So people who know me well know that when I say my house is messy it really isn't that bad. I just like for it to be really clean and I like everything in its place (except my bedroom for some reason but the rest of the house has to be just so). I find that more and more I would rather spend my days cuddling with Austin, playing music, reading books, helping him learn to crawl and just chatting with him then keeping my house tidy. Someone posted this little poem on one of the discussion boards that I belong to and I wanted to share it:

"I hope my child looks back on today
And sees a mother who had time to play.
There will be years for cleaning and cooking,
But children grow up when you’re not looking.
Tomorrow I’ll do all the chores you can mention
But today, my baby needs time and attention.
So settle down cobwebs; dust go to sleep,
I’m cuddling my baby, and babies don’t keep"

I want Austin to remember that his mom had time to colour and paint and search for monsters and fight dragons and fly with him to the moon. Who cares if the house isn't as prestine as it was before he came along. It isn't dirty it's just a little unorganized. My little boy is growing and as much as I want to freeze him as he is, I am loving watching him grow!

7 Months today

I can't believe it. This time 7 months ago I was waiting to become a mother.....fast forward to today and I have an fantastic little guy who is pulling himself up and babbling like crazy. Where is the time going????

I know one thing that isn't going...my waistline. I have been walking everyday and now I'm killing myself with the 30 Day Shred (Jillian is the meanest trainer ever!). Clothes still don't seem to fit right. I am really hoping to see a change on the scale tomorrow. I feel like I've had the last 7lbs to lose forever. Then I need to get to work on the 30lbs I gained since I've been married. It would be nice to have all that off by the time we (hopefully) go on a cruise next March. I don't want to show up the bride or anything but it would be nice to feel comfortable in a suimsuit.

Congratiulations Annette & Derrick!!!! (the ring VERY pretty and shiny!)

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. I can't believe that I get to partake in the celebrations on team mom this year! In recent years I have developed a very deep appreciation for my mother and for all of the sacrifices that she made for us. Since Austin's birth that appreciation has only deepened. I am so grateful to my mom for everything and especially for being so supportive and helpful since I had my own son.

I truly understand what it means to say that I would do anything for my child. I would give my life for Austin. Becoming a mother has changed me in a whole bunch of ways, one of them being that I think that I really know what love is now. I know that sounds corny but the minute they placed Austin in my arms, I felt this whole other emotion that was so intense I was overwhelmed with it. Everything that I do is for him and I think that it makes me a better person in the end because of it.

My first Mother's Day as a mom was fantastic. Gordon got up with Austin so that I could sleep in and then made me breakfast. We hung out and had a great family day, visited with G's mom and then G cooked supper and did the dishes. What more could a girl ask for? (I also got a gift certificate to the spa...no complaints there!) I really love spending a full day just spending time with my boys without being distracted by chores and other responsibilities. Nothing is better than being able to sit and babble with Austin and just listening to what he has to say.

So Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, honorary moms and moms to be. It is the greatest job in the world.

Austin is super baby!

Well it fianlly happened! Austin slept last night from 9pm until 7am without so much as a peep...now mind you he was sideways at the top of his crib when I made G check on him this morning but that is besides the point. A full night sleep and I feel like a new woman! Well a new women with incredible stiff and sore legs. I started the 30 Day Shred workout yesterday. I can hardly move up and down the stairs today. I missed on of the reps of the lunge with arm curl because Austin fell over at the musical jungle and I'm thinking that this is Jillian's punishment for me. I've stretched and had a hot bath and still the stairs hurt. I didn't think I was going to make it out of the rocking chair to get AUstin into his bed tonight so G did teh honors while I soaked in the tub.

Another milestone for Austin today. He moved forward about 6" on his but and he pulled himself up while holding onto my hands. I have a happy super baby! He really is the happiest kid I've ever seen (Annette will vouch for that!). I just hope he is still that happy when he's 17 and I don't let him take the car! :)

Sleep..or lack thereof

Poor Austin...I'm not sure if its teething or a growth spurt but the poor little guy is just not sleeping well. He was up about 4 times last night and then up bright and early at 4:50am. Yet, even with little sleep, my boy is still smiling and happy...he for sure doesn't get that from me! I miss the nights of putting him down at 8pm and him waking at 7am...I felt refreshed in the morning and it didn't worry me that he didn't nap during the day. Now I find myself going for drives just to get him to have a snooze.

Hopefully today he will have a nap in the car and tonight he will sleep better. I don't want him to be cranky tomorrow. Janice is in town and we're taking her shopping. Austin is pretty good in the mall but without a good night sleep I'm not sure how he'll react.

Who needs sleep anyway...not me! I can function..kind of... granted I say words that don't make sense, burn toast, drop spoons and baby food (today it was bananas all over my jeans) I can function perfectly well on 3 hours of sleep...(stop laughing....I can do it...maybe) Okay so maybe I do need some sleep (more like a lot of sleep).

But who am I kidding...those gorgeous blue eyes and his bright smile...you can't get down about broken sleep! He is just too important for that.

Visitors!

We've been very busy with visitors lately! Laura and DAn came by during their March break, Janine and David were here while David was on course, my mother was here for Easter, Janice is here right now for a band trip and Annette comes on Sunday.

I love being off on maternity leave and having so much time to spend with our family and friends! Laura and John are coming in June and then Gordon, Austin and I are headed to the Rock for Janice's graduation. I am loving being able to take the time to visit home. I haven't been able to spend this much time in NL since I moved away to University. It's so nice and I will really miss the flexibility when I go back to work.

The only thing that is bothersome about visiors is that they leave...

Ahh the weather

Well it is suppose to be raining today. So far the rain has not yet come but Austin and I got our walk in bright and early this morning because I didn't want the rain to keep us indoors all day. The sun is actually coming out a bit so we might go out again to get a bit more fresh air in my little guy's lungs.

I am so sick of winter. I just want the rain to come and get rid of the snow. I am ready for the sun to shine and to get Austin out of the house everyday to explore the world around him. I'm hoping that baby number two will not be another winter baby (no we are not expecting...nor will we be anytime soon!). Austin and I are starting a Stroller Fit class next week. It will be fun to get out with some other moms and babies. I'm in need of shaking up our regular routine.

I can't get over how quickly Austin is growing! He is pushing 16lbs and is quickly outgrowing his 3-6 month clothing...darn now I will need to go shopping :) He'll need a new carrier soon too as he is fast approaching the weight limit for the Snuggly. I am so proud of my little guy! He is "talking" up a storm and is really interested in the world around him. I can't wait for Nanny to get here for Easter and see how much he has changed!

My 3's- from Laura A.

THREE NAMES I GO BY
1. Lisa
2. Arrr (Mommy in Austin talk)
3. Sweety

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE
1. Mommy
2. Executive Assistant
3. Communications Coordinator

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. Corner Brook
2. Church Point
3. Halifax

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
1. Oprah
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Elmo's World

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN
1. England
2. France
3. Eastern Carribean

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1. Tuscani
2. Rome
3. Behamas

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. Turkey
2. Dark Chocolate almost anything
3. mac n cheese

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. Hearing Austin call me "Mom".
2. My Mom's visit during Easter
3. Going home in June for a visit

THREE PETS THAT YOU HAVE OWNED
1. George (our budgie).
2. Bailey (the family dog)
3. Wed and Ding the fish from our wedding reception

THREE FAVORITE BANDS/ARTISTS
1. Sarah McLahlan
2. Dave Matthews Band
3. Elton John

THREE FAVORITE TEAMS TO WATCH
1. The Sackville Rangers
2. Boston Bruins
3. The Mooseheads

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS
1. Ice Tea
2. Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate
3. Skim milk

Three months in and this is my first post!

Well 2009 is almost a quarter over and this is my first post. I haven't been feeling like myself until recently. I have to admit that I had the baby blues pretty bad. Austin was incredibly well cared for I just didn't think I was doing a good job. Part of the problem came from the issues we have been having with breastfeeding and Austin not gaining weight at the rate his doc wanted him too. I just felt so overwhelmed. I really missed my mom and didn't like being cooped up in the house every day.

In January I took Austin to NL for a visit. It was a real turning point for me. I was able to see just how far in a funk I was. It was awesome having Mom, Dad and Janice spend all kinds of time with Austin and I got to spend a bit of time by myself. I actually read a book that had nothing to do with breastfeeding and/or baby care! It was great. Since coming home from NL, I feel a lot better and now that the weather is starting to warm up, Austin and I are spending a lot more time outside going for walks. I also take Austin to a Babies' First Books class on Fridays. He seems to love it. He is really interested in all of the babies in the group.

Austin is doing awesome. He is growing like a weed. He started cereal last week and really enjoys it. We're going to feed Austin a diet that consists of organic foods and no sugar outside of natural sugars in fruits and veggies. Yup...that's right...the cake lady is going sugar free. Gordon and I are going to try to go sugar free. I really need to because I'm fairly positive my inability to lose weight probably has something to so with the fact I can't seem to pass up dark chocolate. It's hard to cut out of our diet. I mean we don't eat white anything, barely any convenience food because I cook everything from scratch and we don't eat out very much at all. I think we did the big diet overhaul a few years ago and now we have to go through with a fine tooth comb and find out what we are eating that we think is good for us but really isn't (case and point- granola bars...very yummy but not exactly health food!).

Having a little boy is such an amazing experience. Austin is really starting to develop his personality! He is "talking" a lot and laughs all the time. I don't think he is going to be a quiet child!!! (but then how could I have ever thought that?...I am his mother :) )

Happy Holidays!

Season’s Greetings!

As I write this I can hardly believe that its Christmas time again already? Where did the year go? I haven't posted much because I am consumed with motherhood. My New Year's Resolution is to make time for myself and the things that I enjoy each day. I'm certainly in Mom mode these days!

2008 has been a very busy and exciting year for the Boutilier household! We finally finished renovating the home that we purchased last year. It took us just over a year to renovate the whole house. Over the summer Gordon, with the help of Garnet and a few friends, tore the basement down to the studs and rebuilt the whole thing. I must say that the room looks spectacular! They really did a great job. Looking back at pictures of the house when we bought it, it’s hard to believe that it is even the same one!

In early February, Gordon and I discovered that we were expecting our first child. We got the official blood work back on Valentine’s Day and had quite the celebration. We let a few people in on the secret (darn near killed my mother not to say anything!) and then let the cat out of the bag Easter weekend. The pregnancy was a bit trying...morning sickness turned into 24/7 sickness for 7 months, and the heartburn was a bit much, but all in all I’d do it again. On October 4, I thought that I was going into labour but then everything stopped and at my 40 week appointment we discovered that our little Pumpkin had flipped around and was footing breech (feet where the head should have been positioned). The doctors attempted to flip baby around but no such luck. They sent us home and told us to call in on October 14 to come in for a c-section. We hardly made it through the weekend! I was up at the crack of dawn that Tuesday morning (looking back I should really have slept in!) and we were on our way to the hospital at 9am.

At 1:16pm, Austin Walter Paul made his presence known to the world! I still can’t get over how much he looks like his father! Aunt Theresa and cousin Tanner were his very first visitors. Gordon is an awesome dad and takes fantastic care of both of us. The last two months have been quite a journey. Austin had lost a lot of weight in his first week but is back on track. Just the other day I looked at him and tried to figure out when his cheeks got chubby. Austin is very content and doesn’t cry too much (only when he needs something or wants attention). He likes to be up (not good when we’re trying to put him down for a nap) and is starting to give us the occasional full night of sleep.

In November the Newfoundland side of the family came to town to celebrate Nan’s 80th birthday and Austin’s baptism. Austin was baptised on November 9, 2008 and we were so happy that so many of you were able to be here for that event. It was exciting to have my parents and sister finally meet him. I’m looking forward to taking him to Newfoundland in the New Year for a visit.

Our house is finally a home and we are so grateful to everyone for all of your support over the past year. We are all set for our first Christmas in our house with our handsome boy.

We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and that Santa is good to you!

Stayed tuned for the 2009 Adventures of Austin!

Our baby has arrived!

Above: Austin at 27 days old

Above: Austin at 2 days old

Above: Our new family! Day 1

Okay our baby arrived a month ago but I'm sorry there just hasn't been time to update my blog! Here is our birth story:

Tuesday, October 14- We called the hospital at 8am and were told to be there for 10am to check in. Once we arrived things moved pretty quickly and by 12:30 Gordon and I were in an operating room. I ended up needing a section because Austin was footling breech and it wasn't safe to have a natural delivery. At 1:16pm- Austn Walter Paul Oh my god! I have never experienced anything quite like it. I was convinced he was a girl and had worried that if the baby was a boy I would be disappointed. When they pulled him out and brought him around to show us and said “It’s a boy!” I immediately thought...of course you’re a boy. How could you be anything else? He proceeded to pee on G while G was taking his picture and then they whisked him off to be weight and evaluated. They handed him back to G and he held him by my head so that I could see him. I was so in awe. They asked if we had a name for him and we both said Austin at the same time. It took about 45 minutes to put me back together and then we moved to the recovery room. We were really lucky and had two great nurses before and after the surgery. We (more accurately G) started calling people from the recovery room. I sent a couple of texts but I was pretty out of it.

We finally go to move to our room and I got ill every time we moved the bed. We had to go back to the recovery room three times before we were able to make it up to the 5th floor. The first night was a little crazy. We didn’t get to our room until close to 6pm and the nurse gave Austin his first bath. He loved it. He isn’t a cryer at all. He only cries when he wants/ needs something. A few family members dropped by but it was pretty quiet in our room. G went to get some food for supper and I just sat there holding my little man. He is so gorgeous. I can’t describe the feeling other than to say it is the most awesome emotion that I have ever felt.

Our hospital room was like Grand Central Station. There were always nurses, doctors and visitors there. I didn’t get a moment of peace.

We had hoped to go home on Fri but my blood clotting number wasn’t high enough so they wanted me to stay until Saturday. Saturday came and Austin had lost even more weight. He started out at 8.13 and was down to 7.9. So while I was given to green light to go they were going to keep him. I begged and pleaded to take him home. I was so stressed and so tired that I wasn’t producing any milk and was a complete basket case. We worked out a feeding plan with his doc and agreed to give him formula to supplement him until my milk came in and it was enough to satisfy him.

We finally left the hospital at 5pm and had to go to Walmart on the way home to get my drugs and some formula for Austin. In hindsight I should have written out a list and given it to G but I wanted to pick out the formula and make sure I was comfortable with what we were feeding him. We had a complete dink for a pharmacist and we finally got out of there at 7pm.
We got home and I tried to feed Austin, had a complete melt down at G and then we all went upstairs to nap...

It seems like I've woken up from that nap and Austin is a month old. My family came up from NL for his baptism and I loved seeing them fall in love with my adorable little man. Austin is back up to birth weight and doing so well! Now if I could just get him to sleep through the night!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Yes I have been slack again!

My friends Emily and Gillian held a surprise baby shower for me. I was very surprised. I had no idea. Gordon got me out of the house and when we came home, my friends and family were in my living room. We got a bunch of great items that we needed and my mom sent up the Christening gown that she made from my wedding dress (above). I cried (naturally). It was so much fun!

I finished work on September 19. My BP was climbing and I was exhausted so I finally agreed with my doctor that I needed a break before baby comes. I worked late every night that week trying to get everything in order for Alison. That weekend I spent most of my time sleeping. I was soooo tired!

I spent a week and a bit cooking. I have about three weeks worth of meals in our freezer so that I won't have to bother cooking for awhile after we bring baby home.

The highlight of September was seeing Sir Elton John perform at the Metro Centre. Words can not describe how incredible the show was! Every time he played a song that we play to the Baby, Pumpkin would kick and move around. It was very cool! The next night Drew ambushed Gordon and took him out on the town for go karting and a night of drinking. It's called a Diaper party. They started it with Drew and the whole concept is that the men have to bring diapers to participate. In our case we got a gift certificate to the place where we are going to buy our cloth diapers. It was great. Gordon had a great time out.

Tomorrow we are having turkey dinner at Gordon's parent's house. His brother Stephen is in town. I'm looking forward to meeting him. Should make for an interesting dinner!

Just a few more days to go and Baby Boutilier should be here!!! We are getting so excited!!!

What a weekend!!!

So we picked our nephews up on Friday after work and then went to Rogers to rent them a game each. Tanner picked Lego Indiana Jones and Adam picked Super Mario Smash Brothers. G now wants to buy the Lego games! It was a lot of fun I must admit. Smash Brothers not so much. It was giving me a headache.

We got up on Saturday and made the boys waffles and then we packed them up and headed to the Valley. After an incredibly nutritious lunch at the Golden Arches, we took them to the market and then we hit the orchard. I got some great pics (including my 36 week belly pic) The boys managed to find all the giant apples, which will work in my favour for baking this week and next!

Saturday night we had a good bye party for a coworker in town. That was pretty fun but I was exhausted after the day with the boys so we didn't stay long. I got up a little late on Sunday and had to bake a cake. G was dead set on getting me out of the house by noon so he was trying not to be impatient with me. I took the time that the cake was baking to do my hair and put on some make up...I never do that on Sunday regardless of where we are going but I figured if he had made the effort to plan something I could look nice for him. lol

Cake out of the oven, he promptly took my flip flops out of the closet and said "Let's go!". He took me to Cora's (a popular breakfast place here) and we got seated almost right away (unheard of on a Sunday!) Our waitress was slow and the food was taking forever. I was starting to feel dizzy because I was over heating and I was hungry. Finally our food came and it was pretty good. G still wouldn't give me any details about what was going on. After brunch (It was 1:15 by then) we went to Pete's and got some fruit and then he ran into Shoppers to get a few things. I wandered around the baby store and wanted to buy everything in sight! But I didn't. I really do need to find out if this is a boy or girl before I buy anything else!

G then declared that we had to go home and put the groceries away before we went to part 2 of his planned afternoon. So we get home and I go in with the key (desperate to pee, as usual) and I noticed that the front porch light was on. We never leave lights on...so I yell out to G that a light was on and he tells me to go in. Here I am slowly opening the door scared to death that someone had broken into our house, yet my husband didn't seem to care about sending me in first. I got the door open a crack and noticed that my living room was full of people! My two friends Emily and Gillian had planned a surprise shower for me! My family and friends and a few of G's family were all there. I was shocked! Not so much that they threw a shower for me but more so that they actually managed to surprise me! I always figure these things out...lol.

We got a bunch of stuff off our registry and a glidder rocker, some gift cards and some cash. The best gift of all came from my mom. She couldn't be there (obviously as she is in NL) but she found out about the shower and sent a gift through my aunt. I opened up the box and immediately started to cry. It was the christening gown that my mom had made from my wedding dress. She kept so many of the details I couldn't get over it. It has the rushing in the front and the buttons down the back. The collar is made from the beaded halter and she built some of that detail into the back as well. I couldn't get over how lovely it is. Of course it took me a few minutes to recover before I could say anything. Then we cut cake, had a chat and most everyone went home. Gill and Em had the men bring Graham and Claire over so that was a fun way to end it. The kids loved the balloons that were there. and had a great time running around the house with them! We got the place all cleaned up and then I decorated a cake. Went to bed a little late for a work night and now I am paying for it! Oh well. It was a great weekend....

8 weeks, 2 days to go...we hope...

So I have to admit that I have not been one of those happy, glowing pregnant people consistently throughout this journey. Don't get me wrong. I am in love with this child and am very willing to be uncomfortable to bring our little one into this world, but seriously! come on! Morning sickness has struck again, I can't sleep because I can't get comfortable and I'm so tired that it is only 9:20am and I am ready to go home and go back to bed. I feel sick and over heated. Come on October! Getting my body back will be so terrific!

On a brighter note...Gordon and I had an amazing trip home to NL. We had a couple of lazy days and then two party days and we spent a day in Gros Morne before heading back to Halifax. Mom and Janice hosted a baby shower and we were given a lot of great homemade blankets, some towels, books and a few other things. The wipe warmer was a pretty cool! My mother gave me a book called "Someday". If you have a daughter run out and buy it for her!!! It is the most beautiful book. It is a children's story book but I still can't get through it without crying. Part of it is hormones, part of it is that I really miss having my mom around. It's been very difficult to go through this whole pregnancy without having her physically close by and I am dreading the thought of brining home this delicate little newborn without my mother's help. We tried to time this so that the baby would arrive in the summer and my mother could come up but God had other plans and Pumpkin will be arriving in October instead. I know that I am extremly lucky to have close friends, aunts and my in-laws around but it isn't the same. Some times a girl just needs her mom...

Done!

Finally our house is finished!!! The basement is done, laundry room and half bath are finished, working and have doors. The upstairs is just bedrooms (no misc. boxes in random rooms) and the main floor just has the stuff that belongs there put where it is suppose to be. I am thrilled!!! I am beyond thrilled! It is so nice to come home at the end of the day and not have to face a renovation or a mess. It's great that G can now relax and spend some time with me and the baby.

We are headed to NL in 3 days. I am really excited about the trip home. I may have to wear a tshirt that says rub the belly be destroyed but I can't wait to see everyone. Pumpkin is growing like a weed and is moving around a lot. Pretty great during the day but not so fabulous at night. It's been so humid here. Between the bump and the heat it hasn't been so easy to sleep.

RyLee arrived from Nashville yesterday. Tonight we're all heading to see Mamma Mia. You can guess how excited Gordon is about that considering that he loves musicals and all. (I don't think that was sarcastic enough...) RyLee is around for the whole month so that will be great. On a side note her hubby Clay was performing at a festival where Jessica Simpson was performing and he got to hang out with her!!! I just happen to be a fan and will not be above begging and pleading to get an autograph or a pic and I told RyLee so last night. :P

I need to have a productive day today...I guess that means I should get off my blog and get to work!!

78 days to go!

Okay so expect a lot more countdown posts! Just 78 days (give or take) to go before our little one makes an apperance! Gordon set up the crib in the baby's room and we picked up our travel system last night (thanks mom and dad!). I can hardly believe that in about two weeks I'll be at our baby shower....craziness...


Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! (I know it was on the 23rd but I didn't post that day). I can't believe that you have been married 31 years! I hope that we get to celebrate 31 more anniversaries with you! We love you and can't wait to see you in 8 days!

11 weeks 4 days to go

11 weeks?!? That can not be right...I feel like I have been pregnant forever (in a way I have) I am so tired, my belly is lopsided and by 4pm I will no longer have ankles (It's a daily feature of being preggo the coming attraction apparently is the wide nose that I will get in month 9 according to my coworkers!) The weather is crappy today. It is rainy and dark...perhaps that is perpetuating my mood. Oh well maybe yoga tonight will help.

Boutman house update!!! The basement is finally nearing completion! We can use the room now which is a major bonus. All of the furniture is now back where it is suppose to be. The rest of the rooms in my house now look huge compared to two weeks ago when they were all jammed with stuff. All that is left to do upstairs is hang a few mirrors, pictures and hooks. The baby's room still has some office stuff in there that needs to be sorted, filed or thrown out and then we can get that room organized and the baby's crib set up. Gordon has done such a great job and I am so proud of him!

Gordon and I registered last night for all of the essentials that we will need. I really do not want my house to be busting at the seams with stuff we don't need so we made a list of must haves and consulted with a few friends who recently had babies. Stripped half the stuff off the list and I think we ended up with a good list of essentials. It was still a lot of stuff... thank goodness for baby showers and hand me downs!!!

Other big news: We have tickets to see ELTON JOHN!!!! What a great last date night out before the baby! I am thrilled beyond belief. I love Elton John and I very excited to see his solo show. I'm sure that it will be something quite fantastic.

I'll post the 28 week belly pic soon. I know I haven't done a great job of sharing photos but I have to admit that it has been a real struggle to get used to having this belly in front of me!

And now for a quick game of MASH!

Well...thanks George! I was having a productive day when I took my daily check of your blog...and ended up playing MASH. I ended up with G but I had your man in the mix...oh well maybe I'll have better luck next time! lol

		I will marry Gordon.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in miami in our fabulous Shack.
		We will have 3 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Pink echo.
		I will spend my days as a Receptionist, and live happily ever after.

Enjoy the adventure George!

I hope you have a safe trip and that you arrive in the Hat safely. Enjoy the adventure and we will see you sooner rather than later!

Don't forget to run John's head for me!!! :)

4 years later...

I can still remember almost every detail of that day. I had hardly slept I was so excited. I opened my eyes early and decided to get out of bed and shower. I was a bit upset about the rainy weather and prayed that it would clear up in enough time to allow for our pictures to be taken in the Park. My dad's kinsmen buddies had planted flowers and hung hanging baskets in our wedding colour theme so that the gazebo (a tribute to a dear family friend) would be perfect for us.

One of my favorite parts of that morning was waking up my little niece Ani to get her ready for the hair dressers. I'll never forget as my mother was explaining what we were doing that day she said "the party keeps, going and going and going!" and she was so right. That day was a great day. I got to hang out all morning with my three amigos and my mom and some of my new family. I don't remember being overly stressed (I did have to get my Dad to call the DJ to remind him that he was booked for our reception). Before I knew it I was standing in my parent's living room in my incredible wedding dress. I felt amazingly happy. I have never felt so beautiful in my whole life as I did at that moment.

I remember getting to the church and having a few moments in the back with my girls before we all lined up. I couldn't even wait for Ani and Adam to get all the way down the aisle. I wanted to go. I wanted to see Gordon. I will always remember the moment that our eyes met. My heart knew I was right where I was suppose to be and so was he. The ceremony was great, we had a blast getting our pictures done and then we all partied until the wee hours of the morning. It was such a fun wedding.

Later sitting in our hotel room (after our "friends" kicked us out of the party in their room, seriously!) as Gordon was taking the 6 million bobby pins out of my hair, we both just looked at each other. "Good day?" he asked. "The best." was my answer.

Four years have past and I can still say that we had the best day. The best part is we keep having them. The past four years haven't been without their bumps but we always come up. I can hardly believe that this is our last wedding anniversary just the two of us. Next year we will need a sitter (and our basement will be finished!). I am so excited about our life together. I am so lucky to have such and incredible husband.

Happy Anniversary love!