Some recent pics

(newly attached to his bunny rabbit) 

(his little mitts were full of dirt. on a mission) 

(getting ready for a bike ride) 

(matching) 

(hydrating) 

(driving) 

(it's hiking season here) 

(always chopping) 

(he likes to bring a friend to the park) 

Jon and I are pretty much ready for a vacation. Work is busy, Newfoundland is cold, and we are a little tired. Plus, I really want an ice cream cone. Luckily, Jon surprised me with a trip to Halifax for Canada day. It's weird how the closer you get to a vacation, the more you absolutely need it. This weekend we are all about hanging around our house, hiking, biking, picnicking.

Also, I chopped about 4 inches off my hair with kitchen scissors the other day. I know maybe no one would agree, but I sort of like it.

Lunch dates

Lately Jon and I have been going out for lunch together once a week instead of racing back home to spend a few minutes with Cohen. We usually just grab coffee and sandwiches and go to a park or sit in the car and chat. Those 45 minutes are so nice. We are not in the habit of going on dates where we have to get a babysitter, so these lunchtime dates are so special. Plus, our little dude has been napping right through our lunch break lately. It's a win-win.

On the weekend: Cohen's first concert

Cohen and I were on our own for the whole weekend while J took a bachelor trip to Boston (PS: It seems like these days, a bachelor/bachelorette party is not enough. It has to be a trip. I kind of love it in that you get to see friends you haven't seen for a while. And for Jon and I, who live on a rock away from everyone, a trip makes sense for us. Still, it's kinda crazy, right?). Although I have taken a few trips away from my boys, this is the first time for Jon. 

(He's got something to say) 

(Do I ever love that guy) 

(At the playground. Looking mean in his hoodie/jean jacket combo) 

(He just doesn't get bathroom selfies. Yellow and blue for a Splash n Boots concert) 

(waiting for the show to start) 

(he wanted to pose with these Treehouse media things) 

(Apres concert)

Since I knew Jon would be gone, I decided to go ahead and book tickets for Cohen's first concert. I got lots of advice from other moms, who told me to definitely, absolutely get VIP tix so you can sit closer. I heard stories of how being too far from the stage= bored toddler= total waste of money because you have to leave early after a tantrum. So I sprung for the VIP section, and Cohen and I found ourselves in the third row, with barely a kid around us. It was pretty much empty. So when the show started, they told everyone they could move up to the empty seats. Whatev. You live and learn. 

We sat by a 5-year-old girl who slipped me a note that said "I love you'r tshirt." She wrote it in yellow, cuz that's the only color she had, though she had brought about 100 sheets of white paper in her little purse. She also had an American Girl doll dressed exactly like her, right down to the high heels. But anyways. I pulled out my pack of 4 crayons, and her and Cohen coloured for a while. When the show started, Cohen was smiling so hard, I had to fight back tears. So sweet and earnest. He loved clapping, but his little introverted heart couldn't handle too much dancing in the aisles. He would just come and lean on me and smile up at me. Maybe to a stranger it wouldn't look like he was having a good time, but for this momma, it was absolutely the best. 

At right around the one hour mark, Cohen started pointing to the door and pulling my hand. I was like, dude, do you wanna leave? He was like, yes. So I let him pull me all the way out and all the way to our car. Money well spent, seriously. 

Some days I love my job

Earlier this week I had a tough day at work. A coworker called in sick, leaving us short-staffed. A few appointments ran late because the patients needed something extra done. We squeezed in a few emergencies. We ran out of some impression material I needed. It was the kind of day where you are running around the whole day without a second to look up. The phone is ringing off the hook, and a young patient is crying at the prospect of getting a needle. The kind of day where you have 20+ charts to write up at the end of the day. I think every single job has some version of a day like this. I have done a handful of jobs (waitress, pharmacy technician, cashier, fast food worker, etc), and they all have those days where you wonder why you are even doing the job. You feel like a total failure, and you totally want to sing this song. 

Those kind of days I need to remember that this job is the one that I chose when I was a little girl. This is the job that I would have even if we lived in a place where every occupation gets the same exact pay. I would be a dentist no matter what. I love it. 

Lately...

(a bit of puddle jumping)

(we went for our first ice cream of summer only to find out our only ice cream shop is closed forever!) 

(family selfie) 

(biking all the time) 

(taking the dude swimming at the hotel/tanning parlor/gym/crappy pool) 

(checking out the diggers near our house) 

(sliding) 

(haircut! Last one here)

We have been busy in that good way were we just spend a lot of time together and not a lot of time with our phones or computers. We are still having relatively cold days, but we put on lots of layers and go for bike rides and hang out at the park. A few people have commented on our bike seat for Cohen, concerned that it doesn't seem safe to have a kid on your bike. We are definitely the only people in our town who do it, but I have never ever felt unsafe. Jon and I are used to biking around downtown Halifax. And Cohen LOVES it. And then yesterday Cohen was walking down the street and tripped and face planted into the curb. He has a huge bruise on his forehead. So I am thinking all things are dangerous. Walking, biking, etc. 

In other news: I was super sad to find out that our only ice cream shop is closed, which means we have a 1.5 hour drive to get ice cream. The reason the owners told us they decided to close: it was too much work. So there you go. I want to find a teenager to drive one of those ice cream bikes (dicky dee? I think that's what they were called). 

Also, Cohen's hair was getting a little out-of-control, so we dropped into a barber shop, and they started chopping. A few minutes in, Cohen started crying. He was trying to fight it, but he was just super overwhelmed. We kept talking to him and he calmed down after a few minutes and  a few deep breaths. I can't describe how proud I was of him in that moment. He totally wanted to end the haircut, but he somehow forced himself to suck it up and sit through the last 5 minutes. In that same vein, whenever Cohen falls or hurts himself, Jon and I say, "shake it off dude, you're ok!" And so now whenever he hurts himself he starts shaking his hands like he's doing this little dance.