Drum Jam!!

The Malczewski clan has begun a new groove!  With daddy keeping the beat and mommy on the shaker, Ash brings it all together with his drum solo and vocals.  Never mind Gene Simmons's guitar licking talent, Ashton has taken it to a whole other level of rockstar glam.  He's turned a regular Corpell gallon water bottle into a music makin' madness machine!  Enjoy!

Baubee Lake

The Malczewski clan has hit the road again! Where to you ask? Off to Aunty Dani and Uncle Schmick’s little piece of paradise! This time, we had Suki in tow. She’d never let us live it down if we went to a cabin without her!

We headed out on a sunny Saturday afternoon along with Aunty Dani. Uncle Schmick was already cozied up, fire roaring, in the cabin found just over the Ontario boarder on Baubee Lake. This getaway like no other boasts a gorgeous view of the lake, whether you are sitting in the varanda or on the dock at the water’s edge.

Suki had a taste of heaven while taking a dip in the lake anytime we weren’t watching her, obsessing over her ball and drinking in all the glorious smells around her. “Sniff, sniff, sniff. Mmmm, wild flowers! Oooo, mud! Weird, a 2 seated biffy?! Uh-oh, I think a bear is close by… better disguise my pee and cover it up!”

Ashton quite enjoyed himself as well! Unfortunately it was on the chillier side that weekend so we only went outside for short bursts of time. But we sure had a great time playing with all his toys, exploring the rustic cabin, and bundling up for the delicious home cooked meals in the varanda. On a side note, THANK YOU AUNTY DANI FOR THE MIND BLOWING, MOUTH WATERING, VISUALLY TANTALIZING MEALS!!!!!

Aunty Dani has become quite the outdoors woman! She was digging biffy holes, hiking the various trails and chopping wood for the wood burning stove, and keeping us toasty inside by manning the fire (with the help of Uncle Schmick of course).

At night, we enjoyed some adult time eating home-made salsa, listening to the wildlife outside, giggling and getting silly over a few beers and Irish coffee, all under the dim and calming candle light.

Ashton was so pooped by the end of the weekend's festivities, that he passes right out on the car ride home.

It was an amazing weekend, spent with fantastic loveable people. Thank you my friends for opening your Utopia to our family! We appreciated it soooo much!!  We love you!!!

Family Day in the Park

In the attempt to spend some good, fun, family time together, Ken and I started “Family Day”. We vowed to put aside a day each week to enjoy each other and spend time AWAY from the house. There will be no house cleaning, no house renovations, no talk of house renovations, just appreciating the blessings we have in one another.

Our very first official Family Day, we decided to go to Assinaboine Park. As some of you may know, Ash has developed a love for trains, so we keep enhancing the experience each time. His first taste of choo-choo fever was his little battery operated toys that could, second time was on an electric train ride at the Stonewall Quarry Days. This occasion we stepped it up and brought him on a one of a kind steam train. Next up? Maybe we’ll take a ride on the Prairie Dog Central!

After our railway adventure, we headed to the Winnipeg Zoo. There we saw animals of all kinds. Kangaroos, reindeer, zebras, storks, lions, tigers, vultures, owls, peacocks, and many more!!!  By the end of thetour, Ashton pooped right out and fell fast asleep in his comfy stroller.

So we decided to call it a day and head home to spend some time with our loveable little gal, Suki. She was more than happy to see us and was overjoyed to spend some time in her very own yard under the warm and shining sun. We ended the day on a good note with tickles, and giggles and growling.

To all the families out there, take my word for it and set aside a special day to enjoy what life has handed you. I can’t thank the lord enough for giving me all these wonderful gifts…

Twin Beaches Vacation

In an attempt to give Ken space and time to work on our master bedroom renovation, I packed up Ashton and headed out to Twin Beaches to visit Nana and Amanda. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the greatest which kept us indoors, but we had a great visit regardless. Ashton got a taste of what kicking back at the lake was like, and got to explore every inch of Nana’s home away from home.

We got to laugh, play and be silly…

Ash was lucky to have Amanda read to him…

We enjoyed delicious meals and snacks…

I got some time to myself on the beach while Ash napped…

We drank up the glorious view…

And best of all, we spent some quality time with the woman who married the man Ash was named after, NANA!!

Thank you, Nana for the wonderful visit. We had a spectacular time. When we returned home, we were greeted with hugs and kisses from Ken (aka. daddy) and a partially demolished master bedroom. (Sigh) One step at a time…

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…