and the outcome was unknown, but if you weren't delivered, you wouldn't be with us. That part they knew for sure. What a scary moment. All we wanted for you was to be okay. It's funny though, I somehow knew you were going to be born that day. So when they suggested that, I wasn't shocked, I was just so incredibly afraid for you and whether or not you'd be okay.

And, after you were delivered, I barely got a glimpse of you, before they whisked you away to the NICU to work on you. You were already ventilated and things weren't going well. You began with a very rocky start and hour by hour, you got worse, not better. They brought out more treatment options and different machines to help you along. They had to prioritize the tests they did on you, because you had hardly any blood and they needed to do transfusions. It was very scary. But you were a little fighter. And as the days passed, you gave us some scares, but slowly you got better. It was amazing to watch you meet the different NICU milestones. Peeing, pooping (these were huge!!), getting off different medications, getting off the ventilator, getting off the nitric oxide, weighing in at 1 kilogram (2.2lbs) was a huge one, holding your temperature, tolerating breast milk, passing your hearing screen, moving from the isolette to a cot, getting off oxygen. It was a tough road you took in the beginning, but your resilience and zest for life were apparent early on.

I remember when we finally got to take you home. I was amazed that the hospital actually trusted us to take care of you. I mean, what did we know!! We had never been parents before, yet, here we were, responsible for all your needs. It seemed like such a huge responsibility and then you add in the part where we didn't have any machines at home to monitor you, and it seemed so scary!! But, we figured it out. Of course two weeks after you were discharged you were back in the hospital having eye surgery and a hernia repair surgery!! That was scary. I remember you in your little green scrubs and carrying you down to the surgery ward. And then leaving you with the nurses after talking to both doctors who would be doing the surgeries, back to back. And then waiting to hear how things went, and then watching you back in the ICU again, back on a ventilator, then back on oxygen, hoping and praying you'd come off it (which you did!!).

And then you began to grow and change. It was amazing watching you discover the world around you. We didn't get to do a whole lot of social stuff. RSV season is a very scary time for preemies and we didn't want to expose you to anything, so for the most part, we kept you out of social settings. We still went to the dog park most days. And that was nice.

Then you started to develop. There was rolling over, and tummy time, and sitting and crawling and all that good stuff. Because you were so small when you were born, you didn't have the muscle strength of other babies your age, so some things took a little bit longer to do. That's okay though, because you still did them all. I remember when we signed you up for your first race, we didn't even know if you'd be walking or not!! But you were and you finished it. Talking also took a bit longer, but here you are, turning four years old, and at your assessment last week, had the vocabulary expected of someone 5 years, 8 months old. You totally rocked all your speech and language tests!! You still have some fine motor challenges, but we're working on it. And I have no doubt you'll catch up with that too!!

So Sebastian, who are you right now? You are this amazing little boy. You say the sweetest things and are super affectionate. You love cuddling and you love being with people. You always have a hug for me or dad and you are becoming an incredible big brother to Sullivan. You help him out with things, you give him toys, you share (well, sometimes anyhow), and when you do happen to knock your brother over, you are quick to apologize and give him a hug. You love dinosaurs, and trains. You love your blue blanket and sleep with it most every night. And ever since Sullivan got his Giuseppe bunny, you have been attached to your musical blue puppy. You love anything electronic and love talking on the phone to people now. You love dancing with me and your brother to songs like "I gotta feeling", "just dance" and "paper planes". And you enjoy the They Might Be Giants kids albums, with your favourite songs being "Bloodmobile", "A Shooting Star is Not A Star", and "7". Movies, your favourites are Peter Pan, Shrek, Toy Story 2, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin, Monsters Inc, and Up. And television, you love the Backyardigans (Robot Rampage!!), Super Why, Dinosaur Train, Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Special Agent Oso. And you love books!! You love all kinds of stories, and have pretty much learned all the letters of the alphabet now. You love playing on the computer at pbskids.org.

Foods, well, they are challenging. Eating isn't your strongest suit, but you do love your cookies, especially Oreos and Chips Ahoy. You love grapefruit and avocado. And toast, you love toast, with Nutella, raspberry jam, peanut butter, and most recently, honey. And your all time favourite eating out food is McDonalds chicken and fries. You also love the kids hot chocolate from Starbucks, which you drink with a straw. You are becoming quite the little chef and love helping me make puffed wheat squares or cookies or pretty much anything where you get to stir and measure.

You are in preschool and doing quite well with that (well, except for Monday, when you fell at the gym and ended up with a bleeding nose). You enjoy swimming, and finally passed Sea Turtle on the third try (you aren't a big fan of sticking your head in the water!!). You have taken skating lessons, and are still finding your balance on the ice. And you are in sportball, and doing quite well at that. But far and away, your favourite exercise is running. If we strap the garmin watch on your wrist, you would run for hours. You love having little races and told me you want to run a race with me. So I am thinking we might run Mother's Day together this year!!

Sebastian, every day you amaze me with what an incredible little boy you are. You are sweet and kind and I am so proud of all that you have accomplished. I am amazed at how far you've come since your beginning when you weighed only 1 pound 13 ounces (830grams). You truly are a miracle, and I am thankful every day to have you in my life. You make me smile and laugh all the time. You are my best little buddy!! Thank you for all that you are, and I look forward to all that you will be. You are amazing and I love you!!

Giuseppe Bunny...

2010-02-23T03:50:00.000-08:00

So, when I was in Germany last year, I picked up a bunny for Sullivan. It was a special bunny that was musical and cuddly. It was a bit pricey, but it was something special just for him. It was high quality and I figured it would be his special bunny.

Fast forward to this year, when I went back to work, Giuseppe bunny became something he became very attached to. And, we nearly lost him!! We forgot him at the hospital one day after preschool treatment. Let's just say, I'm very glad they still had him and we made a special trip there on the Monday after a very long weekend without him!! He's made by sigikid and he's beautiful. So, I decided to snap some pictures of Sullivan and his bunny...

As you can see, he's a very loved little bunny!!

A yummy Canadian treat anyone?

2010-01-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

We had a lot of fun with this challenge. Of course, as per usual, my friend Cindy and I got together and worked on the challenge. We decided to embrace what Lauren was wanting and made the gluten free graham crackers. It was interesting shopping for the different flours. I went to Superstore and first checked out the health section. I found the tapioca flour there for about $7 or $8 for a small bag. Didn't see the glutonous rice flour or the other stuff. Next, I headed for the ethnic aisle. I found the glutonous rice flour and ended up having to substitute the third flour for a combo of millet and brown rice flour. But, the biggest discovery was finding tapioca flour again, but this time, it only cost 68 cents. Seriously!! I could not believe that it was the same stuff, but of course, the packaging was not quite so fancy. Basically, buying the north american import version was way marked up compared to the imported version of the ethnic variety. I was blown away by the price difference. But anyhow, onto the task at hand...

We got together and made the crackers. We tried to hurry up the chilling times a bit which is likely what lead to the sort of poor looking results, but they did taste okay, and since we were grinding them up anyways for the squares, we used them as so.

We assembled the Nanaimo Squares a couple days later when we were also making a dinner together (from the Julie and Julia movie, we made the deboned stuffed duck wrapped in pastry which hopefully I can post about another day sometime soon, but suffice it to say, it was lots of fun). I ended up doing most of the work on the squares as I had no interest in playing any role with the deboning of the duck. We followed the base as per the recipe.

For the filling, Cindy wanted something with cherry, so I sort of did a fly by the seat of my pants kind of filling. I added the softened butter and icing sugar, custard powder, some milk, maraschino cherry juice, cut up cherries and some almond extract. Ended up needing to add extra sugar to balance out the extra liquid. Although Cindy wanted pink, they looked a little more orange (due to the custard powder), so if making them again and going for the pink colour, I'd skip that powder.

We added the chocolate and mmmmm.... they were tasty!! I didn't even really notice a difference using the gluten free crackers. They tasted the way a Nanaimo Bar should taste... yummy!! Thanks for a great challenge and helping us push our limits and work with new ingredients. I have made Nanaimo Bars many times in the past so for me, it was a treat to try something new by making the crackers.

Part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay...

2010-01-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Wow!! Where to begin. Yesterday I had one of the best moments of my life. Yesterday I was part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. Yesterday I was part of something so much bigger than myself. It was amazing. It was fantastic. It was awesome. I am still smiling. And I still can't believe I got to participate.

It started a long time ago though. I remember back in 1988 when the Olympics were coming to Calgary and the torch was travelling across Canada. I remember when the torch went through Medicine Hat and I thought it was one of the neatest things ever. I also remember my uncle had the opportunity to be a torch bearer as well. I thought it was so incredible. I wished I could be a torch bearer. Fast forward a few years and the Olympics were coming back to Canada. I knew there would be a torch relay again and I wondered what it would take to be part of it. I remember telling my husband that I wanted to be a torchbearer. I remember when they announced that you would have to apply either through Coke or RBC. I did both. With Coke, I entered and then had the opportunity to prepare an essay. I wrote an essay about my commitment to active living and inspiring others to do the same while setting an example for my kids. With RBC I wrote about my efforts at volunteering and raising funds for various causes. Ultimately though, it was Coke who chose me. I remember getting the email and being more excited than ever. It was a neat email with the Open Happiness song playing (which, ironically has been in my head since I ran yesterday!!). I was dancing around the house. Jeremy thought I was crazy. I just couldn't believe that I actually got picked!! But, I guess promising to lead an active life, setting an example for my boys and inspiring others was good enough. And, I spent the whole of 2009 living up to that promise!!

A few weeks later, the paperwork came, and I sent everything off, by priority post of course, so that I could check online that it was actually delivered. Then, in December, I got an email with my assignment. I would be carrying the torch on Day 88 in a small town called Oliver, BC. It wasn't my hometown or the town I was living in, but it was in beautiful BC wine country. A bit later in December a box arrived. The box contained my uniform, complete with red mittens. Suddenly, it was actually feeling real!! About a week before, I got another email reminding me about how I was special and chosen by a committee and all this sort of thing.

In January, we booked tickets and were flying out with my mom and brother. It meant a lot that people in my life wanted to share in this moment. I packed up my torch bearer uniform into my carry on so there was no chance it would get lost!!

On Sunday evening, we spent the night in Osoyoos. It was great. There were fireworks in honour of the torch having arrived there. The next morning, we got up early and left for our short twenty minute drive to the Jackson Triggs Winery. We left just after 7:30 giving us lots of time to get there. Unfortunately, we were behind the torch. And the torch moves slow. It was getting later and later, and pretty soon it was becoming obvious that we might not make it. I was nearly in tears. I was watching my Olympic moment just slip away. I put a call in to the Torchbearer Centre to let them know we were on the way but stuck behind the torch. The lady I talked to said she'd let the people know and took my phone number. There I was, sitting in my torchbearer uniform, seeing the torch, and knowing I had to get around it, or my torch dream would be out the window!! Luckily the torch finally took a break and we got around. I arrived at the winery just about five minutes late.

Of course then, I can't find my license and went to get my passport because if you don't have ID, you don't run. Luckily though, I found my license (it fell on the ground outside of the car). So, left the passport with Jeremy and was rushed inside. They were giving out stickers of your torch number. I would be number 079. The 79th person to carry the torch on day 88. I met the mother of the guy who would hand off to me and was told I was handing off to the famous guy (didn't recognize him... oops!!).

Next up, we were given some facts. Over 1 million Canadians applied to be torch bearers. 12000 were chosen. Suddenly the fact that I was chosen seemed special. As well as the fact that I knew two other people who had also been chosen!! They showed us the torch, talked about how it symbolized the different lands that made up our country, and some of the sports in the games. They showed us the way to carry it, and how the flames came out both sides and surrounded a little maple leaf on the back, making a flag. They told us that the torches were all assembled by hand by only six individuals. They were all signed and dated inside. They showed us the inside and how it worked. They talked about how the Olympic flame was kept inside a lantern for travelling and then lit up the torch that was being run. They reminded us how when we were running our segment, we would be the only person in the world carrying the Olympic flame at that moment. After you hand off the flame to the next torch bearer, they shut off your torch pretty quick because again, only one person is carrying it at a time.

We got to hear all sorts of stories of different torchbearers as well as the stories of the people in our group. It was amazing. Everyone had their own reason for applying and for being chosen. It was really neat to be among so many different people. We chatted with the torchbearers in our group and planned our handoffs. They encouraged us to be more creative than a simple high five since it was day 88 and they had seen many thousands of those already.

And then it was time to board our bus. We got on the bus and watched the Cold Play video and some footage from earlier days in the relay. It was so incredibly inspiring. Our hostess, Nathalie, shared various stories from around the country. It was so interesting. The Olympic Torch Relay is all about coming together and peace. And as we watched these clips and heard these stories, I felt such honour that I was to be a part of it.

Then, our bus started dropping people off. We cheered as each torchbearer was dropped with their family and friends. And as we got closer and closer to my stop, I started getting really nervous. My heart was racing and I hadn't been so excited and nervous for something in who knows how long!! Finally it was my turn. I saw my little guys waiting and tears welled in my eyes. Suddenly, it really was happening. I was going to have my moment. I got off and visited with my husband, two little boys, mom and brother.

We chatted, I showed off the torch, took a few pictures and then along came the cyclist to give me my instructions.

Next up the RBC truck passed with their cheering section, and soon after was the Coke truck. Three different Coke people came and gave me a hug and congratulated me. Now, I don't know if they knew I was chosen by Coke or not, but it sure felt nice to get their congrats.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the road watching the previous runner approach me. Our torches met, and suddenly I was the runner. We did our secret handshake and off I went.

This was it. All those months of waiting and now, there I was, running with the Olympic Flame, in the beautiful interior of BC.

I was beaming on the inside. It's hard to contain that much happiness!!

I had an escort and it almost felt like the secret service was running with me. I chatted with the guy for a moment about what a cool job he had, running with the torchbearers. And then, I saw the guy I was to hand off to, Jay Ingram, who is on Daily Planet on the Discovery Channel. I met with him, lit his torch, then we spun around and off he went.

Moments later my torch was turned off and I was back on a bus. It was fun to be with these torchbearers again and relieve what we had just experienced. We had the chance to write a note in a book with our thoughts on the experience. And soon, we were back at the winery for a short celebration.

I have to extend a huge thanks to my mom because she actually bought my torch for me (I will pay you back, I promise!!). I had figured I didn't really need it, yet after doing this, it was something special that I really did want to take home with me, and on that day, didn't quite have the ability to do so. So, I am forever grateful.

And thank you mom, and Chris for coming out and sharing this experience. It really was special to have you there for one of the coolest moments of my whole life!!

Thank you Peter, for coming out as well!!

And thank you Jeremy for coming and bringing our boys. Thanks for humouring me when I applied to be a torchbearer and supporting me when I actually got picked.

And thank you Coke for choosing me. I will continue to try and be active and inspire those around me. (oh, and I always did like Coke way more than Pepsi, haha)

I am also truly grateful to my friends and family that tuned in to the live feed and sent emails and facebook messages of encouragement. It was so wonderful to hear from so many different people.

This was, by far, one of the neatest things I have ever done in my life. I've run all sorts of races, travelled to all sorts of places, but nothing compares to running with the Olympic Flame in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. I will likely never get to participate in the Olympics, so this was a way that I could be a part of the Olympics and what they represent. It was my moment, and I will treasure it, forever.

I'm in love with another man...

2010-01-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, my husband gave me a cookbook called Cavelove: How To Bake Cakes From Scratch by Warren Brown. This is the guy that was on Oprah awhile back that gave up his law career to start a bakery making cakes from scratch. He's one smart guy. He didn't just pick some random recipes, he would make a recipe then figure out why all the ingredients are needed and tweak things until he had the perfect cake.

And talk about perfection!! Take for example the chocolate pound cake (as pictured above). It's an amazing cake, and the chocolate ganache on top makes a perfect frosting. It's a fantastic cake that's easy to make and results are near perfection. And this happens over and over again in this book. He does a great job on all the cakes, but even more than that, he tells you why things work the way they do. He doesn't just add random ingredients, he has a reason for everything he does. He also explains what those reasons are. I learned a lot from this book about cakes and the various ingredients they include. There are even adjustments for people like me that have to bake at high altitudes.

We have had this book for only a few months now, but have made more than twenty different recipes already between the cakes and the frostings. We have enjoyed them all. The descriptions at the beginning sound as though Warren Brown is talking directly to you and the instructions are straightforward and easy to follow. If you are looking for a new book to add to your collection and have anything of a sweet tooth, this book is worth your time. You will learn not only how to make a really good cake, but why Warren's unique ingredients truly make a difference to the overall taste and enjoyment of the recipes he includes.

I appreciated the lessons on gastronomy but loved indulging in the finished product of those lessons. The cakes are amazing and divided into sections. There are many pound cakes, some of which can be made in a bundt pan or rounds. There are also butter cakes and sponge cakes so certainly enough choice to satisfy your cravings. Some are traditional but others push the boundaries of what is expected in a cake and include ingredients like cayenne, mango and various others. The frostings are excellent although personally, I much prefer the custard based frostings to the traditional buttercreams (I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that the featured ingredient is steeped in the milk!!).

My favourite is probably the chocolate butter cake with coconut buttercream frosting. A close second would be the Boston Cream Downfall (a yellow butter cake with vanilla pastry cream filling and chocolate ganache on top. We made the Boston Cream Downfall for my son's first birthday and topped it with a cookie monster made of rice krispies. Everyone raved about it.

I know that if I reach for this book and make something from it, that I'm bound to please whoever my audience is. I can trust that the recipes will work and the results will be nothing short of spectacular. Warren Brown is gifted and I'm in love with that gift. He has another book coming out in May, called United Cakes of America: Recipes Celebrating Every State and I can hardly wait for that!! I might not be from the USA, but I will certainly celebrate cakes along with Warren Brown!! Thanks for a truly great book!!

Happy 1st Birthday Big Boy!!

2010-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe you are a year old already. I have to see, it's been an amazing year watching you grow and change!!

Here's you inside my belly at the hospital just before you were born...

And here's you just minutes after you were born...

Being pregnant with you was a breeze. I mean, I was always worried about you since the journey with your brother didn't quite end the way we thought, so having you, we worried about whether or not you'd get sick etc. And really, things weren't perfect either. Halfway through, we found out you had an irregular heart beat. The doctor said it would probably resolve itself, but that medication might be required and worst case scenario, you'd have to have surgery while you were still growing in my belly. You can imagine this was a bit stressful on me!! Well, then I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon. The doctor said to keep an eye on my heart rate and truly, I ended up walking most of the race. It took me 3 hours 29 minutes and 42 seconds (18 seconds to spare since you have to finish in 3 and a half hours to be a legal finisher!!). Well, after the race, your heartbeat was fine, and ever since then it has been fine, so I suppose me having my heartrate at 140 for that length of time helped you figure out how your heart is really supposed to work. See, running fixes everything, hahaha.

We were monitored very closely with you and I got to see you at the ultrasound multiple times. And then, on January 9th last year, we headed to the Rockyview Hospital to welcome you into this world by elective c-section. I didn't really have a choice, so a c-section it was. I had a bit of a rough ride with the anastetic and all that. Let's just say I was sick for a good 24 hours and the recovery after that was slow. But wow, we got to hear you cry!! And daddy got to hold you straight away, and he got to bring you over so I could see you for the amazing little baby you were. Little, who am I kidding, you weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces. And, that was 10 days before your due date!! Although, the ultrasound predicted you'd be a pound bigger. Imagine that!! Well, I got taken to recovery and pretty soon afterwards, your dad and you joined me. I got to try feeding you for the first time, and the three of just hung out (in between my bouts of puking of course). It was so incredible that you got to be with us from the beginning. It was something totally new for us even though you were our second child. I loved that you stayed in the room with me. I did my best to feed you and hold you and do what you needed to be happy. And then, 2 days later, we got to leave, and, we got to take you with us!! It was such an emotional experience to leave the hospital with a baby. It was wonderful!!

At the start, you were pretty much a lump. You didn't do much, just slept and ate. Your big brother wasn't entirely sure what to make of you. Suddenly, he had to share his mom!! But, he asked to hold you and has been pretty fantastic with you. I loved when you started to smile. You have been such a happy baby. I mean, every now and then you have your moments, and you've had your little freakouts, but everyone does, but they are so few and far between. I'm so lucky. You are always smiling and curious about everything.

You quickly adapted to being on your tummy and much preferred to sleep there. You used the Amby bed for about 4 months but then happily preferred a crib after that. You started rolling over, then sitting, then army crawling, which you did for quite awhile, until finally realizing that if you did regular crawling, you could get places faster. You are standing now, and walking along stuff. It won't be long and you'll be walking.

You love playing in the kitchen, taking stuff out of cupboards, banging around pots and pans. You love pushing cars along, which you learned how to do by watching your brother. Really, you pretty much love whatever your brother is doing and strive to do it too. It's pretty cute these days when you try to chase him. You both end up in fits of laughter. You are a bit of a godzilla when it comes to building trains though, and same with towers. I have a lot of fun with you building block towers while you knock them down. That's something that just the two of us do together!!

You have done pretty good for seeing the world already. Your grandma and I went to Europe with you when you were four months old. You were awesome to travel with!! We went to Germany, Austria and France. It was an amazing trip and I couldn't have asked for a better baby on that trip!! You also got to go to Kamloops, Vancouver, Seattle and SunPeaks. That was a road trip with your grandma, brother and me. And, we were lucky that dad came and met up with us for the Vancouver and Seattle part!! It too, was a lot of fun. And then just before Christmas, you went on your first cruise and your second trip to a Disney park (because you'd already been to Disneyland Paris!!). You were great. You loved the verandah in our room, and loved going from outside to inside all by yourself.

And you are quite the little eater. It was very different for us as parents, to feed you. From the very first time we fed you solid food, you've embraced it with both arms (literally). You love eating and are willing to try most things. You also much prefer feeding yourself to letting us help. This is amazing to us as parents. I had no idea a baby could do these things on their own so quickly!!

Sullivan, you are a fantastic little guy. I hope you will always have the same zest for life that you exhibit already. I hope you will continue with that amazing smile. You are a great little guy and it such a pleasure having you in our family. We love you so much and look forward to watching you grow into a little toddler now. I look forward to your first words, and your first steps. Thanks for all the smiles and the laughs. Thanks for being so carefree and loving. You are a sweetheart and we love you more than anything. A very Happy First Birthday to you!!

Cookie Monster Cake for my little cookie monster!!

2010-01-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday we had a birthday party for Sullivan since he turns one next week, and since I unfortunately, have to work nights on his actual birthday. It was fun. I knew I wanted to make him a cookie monster cake after I had watched Cindy make grass on a race track cake for Elias. I loved how it looked and thought it was perfect for monster fur. So, I figured either cookie monster or Elmo.

So, yesterday was the day of the party. I meant to make the cake the day before, but we were lacking a couple ingredients. I had chosen to make the Boston Creme Downfall from the cakelove book. It was a yellow butter cake, with vanilla pastry cream between the layers, then covered in chocolate ganache. I got the cakes baked and pastry cream chilling, but then had some time to figure out how to turn this primarily adult cake into something for a one year old.

I decided to make a cookie monster out of rice krispie squares and then I could ice it with the fabulous looking fur icing. I set out to work and it went pretty nicely. Then I made buttercream icing, dyed it blue, and went to work. I used Scotch mints as the eyes with a bit of black gel icing for the eyeballs. I used the same black gel for the mouth. Then I loaded up the pastry bag with the 233 tip and had fun building cookie monster, complete with cookie in his mouth...

Then, when we placed cookie monster on top of the cake, we added some crumbled Chips Ahoy cookies to complete the vision. I was completely happy with the results, but would my baby like it...

Sullivan was fascinated with the whole thing.

It started out innocent enough

He loved it.

And, he had the best time ever devouring it.

He got a bit messy in the process, but hey, it's his party and the first time he ever got to eat cake on his own accord!!
Everything was blue, including the bath water in the bath he had immediately following the cake eating (had to try and get some of the icing out of his ears and all!!).

The party was small (people kept cancelling on us!!), but super fun. We had a baked potato bar for dinner followed by the Boston Cream Downfall for dessert. Sullivan got some neat gifts and both boys have been playing with them all morning. I still can't believe he's almost one though... where has the year gone!!

2009 in review

2009-12-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite parts of the end of the year, beginning of a new year, is looking back at what was accomplished and then looking forward to what the new year might bring. 2009 turned out to be a fantastic year, and we had a lot of fun!! So, what made the year exciting and fun?

For me, it was something like this:
-on January 9th, we welcomed Sullivan John Brent Andrusiak into our family. He was born via scheduled c-section. The surgery and recovery were a bit rocky (I choose not to remember all the nausea and vomiting that were involved). He was born healthy weighing a whopping 8 pounds 13 ounces (keep in mind his brother only weighed 1 pound 13 ounces when he was born). Sullivan's birth was emotional and special. We actually got to hear him cry when he was born, and we got to hold him right away. And, I got to have him stay right in the room with me!! And, when I checked out of the hospital, he got to come too. It might not seem like these details matter, but with Sebastian, none of this happened... he was taken away on a ventilator after only a glimpse, to stay in the NICU where he was for 72 days before coming home for good). So, Sullivan was special in that even though he was our second child, he still let us experience all sorts of firsts!!
-In March, I started training with a trainer. The road to recovery after the c-section was rocky at best and it was nice to be six weeks out and starting to work out again.
-In May, I ran the Mother's Day run with my friend Cindy doing her first ever 5km run. I love this race. We again raised well over $1000 for the NICU and once again, our shirts were decorated as "proud preemie parents", with Sebastian having his own shirt with "NICU grad" on it. This was the 4th time we did this race, and the third time for Sebastian.
-In August, I attempted to run a 10km in under an hour. I did not succeed. I was devastated. This was the Ronald McDonald House Rock The House Run. It was a hot day and I just didn't have it in me. At the 8km point I needed a break and in the end, it took me 1:01:45. It didn't matter that this was more than two minutes faster than my previous best 10km, I had set myself up and failed in the process. In the end though, I was happy that I still finished and did better than I had and, this gave me the determination to do better the next time!!
-In September I completed my first ever triathlon. This was a women's triathlon in Leduc. It was a sprint distance and involved 750m of swimming, 20km of bike riding (2 out and back loops), and 5km of running (again two out and back loops). It was so much fun. It was neat getting body marked and it was neat doing laps, then running out of the pool to transition to get my shoes on and get out biking. And then once the bike was over, putting on a hat and running. I finished strong and even after swimming and biking, still managed to run my 5km in under 30 minutes, which felt great!!
-also in September was Melissa's road race. This is one of my favourite races. I did the 10km which of course includes a huge hill. It was a great run. It was a little different this year, but in a good way. We got to run along the river for awhile which was a nice change. When I completed 9km, it became apparent that I just might be able to finish in under an hour, so I ran like I'd never run before and finished in 59:53. I was so excited and happy. This was a goal I have had in the back of my mind forever, but suddenly it was a reality. It made me cry even (I'm such an emotional suck sometimes!!). So, this race that I always loved, I now love even more because it was the race where I first broke an hour!!
-the first weekend in October was the Ambulance Chasers run. This was my second 10km where I would break an hour. This time, there were no huge hills to slow me down and I ended up finishing in 57:29. I figured I'd be under an hour but even that was faster than I ever could have imagined!! Suddenly, I'm not just a plodder anymore (not that there's anything wrong with that). Now, there's actually a chance I can maybe someday finish a half or a full at a 6 mile an hour pace!!
-in October, we finally reached the race we'd been training all summer for. The Okanagan Half Marathon. It was a challenge getting there (can you say big snow storm with nasty roads... thank goodness for winter tires... thanks mom!!). There were three of there to run the race, and for Cindy and Cathy, it was their first half marathon ever. For me, it was my 8th half marathon. My goal was about 2:15. I figured that would be a big improvement over my previous best of 2:27 whatever. I ran and ran and ended up finishing in 2:04:44. I was shocked. Truly, this meant that I was running at 10km an hour for the whole thing. It meant that my pace was 5:55 per kilometre. If you had told me at the beginning of the year I could have kept that pace up for 21km, I would have laughed, but suddenly it was real!! Of course the downside was, I ended up with a heel spur and plantar fasciaitis (which I am still battling), but I made some huge gains in my running that I never really believed I could do.

So that was my 2009. It was great. I loved it. However, as a family, we had a few more adventures...
-In May, I went to Europe with my mom and baby Sullivan. It was a fantastic trip. We went to Munich and then Prien to visit with my friend from my days at Disney. So much fun. After that, we took the train to Salzburg. Such a beautiful city!! Then finally we spent time in Paris. My mom even did a day at Disneyland Paris with me. It was fantastic!! I got to go on Space Mountain, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, even the Tower of Terror. And how can you go wrong with the Eiffel Tower and shopping in Paris!!
-In July, my mom and I took the boys to Kamloops, Vancouver, Seattle and SunPeaks. We did and saw all kinds of things. Jeremy was working, but flew out to Vancouver for the weekend and we drove down to Seattle. The car was a bit squishy with all of us, but it worked and we had an amazing time. I also got to reconnect with an old friend from my Girl Guide days and her kids at the Space Needle and Science Centre. We had a good time and took lots of pictures from our road trip!!
-In July, I went hiking with my friend Jody and Sullivan in a kidpack. We managed to get to the top of Ha Ling in Canmore. It was a bit sketchy at the top with some tough footwork, but Sullivan can officially say he has been to the top of a mountain!! And, since it was Jody's first time getting to the top of a mountain, it was an accomplishment all around!!
-In August, we went with Cindy and family to the top of Sulphur Mountain as a hike. We were originally thinking a nice short hike around Lake Louise, but instead, our little three year olds hiked over 5km to the top of a mountain, gaining about 700 m of elevation in the process. It was fantastic!!
-in December, we headed to Orlando and went on the Disney Wonder to the Bahamas, then spent a week at Disneyworld. It was a super fun trip and fun to go with another family. We had an amazing time and even booked to go on another cruise in 2011!!

Sebastian did lots too this year...
-he took skating lessons twice, the first time being a frustrating experience for both of us. By the end of his second class though, he was actually skating without a whole lot of help. It was great.
-he also took swimming lessons twice. Currently he's hanging out in SeaTurtle. He does well, but is a little afraid of putting his head in the water, so we are working on that!!
-he started preschool and although tears abound some days, he has done so well learning songs, days of the week, taking turns, playing with other kids, going to the library, swimming etc. I am amazed by him every day. He is doing great. From his very scary start to where he is now, is nothing short of a miracle!!
-over the summer, Sebastian did his very own training. He had a poster and ran 41 kilometres, then in October, at the kids race of the Okanagan Marathon, he completed his final 1.2km, so that when he crossed the line and finished, he had run a whole marathon. I was so proud of him. He stopped to walk a few times, and finished near the end, but he kept going and did great. He's my little hero and I look forward to him someday running a race with me!!

And Sullivan, of course he did tons of changes. He's gone from that lumpy sleepy baby phase to an active kid who army crawled, then regular crawled, and who is now standing and shuffling along furniture and the like. He loves playing with cars and pretty much doing anything he can copy his brother doing. He is an eating machine, and it's so different having a baby that eats so well after all the challenges we have had (and still have), with Sebastian and his eating. They are totally different kids when it comes to eating!! I am guessing the six teeth he has only help in that cause. And now, he's on the verge of being a year old. His baby days are nearly behind him and the toddler phase is calling his name. He's attentive and happy and he's been a real joy to have in our family. I look forward to all the changes the next year will bring for him!!

And then there is Jeremy. He's fantastic. He's been working all year, while I chase my little adventures. He's the best supporter ever at the races and does a great job getting the boys to cheer me on too!! I appreciate him so much for supporting my dreams. He's got big plans for this year and is already hard at work trying to achieve them. I just know he will!!

As for 2010, I'm diving a bit more into triathlons, hoping to complete a few including the Calgary Ironman 70.3 in August, and maybe the Olympic distance one in Canmore in July. I am also hoping to take a personal training course. I want to help others follow their dreams as well, and since many dreams involve marathons and races and the like, it seems only fitting that I get some real training to go along with my experience. I also went to part time at my job so I can still get Sebastian to preschool and to his appointments at the Children's. I'd love to win the lottery and just spend the rest of my life doing fun things for others, but so far I just haven't had the winning ticket. Soon though. And I want to start figuring out how I can live in a warmer climate. Winter is nice in that picture perfect postcard kind of way, but I'd way rather live in a tropical climate. I much prefer heat. Bring it on... so if you have any ideas, let me know!! And finally, we'll still be doing the Mother's Day Run, because once again the money is buying equipment for Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Calgary. So, let's see just how great 2010 can be... I gotta feeling, that this year's gonna be a good good year...

The Disney Cruise... loving the verandah...

2009-12-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

So I keep meaning to add more details about the cruise we were on, aboard the Disney Wonder and I keep not getting around to it. So, here's my next little post. We love the cruise. We absolutely love nearly everything about it. It's fun being at sea. It's fun feeling important. It's fun walking down the hall and someone says hi to you just because. It's also fun having a verandah. We have done this cruise four times now. And three out of four times we have had a verandah. One time, we had an outside room with porthole windows. It was not nearly as fun. And we will probably only ever do a cruise with a verandah if we have any say in the matter!! Having a verandah is nice. You can open your door and just listen to the ocean. Plus, this time, while we were waiting to sail, we saw a sea turtle. Too cool!! And the kids love it. Sullivan climbed in and out the door hundreds of times. It was great. And Jeremy got to chat with Ed until the wee hours of the morning on the verandah while everyone else in our family's were sleeping. And with little kids, you can still be in your room while they nap, but sit out on the verandah enjoying the heat and sounds of the ocean.

Dad and Sebastian with the Carnival ship in the background.

And, as we were booking for a future cruise, we asked for the cheapest category that still included a verandah. The crew member we were dealing with us suggested the second cheapest, because then we'd still have plexiglass that the kids can see through. I never would have thought of this, but our little guys can see much better with the plexiglass than if it was a solid verandah. Thanks for paying attention to the details for us, so we don't have to!! As you can see from the pictures, Sullivan absolutely loved standing outside checking out the views (in this case Nassau, Bahamas).

Home for the holidays...

2009-12-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

We got to build a home, a gingerbread home. This was a really fun challenge. Last year we built little gingerbread houses for the boys to decorate. This year, we built them little houses and then built bigger houses for us moms to decorate. It was fun. Cindy's family and our family built the houses and had a great time. Ed really got into it and Edan's house was a masterpiece. Sebastian wanted nothing to do with the house I made for him, so instead, he built a train with his dad (that was a kit). The houses turned out well and everyone had fun making them, but even more so will be the fun in eating them!!

The actual gingerbread recipe was simple enough to make. I chose the Good Housekeeping one. I ended up adding a bit of extra cream and that seemed to help a lot with it not being so dry. I baked the house the day before then assembled them the morning of the day we were meeting to decorate. I found the glue to stick them together rather interesting. Basically all you do is put sugar in a pot and it slowly melts. I may have stepped away at an inopportune moment but that's what happens when you have a baby and his diaper needed changing. Needless to say, when I finished washing up from that, the sugar was really dark. I'm not sure if it would have been quite so dark if I hadn't been otherwise occupied for five minutes. It still worked really well. One piece fell off and broke into six pieces and the "glue" was perfect to put those pieces back together. So much so, that both Jeremy and Ed thought that's how the side was supposed to look, not realizing it was actually bits of glue to fix my broken piece.

We had all sorts of candy, as is evidenced by the pictures. Smarties, penguins, trees, mini jawbreakers (love them as Christmas lights!!), mini wheats, pretzels, marshmallows, coconut, etc. The royal icing worked well but definitely got easier to work with as the time passed and it warmed up a little from holding the piping bags. It was a super fun afternoon and I look forward to doing this again next year!!

Life jacket anyone?

2009-12-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd, we boarded the Disney Wonder for a three night cruise to the Bahamas. It was so incredible. I loved it. This was our fourth Disney cruise, Sebastian's 2nd and Sullivan's 1st. We had a blast. What's not to love really, even the rough seas made for a good night's sleep! On the first day there is a mandatory drill where everyone has to wear their life jacket and go to their muster stations. Sebastian thought this was the coolest thing ever. After all, there was a whistle on his life jacket and a light. When you are three, that's about as cool as it gets. Even Sullivan had fun in his little life jacket!!

Love it!!

2009-11-22T22:26:00.000-08:00

Ever since I got the iPhone, I have hardly spent any time on the computer and my blog is definitely suffering because of it. Of course my boys keep me busy every day, but I don't want to forget to update my blog!!

My boys are now both immunized for the H1N1 shot. I know there has been a lot of controversy over this and whether or not it is needed. Because Sebastian was a preemie, he has pretty poor lungs, and the idea of him getting a flu that might impact his lungs is truly scary to me. A regular cold does him no good and he often ends up on inhalers just so his little lungs can fight it better, so I didn't want to take any chances with him. And, Sullivan was in the high risk age category, so he went as well. Then, came the part where a 3 year old no longer needed the second dose, unless of course they had pre-existing conditions. So, because he has inhalers, Sebastian ended up getting the second shot. Both my husband and I felt that was important for him. He's been through enough and the idea of getting really sick from a flu just didn't sit well with us. Plus, since we are going on a trip in just over a week, we figured it was the wise thing to do since we'll be on airplanes and around people that way.

Sullivan is popping lots of teeth. He had four (two on the top and two on the bottom), and I noticed yesterday that another one has popped on the top as well. He's fairly mild mannered most of the time, and you wouldn't have even known he was getting all these teeth!! He's standing up all the time now and plays like his brother does. It's very cute. He will now take a car and run it along the floor exactly the way Sebastian does. Sebastian doesn't always appreciate these gestures however and can often be heard saying "give him a baby toy, I don't want him playing with --fill in the blank with anything Sebastian designates as his own--".

Here's a picture where you can actually see Sullivan's teeth!! He's playing with the stuff in the baking cupboard. Loves it!!

Here is my very serious big boy helping himself to cookies...

And enjoying the cookies... he gets this love of cookies from his dad...

Do the boys look excited to go on the trip or what. So excited that they'd even stow away in the luggage!!

Homemade sushi anyone?

2009-11-15T20:07:00.001-08:00

The November 2009 Daring Cooks' Challenge has been chosen by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of Bite Me Kitchen. They chose Sushi, specifically Dragon Rolls, Nigiri and Spiral Rolls

I loved this challenge. I got together with my friend Cindy and her husband and we had the best time. Together with my husband we each played a role in assembling our sushi rolls. It was great!! Everyone had fun making them, and we all had fun eating them!! It was such a wonderful and refreshing challenge. Although we've made sushi before, we hadn't made these specific rolls. As well, nobody was a big fan of the eel, but we got brave and decided to try it again. And, wouldn't you know it, it was excellent. Some of the fillings we used included avocado, peppers, barbequed pork, barbequed eel, roe, salmon, shrimp tempura, cucumber, hoisin sauce, mayo, and crab.

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today. Started out the day carving pumpkins, then driving around the city to take the kids to their uncles and grandma's house. And then finished the day with some trick or treating. Loved it!! Sebastian did all sorts of costumes this week. He was Peter Pan at preschool and this afternoon. He was Goofy on the dayhome and then for Halloween night he was Ratatouille. And Sullivan played the role of a skunk, or when with his brother, one of Peter Pan's lost boys. Too cute!!

Macarons anyone?

2009-10-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

I was very excited about this challenge and had even mentioned to Jeremy that I really wanted to try making macarons. After being in France earlier in the year, and trying these up close and personal from Fachon, I was anxious to give them a shot. They are known to be somewhat difficult at times and after trying to make them, I totally get that.

The first set I made were flavoured with lime zest and that was it. I had some leftover coconut cream pudding and used that as the filler. They were unbelievably good. I loved them. I gobbled them up. Unfortunately I didn't have much of that, so I decided to make a white chocolate ganache infused with pina colada tea. I simmered the cream with a couple spoonfuls of the loose tea, then strained it and poured it over the chocolate. Although it was sort of a pink colour originally, once it was poured onto the white chocolate and mixed in, it became more of a purple colour. It tasted okay, but I think I might added a bit more tea than I should have because it was a strong floral type taste, and slightly stronger than I might have liked. And, although the macarons turned out okay, I wasn't as happy with them as I wanted to be. They had their "feet" but they seemed a little more hollow than I think is ideal.

The second set we made, we did half vanilla and half chocolate. We baked two trays at a time, and in the future, I think I would only do one tray at a time, because the chocolate ones, although they seemed to have feet and look good, upon removing from the oven, and sitting for a few minutes no longer looked as good as they originally had. The vanilla ones seemed to look worse so I baked them a lot longer and that seemed to help. They were very fragile. This time around, we filled them with coconut buttercream. We also had a little bit of chocolate truffle ganache and tried that as well. The coconut buttercream was good, but I liked the coconut cream pudding better (basically the same thing without the butter).

I'm so glad I got to make these although I found them a bit frustrating. Some of them stuck to the silpat and others broke really easy while still others seemed just fine. It was a great challenge and I look forward to making them again sometime and perhaps trying other flavours or other recipes just to see if I find something that let's me feel confident in what I am doing because at no time did I ever feel 100% confident with making these (of course was 100% confident eating them!!)

PJ day...

2009-10-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

So, last night had a few wakeups that I didn't really need. I know it's par for the course and we've always had issues with Sebastian waking, but every now and then, the two boys trade off their waking times so well that the poor parents don't get much sleep. Oh well, it's all good and today we've decided to just be in our pj's for the day (mom included at the moment). Sebastian loves wearing his pyjamas and would wear them all day every day if he had anything to say about it!! We've been playing piano, playing trains, building blocks. I love it!!

Sullivan is busy these days trying to stand up on anything that he can grab. He likes this being vertical stuff and it is so much fun to watch although not so much when he tumbles. And, that brings me to the stairs. He thinks he's fine to climb the stairs, but not so much. He can climb up a stair or two, but then in typical baby fashion, has his mind on something else and forgets that he's only half way up the stairs and will fall without someone there. So, the baby gate is up a lot more these days. Maybe a helmet would help keep him safe...

We spent our Thanksgiving weekend in Kelowna. It was fantastic!! We went there with two other families and the moms all ran the Okanagan Half Marathon while the kids ran the kids race. Everyone finished their races and did great.

Sebastian had been running all summer to finish 41km ahead of race day, so that when he ran the kids race, he would have completed a full 42km. We had a lot of fun with his runs during the summer. He usually wore the Garmin and loved that!! So, it was especially fun to see him finish the kids race, at three years old. He wasn't the fastest (actually I think only two kids were behind him), but we did stop halfway through for a potty break. And, he did run most of his race. I was so proud of him!!

On a personal note, this was my first big race since having Sullivan. I started training in March and have been working hard on the running ever since. I completed several races this year, and for the first time ever finished a 10km race in under an hour. And, just in case that was a fluke (at 59:53 at Melissa's Road Race in Banff), I also did it again the next week at the Ambulance Chasers 10km with a time of 57:29. It was fantastic to finally reach this milestone. And it really made me excited for the half marathon. I had no idea what my pace or time might be and was hoping to finish around 2:15. However, shock of the century, I actually finished in 2:04:44. That meant that my pace was 10km/hr. I was shocked. The downside however, is that since completing the half marathon, my heel has been hurting to the point that I actually went to the doctor, and am now not running for the next month. It is not fun going from my best ever running to not allowed to run at all. Oh well, I will get better and get past this and move onto the next race...

But I'm ignoring the kids and it's almost lunchtime, so really, I must attend to that!!

Vietnamese Pho...

2009-10-14T01:49:00.000-07:00

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

This was a great challenge. My husband and I love trying foods from various places and we absolutely love Vietnamese food, so this one was a natural for us. I made the basic chicken version. On the same day we had the soup, I had also made coconut cream filled vol au vents (the September challenge from The Daring Bakers), so it was a good day of cooking full of new recipes all around. The soup turned out fantastic and I was very happy with it. It amazes me how such a simple fresh soup can taste so amazingly good! It is definitely a recipe worth trying.

Here is the recipe and we pretty much followed it exactly. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Vols-Au-Vents Sharon style

2009-10-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

It took me forever to get to this challenge. In part because we had the warmest September in quite sometime and partly because September was just a really busy month. But, I was very excited to try puff pastry so I didn't want to let this challenge pass me by. So, I got to it, and here I am, one week late, posting about it.

I made the full recipe of puff pastry and it was great. Making the pastry itself was actually quite fun. You put the flour and water together in a food processor, and then once you have a workable dough, you put your flattened pound of butter inside it and wrap it up. Then, you get to do several turns of the dough where you roll it out, fold it up, turn it and roll it out, fold it up again. In between it goes into the fridge. I have never made dough like this before so it was a complete new experience but one that I would definitely repeat again. It was fun and it actually worked!! Then, when it's time to cut out your pastry it's quite fun building the little vols-au-vents. Here is the pastries after baking but before filling...

The recipe makes quite a bit and I used it three different times, with three different fillings:

Filling #1 is what I like to call, shrimp sensation. It was made up of shrimp, green onions, corn, cheddar, cream cheese, pepper and salt. It worked out really nice and we were blown away with how buttery and lovely the pastry worked. I didn't know for sure if it would but it was fun watching it grow in the oven. This filling was tasty and we enjoyed it, even though it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Filling #2 was a sausage dip. We used hot Italian sausages (2), and fried them up without the casings, then added cream cheese, sour cream, diced green peppers, cheddar cheese, paprika, pepper and salt. Again, they were tasty. This time around we made big ones and little small appetizer sized ones. They got excellent reviews from our samplers.

Filling #3 was a coconut cream custard made of coconut milk, cream, whole milk, vanilla bean, toasted coconut, egg yolks, a whole egg and sugar. It was fantastic. I drizzled chocolate over them to give them a finished look. Our taste testers once again approved with how they turned out.

It was a lot of fun playing with this dough and trying both sweet and savoury options. And now, I am no longer afraid of puff pastry and look forward to making it again someday. Or maybe I'll my phyllo pastry, or croissants, or something else. Bring it on I tell you, bring it on...

The best weekend...

2009-09-28T18:07:00.001-07:00

Our family had an amazing weekend. On Friday my parents came over for dinner, along with my brother. It was nice. And then, Saturday morning, we drove out to Banff because I had a 10km race. And I ran my race in under an hour. That's the first time I was ever under an hour. We went out to Banff with Cindy and her family and it was just a great weekend. Spaghetti dinner, stinky cave, hot tub, hiking, picnic lunch and even made it home in time to get the dog!!

Here's a few pictures from the weekend...

They're brothers...

2009-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

So, now that Sullivan is crawling around all the time, I knew it was only a matter of time until he discovered the dog's water dish, and I knew he'd love it. And he did. So, rather than just pull him away right away, I went and grabbed the camera. And took a few pictures. Sebastian thought it was sooooo cool that I was taking pictures of Sullivan playing in the water, so he wanted to play too and show Sullivan just how much fun it could be. Needless to say, they had a blast, and I was reminded of when Sebastian was just little and playing with the dog's water for the first time. So here's some pictures of then, and now...

Sebastian aged 13 months (well, almost anyhow)

Sullivan aged 8 months (and a bit)

My favourite shot of Sebastian with the water

And Sullivan having fun with the water

Big brother showing little brother what to do (not that he needed help, but so sweet of him)

And Sebastian beyond thrilled that he was actually allowed to play in puppy's water, if only for a few minutes!!

So, now begins the game of cat and mouse trying to keep Sullivan out of the dog's water and him slowly learning the word "no". Why is it that has to be one of the first words kids understand?? Oh well, it was cute and it showed me just how similar they are (if not in size, then at least in areas of interest!!)

My baby is eight months old... two days ago!!

2009-09-10T06:22:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast the time is going. Sullivan is already eight months old. He is so curious about everything and crawls in his army style crawl all over the place. He loves watching Sebastian do pretty much anything and will often try and be close to him (not always appreciated by his brother of course!!). He is making a few different noises now and is interesting to listen to that way. And he's a large child. He's wearing 18 month old clothes even though he's just 8 months. And he eats, and wow, does he eat. He'll polish off a whole bowl of baby cereal or a jar of baby food without a second thought. It's incredible really. And he will feed himself too. He does excellent with the baby mum mum cookies and even the puffs. If it can go in his mouth, he's willing to put it there. This is so completely the opposite of Sebastian who continues to struggle some days with eating. I'm amazed at how different they are. Sullivan is a happy guy and seldom does anything upset him. It's fantastic!! And his smile. He just has a great smile and a fantastic laugh too!!

The first day of preschool...

2009-09-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, Sebastian started preschool. He was great. As I was dropping him off, his lip quivered and he asked if he could have another kiss and hug, and I gave him both, then he was inside and having fun. It was a short day of only 45 minutes, just to give him a taste of what it was like. And, only half the class was there so things weren't too intimidating. He did great though, and later, when I was picking him up, he had his backpack on again and was so excited to see me and tell me that they sang songs and that his teacher was MsSusan. He even said goodbye to her. I thought that was so sweet!! I think he's going to really enjoy preschool and I look forward to hearing him tell me about his days!!

Life is good...

2009-08-30T21:42:00.001-07:00

Every day, I feel so blessed to have the family I do. I truly do have an amazing husband and I'm so lucky for that. He is a fantastic father to his boys and it's so cool to see him with them. And then there are my boys. Sebastian of course had a really rough ride at the beginning of his life, but now he's just this incredible little toddler about to start preschool. He's fun to chat with, has the cutest smile and can say the sweetest things. I try and remind him every day that I sure did win the kid lottery when I was chosen to be his mom!! And then there is Sullivan. He's this happy, content, always smiling little baby who is curious about everything. He sticks pretty much anything in his mouth and is motoring all over the house now with his army crawl. It's so cute. It amazes me how different Sebastian and Sullivan are. It's been so much fun parenting a full term child just because of the things that were different with Sebastian. I love them both more than anything, and I'm so proud to parent such a cute pair of boys. And I love that Sebastian looks out for his little brother sometimes, taking away things he shouldn't be chewing on (like the remote or my wallet for example). Or how he can be protective of him when we're out "don't touch my brother, he's not yours". And sometimes he will give him hugs or get a toy for him and it's just so cute. I love my family and I hope I tell them that often enough because I really am lucky!! Thanks guys!! Thanks Jeremy, Sebastian, Sullivan (and Cronos the super dog)... you make me smile and have fun every day!!

The August Instalment of the Daring Bakers

2009-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

This was a fun challenge. Cindy and I chose to make it while visiting family in Medicine Hat. We were very lucky that my mom let us take over her kitchen to make the Torte. Since we were baking it for two different families, when it came time to assemble it, we made two half cakes. It was definitely a lot of work, but in a super tasty good sort of way!! We followed the recipe as written, except that we chose to add cherry syrup between the layers brushed on with a pastry brush. However, I never really tasted it, so next time I think I would go straight for the cherry liqueur and maybe get the desired taste that way. All in all it was a great challenge that got us to do a few different things, like play with sugar, make a multi layer cake and have fun with assembly. I loved making it and eating it!! And, as you can see from the pictures, my favourite taste tester enjoyed it too!!

Long time no post!!

2009-08-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't really posted much about the family in awhile now. I blame part of this on the iphone. My husband got me an iphone at the end of June and as a result, I am hardly ever on the main computer anymore!!

Life has been busy. Sullivan is crawling now. It's that army style crawl but he can get where he wants to go and faster than we realize too!! He's eating real food now too. All sorts of stuff, and does amazing with the baby mum mums and cookies and such. It's so completely the opposite experience than what we had with Sebastian, where food was (and sometimes still is) a struggle.

And Sebastian is doing amazing. He's starting preschool in a couple weeks and is just so much fun to hang out with. He can pedal his tricycle now and is doing very well with that. I can actually play some games with him now and he sort of actually does what he is supposed to.

Anyhow, here's a few pictures from lately.

At the top of Sulphur Mountain, 6.12km with 700 meter altitude gain, that we did as a family (and Sebastian walked most of it by himself!!)

Sebastian with the Canada flag at the top of Sulphur Mountain

Happy boy Sullivan enjoying the beautiful weather

Sebastian in one of his new outfits

Sullivan being the happy baby that he is

Check your shoes...

2009-08-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

Running takes a lot out of you. Sometimes when people start running for the first time or after a long period of inactivity, they go into their closet, find a pair of runners and go. And, they might be okay, but quite often, it is time for a new pair of shoes. Think about it... your running shoes are what's between your body and the hard surfaces you run on. They absorb the force of your feet hitting the ground multiple times in a minute. They help take the pressure off your knees and ankles. Did you suddenly start hurting? Have you got shin splints? Knee aches? There is a good possibility that something as simple as new shoes could help you out.

And, don't buy just any shoes. Go to an actual running store and have one of the staff that's trained, fit your feet and make sure you get into the shoes you need. There are many types of shoes. Some provide stability, others provide cushioning, some are designed to be super lightweight and only good for racing. It's important to have shoes that match your feet and how you run. If you pronate, then having a neutral shoe is not going to help you.

Once you know what kind of shoes you need, then go for comfort. Shoes come in all sorts of colours and shapes, but you can't buy shoes based on that. You need to buy the ones that match what you need and feel comfortable on your feet. They might not be the snazziest pair, but if they get you safely through your training and race without incident, then they are the best pair.

And shoes don't last forever either, so even if you bought a brand new pair 3 years ago, and haven't used them much, maybe it's time for a new pair. That way, you know they are offering you the support you need. If you keep a running log, you'll know how far you've gone, and then you can replace them once you've logged 500 km or more.

Shoes are expensive, but they are nothing compared to being sidelined because of an injury, so if something started hurting that never used to, or you really can't remember when you got your shoes, or if they were shoes that have done you well in six other sports, take the time to go buy new ones. You will be glad you did!!

A Spanish dish...

2009-08-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

This month, for The Daring Cooks' challenge, we had to make Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes by José Andrés, one of the most important Spanish Chefs at the moment. The challenge was hosted by Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes At first this recipe made me very grumpy. I'm not always really adventurous when it comes to food from the sea, and last month, with the skate fish, and doing the challenge so late, I couldn't believe right away again I was going to be using another sea creature that I'd never heard of.

Well, quickly enough, I got past that. We bought the cuttlefish frozen. It was nothing like I imagined it to be after watching a little video on youtube. Cuttlefish is similar to squid, so it was quite easy to handle. I simply didn't deal with the tentacles portion. Discarded those and cut the main part into strips.

One part of the recipe that was new to me was making a garlic aioli. And I have to say, although it was lots of work, it was really neat to watch simply olive oil and garlic turn into something so tasty. It was incredibly strong however.

Making the sofregit was lots of fun too and the house smelled so aromatic as it was cooking.

I couldn't find any short grain rice so just used arborio rice, which I love because I love risotto so much.

It was a good challenge and the end result was an excellent dinner. If I make it again, I think I'd like to add a bit more in the way of spices. Just a thought though. Thanks Olga for introducing me and my family to an entirely new dish, and to making me push my culinary skills to a new level working with a new sea creature I never have before. I was impressed with the end result!!

The hiking family...

2009-08-04T23:01:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was so fantastic. I loved everything about it. On Friday I hiked with a work friend and we climbed to the top of Ha Ling Mountain. This is no simple task. We gained 700 meters in elevation over 2.5km, so just imagine how the whole trail was pretty much straight up. My lungs got a great workout, and my legs were sore for 2 days afterwards (like don't want to go down the stairs sore).

Then on Saturday, Jeremy and I volunteered to help set up Transition 2 for the inaugural Calgary Ironman 70.3. It was a lot of fun and it now has me thinking that the time has come to start doing triathlons.

On Sunday, we went and cheered on the athletes on the biking section of the Ironman, and it was great. We had posters that read "You are my hero" and "looking mighty fine". We got lots of smiles and thumbs up from the bikers. After that, we hung out at Jeremy's mom's for a bit then headed to Cochrane for ice cream from Mackays. It was so super tasty (I had coconut). Sebastian even managed to stay pretty clean. That night, we had a barbeque and served up rootbeer bbq sauce ribs. They were tasty. Sebastian had fun at one point trying to soak everyone with the hose.

That night, there was a massive thunderstorm. It was insane. I have never seen so much lightning in my life. I was almost feeling scared inside the house.

And then finally Monday, we went hiking. I managed to convince my husband to hike for the first time this year (I have asked many times already and been turned down every time). It was fun. We did Heart Creek trail, which is a nice 5km hike. Sebastian even did 1.7km of it himself, through the fun section with bridges etc. We packed our lunch and had a fantastic time!!

Then, that night, we made stuffed mushrooms and headed over to my aunt and uncle's house to visit with family visiting from out of town. It was a super night!! I loved the whole weekend. I pretty much spent the whole weekend just having fun!! It was great!!

My favourite puppy...

2009-07-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Cronos has had a bit of a tough go lately. He has had a growth on the side of his leg for a year now. We always refer to it as his extra toe. It has never bothered him or been an issue until a couple weeks ago, when it got irritated and opened up. Well, since then, it got worse. He was definitely uncomfortable and we took him to the vet. They gave him some antibiotics and scheduled him in for surgery a week later.

By that night, he was bleeding a lot from the injury and despite the fact that the vet had said to leave it open and have him wear a cone, he was bleeding lots and we really didn't want blood all over our rugs, so we covered it with gauze, wrapped a tensor bandage around it and put a sock on his foot. That way, he didn't lick it and bother it, and it wasn't bleeding everywhere. The next day we went back to the vet, and got some pain meds and the surgery moved up to Wednesday. We spent the next few days changing his bandage once or twice a day. This was terrible. The sounds a dog can make when they are hurting are just awful. I felt so bad. His wound was raw and it was bleeding a lot. By Tuesday though, the wound had settled down a lot and was no longer as big as it had ballooned to.

Yesterday was his surgery. He did great and is now at home recovering. He won't be playing for two weeks though because he has an incision and we need that to heal up properly. It will be a long two weeks for him, but at least he's on the mend now. It is so tough watching him not be himself and whining lots. I miss the high energy over the top dog that he usually is!! But, I know that dog will be back soon enough!!

I'm especially impressed with the Harvest Hills Vet Clinic though. They have been fantastic. As a matter of fact, they just called to see how Cronos was doing. I have a great vibe from that place and it truly feels like the animals are cared about there. That is so important to me. So, if you are in the Calgary area, it's a great place to take your animal!!

Cookies and the kidlets...

2009-07-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say, I just loved the Daring Bakers challenge this month. The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Cindy and I decided on a black forest themed Marshmallow Cookie. We cheated a little because we used Oreo cookies as the base. We topped those with Cherry Jam, then piped on our homemade marshmallows, before dipping them in chocolate. For the chocolate, I ran out of vegetable oil, so we used peanut oil instead. We made these in particularly hot weather and needed the fridge to have them set properly. But, anytime we chose to take them out of the fridge, they melted almost instantly, so they only came out when we ate them.

The Milan Cookies were excellent. The only change we had was cutting back the lemon and vanilla and making up the difference with coconut extract. It made for a citrus coconut taste that was simply heavenly. In following the recipe, our initial sheet of cookies were very tiny and for the next sheet, we were a little more generous in the amount of piping we did, so the cookies took on a better size. By the end, these cookies looked exactly like I would have expected them to size wise.

Our cookies were taste tested by the biggest cookie monsters we know, our children, and as you can see from Sebastian's smile, they were definitely given two very chocolately thumbs up. Our adult testers also loved the cookies. Check out the recipes at the above links if you want to try them yourself. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend both recipes!!

My big baby...

2009-07-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sullivan had his six month old shots on Friday, so we finally got him weighed again and he was a whopping 21 pounds 6 1/2 ounces (9.7kg) of hugeness. And I know that's big because my friend's little guy who is 14 months old was also weighed that day and was hovering just below twenty pounds). I don't remember the exact length he was, but I do know it was at the 75th percentile, so he's definitely getting longer since the last time he was at the 50th.

He's a little sweetheart. He's eating up a storm now too. Bananas, avocados, rice cereal (spiced with cinnamon today!!), oatmeal, apple sauce and I bought a squash and a sweet potato, so he'll have a couple new things to try in the next few days as well.

Sebastian is a busy little guy. He's had all sorts of playdates lately, and is just loving summer!! He's been in his pool several times now, loves being outside, loves playgrounds, loves just about everything (except apparently ham pizza tonight, but whatever!!).

And Sullivan is becoming such a little person now too!! He's just curious about everything, and puts pretty much everything in his mouth, including his own feet, which is pretty cute to watch. He is a determined boy and will move all over the place to get to toys and things that are out of his reach. And Sebastian is so cute telling us how he's going to play with Sullivan when he gets a bit bigger.

They are fantastic. I am so lucky!! I love my boys!!

The ultimate burger and fries...

2009-07-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we had a barbeque. The reason we were having a barbeque was to raise money for Ronald McDonald House to buy them a hospital grade breast pump and although we didn't have very many people in the end, it was still a nice evening and I think we rocked the food. In particular, I have to highlight the burger and fries. It was my goal to try and make an excellent burger and fries, and I think we succeeded. Of course I had the assistance of my husband and my friend, but together, we pulled off a great barbeque. If you want, you can still donate to our cause by clicking here.

So what exactly was our burger and fries? Well, the burger was made of lean ground beef, eggs, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. I made them from scratch and Jeremy cooked them up. We served them with an avocado relish that Cindy threw together for me. The recipe was from Bobby Flay's Burger Fries and Shakes and it was fantastic. We served up the burgers with tomatoes, lettuce and also a homemade Basil Chive Mayo with chives fresh from our yard. The mayo got great reviews. Basically we mixed up a package of basil, about 1/4 cup of chives (I'm guessing here as I just chopped up a bunch and added them), and about 1 1/2 cups of Miracle Whip. And all I can say is yum.

As for the fries, I again referred to the Bobby Flay book following the perfect fry recipe. I used Russett Potatoes just like he suggests. To season them, I made a seasoning of smoked paprika, ground cumin, roasted garlic powder, salt, pepper and brown sugar. I was going to try making the barbeque seasoning in the Bobby Flay book, but didn't quite have all the ingredients. We double fried the fries, and I have to say, they are the best fries I have ever made. Of course, it was the first time I actually read up on making them, but it was worth the time because the taste was excellent. Thank goodness for our local Asian supermarket T&T because they sold peanut oil in bulk!!

We served the fries with the mayo dip and your traditional Heinz ketchup. Both were good, but I have to say that I was mostly using the mayo dip myself!! Yum!!

Cindy made a peach cheesecake for dessert and it was fantastic as well. And then we offered the kids some homemade cookies, but more on those another day...

Skate fish times two...

2009-07-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Challenge: Skate, traditional flavors powdered (slightly altered) as presented by Sketchy of Sketchy's Kitchen. This is a dish from Grant Achatz, found in the Alinea cookbook - page 230.

As part of the Daring Kitchen, and the Daring Cooks specifically, we got to make skate fish this month, with a bunch of different powders (basically dehydrated foods). I have to give almost all the credit to Jeremy. He made all the fancy powders. He got the Alinea cookbook for Christmas and has yet to use it, so he was very excited to finally give it a try. He basically followed the recipe as it was presented except the parsley powder was just parsley, no cilantro. He plated it as was suggested as well. He rocked the dinner and it was neat. Very different, and very unlike anything I've had before. I mean, we were eating fish with bananas and green beans, along with all the powders of course. And, we only had the two of us, so there were leftovers.

Now what to do with the leftovers... why, make skate fish salad sandwiches!! I thought this was genius of me!! I took the leftover skate fish, and the leftover green beans, added some of the caper powder, parsley powder, lemon powder, a bit of miracle whip and some pepper and made my sandwich filler. Then, this morning I went and got a fresh baguette (I know, a REAL chef would probably have whipped up her own bread, but no time for that!!), and then this afternoon had a picnic lunch at a park in town. And, it was great in a sandwich too. Jeremy refused to try it, but my friend Cindy had it, and said it tasted fine. And, I liked it so much I might have it again for lunch tomorrow!!

So, without further delay, here is what we did...

Skate, Traditional Flavors Powdered - with changes
4 skate wings
* Beurre monte
* 300g fresh green beans
sea salt/kosher salt
1 banana
454g butter - 4 sticks
300g lemons
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet
150g cilantro
150g parsley
100g dried banana chips
300g spray dried cream powder (or powdered milk)
100g cup minced red onion
200g capers (brined, not oil)

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)

* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small
saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a
time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion
will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Powders - prepare ahead of time
caper / onion
lemon powder
cilantro/parsley powder
'brown butter' powder

Powders
once dried, all powders should be pulsed in a coffee grinder/spice mill/morter and pestle then
passed through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

citrus powder
300g lemons
1000g simple syrup
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet

zest 300g of lemons (10.6 oz), remove the pith from the zest and poach in the simple syrup
three times. dry with paper towels and move to a dehydrating tray. 130 for 12 hours. pulse the
zest in a coffee grinder, pass through chinois, and mix with citric acid/vitamin C powder.
If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes at medium powder.
Once dried, follow the other instructions.

cilantro/parsley powder
150g cilantro
150g parsley

blanch the parsley in boiling saltwater for 1 second, submerge the leaves in ice water for 3
minutes. Dry on paper towels and place on dehydrator tray. 130 for 12 hours. grind and pass
through chinois.
If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 30 seconds, turn over leaves and
microwave for another thirty seconds. They should be dry by now, pulse in coffee grinder, pass
through chinois and reserve.

onion powder
100g cup minced red onions

dehydrator - 130 for 12 hours
microwave at medium power for 20 minutes.
pulse in grinder, pass through chinois

Caper powder
200g capers (get the ones packed in brine/vinegar)

run the capers under cold water for two minutes to remove some of the brine.
dry on paper towels and dehydrate for 12 hours at 130 degrees.
microwave instructions are unclear. Dry them as much a possible with paper towels, the
microwave on medium for 1 minute. Check the moisture content and stir them. repeat for 30
second intervals until they are dry. If you use this method, pleas post the time needed to dry
the capers.
Once dry, pulse and sift the powder. Mix it with the onion powder.

Brown Butter powder
100g Dried banana chips (unsweetened if possible - many are coated in honey - the freeze
dried ones would be brilliant)

300g spray dried cream powder
If you cannot find the cream powder, you can substitute Bob's red mill non fat dry milk
powder, or even carnation instant milk powder. The substitutions will alter the flavor a little,
but you will still get the general idea.
preheat the oven to 350 degrees, sift the cream powder into a fine layer on a silpat or on
parchment. bake for 4 minutes, then remove for heat. If it bakes for too long, it will burn. Be
very cautious with all powders in the oven. They all go from browned to burnt in a few
seconds.
grind the banana chips in a coffee grinder and mix with the toasted cream powder. Pass this
through a chinois and reserve.

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)

* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small
saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a
time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion
will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Skate
Prepare the skate - 50G v shaped cuts are recommended
Bring 100g water, 100g beurre monte, and green bean rounds to a boil over high heat. Cook
until the water has evaporated (about 3 minutes), when the pan is almost dry, remove it from
heat and season with 3g salt
bring 300g water and 300g beurre monte to simmer over medium heat, add skate wings and
simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and flip the wing over and let rest in pan for
two more minutes. Transfer to warming tray lined with parchment and season with 5 grams of
fine sea salt.

Plating
Take the tip of a small spoon and make a small mound of the citrus powder, the onion-caper
powder, and the cilantro parsley-powder. Swirl these around in a hurricane type pattern. I
found that it is easier, and you get finer lines if you lightly shake the plate to flatten out the
mounds, then swirl the spoon through it to get the pattern.

peel the remaining banana into very thick slices (3mm) fan three slices on the plate, place
green beans on top and place skate wing portion on top. On the tall edge, sprinkle the brown
butter powder.

An ode to Sullivan

2009-07-15T14:25:00.001-07:00

I have the cutest little baby
He makes me laugh a lot
He's always smiling, having fun
He gives it all he's got.

He is a happy baby
Nearly all the time
I can't help but be grateful
That he is all mine

His eyes are always watching
And taking everything in
He looks so cute and happy
Even with bananas on his chin

He makes the cutest sounds
And little giggles too
He is so easy to please
No matter what you do

He loves to watch his puppy
And big brother of course
He has a healthy appetite
And is growing like a horse

He makes me smile lots
Several times a day
And always seems so interested
In what I have to say

So thank you little Sullivan
For everything you do
Thanks for being in our family
I really do love you!!

Wedding Cake Characters

2009-07-12T21:57:00.001-07:00

Life has been busy lately. For some reason, it always seems to be busy, but lately for sure. I was so lucky to go on a road trip with my mom and my boys and it was great. I'll write more about that another day. However, as soon as we got back, we had a wedding cake to make. This was for Jeremy's friend and coworker. I love making cakes, but feel so much pressure when I am making them. It's a good pressure, but pressure never the less. I want to do a good job. I want the people I make them for to be happy with them. I want them to be perfect. They never are perfect, but I try my best to do the best I can on them.

This time around, we tried completely new recipes. I was inspired by and used recipes from Professional Cake Decorating, by Toba Garrett. We used the basic yellow cake recipe and the chocolate fudge cake. The yellow cake turned out fine and tasted good. The chocolate fudge cake though, made more batter than just two cakes. I ended up having it boil over and made a huge mess of the oven. However, it tasted fantastic. We made them a second time, and they turned out great, although they did fall a little after taking them out of the oven. The taste however, more than made up for that.

My signature item is the little people I make, to look like the people the cake is for. In this instance, I had three people to make: the bride, the groom and their little son. I tried something new this time that I haven't done before with the people. I made them out of rice krispie squares. This worked out great, requiring way less fondant and getting the people dry in a more reasonable amount of time.

My husband helped me assemble the tiers of the cake and made the icings. We used scotch mints to clean up the edges. We assembled the cake at the location of the wedding reception.

The cake went over well, and the photographer was especially impressed and took our name and number. I was so excited by this. Who knows, maybe there is more cake making in my future. I would love that, because anytime I have the opportunity to make a cake, I love everything about it. We've made cakes in the past for birthdays, retirements, anniversaries, even a bachelorette party, but always, the wedding cakes seem to be the most fun.

So, if you ever need a cake, keep us in mind...

The daring bakers strike again...

2009-06-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

This challenge was something I'd never heard of before, but I mentioned it to my brother and he instantly knew what I was talking about. It was different and I was a little nervous as I haven't had a whole lot of luck in the past working with pastry. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy these recipes were to make and use.

Cindy and I met one Friday afternoon to make the tarts/pudding. We decided to make two different kinds, simply because we wanted to try a couple different options. We made two seven inch tarts and 6 little mini tarts. The first one we made was with seedless raspberry jam. It was very tasty. We also made a hazelnut chocolate banana one. I liked them both but for totally different reasons. I am not sure I could pick a favourite.

The raspberry one was great, but I love raspberries, so that was a given.

The hazelnut chocolate one was more original though because we used about a cup of hazelnut chocolate spread from Fachon in France. It was super decadent, and to that we added a mashed banana. It was such a nice combination.

I had a lot of fun making this and loved the challenge of doing the pastry and the frangipane. I love the daring kitchen simply because I love that it gives me a chance to try recipes I might never otherwise have made. This was an excellent dessert and hopefully something I will try again in the future, maybe with a whole other filling!!

So, how can one go about making this? Well, here is the recipe:

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).