Coolest Cat

It's getting so difficult to get pictures of Dexter. He's just so... Blurry!

But the other day I got him the darn cutest little hat and then we found him some awesome sunglasses! I simply couldn't resist!

He's such a big boy too! The pants he's wearing in the pictures are 12 month size and the shirt is 12-18 month size! And they fit him pretty good! Remember, he's not quite six months old yet!

I love that he is just so healthy! It brings so much peace to my heart.

Ready for the cuteness now?

Then check below!

WEM Day

Layla has this whole week off school. If you ever ask her what she wants to do, if she can do anything, her answer is always West Edmonton Mall's World Waterpark.

Everytime.

Well, Daniel's out of town for work right now, and I'm not sure if I'm quite up to taking two kids on my own. So her next choice was to do the ropes course at West Ed.

We ended up having a pretty fun and busy day! I love going on adventures (even mini ones) with my munchkins!

Here are some glimpses into our day:

A Proud Sister

Layla just LOVES Dexter! She is so proud of him and loves to show him off to anyone who is around!

She is already so good at helping me with him. I actually tried very purposefully right from day one to not give her too much responsibility when it came to Dexter. I didn't want her to be a constant default babysitter or little mommy.

I still wanted her to be a kid. A kid who still has normal chores and helps around the house, yes. But I didn't want her to be resentful of Dexter and the added work he brought into her life. I also didn't want Dexter saying he was 'practically raised by his big sister' as you sometimes here in big families or families with large age gaps.

I also have been trying my best to make sure, both from me as well as others, that she still gets attention. Especially a bit of one on one uninterrupted time. It doesn't have to be hours or anything. We just need to reconnect.

Something along the way must be working. She offers to help all on her own and makes it her personal mission to make him smile!

She is a FANTASTIC big sister! I am so proud of her!

Here are a few pictures she took yesterday morning while he was in his exersaucer:

At the Carwash

Dexter grew too impatient while waiting in line for our car wash, so I had to get him out of his carseat. Then I just kept him up front with me!

He loved standing up on my lap and having the steering wheel to hang on to.

My Morning Boy

There is a certain fleeting time in the morning when the sun rising in the East travels through the living room windows all the way to our room in the western side of the house. It's a beautiful pure bright light.

Here is Dexter this morning smiling in it! He's usually happiest just after he wakes up, eats and has a fresh diaper. Who wouldn't be?

The Reason

Life as a Clayton is very busy. Beautiful, substantial, important, lovely and busy. Why would this be? Well, the main reason would be because of a little man born on August 26 last year.

His name is Dexter Ward Clayton.

And he's our dream come true!

In about a week, he'll be six months old already. I really want to get back on the bandwagon of documenting our lovely and exciting life here. I love the record keeping aspect of it. As well, I love going back and browsing old posts and reminiscing.

A lot has happened over the past while. Some fabulous, some sad. But we know our Heavenly Father is watching out for our little family.

Some highlights include:

-Traveling! (of course!)
We've been to Panorama for Daniel's Birthday. Calgary for a little summer fun with Matt's family. An epic family roadtrip to Las Vegas. And a getaway of just me and the kids to Canmore. Also, quite a number of trips to Regina.

-We've also had a couple dear family members pass on. I lost my grandpa (papa) in November. And Daniel lost his sweet mother in December. Through these hard times, it was so lovely to see so many family members come together though.

-Above all else, welcoming Dexter into our family was the most spectacular adventure we partook in! We love that little guy so much it's hard to grasp!

His chubby cheeks make me squeal, his giggles make me burst, his soft baby hair makes me melt, his tiny fingers steal my heart.

Dear Daniel:

Dear Daniel:

I know you probably won't read this, but still. I really miss you.

I really, really appreciate how hard you have been working for our little, growing family. Especially as I am not able to contribute like I used to. It is not easy for me to let myself be so dependent on someone. But you sure are coming through for us with flying colours, and it's hard for me to put into words just how much that means to me. You are my hero and I love you.

Now, please come home safely when you're all done work for the week. I need you to tell the baby to simmer down, because it's kicking the heck out of me. And it hurts.

The doctor even mentioned today during my measurements that my stomach is getting very tight. The baby is running out of room. (Not actually, it just feels that way.)

Also, as usual, Lewis seemed sad and depressed again. I think he's even more attached to you than I am. Actually, I know this to be true. At least I can plan activities to distract myself, but poor Lewis has been stuck in his kennel so much lately. And it's been very hot outside for him. He doesn't even run around very much. He just rolls in the dirt to scratch his back then lies down and pants. I've been trying to give him extra water lately and make sure that it's cold and fresh, but often Layla or I or both of us end up stepping in a pile of his nasty sticky water vomit later. Poor puppy.

My very own Daniel Clayton. Superhero.