Some Catching Up... ARE YOU READY FOR THIS

Oh Canada! My home and Native chub! Check out those legs. Yowzer!

Okay, so I have been lame at best trying to keep up with my blog. Long gone are the days when I could write once a week. So here's a little snapshot of what has been happening around here.

Let's start back in the summer. We went back to Alberta for summer 2013. Lucky for us, I have a charitable sister and awesome nieces and nephew (Big Red is not too bad either) who have a large house and were nice enough to put us up for the summer. We even had our own bathroom. Pretty sweet deal.

Two cute cousins watching some First Nation dancing. Lewis was quite enchanted as you can see.

I may have contributed to some sugar hang-overs. But well worth it!

Big Guy was able to work at Simpson Law office in Sherwood Park where he earned credit and not to mention very valuable "hands on" experience.

Our first date night without Little Dragon. My sister and her kidlets watched our chubba Bubba while we saw Star Trek. It was actually REALLY good.

I had fun with my little extend-a-family and we were busy being silly together.

Fun times with some of my favorite people.

One thing I have learned about having a baby is that it is an extra, legitimate name to put in most draws.

"Canadian Bacon"

We spent Canada Day with cousin Jimmy who is only 9 months Little Dragon's senior and had fun at the parade, art gallery, and Edmonton City Hall.

I think he really appreciates this piece.

I had entered myself, Big Guy and Little Dragon in a draw for either prize #1- tickets to Edmonton Eskimos games or #2 (the one I REALLY coveted) Family Passes to City of Edmonton attractions - including zoo, Fort Edmonton Park, Muttart Conservatory and Nature museum. They were going to do the draw at the end of the indoor celebrations. People were clearing out after the First Nations dancing and a fellow was drawn for the football package. The announcer continued... calling out another name. Apparently the named person had already left. Once again the woman put her hand in the large tub of names. I stage whispered to Big Guy... say "Little Dragon, Little Dragon... Little..." And the lady called out in perfect timing.... "Little Dragon" (except replace L.D. with his actual name).  We both were over the moon happy. "Wahoo!" yelled Big Guy as he marched up Lion King style to claim the prize, holding Little Dragon over his head like Simba.

Happy Momma!

Winning things is a big highlight in my life. It's something that I have a "talent" for you could say. I win things off the radio A LOT. When I was elementary school age a few classes had a joined book draw every Friday. Kids entered by putting a slip in the bucket for every 30 minutes they had read that week. Since I actually LIKED to read I filled my fair share of green slips. Also, skip back only a few years ago and I went to a friend's Christmas party as her date since her actual date, her hubby, was out of town. "They are doing door prizes and you are my good luck" she says to me, referring to the many things I had won via radio contests. Alright, whatever. And sure enough my name was called for the GRAND prize, which was tickets to LMFAO (not really my style, but free, right?) Needless to say, she was my date for that...

Two of my favorite people.

We returned to our make-shift home in Gatineau in our grungy apartment and upgraded to a 3 bedroom main floor of a house (also in Gatineau). I love this place so much. I can't express my undying LOVE for on-suite laundry and a dishwasher. I could kiss these appliances. Coming back in August was also nice since they (Gatineau) has a fireworks competition. Meaning... different countries, YES COUNTRIES! compete against each other on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturday nights for 2 weeks. We literally just walk outside our door and sit on our step and have a perfect view of Disney caliber "Boom Booms" as Little Dragon and our VERY Quebecois neighbour "Jo Jo" call them. Magical!

We took Little Dragon swimming for his birthday. He got all tuckered out.

Then we took him to Dennys for a FREE grand slam. Ha ha. No age restrictions!!

At the Cumberland Museum just outside of Ottawa (near Orleans). Moi, being a HAM.

Getting lessons in blacksmithery. AKA with playdough. Was it PLAID day or something? Yes. The answer is YES. The answer will always be YES.

Right before he put it in his mouth. He looks so attentive here.

The backyard of one of the coolest, hipster families from church. They "invited' the Elwins (a really cool up-and-coming band) to play and they said YES. No relation, no religious connection, just randomly as they were at a concert at the U of O for Valentines. They are a bit like Weezer so of course I "dug it". Also, 30 minutes in cops came because it was too LOUD and it was shut down. Sad. But yeah, check em out on Youtube. ELWINS. Got it?

We visited Montreal again (see previous blog). Had our Montreal family come visit us for a weekend (see previous blog from a year ago to hear about Melissa, her hubby and 3 little boys).

Love these guys!

And had my brother, his wife and their two kids stay with us end of September. I love having company over. It is nice having family come and witness this side of Canada. It makes a big difference seeing things first hand than just me talking and trying to relate things. "You have to see it to believe it" cliche is oh so true.

After a bit of coaching, Big Guy bought me a flower in Old Port Montreal. Can you spot Alauna and Mary?

October brought us a beautiful autumn. We explored a few places such as McKenzie King's cottage and Meech Lake, actually had some dates without Mr. Dragon, which included hiking Wolf loop, and trick-or-treated at the Prime Minister's house (he was in Calgary of all places at a Conservative Convention! Better luck next year).

The Old Bag-O-Treats from Mr. Whatshisname

Stephen busy taking phone calls while I am trying to talk to him. How rude!!

It's FALL!! And look I am hiking with NO BABY!

November was a more somber month as the weather changed from golds, reds, and oranges to white and grey. Little Dragon and I went with a couple of other mommys and dragons to the Remembrance Day Ceremony. I knew there was going to be a lot of people, but it was PACKED. Like elbow to elbow in the street to people. It was touching that so many people, despite it being a freezing cold day came out to pay their respects. I held Dragon a little tighter thinking about having to send this little Bubba out to war. I can only imagine what the women felt like only a couple of generations ago, sending their sons out and praying that they would come back unharmed. So many never returning...

Pay-What-You-Will theatre at the National Arts Centre. We saw Moliere and Big Guy saw and spoke to a retired judge from the Supreme Court of Canada. He retired early people so he could privately consult for a major law firm in Ottawa. He was at pay-what-you-will. Big Guy says we can't judge a judge (pun intended) because maybe he paid $10,000.

He was on my bucket list to see live. Not Dashboard Confessional but his new project Twin Forks. Went with a cool, cool girl that alas...moved back to Toronto. Good music! He is so beautiful. I wanted to comb his eyebrows. A little shorter than I anticipated but I still love him.

Christmas came quickly. Big Guy spending all of his waking hours at school in the library. Dragon and I going to parades, shopping mall Santas, and just trying to stay warm. We pulled our x-country skis out again and have hit some good trails. Both times at Lac Beauchamp we have seen small white-tailed deer.

My son. The Ham.

Big Guy's brother also visited us during the holidays. We kept him busy with visits to all of the things that make Ottawa "Ottawa". I booked the law school brothers a tour of the Supreme Court on the day that the "Big Prostitution Case" was decided, lucky them. Apparently they were able to witness the lawyers coming out of the court room, high-fiving eachother, cheering "we won". Uncle Pee-tee as Little Dragon says, was a big hit with his nephew and kept Big Guy happy with banter of every law case under the rainbow, things that this lady isn't too eager to talk about EVERY day... or any day for that matter.

The girls at church have started a Book Club and first on our list was The Book Thief. Great read, but it is WWII so there are very disturbing elements. I find whenever I start reading a book, I really get 'into" it. I think about the characters, when I go for walks I think what they might do in given situations (don't ask about Hunger Games and backpacking in the mountains) and I also dream about it. So I had some weird nights of my childhood memories on Nevada Rd mixed with thievery and Nazis. Now I am onto another book a good friend recommended about the slums of India, one can only imagine how this has affected me...

These two set up shop and I don't think they are leaving any time soon.