The BIG 3 - 0 !!!

Well, it’s official! I’m 30!!! I could tell you that I feel old, or that I'm starting to see wrinkles, or that my youth has vanished. But I’ve decided not to go down that road. I have so many things to feel thankful for. For instance, how lucky I am to have so many people that care so much about me to make me feel so special on my big 3-0.

On Saturday, the 21st of August, my day started off like any other. I was at hair2dye4 plucking along as if it was any other day. And that’s when I spotted it. The man dressed like Austin Powers “the international man of mystery” walking into the salon. I didn’t think much of it until I heard someone say, “Is he here to sing for someone’s birthday?” I quickly swung around to take a glance, and there he was with a balloon that had 30 on it walking my way. “CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!” I turned 5 shades of red, and continued to be thouroughly embarassed during Austin's wacky, perverted performance.  The following video is courtesy of the one and only, Mrs. Dani Jorowski. Just so you know I have plenty of time to plan your 40th birthday my friend! You have been warned.

On Sunday, the 22nd of August, Ken took me along with Ashton to the East India Company for some tasty grub. We then headed out to a surprise he had planned for me. It ended up being a night at the Hilton in the honeymoon suite. It brought back fond memories of our wedding night, except this time we had Ashton and Suki in tow. It was VERY romantic. ;) We threw a pair of little swimmers on Ashton, filled the jacuzzi tub up with a ton of bubbles, hopped in and had a hell of a time splashing around. Suki wanted to join us, but needless to say it was already a little crowded!!

After a good night’s rest, we arose from our king sized bed at 6:00am, and were out the door by 6:45am. We dropped off the little man at Grandma Malczewski’s, brought Suki home, fed her, and we were back on the road by 7:30am. Next up? Zip lining in the Pembina Valley!! It was AWESOME!!!!! I “highly” recommend trying this adventure that Manitoba has to offer. There were 5 zip lines strategically placed between hiking trails that ranged from 500 feet to 1000 feet long, over 150 foot drops. The rides over the ravines were strikingly beautiful and it is something I won't soon forget.  I can now strike that off my “Bucket List”!

After a quick bite to eat, Ken then took me to the Pembina Valley Provincial Park to go hiking. If you ever find yourselves heading that way, don’t be deterred by the roads that take you there. At one point Ken was wondering what he got ourselves into, but we were pleasantly surprised when we reached our destination. There were beautifully maintained hiking trails and picturesque look-outs at every turn. You can never go wrong with being out in nature!

After such an exciting day, we headed back to Winnipeg to pick up Ashton and then home where Ken promised me I’d have time to clean myself up for a dinner out with Dani and Schmick. As I walked through the door I was met with a few familiar faces in our dining room. And when I looked out into our backyard, there was approximately another 40 friendly faces awaiting my arrival! I quickly opened our patio door, and yelled out “SURPRISE!” and beat them all to the punch! Earlier that day, Ken asked me if I wanted to “freshen myself up a bit” for our hike. I thought that was the strangest question at the time, but now I understand where he was coming from. I figure if anybody knows me, they know that they’ll usually find me sporting a bandana or a hat of some kind.

After eating a wide variety of fruits, veggies, chips, dips, dogs and burgers, Ken brought out the cake of all cakes. That’s right folks; it was a “cock cake”.  Appartently during his quest to find such a cake, he encountered a few odd looks and reactions before he finally found a place that was more than willing to accomodate his strange request.  After biting off the tip, and pretending to lick the balls, we cut it up and served it out. I tried not to laugh when the kids surrounded me glaring at the odd looking veiny, purple tipped cake begging for a big slice. The funniest part was listening to the adults fighting over the slices of hairy balls!!

We ended the evening with a backyard fire and a few beers. It was a great time to be had. Thank you for all that attended, and sorry to all those individuals who received their invites late. Ken tried his best, but in his defense, he had very little opportunity to plan this between renos, watching Ashton and of course spending some quality time with his wife. :) But I am so fortunate to have someone love me so much to have planned this fantastic, epic weekend for me. Thank you my love, and to all that helped him along the way.

See? 30 ain’t so bad. In fact, it’s a rite of passage I was more than happy to take!

Bubble Blitz

Ken and I have recently discovered Ashton’s new found obsession with bubbles. The first time he came in contact with the magical cylinders of wonderment was when he attended his first Kindermusik class with Aunty Michelle and cousin Lindsay. He reached out to grab them and stared in absolute awe of their beauty.

I then started to blow bubbles out of a wand for him and watched him poke at them with his finger and blink uncontrollably in reaction to them popping in his face.

We then invested in an automatic bubble machine for bath time. It took a while for him to get used to the noise, but after a few attempts, he started to enjoy the mountain of bubbles growing around him, and began to splash with joy and amazement.

Our little man, and his discoveries…

Stonewall Quarry Days

I heard through the grape vine that the Stonewall Quarry Days was taking place this weekend. And since Ken had never been and of course Ashton hadn’t either, I thought that I’d take the opportunity to show them my old stomping grounds. Ken didn’t expect much from a “towny” fair, but was pleasantly surprised to find that he could get himself the deep-fried sugary mini doughnuts, as well as cotton candy, fresh cobs of corn, and many more scrumptious treats. That alone set the positive vibe for our little adventure of the evening.

Our first stop (after picking up a bag of doughnuts of course), was the petting zoo. There we saw goats, ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys, donkeys, lambs, bunny rabbits, pony’s and many more. Ash was very interested in these furry smelly creatures, but was by no means frightened. They sniffed at him the way his big sister Suki normally does, and smelled quite similar to her too. Ashton and I had a giggle right before we left because one of the donkeys scared Ken when it snorted at him for trying to pet him. Ha! Ha! Typical city slicker!

Next up we decided to check out what rides the marvelous fair had to offer. There was the Swing ride, the Octopus Ride, the Boat ride, the Ferris Wheel, the Zipper, and many more. Ash didn’t seem to think those rides were cool enough for him, but he finally set his sights on the Choo-Choo Train. Ken, being the dare devil that he is, joined Ash on this death defying ride of doom. Travelling at a wopping 1mph, the two men of my life had the time of their lives.

Next year maybe Ken can introduce me to the Red River Ex. That’s right I’ve never been – what kind of freak am I?

Baby Behind Bars!!

Uh-oh! My baby is not even 10 months old and he already has found himself behind bars dressed in stripes! He looks too comfortable for my taste. Everybody says you get pay back from your teenage years when you have children. I know I was a little shit when I was a teen, but geez! I thought I had better KARMA than that!

Please stay my sweet little boy, Ashton! Life is so much better when you get along with your mother! I promise I won’t embarrass you, I promise I won’t kiss you in front of your friends if you don’t want me to, I promise to cut your hair however you want it and I promise to support you in everything you choose to do in life. Just please don’t be my teenage pay back.  Because from what I’ve heard, pay back is a bitch! ;)

Backyard BBQ

After Ken and I worked like mad at mowing our massive lawn in the heat, we decided to sit down, eat some grub and enjoy the view. And what a view it is! I do believe we hit the jackpot with our new yard. It’s everything we’ve dreamed of having and more. The only problem was, was that the wasps and bees were enjoying the view with us. This quickly chased us indoors where we finished our dinner. It looks like we need to clear out the overgrown flower beds in front of our patio before we try that again. Renovations unfortunately come first, however. So maybe next year. In the mean time, we will be enjoying the view from the inside…

Brad & Miho's Wedding

Ken, Ash and I packed up yet again this summer to head out on another family road trip while Suki stayed back to enjoy Aunty Nicole’s company. This time the destination was Gilbert Plains for cousin Brad, and the beautiful Miho’s Canadian wedding. I say “Canadian” because they are planning a traditional Japanese wedding in November when they return home to Japan. On our journey north, Ken and I decided to take the scenic route and drive through Riding Mountain National Park. Every time I go there I realize how much I love it, and vow to plan a camping trip back there next year. Yet it doesn’t ever seem to happen! So after stretching our legs, enjoying a cinnamon bun and a coffee, we headed back out on the road to head to our final destination.

Uncle John and Aunt Elizabeth, like the gracious hosts they are, arranged for us to stay in a heritage house along with mom and dad Malczewski, Tracey, Dean and Liam Williams, and a couple of Brad and Miho’s friends from Toronto and Montreal. It was like a home away from home, and it was a great opportunity to catch up with Tracey and Dean.

 

The morning of the wedding I was given the honor of doing the bride Miho’s hair for her special day. It was a great chance to get to know her better and learn more about the Japanese culture. When I completed my creation, Miho was all smiles, and she thanked me by giving me a couple gifts, which included the most adorable little Japanese outfit for Ashton. He of course wore this for the wedding that day.

The wedding was planned to be outdoors behind Uncle John and Aunt Elizabeth’s house, but unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, so the wedding was moved to the Legion Hall. Regardless of the weather, the ceremony was lovely, and the bride and groom were glowing. After the DELICIOUS meal, speeches and videos, Ash and I headed back to the house for bedtime, while Ken downed a few more cold bevies and caught up with family.

All in all it was a great time, spent with great people.

Splish, Splash!

It looks like our little munchkin is actually a little water monger. Ash has taken to water like butter on toast. He splishes and he splashes, all with a big smile on his face.

Whether he's in his kiddie pool in the backyard...

  Or in a bath in the sink...

 Or at the lake...

 Or in a pool...

Ashton is in all his glory!  I think it's safe to say that Ashton will be a strong supporter in convincing daddy to get a pool in our new backyard.  And let's be honest here, how can you say no to that face?

Minneapolis Here We Come!

So Ken, Ashton and I headed out to visit the Minneapolis clan yet again while Suki escaped to the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa-Chewski.  Ken and I being the intelligent individuals that we are decided to leave in the heat of the day (+36 degrees celsius), WITHOUT air conditioning.  Ash slept for the first hour of the four hour long haul.  Which was then followed by 3 hours of inconsolable crying due to the wretched heat!  We tried to keep him cool with ice cubes from our cooler, fanning him, and trying to calm him while awkwardly breast feeding him while he was in his car seat.  Finally we reached the hotel in Fargo where I bathed the little guy to cool him down.  Meanwhile, Ashton's hero, DADDY, saved the day by staying up till 11:30pm fixing the air conditioning in the Walmart parking lot!  YAY!! 

Our next day's journey was much more bearable, and we eventually arrived in Bloomington greeted with smiles galore from Aunty Kate, Uncle Corey and cousins Ty and Nya.  First up, Kate and I headed to a Twins Game while the men stayed home with the kiddies.  We enjoyed a couple of bevies and a hot dog, along with some good company and a fun atmosphere.  Kate got a little tipsy off the American light beer (lightweight!!) Ha! Ha!  I once heard Ken describe American light beer as a reason to pee, you're only renting it for a short time.  It's easy to say when you compare it to the moonshine we drink up here in Canada! 

Next up the 7 of us went to a water park in Edina.  It was loads of fun watching Ty run through the water fountains and fly down the water slides, while Ash and Nya splashed by the shore.  We had such a great time we went back the following day to soak up some more sun and relax in the pool.  Ash even got to watch daddy take a ride down the zip line!  Uncle Corey was too scared, so Ty and Nya were out of luck. ;)

The rest of our time we spent enjoying each other's company and letting the kids get to know each other a little more.  It was a great time spent with great people.  Can't wait till we can do it all over again! 

The next day Ken, Ash and I headed back to Winnipeg to get back into the thick of renovations of our new home.  It never ends...

Baby's 1st Folkfest

Folkfest 2010 was a particularly special year due to the fact that it was Ashton’s very first time in attendance. Granted he was technically with us last year, but it was the first time he was able to lay his beautiful blues on the spectacular marvel that happens only once a year in Bird’s Hill Park. Little does Ash know that mommy & daddy met here 9 fabulous years earlier. So, Ken and I sent Suki off to the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa-Chewski so that we could pack up day after day to enjoy 3 days of amazing music.

So there we were with our new “all-terrain” stroller struttin’ our stuff from stage to stage. Along with Aunty Dani and Uncle Schmick, we copped a squat on a blanket to relax, jumped up to dance when the mood struck us, curled up for a nap or two throughout the day with our little munchkin, soaked up the sun, enjoyed shade when needed, took silly pictures at the character boards and last but not least we ate to our hearts content from the ever famous “Food Village”. It was a fantastic experience we won’t soon forget!