Our Spot 2018

James and I got married on a very rainy day in September. It didn't just rain, it poured. All day. From the rehearsal dinner all the way through to the time we left our reception after midnight.

 Rain on your wedding day is good luck... right?

I was so looking forward to having our pictures taken in and around Heritage Park and due to the extreme wetness this was the only photo we got outside.  For reals.

It is my absolute favorite picture of our wedding day.  It went on our thank you cards and a large one still sits in our family room and probably will forever.  I love it that much.

We held our reception at Heritage Park which is a local historical village.  James grew up here and lived quite close to the park so his family spent many evenings and weekends visiting the park.  It seemed like a no brainer to check it out when we got engaged since it had so much meaning to his family. Ironically, his brother also had his wedding reception there a few years later in a different building.

It was like it was meant to be.  You see, we got engaged on March 26 and married on September 10th.  We had very limited time to pull it together.  When James finally asked me to marry him I suggested the following September and he insisted we do that same fall.  We started calling all the popular choices and they were all quite expensive and booking up quickly.  We fully expected that HP would be fully booked withit being only months before the wedding, but they had one Saturday open in September due to a cancellation and we took it. Someone else's loss was our gain.

What I love about it is that we can return as often as we like and walk through the restaurant that we held our reception at and take photos on the landing where my favorite photo was taken on our wedding day. Like this one.

That balcony has seen us through our wedding, both pregnancies, the toddlers years which saw us at the park a lot, and now onto the school years when we may not make it their as much but will rush to the balcony for our family photo when we are!  Or I should say I rush and the other 3 moan and groan.  But they always do it because it makes me happy.  Even if they won't smile.  I'm talking to you Cooper....

Here's to many more photos taken on this exact spot where it all began.

Check out the other Heritage Park posts here.

Our Spot 2015

For those that are new around here, our special spot is on the covered deck of the Wainwright hotel at Heritage Park.  This happens to be the place where James and I had our wedding reception 10 years ago.  

You see, on our wedding day, it rained.  Not like sprinkled, but rained and rained, and RAINED.  It poured.  Did I mention it rained?  I was so excited for the all the outdoor pictures at Heritage Park and I got none. Except for this one on the covered patio.

It has always been my absolute favourite picture from our wedding day.  We used in our wedding thank you cards and it also still sits on the mantle in our family room.

Once we decide to have our annual photo shoot at Heritage Park this year it was a no brainer that we were going to recreate that photo.  I'm so glad we did.

I find it interesting that both James and I thought I was on the right in the original and we didn't realize we were wrong until we were looking at the photos a week later.

Check out some of the other pictures taken in this exact location by clicking here.

Our Spot @ Heritage Park

Looking back on my blog posts, I realized that we hadn't taken a picture at 'our spot since May 2013, over 18 months ago, YIKES.  So the perfect first post of 2015 is to show you that we did in fact take a picture art our special balcony in 2014.

Since Grady was born, ,Christmas brunch has been an annual outing for James side of the family, and I kind of love it.  We've been going to Heritage Park the past few years as it is very family friendly and if you are lucky you can even see Santa. Which we did.

While every year, we hope for it to be nice to stroll around and enjoy the festivities, it never is.  Except this year.  And I regretted wishing for it.  When it is cold, no one is out and about and you get Santa and all the craft tables to yourself.  When it is nice out, everyone and there dog is out and you start to sweat because there are so many people crammed into tiny places.

Next year I will be hoping for the cold to return and to give as the nice and empty visit to Heritage Park that we have had in the past.  Like being at the park on your own.

I love coming back to have our picture taken here.  It is where our life as a family started and has grown.  I love documenting is every step of the way.

Happy New Year!  Welcome 2015.

Our 8th Anniversary is Today

8 years later! 

Today we are celebrating our 8th anniversary.  Technically we aren't celebrating today since James has a work commitment, but we did break away for a kidless dinner over the weekend.  When Nana offers up babysitting so we can go out, we don't refuse!

On Saturday it rained.  Like really rained.  It reminded me of our own wedding day.  It started raining at the rehearsal dinner and didn't stop until after the reception the day of our wedding.  It poured all day.  The wedding pictures I hoped to get outside at Heritage Park and around the city were shattered by Mother Nature herself.

I didn't let the rain dampen my spirits (pun intended). I was married after all and had all my friends and family to help me celebrate.  Still to this day, my favorite picture of the entire day are the 3 the photographer snapped of James and I on the balcony of the Wainwright Hotel just before the reception started.  The only 3 outdoor pictures we got that day.

So Saturday morning when we were driving and the rain was coming down, I thought of the day I made the best decision of my life by marrying my husband.

Our Spot

As I talked about in my Thomas post last week, our spot is on the deck at Heritage Park.  We got married there almost 8 years ago.  It was almost like it was meant to be.  James proposed in late March and after deciding to get married that fall, I scrambled trying to find a place that could accommodate me and our 150 guests.  Those who have planned a wedding know that is no small feat. 

James and his family frequented Heritage Park when  he was growing up so when they suggested Heritage Park, I figured it was worth a phone call at least.  I called, totally expecting that it would be full, and surprisingly they had a cancellation for a Saturday in September.  We ran the date by our friends and family and before we knew it, we had a wedding date!  Interestingly enough, Heritage Park was the cheapest of the options that we were looking at.  Not because of the quality but because it was a not for profit.  It seriously was the perfect wedding reception locale for James and I.  Why you ask?  Because we have a place to go back to.  A place to remember that this is where we had our wedding.

After I wrote the Thomas post, my mom suggested going back and accumulating all my pictures on the deck in one place.  So that is exactly what I am doing in this post.  My friend Stacey suggested that I print them all out at one time and put them in a frame.  I think that will be a future project - what a great way to remember all the moments at 'our spot'.

First up, September 10, 2005 - our wedding day and my first trip to HP.

March 1, 2008 - This is Bo and Dave's wedding day and I was 5 months pregnant with Grady.   Notice that I am not wearing a jacket.  They had better weather in March then we did in September.  Ha!  We had our reception at the Wainwright Hotel and they had theirs just down the way at the Dairy Barn. Yes... BOTH boys had their wedding at HP. In another random thought.... how cool would it be if my kids had their receptions there to?

December 2008.  We went for brunch with little Grady who was not even 6 months cold.  It was so cold that day.  We parked in the parking lot and they were operation shuttles down to brunch it was that cold.

 

August 2009.   A family trip to HP to grab our family photo.  Grady was 16 months.

December 2009.  We braved another year of brunch at HP despite the cold conditions that 2008 provided. 

September 2010.   I was 6 months pregnant with Cooper.

 

May 2010.   And then there were 4.  A trip to Thomas the train and another family shot with the new member of the family. 



December 2012.  After 2 years off to try a few new places, we were back to enjoy brunch at HP.  It is by far my favorite place to go at Christmas.  The food is only OK but decorations are so festive.  If you catch a nice winter day there is lots to do to.  Maybe we'll add December 2013 brunch to the pictures. haha.

May 2013.  No more babies, just boys!  Looking at this picture makes me realize how big my 'babies' have really gotten. Time sure does fly when you are not sleeping having fun.

 

So there you have it - our spot.  The first picture taken 8 years ago and I hope to add for the next 8 years or more.  I'll add pictures to this chain for as long as the boys will let me.  One day, you'll see them framed on my wall.  Looking forward to adding many HP memories to the sequence.

Thomas the Train - Heritage Park

For about 2 months, the kids were obsessed with Thomas the Train.  Obsessed.  During this short obsession we accumulated more trains than  I care to admit.  Also during that time, tickets to see Thomas at Heritage Park went on sale and we were quick to grab tickets.

As this weekend approached, I wasn't sure how it was going to go.  Grady will has been known to tell us that he doesn't like Thomas or Cars, he only likes Angry Birds.  Cooper on the other hand I was sure would enjoy since he still plays with his cars and his trains when Grady isn't around.

We started talking about going it a few sleeps before and surprisingly, there was lots of excitement.  We looked at pictures from other years we went and talked about riding the train.  As the weekend drew closer I was optimistic that is wasn't such a waste of money after all.

When we woke up to beautiful weather on Sunday morning, we couldn't have been happier!  While we waited for James to get out of the shower we headed outside to blow some bubbles in the sun.

We quickly realized that we didn't need jackets for the first time of the year.  To be honest, the kids could have worn shorts and been fine. James actually did wear shorts.  

As we walked down the long path leading up to the train we could see the grey smoke shooting up from the train.  Thomas was getting close and the kids were eagerly trying to get their first glimpse of him.

The reaction didn't disappoint.  I even went through the trouble of bringing our big camera in anticipation of catching some great photos.  I don't do that often.

Here comes Thomas!

I am not going to lie, every time I step foot on the train it makes me think of our wedding day.  We booked our wedding there but I had never been to Heritage Park before.  James went all the time as a kid so he was super keen.  I decided to make my first visit to the park (other than to view the reception area before booking) on the day we got married.  We rented the train for the guests to ride that day.  That was the only decision that James made about the wedding day.  I said we would think about booking the train and James jumped in and said that we wanted it.  

The day of our wedding it rained.  And when I say it rained, it really rained.  Like poured. All. Day. Long.  When we rode the train you couldn't even see out the windows. So here I saved my first train ride for our wedding day and didn't see a darn thing.

One look at our face will tell you that it was raining. Hard.

 

Back to today....

After what seemed like forever, the train finally started to move and the kids were glued to the window. 

They sat like that essentially the whole time.  Three entire laps around the park.  Three.  It was very boring for the adults but we didn't go to see Thomas the Train for the adults now did we?

After the long train ride we made our way to the front of the train to snap a few pics.  Nana was very happy to be escorted by her 2 grandsons.

We tried really hard to get a picture of both boys together but it proved to be difficult.  As usual.  Cooper was to busy admiring Thomas to turn around and when he finally did  Grady was no longer waiting patiently.  This was the best I could get.

I managed to get Coop to turn around when I promised him some food after the pictures. I had packed sandwiches for the kids.  Cooper's jam sandwich eventually lead to a bee landing on his face to try and eat the jam that was left on his face.  Nana swatted it away.  Not to self, wipe child's face after jam sandwich!

After this, we headed to the tent where they sell all the merchandise.  Miraculously, we walked away and bought nothing.  

We hit up the carousel and the boat swing for the kids, followed by treats at the bakery.  I swear I have never had a cheese bun that tasted so yummy.  It was so fresh it was still warm. 

We ended out the day with our annual photo on the balcony of the Wainwright Hotel where we had our reception.

 

I look at the picture and feel so fortunate.  When I stood there on my wedding day, I only hoped that nearly eight years later I would be standing there with my own family.  I wish I could tell my newlywed self how much that landing would come to mean to me.  It really had become a landmark of James and I's married life together. I am so glad that we have 'our spot'.

We had low expectations going into the trip to Heritage Park this year, but in the end it turned out to be a great day.  The kids loved it and if the kids are happy we are happy!

Heritage Park - 2012

We almost didn't get it this year, but last weekend we got our 2012 family shot in front of the Wainwright Hotel at Heritage Park where James  and I were married over 7 years ago.  I wrote the first post about these pictures almost 4 years ago!  We didn't quite make it on to the balcony since it was a little chilly to be dragging the kids out of the stroller but it is close enough!

The year Grady was born we started going for a Christmas brunch every year.  We have gone to a few different places but Heritage Park is by far my favorite. I love how festive it is.  There are trees, wreath, horse rides, and decorations that just screams Christmas!  I love it.

There is something about getting together as a family and enjoying a new tradition that I love.  Christmas for me is all about tradition and the things that you look forward to doing each year and over the years, brunch has become one of them.

The kids were very well behaved this year.  We realized that the kids had not been out to eat since August.  James and I have gone out and we have ordered LOTS of pizza in but the kids haven't been to a restaurant in close to 5 months!  The last time I remember taking them out was to Earls and neither one of them ate their food and just wanted to play under the table and at the water fall at the front of the restaurant.  It was a disaster.  Needless to say I wasn't in a rush to bring then out again.

It was chilly today but the kids still wanted to check out the maze and run around in the snow.

Why is it that the kids never feel the cold like the adults?

As the holidays draw more near we are so looking forward to the boys this year.  They are at such a fun age and am so excited to see them on Christmas morning.  

Thomas the Train - 2011

We visited Heritage Park today especially to see Thomas the Train and it proved to be as eventful as last year. Last year Grady cried because he didn't want to go on Thomas at all and then clung to us through out the entire ride. This year we battled the weather.

Cooper (not Grady believe it or not) had a very early start to the day. Let's just say it was in the 5's. So we needed to wake him from his morning nap leaving just enough time to get to the park for our 10:20am train ride. Throw in a flashing traffic light, a full parking lot, and mangling 2 kids to the park, and we were nearly running to get to the train on time.

When we arrived at the train we had to sit outside in the caboose. This usually wouldn't be a problem except today was windy. Very windy. The forecast called for 18 degrees which led us to believe it was going to be a nice day. Wrong. James started out in shorts and promptly ran in to change once he stepped on to the driveway before leaving.

So there we are, sitting in the train, we have yet to see any evidence that this is in fact Thomas, Nana is wearing a hood, I am wearing Cooper, and Grady is cold. Not a great start. Personally I was ready to get off after 1 lap of the park but we paid for a full 3 laps on the train. Grady was less than excited but there were no tears this year and he did not appear to be scared. Dare i go out on a limb and say he might have actually liked it? If the weather were a bit warmer he may
have had a really good time. Cooper, per usual, was very well behaved. Not a peep out of him the whole train ride despite the wind and the sun in his face every so often.

Notice my new baby carrier. I 'stole' an Ergo Baby on babysteals.com a few weeks ago and it just came in this week. I bought it because with it I can wear Cooper on my back. Heck, I could even wear Grady on my back if he'd let me. I think it will come in handy this summer at the park when I need to help Grady up a ladder or even just chase him around. I love to wear babies but am finding it more difficult this time around to manage a three year old and have a baby on the front. I digress.

After the train ride we headed for shelter from the wind in the Thomas tent so I could feed Cooper. This is essentially a big tent filled with Thomas items for purchase. Probably not the greatest place to hang out as everyone who has a kid that loves Thomas knows how expensive the stuff is. Grady walked away with a T-shirt, a Bumble Bee Thomas, and 2 bags of popcorn. Thanks Nana!

I failed to mention that Cooper had not pooped since Thursday morning. Today is Saturday. As if on cue, Cooper pooped right after the bottle. No biggie, I grabbed a diaper and the wipes and head to the bathroom.

It was a monster blow out poop.

I took one look at the poop that up his back and literally said 'oh sh@t'. An older woman obviously heard me and asked very nicely if I needed help. At this point I am frantically looking for my phone (that I rarely carry with me) in my pockets so I could call James and get him to bring the diaper bag to me. I actually had it in my pocket. The nice lady even asked me if I wanted her to meet my husband at the door to bring the bag in. What a nice lady. I told her that his Mom was with him and she could bring the bag in.

Sparing some of the details, I wiped as much up as I could and got Cooper changed into a sleeper that I literally put in the bag yesterday. Before that it was a 0-3 sleeper that his leg would barely fit into. Crisis averted.

By this time, the weather has cleared up and we are slowly headed back to van where we planned to drive to McDonalds for lunch. Then Grady spotted the horse and buggy. We figured that if he really wanted to on that we were in no rush. It was a pretty uneventful ride until we were right in front of Thomas and he blew his whistle. Well wouldn't you know it... the horses got spooked. Thankfully, they did not start to gallop. They started packing up into a park area. I was really scared that they were going to take off with us sitting in the attached buggy on our wooden benches. What was even worse was the buggy came about 4 feet from hitting 2 girls playing on the grass. The father, not expecting these horses to back into the park area did not notice. It was a close call. Again, crisis averted.

This picture was taken after the horse ride. Cooper actually fell asleep in the Ergo. Score. That is until we were in the bakery waiting for our cookies and Grady swatted him on the bum.

I couldn't resist posting this super cute pic of the little guy.

And this picture of Nana so you know she was actually there.

We were watching Grady run through the maze. He loved it!


And because it wouldn't be a trip to heritage park without a picture on our step... here is a comparison from September 2010 when Cooper was still known as 'DJ' to our picture taken today.


It is amazing how much things have changed in the past year... except James' jacket!

Another Stage - 2010

Here is our annual picture at Heritage Park. For those of you who don't know, James' family grew up going to Heritage Park as they lived very near by, then 20 years later we had our wedding reception at Heritage Park. Needless to say Heritage Park has a special place in both of our hearts. We hope that we can pass this along to our children by visiting the park at least once a year and showing the kids where their parents got married. I may shed a few tears if they ever decide to tear down/renovate the Wainwright Hotel, where the reception was actually held.....

So here is the picture. All 3.8 of us!

Again, for those of you who don't know, it rained on our wedding day. When I say it rained, I mean it poured rain non stop from sun up to sun down. We have very few outdoor pictures. Like 4. These photos were all taken on this balcony right where we are standing. To this day they are my favorite wedding photos.

To see some of the older photos of years past... see this post and this post.

For comparison... here we are in 2009.


Can't wait to take DJ with us next year... outside of the belly that is!

Thomas the Train!

Last weekend James, Grady and I headed to Heritage Park to see Thomas the Train. Grady is really into to 'choo choo's' right now so thought it would be the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. We don't really watch Thomas the Train - Grady is more of a Toopy and Binoo kind of guy - but thought we'd give it a try anyhow.

Essentially they charge you extra money to ride in the same train they always have at Heritage Park but attach the Thomas engine to the front of train. I can imagine how excited some of the older kids must get if they actually recognize Thomas. Grady was indifferent.

It was a gorgeous day which was a huge bonus. Here are Grady and I waiting for the train to pick us up.

It may appear that Grady was enjoying the train ride and looking out the window at all the kids waving at Thomas, or the horses, or maybe even the balls being kicked around in the field. It may appear this way but in actuality, Grady was gripping my neck in fear. He was scared.

He did loosen his grip enough to sit with Dad for a bit... but I can't say the train ride was a huge hit. Maybe next year....

After the train ride we grabbed some hot dogs and lemonade and sat in the park to eat. I of course got to share with Grady. I put on 1 package of mustard compared to the 6 that I would have liked because Grady doesn't really like mustard. Well that was still too much! Every time even a little bit got on his finger he needed his hands cleaned. To top it all off, he wanted to hold the hot dog himself. Can you see where this is going?? Next thing you know my hot dog is on the ground. Great..... James first offers me some of his covered in ketchup and relish - yuck! Then suggests that I wipe it off and eat it anyway. I took a good look at it, wiped off the dirt and ate it anyway. Reminds me of this one time at the bar after a pub crawl.....



Moral of the story - Always get your kid their own hot dog!

Heritage Park Brunch 2009!

It is no secret that our family loves Heritage Park. We got married there and have been going back yearly ever since. Grady doesn't seem to mind it either.

He was so excited to be there for brunch he did a little dance.

It was -30 this morning when we departed and all were bundled up to to keep warm in the cold weather. Grady wasn't bothered and was eager to explore.

Similar to our Christmas card photo session, getting a good picture was not an easy feat. But we did walk away with a few good ones.

This one is where our favorite wedding picture was taken and where we take all our yearly shots.

2008 Flashback: It was also very cold that day.... maybe one day we will get temperatures that are just a little bit bearable.... We are not asking for that much!!