Wedding Recap

Although I brought my camera on our trip out west, I didn't take a whole lot of photos at my sister's wedding.

I was too busy holding Whitney...

most of the time.

But I liked the photos I did take, most of them being candid shots. I think they always look so much nicer than the posed ones.

My sister (in one of her 5 outfits)

A proud papa looking on

Paparrazi :)

Paparazzi shot

The officially married happy couple (2 ceremonies later)

The whole wedding was beautiful and entertaining. My sister looked amazing in all her outfits and her husband must have felt like a king, getting to ride in on a horse as part of the traditional Indian Barat.

As with any wedding, there were a few hiccups, but my sister and her husband did a stellar job as they were their own wedding planners. They had a big wedding - about 200 people - compared to Matt's and mine. I only wished that I could have helped them out more beforehand. But at least I carried out the one responsibility my sister gave me - a sister of the bride speech - which was a daunting task for a very introverted individual like myself.

Thankfully all the hours I spent thinking of what to write paid off and the speech went over quite well, even though I was shaking like a leaf and fighting back tears through a lot of it. My sister said she was tearing up after the first line, so as long as she was touched, that's what mattered. A big thank you to my own husband for helping me tweak it and prompting me to put in directives, like "smile", lest I forget.

And another happy couple (& wee one)

And speaking of weddings, it's our 4th anniversary today. I think I'm going to wear my tutu skirt again tonight when we go out for dinner. Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Lazy Summer Days

We're back from vacation...
okay, it's been almost a week since Whitney and I have been back, but my newly wedded sister was visiting so we took advantage of some more down time.

Here we are on Canada Day.

It's been a pretty lazy summer for me so far. Lots of work to catch up on and my shop and blog could definitely use some up-keep. I will share more photos from our trip out west later this week.

Hope you're enjoying some lazy summer days too. Happy Independence Day to my southern neighbours!

Happy Holidays!

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas... only hours away here... and before my family literally arrives from the airport! Our first holiday together in Toronto. If I don't get a chance to blog again before the New Year, Happy 2011 to you too!

Getting into Holiday Mode

I love me some pretty etsy treasuries... especially when someone is sweet enough to include one of my items.

Festive Felines

Back in the shop for another holiday season are these cards . I am vowing here and now to make some new holiday designs for next year, though...

Six years in a row is a little much, no?

I am so looking forward to the holidays this year, as it will be Whitney's first Christmas and my family will be flying out here, too. But we'll have to figure out a different solution for the tree and presents, I think. She is still in that everything-must-go-into her mouth mode.

And speaking of firsts, I think she said her first word the other week.

What do you think it was?

"CAT!"
(of course)

In other news, I will be part of a group art show this weekend. A rather last minute invitation, and the piece in the show is an old one (below), but it should be a good show.

A New Year & A New Life...both welcomed a little late.

We're a month into 2010, so I'm just a little behind in ringing in the New Year. It would be an understatement to say that things have been just a little hectic since we welcomed our baby girl, Miss Whitney Bennett, into the world on January 11.

Here she is on Day 2...
(c/o a professional photo service offered at the hospital)
that's my arm on the left and Matt's (hairy one) on the right.

I half expected to be early and deliver Toronto's first baby of 2010 since there was a full moon on New Year's eve and there's an old wives' tale that you can go into labour on a full moon. But it turned out I was 6 days past due and with each passing day and no sign of baby, we all grew a little impatient... my mom and sister had flown in from Saskatoon on the 6th and there were only so many games of Scrabble that we could play to pass the time.

It didn't help that my parents and Matt's parents kept wondering when their first grandbaby would arrive, that Matt's parents were getting into Toronto on the 11th, that my dad was going to India on the 12th, that my sister was only in town until the 12th and that I was scheduled for an induction on the 13th. No pressure, right?

Well, once I finally experienced my first contraction, life as Matt and I knew it before, forever changed. My labour and delivery went pretty quick, considering this was my first pregnancy - just under 12 hours - and since then, life has felt like a bit of a whirlwind.

Here I thought the pregnancy was somewhat challenging... boy, was I clueless about what to expect afterwards. How anyone is able to raise kids on his/her own kind of boggles me. If I had not had help these past few weeks, I think I would have seriously lost it. Couple that with the fact that I had never before held a baby or changed a diaper, let alone babysat any kids, so it was all a bit overwhelming.


Basically now, my days are spent feeding Whitney every 2.5-3 hours, with feedings usually taking an hour on average, sometimes longer though if she's fussy and won't settle down. I'm lucky if I get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, and 6 hours in total a day. The last time I left the house was more than a week ago - until today - so I've pretty much been in my p.j.'s and bathrobe 24/7.

Breastfeeding itself was a big challenge in the first week and we're both still getting the hang of it. We had to bring Whitney back to the hospital a few times because she was dehydrated and I needed help with breastfeeding... that's a whole other post for another time though. The carpal tunnel that I developed during the third trimester has not gone away and is probably being aggravated by holding and lifting Whitney constantly.


All complaints aside however, we are thrilled that our little "Whit-whit", as we like to call her, arrived safe and sound. Hearing her first cries brought both Matt and me to tears and I'm so looking forward to all the other emotions and milestones we'll experience together in the coming years.

Summer Snapshots

The summer is whizzing by as usual.

Here are some snapshots from our recent trip to New Brunswick. In honour of Matt's dad's (and his twin's) 70th birthday (this past April), his parents organized a summer costume party, since the weather is generally better in July. Go figure that the weekend we went it was foggy and rainy almost everyday we were there. We had maybe an hour or two of sun on the night of the party, but the rest of the night nearly 100 people had to cram themselves into the Garden Gate B & B.

Matt and I decided to go as John (Lennon) & Yoko (Ono) on their wedding day...

Matt Before


I'm Almost Ready

Matt as Rock Star


Me in the Backyard

Us as John & Yoko

I think Matt was a more convincing Lennon. I should have donned some big dark sunglasses, but then my face isn't as angular as Yoko's, so I don't know if they would have helped anyways. Our costumes worked better together than separately.

Matt's Dad & Uncle went as Hosers (Bob & Doug)

My parents (who aren't really into costumes) dressed up in some traditional Asian fashions

Matt & his sister Sara

(a blurry photo of) Sara & her hubby as Trekkies

I couldn't find a decent photo of Matt's mom, but she was a party girl all in pink. And unfortunately Matt's other sister, Suzy, couldn't make it but she and her boyfriend sent warm wishes via email, so she was there in spirit.

All in all, a fun trip, but I was happy to head home by the end of it.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new giveaway! Stay tuned :)