Where In The World Are Keith and Jenn?

Happy birthday. Grandpa!

2012-01-30T09:12:00.003-07:00

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

2012-01-27T14:17:00.005-07:00

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

2012-01-25T16:01:00.003-07:00

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

2012-01-23T09:20:00.006-07:00

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

2012-01-13T15:54:00.002-07:00

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

Still uploading Christmas

2012-01-13T15:41:00.002-07:00

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.

December Flashback

2012-01-02T20:53:00.003-07:00

Wow- December was a whirlwind of activity for us! We celebrated Sinterclaas (sp?) on December 5th. Daniel left out some water & and an apple for St. Nicholas' horse, and was so excited when they were gone the next morning and the stockings were filled with gifts & treats. Even Sophie seemed to know something fun was going on.

Here is a picture of Daniel in the cozy reading nook we created in his room. It has definitely helped curb his urge to spread books all over the place. Can't imagine where he picked up that bad habit from...

Every year Keith plays goalie for the staff vs. students hockey game. The staff always wins, and the students are always shocked about this. Daniel was thrilled to go watch him play for the first time, but very tired by the end.

We managed to get a Christmas card out this year, but did it ever take a lot of tries to get a self-timed family portrait that was usable. If you haven't gotten your card yet, please accept our apologies. I just found a couple that somehow missed getting mailed out before we left town- oops! Hopefully you all enjoyed a merry Christmas! We were up north with my family for about a week of constant eating and visiting, although running after little ones does make quality visiting a bit difficult. To those we didn't see, or only saw across the room, we wish you the all the best in 2012.

Ready for Advent

2011-11-30T14:06:00.005-07:00

We might fall behind on blogging around here, but we like to get a headstart on Christmas. Daniel has been asking the whereabouts of pretty lights and Christmas trees on a regular basis since they were put away last year, so he was very excited when they began to appear again. Sophie thinks the lights are awfully pretty too.

Once the tree was set up, we left it to Daniel to put on the decorations. He took his job very seriously and made sure they all found a place. When he had them all on, he declared that we needed more for all the other parts of the tree that didn't have any.

Sophie is quite taken with the little lights and shiny ornaments.

Happy Advent, everyone!

Halfway to one

2011-11-30T13:45:00.005-07:00

That's right, Sophie is already 6 months old. She has started being able to sit up on her own and is quite pleased with herself about that. Or rather, she was pleased for a couple weeks until she decided she would rather stand. We are going to be in trouble with this one, aren't we?

Falling backwards isn't near as bothersome as the face-planting forwards.

When she puts her mind to it, Sophie can wrestle the entire playmat structure to the ground.

Smiling and playing peekaboo in her crib.

Sophie is completely in love with her Dad. When he comes home from work she flaps her arms and makes noise until he comes to give her a hug. He doesn't seem to mind.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-29T15:02:00.003-07:00

Last year, Daniel didn't fully understand Halloween. He was excited when people came to the door, loved giving out treats and carving pumpkins, but he absolutely refused to don a costume. This year, he had a number of ideas about how he should dress up and spent most of the day in his Lightning McQueen costume. Keith took him around to our close neighbours, and we all went out to a couple friends' houses to wish them a Happy Halloween. Daniel also helped hand out playdough and chocolates at our door. Sophie could not be convinced her strawberry costume was a good idea, but since it wouldn't really fit into her car seat anyway we just left it at home.

Ready for their close ups

2011-11-29T14:55:00.002-07:00

We enjoyed a truly beautiful autumn this year. Lots of sunny days and very little cold weather or snow meant we got out to the park as often as possible. Sophie is five months old in these pictures and Daniel just over three years.

The rest of Thanksgiving

2011-11-16T14:12:00.004-07:00

I'm getting closer to caught up- here I am posting about Canadian Thanksgiving BEFORE it is actually time for the American one!

Following our time in Nanton, Daniel's train table was once again totally devoted to trains. What else could it be for, you might ask. Well, it seems that train tables are just the right height and size for playing with cars, tractors, dinosaurs, and anything else Daniel can physically lift that high. I digress.

Very excited about the trains & his new circular track set.

AND, as you might have noticed, still very into the John Deere clothing. I don't think he wore much else in October.

In Sophie news, she finally scored her own crib! Up until Thanksgiving weekend Sophie was in our room in a bassinet. She was definitely getting too big for it and was so happy to sleep with her arms stretched out that night. Daniel was/is super excited to share a room with Sophie. The first week was hard with each of them waking up the other at odd times, but hopefully it will lead to both of them being deeper sleepers in the long run.

Thankful for trains

2011-11-16T09:21:00.002-07:00

On Thanksgiving weekend we spent a morning at the Big Sky Railway in Nanton. Wow, has it ever gotten a lot bigger since the last time we were there! Our original destination was Heritage Park in Calgary, but Nanton is where Sophie decided she absolutely had to eat and Keith thought he and Daniel could just go into the train place for a short break. Ha. I couldn't get them out! I guess we'll try for Heritage Park again in the spring.

Dream come true

2011-11-15T09:24:00.004-07:00

Daniel has been in love with all things John Deere for awhile now. Just a couple days after the big birthday party, the kids & I headed north to visit with my parents & family for a few days. We arrived in time for the last night of harvest, so Daniel got to go see the big combines with Grandpa. His Auntie Melissa, Uncle Justin & cousin Luke had given him a John Deere hoodie & cap for his birthday so he was thoroughly prepared.

Birthday Extravaganza

2011-11-15T08:59:00.003-07:00

Since Daniel & his good buddy Nate were born only a week apart, and we happen to be "good buddies" with his parents too, we decided to organize a joint birthday party for them on the Saturday in between. Becky & I had so much fun with the boys at the Corn Maze last fall that we decided that would be a great place to do it. And it was! It was a gorgeous morning full of fun- everyone took in a hay ride, the playground & petting zoo before we gathered for birthday singing, snacks and cupcakes. Then the "cow train" pulled up and zoomed the kids around the farm before it was time to try out the maze. I think we may have stumbled upon the beginning of an annual event!

Not a posed picture!

Hard to go wrong with chocolate & John Deere green

The cow train was pulled by a lawn tractor- it went surprisingly fast and turned sharply too. VERY popular with the boys!

Little Sophie didn't sleep through much of the party. Lots of people to visit with!

The boys & Dads did eventually make it into the maze :)

Birthday boy

2011-11-14T10:44:00.002-07:00

On Daniel's third birthday we continued the tradition of having the Adamsons over for supper. We ate Bami for our main course- an Indonesian chicken/noodle/leek dish that Daniel loves. And since Daniel isn't a big fan of cake, I thought he might enjoy a pavlova for his birthday dessert (it just happens to be MY favourite as well). I think the digger candles were his favourite part, but he sure liked the fruit too.

Miss Sophie

2011-11-14T10:38:00.005-07:00

Little Sophie just keeps getting bigger. At her 3 month check up she was in the 75th percentile for height and weight and starting to really show us that smile. Here are a few photos from September (my goodness, am I ever behind!). And, of course, her brother had to get in on it too.

Day of Remembrance

2011-11-11T10:14:00.005-07:00

In Canada, Nov. 11th is a day to pay tribute to our veterans & teach our children about what it means to be a true hero. We are very thankful for those who have served and are serving in the armed forces. Our prayers are with them and their families especially this day.

In my family, this is also a day to remember my Grandma Mac, who passed away two years ago after a long and fruitful life. I am so grateful for her quiet example of how to live & love and be a blessing to others. I pray that my children will also enjoy a lengthy relationship with their grandparents, and that none of us will take a moment of it for granted.

Fireman Daniel

2011-11-07T12:43:00.005-07:00

The day before Daniel's third birthday, the new firehall had an open house. Daniel was thrilled to climb into all those big machines and chat up the firemen & EMS personnel. At one point he even got to turn on the flashing lights. He asked to climb the ladder too, but that (thankfully) was not an option. Sophie was with us as well, but she opted to sleep in her stroller the entire time.

Later in the day we met up with Keith to go the training center open house & demos. They were just wrapping up when we arrived so they offered to give the few kids there a ride in one of the trucks. I think Daniel summed the day up best: "Those firemen are really good guys."

Growing, growing

2011-11-07T12:11:00.005-07:00

In early September we finally had some pictures taken of the kids. The timing seemed right since Daniel was nearly three years old at the time, and Sophie was just 3 months. Sophie is a happy baby with a giant grin, but as soon as a camera comes out she turns serious.

I can't believe how tall Daniel is getting and how "grown up" he is starting to look. He is sounding like a big kid too- ask him about anything and he will likely have an opinion. Daniel is still really into diggers, cars, and things that move, as well as dinosaurs. His hair still doesn't show up great in pictures, but everywhere we go someone comments about how blonde and curly it is.

Daniel loves his little sister most of the time, but he still hasn't gotten brave enough to hold her. Her likes giving her a quick hug and a kiss and bringing her toys to make her smile.

Last days of summer

2011-11-04T12:19:00.003-07:00

These ones are from the end of summer. Sophie is three months old and Daniel is a month shy of 3 years old.

Daniel had to get in on the Eeyore comparison.

Oops, I did it again

2011-11-04T11:53:00.003-07:00

Wow, am I behind on posting on this blog. You probably aren't even checking it anymore. Sorry! On the upside, we've been busy enjoying a beautiful fall here. But I guess I should finish with how we spent the second half of the summer...

During August we got to spend a week in Banff courtesy of Keith's needing to attend a conference. Thankfully my Mom was able to join us as well so while Keith went to meetings during the day, I had help wandering around the Banff and Canmore area with the two little ones. We went up a day early so that Keith could enjoy a few of the sights too. A big highlight for everyone was going up the Sulpher Mountain Gondola on a beautiful, clear day & hiking to the weather station at the top.

Sophie seemed to enjoy the Gondolas too, but she probably won't remember this trip.

Looking back to the gondola station.

We made it! Daniel even hiked almost the whole way by himself.

Daniel & his Dad are big fans of gondolas. We headed to the Lake Louise one a day later!

This last photo was taken at the Bow Falls down in the Banff townsite.

Fair flashback

2011-09-20T07:54:00.004-06:00

Imagine it is July and I am not two months behind on blogging. Daniel had a blast at the hometown fair & has been asking to go back ever since. He was old (& tall) enough to go on a few rides this year and there were almost as many uncles as tractors. He even got to go into some of the really big machines with Grandpa.

Uncle Stephen took some time out from volunteering at fair to walk through the tractors and watch Daniel on the rides.

Daniel figured out pretty quick that his Grandpa could be easily talked into giving him rides around the fairgrounds.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

2011-08-31T09:59:00.003-06:00

In the beginning, of summer vacation, there was a trip to the zoo. It involved three adults and four children aged 2 and under. Thankfully, two of them were mostly asleep in strollers or baby carriers which enabled one or more of us to keep up to the other two. We really enjoyed seeing the animals and visiting Jen, Caitlin & Julia.

Daniel liked the animals, but he LOVED the little train. Perhaps Heritage Park should be our next destination?

The night before our trip, as we were talking about what we might see at the zoo the next day, Daniel said he wanted to ride on a lion. We tried to convince him that this wasn't likely to happen. He sure was excited when he got to sit on this one!

Daniel has been really into dinosaurs since friends gave him a bucketful of them this spring. He was so tired already that we almost skipped going to this part of the zoo, but when he saw the sign he perked right up & walked most of the way through on his own. We had packed three of his favourite dinos in his toy backpack for the van that day- T-Rex, triceratops, & stegosaurus. We saw the first two right away and then Daniel was on the hunt for stegosaurus. It was one of the last ones we found and has henceforth been referred to as the "Sneaky Stegosaurus."

He was so in awe of the dinosaurs that he couldn't stop looking at them long enough to get his face in a picture!

Summer daze

2011-08-18T14:56:00.002-06:00

Early in the summer we took a drive out in the country to celebrate Uncle Cor's birthday. While we were there, Uncle Cor took time to show all the menfolk present his collection of restored machinery. Daniel had been impressed as soon as we drove onto the yard and he saw an old car he took to be "Stanley" from Cars. He was even more amazed at all the other vehicles he got to see & climb on. Now every time we see an old car or tractor, Daniel says, "It's just like one on Uncle Cor's farm."

Happy birthday, Canada!

2011-07-10T15:12:00.004-06:00

Sophie & Eeyore on Canada Day. Sophie would rather be eating.

This year we decided to give the Canada Day festivities down at Fort Whoop Up a try. What a great family event! Daniel especially enjoyed the wagon rides & the animals. He looked for that goat every time we were down looking at a different part of the fort. By the end of the afternoon, we were ready to sit down with a few hot dogs & suddenly the table were turned- the goat came straight for Daniel. At first Daniel was excited the goat was coming over, but when we told him that the goat wanted to eat his hot dog, Daniel replied, "No he doesn't" and gave the goat a frown. Undeterred, the goat went as far as to jump up on the closest bench and reach for Daniel's dog. I had to lead the beast away by the collar & horn repeatedly before Daniel had a chance to finish the rest of his hot dog.

On our way home from the fort, we stopped for ice cream at the Marble Slab & ran into friends. We organized an impromtu Canada Day supper at our house followed by mini-trampoline building. Even thought the photo of Daniel trying out his new trampoline is a bit blurry, I think you can still make out his enormous grin. A good day had by all!

Sophie's Baptism

2011-07-10T14:49:00.002-06:00

Two Sundays ago we celebrated Sophie's baptism at St. Augustine's Anglican Church. Sophie slept through most of the service. She opened her eyes to stare at Pastor James when he poured the water over her head, but calmly took it in stride. We were thankful that a number of family & friends were there to witness the baptism and also to join us for lunch afterwards.

I thought some of you might like a close up of the dress. It was adorable!

Sophie vs. Eeyore, weeks 3 & 4

2011-06-27T09:10:00.002-06:00

Sophie is getting heavier very week, and a bit longer too though it maybe isn't obvious in the pictures. The top photo is Sophie at 4 weeks and the bottom ones are Sophie at three weeks of age. We aren't sure how old Eeyore is exactly.

Singing & playing

2011-06-08T19:46:00.003-06:00

Daniel loves to sing. I managed to capture him singing "Peas Porridge" with piano accompaniment before he noticed me. The second video is after he found out I was videoing him.

The lyrics:
"Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold,
Peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in a pot nine days old."

The big brother

2011-06-08T19:34:00.003-06:00

Daniel is finally okay with being called a big brother. For awhile there he was getting upset about the title itself, insisting that he was "Daniel" or "Danny Boy" but certainly not "big brother". In addition to that, he was unsure about how a new baby was going to impact his life. One of his most pressing concerns was whether he might have to share his diggers with the new addition. A couple weeks into his new job, Daniel is adjusting mostly well. He is excited to tell people we see his sister's name and usually likes to help when he can. Sharing Mom & Dad has been more difficult but we're getting there.

Daniel may be shy about sharing his toys, but he has no shame about playing with Sophie's.

The big brother has discovered that when Mommy feeds Sophie he needs to amuse himself somewhat. Here he has taken down many of my cookbooks and looked through at the pictures to see what is "nummy".

.

Sophie vs. Eeyore, week 2

2011-06-08T19:32:00.001-06:00

She still has some growing to do.

Uncle Stephen high in the polls

2011-06-07T11:02:00.003-06:00

One of my brothers came for a visit the first weekend we had Sophie home. Daniel is pretty sure Uncle Stephen came to see him in particular. A few days after Stephen left Daniel looked at me over breakfast and said, "I miss Uncle Stephen. I love flipping with him." Before you watch the video you should know that no one was injured, although I'm betting Stephen might have been a bit sore after.

In addition to being a human jungle gym, Steve helped Daniel put together the new BBQ and mini-trampoline. Thanks!

A new ruler

2011-05-31T14:25:00.002-06:00

With Daniel, we had the Daniel vs. Dumbo comparison. For Sophie, Uncle Stephen decided he needed to go with something bigger so the comparison could go on a bit longer. Presenting, the Sophie vs. Eeyore comparison, week 1.

And thanks to my Great Auntie Ellen who years ago had faith we would have a little girl and made the lovely quilt.

One week

2011-05-31T14:19:00.002-06:00

Little Sophie is over a week old now. She had her first doctor's appointment at exactly one week old & she was already up to 7 pounds even. We aren't surprised given the amount she eats in a day. Her second favourite pastime is sleeping so it could be awhile before we get any action shots of her.

You might have noticed that she already has more hair than her older brother.

Who can resist a face like this?

Introducing Sophie

2011-05-26T19:50:00.003-06:00

Sophie Catherine Pearl was born on Friday, May 20th weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. Her middle names honour her maternal great-grandmother and paternal grandmother whose birthdays were on May 19th. She already has more hair than her older brother, but they resemble each other closely in most other ways. Daniel is beginning to warm up to the idea of having her around now that it seems clear she doesn't want to play with any of his toys. I'm sure before long he will be as in love with her as the rest of us are.

Mothers' Day weekend

2011-05-09T11:04:00.002-06:00

My boys spoiled me this weekend. They took me out for breakfast, built a couple new garden boxes, and gave me a new Kindle to read on too.

Daniel was very excited to go out and help Dad with his drill until he discovered that his toy drill didn't actually do anything useful. He then tried to trade drills with Keith and when that didn't work, just tossed his in the grass and went to help Keith with his real drill. Once there was no more drilling to do, Daniel happily dug around in his sandbox while Keith kept working.

Music class

2011-05-09T10:52:00.003-06:00

During the fall and winter, we took Daniel to a Kindermusik class at the university once a week. He has really gotten into singing and playing instruments and asks for his "Daniel songs" every time we get in the car. This past Saturday was the last class of the semester so I thought I better get some pictures of what he's been doing each week.

Little percussion boy

2011-04-27T15:32:00.003-06:00

Daniel loves getting to play in Keith's band room and is fairly confident using a wide variety of percussion instruments. He also wishes he was big enough to play the tuba and can't believe Keith doesn't have a cello or violin anywhere since he is convinced he could play them.

These videos were taken about a month ago when we stopped by for one of Keith's breaks during parent-teacher interviews.

Daddy is a young man

2011-04-27T15:21:00.002-06:00

Daniel was SO excited to help get ready for Keith's big birthday, and even more excited that some of our favourite people were coming over for supper. Keith was less excited about turning 40 and complained all week that "Daddy was going to be an old man." When Daniel solemnly repeated this back to him, I nearly died laughing. Ever since Keith has been trying to get Daniel to say "Daddy is a young man" but Daniel always giggles when he says it. :)

Will the snow ever stay gone?

2011-04-27T15:11:00.002-06:00

It has been such a long winter. Just when it seems like spring might come, we get another dump of snow. The up side is that this is the nicest time to build snowmen because it is sunny and relatively warm once it finishes snowing. Hopefully this will be the last one we make for a long time now.

Easter weekend

2011-04-27T15:04:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time, I know. I have been working like crazy to get in enough days to qualify for a mat leave and blogging has been the bottom of the list. Now with only just over 3 weeks to go before the next little on arrives, I feel like I better do some updating before the next round of crazy busy begins. We had a very enjoyable, relaxing Easter weekend. The weather was finally agreeable and Daniel was thrilled to have Mom & Dad home to play with.

Decorating Easter eggs with Mom.

Daniel was very excited to discover Easter eggs on Sunday morning. Especially when he opened them to find jelly beans and Cars stickers.

Bike riding with Daddy down the green strip.

Word play

2011-03-17T09:02:00.002-07:00

It seems that Daniel has decided that some words are hilarious. Some of his current giggle-inducing favourites are: snirt (dirty snow for those of you unfamiliar with the term), banana, blah, yes! & gooey.

I tried to capture his out of control giggling over having a gooey sandwich, but I am not sure why the focus goes in and out. Enjoy the laughter anyway!

Clowning around

2011-03-17T08:52:00.002-07:00

Me: "What are you doing, Daniel?"
D: "Dressing up like a clown."

And he said it as if it was totally obvious, like, really Mom, how can you ask such a ridiculous question. I am really not sure where this came from. I can't think of any books or shows we've seen that have had clowns in them. It's not that I am against clowns, just can't figure out how Daniel knows about them and what they look like. A mystery.

2011-03-14T12:59:00.003-07:00

Daniel is getting to be such a big boy, it's hard to believe that he isn't even 2 1/2 yet! Despite the emotional roller coaster that is being 2, he is usually a lot of fun to have around. Everyday brings more words, stories and games. He is really into cars and trucks right now. He has given all his various toy vehicles names (some related to the movie Cars, others are less specific like "Daddy Dump Truck" for his biggest truck) and likes to make them "talk" to each other as well as the rest of us. He insists on lining them all up for listening to any truck related stories, especially "Little Blue Truck" which is his very favourite story to act out right now.

Buddies

2011-02-28T08:14:00.005-07:00

We headed up to Calgary for a few days this past week, and Daniel had a blast playing with Caitlin again. He was very sad to leave and has requested we go back to Jen & James' house again soon. I guess the drive didn't seem too far to him this time!

Chew-chew train

2011-02-21T14:39:00.004-07:00

Seriously, that is what it is called. It comes apart to make a plate, bowl, mug, & utensils. Daniel LOVES it. I haven't had to find a place in the cupboard for it yet because just as soon as it is clean, it gets called into service again. Thanks, Cynthia!

Big Boy Bed

2011-02-21T14:27:00.004-07:00

Finally! Daniel's bed is set up in his room. He was very excited about it in theory, and has been taking afternoon naps in it, but at night time he is still choosing the crib. I think it will take my cautious little boy about a week before the crib can be removed from the room.

Say cheese!

I thought I was the most excited about the bed finally being ready, but it turns out Stella thinks we did this entirely for her benefit. She is quite indignant when she gets kicked out.

Whilst Daddy was on the phone...

2011-01-07T08:42:00.002-07:00

We switched to tape.

Pre-Christmas fun

2011-01-04T16:40:00.002-07:00

We had quite wintery weather in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Lots of snow with a mix of temperatures ranging from definitely-not-going-outside cold to let's get-out-now-while-the-sun-is-out "warm". On one of the warmer days we took in a historic house which is decorated inside and out each Christmas. Daniel loved all of the lights outside, the numerous Christmas trees and toy trains inside as well as their menagerie of pet animals.

Giving the giant snowman "knuckles"

Posing with Dad in front of the big train:

Back at home, Daniel's first snowman. We were clearly short on traditional supplies, but I think we did a respectable job.

Daniel's new shovel

2011-01-04T16:29:00.003-07:00

We have great neighbours. It might help that they are grandparent wanna-bes who are enchanted with Daniel. A few weeks ago they came over with a Daniel size shovel because they had noticed how much he liked "helping" Keith shovel the snow on our front driveway. Now he is positively obsessed with helping to shovel the snow and we are hoping the enthusiasm continues up through his teenage years.

Daniel's first bike

2010-12-07T10:25:00.003-07:00

My apologies for not keeping up with the blog this fall. We have been even busier than usual around here. Here are a few pictures of Daniel and his first bike which we got him this fall for his 2nd birthday. You might notice that it has no wheels- it is a balance bike which is meant to be sat on and propelled by pushing with the feet.

At first he was most interested in the bell. Daniel would not get on the bike the first time he encountered it.

A week or so later, we came home from somewhere and Daniel wanted to try riding his bike. He sat on it for a minute or less and then decided he wanted off. Perhaps in the spring... ;)

St. Nicolas Day

2010-12-06T08:17:00.003-07:00

Merry St. Nicholas Day! The Dutch begin to celebrate Christmas with "Sinterclaus" festivities on Dec. 5th (which is the eve of St. Nicholas Day) so we've decide to adopt the tradition and make it our own. Last year we had small stockings for each other and one large gift for Daniel. We've decided that if he is going to get a big gift from us it will be on Dec. 5th so that he can have a few weeks to play with it before we head north for Christmas (and we don't have top pack it back and forth). This year Keith may have gone a little overboard. We decided that Daniel's love of playing with trains justified buying a train table and Keith was put in charge of finding one. He put it all together the day before in the basement and then moved it upstairs and set up the tracks, etc while Daniel was in bed. When Daniel woke up on Dec. 5th he was amazed to see a train table in the living room. I don't think he stopped playing with it all day except to eat and nap.

The previous "system":

Keith putting everything together after coming home form a symphony concert:

One happy boy:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-11T13:50:00.002-06:00

We have Keith's parents visiting this Thanksgiving weekend & Daniel is very thankful for that indeed. He opened his birthday present from them on Thursday, and has been getting Grandpa & Grandma to play trains with him ever since.

Grandpa + Train set = Lots of fun!

Daniel has also been enjoying stealing Grandma's fuzzy slippers. Usually he sticks to one pair of shoes at a time, but he was quite impressed with himself for managing to get his slippered feet into Grandpa's shoes. He's also gotten into saying cheese when I point a camera in his direction.

Corn Maze Fun

2010-10-11T13:38:00.002-06:00

Daniel & I met up with friends at the Corn Maze just over a week ago. The weather here has been fantastic lately and we thought we should have as much outdoor fun as we can before the snow flies.

The corn looks especially tall compared to a two year old. We stuck to the kid maze which was basically a path cut through the corn with no way to get lost.

Petting Zoo Fun

2010-09-29T13:53:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple videos from the Pumpkin Festival Petting Zoo:

Pumpkin Festival

2010-09-29T13:32:00.004-06:00

So excited!

"Two sheeps, Mom!"

Pygmy Goats

"Big moo cow"

Seconds before a big jump off the hay bale:

We discovered the Pumpkin Festival for the first time this year. What a great event! We go there just after 11am so we started by having lunch and listening to the live music. Daniel was eager to check out the games, but alas, he was too young for the the bouncy castle that he really wanted to go on. Thankfully, the Petting Zoo had no line up, so the tears were quickly dried and we went in to pet & feed the animals. As you can probably guess from the photos, Daniel LOVED it!

What's new at Two

2010-09-29T13:08:00.002-06:00

Our little boy turned two last week so in honour of the milestone, I thought I should give a little update. Daniel is just over 3 feet tall, and weighs just under 30 pounds. He can run, jump, climb, high five, give "knuckles", and enjoys doing an assisted somersault. He does have hair, but is rendered completely invisible by camera so you may choose not believe me.

His language has grown by leaps and bounds. I think last spring we actually counted how many words he knew, and now he's putting together sentences and telling us about everything he sees. Earlier this week I took him for a walk and we saw a big truck that was shooting gravel into a foundation. He's still talking about the "big truck rocks" on a regular basis so I guess it really impressed him. He is starting to tell us when he has gone to the bathroom ("Mom, big poop. Yucky gross") and pronounces himself "big all clean" just after a diaper change or bath. Yes, "big" is his favourite adjective so far, though "yucky gross" is also very popular.

Daniel loves to read books with Mom & Dad. Lately his favourites are "Hippos Go Berserk", "OhMYOhMyOh Dinosaurs", "Winnie the Pooh Tells Time", and the set of books Grandma S. gave him which feature different big machines. He is very impressed with clocks and can spot them further off than you can imagine. Same thing for buses, diggers, and trucks. Daniel loves seeing animals and can make most of the noises that go along with them. We often go for walks around the park near our house and he points out the birds and dogs especially. When we get to the playground he usually wants to swing first, then go around jumping off whatever can be jumped off of.

The cats are still doing great with him, though they aren't sure about being picked up which he has begun attempting lately. I think they might be too heavy for him yet. Maybe next year...;)

Daniel is 2!

2010-09-22T21:12:00.001-06:00

We're not sure how Daniel has gotten to be two already. I guess time must be flying because we're having fun.

Summer photo backlog

2010-09-06T20:46:00.003-06:00

Playing around the "Big Rock" in Banff, right before my camera battery died and I couldn't take anymore.

Grandma S. got Daniel some stylin' rubber boots.

This stool is much more fun as a desk.

Our goofball:

Back when it was summer...

2010-08-31T13:52:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time, it was nice enough to sit outside in a kiddy pool and run around at the spray park. It all seems so far away now that the air feels like autumn before September has even begun. Hopefully an Indian Summer is in our near future.

The fuzz

2010-08-24T16:22:00.002-06:00

So that you can more fully apreciate the need for a haircut, check out the fuzz at the top of his head.

Finally, a haircut!

2010-08-24T16:00:00.003-06:00

Daniel finally had his first haircut. Yes, his 2nd birthday is less than a month away, but it just couldn't wait any longer. The "old-man-comb-over-hair"/"who-ville swirl" he had going on was getting to be an out of control fuzzball. I am a little sad to see the culrs go, but it looks like he's got more coming.

Before, not really showing the fuzz at it's full fuzziness:

During:

He wasn't sure what he thought about this whole haircut idea. He alternated between, "Hey, this is a cool mirror" and "What are you doing to my head? Stop!"

Let me tell you something, sonny.

After, not that he looks any different- in pictures his hair seems to be rendered invisible:

Hard to see any difference in this one with the light so you'll just have to trust us that he looks way more grown up. Really, he does. We're sure to take another picture before long, with a zoom lense perhaps.

The sun is shining!

2010-07-16T07:41:00.001-06:00

It's finally feeling like summer most of the time, so we're outside. We'll try to remember to blog every once & awhile too!

The weekend flew by

2010-06-28T12:10:00.004-06:00

This past weekend we made an extremely quick trip out west to attend Keith's colligeum group reunion. It was Daniel's first time in an airplane and Keith's first time driving a hybrid and they both adapted quite well. When we called ahead to arrange meeting up with Keith's old landlords, Harry & Bertha, they invited us to stay the weekend in Keith's old home away from home on the farmyard. Daniel was delighted with some fresh air and open spaces after all the travelling, though he was disappointed none of the farm kitties ("meows") wanted to play with him.

Only 48 hours after leaving Alberta, we were back again. Before driving home from Calgary we stopped in to wish a happy baptism day to Caitlin and tried to recreate a picture of her Dad & I from a 32 year old photo album.

You'll just have to believe me that the pose is similar, I forgot to take a picutre of the original. :)

Bouncing boy

2010-06-24T13:43:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday, Keith's school celebrated the last day of classes by renting a bunch of giant inflatable toys & after the school kids had to leave the staff member's kids got to have at them. Daniel was stunned by the sight & sound of all the astro jumps. He was pretty sure they needed to be inspected. Although scared to go in the bouncy castle at first, after he saw another little one jumping he quickly got the idea. And he REALLY liked all the bouncing.

As much as he loved the castle, he enjoyed the slide even more. Especially jumping at the bottom!

More Fathers' Day pics

2010-06-24T13:35:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty laid back Fathers' Day this year. We mostly stayed home and ate some of Keith's favourite foods. In the evening friends came by for dessert & a visit. A good time and full stomachs were had by all.

Happy Fathers' Day!

2010-06-20T20:59:00.002-06:00

Keith & Daniel, Fathers' Day 2010

Another Uncle

2010-06-19T14:07:00.002-06:00

Keith's brother Percy came for a quick visit a couple weeks ago and Daniel sat down with him for a serious chat about cars and trucks and other such important topics.

Fans of the month

2010-06-17T21:37:00.003-06:00

My great Aunt Ellen & Great Uncle Vern have been faithful blog followers from the start, and they delighted us with a surprise visit the same weekend that Stephen was here. By the time we thought to get a picture of them with their great, great nephew he was pretty overcome with all excitement and wasn't keen on sitting still. I think they enjoyed him anyhow.

Uncle Stephen high in the polls

2010-06-17T21:24:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago my brother Stephen drove through a snowstorm to help us with the shed building project. It was a miserable cold weekend for May, but it was the one we all had available. Stephen was busy in his both his role as Chief Shed Builder ("We won't be needing those instructions, not near enough challenge") and Uncle Extraordinare. Daniel couldn't have been happier with all the tickling and chasing, except perhaps if there had been more of it. Uncle Steve also taught him how to do a fist bump which Daniel is now happy to demonstrate for just about anyone.
Thanks, Steve!

Don't judge

2010-06-15T08:47:00.002-06:00

Before you watch, let me say, yes, I know he shouldn't be jumping on the furniture. I thought I'd take the video of him before the big clamp down. On a related note, perhaps a trampoline would make a good addition to the backyard.

Flashback to Victoria Day

2010-06-08T13:37:00.005-06:00

Have I really not posted anything for more than a month? Wow. As you may have guessed, May was rather busy for us. The weather has been mostly terrible this spring, but the sun shone briefly on Victoria Day- just long enough for Keith to build this raised garden box and for us to plant a few things. Daniel thinks that gardening is marvelous with all the being outside and digging in dirt. I can only imagine how excited he'll be when he discovers that there are tomatoes right there in the backyard. If only we could also grow our own cheese...

Putting on a show

2010-04-27T09:52:00.002-06:00

Here's another video of Daniel entertaining the grandparents.

Tree boy

2010-04-25T20:54:00.002-06:00

Daniel loves trees. He gets excited every time he gets close to one and has to go over to touch it. He gives it sort of a tree high five. We're not sure where this comes from, but it sure is funny to watch when you're not in a hurry to get somewhere. On our walk yesterday morning he went back and forth between each tree in this bunch, chattering away the whole time. It's hard to hear him for the first part of the video, and sometimes the focus shifts trying to keep up to him, but I thought it was cute enough to post.

Little boy blue

2010-04-25T20:38:00.002-06:00

As "un-Dutchable" as I am, even I could not resist this hat for Daniel.

Grandpa & Grandma G

2010-04-25T15:11:00.003-06:00

Grandpa & Grandma G came to visit last weekend and it didn't take long for Daniel to figure out they made a great audience. He pulled out all his moves, and learned a few more in order to get them clapping and smiling at him (not that the smiling stopped very often). It was a rough morning for him when they left to continue their travels.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2010-04-17T19:46:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday tomorrow, Mom! Here are some pictures of Daniel learning to splash in puddles to tide you over until you get to visit with him again.

Goals

2010-04-06T11:26:00.003-06:00

When Daniel gets an idea in his head, there's not much that can distract him. Lately he's decided that sleeping cats need to be encouraged to interact with him. They've been amazingly patient with him, though I've warned them that this is the start of a slippery slope that ends with being dressed ridiculous outfits. If you look closely at the picture below, there is a cat at the bottom of the pile.

Another milestone...

2010-03-30T09:06:00.003-07:00

Daniel has been able to climb up on EVERYTHING for a few weeks now. Every once and awhile we let him sit on a chair for a quick snack, but it's less nerve wracking for everyone for him to be strapped onto his booster seat for mealtimes.

On a completely different tangent... Wow, do we ever need new chairs. I think we could win an ugly chair contest if there were such a thing. How are we ever going to wear out the industrial strength 70s dining set?

Happy boy

2010-03-29T18:21:00.002-07:00

I meant to post this with the matching picture, but I guess I forgot. Enjoy.

The Zoo

2010-03-28T18:28:00.003-07:00

Daniel had his first trip to the zoo yesterday while we were in Calgary. He put on a lot of miles looking at animals and displays and we could not have asked for better weather to be outside in.

His favourite section was the African Savannah- looking eye to eye with the big fish & hippos in the tank, staring at the flamingos & turtles & chattering to us the whole time. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there and Daniel insisted on walking through most of it. When we left, all the cars in the parking lot also really impressed him ("Wow, wow, wow!").

After all that, we hadn't even made it onto Deerfoot Trail before he fell fast asleep, only awakening about 10 minutes from our house (2 hours later). I would love to post some pictures of the day, but I forgot to pack our camera (!?!?) and the disposable one we bought has yet to be developed. I have to finish the roll first just like in the olden days. :)

Thanks, but no thanks

2010-03-17T18:42:00.003-07:00

Cashier:

"Are you interested in purchasing an extended warranty for the bread machine? It's only $15 and will cover it for an additional 2 years if..."

Me, politely interrupting the spiel:

"Does it cover instances involving small children removing the spinny part and hiding it in places unknown?"

Cashier, slowly & looking slightly confused: "Noooo."

Me: "Well then it's really not that much help to me. Sorry."

Postscript: The new bread machine & its spinny part are now in a less child accessible location. And the old one was well over a decade old and beginning to malfunction, so we won't blame its replacement entirely on Daniel. He just really sped up the decision making process.

Puppy love

2010-03-03T19:29:00.003-07:00

Daniel's favourite puppy in the world is Penny, my sister's sweet Jack Russel Terrier. He giggled and giggled when she kissed him, and kept going back for more.

Still so proud!

2010-03-03T19:22:00.002-07:00

Daniel loves to climb up in his rocking chair and read books or have a drink of milk. He often drags a blanket (or two) up with him too and covers his lap with it to cozy in first.

Good buddies

2010-03-02T13:42:00.002-07:00

Their Dads had to make them share the chair, but otherwise they usually get along. Nathan is is just a week younger than Daniel so it's fun to watch them grow together.

Swifter, Higher, Stronger

2010-02-25T12:32:00.002-07:00

Daniel is really taking the Olympic motto seriously. Especially the higher part. Last week he managed to climb up into his rocking chair, yesterday he conquered the couch and ottoman, and this morning's exploit involved the kitchen chairs with an eye to the table as the next objective. AHHHH! So now the question is, at what point should I consider getting him a helmut?

Smiling at Dad

2010-02-24T12:04:00.002-07:00

Daniel loves to be up on the couch, looking out the window and chatting at the passers by. Stella the cat quite often hangs out with him as she has similar pastimes.

Like Father, Like Son?

2010-02-23T20:43:00.002-07:00

Daniel was leery of the trumpet playing at first, but now he runs over and wants a turn pushing down the valves and trying to blow. I suppose we probably have enough trumpets to go around. ;)

Mr. Independant

2010-02-23T20:21:00.002-07:00

Daniel finally managed to climb up into his rocking chair all by himself. He was quite proud of himself and his new perch, and proceeded to demonstrate how he could get books and read them all on his own. Enjoy.

Best seat in the house

2010-02-02T11:08:00.004-07:00

Daniel's Grandma & Grandpa S. got him his very own armchair for Christmas. It just arrived this past weekend and was an instant hit. He can easily get in an out by himself and, even better, it's too heavy for him to move around to help him climb on other things. He likes to move the back of the seat forward and back (it folds down to become an ottoman for big people in the evenings) and he's very excited to climb on something and not get in trouble.

Oh dear

2010-02-02T10:20:00.002-07:00

Time to move some items around in the closets. Once he figured out his bedroom one there was no stopping him from trying his new skills around the house.

The Torch

2010-01-27T11:45:00.002-07:00

The Olympic Torch came through a week and a half ago, and we went with friends to see it cross the train bridge. We didn't stand around to watch it go all the way across, but it was somewhat interesting to see just how they were going to do it. I couldn't zoom in enough, but it went over on a historic train cart- the kind you see in cartoons with a few guys pumping a lever up and down to make it go. Before the torch itself came into sight we watched the helicopter which Daniel was entertained by. that's what he's pointing to in the first picture. He was chatting away about it too, but stoppped every time I tried to get a video of it.

Not sure why my pictures keep coming up in the opposite order I select them lately, but the torch is halfway across in the long view (above) and just coming onto the bridge in th straight on shot (below).

It was remarkably warm January weather here that week (I'm sure the runners were more thankful than most) so it was great to get outside!

Finally getting into 2010...

2010-01-18T10:55:00.002-07:00

Here's Daniel making some of his own fun.

Waiting for Daddy

2010-01-16T12:08:00.002-07:00

More random 2009 photos

2010-01-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

2009 photo back log

2010-01-04T10:52:00.003-07:00

Hello all,

Sorry about the long absence. Between a computer crash, trips to Vermilion, and just plain out busy, blogging just hasn't been high on my to do list. I will try to do better- maybe a goal of at leats once a week to start. Anyway, here's what you've missed.

Sinterclaus (sp?) stockings- Daniel wasn't sure what to think of the bag of goodies, but her was sure excited about the book (Usborne's Touchy Feely Nativity).

Daniel was also a big fan of the Christmas tree. Every morning it was the first place he'd run and want to be lifted closer to look.

Playing with his buddy Nathan at a pre-Chrismtas meal with friends.

Daniel enjoys feeding himself with a spoon or fork and really does get most of the food in his mouth now.

Daniel and his Dad like watching the Little Einsteins together and doing the actions along with it.

Remembering (Great) Grandma Mac

2009-11-15T11:02:00.003-07:00

Last week, on Remembrance Day, my maternal grandmother passed away. We are currently at my parent's house getting ready for the prayer service today, and the funeral tomorrow morning. Here's a picture from last Christmas stolen from my Mom's computer files.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-12T09:41:00.002-06:00

I hope this post finds you enjoying a day off (for our fellow Canadians) or at the very least taking some time to think of all you are thankful for. We have so much to give thanks for here- these two videos will give you a glimpse. One is of my two boys having a fit of giggles. The other is of Daniel walking around with Keith practising his trumpet in the background. I initially thought to just film until he stopped walkng, but after 2.5 minutes it clearly wasn't happening, so I just stopped. No one wants to watch a clip longer than that anyway, though the background music helps it to go by a bit faster. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving!

Yet another birthday party

2009-10-10T09:36:00.004-06:00

The birthday boys turned 80 and 1- I'll let you figure out which is which.

A quiet moment with Grandma after the party ended.

Daniel's Grandma & Grandpa G came to visit the weekend after his birthday so we celebrated all over again and had a lot of Keith's family over. In all, there were 30 people over for coffee so it's a good thing there were two cakes!

the first steps...

2009-10-10T09:19:00.003-06:00

FINALLY, here is a video form Daniel's first days of walking. It's hard to believe that he only started a couple of weeks ago. Now he is confidently walking circles around everyone and picking up speed (I'll get a video this weekend- I promise!). It's also hard to believe that we were all wearing shorts and t-shirts only a couple of weeks ago when it was an unseasonable 35 above, while now snow is laying on the ground outside the window.