Grati-Tuesdays

Grati-tuesdays

For years I kept a gratitude journal that I wrote in nightly where I listed 5 things I was thankful for in my life. Those of you who know me well may ask if I did this simply because Oprah told me to? Well....maybe partially....I did get the idea from her show! But, although I may have started doing it because of Oprah I continued because I loved going to bed thinking about all the fantastic things about my life instead of planning my week, adding to my to-do list and obsessing over issues with work or relationships etc. I will be the first to admit I have a tendency to get caught up in the things that are going wrong and forget about all the things that are going right.....let's be honest I think we are all guilty of this sometimes right?!? This journal became a nightly reminder that, good day or bad day, there are always things to be grateful for. Now I am not sure when or why I stopped doing this.....but I find myself feeling the need to start it up again. My new life has me busy to say the least so it would be nice to take the time to reflect on the wonderful things about my family and being a mom instead of doing the things I feel like doing such as screaming, crying or taking it out on my husband etc ;)

My desire to notice moments of joy within the chaos + my love for word play

= Grati-tuesdays.    

So every Tuesday I will be blogging a list of 5 things in my week that bring me joy.

(And BONUS....automatic minimum of 4 blog posts a week...sooo list item #16✓)

Ironically the biggest source of chaos in my life, also happens to be the source of a whole bunch of joy! With that being said I give you my first Grati-tuesday list about my baby girl:

1. Her smiling face and big blue eyes looking up at me from her bassinet every morning. So lucky to have a happy baby.

2. Her chubby cheeks that jiggle as we go over bumps in her stroller

3. Her gurgles and coos that combined with hand gestures, expressive eyes and facial movements make me feel like she is actually trying to tell me something. Can't wait until I actually know what it is!!

4. The way she twirls her hair when she is tired. I knew she was born with hair for a reason....to help her get to sleep :) 

5. How determined she is when she is trying to get those silly things that mom keeps putting on her feet off....and how proud she looks when after countless tries of rubbing her feet together and on her carseat etc she finally gets those shoes off!

Being 9/11 today....we are all reminded that life is short and I can't think of a better day to reflect on all that is good in my life. I'd love to hear from anyone who wants to join me in creating your own Grati-tuesday lists....so please comment if you feel like sharing your list!

♥ Lindsay

Falling asleep through her 'firsts'

A picture is worth a thousand words....so without further ado. 

Our little sleepyhead sleeping through all her firsts!

 ♥ Lindsay

Officially a thrifty Mom

Before we decided to start a family, my hubby and I made the decision to stay in Vancouver instead of moving to the 'burbs like a lot of our friends. I love that we don't need a second car and that I can walk to anything I need in 15 minutes!! There is so much to enjoy about Vancouver....the fabulous restaurants, take-out joints and (thanks to Eat St.) food trucks, BBQs on the beach, walking with a coffee along the seawall.....oh and of course the shopping....which makes it difficult to not put a dent in my maternity income, but I certainly couldn't live without the options I have here! But one of the best things about Vancouver is being so close to sports and concert venues. So when my lovely hubby came home with two tickets to the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game two weeks after Alexis' birth....I said hey why not? After double checking that Alexis was actually free (yep...til she's two...score!!) and buying some earmuffs to protect our her sensitive hearing, we headed out on a family date night to the Whitecaps game! She was awake for exactly 15 minutes of the game and then she was out....fast asleep in Daddy's arms. I guess the earmuffs worked, but doesn't she know Beckham was playing?? She'll regret falling asleep when she's older I'm sure :) 

We got a few comments about how tiny she is and our seatmate asked if we came straight from the hospital!?! Some people even called us crazy....but we went with no expectations and the understanding that we may have to leave early. Thankfully Alexis was a dream baby and we had so much fun!! I am totally going to check into what other events we can get her into while she's still free.....hockey games, concerts, craft fairs, home shows....the possibilities are endless. Does this make me cheap? I prefer thrifty.....

♥ Lindsay

My new favourite pastime

So I thought I was being pretty reasonable when I set my goal to blog at least twice a month post baby (list item # 16). I knew I was going to be busy so I didn't want to be overly ambitious and feel stressed if I didn't blog daily or weekly....so I figured twice a month was doable. As it turns out I have been a little distracted by my newest pastime; watching the ever changing facial expressions of my baby girl. Is she smiling at me? Or is it gas? 

Either way, it is too cute and melts my heart! 

Her lopsided grin, wide eyes, tiny yawns and adorable furrowed brows make her the cutest baby ever (in my entirely biased opinion of course).

As you can see, it will be difficult to peel myself away from this sweet little face to blog, so I will have to make a conscious effort to get to the computer at least twice a month for the sake of my list! I managed two posts in July and this is post #1 for August....so I am on the right track. 

Hope I can keep it up!

Alexis the 2 week old beach bum!

Well after a long, rainy, June....beach season has finally arrived in Vancouver. And all I can say is thank goodness Alexis likes the outdoors because part two of my list includes plenty of family outings! 

She's pretty comfy with Daddy in the Bjorn at her first beach BBQ to celebrate our friends' birthday (#27....check)

The following day we spent a few hours relaxing at the beach and enjoying some fresh air....I think it made her sleepy! Maybe she wasn't waiting for me to finish the first half of my list after all....my little summer baby was just waiting for the sunshine! 

♥ Lindsay

Welcome to the world Alexis!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our beautiful baby girl!

Alexis James Bradley Trudel 

June 27, 2012 at 1:50pm

6lbs 14 oz. 

The Trudel Family is home, happy and enjoying lots of snuggles and cuddles!! 

 ♥ Lindsay