Sad and happy

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say a quick hello since it's been a while since I posted.  DH and I got away for a couple of nights this week.  I can't say it was the best "vacation" we've been on, but it included some well-needed rest and down time (even if that down time involved tears and being sad, oh, and a visit from AF...wonderful!).  We came home a day early because we were both sick and just wanted to be home.  As much as we needed the time away, I think being so isolated just made us both depressed.  It's nice to be home!

Here are a couple of pictures from our time away (it was a gorgeous place!):

Our tiny cabin

A hike at Helliwell Provincial Park along the bluffs

The bay our cabin was on

View from our front balcony (ahh!)

Happy puppy!

In other news....

We did have a moment of excitement (and tears) while we were away.  My sister gave birth to her firstborn, a little girl.  She arrived right on time, right on her due date.  My silly sister laboured at home almost the whole time alone... When she arrived at the hospital she was already 10 cm dilated!  As hard as it has been at times for me to see her pregnant, when it comes down to it, she is my little sister and I love her SO MUCH!  Also I am the older sister and I feel a bit of a protective role over her.  Having her so far away (Australia) has been hard.  So, I am now the proud auntie to a little Sidney Eunice (picture is below if you'd like to see her)!

I have to add a little note that her name is so special.  I didn't cry when I first found out she was born, but after I heard her name, I just could not stop crying.  The town we grew up in is called Sidney, and it holds so many special memories for me and my siblings.  My sis and her hubby now live in Sydney, Australia.  So the name is a little piece of both of them (and Eunice is my mom's name).  There is something so special about it that it broke me to pieces.  I think it speaks of how great a mom my sister is going to be, and how proud I am of her for doing this.

Also I am going to have another niece/nephew sometime in the spring as my brother and his wife are expecting their second.  That is a bit harder to take since they are lapping us once again, but more on that another time.

So, without further ado, here is my pretty little niece, whom I can't wait to hold in my arms:

Hours after birth, Sidney Eunice M.  I love you little niece!