kiss! kiss! kiss!

I had the privilege of attending my cousin's wedding over the weekend. The fun festivities all started Friday night with an outdoor BBQ at a park nearby. We had fun visiting with family, friends and, of course, the happy couple. Then Saturday was the main event.

It may be funny to some that I find myself looking forward to how the kissing will turn out. I always wonder if the newly dubbed 'husband and wife' will lean in and merely peck on the lips. Will they seal their eternities together with a long, meaningful but still pleasant church kiss? Or will they absolutely take it to the next level and gross everyone out with a passionate I-want-you-right-now (i.e. Edward and Bella) kind of a kiss? Not sure why I try to speculate but it is very entertaining.

After the vows were said, there was an anxious hush that spread through the room. Everyone knew what was to happen next, "Now you may kiss your bride."

And just like that, my cousin was already diving in. I had not noticed but my cousin already planned what he was going to do. So obviously he had been thinking about it too! He had planted himself so he would be steady enough to quickly grab his new wife without her having much say. Sneaky, sneaky.

His arm shot out and he palmed the back of his bride's head like it was a basketball. He reeled her in without giving her much time to blink let alone breathe. He kissed her like no one else was in the room; like he had been waiting his whole life of 28 years for this very moment; like tomorrow was doomsday and he wanted to burn this kiss forever in her memory. Of course, it was apparent she was embarrassed and had not wanted a burn-this-kiss-into-everyone's-memory type of kiss. First, she politely touched his shoulder as to say, "Funny, honey, but you can stop now." Then, when she knew he wasn't going to budge, she began to shove him, as if to say, "You had better stop now or else..."

You know what? It was very entertaining and I was pleasanty surprised. In hindsight, I should have known my cousin would try something like this. He is always out for embarrassing his cute wife and loves to be funny. And, believe me, everyone thought it was funny.

lip tint

I am loving the C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Pink Mint. I just got it today and am wondering how I

ever got along without it. Not only does it soothe and replenish my lips, it gives a hint of color AND freshens my breath. There are a handful of colors to choose from. I also bought Bare and Plum.

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Reading Rainbow was a favorite show when I was a child. This was one of the featured books. How would it be to walk outside and have breakfast, lunch and dinner fall from the sky!? This book explores that concept and helps you decide whether or not it would be a marvelous thing. It may be messy but world hunger would be non-existent!

snl weekly

In honor of the summer olympics, here is a great clip with Chris Kataan and Kerri Strugg. Be sure to watch Norm MacDonald on the side of your screen. He has a really hard time staying composed.

potty training day 3

Accident report for day 3: zero.

We are so pleased Mason has transitioned so well. I have noticed he likes being "free-er" and not stuck in bulky diapers. We took him to the dollar store tonight to spend his "potty" coins on whatever he wanted. He ended up buying a ball. Not like he has 100's of balls already. He has all sorts of balls; bouncy balls, basketballs, baseballs, footballs, an extra large ball (he saw it at Target and would not let me leave the store without it) and balls that make noise. He has all sorts. But tonight he bought one with little grippers on the outside. We didn't have one of those yet and therefore, the need to buy one more ball. Believe me, he touched just about everything in that dollar store. I thought he would want one of the dinosaurs that made noise.

"How about this one Mase? Listen...(dinosaur roars). Isn't that cool?"

"No, mom. I want this."

"You already have lots of balls at home."

"I want this one. Look!"

Mason proceeded to bounce the ball off the walls, the shelves, the toys, sell racks...everything. Will update the accident report in a couple of days.

waterton

We love crossing the border and taking in all the beautiful sites and all the awesome goodies that we don't get down here in the states! Cadbury chocolate, Oh! Henry bars (they taste better up there), dill pickle, ketchup and all-dressed chips, red tangerine Fanta soda, and much, much more. Here is what it looks like driving into Waterton. That is the Prince of Wales hotel on top of that hill. My first order of business, once reaching the park, was to walk to Pat's (a local groce) and buy lime Crush. It is delicious and very addicting. Walking around the town is fun and checking out all the beautiful lakes. Here is Mason and his cousins at Waterton lake throwing rocks. It was really hot and therefore, the reason why he is down to his diaper.

Here is Mason and Dan walking down the path to Waterton Lake. It is just so beautiful!

Tiger ice cream at the Big Scoop is always a must. If you are a fan of black licorice, your mouth will water at just the thought of tiger ice cream. It is a creamy orange ice cream with black licorice stripes. *mmmmmmm* So, so good. Why are Canadians so much cooler than we are? Here is Dan at Cameron Falls. We always visit this when we come as well. We had such a fun trip and were so glad to end our 4-year hiatus. Hopefully we can return next year.

love this

You need to check out Tara Whitney. Her pictures are beautiful, refreshing and creative. She also has a blog. How cute is this picture?

boogie body time

Thanks to Ralphie for bringing this to my attention. This is just too funny. Be prepared. And by prepared I mean boxes of tissues. Not just those little snack-packs of tissues. Everybody has a little soul in their hips. Get loose! Now's the time to get up and move your boogie body. We are going to have a good time and I mean, a mighty good time. We've got nothing BUT time and I'm here with ya. Yes, sir! We're here to let you know.

cameron lake

In Waterton Park there is a lake about 5 minutes drive away from town. It is beautiful and we go every time we are there. Mason's new favorite thing is to throw rocks in the water. Since we don't have a lake at the house, he has settled for throwing rocks all over the back porch (much to my demise).

What? This was your nectarine? Oh. It was just sitting here on the blanket, looking delicious and juicy.

Do you see this kung-fu grip? Yeah. I thought so.

homeage to bale

I realize I have left off two of my favorite movies starring (you guessed it) Christian. Do you mind if I just call you Christian? Great.

The Prestige, which was released in 2006, stars Christian and Hugh Jackman. They play two rival magicians in 19th century London who battle each other for trade secrets. It's fun to note that Michael Caine also stars in this film and takes on the role of coaching Hugh Jackman's character. Very similar to his role in the Batman movies.


3:10 to Yuma, which was released in 2007, starring Christian and Russell Crowe, is an excellent remake of an old western movie by the same name.

It is set in the 1800's in Arizona, where an infamous outlaw and his gang of thieves have plagued the southern railroad. He is captured by Christian's character and promises to put him on the 3:10 to Yuma train in order for him to stand trial. Both The Prestige and 3:10 to Yuma are excellent movies and definitely worthy to be included here.

Here are a couple of pictures from 3:10.

Yes, Christian, you do look great with long hair and a beard. Is there anything you can't do?

favorite mag

I finally broke down and got a subscription to the Vanity Fair magazine. Not like I have time to read it. More like I need to make more time for myself to read and blog and paint my toenails. My mom was fed up with me for always wanting to take her copy before she even got a chance to read it. I mean, come on, mom! I'm your daughter and that is what daughters do, right? ;) I also have a subscription to Parenting magazine. But seriously, who wants to sit down at the end of the day, after working hard at being a good parent, and read a magazine about parenting?! Yeah. Didn't think so.

VF is the perfect mix of celebrity, politics, culture, and society. T, I bet you are proud of me.

potty training: day one

Who knew that words like "potty", "pee", "poop", and "big-boy pants" would become so common in my vocabulary?!

We had made a decision back in the spring that Mason would be potty-trained by the end of the summer. We bought a few potty books to read with Mason at night. We even took him to buy some cool underwear to get him excited. And by cool I mean pictures of Lightning McQueen and Mickey Mouse plastered across his little cheeks.

I admit to being laxidasical when it actually came down to consistently getting Mason on the potty. But we got a phone call last week from the only accredited preschool in town (with a year waiting list) , that Mason was put on the enrollment list and will start at the end of this month. Using the preschool as motivation, potty training is now numero uno.

Today has gone well. I was surprised that by this afternoon, Mason was running to use the potty and not telling me. I would hear him flush and arrive at the bathroom door in time to see him washing his hands. "Good job, Mase! High-five! Here's a quarter" (i.e. reward...is it bad that he is motivated by money??) .

Here is a little snapshot of what happened at the dinner table tonight:

"Mason, do you want to say the blessing or mommy say it?"

Mason thinking. "Baby say it."

Tempting.

"Baby can't say that many words yet. How about I help baby say it."

"Okay."

"Dear Heavenly Father, we are grateful for this day..."

Mason softly echoes, "We are grateful for this day..."

"We are grateful for this food..."

"We are grateful for the potty...", says Mason.

"Yes, we are grateful for the potty..."

Mason takes over. "We are grateful for pee in the potty..."

Yes, we are very grateful the pee went in the potty and not on the carpet or the wood floor. One more thing for me to clean up.

Will keep you posted.

lazy daze

I have been so lazy in making any new posts. We have been having too much fun being outside and traveling.

I do have some posts in the works.

In the meantime, tune into the olympics. The opening ceremony was amazing. The planning and choreography that went into the program was mind-boggling. We have also been having fun watching all the different events.

I'm using the laptop and my husband is telling me I have to give it back now.

More to come. :)