The cowboy hip hop - gettin' down.

No words - just watch.

Birthday Boy!

November happens to be a very busy month for this fam jam.

Fun fact : out of the 5 of us, 3 have birthdays in November - Declan (9th), Myself (28th) & Sadie (29th) ;)

Last week, we celebrated little man's birthday. He turned 2! He is my strong-willed, crazy, fun-loving boy.

These are a few of Declan's favorite things, at the moment -

Favorite breakfast - toast with scrambled eggs
Favorite food - apple sauce
Favorite treat - chocolate chip cookies
Favorite song - Happy by Pharrell Williams from the movie Despicable Me
Favorite movie - Disney's Tangled, especially this part
Favorite toy - anything on wheels
Favorite phrase - gasps, "oh no!"
Favorite book - Color Book
Favorite thing to play with - crayons or measuring cups
Favorite shoes - his 'Cars' crocs
Favorite time of day - bath time

We had planned to spend the day at the Telus Spark Science Center for his birthday but it snowed over night and all morning.  With one bad tire, slippery roads and the Science Center almost 40 minutes away, we decided to save it for another day.

The girls wanted to help out with the cake. I baked Declan's cake while the kids were in bed so I let the girls draw on the cake when they woke up. They had so much fun drawing pictures for their brother.

Pictures for the birthday boy from his big sissy's and balloons - we love balloons!

 

We were unsure of what to get the birthday boy this year. We decided to get him this Imaginarium Train set/table a few days before his birthday. We were a bit iffy about buying the table because we thought all the pieces would end up in different places of the house and that we'd lose most of the trains. I can happily say that after a week of having it, the tracks are all still together, no pieces missing and the kids actually play with it. I decided not to put it in Declan's room just yet because the main floor is where the kids normally hang out most of the time. They still play with it for most of the day which is nice.

My sis-in-law made this tipi for Declan. She made it the day of! Can you believe it? It's super cute and the kids love it. We are so lucky to have such a talented sister/auntie. She really can make anything and she is an amazing cook/baker. If she ever invites you over for a cooked meal, say yes! I promise you will never be dissappointed :)

August, this cutie celebrated with the birthday boy. He had fun playing (or should I say, sucking) on all the trains, tracks and the little people that came with the set. Such a cutie. If you have Instagram, you need to follow him - @hi_my_name_is_August

 When it was time to sing "happy birthday" to the birthday boy, he had all eyes on the little rainbow balls that outlined the cake. As you can see, most of it is gone because he was eating it throughout the day with his sisters. When we finished singing to him, his mouth was full, if he tried blowing out the candles, he'd be spitting out marshmallow fondant, so his sisters helped and blew out the candles for him.

Declan's birthday cake - I baked him a rainbow cake with vanilla buttercream and marshmallow fondant. It didn't turn out the greatest, I had used tons of icing trying to keep the cake together because I had made the layers too thin. It was so easy to make it tho, so I definitely plan on making another in the future for another birthday. 

 And last but not least, a little video of his day. Enjoy :)

 

Lest we forget...

It's 1:36 am and even tho I may be a day late, I didn't want to not post this. Always remembering those who fought for this amazing country, for the people and for our freedom.

Once upon a time... happy birthday!!

Have I told you how I went into labor with my littlest, Declan? I wrote about how my contractions started pretty early here. My contractions came and went for a week and a half. I remember always waking up late in the evening to contractions and then falling back asleep. After what happened earlier, I never really paid any attention to my contractions.

So, here I am, laying in bed and waking up to my contractions. I turn over and try to fall back asleep, but I can't. It's about 5:45 am. I manage to fall back asleep but wake up again soon after. This time they're stronger but I pay no attention to them and try to fall back asleep - not happening. I tossed and turned for about 20 minutes until I had the sudden urge to use the bathroom. *warning: the next few sentences may be a bit disturbing for others and not intended for those with a weak stomach*
So, I sit on the toilet, expecting to pee but instead a gush of fluid comes out of me. Is this what I think it is? Did my water actually break? No, it didn't break... I'm going crazy. Ohhhhhh yaaaa, it broke. Owww Owww Owww. Wake Michael up - NOW!!! Once I was done talking to myself. I yelled for Michael. My contractions went from a pain level of 3 to 9 in a second! They hurt like crazy and I just wanted to cry. After waking Michael up, telling him my water broke and that I was in so much pain, we had to figure out who could watch the kids. I remember him frantically searching for my phone and his phone on my night stand, still half asleep. I laugh now, but it wasn't funny then. After calling my brother and SIL, we started calling our neighbors. At the time my brother and SIL lived about 20-25 min. away from us and there was no way I could wait that long, so making a couple calls, we were finally able to get a hold of one of our fab neighbors. She came right over, with no hesitation and I was ready to book it to the hospital. I had my hospital bag in hand, sweater on, boots on and the only thing - or should I say, person - I was waiting on was Michael. Instead of running to the door with me, he decided to make his way to the kitchen, grab a shaker, fill it up with protein powder and then fill it up with water. I watched him do this in so much pain and it felt like it was taking him FOREVER to fill that f'ing shaker up with f'ing water. Seriously - FOREVER! I definitely yelled at him, reminding him that I was in fact, in labor. Oh hey, remember me? The woman in labor and having contractions every 10 seconds. Oh and did I mention that they hurt like a MF!??? So, shaker is filled, thank goodness! And off we go.

It snowed over night, so when we left, the roads were slippery and covered with snow. It was also 7:30 AM, on a weekday. Usually, when it snows over night, it seems as though eople forget how to drive the morning of. There are always accidents all over the place, people rushing to get to work so they're speeding or not yielding to other cars, of course there's an accident waiting to happen. So that morning, Mike and I were stuck in traffic - bad! We were honestly moving every 5-10 minutes. At this point, it felt like he was coming out, like now! So I tell Mike that he needs to find a different route or else I'm having this baby in the van. He pulls over into a Husky parking lot (it normally take 10 minutes to get to this husky from our house, but it took us 30 minutes that day). He calls 911 and we wait. The ambulance and fire crew came right away. As soon as they came, I can hear them all talking to Mike and after finding out that this was baby number 3, they all pretty much said, "ya, this baby is coming any second. let's get her in the ambulance. we might not make it to the hospital". Screw that noise. I am having this baby in the hospital, on a bed with an epidural!!! They take me out of the van (it was freeeeezing out!) and put me on a stretcher and into the ambulance. On the ride there, my contractions got even worse and I just wanted to push at this point. It honestly felt like he was trying to come out but I was motivated to keep him in and get my epidural. I'm guessing half way there, the paramedic asked me how I was doing and if I thought I was  ready to have the baby now. I ask him if he had epidural on him. He said no. I tell him that there was no way that I'd be having this baby without an epidural, so no, I am not ready to have this baby. He was fine with my answer and also said, "ok, that's good to know because I haven't delivered a baby in years and am not feeling confident." Glad we're on the same page, just get me to the hospital ASAP! So we get to the hospital and they wheel me in, nurses and doctors are running towards me and I'm laying there asking for the epidural. They wheel me into a room and transfer me to a bed and the doctor who was on call, walks in and says, "alright, sounds like we're ready to have a baby." First off, where's my epidural and second, Mike isn't even here yet. I asked for the epidural a few more times. I barely spoke, I was in that much pain. The only word that could come out of my mouth was, epidural. Mike shows up and the anesthesiologist shows up a few minutes later. Hallelujah! Needle in, epidural in, and within a few minutes, I was pain free and able to talk. As soon as I started talking, the nurse I had said, "Oh, so you do speak english. I was beginning to think you couldn't." I don't blame her for thinking that because I honestly did not speak a word other than "epidural" to her. She would ask me questions and I wouldn't answer. She'd ask me more questions, and I still wouldn't answer. We definitely laughed at that.
After getting the epidural, Mike showing up and then my mom (or was it the other way around?), I was able to get a bit of rest and soon after I woke up, I was ready to go. And after a couple minutes of pushing, he arrived! Declan Garland Donahue. When my doctor weighed him, he was 9 lbs even. She then said, "No wonder you wanted that epidural. He's huge!". A few minutes later, my nurse came in with my folder  of records and said, "So he's 9 lbs, your second baby was 8 and your first was 7. Are you planning on having another one? If so, be prepared for your next to be 10. You're on a roll." Ha ha ha.... eh ya, not happening.
He was finally here and I fell in love all over again. Now, 2 years later, I'm amazed at how much he has grown and the fact that all this happened two years ago. I know everyone says this, but, where has the time gone?

To the baby boy who has me falling in love, over and over again, every morning when I see that smile - you'll do great things and I'll always be here cheering you on, front row and center. After all, I am your number 1 fan. Happy birthday, buddy! xo

T.I.M.E

"Make time for your kids. Enjoy their laughter and silliness. They are so innocent and real.

Make them feel special, because they truly are the biggest blessing of your life."

I couldn't agree more with this quote. I love it so much. It's true, you know. Time with your kids is so important. Setting your priorities so that your kids/family are on the top of your list. They don't need all the cool toys or have all the money in the world spent on them. They just need your time. Whether it be in the living room, kitchen, their bedroom, on the floor, in the backyard - wherever it may be. Just spend time with them.

Today, while Mike was at work, Sadie called him asking to play "Go Fish" with her when he was done. So, as soon as he got home from work, he took a quick shower and there they were - sat at the kitchen table playing "Go Fish". They played a few rounds of the game until it was time for bed and Mike had to leave for the gym. When Mike left, Sadie asked to call him. So I gave her the phone and she started talking to him, "Hey dad, I had a fun time playing cards with you. Good night, I love you.". That phone call melted my heart and it put the biggest smile on my face. A few games of "Go Fish" was all it took to make her night.