One of my favourite things...

Quickly becoming a Holiday tradition in our house, we went to the Fantasy of Lights at Elgin Park in Uxbridge this year. 

A number of businesses throughout Uxbridge sponsor holiday displays of lights for 2 weeks in December.  My amazing Realtor husband came up with the idea to put in a display for this year's event (fantastic!  an audience of 8,000+ Uxbridgeans), and ingeniously, created this work of art:

He was the first-ever Realtor to put a display up at the Fantasy of Lights.  Hands-down Genius, baby...way to go!

Rowan loves, loves walking through all the lights.  Christmas music is blaring from the centre of the park, and you can walk or drive the periphery to enjoy the displays put on by local businesses.  There is also a maze of lights to walk through- Rowan was our "leader", and only had us turned around once!  Here's our Year 3 picture infront of the light tunnel...

Our Centurion

Who couldn't have asked for a better day- fantastic weather (brisk morning at 5 degrees, but by midday: 18 degrees and sunny skies), amazing race course, and the love of my life at my side.  We haven't had this much fun since we made an impromptu escape to the Tour de Georgia to catch Lance on his bike! 

After a full summer of training- 5am wake-ups (no matter how many times Miss G decided to wake up for night feedings), and long Friday morning rides (thanks to Glen for a flexible work schedule to allow him to take the kiddie reigns while I toured the backroads of York and Durham Region)- it all came to culmination in Collingwood this weekend for the Centurion.  It was challenging, exhilerating, fast, and the miles seemed to tick by (well, with the exception of the 2 super-tough parts: the steep climb out of Creemore and the combined headwind and climb up to Ravenna in the back 10-miles of the ride). 

I am so grateful Glen decided to join me for the experience.  I needed him for those last few hills, and there was nothing quite like crossing the finish line together, and having our kids there to celebrate at the finish!

My defining moment post-race was in the first 10 minutes after my finish: changing Georgia's diaper and reading Rowan a story.  Like I no sooner took off my helmet and my Mom-job was back in action...

realization...

Centurion- Collingwood 2011

Countdown: 10 days.

Holy.  Shit.

So wish I was in the shape I was when we climbed the mountains in Georgia...okay, so that was almost 7 years ago- pre-kids, pre-accident, pre-crazy-job, but a girl can dream, can't she?

...but somehow, Glen still looks the same (lucky)! 

That was one of the last most memorable times we had on a bike together.  Sure, there were other rides since then, but nothing as epic as the Tour de Georgia. 

Glen officially decided today he's going to join me on the 100-miler Centurion.  Holy eff for both of us, but at least we'll be suffering together!  (and we'll also be securing a good 6-hour road ride to catch up, chat, and plan the next exciting parts of our life!).  I love you, Glen.  Thanks so much for being by my side on this one!

37 weeks and counting...

Yup- I made it.  Well, WE made it.  And by "we", I do mean the collective "we" that currently makes up the Buchanan Clan.  37 weeks, and therefore officially "full term"- and my uterus has officially been given the green light to induce labour and evacuate this new little person that has been growing inside of me for the past 8 1/2 months.  Besides the obvious excitement that we have to meet him or her- I can speak on behalf of everyone that we're ready for Baby B's pending arrival, and would really hope he/she comes sooner than later...

Glen has been wonderful through this maternity.  I, however, have not been without a mouthful of daily pregger complaints- and he has been the rock that has endured much of the pain that goes with a wife who hasn't exactly had the easiest of all pregnancies.  From vericose and spider veins riddling one leg (1 leg?  bizarre, I know!  My right leg looks like I'm 80, and my left looks like I'm 18!), and reaching up into the "down there" area (painful?  in short- YES!).  Early pubic symphasis separation, pregnancy-induced sciatica, and the typical discomforts of later-term pregnancy...they've all been wreaking havoc on both Glen and I (yes- we're both in this together).  Like the icing on the cake, the topper was last week's placental abruption- a good scare tactic to make me slow down and start to appreciate the delicate nature of the little gaffer inside of me- and now the subsequent evaluations that are to ensue weekly until he or she decides to make his/her grand arrival.  Glen's been there through it all- my back rubber, my bean bag warmer-upper, and my sounding board for all the complaints I've logged over the growing course of this pregnancy.  Are we DONE after babe #2?  A resounding YES from both of us!

Rowan has also been inconvenienced through some of this pregnancy.  Albeit, I still jump when he whispers my name in the middle of the night to run to his needs- he will be the first to tell you that his book reading seat is quickly getting eaten up by Baby B expanding in my belly.  He's also getting the short end of my lack of patience of late, but I suppose this is all a bit of a warm-up for the inevitable realization that will hit once he realizes that "Baby Bia" (so he's coined his new brother or sister) is here to stay in a few weeks. But, we are still trying to do all the super-fun things with him in the days coming up to Baby's arrival...last week was Thomas Live on Stage- Rowan's first Adventure into the Big City, rode on a subway ("big, fast, fast, super-fast, super super fast Spencer Train!"), sat through the entire live performance, and then had train ride #2 en route back to our car to head home.  This weekend, we're off to Oma & Pappy's to (hopefully) see the horses, and get a ride on Pappy's tractor.  Always good times for a 2-year old!

Finally, Gryphon is likely one of the clan members most effected by Baby B's pending arrival.  With the long, cold, snowy winter we've had this year, his walks have diminished from 2-3 good, solid walks per day, down to one walk...and "good" might be a term I could use to describe these walks for my own 8.5-month pregger activity, but certainly not for an excitable lab.  He's also had the wrath of Rowan to endure- despite the fact Rowan loves him to pieces (see here:)

Gryphon is the unhappy recipient of Rowan's teasing, taunting, and running his dumptruck to either chase Gryphon around the house or plow into him when he least expects it.  Despite the fact it is exhausting, we do issue a time-out each and every occasion...which is typically between 3-10 times per day.  Ick.  I feel bad for Gryph, as he can't really fight back...but really?  At what point does he just clue in that he can run upstairs and find a good bedroom to sleep in for a few hours to get away from the badgering?  *sigh*.

And so we're still here...37 weeks and counting.  I'm off to Google the "29 ways to naturally induce labour", print it off, and post it on a checklist on the fridge.