Our little gardener

If you have had a baby and have ever tried to rush to be somewhere at a certain time then you will understand our day yesterday!!!

We got up and packed our picnic and braai goodies, fed and dressed Jared got the car packed and dashed off to the shops for a few last minute things. By the time we got to our picnic site it was already after 1pm hahahaha!! We had left home at 10:30am and the site is only 20 minutes away from home!! So of course all the good spots in the shade were taken. It was over 32 degrees yesterday so there was no way we were going to brave sitting out in the sun with no shade.

So we stopped off at a few pretty spots and took some pics and decided to come home and fill Jared's pool and braai at home. Hannes was watering the garden when Jared decided that he quite fancied giving daddy a hand. He got hold of the hosepipe and kept himself busy for ages. He really enjoyed himself. Not so much though when he kept spraying himself in the face lol!!!

We are probably going to attempt getting out there again sometime this weekend. We realise now though that we will have to get up really early if we have any hopes of getting there at a decent hour, but I think we have a good plan for the next time hahahaha!! Watch this space...

So close to home...

Hannes got home nice and early yesterday, so we took a drive out to Bragg Creek which is about 20 mins from home. We found the most gorgeous places along the river en-route. They all have picnic tables and braai areas right along the river and the water is clean enough to drink :o) We stopped off at one and I got a few pics - I am loving the rivers and waterfalls all over the place. They are really beautiful. We are hoping to find a spot tomorrow and have a braai and spend some time enjoying the outdoors. Will let you all know...

Playground Fun!

Yesterday Jared and I popped down the road to the playground close to our house. We spent some time enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Jared was more interested in playing with the little stones on the ground than he was on playing on the equipment :o) He had fun though.

A general update on Jared:

He is really and truly growing so quickly. He speaks the hind leg of a donkey. He babbles from the minute his eyes open in the morning. He says quite a few words. Bear, bottle, bubble, no-no-no, bye-bye, hello, dada, mama, baba, more, ta, doodoo, car, book, he makes a car noise while pushing his cars on the floor and my personal favourite... I am now mommy. It is too cute to hear.

He has a will of his own and lets you know exactly what he wants and when he wants it. When we get in the car he points to the nappy bag and tells me bear, in other words "hand it over, I know it's in there"!!!!

I have been showing him for the past few mornings that his pj's go into the washing basket once he is dressed. This morning he took them, pointed to the basket and put them in himself!! I could have eaten him right there. When you say clever Jared he claps his hands.

He is also quite the little tease and I fear he may have inherited his uncle's genes there. His favourite is to take something he knows he shouldn't put in his mouth and threaten to do it while smiling and waiting for you to say no.

He still sleeps well and thankfully the long daylight hours haven't affected him. He is still in bed asleep anytime between 6pm and 7pm and then sleeps till after 7am most mornings!

He is a real cutie and both Hannes and I are still enjoying every minute with him.

Beautiful Banff

This morning we decided to get out a bit and took a drive through to Banff again. What a breathtaking place. We ventured out to the cable car and the three of us climbed (the easy way of course!!) to the top of what felt like the highest mountain in the world! Jared had absolutely not fear of the height and was often almost hanging out of the window. The same could not be said for me lol!! The views were amazing. It is almost impossible to capture the beauty on film - although we did our best and took 119 photos lol!! After lunch and a bit of window shopping on top of the mountain we caught the car back down and then drove to the Bow Waterfall which was just as lovely. We really never realised that there is so much to do in Banff alone and we will definitely be going back again sometime soon.

Rotary Park Wading Pool

Jared and I spent the better part of the morning yesterday at a really cool little wading pool near town. As you will see from the pics there is a lovely playground right there as well. So we spent some time in the pool and then put on our shoes and walked over to the playground for a different kind of fun!! It was a lovely day :o) Oh, and it seems I have finally solved the problem of Jared refusing to wear a hat... I bought one that ties under his chin and presto, it stays put! (he looks so cute with it on lol)

Fish Creek Park

Jared and I had a really special day today. We were treated to a guided walk through Fish Creek Park with a few other moms and babes. It was a really lovely outing and such a beautiful place. The weather really played along too - it was a stunning 29 degree day today. I must sound like such a cheepo, but it really blows my mind... This was all free today again. We stopped and had some lunch and paid for that, but nothing else cost a cent!! It has really struck me how much is free here in terms of entertainment and it is all so beautifully kept.

Here are a few pics I took on the walk. The first is of our guide. She has a butterfly net in her hand and managed to catch us a few to get a closer look at lol!! Nobody lost any limbs which surprised me! The next pic is of the group and the last is one of Fish Creek.

Beautiful Thunder Storm

I will do 2 entries today since I forgot to post this 2 days ago!!

We had a thundershower here on Sunday evening. When we went up to bed Hannes looked out of the window and saw how beautiful the houses diagonally opposite us looked with the sun shining through the clouds onto them. So, he rushed downstairs in his PJ's and stood on the pavement and took a few pics. It was already 9:30pm. My little point and shoot digital didn't capture it too well unfortunately, but it is gorgeous nonetheless.