Friday's Top Five - Things I Did This Summer

I have a few friends ( A Warm Cup of Jo and The Brooding Woman) who do this Friday's Top Five Blog and I thought I would pitch in this time around. I really can't believe how fast this summer has gone by and I am holding on to every nice day until we are stuck inside for 6 months of the year...

I really didn't do anything overly exciting this summer but we had a good time to say the least. Kids outside almost every day playing in the backyard and working on the garden, but we did do some really great things this summer as well.

5) First Family Vacation

Our summer really started on the May Long weekend when my husband and I decided to take our first family vacation. This was the first really family vacation that was just my husband, myself, my daughter and the boys...no inlaws in any way!

We thought where would be a good place for a 3 year old and a set of 9 month olds? The Calgary zoo was our first thought * and then my husband thought that since we are so close to Drumheller, why not there as well.

So here we are all packed up (you think we were moving there with the car load of stuff) on our way to Calgary. We had to stop in Red Deer for a bathroom break, and the boys really needed to stretch their legs. Starbucks is the newest coffee stop and we took up the entire 4 tables in the back corner so the kids could crawl. After a small stop we were off again foolishly thinking that the kids would sleep in the car ** we made it to Calgary for our adventure to begin!

After an OK sleep that night and a brief nap in the morning we were off to the zoo. 

We had a great time going through all the exhibits and with no afternoon naps I was expecting really cranky boys but they were troopers and enjoyed it just as much as the rest of us!

Drumheller was our next stop on the way home and finally we were able to get a small nap on the way there from all the kids.

It has been years since I had been to Drumheller and the landscape was amazing and felt like you were in a completely different part of the world! I remember the museum being a lot bigger than it was, but isn't everything big when you are a kid?


4) Went to a friend's PotLuck

Spending time with friends and family is such an important thing for me that when we got the invitation to go to a summer potluck from my friend Jo we jumped at the chance.

We really don't spend a lot of time with friends but when we all get together you would think that we see each other every day...it seems that we just pick up right where we left off from the last time we saw each other! What a great way to spend time and have our kids play and burn off a bunch of energy!


3) Got some projects done

I decided at the beginning of the summer that this was the year that I got some things done around the house! I started painting my main floor on the rainy days *** and I am pleased to say that as of this blog I have 2 walls left to paint in my stairwell. 

I decided to dig up this huge garden in the backyard and make it smaller. I discovered that the previous owners must have ordered a ton of rocks to put in this garden because I have a small quarry in the backyard.

The last project that I have started and still need to complete (one side left) is that I am blocking off the underside of my porch so that my dog doesn't go under and dig.


2) Celebrated a Year!

A year ago August we welcomed our twin boys and this summer we celebrated their first birthday! 

We only had a small family gathering but it was a blast. We discovered that the boys love cake to the point that when David was done eating his piece he tried to steal Victor's piece off his plate!


1) Did a little something for me

This August was the end of my Maternity Leave and I decided that my family comes first and Quit My Job!

I have had to change my way of thinking in that I am not going to a job everyday in an office, but I am working full time as a mom. My kids are my pride and joy and I love spending every waking moment with them! Granted we have our challenges  in the days, but they are only little once so I might as well enjoy it!

It has been scary and a bit hard at first to wrap my head around the idea of not working, since being an admin assistant has been a part of who I am for 15 years. Will I miss the politics of work? Not at all! Will I miss the people? absolutely! The interactions you have with adults and people at work are completely different, but so is your interaction with your kids. I don't think there is a day that goes by that I regret my decision!

The video is a perfect description for an at home mom...

I have also decided that to do something for myself (other than quitting my job) is to teach something that I love to do. I have signed up to be a cake decorating instructor! This will give me time to do something outside the house and a "break" from our everyday routine.

All in all I have had a pretty good summer! 



*Good thing too, since a few months later it was flooded out
** The boys fell asleep 30 minutes outside of Calgary
***During naps is a great time to get things done without little kids