Glenn Family Vacation 2011

This vacation will be hard to beat. This year we went to Lake Country, BC right on the Okanagan Lake! We had to get two houses to fit everyone and they were about 10 minutes apart. We weren't too excited about that, but it turned out to work well. The weather was absolutely amazing the whole trip! Temperatures ranged from 30-32*C and not a drop of rain. Even at night it was still hot out.

We arrived on Sunday at about 7:00pm. Most people arrived on the Saturday, so everyone was pretty settled in already. I just have to say that Casper was the most amazing traveling baby! He slept most of the way there and back, we had a couple minor breakouts, but nothing like what we were expecting. I freaking love my son! And Dan drove the whole way there and back and during our week. Thanks babe for doing that, even though you were pretty tired of it at times.

Monday we went into Kelowna and swam in the lake a bit and played at the splash park. Since it was the holiday Monday, there were some festivities set up there too. Casper also turned 10 months old this day! Crazy, I know.

Tuesday we rented a boat! It came with a two-seater tube and some water skis. We boated all. day. long. This was probably the funnest day we had! Dan and I went on the tube a couple times and had the time of our lives! Then we brought out the water skis and I tried it out too, but I couldn't quite make it up. I was trying with just one ski though, so I probably should have tried with two first. I just thought since I have wake boarded before, that it might be easier for me. I guess not. The kids and the rest of the family had a really good time too. It was so fun see other people on the tube behind the boat! The first time we went out on the boat we even brought Casper along with us. I think he enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if he really understood what was going on. But he sure looked cute in his little life jacket! At the end of the day, Dan and I both discovered that we got sunburnt. And it was pretty bad. It was a good thing we brought along our aloe! So first thing we did when we got home was stick it in the fridge.

Wednesday we all went to Atlantis Waterpark! We only lasted a couple hours there. It got pretty busy really fast. And the slides just weren't worth the long wait. I guess I'm used to going to West Edmonton Mall and Sylvan Lake waterslides. Now those are fun! The rest of the day was more of a relaxing day. It was nice, especially after having a long day of boating!

Thursday we were going to rent the boat again, but the family all decided not to. It cost about $200 to fill the boat up with gas at the end of the day because gas prices on the lake was $1.70! I know, that's insane! So instead, the family hung out at the beach close to our house. Everyone had a really good time! Even when we broke for supper, we all decided to come back and play in the water some more! It was so fun to see the adults even jumping in the water, some doing flips! It was a side of them that we don't often see, and I'm sure their kids enjoyed seeing them that way too. Also that day just before dinner, Dan and I went para-sailing!! If you have never done this, I highly recommend it! We were 300ft in the air being pulled by a boat. It was so nice just gliding in the air. Then on our way back into the boat, they dipped us in the water! It was so refreshing! We then headed to the other cabin for dinner, after we all took some family pictures.

Friday was our last full day. Pam & Chris and Jackie & David and their kids headed home that morning, so it was just a few families left. We didn't have anything specific planned so they all came back to the beach by our house and swam all day. While they were doing that, we left Casper with Grandma and Dan and I rented a Seadoo! I had never been on one before and Dan was on one in junior high and he told me it's a blast, so we thought we might as well while we are here. I didn't know what I was missing out on. It was such a blast! We took turns driving and what a thrill it was! I'm so glad that we were able to experience so much on this trip that we never had before.

Saturday came way too fast. Everyone packed up and headed back to home. But before we left, we picked up some good ol' BC fruit - peaches, cherries, and blackberries! So delicious! You can totally taste the difference when they are freshly picked. Then we stopped at waterfall to see what it was all about. It cost us just over $10 for each of us to get in! They sure try to make money off of everything they can out there. But it was nice to take a break and see the sights. It was pretty weird pulling up into Calgary again. I just couldn't believe that our vacation was already over. And now we have to wait a whole year to go again! Oh yeah, everyone decided that we should definitely go back to the Okanagan, so that's where we're going next year! I'm so excited!

Good Day

Today was such a fun day for Casper and I. This morning we left the house earlier than normal to apply for Casper's passport, and lucky for us we only had to wait about 20 minutes. And Casper was really well behaved the whole time! On the way home we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and he really enjoyed riding in the cart. He fell asleep on the way home, and it was a good thing because traffic was terrible so it took us awhile to actually get home. Then we ate lunch and I set up his new swimming pool in the backyard! Casper loved it! He especially loved the whale sprinkler! It was so hot out today that it was hard to stay in the hot house. It was nice to get out for a little bit, and it was nice to tire Casper out too.

Casper is growing up so fast, it's hard to keep up! He's 9 and a half months old and his new thing is to walk things around the living room. He started out with empty boxes, and now we have a little walker toy that we got from my sister. He loves it and he's learning so fast with it! My little boy will be walking in no time I'm sure!

Canada Day 2011

What a great weekend we had to celebrate Canada's birthday! We left Calgary Thursday night and drove to Invermere to spend the weekend with Spence and Laurie and their three boys at their cabin. We love going there. It's so peaceful and stress free! We didn't want to leave.

Friday morning we drove into Invermere to see the 5 minute parade and to enjoy the festivities the small town put on. It was so much fun. They had so many things for the kids to enjoy like hair painting, popcorn, hotdogs and smokies, and all sorts of things. This was Casper's first Canada Day and I think he enjoyed it for the most part. He was a bit scared of the loud sirens during the parade, but after that, he loved being outside. He loved it so much he fell fast asleep when we started trekking back to the car. We got back to thee cabin and had a well needed nap, and then went over to the Saunder's cabin for dinner. It was so great to be invited over there! After that we went to the Raduim Hot Springs. So nice there! It wasn't as busy as we thought it might be, and Casper just loved it. We definitely had a good night sleep that night. Dan's parents also stayed at the cabin for that night. They were attending a YSA Ward camping trip close by so they were invited to sleep at the cabin rather than sleeping in a tent or a hotel. It was their first time seeing the cabin, but they couldn't stay long because they were in charge of dinner that night and then helped out with breakfast the next morning. It was still good to see them though.

Before the parade.


When the parade started. Those sirens were loud!


End of the parade. Much better!


All tuckered out after the day's festivities.

Saturday was a lazy day. We slept in, Spence made us pancakes for breakfast, and then we spent some time at the beach. This was Casper's first time at a beach and the first time he got to crawl around in the grass because there were NO BUGS there! We thought for sure we would get eaten alive by the mosquitoes, but there weren't any! So different from what it's like in Calgary! After the beach we went back into Invermere and went to a couple of stores. Then back to the cabin where we had a delicious pork dinner that Dan BBQ'd and Laurie prepared. Spence and Ethan then invited us to go fishing with them. We got to the lake and we see a turtle right away! I guess they stock this little lake with turtles and fish. It was so cool to see a turtle in the "wild". We saw so many of them and Ethan was so close to catching one with his net. So since we didn't catch one, I don't have a picture of one. But Ethan did catch a fish!

Playing in the grass at the beach.


His shirt says "Mommy's best friend".


Playing in the grass at the small lake while the boys fished and looked for turtles.


Spence, Ethan, and Dan on the dock.


Ethan's fish that he caught!

Sunday we were able to go to church. They just have a small branch out there in Fairmont but it was still nice to be able to go to church and hear people's testimonies. After church we went home and packed up all of our things and hit the road. It was so sad to leave. We all had such a great weekend, we really didn't want it to end. But once we got home, it was good to finally be home after all of that traveling. This small trip just made me even more excited for when the Glenn family all goes to Okanagon for the first week of August! Thank you Spence and Laurie for inviting us. We had such a great time there!

First Father's Day

I am so lucky to have these two handsome boys in my life. They are the best of friends and love each other unconditionally.

Dan is the best father to the best little boy! Happy 1st Father's Day Dan! We love you and appreciate all that you do for us.

Sick, Sick, and Sick

It has happened. Casper's first sickness other than a cold - an ear infection.

Dan got a pretty bad cold that he got from work. I guess everyone at work got it and Dan was one of the last ones. It started out with a sore throat and then escalated from there. He's still trying to fight it off! I knew right when he started getting sick that Casper and I were soon to follow. I noticed a sore throat one morning, but it didn't last long. The only thing that I got was a runny rose, which is weird because I normally catch colds from Dan pretty easily. I guess my immune system is getting stronger! On Sunday I noticed that Casper voice was getting a bit raspy. Then his escalated into a pretty bad cold. The worst he's ever had! Every day it just got worse. Yesterday morning he woke up with so much snot crusted on his nose it was sealed shut. So yesterday I brought him into the clinic down the street and the whole time we were waiting Casper was leaning on me and hugging me. Even though I had brought some toys for him, he just wasn't interested. He was watching everyone in the waiting room and they were trying to make him smile, sometimes he would shyly crack a smile, but then he would turn away. Casper is normally a pretty happy boy so it just killed me to see him so miserable. We finally got into see the doctor and she checks him out (which he was very well behaved for!). Ear infection in both ears! More so in his left ear. However, it was just in the early stages so it was a good thing I brought him in when I did. Casper is now on antibiotics 3 times a day for a week. Already he is showing signs of improvement! I would just like to point out that Casper would have never gotten this sickness if people would just stay home when they are sick! When you don't stay home, your coworkers bring your sickness home to their families! So thanks a lot.

Yesterday was also the day that I was supposed to have my gallbladder removed. It's a good thing I cancelled last week, so that I could take care of my sick boys! Back in March I had a couple gallstone attacks and it was the worst pain I've ever been in! I had a short of breath and it felt like there was boulders sitting on my chest. It's hard to explain it well, but it sure was horrible. The first time it happened at about 4am and I woke Dan up. We were up for about an hour with me on the floor in pain when Dan finally gave me a blessing. And not even two minutes later, I was able to get back into bed and go to sleep. I love that Dan is a worthy priesthood holder in our home. I don't know what would have happened if he couldn't do that for me. At that time we had no idea what was causing that pain, but the next day we bumped into my parents at Costco and I told them about what happened and my mom told me that she had that happen to her after my sister was born and it was gallstones. So after going to the clinic and doing blood work, an ultrasound, and an x-ray, they found that I had multiple small gallstones. Right away they suggested I get my gallbladder removed. I told them that I was still nursing my baby, but they never told me any other option. I haven't had an attack since, and I wasn't planning on weening Casper off nursing until about September. Then my wonderful parents did some research and found a way that you can flush out gallstones by drinking a mixture that you can make at home rather than going through surgery. Why didn't the doctor suggest something like this? Oh well, at least I know there's a better option for me. I hope to try this out soon, but I need to plan it out when to do it because it suggests I don't eat anything solid for the afternoon before I do it. Maybe I'll have to try it when I stop nursing, and just risk not having another attack until then. My mom told me that she never had another attack since, and she didn't do anything!

That is about all that has been happening with us lately. Just a bunch of coughing, sneezing, runny noses, sore throats, aches, pains, and ear infections. Fun, I know.

8 Months Old

I can't believe how fast time flies! Casper turned 8 months old yesterday. 8?! He's growing up way too fast! I know that he looks a lot older than what he really is, but he's learning so much so fast!

• He is now starting to crawl on all fours rather than army crawl.
• He can stand up in his crib (and he does this ALL the time). He's also learning how to sit back down in his crib. He also can pull himself up to stand with pretty much anything, he's almost pulled down my pants a couple times!
  
• He's learning how to feed himself with his fingers.
• He has 7 teeth - 3 bottom, 4 top. And I'm pretty sure we're about to see a couple of bottom molars soon!
  

Casper loves to have us read books to him. He loves to play with his toys and talk to them. He loves being tickled, and loves to laugh at/with daddy. I just love his little personality! I melt every time I see his big, toothy, dimpled smile.

We have taken Casper swimming a few times now and every time he loves it! We are hoping to take him to the zoo soon too. All the other times we have planned on taking him, we either have conflicting schedules or the weather is crappy. I'm so excited for this summer and to let him experience lots of different things. We are just so much happier when the weather is decent outside. I'm just really glad that winter is finally over, now we just need the rain to stop!

This video was taken a few weeks ago, but I just think it's so cute. At about 37 seconds in, you can see Casper snap his fingers on his right hand! He learned that trick at 6 months old!



This one I took just today. Casper does this new "trick" on his change table. I hate it, but he gets so proud of himself, so I have to let him enjoy it with supervision.

My First Mother's Day

I just realized that I didn't post about my first Mother's Day!

It was so great. Busy, but great. We went to church, then headed over to my sister's house for a lunch/dinner to celebrate. My family also had to all be in the same place in order for all of us to talk on the phone to Kimberly who is on a mission and is currently serving in PEI. Some of us didn't get long to talk to her, but it was great to hear from her, and I could tell that she really enjoyed hearing all of our voices. After that we went over to Spence and Laurie's house for dessert. Dan's parents were there too. It was so great to see everyone on Mother's Day!

Dan got me a KitchenAid Mixer for Mother's Day! We had been wanting one for awhile, and we finally saw one on sale at Costco so we bought it! I love it already! I am so blessed to have the family that I have. Thanks for the best first Mother's Day ever!

Favorite Daddy

I have been reading books to Casper for awhile now. He got a new book from Grandma Glenn for Easter called "Fred and Ted Like to Fly". He loves it! He smiles and grabs at the pictures whenever I read it to him.

Yesterday Dan read this book to him, and it was like he never heard the story before! Near the end of the book, he burst into laughter! Then I had Dan read it to him again, and he laughed hysterically throughout the whole story.

So this morning I read the same story to him and all I got was smiles, no laughing. Then once Dan got home, I had him read it to him again. Dan read the title and Casper started laughing! I guess Daddy has the magic touch.

I'm so glad that Casper has a dad like Dan. He gets so happy once Dan gets home everyday. And on Saturday and Sunday mornings Casper just smiles at Dan because he just loves being with him. Thank you Dan for being the best daddy for Casper! We both love you!

First Hair Cut

Tonight we cut Casper's hair for the first time. People had been telling us that we need to cut it, but we didn't think so. He wouldn't look like "Casper" if we cut it. So finally, we thought we should cut it. He started to get a little tail in the back and it was covering the tops of his ears, so we thought it was time.

I miss it already! He looks like a little boy now and not like my little baby! Did we make the right choice? I guess we can't turn back now..

Oh yeah, did I mention that he hated it? He was also sad to see it go...so sad.

Giggles

Casper was having a pretty lousy day. We got home and he was just cranky. Nothing would cheer him up. And this is pretty rare for him because he's normally pretty happy. But he's been teething and has a cold. So I tried to feed him and then this is what happened after...