.travel: drumheller, ab.

about a month & half ago, peter + jack and i took a little getaway over my birthday weekend to visit some old dinosaurs. it was a perfect mini holiday with my family of three [and our last as a family of three!] and i found it rather fitting considering i'm starting to feel like a 'fossil' as well ;)

we packed up our new vehicle and drove the 3.5 hours south to the tiny town of drumheller, ab. i can't really say much about the city itself [sorry, drumheller!] but the landscape was beautiful and the town filled to the brim with activities for the youngsters. jack was in heaven. 

we visited the suspension bridge, the hoodoo's [and attempted to snap a few maternity pictures in the badlands], visited the world's largest dinosaur, walked the tyrrell museum, and played on the hotel waterslide. we also had a rather delicious greek meal at a local restaurant, which reminded pete and i so much of our europe trip a few short years back. the food was so authentic it was like we where on the island of santorini again!

here's a load of iPhone pictures of our mini trip. it was just so lovely, but then again i truly think doing anything with these two people is lovely.

royal tyrrell museum

.this month's shopping list: august.

with my birthday falling around the middle of august, i've always quite enjoyed making my shopping list for this month [for obvious reasons!]. it never fails in helping out the male half of my duo [hint hint, babe!] with ideas which works out to be kind of a no-brainer and win-win all in one! easy for him and i get exactly what i'm lusting over that month! yay!

what's currently on my shopping list for august.
poppy barley chelsea boot || pb just released this new model and i am swooning! these may be my new fall go-to boot and i just love that they are tailored to your feet measurements making them the comfiest pair i'm sure i'll ever own!
gorjana & griffin mia tiered necklace || a new fav designer on the radar! and the perfect necklace to layer or wear alone. i also love the length of this so much. a must have!
pia wallen large cross blanket || the only blanket to have right now. it's perfection and i really really want it.
gorjana & griffin mae shimmer solitaire || and my 2nd pick from this designer. these simple, tiny rings would look great all together or worn alone. i just adore a thin band on my hands.
anthropologie nassella joggers || i am loving the silk tailored pajama pant craze right now and although i find myself a little hippy for these pants [trying to actually say: scared to look more hippy!] i think this awesome pattern would distract from any issues.
frends headphones || this big girl needs these big girl headphones in a band way. so sleek and stylish, and perfect for travel.
gorjana & griffin teagan cuff || and my 3rd pick from this designer [what can i say?! i'm a jewellery girl!]. this has been on my radar for a while and is basically the perfect piece to add to any outfit. dressed up or down. perfection.
pendelton bath robe || something about those old school hudson bay stripes...and although this is not an actual hudson bay robe, it's by a favourite company of mine - pendleton. sigh. momma could really use a new robe, especially as i plan on living in my pajamas for a while after the twins are born.

.jack's little lumberjack party.

oh, my goodness. i haven't blogged since oct. 25th! not surprising since the entire month of october itself, flew right on by. i mean how is it november 14th already? how?!

i started work again full time, we celebrated jack's 1st birthday, flew to toronto for the h&m fashion family contest as winners [yay!], then spent a few extra days in toronto doing some sight-seeing and enjoying jack's first trip, flew home for a day and then peter and i jet-setted off for a week to celebrate the nuptials for one of my best friends in san diego [jack had sleepovers at the grandmother's houses and had a blast]. it's been a busy month. a good month, but busy.

that being said, i really have a bunch of catching up to do. 

so first off, i really wanted to start with our little jack bugg's lumberJACK 1st birthday party. we had over friends and family in our packed house and as encouraged, everyone came dressed in their best plaid.
i've always heard that first birthday parties are more for the adults then the actual birthday babes and i kind of have to admit it's probably true. although, i do know that jack had a blast and his sugar high lasted all afternoon. what a trooper! not one peep of a cry after missing his afternoon nap and just smiles all around. he must have known he was the centre of attention or something and well, he just loves that sort of thing. guess he takes after his father ;)

we originally hired a bongo drummer to come to the house and play for the kiddos, but after he called in sick last minute we had to resort to a beard decorating craft station. it was super last minute, but think it turned out to keep a few of them entertained for at least a couple of minutes! ha! we also had a little photo-booth set up and snapped pictures of each guest, which we included in thank you cards that i have yet to mail out [sorry friends!]. our props included beards for all, hats, scarves and a lot of buffalo check.

our food table was filled with all sorts of 'lumberjack breakfast' themed goodies. i made these fluffy flapjack pancakes, candied bacon-on-a-stick [by following this recipe], lumberjack sandwiches, sweet timber chocolate logs, and my talented friend morgan brought over some maple bacon cupcakes [thank you so much!] which were absolutely delicious! i highly recommend! she followed this recipe, as i know some of you will ask. we also featured 'uncle si's sweet tea' as our featured drink.

the kiddoes each went home with a goody bag filled with jacks favourite colouring book, some pencil crayons, egg candies, an owl mask and tattoos from wee gallery [the owl mask, book and tattoos]. we cannot thank the wee gallery enough for such awesome stuff. we simply love that store.

overall, i think jack had a blast and we got to experience our baby's first birthday. it was a very very good day.
happy birthday, sweet boy. we love you more than we have words. xo.

.happy first birthday, my sweet boy.

today marks your 1st birthday, my sweet boy. 

it's been 1 whole year since you turned my world upside down. since you showed me how deep my love can be. and it's just so different than loving your daddy [which i do now, more than ever]. this love - when it concerns you is internal, it's deep and unconditional, it's unavoidable. it's just something that i do. something that i can't control. you are my heart, baby bugg.

along with your wide toothless smile, your bright blue eyes and the most awesome head of blonde hair came a spirit of sweetness and laughter. you are happiness and loveliness and represent everything good in the world. i never knew what to expect in a little boy, but you have exceeded anything i could have ever dreamt.

this year we have watched you grow into such a sweet little boy, much to my dismay [won't you be my drooling baby forever!?]. you bring so much love to everyone. we've watched you learn to clap your hands and then wait for our applause afterwards. you blow raspberry kisses and think it's the funniest thing ever. you enjoyed 'soldier' crawling for ages and just recently learned the ease of actual crawling on your knees. you prefer to be on mommy's lap when watching cartoons, rather than sitting by yourself. you flirt with everyone you meet. you enjoy full-face sloppy wet kisses and occasionally try to slip a french one in. you love books and choose them over toys. unless that toy has wheels on it, then those books may have a little competition. you love your pacifier and now require one in your mouth and one in your hand before naps or at bedtime. you adore balloons. you love to crawl around naked as a jaybird and it gets the most laughter out of you always. perhaps something about the fresh air on your equipment! you love bath time with daddy and reading in daddy's arms. you're also cheeky, like your daddy. you share each others sense of humour and i can see trouble in the future for me dealing with the two of you. in the best possible way though. you like to crawl over our legs like a little ant and are busy as a bee. you smirk at women, like you're working a deal [and you probably are!] and you always get what you want. you never forget where a button/switch is located and love to turn things on and off, much to daddy's dismay [hockey game, on and off on and off]. you love music and bop your little body to the beat. you are small and mighty and sweet and empathic. you have a heart of gold and a spirited soul. 

you make me proud every single day and i love you more than words can describe. i will always support you, and i hope you always remember you have a place right next to me forever and ever. 

happy birthday, jack bugg. we love you so very much.

xomomma

.need, want, eat, make: jack's almost 1.

our little jack bugg is about to turn one.

all i can think is damn, where has the time gone?

i am literally knee deep in party decor at the moment, planning his first birthday, and just had to sit back and take a few minutes to reflect on the past year. gosh, it's been wonderful. and busy. and emotional. and full of growth. and full of love. and full of exhaustion, but just so so so amazing. as my good friend, who is a fresh new mother herself, texted me the other day "this is better and harder than i ever imagined" and i just couldn't agree more.

so back to turning one. gosh darn it. my little boy is getting big and old.
and planning a party is waaay up my alley, so i won't complain much ;), but here's a little that needs to be done.

need || every birthday boy needs a bowtie. that's fact. 

want || this superhero sweater is just plain awesome. and that's a fact too!

eat || i love this balloon cake so much. simple, fun and looks delicious. all wins in my book.

make || these birthday straws are pretty darn great. i think i could possibly make them myself with these colorful straws, however if time is running tight buying them from here also works! perhaps if they came in a buffalo check....hint, hint....a little sneak at jack's party theme ;)

.feeling folky.

so my birthday was yesterday. 

at this point i'm not sure if i should still be getting as excited as i do when my birthday rolls around, but i mean, what can i say? i quite enjoy the love and attention! ha! it was a busy week filled with dinners, drinks, bonfires, music and lovely conversations. i also got spoiled rotten! geez, i have some really beautiful people in my life who make me feel loved [and not just because they know how to pick a sweet gift out! ha ha! i mean that in attention and thoughtfulness too!].

as for my actual birthday yesterday, it was a gorgeous sunny day and we spent it at the edmonton folk fest with some equally gorgeous and sunny friends. it was also jack's first festival and i was perhaps, even more excited about the thought of that and showing him what a joy music can be.  after chels & her family treated us to some birthday tickets [and cupcakes! thank you! and yum!] we packed our bags and nabbed a spot on the hill to catch a few tunes and soak up some rays. as i said, it was a super sunny and hot day out where a little shade was appreciated. jack was slathered in sunscreen and we lounged around in the open air. it was just awesome. we also ate, drank, and people-watched till our hearts content. we soaked in some live music from the various 7 stages and walked the site numerous times. i seriously think my legs wanted to beat me up after walking up that hill a couple times.

the folk fest is one of my favourite events in the city, located in our gorgeous river valley and i am just so happy to share this day with our son. he loves music and his little bopping body was bouncing away once that beat was heard.

unfortunately, taking a 9 1/2 month old to a full day music festival turned out to be a little too much for the tired little fella, so we packed it in a little early and headed home to rest from the busy weekend. peter may have had a little pout about leaving earlier than when the avett brothers where to take the stage [bummer for us both, actually] but that's what you do when you're a parent. and in the end, we had a little family snuggle, which is actually just what this 31 year old wanted. and frankly, needed.