Halloween Wreath Making

I found a really cute wreath in a magazine the other day and decided that I could make one for our front door. I already had the grape-vine wreaths (which were hanging in our dining room and Brian never liked, so this made him very happy!) and all I had to buy was some black spray paint (less than $2), some orange ribbon ($1.99) and some fake spider webs ($2). It was very easy, and I think it turned out really cute! In fact, I've decided to make one for my mom, and one for my sister! Great decoration for our house, and a great surprise for my mom and Ashlee!

This is what I started with. I thought they looked cute hung on our wall, but now, they'll be decorations for Halloween!

Next I carefully spray painted the wreath in the garage, with a little help from Brian.

And this is a finished wreath. I'm going to see if I can find some little spiders or something to put into the web. But for now, I think it turned out pretty nice!

Carson's First Haircut

Not bad for a couple of first time barbers, huh!

Happy Birthday Ashlee

Today is the 27th birthday of my baby sister! I love this girl so much! I am so proud of everything she accomplishes, of how kind hearted and giving she is, and of how beautiful inside and out she is. My world wouldn't be complete without her!

also....we're famous! check it out!

Carson and the Dentist

Carson had his first dentist appointment yesterday. He has SIX teeth now, and the dentist wanted to "count" them! All in all, it went well. Hopefully, he'll get more comfortable each time we visit!

When we got to the office, he was curious about this new place we'd brought him

but as soon as his dad let him get down and explore, he really started enjoying himself!

The hygienist showed him the different tools the dentist uses. She sprayed water into a cup, let Carson spray water into a cup, then sucked it all up with a tiny little wand. Carson got to feel the suction of the wand on his finger, and he thought that was pretty cool.

Then, the hygienist showed Carson a stuffed crocodile who had a bunch of (very human looking) teeth. Carson thought it was pretty neat.

Just like he tries to do to us, he put his fingers in the croc's mouth and had a feel around!

And, he even warmed up enough to give the croc a little bit of lovin'!

When the hygienist stepped out of the room, Carson decided to inspect the rest of the equipment on his own. Here he is checking out the lighting....

And then the doctor arrived.....

This was probably Carson's LEAST favorite part...but honestly, he did pretty well! The dentist had a look at his teeth, and applied a little bit of fluoride. It was over quickly, and Carson recovered like a champ! He also got to take home a new tooth brush and toothpaste, two plastic bugs, and a sticker!

Anyone need a babysitter?

This guy is available! He's somewhat responsible, super funny, and loves to snuggle.

Oh, Canada!

We just returned from a family vacation to Edmonton, Alberta. Brian's Grandmother Gertie turned 90 and we went to celebrate with her and the rest of Brian's family. Can I just start by saying how lucky I am to have married into such a fantastic family? Everyone is so welcoming, hospitable, kind, and generous. We had a great time and can't wait until we are able to go back.

Here are a few photos we took while we were there to remember all of the fun we had.

We visited the West Edmonton Mall. The biggest mall in the WORLD! It is pretty amazing. While we were there, we ate at Brian's favorite restaurant in the entire universe, Harvey's. They don't have Harvey's here in the states, so it was a must on this trip. Tayler and I on a bridge over the area where they have sea lion shows and a huge pirate ship.

Tayler inside a whales mouth at the mall. Brian can remember having his picture taken here when he was small.

Tayler with a Royal Canadian Mountie Moose

Brian participated in a golf tournament with several of his family members while we were in Edmonton as party of the birthday weekend festivities (The Gertie Invitational). So, Tayler, Carson and I went with Brian's Aunt, Cousin, and two of Tayler and Carson's second cousins to a park for a picnic.

We attended Grandma Gertie's Birthday celebration which was held at The Alumni House. The Alumni house was the residence of the President of the University of Alberta in the past. It is now used for special occasions such as 90th birthday parties. =) It was a great night. The food was great. The entertainment was wonderful. There was a slide show playing while we were there and I got to see some great photos of Brian, his dad, and the rest of their family from the past. It was really interesting.

The Whole Fam

From the left : Aunt Doreen, Grandma Schienbein, Uncle Allen. These are the mother and siblings of Brian's dad, Lawrence.

Our family, and Grandma Gertie on her birthday

The last full day we were in Edmonton Brian's Aunt and Uncle hosted a BBQ dinner at their home (which is also where we stayed while we were there). It was so nice to be able to spend time with all of the family in such a comfortable setting. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

Great-grandma Gertie and all of her great grandchildren EXCEPT little Ira who was home sick! Poor guy


Carson and his great-grandma really hit it off. He absolutely adored her from the start, and by the time we were saying good byes, he was clapping his hands for her while she would sing to him in German. SO CUTE

Another family photo. The couple on the far right are Aunt Doreen and Uncle Carl. We stayed with them while we were in Canada. They were wonderful hosts. We were so comfortable and well taken care of.

Tayler has been begging, and I mean begging for months to get her ears pierced. And for months, Brian has been telling her no. I'm not sure if it was the fresh Canadian air, or the fact he was surrounded by family, or the fact that we'd eaten at Harvey's the day before, but Brian decided that this was the time. Tayler FINALLY got her ears pierced while we were in Canada. And to say she was excited, doesn't really cover it.

Waiting patiently to be pierced
This is only when they were lining up the "guns". Tayler was a bit nervous.

Dad and Carson watching Tayler take part in a ritual of womanhood



The finished product! Isn't she cute?!?

The one and ONLY time I enjoyed flying with Carson Tayler LOVED flying and was very well behaved!

One of the few times while Carson was awake on the flight and actually holding still

So, what we've decided is that we have some pretty fantastic relatives, and that Carson probably shouldn't fly again until he's 17. We talked with several of Brian's cousin about the possibility of meeting sometime in the future so that it isn't so long between our next visits. I really hope we're able to make that happen some time!