We'll Be Seeing You

June is both the greatest month and the saddest month of the year!  It is a month full of change, excited meant, and anxiety.  Two of the greatest people I have meet in the last year have filled our lives this month and for that I am thankful.
It starts with Breanna and Miss E.  The love I have for these two girls is overwhelming.  We love you so much.  I still love that one of E's first words was Leah and four months later she still chants Leah's name while running around the house.
Your visit here was unbelievably fun.  I feel like we know you so much better now.  The things we learnt about one another over that week made our friendship so much stronger.  You are by far the most easy going house guest that I have ever had and it makes us want to book you for more visits in the future.  I find myself wishing you were still here.  Truth be told I am pretty sure that Dave misses you guys too.  Brandi misses you so much she peed in your room.  (Let me tell you how excited I was to find that on the duvet!).
It brings tears to my eyes when I think that you are leaving us for sunny California.  I still even find myself thinking that you still live down the street and I will just take Brandi for a "Kosmynka" walk.  But truth be told I still can't bring myself to walk down your old street.  We are going to miss you so much!  Much love from the Lindgren's.

Now, Mrs and Miss Hawkeye.  I was vibrating the day you landed in Edmonton and I didn't even get to see you that day.  I kept asking Breanna if she thought that you had landed yet.  Then came Thursday!  We were all so excited the girls barely took a morning nap.  I am pretty sure that I jumped and down and screamed "there here there here" when I saw your car pull up.  I have missed the two of you so much over the last 6 months.  I am so happy that we get to see you two more times before you leave.  Little E is so precious.  She is such a cutie pie that I want to eat her up with little kisses on her nose.  We missed Auntie G around here.  Leah knows that her mom doesn't have as many fun songs, silly rhymes, and little games as Auntie G does.  I love how the kids gravitate to you when you are in the room.  I missed your crazy stories and your zest for life!  We will miss you again so much when you leave but know that you will be back in 6 months to work a few more shifts.  I am so glad that rule is in place as it guarantees a bi-yearly visit!

The end of June will be a hard time indeed.  It signifies our Lew Crew foursome going down to two.  It will be difficult to say good by this time to two truly great friends.  I know that time flies by, I know that you will be back , and I know that there is always an open invitation to visit.  But it doesn't make the initial good bye any easier.  Katie and I will keep Lew Crew going. We will ensure that the name doesn't get lost and are hoping and praying that in 2 years the Lew Crew will be back and that all members actually live in the west end!  I know that life takes us on all sorts of journeys'.  It takes us on adventures to meet new people, gain new friendships, and find those who truly touch our lives forever.  I am glad to say that the Lew Crew girls have truly touch our lives forever.

I know that you will read this.  I hope you understand and feel the emotion that I am trying to portray.  I know that come Thursday I will hear about it.  But I had to say it now, before I get caught up in the moment.  Before I chickened out.  Before time passes me by.  I don't believe in saying goodbye so for now I will just say...We'll be seeing you...

How many more sleeps?

Next week is going to be a busy and exciting week for us.  First of all, two of our favorite people in the whole wide world are staying with us!  I am so excited!  Just for this special occasion I have decided to take the whole week off of work so that I can spend as much time as possible with them before they leave.  Breanna and Emerson, Leah and I can't wait for you to stay with us.  Of course, Dave is pretty darn excited too!
Second, our very good, lovely and exquisite friends return from England!  I am super excited that the Hawkeye's will be in town.  It feels like they have been gone forever, but somehow I still feel like I know every detail of there news lives.
As the anticipation builds for next week I can't help but smile.  The Lew Crew will be back in action.  Even if it is only for a short period of time.
I know if won't be exactly the same as it once was.  But it will be awesome and maybe better because we will make the time count.  This isn't like it once was.  "Oh I'll see you tomorrow."  This will be precious time. This will be time to cherish.  This will be time to hold onto.  This will be time to remember.

Leah and Emerson cruzn'.

Leah and Elizabeth droolin'.

Leah and Cohen posin'.

Are Romantic Comedies not as good as they used to be?

I am concerned!  I love love love Romantic Comedies.  And for those of you who know me well you know this about me.  But, it seems that the movies that are coming out are not as good as they once were.  Maybe I am biased, maybe I am getting old and don't get it, or maybe some of the greatest ones have already come out and my standards are just too high!  I am a fan of the "classics":  Bridget Jone's Diary, Everafter, Pride and Prejudice (new one not old one), Mona Lisa Smile, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Count of Monticristo, Love Actually...  But the newer movies aren't the same. Yes, Confessions of a Shopaholic was funny, Twilight was good for a teenage series, Bridewars was entertaining, but not the same as Sweet Home Alabama. 

What happened to the love story, the tragedy, and that part of yourself that you can see in each leading lady?  Where are the hopelessly romantic/stubborn leading men?  The best friend that supports you through anything and all of us are longing for a friend exactly like that in our lives.  

Ahhh, I digress.  I miss a good old Romantic Comedy.  Maybe my problem is all of the actors and actress' that I loved have moved on to bigger and greater things while I am stuck in the past.  I guess one really can't build there entire career on Romantic Comedies.  You can't re-do a great thing.  Look at Valentines Day!  They tried, but you will never be able to do Love Actually twice!

So, as summer movie season is upon us I am hoping that the first two Romantic Comedies emerging in May (Something Borrowed and Bridesmaids) are as good as the books, otherwise, I am going to have to buy new DVDs for the movies that I already own as mine are going to wear out soon.  

And just in case you were wondering.  I am one of those people who watches a movie over and over again.  I honestly can't tell you how many times I have watched Everafter, but I have been watching it since the year 2000.

Our New Adventure

It is true.  I officially return to work on Monday.  Our first adventure of having a new born, staying home, living on maternity leave ei, and watching Leah growing into a beautiful one-year old girl is coming to an end.  On Monday, we start a new adventure.

I know it will be different.  It will be crazy at first.  I will be sad.  But, in the end for us, this is what is best for our family right now.

Fortunately, we found Maria.  Maria is our day home lady.  She is lovely.  She loves Leah and bonus; Leah loves Maria.  I have never seen a women so excited to have a little girl coming into her day home.  But, I guess after 2 years straight of little boys a little girl would be a great change.  Such a great change that last week when Leah was integrating into Maria's day home I would pick Leah up with her hair done everyday.  I am told that once her hair grows she will put cute piggy tails into it.  Kinda can't wait for that day.

Cross your fingers for us and wish us luck.

What a year it has been

Today, I sit, reflect, and remember.  At 2:37 am it was exactly one year ago our precious, beautiful, funny, intelligent Leah was born.  Part of me began to get teary eyed, emotional, and kind of sad.  What  "they" say is true; time really does fly by you.

Then I realized, why am I sad?!  I have a beautifully prefect healthy little girl.  Our journeys together have not always been easy.  There were times when I was sad because she was sad, or upset because she was upset.  However, there are many more times when I laughed with her/at her, smiled with her/at her.  We are so lucky to have a happy girl.

I realize, as time goes on, that times are getting more fun.  And as she learns more about the world around her she will become a little curious-information-hungry girl who wants to know everything about everything and I kind of can't wait for that.

So, as I sit on my couch and reflect and remember the past year, I must also remember that what is coming next will be just as much fun, just as sad, and just as emotional.  But the important part to remember is that it will be with Leah.  And we are so happy that we have her!

Happy Birthday Little Bum.

We need hobbies!

Last night was a normal night.  We ate dinner, played with Leah, and then put Leah to bed.  Each of us settled onto our respective couches ready to watch whatever our PVR recorded for new TV.   To our horror, there were no new shows on last night.  None that we watch anyway.  After a few minutes of channel surfing Dave turned to me and said "can I play games on your phone there's nothing on."  I threw it to him and thought to myself, there must be something on we have 200ish channels what do you mean there is nothing on.  He was right there was nothing on.  


So I thought, out loud, we need hobbies.  We are so reliant that there will be something on TV for us to watch in the evenings that we are becoming dependent on it to entertain us.  We could play cards, read (which I do but Dave doesn't), find a video game to play together...  Something.  I would like to think that between my new running program with Breanna, yoga with Katie, and up coming work that I won't find myself in this position again.  But, lately, I have often come home to or find Dave sitting and playing games on my phone as there is nothing on and he doesn't know what to do with himself.  I wonder what hobbies are out there that we could do together to fill the voids?  I am sure once I go back to work this problem will solve itself more or less as there will be household chores to be completed in the evening.  But I do still think that it will be helpful to have hobbies.

We did it...Mostly

Today, for the first time, I dropped Leah off at her day home and left.  It was hard, but slightly gratifying.  Leah was only there for about 3 hours.  But still, it is a step in the right direction.

To our day home's credit.  Things seemed to be okay.

I think that a little morning history is needed to give you the full scope of why it was only okay.  Leah woke up at 5:00 am crying for her soother as she couldn't find it in her crib.  This is a full two hours before she normally would have woken up.  She then went down for roughly 20 minutes.  I then listened to her fuss for 15 minutes after she started fussing the second time.  I waited the second time only because I have a strict nothing happens before 6:00 am rule.  When I went in again she was drooling and chewing on her thumb.  She is cutting her 5th tooth.  And I thought to myself, damn you tooth today of all days you had to make your grand appearance into Leah's mouth.  You really couldn't have waited until tomorrow.  So, needless to say, Leah was not herself this morning.

So, when I say things were okay, I mean that Leah was okay for behavior.  I guess she would be happy and then upset and wanted to chew on everything in sight.  I didn't seem to matter what was done to try and comfort her, Leah was on and off happy.  The reason I know this, Leah only ate a yogurt for lunch.  For those of you who know Leah, when she refuses to eat her mouth really must hurt!  So, when she tried to put Leah down for a nap it didn't go well; luckily I was on my way to pick her up.

Regardless of what happened today.  I feel that this was a mini milestone in our lives.  Today, Leah learnt, as the great Hap Palmer song says, "My mommy comes back, she always comes back, she always comes back to get me..."

                                           Leah before we left for her day home.