crystal's little corner

Wow.. what a great (but busy!!) weekend. I'm exhausted! Saturday Mark & I went with a ton of family & friends to Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre . The play was hilarious, based on All in the Family. I laughed until my belly hurt.. and ate the same way! The food was good, and the night was a fantastic time. Sunday dawned bright & early, with Mark & I trying to get the last minute stuff done for Alex's dedication service & birthday party. We had around 20 people over for BBQ, cake & presents and a good time was had by all. Now you know you're all wanting weekend pictures, so here we go! alex with auntie marcie & uncle adam (godparents) the official cake monster picture!

michelle . hope you have a fantastic day and you enjoy your trip.

keji seaside adjunct august 2007

I got the best job in the world. I became a Mom. Happy Birthday Alex.. Mommy loves you more than life.

a sailboat in the shadows of the Bluenose II

sooo.. i was busy working on monday, but mark & i celebrated our 2 year wedding annversary that day :) in other news... i'm back to work full time. i started at oak island last week, which seems ok so far. also, alex is WALKING. not much time right now to go any further in to things, little man has a doctor's appointment this morning so we need to get our butts in motion!

things have been busy! we spent last weekend in shelburne for bruce & lisa's (and kali of course!) wedding.. it was gorgeous! congrats to you both! thennnn, i had a job interview yesterday. i think that it might have gone well and i could be starting any time.. now i just have to find someone to take care of my little pumpkin-boy. alex is almost walking.. soo close, yet so far away. i'm sure it's only minutes before he takes off runnin' though. my new camera is AMAZING.. i've been getting amazing shots of alex and taking more photos of "other" things than my baby boy. flowers, scenery, people, randoms.. it's a very exciting concept to finally have a better camera for my developing hobby. should be a fun weekend coming up... mom is arriving on friday and staying until monday, dad is coming on sunday (if the weather is good) on his new motorcycle, and mark is away camping with the boys! gonna be another busy one, with of course, lots of photos. wo

I HAVE A NEW CAMERA!!!! that's all.

make for a VERY giddy and happy crystal.. we went to the bridgewater exhibition tonight to see trooper play.. we listened to a couple of songs.. they played "we're here for a good time (not a long time)" first, so after that, we were raring to go. margaret has been here for a few days, so off we went.. first we stopped by the beer garden to listen to some bad karaoke and basically chug a beer to try and cool off, then we checked out this great ride where it was basically like we were hang gliding. after that, we went on the ferris wheel, got ice cream and then meandered our way out of the ex.. i had the best time i've had in MONTHS.. i laughed and giggled, and got to hang out with my best friend like we haven't done since we were in high school. pictures will follow of course.

i've been a little slack in updating this the last couple of weeks.. soo much has been going on, but it's that time of year! so... updates. Alex: Every day I am more and more in love with this little man. He amazes me with his smile, his learning and his love. Nothing makes me happier than one of his sloppy wet kisses, and when he wakes me up in the morning by saying "Mom Mom Mom Mom". We've had alot of firsts these last few days.. First haircut on July 1, first full week of sleeping through the night, and now, his first "real" illness. Alex has the chicken pox, woke up with them yesterday, July 13.. Friday the 13th.. go figure. He's had his bouts of ear infections, and did have a strep infection (which basically was just a rash that looked like a heat rash), but never once did he get cranky or upset with us. He's the happiest baby and everyone tells us how lucky we are.. Like we need a reminder. (after picture of the first haircut) LIFE: (other

i'm very sad. my old friend, my old digital camera decided that yesterday was the day it was going to go to heaven. we had planned on buying a new camera in august anyway, but i just wasn't ready to let go of the old one. so... today, i went and put my name on the waiting list for this beauty . i'm going to go put some cash down on it on wednesday and pay it off over the next month. i'm very, very excited. just a quick post for now.. i'm off to work wing night and then home to collapse :D

to all you dads.. have a fantastic day. here's to the men in my life.. my dad, my hubby & my son. i wouldn't be who i am without all of you, and i hope alex you grow up to be the wonderful dad that you have and that i have. I LOVE YOU!

i think that i'm going to need to start building an ark if this rain doesn't soon stop. the blue sky popped out for a whopping 2 hours yesterday (if that!). it's very depressing. yesterday was mark's birthday.. we had a family BBQ, gave him his gifts and then mark's parents took alex home with them for a sleepover. we headed out with some friends for a couple of beers and a LOT of laughs.. i'd forgotten how much fun some of our friends are.. LOL not much on the go for today.. staying afloat in the rain, finishing laundry from yesterday, and relaxing. mark is off work at 3 pm today, i think i might cook a roast for supper. YUM.

i'm down in the slumpy-dumps again today. it has to be the weather. or the lack of sleep. or the fact that i have applied for a hundred jobs and nobody has even called me for an interview. i really have nothing positive to say and if you can't say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. so.. bye for now.

alex finally put his little body in motion and started to crawl yesterday. looks like i'm going to be running from now on! in other alex news, i'm waiting for the doctor's office to open so i can see if i can make him an appointment. he seems to have a bit of a rash on his face :( not much going on with us.. mark started the new jbo last week, seems to like it. i have been applying for jobs all over the place but still haven't heard back from any of them yet. blah! not much else goin'.. mark's birthday is friday and we're baby-free that night.. but as grown up as we are, we're not going out to celebrate.. we're cleaning out the basement. LOSERS. :) and now a new picture of alex:

i'm a mom.

mark got hired on at the building supplies full time.. that means FINALLY a steady, reliable paycheque. i'm REALLY cranky today. for some reason, i just want to yell and be miserable. isn't sunny weather supposed to make you happy? maybe i'm having junk food withdrawal. i'm on day 2 of weight watchers and am doing well with the tracking, water & exercise.. but dammit, i miss junk food already.

first.. there's nothing better to wake up to in the morning then the sound of your baby laughing and listening to your husband tell your baby how much he loves his family. that's what my "alarm" clock was this morning. i forgot to shut the monitor off after alex's feeding through the night and so i got to hear the playing and father/son time that the boys share every morning. second.. it's time to get my weight loss train back in motion. i was doing soo great, was back to my pre-baby size within 2 months of having alex, and since then have packed the poundage back on. so, starting yesterday, i'm counting every bite i put in my mouth, making the effort to get outdoors and walk, drink my water every day, and SOMEHOW manage to avoid the snacking gremlins that attack me late in the evening.

(the guy running in between those trees is 6'6 and over 300 lbs.. but you'd never know it!)

so now i'm sick. spring time colds are not fun! it's a beautiful sunshiny day outside and i feel too rotten to take alex out to enjoy it. we did spend most of the day outside yesterday and alex's toes met the grass for the first time! some pics of course!!

Well, the day started off not so great with a doctor's appointment where it turns out my little man has a bit of something going on in his chest.. Has an awful rattly noise when he breathes, so back to the doctor we are going tomorrow to have it checked again. He's had a cold for almost 2 weeks, and she wants to make sure that it doesn't turn to something worse, like bronchitis or pneumonia. Buttt, because I'm a "good" mother (that is questionable today!), Mark & I bundled up Alex last night after supper and took a walk down to the new playground that was built last weekend. He enjoyed the swings and the slide, but wasn't too sure about the spiral slide that he & Daddy went down. The fresh air helped him feel better though, he was far more pleasant last night then he's been in days!

yesterday was a greaatt day! it started out with a solid 2 1/2 hours of me-time while i got my hair cut & highlighted for the summer.. then we dropped alex off at his nana & papa's and came home to get ready for our party we were going to have last night.. we had a fantastic time, lots of good friends, dancing, and a few beverages consumed... a pic of my new hair: a pic of my girlies from last night:

i'm still feeling a little out of sorts after wednesday's rotten news .. alex is gone to mom & dad's for the weekend so i can go to sara's funeral and such this weekend, which is a major help, especially since he's coming down with a cold. but.... it's 18 degrees outside, the flowers are blooming in front of my house and there's not a cloud in the sky. its hard to be sad when its so springy outside.

My baby brother popped the question yesterday to his girlfriend of 5 years... Congrats to Adam & Krystal.. We love you!

i never thought i'd be thankful for a big purple dinosaur. but the last couple of days, the only thing that is saving my sanity is barney dvd's.... i'm suffering with a horrific migraine, and i swear.. alex knows and is having a couple of sooky days where all he wants to do is be with me. i can't even leave the room unless barney's on! in other news.. keep your fingers crossed for me. i've applied for a couple of jobs in springhill (nice & close to home!!). mark & i have decided that a move might be the smartest thing for us. there are more jobs there, cheaper housing and really.. isn't a new start usually a good thing? i sent my resume off yesterday so i'm hoping to get a phone call for an interview. besides that, the only other thing going on with us is my new addiction to mini eggs. is it wrong to eat them for breakfast, washed down with my timmy's ? some new pics of alex from easter weekend:

wow. what a busy weekend we had! saturday, mark played in playoffs for the dooly's pool league, so alex and i spent the day visiting with mark's parents. sunday, michelle & monica finally got to come down to meet alex, after too long of saying "let's get together.." "when's good for you?", etc. we had a great lunch at the kiwi, chatted for so long that i didn't manage to get supper cooked as planned and had a much needed afternoon out (or at least.. i needed it.) i had a great time and here's a shout out to you ladies :) this week is loooooooming blank on the calendar with nothing to do. i must find a way to fill in the blanks.

your little gift to alex has now been preserved for posterity.

seems to be the thing to do.. interesting to see everyone's take on things. bruce.. we're thinking of you.. be safe!

how exciting.. spring is here.. my favorite season of all. i'd like to be able to go out and enjoy it, but the feel like temp according to my little weathereye is saying -11, and that just is too flippin cold for the little monster.. and his mom!

Alex has hit some wonky stage.. apppparently, he's forgotten how to sleep. I've been catching 10 or 15 power snoozes here and there, but life these days is a bit of a fog. Ick.

So, as everyone already knows, Alex is staying at my mom & dad's for a couple of days while we get our wits back.. Last night, I get this email "from" my little dude: Hi Mommy and Daddy I just went to bed like a good boy and nanny said she was going to send you some pictures of me. Nanny really wanted me to pass out tonight, cause she gave me this little bottle and it had a funny taste, I think it was RUM!!!! Boy did that taste Yummy!!!!!Anyhow I hope I wake up in the morning cause I know I am going to pass out just from the fumes lol. I miss you mommy and daddy, can't wait to see you tomorrow. The scratches on my face, I did allllll by myself, so don't blame nanny, her and popeye are treating me really nice. See you soon I love and misses you. Love Alexander P.S. Mommy please don't forget my snot snucker, I have boogers!!! HAHAH. It includes this picture: So.. I was going to go pick him up today, but the weather did not co-operate and I'm leaving brig

so, today i did absolutely nothing.. i sat in front of the tv pretty much all day! mark took me out for supper and then i hit the grocery store (without having to drag a carseat.. how i miss those days!), came home, had a hot bath with a glass of wine, and am off to bed to watch a movie. tomorrow i am getting my hair cut and going to go out for lunch.. then off to get the babes! :)

this morning was the best mommy-moment going.. alex came in bed with me to snuggle while mark was heating a bottle, and fell sound asleep against me. he stayed there for almost an hour!! on the mommy-front, i'm baby-less for 2 days. mom & dad offered to keep alex in oxford 'til tuesday, so i get two solid nights of sleep, and a day and a half of pure-crystal time.

I spent part of the morning while Alex was napping browsing around flickr and found that people have an eye to catch the beauty of almost anything.. this even included a plate of fish & chips from the tavern I work at. I took some inspiration in that, bundled up the baby and off we went around Chester to see what kind of hidden beauty I could find in a village so well known for it's picturesque quality. I took some great shots and am going to upload them to my flickr account right now. If you want to take a boo, visit me!

I can't believe it's already March. This winter has gone by so fast! It's hard to believe that my little man is going to be six months old in just a couple of weeks. Things are a bit better today. I have gotten a couple of nights sleep and there is a trip to Oxford on the horizon for me. I feel bad about some of the ways I word things when I blog about being a mom. Alex is the greatest gift I've been given, and I'm so blessed to have my little family. I mean really.. what's more important? I feel like I complain too much about "poor me" when there are so many people with bigger problems.

here it is.. another boring post about my boring life. ;) things have been rough the last few days. alex is teething, therefore miserable. i'm down in the slumpy dumps because i never get to get away from things, and i literally almost had a mental breakdown on sunday. it was NOT a good day. yesterday we took alex out for a romp in the snow for the first time. let's just say, it lasted about 4 minutes before he started to freak out. other than that, things are the same as always. if anyone has any ideas how to get me out of this slump, bring 'em on! i'm all ears.

wow.. it's amazing just how little that goes on in my life these days.. haha.. i don't really go anywhere, or do anything lately. saturday night saw alex go to mark's parents house for the night. that was good, we had some friends over, hit up the benefit at the tavern that helped fundraise for the playhouse , and then had a quiet day on sunday. mark went out and did a little bit of work today, so of course, i took wayy too many photos of alex this afternoon... he was just too darn cute!