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.

Hallows' Eve... Eve? - Family Pumpkin Carving

It's that time of year again. Time for all the cute, scary, pretty and, I guess you could include, "sexy" costumes to come out. Decorating your house with ghosts, creepy creatures, pumpkins and all things halloween-y. We actually decorated our house tonight with all that fun stuff. A bit late, but you know how the saying goes, "better late than never".

As you can see, we welcomed creepy creatures, black cats and creepy crawly things - clearly fake. The girls had so much fun helping me put decorations up. As for Declan, he had fun being a terror and taking things down. So we took a break from putting more decorations up.

We also carved pumpkins this evening. Earlier this morning we told the kids that as soon as daddy gets home and after we've eaten our dinner, we could carve pumpkins. So the whole day, Mckenzie would ask, "Is daddy home yet? We carve pumpkins yet?". It was cute and annoying all at the same time. When Sadie got home, the girls picked out what kind of pumpkin they wanted. Can you guess what they chose?? If you said, Elsa and Anna, you are right! We decided to carve Declan's pumpkin as the Lorax, since it is one of his favorite movies at the moment - also, he could care less what his pumpkin was going to be... I don't even think he realizes that he even has one.

As soon as Mike got home from work and showered quickly, we started on dinner. And after 45 minutes of Mike and I constantly asking the girls to "eat their dinner" and "to stop goofing off", we finally started on our pumpkin carving.

As you can see, Sadie was not at all excited to be cleaning out the pumpkin. She was so grossed out. I tried telling her that she cleaned her pumpkin out last year. But she wouldn't budge. And when big sissy is grossed out, Mckenzie is grossed out, too. She did put her hand in there, but pulled it right out as soon as her hands got slimy and wet. Thank goodness for daddy. He got right in there while mommy snapped some shots.

This kid - he is usually in bed by 530-6ish. So, when we started, it was already way passed his bed time. I loaded him up with stickers and markers. Two things he doesn't see too often, so he was a happy camper, in his chair the whole time! It made me one happy mama - that's for sure!

After the pumpkins got cleaned out, Mike started on the carving. And while he was doing the carving, the girls decorated their other pumpkin with pumpkin decorating stickers I bought from Target. They loved it and had so much fun decorating their pumpkins on their own.

 I seriously love this little guy. And I was so surprised with how happy he was.

Once Mike was done doing all the "heavy lifting" aka pumpkin carving, I managed to get a family photo afterwards. Even with Declan being up 4 hours passed his bedtime, he didn't mind taking pictures at all. I honestly don't even remember when the last time we took a family picture. When people offer to take a family picture, I normally opt out of one because, either Declan is asleep, or there is one kid or sometimes two or even all three kids upset or Mike is not in a picture taking mood (he is not a big fan of posing for pictures. He is more of a candid picture kind of guy). So I was shocked and so incredibly happy that the one we took turned out great!

And I honestly love this picture in particular because of Mckenzie's face. Always the joker.

Lastly, the girls wanted pictures with their pumpkins before going to bed. The faces I got - priceless!

As Sadie would say, "One more sleep until Hallowe'en". I hope everyone has a fun and safe Hallowe'en!

Little Miss Sleepyhead

This weekend has been very busy for this mama and her littles. That being said, naps and early bed times have been scarce causing this girl to pass out in the middle of eating her apple on our "comfy" dining table.

I need to say this more often...

To the man who has made all of my dreams come true - THANK YOU!
To the man who loves me for who I am - THANK YOU!
To the man who loves his children, who helps care for them, who nurtures them and who always wants the best for them - THANK YOU!
To the man who works hard, to give his family the best life we can live - THANK YOU!
To the man who works hard so I am able to stay home with our kids - THANK YOU!
To the man who makes the time tuck the kids in bed, give cuddles before work and listens to stories after a long exhausting day - THANK YOU!
To the man who always tells me I'm beautiful - THANK YOU!
To the man who is patient, who barely complains about anything and who always thinks positively - THANK YOU!
To the man who is constantly making us laugh - THANK YOU!
To the man who lets me sleep in - THANK YOU & I LOVE YOU! (haha)
To the man who gives us security - THANK YOU!


My list of "thank you's" are endless. I'm so blessed and grateful to have this man in my life.

Last weekend, the littles and I, joined our fab friends for some corn maze fun! since moving out of the city and with everyone busy with school, jobs and their families, it's hard to get together these days. It was so nice getting the kids together, goofing around and even have the adults join in on the fun as well. From big slides, big bouncy 'pillows' to more big slides and a hamster-like rolling thing, that I think, the adults had way more fun in.

The Calgary Corn Maze did not disappoint. After making our way thru the physical and tiring activities,  we made our way to the animals. They had goats and kids (baby goats), sheep, chicken and ducks. I could tell Declan enjoyed this area very much. I watched him chase a goat for about a minute until the goat had enough. It was pretty entertaining to say the least. And before picking out pumpkins we headed over to the one thing the kids asked (more like begged) to go to since we first stepped onto the grounds - the playground. That area was packed - kids everywhere. There is one area on the playground where it literally had kids on kids on kids. You see, the play structure they have has a second level. Now, in order to get to the second level, you don't have to climb stairs or a ladder but instead, you climb up this curved tube looking thing that is just made out of rope. The opening isn't that big and ya, sure it looks fun to climb - just as long as you don't have 10 other kids trying to get up there with you at the same time. Every time I looked in that direction, you can guarantee, there was a kid or two crying because he/she was stuck, or was being trampled on. The kids learned pretty fast to stay away from that area - thank goodness. To the owners of Calgary Corn Maze - you should add in a set of stairs... or something, please :)

We spent a good chunk of our time at the playground before heading over to the pumpkins.  The kids were able to pick one little pumpkin and decorate it - which they had tons of fun doing.

It was definitely a great day with great friends. And if you are in the area, I definitely recommend checking it out.