the switch

i think my favourite time of year is the few weeks at the end of summer & beginning of fall. the lazy days are warm but not too hot and the evenings are cool & crisp. it's time for walks and trips to the park and fires in the river valley with friends. it's time to break out the apple cider and crockpot dinners. if i had one wish it would be that autumn would last forever.

ollie & our dear friend rachael.

 

the most amazing s'more known to man.  one word: nutella.

the hurdle girdle: lots of fun & possible injuries for all!

ollies romantic advances were rejected by clara. 

he's broken hearted, but she doesn't seem to care. ha ha.

little balancer & grinner baby.

he loves the swing!

you are what you eat

we started solids a couple of weeks ago. we gave ollie some avocado one day and then tried some sweet potato the next. he wasn't too sure what to think, as evidenced by these hilarious photos brian took while i fed him.

since then, he has really warmed up to food. he loves to eat lots of different things; bananas, sweet potatoes, peas & he even got a hold of brians pork roast the other day. he's a good little eater. 

peach salsa

just a quick post to share the recipe for the peach salsa i made and canned today. maybe i will update the post later with some pictures of the deliciousness. my sister in law shared this recipe with me. it's got a bit of a kick to it, so if you want it more mild, leave out some of the jalapenos. its the perfect mixture of sweet & hot. its savoury & oh, so good. its summer & autumn in a jar. enjoy!
 

6 cups prepared peaches (blanched, peeled, pitted & chopped)

1 1/4 cups chopped red onion

4 jalepeno peppers, chopped (leave the veins & seeds in half the peppers, or less.)

1 red pepper chopped

1/2  cup loosely packed, finely chopped cilantro

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tbls honey

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or more. i always put more garlic in my recipes.)

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Prepare peaches. Combine everything in large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently, stirring frequently for five minutes. Remove from heat. Use slotted spoon to fill jars. Top with a bit of the liquid.  Can for 15-20 minutes. Remove from canner and let sit. Open & enjoy whenever you please!

half a year

on the day ollie turned six months old (last saturday), he was all, "hey! look what i can do!"

baby boy; you are growing so fast. slow down!

for the record

at almost six months old, our oliver is getting to be so grown up. he is rolling over very proficiently, grabbing at things with incredible accuracy and getting so excited when he watches us eat. (solids in a couple of weeks, buddy boy!) he smiles at most everyone and laughs with his daddy; i think they have the same goofy sense of humor. it's so fun to watch them together. he's still working on the whole sitting up thing; every time he is sitting up he looks at me or brian, smiles with his whole body and them flops down. and then he smiles some more. our baby boy is a happy one, except when his teeth are bothering him. he broke his first two a couple of months ago and from the looks (and sounds!) of things those top two are coming soon. he still loves to read stories; he listens so intently and looks at all the pictures. i am entirely convinced that the reason babies grow up so fast is so we keep having them. and heck, if they keep coming out this cute, we'll have a bunch more!

we love you ollie!

tall corn & little pigs

we got to go a little south last weekend to visit my brother & his family. we went to the corn maze just outside of lacombe and enjoyed getting a little lost in the maze, eating kettle corn (which in my opinion is the best treat. ever.) and deep fried pickles (which were a little weird, but kind of good if i'm being totally honest.)

 ollie & his cousin sam

gracie, evan & abbi. 

 celebrating the end of the maze!

everyone went back into the corn maze for a second go around (there were a couple of different routes) but ollie was too hot, so he and i enjoyed some time in the shade.

aaaand, then we met some baby piggies and they were adorable and i tried to convince brian to let me bring one home, but i guess a pig isn't really suited for apartment life.

adorable!

ollie was really excited about the baby pigs too!

"aw, shucks mom. enough pictures!"

(ollies little overalls are from brians mom...baby clothes from when brian was a wee one!)

we had such a fun day with jess & jayna & co. it was followed by a yummy meal and, as per usual, staying up way too late visiting. we love you guys! thanks for the fun day!

corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces

i want to tell you a story. its about a boy and a girl.

many years ago, about 20 or so, this little boy with mischievous eyes and a little girl with dark brown hair met at church. their families became friends and the two spent many sunday afternoons playing together. the boy and the girl grew, and the girl developed a crush on the boy. she thought he looked cute in his white sunday shirts and liked the way his hair curled over his ears. they were always close friends. when the girl turned 16, the boy asked her on a date. they talked on the phone and remained close friends. they drifted apart later in high school but were reunited just months before the boy left to serve a mission. they spent most of their time together, laughing & singing along to their favourite songs. she watched him prepare to serve God and they knew that they loved eachother. the boy went on his mission and the girl moved away from home. they touched base every once in awhile, but each of them were busy with their own lives. despite this, they thought of eachother. then the boy came home and a few months later they started dating. they grew together & they saw hard times. they realized they both loved crunchy peanut butter best and that, among a million other things, brought them together.

two years ago today, i married my very best friend. he was the boy that i day dreamed about and he is the man that i chose to be sealed to. two years ago today, i told him i would love him forever. then we made a baby and when he arrived we found our love had grown. like, really grown. into this tangible little being with his eyes and my lips.

i'm glad you're mine bri. and that i am yours. forever.