X rated!!

Not really, but there were parts of it that were and I will be sure to leave those out! :) What happens in Whistler STAYS in Whistler. There were a few on the list that weren't yet 21 so that meant either Canada or house party. I really liked the idea of getting away with a group to get some good quality time spent together. Considering any bachelorette party that I have been to, it's usually a party and most of the time crazy. While it's always fun I wanted some sober time to just relax. Many on the list were moms and couldn't agree more with a weekend idea!

I LOVE Whistler! To me, it just feels like a hole in the world! The people are usually always cool and fun and when we decided on the location, Julie went to town finding all the best deals--her specialty! While Julie organized, my mom, sister, Anna, Beth and Lisa shopped for surprise decorations! haha Yes, my MOM! Too funny, but I'm pretty sure she was loving the whole idea of a bachelorette weekend. Because I don't know how to not help plan I decided to go to Costco with Meghan and Julie to purchase all the food and rehydrating beverages we would need.

Time came to hit the road so we packed 7 different vehicles full of girls and got to it. I felt a little bad considering that drive isn't the easiest on everyones tummies.... Regardless, we finally arrived, all at different times and got settled and the party began! It was hilarious to see people faces when they heard that 'that' group was just getting bigger. All of my aunts jumped on board along with all of my cousins and best friends. Icing on the cake is that my mother-in-law came long! Leslie laughed at the idea at first and gave a sigh... I wasn't about to let her stay at home and told her she didn't have an option. Seriously, she's one of the funniest people I know and have grown to love everything about her! There were a few that couldn't make it and such as life so there were some that were missed but besides that the BEST group ever!

This was the first night.... When we got all situated within the rooms we decided to head out on the town while waiting for everyone else to get there. I heard someone in the condos talking about a free concert in the village and got super stoked considering I love free things! :) Turns out it was Jason Mraz and I flipped out. Not only do I love him but our song has always been as 'I'm yours' as well as our wedding song! Of course my mom got all emotional talking about it all being kismet and Gods plan and of course I started crying because I couldn't agree more! Tears of joy and happiness are the best kind out there :) After our moment I rounded the troops and made sure to get good and as close as we could. The man is talented! After we heard THE song we headed up a bit for dinner and drinks at some brewery still within ears reach. Me being the responsible mom that I am decided to go sober the first night knowing I wouldn't have a choice the next night!

My sister and cousin Stelli.... No longer the little awkward girls. I cannot believe how absolutely stunning they are and truly the life of the party! They were a friggin blast!

The moms!! :) Loved having them there..... Yes there were your interesting moments but oh well they only make you closer! haha

The whole group of beautiful ladies minus the 6 'moms' (My mom, aunts, Leslie and Denny)

Keeping in the family. (left to right) My brothers girlfriend Anna, cousin Alexa, cousin Estelle, sister Emma Jean, Me, cousin Abby and cousins wife Ashley.

haha again in the family :)

My totally awesome wedding party

Nothing like a sister

Jules and Leslie Ray

The beautiful twins

A long post for an even longer weekend. I had so much fun and have my girls and Whistler to thank for that! The drive home...... Oh man

A little run-through



August 18th, Cole, Kade and I, our families and our wedding party came together at Homestead to get a little rehearsing in. Before getting there I always kind of found rehearsals to be a bit odd and unnecessary. Boy was I wrong. Because we decided we wanted to get married on the driving range instead of under a tent it was completely wide open. Where to be waiting, walking, standing and all in that order. I kept getting asked all these specific questions that needed specific answers and I am so 'go with the flow' type of person. Pretty sure most of my answers were 'wherever' or 'sure' or 'that sounds good'. I guess if I really thought about it of course there would be intricate details that would need to be put in place but I never really thought that hard. I always just focused and dreamed about walking down to Cole and pronouncing our vows and love in front of God and our loved ones. To me that's all that there was!

A while back the Sytsma's had come out to Packers for a family dinner and I got the pleasure of serving them! We got into wedding talk of course and Shelly was telling me I was crazy to not have a wedding planner or someone to 'boss' people around in her words. She insisted that she be mine and I said that sounds good to me! haha THANK GOODNESS! I hate to be the one to tell people what to do and really if it came down to it I probably wouldn't. Not saying that I can't stress out or worry but I find it to be pointless to stress on little details that most people wouldn't even notice. Every t was crossed and every i was dotted and I didn't have to say a word!

After the organization was finished all of us and then some went back to Leslie Ray and Chuckie's for some drinks and grub. The food was amazing, drinks were good, fire and games were fun and the company couldn't have been better! We loved having a little back yard affair; keeping it intimate and relaxed.

People stuck around till the crack of dawn telling stories and enjoying company. The idea of having a day in between the rehearsal and wedding day turned out to be one of the best ideas I've ever had!

Pre wedded bliss....

I love planning and organizing just about anything and when it came to the wedding there was nothing different. I had so much fun drawing up different ideas, color schemes and accessories. Having a little one year old running around everywhere did create some challenges! In the best kind of way of course. haha I learned to get my point across quickly and hopefully kindly :)

In an odd way, planning a wedding just felt weird. While I was extremely excited to have our day, Cole and I had also been living with each other for over a year already, made our beautiful home together and of course had Kader. We already felt married. Definitely not the old Lynden traditional way of doing things, but with out a doubt it was our way!

Wednesday, July 27th, my birthday, we went out off the Sunrise Rd with Aubrey Johnson to take some engagement photos. In my 25 years it is ALWAYS sunny and beautiful on my birthday. I woke up to clouds and definitely not pretty ones. The afternoon rolled around and just ask I was about to call Aubrey to reschedule the sun came out and the weather I'm used to on my birthday stayed true!

Just a few of my favorites.

After our 'alone' time and actually really romantic photo shoot we went downtown to Boundary Bay for reggae night with some friends. My girls tricked me into running off to Bob's for a couple rounds by saying we were meeting another one of the girls down the street. haha So the boys went to Boundary and us girls went and got a few prefunkers and what should've only taken a couple minutes turned into a bit too long! The boys left, getting sick of waiting for us, and found us at Bobs. I loved the look I got from Cole when they found us. One it was my birthday and two I was tricked! haha He couldn't be mad :)

What I thought was going to be an icky day, turned into a beautiful day with a lot of surprises! Exactly what birthdays should be like. Gotta say I was just a tad slow the next day.... :)

1st Big game!


Back in May, we decided to take Kade to his first Mariner's game! We went knowing it could either be a really stupid idea or a really fun idea and our little guy stayed true as we hoped. It was a great day! Cole and I sometimes, what seems to be often, like to make things a little difficult by forgetting the stroller. Maybe this is just part of being a parent but we've become very inventive and creative finding ways to get this busy guy to settle down and still get a nap in. 6th inning came around, Cole went to the sports shop and bought a huge extremely fuzzy and conveniently expensive blanket and we created an amazingly comfortable hammock. Needless to say Kade was out like a thief in the night! (Cole's saying)

I just love his little hat on backwards :)

Uncle Dustin came along with us and spent some quality time teaching him special ways with the ladies! haha I seriously was in tears a lot of the day watching him get in with a bunch of girls that just wanted to say hi to Kade. In Dustin's defense though they did stick around and talk with Dustin as well. I told him that most girls will like the baby thing until they think it's yours, so as soon as he would rope them in he would explain that Kade was like his nephew and not actually his. It was quite an eventful day to say the least :)

Of course have to get the family photo.... Notice the bink?

I was a determined mama and was NOT going to leave that game with out a ball for Kade. I hung out for 3 innings and Dustin was informing me that one of the pitchers kept stealing a look and that I should show some more cleavage.... par for the course for him that day! I opted to go for the I'm a mom and my baby needs a 1st game ball! haha It worked!

As soon as we gave it to him and thanked League for giving it to us, he went to throw it back!! Luckily Cole caught it before it went over the edge. If Kade had more in him I would've stuck around to get it signed but we all were over it. Mariners won and we had a blast - Another one for the books :)

The big ONE

Well, now that we're working on 18 months I figured it's about time to blog about his big FIRST birthday. It's funny as a first time mom I wanted everything to be so perfect and have everyone there for him but he didn't care! What he loved were seeing other kids play and the cake. Cole and I don't really give him sweets, mainly because he eats everything else so well and loves it, so the cake was a whole new world. The day started out rainy and ugly and by the time the party was about to start it was hot, sunny and beautiful! To me there aren't too many better places than my parents back yard so I was a happy girl!

The amount of gifts the kid got was ridiculous considering he really didn't even understand what was going on. I love any reason to get family and friends together and this time I took the credit. :) I made sure to get all the food, decorations and cute invitations altogether. I cooked in the house, my dad maned the grill and eventually we all got to relax and enjoy the evening :)

I have a hard time sometimes thinking about where life is at and how great it is. I often find myself feeling guilty and not worthy of what the man upstairs has so graciously given my family and I. I now have an amazing HUSBAND (still not used to saying that) and our baby is healthy happy and growing! Does it get much better? We have such supportive family and friends and continually are reminded just how truly blessed we are. 

Papa and Memi

Papa and Gaga

Cole and I have experienced so many 'firsts' this year and while they just keep coming, the first birthday was definitely a blast and one to remember! Our closest friends and family there to help celebrate our lil' man made it so special. I ran my butt off making everything just perfect, the sun was shinning after a morning of pouring rain and Kade was just his normal laid back self and took it all in.

Kader, you mean the world to your Mommy and Dada and it's a sure thing we couldn't imagine life without your beautiful always smiling face and laid back sweetheart personality. I for one am SO excited to see this guy grow, I just selfishly don't want it moving too quickly! I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be! Happy birthday Lovebug!

Slow down May!!

The whole idea of this blog was to be able to remember details of life and to be able to look back and reminisce however, when I don't even have time to post, how is that even possible?!

May 4th..... Happy birthday to the best dad I know, the best friend I know, the most sexy and intelligent man I know and soon to be HUSBAND! Monday night I had the guys over (Dustin, Bill, Tom, Joe, Cole and I) cooked dinner and watched the game. Definitely a low key night but I love having people over and a birthday is the perfect excuse :) Cole's actual birthday night we went out to dinner with my family and the Price's to Syros, Cole's favorite! It's fun to get both the families together and Chris and Julie got to enjoy the evening kid free! The boys were missed dearly but it was nice to have some uninterrupted conversation!

May 6th... Performance Driving School officially became ours! I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are for this new adventure and how happy I am to see Cole so ecstatic. He loves the kids and actually has quite the knack for teaching/instructing. Frank and Joy Mansfield have been complete angels through the whole process. It's great to have someone that we can trust and come to with any questions that have been in the business for several years. The fact that this fell into our laps, at the most perfect time, with such a perfect fit for us is such a blessing and we couldn't be more thankful!

May 8th... My very first Mother's Day! :) That's all I have to say about that. What an amazing label. I would say job, and it is work, but its a job I wouldn't trade for the world! I love my family to death and can honestly say I have never in my life been so happy. God keeps showing me everyday something to be thankful for and I can't help but be so excited for our future! My boys spoiled me and thanks to them I get the WORKS at THE Chrysalis Spa! Ahhh.... One of my favorite places is that steam room and it is calling my name!! :)

May 10th.... Happy birthday Cruiser! We didn't end up doing anything on the specific day with him being a work day but we did celebrate later! I called bright and early to say happy birthday and he says 'man everyone is calling me' haha popular boy I'd say! :)

May 19th.... BIG day! Happy birthday Brodes and Kader! Its so cool that as cousins they can share their day. Maybe as kids not as cool but as parents it's pretty cool :) Jules told Brody it was Kades birthday too and he wasn't too fond of the idea however, when Julie Crew and Brody came to pick Kade and I up for the park he couldn't wait to tell me it was Kades birthday and Happy Birthday to Kade! :) Sweet and Sour is the perfect description of Brodes.

I couldn't find my camera when I left the house so I had to take this from Julie, but we went to Boulevard Park for the boys birthday and got beautiful weather! Meghan and Emma and Wyatt met us out there as well. It was actually quite relaxing and enjoyable! Wyatt was great with the boys so us girls got to chat and hang out :) Costco.... Another story! haha

May 21st.... Cruiser and Brodes birthday party! I wish I had some pictures from that day but I was too busy talking or taking pictures for Jules! :( I figured it was more important for her to have picture on her camera and a girls only got so many hands! Chris and Julie ended up renting a HUGE bouncing gym for the party and that served as entertainment the whole day for the kids! Pretty sure they packed up every single toy that had wheels as well. Too many to count by the way! After most of the kids had left I took Kade into the bouncing gym... not going to lie I couldn't wait to get in there! I now have an excuse to do all of the kid stuff and watch all the kid movies and claim to be a good parent that just wants to include my baby! haha Selfishly guilty! Anyway, he LOVED it. I can already tell he can't wait to be chasing around his crazy cousins!

May 22nd..... KADER'S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! I'll do a special post for this one otherwise this one could go all day! :)

The kicker to all of this is that the wedding is now less than 3 months away!! I cannot wait any longer! :)

Family day in LaConner in search of tulips!

For as long as I have lived in Whatcom County AKA Lynden my whole life I have not once seen The Tulip Fields! I have always wanted to and for some reason this time of year has always been my busiest! It was usually my soccer getting back up and going again with Rangers and to me that was always heaven. As of now, soccer is over.... at least with playing on a WFC (Rangers) team but now we have both Cole and Kades birthdays along with Crew, Brody, my Papa, Auntie Lelah, the John, Meghan and Toms birthdays! Talk about a cluster and this year we're adding weddingS! Our family has had multiple wedding showers soon bachlorette parties and weddings! It's extremely exciting but also very time consuming. Putting that all aside Cole and I made it happen! I was WAY too excited and it was turning out to be a really pretty day!

We got into LaConner and saw what would be all these gorgeous fields with ZERO flowers! They all looked like they were just freshly harvested and turned! Talk about disappointing! We drove all over and I knew we were cutting it close but we were told the festival was still going on for a couple more days so we just assumed there were going to be flowers still! We decided to hop on into town and hang out. We figured it was a nice day, we drove all this way, we better at least do something out of the norm and even though I was totally bummed it turned out to be SO fun anyway! LaConner is actually a really cute town (again had never been) and being with my family I should've known flowers or no flowers it would have been a great day! While we were shopping and looking around I found a blown glass chandelier (the picture doesn't do it justice but you get the point) that I fell in love with! $3000 told me Cole wasn't going for it so I didn't hold my breath! :)

Once we were done with town and ready to head home we packed everything up and got on our way. Cole and taken a wrong turn which in his defense is easily done there.... but I did inform him of the correct way. ;) Turned out to be a GREAT mistake because we stumbled across this absolutely beautiful field FULL of red and purple tulips! YES! All I wanted was a family picture and some of Booger next to some flowers! My day couldn't have been more perfect and Cole then reassured me that he 'knew' where he was going. Seriously.....

The flowers were SO pretty but my men are SO very handsome! :)

This kid was hilarious with the flowers! We had a guy that was 'monitoring' the flowers and kept walking past us kind of giving us a hint like 'get your kid out of the flowers maybe?' I felt bad but they were good picture opportunities! Anything for a picture right moms? haha 

I guess I figured if we really ruined one of them I would just pay him for it....

Everything inevitably ends up in our mouth! Both Cole and I will be very happy when this stage is over!

What a lovely end to a beautiful family day! This will definitely be a yearly event now for us but next time we might not try to cut it so close! :)