a night to remember..

Dave and I squished our little family of three into the truck to head out to mountain view. On the way home we barely made it out of Cardston before Levi started to get upset. So we had to pull over to calm him down. By this time it was 9:30 at night and fairly dark. We put the hazards on and tried to soothe him. We could not get him to calm down. 3 people pulled over to check and see if we were okay.  Which we thought was very kind. The first person walked up to the truck and so Dave rolled down the window, the guy asked if we were okay. Yep! Just trying to calm down our baby, he smiles and got back into his car and drove away. This guy is actually someone i went to YSA with, so that was kinda funny. Second guy just slowed down on the road and rolled down his window and asked if we need help. Dave at this point had gotten Levi to sleep and all this commotion woke him back up. So Dave told the guy were just trying to calm our baby. the guy laughs and tells us good luck! We chuckled at that. the third guy pulled over in a big hauling truck. he gets out and starts walking towards us, coffee in hand and trucker hat on his head. i was quite nervous!  it just seemed eerie the way he was walking towards us. we had just gotten Levi to sleep for the second time, so Dave gets out of the vehicle to go say thanks but were okay. again this woke Levi up for the second time. bah! by this point we had been pulled over for 30 minutes and didn't want anyone to stop and ask us if we needed help. we really appreciate the kindness but it kept waking Levi up. so we finally just strapped him back in the car seat and hoped somehow he would calm down. he did after about 10 minutes on the road he finally took his bottle and then feel asleep. so our 2 hour drive squished into the truck will definitely be a night to remember.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Murray's!!

These pictures are kinda goofy but fun!

(sorry for some being sideways?? not sure how to turn them??)

I want candy!

 Daddy & Levi in his Halloween pj's.

Mommy & Levi!

one week down, ??? to go.

Last week I kicked off my healthy kick. The first week was tough but I made it through and lost 3 lbs. I heard it takes 3 weeks to make a habit, if that's true then I'm a 1/3 of the way there! I haven't gotten out to exercise as much as I'd like but I have been eating alot healthier. I have replaced my bad snacks for healthy ones. I have started to pay attention to my calorie intake. Also just all around paying attention to what goes in my mouth. If you become more aware of what you eat it really helps. If you can pick a snack with 6g or 15g your obviously can choose the lower amount. I'm not cutting sugar right our but have found healthy alternatives to it. I found some cookies that are delicious! They are pomegranate and cranberry bran cookies. I have 2 for dessert after supper. I'm still researching and trying to find new ways to cut out the old habits and replace them with good ones. If anyone has a good workout video that they would recommend please comment. Im trying to find one I can do while Levi naps.

Check this sad face out. ( no post is complete without a picture )

he’s cute what can we say?

here’s just some pictures of lately.

haha! gross i know but it was funny.

he is always eating his hands.

we’re starting to like the carseat!

 

folding laundry can be so t-i-r-i-n-g!

 

yes, he reads.

 

bubbs has discovered his feet.

i love these pictures of bubbs with his great grandparents!

a night sans baby.

dave arrived home to this in our room, it said “pop me” on the balloons.

this is what it said.

So my wonderful SIL babysat bubbs so we got to go on a date. It was the first time he was left for more then 20 mins. We were gone 3 hours! Dave finally told me to stop checking my phone and everything would be okay. We went to a movie, we figured its a start to the new life as parents. We enjoyed having some “us” time but sure missed the little man. Thanks again Mel, we can babysit for you guys anytime!!

changing.

 

 

Well today levi is now 3 months old, i would consider that no longer a new born here’s why:

- he stands up (with help)

- has started to giggle

- had his first rice cereal last night (1/2 tbl sp)

- has some very powerful kicks

- recognizes mom and dad (yay!!)

- we don’t get up every 2 hours to eat in the night

- he sits in the bumbo all by himself now

- he can hold his head up really well

- still a rolling machine

- sucks on his hands

- discovered his feet

- loves jibber jabbering

these are just a few of the things that he has discovered. all if these things have just happened in the past few weeks. this is my favorite stage right now, i wish this would slow down. he is constantly discovering so much and growing so fast. we love you lots levi!

getting healthy.

I'm trying to get healthy and loose some weight. I've been trying to figure out what my fallbacks are and why I always seem to fail my diets. So this time I'm not doing a “diet” or setting a number of pounds to loose. I just want to feel healthy and have more energy of course being a size 8 would be fantastic but small steps first. I use to just get really strict and cut lots of things out and then all of a sudden I would collapse. Now I'm just learning to cut things back slowly and start calculating calories. Also I'm learning what labels mean and what amounts of fat, protein, salt and carbs you should consume. What I really need is a healthy buddy… anyone want to do this with me? You don’t have to live near me I just need someone that can hold me accountable and be able to discuss issues I'm having. I'll be able to do the same for you. If you do live near me I'm going to start hitting the gym Tues. & thurs come join me and help me get even more motivated. I'm going to update my blog with my successes and problems, its not to brag or get any sympathy its for my sake. (isn’t that usually what blogging is about?) Every Monday I'm gonna TRY to update and write my goods and bads for the week. Here’s some fantastic things I have found so far that I'll share for anyone wanting to get healthy too:

10 Tips to Eating Healthy.

1. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods.

2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

3. Maintain a healthy weight.

4. Eat moderate portions.

5. Eat regular meals.

6. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods.

7. Balance your food choices over time.

8. Know your diet pitfalls.

9. Make changes gradually.

10. Remember, foods are not good or bad.

This may be just common sense for some people but I have to always take a step back and remind myself. so this is now printed out and going on the fridge. Sorry honey no more baking and snow bob runs.

ps: tomorrow may be another long post, about bubbs turning the big 3 MONTHS!

oh dear.

its started...

 

the bald patch



ps.
check this cute hoodlum out.

Grateful.

These past 2 weeks have been a bit of a blur and i wanted to quickly jot down what i am thankful for. There has been an event in our lives that happened this past week that has made me truly grateful for eternal families and that Dave and i choose to be married in the temple. I am extremely grateful for parents that know that i have been hurting and keep checking in and making sure im doing okay. i have a wonderful and supportive husband. through thick and thin he is always there, he is my rock and my best friend. i have a healthy son who can always make his parents smile. im grateful to own a home that keeps us warm and dry. im grateful for dave to be able to attend school in a program he is so passionate about. im grateful for all of my grandparents and there concerns and visits. I could go on and on but Levi and I have traveled so much this week, we have been to taber 3 times and to cardston and mountain view once. then again to taber on saturday. so were tired and all i want to do is cuddle up with my bubbs and have a nap. hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.

this kid was so HAPPY to be out of his carseat when we got home today.

not quite so little.

 sitting up in the swing, just reading a book

 looking way to B I G in the bumbo

 i love this face

 so excited!!

 watching tv with dad.

RCMP??

Lately I have been thinking a lot of whether or not i want Dave to re-apply for the RCMP. He’s gonna have to start applying soon and so i need to get my butt in gear and figure it out. Here’s my pros & cons list:

Pros:

-Our children will grow up seeing more then 1 just town.

-We could finally go live on “our own” and make decisions we want without being judged.

-Really good pension.

-We would have the opportunity to see more of Canada.

-Moving around doesn’t bother me, since they do the packing and moving for you.

-Dave loves the sense of brotherhood.

-Its Federal Policing so the wages stay in the top 5 of Canada.

-Great benefits.

-Its something Dave really wants to do and loves.

Cons:

-Depot.

-Did i mention Depot?? This means Dave would live in Regina Sask. for 6 months training. I would be here in Lethbridge by myself for those 6 months.

-Chance of living in the boonies for 2 years. ( you do get to pick your posting after doing 2 years up north though, 2 years is nothing!)

So all in all i think the pros just might out weigh the cons. We would love to move out of lethbridge and go see Canada. I've now lived in Canada just as long as I've lived in the states and i haven’t moved out of Alberta. Maybe I'm getting some moving fever. We also think it could be the greatest experiences for our kids. I'm glad my family moved around lots growing up, i wasn’t as naive as most kids. I also didn’t grow up my whole life in a “Mormon town” and im grateful for the experiences i had being one of the few lds kids in my school when we lived in the states. Dave and I have been getting very frustrated lately here in Lethbridge and so maybe this is our little shove to re-apply for the RCMP. Who knows? Maybe in a year or two we will see Dave wearing a Stetson and graduating from Depot.

bored on a friday night.

what do you do when your bored? well i needed some change! having a baby sure changes your body, you loose hair, things sag where they aren’t suppose to sag, something's shrink and parts jiggle that shouldn’t jiggle. So a quick fix to my boredom is a haircut. I haven’t been doing much hair since mat leave and have decided not to do any till my mat leave is done. your not suppose to make money while on EI so we have decided to put haircutting on hold to march.

So this is my transformation and i threw in a few tips along the way. Since not doing any hair i miss giving out a few of my favorite things i have learned. so be ready to be wowed, okay maybe not wowed but get excited cause as you can tell i sure am. :)

 

First i blowed dried my hair using a light serum just to tame my frizzes. i use it the first time when my hair is wet.

 

Once i blow dried it i flat ironed in sections. you have more control when you use thin sections. grab some clips and pin up sections as you go. the dollar store sells cheap clips that work great. make sure you are always using a heat protection. i love chi products for that.

  

i part my hair quite far over so when i blow dry my hair i actuallly just comb it all forward and then to the side. this helps give a nice big sweep and volume. if you have fine hair, brush your hair all forward when your drying it.

 

this is one of my favourite things to get some volume for people who have a hard time backcombing. i dont backcomb my hair for 2 reasons. One its bad for your hair and two i have enough hair for 3 heads, volume isn’t something i want. but to show you how i took a picture. grab a section of hair and lift straight up and spray with hair spray right at your root. then put the can under it (as shown in the picture). This will only work with an aerosol can, they tend to be cold and that is what will set the hairspray in that shape. this is curving your hair and giving a little lift without having to backcomb. Repeat wherever you need volume, you can even do the bangs if you’d like. yay!

So i cut myself short(er) bangs and heavily texturized it. I am growing my hair out so i didn’t touch any length but added some disconnected layers. If your trying to grow yours out but need some change, new layers and some texturizing can be your best friend.

here's the new do. This is more of a shag now. if you want to add a little edge to a haircut don't be afraid to make some cocktails. product cocktails, i love mixing whipped wax  with serum and hairspray just in my hand. create whatever you want and what works for your hair type. 

happy hair days!

we like to … auction!

So last night my mom and i went to the auction in hope of finding a new couch. Instead we came home with a new desk and a new love seat.

here’s the new couch:

look at all the whoopin $30 potential…

i can’t wait to clean/scrub it and throw some colorful cushions on it!

i dont have a picture of the new $10 desk but its a stud muffin! dave and i keep joking we should just buy things from the auction clean them up and flip them for profit and he won’t have to get a job. we bought this couch set 2 years ago:

for $150 from the auction and just sold it last week for $400. now that we have a baby were a-m-a-z-e-d at how much stuff it requires so were downsizing our big furniture. plus  i LOVE change. our house isn’t huge to just always re-arrange the furniture so i love switching things up. i am my mother’s daughter what can i say??

this is random but have to show this, i set bubbs down while i did some dishes:

then

i

came

back

to

see

him

here

such a strong little boy, he’s rubbing off all that gorgeous hair off the back of his head from scootin’. he just pushes off with those chunky little legs!

jibberish?

Levi has started to jibber jabber alot more. we absolutely love it!

here’s a secret for ya…

okay so any hairdresser reading this i apologize in advance, you may loose commission on this statement. as most of you know i am a hair dresser and i just discovered my new favourite conditioner:

i ran out of all my good stuff i stocked up on before i left for mat leave. me being as cheap as i am found this for $2 at dollarama. I've been using it for over a week and my hair has never been so soft. i have insanely thick and very frizzy hair. i haven’t had to flat iron my hair since using it! wahoo! that saves me 20mins every morning.

i just had to share this. how exciting is that!? a $2 conditioner is better then the $40 bottle i was using!

p.s.

we were seeing if this hat fit yet and he feel asleep. still a little too big. i can’t wait till it fits!