Trouble

Sophie is on the move and she could not be more excited about being able to go exploring the world in a new way. Her big brother's world, however, is turning upside down. When she first started pulling herself up to standing, Daniel would cheer, "Yay, Sophie!", but when she began showing interest in his train table he became far less enthusiastic. We now have a barricade of furniture in our living room to give Daniel one "safe spot" for his toys which are too small, fragile or special to share with a toddler.



What Sophie would really like to get her hands on are Daniel's diggers. As soon as he goes to bath time or bed, Sophie makes a beeline for them. Thankfully, we have had a sharing breakthrough this week & she can now play with some of them along with Daniel. Sometimes.

Happy birthday. Grandpa!

Daniel was very excited to make a special message for Grandpa S in honour of his birthday today.



We tried to get Sophie in on the fun, but with little success at holding her attention. She did try to give a hug before trying to climb over the chair.



Hope you enjoy the videos & have a great day, Dad!

8 month Sophie update

Sophie at 8 months is working her way up to full "Cyclone Sophie" status. She is moving around more quickly, not quite at a full fledged crawl, but certainly a force to be reckoned with. She cannot be trusted to stay put anywhere unless she is strapped into a car seat. She also really wants to stand and walk, which, for the record, we are NOT encouraging.




Sophie has also learned to clap her hands so that she can request her favourite song- patty cake. She loves to sing along with everyone else at her loudest volume setting and grins when she earns smiles from those watching.






Just like her brother at this age, Sophie is an enthusiastic eater. When she got to the end of her first couple mum-mum crackers, she wept. Not sure if it was because she thought there were no more, or she bit her fingers with that sharp little tooth of hers. At present Sophie still just has one bottom front tooth, but I think its partner can't be far behind now.



I predict her 9 month mug shot might just be a pink blur. Eeyore has no chance of keeping up with this one for much longer.

New year's resolutions

Hey look- it's January and I am posting pictures from... wait for it... January! Maybe this is the year I will stay on top of blogging.

On Jan 1st it was nice enough to go for a walk around our local pond again. The weather here has been crazy, one day it will be ten above and a day later minus twenty. We had our first real cold snap last week and I can't say any of us enjoyed it.



We are enjoying Sophie's big-eyed wonder. She is quite the character and makes us smile every day.



We also enjoyed a quick visit with my parents who stopped in on their way to warmer places.



Another blessing this month has been a little boy who has really caught on to using the potty. We have been diaper free with him since the end of November. Yay! Can you tell one of his favouite rewards is a toy car? What can I say, still coming out cheaper than pull ups.



Sophie has also started singing and playing the piano, we just can't understand any of the words yet.

What happens when genes for construction and music are combined

May I present to you, an original composition by Daniel, "I Like Diggers." Before I started videoing him, the song had a lot more varied lyrics. It went something like, "I like diggers and dump trucks, I like bulldozers that push stuff..." and on and on listing various types of construction machines he likes and sometimes what they do.



And the reprise, "I Like Hammers and Bamming Stuff." I particularly enjoy the part after the song when he notices crayon on the piano and is appalled. He doesn't seem to recall his 7 month ago self thought it was perfectly okay to colour on the piano, so therefore it must have been his infant sister. That's his story and he's sticking to it.

7 months mug shot

Are you impressed we remembered to do this? You should be.

Still uploading Christmas

The week before Christmas certainly wasn't quite at our house. Keith had school right up to the 23rd, so we were home and having people over to celebrate the season. Keith's brother, Percy, and his family came over for a lovely evening of visiting and eating. Daniel was thrilled to have cousins come over and play, and Sophie enjoyed charming everyone as well.






Here are also a few picks form Christmas morning at my parents' house. Lots of excitement! I haven't yet uploaded the pics from my brothers' camera yet though and most of the Christmas ones from Vermilion are on there. I'll get there eventually.