Wednesday 29 August 2012

Reliving my teeny bopper past

I was a teeny bopper from about the age of 11-16. Hardcord teeny bopper. You could not see the walls of my room because they were so covered in posters from groups like Backstreet Boys, The Moffatts and my very favorite, Hanson.

Now as most girls seemed to have gotten over Hanson and moved on to Justin Timberlake, I stuck with them. I appreciated that they wrote their own songs and played multiple instruments each. Sure, alot of people made fun of them, but for the most part I didn't care, because the people making fun of them certainly couldn't do what they did.  Their music progressed, as did their (and my) age and became alot more mature. I loved it, and in my teens I had the privilege of seeing 'the boys' play live several times. One of those times, I got a special meet and greet pass before the show. They were super nice and it totally reinforced their reputation as 'good Christian' boys.

Me and the guys... back in the day.
Anyways, last night they played at the PNE here in Vancouver. They were just here in January (on my birthday no less!) but no one was available to go with me that night. So I was very excited to get a chance to see them with my neighbour and fellow fan.



We arrived a few hours before the show, got a good close spot and were in time to see them do an extensive sound check.

Two hours later it was showtime! They played for an hour and a half and covered a few oldies and many of their singles from more recent albums. I had an absolute blast and it reminded me of why I liked them so much in the first place. They sound just as good live as they do on CD, not something I can say about alot of concerts I have been to! When they sang some of their older songs I majorly flashed back to times with my friend and fellow 'bopper' Candice. Oh to be young again...

Here are a few shots from last night.

 
 
 
And so concludes my trip down memory lane... Goodtimes my friends. Goodtimes.

Sunday 26 August 2012

A backyard wedding

Matt and I attended the wedding of Doug and Carly yesterday afternoon.



I have known Doug since he was a young boy of 3 or 4, as I have been close with his sisters from a young age myself. I have always thought of him as a little brother and I must say, it was rather emotional for me to watch him become a husband to Carly.
He has been in love with her from such a young age, that to see them finally get married was extremely exciting.



Both the ceremony and reception were held in a backyard in Abbotsford and we had perfectly sunny, not too hot not too cold weather. The wedding was simple yet very beautiful and everything about it reminded me of Carly.

And speaking of Carly, she looked stunning! She had on the most gorgeous dress but she kept her look very simple, which just showed her natural beauty so well.



Matt and I were talking about the wedding on the way home and both agreed that it was one of the nicest most personal weddings we have attended. I think that says alot.



Congratulations you two! We love you so much and cannot wait to see you when you return from your honeymoon as Mr. and Mrs. Doug Reid.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Noah turns 1!

Sorry this is so incredibly delayed. I haven't been feeling fantastic this past week and just wasn't in the mood to blog much. But I am feeling energized now so here is a few highlights of Noahs 1st birthday party!

Saturday the 11th was a big day in the Bechard household. It was our little Noahs 1st birthday celebration! We were surrounded by friends and family and had a wonderful day together. Heres a few shots of his Mickey Mouse themed party.





Cannot believe we are parents to a ONE year old. I saw a commercial on TV the other day for some baby product and they said, "They are only babies for 1 year... " Nearly broke my heart! He will ALWAYS be my baby! But he sure is growing up fast.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Tender Tushies party!

Monday night a bunch of mommies, daddies, soon to be mommies and soon to be daddies gathered at my parents place to learn more about cloth diapering. After my positive cloth experience with the Tender Tushies line and because of its affordability I wanted to share it with my friends! I also needed to 'finish' off my stash of diapers so that I could go 3 days without having to wash a stack.



The party went great! I think those who attended learned a few things, got to see some great products and a few decided to take the plunge with cloth diapering and began building up their stash!

Cloth diapering is easier then I ever imagined it would be. I think its one of those things that sounds alot more complicated and expensive then it really is. We spent around $200 and have enough diapers to last us a few years. Of course, I may end up buying a few more here and there if they keep making adorable patterns. I can see how this could become addicting...

Thanks to all those who attended or ordered! I hope you enjoy your new fluff :)

Bad blogger

Sorry folks, Ive been a bad blogger lately. It's been a busy week and I just haven't had the energy to put into writing a blog. I even have things to tell you about, like Noah's birthday party and my diaper party. Do forgive me, I'll get around to it, eventually!

Thursday 9 August 2012

That's a first.

Something happened tonight that has never happened before. Noah passed out in his highchair. One minute he's sitting there, eating rice, and the next I see his head bobbing and eyeballs rolling. It was pretty cute (and hilarious) and of course I had to take several pictures and video.

Going...

...going...

...and...

GONE!
What did hubby and I do while he slept? We thoroughly enjoyed a nice quiet dinner without interruptions! It was almost like a date ;)


Tuesday 7 August 2012

Long weekend camping

We just returned from 4 days camping at Cultus with friends and family. We went the traditional route of sleeping in a tent and cooked all our food on a propane stove. The weather was 30+ basically everyday, but thanks to all the trees our site was cool and shady most of the time. The only downer was that there was a swimmers itch warning posted for the lake, so most of us opted to stay out and not risk getting it. Our friends brought up their kiddy pool though and the two toddlers on the trip very much enjoyed splashing around in the afternoons.


I love camping, because it forces you to be outside 24/7, breathing in all that fresh mountain air. You are away from  your phones and TVs and spend all your time socialising, playing games or sitting around a campfire watching the flames flicker.



I know Noah had a fantastic time. He thought the tent was pretty funny and had a great time crawling around in the dirt and being around those who love him so much. I'm sure all that fresh air was good for him too.

I must say though, camping with a 1 year old was rather difficult and I am not sure I would do it again. I will absolutely camp again, but I think we'll wait until our kids are around the age of 2. Noah slept wonderfully in his pack n play in the tent, that wasn't the problem. It was more the extra work that he required when it came to making his (different) meals and the fact that he is in between crawling and walking. I found that as a mom I had very little downtime to read or play games. We had extra hands around which was helpful, but I still felt like my day was spent preparing his food, cleaning up, preparing a bottle, cleaning up, changing his diaper, throwing it away, repeat, repeat, repeat. Yes that is alot of my day here at home, but at home he can play around without me having to worry about him poking his eye out with a stick or trying to swallow a rock.



There was also the issue of what we could do once Noah went to sleep. He was exhausted and was out cold between 6:30-7:00pm each night, which isolated one of us to our campsite which needed to be kept fairly quiet. Between our family and friends we had three campsites, so it was easy for everyone to just hang out at one of the other sites so Noah could sleep. But then Matt and I had to take turns staying in our site while the other went to make smores. It was fine, but just not ideal.



All in all, I am glad we went. It's always wonderful to spend several days away from work and home, and It was quite cozy in that tent at night, huddled up close together with our little family.



Wednesday 1 August 2012

From baby to toddler

Well, it's happened. Noah has taken his first steps! Of course he chose to do it on the one evening that daddy was out of the house. He was exhausted and grumpy and all he wanted to do was have me hold his hands and walk him around our house. My back was sore from doing it all day so  instead I plunked his feet down in front of me and waited to see what he'd do. He balanced himself well and reached his hands out to me, wanting me to grab them and help. I felt a little bad, repeatedly telling him, "You can do it!" and refusing to grab his hands.

And then he did it.
One step... two steps... three, four, five and right into my arms. He hugged me tight while I shrieked and congratulated him on this milestone acheivement. Then of course, I made him do it again. And again.

Have we really reached that time already? I carried this little baby in me for over 9 months. I nursed him, stayed up all night long with him and carted him around on my hip for the past 11.5 months. He has been so dependent on me his whole life for everything. And now, soon, he will be walking around all on his own.

Time sure flies.
It's almost been a year since I had him and it feels like it was just yesterday. I can't remember what our lives were like before he came along, and I certainly wouldn't want to go back. He has been such a blessing and has taught us so much about ourselves,  about love and about our Heavenly Father.

Congrats on your first steps Mr. Noah! We love you!




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Sorry I didn't get any photos or video of the event. I was much too busy living in the moment and watching him with mommy pride.

When I manage to capture it I will post it :)