Is it really the end of 2010 already??

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...

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...

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

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

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?

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...

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!!