Today Roman was up bright and early, so early in fact John hadn't left for work yet. Roman gets so excited when he sees his Dad in the morning! He loves to watch John wash his face and shave in the morning, so I moved his stool in there so he could stand up to the counter and do man things with John while I made breakfast. Roman had eggs with veggies and milk along with a bit of my toast that he nabbed.
7:15am - Get ready and play!
I also lucked out having John still at home this morning because that means I was able to get most of my morning routine done before he left for the morning. Once John left for the day Roman ran around and played with his toys and the dogs while I finished my makeup. I even caught him sitting in his Ninja Turtle chair watching Garfield on TV. It only lasted for a minute or two but it was really cute!
8:10am - The frosty outdoors
Now that Roman has figured out how to tell us when he wants to go to the basement, he's also figured out that this works for going outside. It was a pretty frosty morning so I bundled Roman up and we headed out for some fun. We started with a lovely walk around the crescent which took a whopping 20 minutes. No we don't live on a crescent that is a mile long, we do however live on a crescent with a lot of vehicles parked on the street, especially on a Saturday. Roman had a blast checking all the tires (and trying to open a few doors *face palm*) but the highlight for him was definitely walking along the busy street outside our crescent to watch all the vehicles drive past. This is probably the slowest part of the walk because we have to stop and watch each vehicle as they past. This road is a major artery in and out of or end of town so there is a lot of traffic, much to Roman's delight and my dismay.
I thought we had seen our fill of vehicles when we got home but clearly Roman didn't feel the same. As soon as we got back to the house he ran into the garage and hopped up on his tricycle. With cold noses and hopeful hearts we headed back out in search of the ultimate vehicle, and we were not disappointed. We spotted the ever elusive cement mixer which had Roman nearly falling off his tricycle with awe. I don't think it gets much better than that and Roman seemed satisfied with it so we went inside. At least that's how I like to think it would have gone. Of course Roman had different plans. Instead we had to go check out the trains and the leaves. Roman is turning out to be a fall lover just like his mama!
Roman finally agreed to come inside when I said he could help me make his snack. All that involved was getting an avocado and container of yogurt with berries and granola out of the fridge but it was enough to bribe him into the house. Bronx was nice enough to help clean up from the snack and Roman and Wonder Woman also pitched in!
Normally I would have been panicking if Roman went down for a nap at this time, but because were heading out to a craft sale at 10:00am I was happy to let him get in a little rest before the big adventure.
My Mom and Stephanie came over to my house at about 9:30am before heading to the craft sale. I swear every time Mom comes over she has a ton of stuff for me that she either found or I forgot there. This time she brought over a recipe binder that I made up for her years ago. She used to have all her old recipes on cards, that you could barely read between the writing and the food splatters, so I typed them up and put them in a binder for Christmas one year (super inexpensive and awesome gift for any Mom!). Over the last few years she has accumulated more recipes that need to be added, and because I no longer have the original file (smooth move Kendra) I have to retype the entire binder. I'm actually kind of excited about it! I'll get to discover some cool recipes and it's another project for me. Not that I need one...
10:00am - Craft Sale
I finally had to wake Roman up so we could meet my aunts at the sale. I tried my usual soft "Roman, Roman, it's time to wake up sweetie", but that didn't work. So I tried "Roman, Grandma's here do you want to come see Grandma?". The little devil's eyes flew open, flashed a huge smile, and jumped up like a kangaroo! I guess he was a little excited to see Grandma!
I love a good craft sale but sometimes the crowds can be a bit much. Plus people seem to have no regard for strollers what so ever. During the first 10 minutes of being there a man wasn't paying attention to where he was going, tripped on our stroller wheel and almost landed on top of another stroller! Does it not occur to people to look behind or beside them before the start walking when they know they're in a crowd? Anywho, I found my soul purpose for visiting the craft sale, Peanut Brittle from Homemade Cravings so I was happy. Roman the little monkey scored free samples from every food table we passed. I guess it is handy to have a cute baby with you no and then! Roman's favorite items were definitely the lamps from the Chocolate Moose. I used to have a lamp from them in his room and he was in total awe. He would have been happy standing there in Grandma's arms all day I'm sure. He did manage to visit the arms of my Aunt Arlene as well as Stephanie while we were there though.
We went all healthy on this lunch I tell ya. Now I don't want people to freak out saying "oh my gosh I can't believe you give your kid McDonalds!". Yes he had chicken nuggets and fries for lunch (they were supposed to be apple slices!) but he also had yogurt and milk, plus he was going to have a very nutritious supper. Everyone like a little McDicks once in awhile whether they admit it or not. Mom, Stephanie and I all decided to go with Big Mac meals with fries and Coke Zero (because that makes it healthier).
1:00pm - Closing Stephanie's party
Stephanie recently decided to have a Steeped Tea basket party so we decided to close it out today since they had an awesome promo on that meant she got an extra bag of free tea! Thank heavens my Mom was there because it would have been impossible to do with Roman attempting to nab my laptop. She managed to distract him with these water balloon things that two of his aunts bought him at the craft sale. It backfired a little on Mom though because all Roman was concerned with was chewing on them. Shocking right? I am happy to report though that as of today (one day later) he has still yet to actually chew through one. I swear Mom took pictures of their adventure but I don't think she had the camera turned on.... Luckily I managed to snap one!
3:00pm - Visit from Aunt Kathy
My Aunt Kathy was with us at the craft sale and then went shopping downtown with a couple of my other aunts afterwards. She had a box of tomatoes for my Mom and Mom had a few bracelets for her so she stopped by for them to swap. While she was here I just had to show her how much Roman loves the book her and my Uncle Bill got Roman for his birthday. He has just recently discovered this book, titled "Charlie the Ranch Dog" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network). The book is about 20 pages long but he really only cares about three pages in the entire book, and we re-read these three pages several times a day. Don't believe me? "Wait...what's that? Methinks I hear the sound of approaching beasts!". "Daisy! No!". "Raroooowhooooo". Thank you, thank you, I will be doing book readings in person Tuesdays and Thursdays. Roman smiles and giggles through the entire thing and as soon as you finish the howl he's trying to flip back to the first of the three pages. I guess it's better he loves books than TV but sometimes I hide the book under the couch....
This was one of the smaller snacks Roman has ever had. he only had an orange but I think he was more tired than he was hungry. Of course he would never admit to that. No toddler ever admits to being tired until they are completely breaking down in tears and can barely stand or walk a straight line because they are so exhausted.
4:15pm - Bye-bye Grandma!
Mom and Stephanie ad to hit the road and I thought this might be the chance I needed to get Roman to have another nap. I knew it wasn't the best timing but I also knew that he really needed to just lay down and sleep even if it was only for an hour. Of course that wasn't happening, so we ended up playing cars, reading Charlie the Ranch Dog and trying to pick out an outfit for my night out! Of course the latter Roman wasn't impressed by and lasted all of about 2 minutes before he started screaming.
Always a highlight in this house as Roman and the dogs all rush the door when they hear the garage door open. While Roman was distracted by John I headed into the bathroom to get ready for Stacey's birthday party! This is the first time I have gone out with my friends at night since Roman was born so I was super excited. With my makeup touched up, hair done and photo snapped of the boys' supper (chicken packet leftovers) I kissed my boys and headed out the door.
6:00pm - Last minute stuff
Of course I didn't have the insight the fill up my car with gas the day before I was leaving so I could just hit the road. I also ended up having to hit a drug store to pick up a card and gift bag for Stacey since I didn't have time to do it earlier today like I planned. I guess now Stacey knows that I was super unorganized but that's ok! The party was at 7:00pm so I ran my errands as quickly as I could and hit the highway.
6:30 - Perspective
Just outside of Moose Jaw I came upon a serious and terrifying accident that had obviously just happened. The dust was still settling and it appeared that a tandem semi had collided with a half ton crossing the highway. The only sign on the half ton on the highway was the topper because the truck, semi and one trailer had all fallen down a steep embankment. The highway was littered with debris and people (who had obviously seen the accident) were just getting out of their vehicles to help. I didn't think I would be of any help so I continued on my way. It's amazing how life has a way of slowing you down and bringing everything into perspective. Only an hour ago I had been worried about what I was going to wear to party and when John was going to be home, when really I should be thankful that John was coming home and that I ad those precious moments with Roman. Life can change in a blink of an eye and if I hadn't stopped to get gas that might have been me at the bottom of the embankment.
7:00pm - Doing a drop
I probably haven't mentioned this before but I'm a dealer. Being a dealer means I often have to stop and make drops at different locations. Tonight's location was the parking lot of Home Depot. I was obviously running late so I knew this had to be quick. I found the truck and the woman hopped out to grab her package. After Mom had her tomatoes (that she forgot at my house) we said our goodbyes and I was off!
7:20pm - Happy 30th Birthday Stacey!!
It's been a long time since I got the chance to hang out for an extended period of time with my friends, especially Roman free. We spent the night catching up on work, school, family, and reliving the old days. Some of which is probably better we just forget and some that would be fun to relive; V step! I also managed to squish all rumors of pregnancy by ordering a Vodka Special. I thought Amie and Stacey were going to fall off their chairs when they heard I was getting liquor because it has been years since I ordered a drink. I'm happy to report that it was pretty darn tasty, although Amie would disagree since I nursed it so long the ice melted...
It's been an ever longer time since I've been to Bushwakkers and I forgot how great their food is. I thought I would be adventurous and try something new and exiting, but after Amie said she was getting the chicken fingers and I read the description, I knew that was what I was going to have. I have this odd habit of panicking and changing my mind at the last minute and ordering whatever they are ordering. This odd affinity also affects Amie and Trellyn the most. It usually works out for the best though because I don't remember the last time I had a ad meal with friends. Which probably says more for the company and the establishments. I swear I had the best of intentions to take a photo of my food before I started stuffing it in my face but between the conversations and the overwhelming smell of deliciousness I couldn't help it.
The entire night was amazing and I can't wait to get together with everyone again. I am however a little disappointed that we didn't get to play the game Amie had planned. I think I would have rocker the "Have a conversation with an intimate object for 1 minute" or the "do the chicken dance 6 feet from the table" challenge. I guess there is always next time!
10:10pm - Party like a rock star
Until 10:00pm that is. You can tell it's a 30th birthday when everyone at the table starts yawning at 9:30. We weren't bored, but let's face it, we aren't as young as we used to be. We're getting up there and as we age we need more sleep! With goodbyes said I headed to my car to head home. I had an hour drive but I don't mind it, plus it was neat driving at night. I never drive at night anymore! That's for them young folk!
All in all it was an amazing day filled with fun, laughs and great people. Did I have too much sugar, pop, deep fried food and too little sleep? Absolutely. But I also had a huge helping of being just Kendra. Not Kendra the Mom just Kendra the friend and sometimes you need that to recharge your batteries!
