Win or Lose, Ember has Rider Pride.

It was Grey Cup weekend; the biggest weekend of the CFL. I personally don't give a hoot about football but my husband's family, specifically my father-in-law, loves football. And his love in the CFL lies in the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And you may know that this past Sunday they had a chance to right a horrible wrong from last year's Grey Cup. Much to Grandpa Ian's chagrin, the Riders did not make it right... not at all.

But I digress.

3 months old.

By proxy, my loyalty lies with the Riders when support is called upon. Ember, well, she will be a Rider fan through osmosis. Since day one, she has been gifted with Rider gear ranging from onesies, sweat suits, slippers and even a cheerleading outfit that should probably fit just in time for Halloween next year.

As we live in the host city of this year's Grey Cup, we had to partake in some of the festivities. Namely the parade on Saturday; Ember's first parade!

Throughout the entire parade, Ember looked like this:

It was this face when watching the parade pass by.

And it was this face when watching pigeons fly from building to building. I think she was more interested in the pigeons actually.

Oh, the Snowbirds did several fly overs. It was tricky to capture them flying over considering we only got glimpses between the buildings, but I think I got a fantastic picture of them:

NAWT!

On game day, we we didn't attend the game but we did don our kelly green and watch the game at home.

The melon was a little too large,

It worked better as a seat.


Ember is waving and saying "Hi!"

Ember cheered hard and clapped for three quarters until it was time for bed. The Riders lost. The Alouettes won for the second consecutive year. For us though, the Grey Cup was just the conduit for a fun filled, family weekend.

Family Snow Day

A few inches of snow have accumulated over the past few days. This, coupled with a balmy -13 degrees (it's dropping to -32 tomorrow) means that we just had to go out sledding.

We held Ember down and wintered her up. It felt like we were re-enacting Thomas' Snowsuit.

The parents prevailed and our little abominable snow princess was ready.

It turns out Ember enjoying the snow the first time wasn't a fluke.

"Are you ready, ladybug?"

Weeee! First time down the hill and smiles all the way.

Getting pulled along by Daddy was something she could get used to.

Because walking in the snow was tricky in her puffy ensemble.

Post face plant.
Thankfully she was too uncertain about what had transpired to cry.

Grandpa couldn't resist getting in on the action, too.

When Ember's cheeks had turned to match her jacket, we knew it was time to head home and sip some cocoa to warm up.

Homeward bound.


*** This should have been posted yesterday. Sorry - technical glitch. ***

Self Portraiture: A Cautionary Tale

I am the shutterbug of the house. At all times I have two cameras on the ready. Should Ember do something new and/or adorable, I can easily pick one up and capture it. Andrew, on the other hand... it's as if taking pictures just didn't occur to him. This means, I am not all that present in photos. Looking through the album of a recent trip to Vancouver, I only exist in family self portraits.

Self portraits are when Andrew or I holds our little point and shoot out in front of us, and capture the subjects, shoulder up. We have been doing this for as long as we have been together, so it's kind of become our thing. 99% of our family pictures are captured this way.

We have a camera that makes this practice much easier. However, despite the swivel lens, perfect pictures aren't a surefire thing. Sometimes family pictures go downright awry...

On a hill, I recommend putting the stroller brakes on.
Otherwise, your photo could turn out like this:

Andrew leaned a little too heavily on the stroller and away we went. The pro photog in him managed to capture this error.

***

If your child is like ours and is sometimes more interested on what is going on around her than smiling for a picture, I recommend the following technique:

Have all the subjects look in a different direction, so it appears as if your child is playing along. Of course as soon as you implement this, your child will smile beautifully for the camera.

***

Hold the camera at eye level or higher to avoid excess chins or you may end up with something like this:
One person looking up and squinting while the other pulls her hoodie up over the offending chins and cries in disgust.
(This is an oldie, from before Ember's time.)

***

It advisable to have the person with the longest arms take the photos. This will ensure that everyone makes into frame. Unlike this: It could have been a good photo.

In following these simple guidelines, you too can snap beautiful family photos to adorn your walls, or simply make you smile.

Adapting on the Pitch

Weekends are very exciting though stressful for us right now. Andrew's rugby team is currently in the playoffs striving for the provincials. Last Saturday marked the semi-finals and we pulled it out over the Clansmen. The second half of the game, momentum really swayed our way and we won 29-10. Being that I'm a little (okay, a lot) competitive, I get pretty riled up on the sidelines and my voice was definitely hurting Saturday evening.


Andrew (in white) jumping on a lineout. He won possession.

Outside of the game, maintaining Ember's schedule is always tricky on game day; nap time usually falls while we're standing on the side of the pitch. Thankfully, as long as Ember gets a snack (my boob) then she usually dozes off. Fussiness cues snack time and then she is happiest being tucked into the stroller. The challenge then becomes keeping her asleep with all the raging and loud rugby fans standing nearby. Me being one of them.


Happily napping while the game rages on.

As Andrew and I'd hoped, Ember does well adapting through the day and grabbing naps while we move about. We find as long as we adhere to her bedtime, she does splendidly and maintains her charm. Of course, we don't push our limits and don't practice this routine, or lack thereof, outside of weekends.


Ember cruising up and down the sidelines.

After Andrew's game, we travelled to watch another St. Albert team win their match to advance to the semi-finals. Ember was wide awake at this match and more content to walk about with Daddy's help.


She really boogies now.

I'm already looking forward to the final this Saturday. Go Albert!!!

High/Low

Each night, while laying in bed, Andrew and I reflect on our day by asking each other what the high and low of our day was.

I got the idea years ago while watching 'The Story of Us', an old Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis movie. It's not the greatest movie of all time by any stretch but it has become a guilty pleasure of mine, one that I enjoy watching while feeling under the weather. If chick flicks float your boat, you may enjoy it as a rental.

Do people rent movies anymore?

Anyway, by asking each other high/low it forces us to reflect on our day. Usually, by that point in the day, the rough parenting moments are forgotten and only the gems of Ember's character development and personality are all that remain. My 'highs' lead to stories and that is how Andrew is often brought up to speed of what happened in his absence over the course of the day. Of course there are days, when I can rattle off my low without blinking an eye.

High/low has been part of our bedtime ritual for years now. Actually, we end trips, holidays and family visits with high/low, too. When looking back on your day in this manner, you realize that life is charmed. The little wonderful moments, which are all too easy to forget, are highlighted. And, you realize that the trying moments are just that - moments. At once, you see the little things and the big picture. It's a good perspective.


High: Mutual adoration society.


What's the high/low of your day?

My Family Celebrates my 28th

Rather than going out for dinner, I wanted to stay home and make myself an easy, summer dinner. Okay, we were planning on dining out until I found this recipe: avocado fries.

Yeah. Avocado freaking fries.

Immediately, I pictured them on a plate with a grilled steak and mixed green salad; a drool worthy summer dinner if you ask me. I couldn't resist and told hubby to cancel the dinner reservation.

Drool worthy indeed. This dinner totally delivered! I would have loved to share photos, but um, it disappeared too quickly.

Ember got in on the avocado action, too and loved it!



I thought it only fitting to follow it up with a homemade a dessert. Craving white chocolate with summer berries and wanting minimal effort, I settled on an icebox cake. I'd not made an icebox cake before and ,my word - why have I waited so long?? So simple and delicious, I highly recommend it.*


food photography is not my forte

My day was made better with presents. I'm not going to lie, I love receiving gifts. He decided that he theme all gifts in helping me accomplish my 28 in 28, very clever and much appreciated.



Thank you family, for a fabulous day!



*To get what I really wanted, I fused this recipe with the white chocolate component of this one.

Finding Balance

I've always been determined to continue being a wife in the face of mummyhood. Far too often I feel, women let the role of wife fall by the wayside while they focus on being a mum. I swore I wouldn't be that woman. What I wasn't aware of, of how tricky navigating the roles can be in achieving the balance.

When Andrew and I do find ourselves without the company of Ember, I have a heck of a time shutting the Mum switch off. If Ember's down for the night, I feel I should take advantage of the time to fold laundry, stuff diapers or tidy the kitchen. There are nights, where I'm worn out, feel frumpy and can't ignore the fuzz on my teeth to feel the slightest bit like a lady.

Thankfully Andrew and I have a fantastic line of communication and he understands where I'm coming from. I'm still head over heels in love with my man and I'm proud to be his wife. It's not a role I'm willing to slough off. But there are days when the dried spit up on my back wins.