Math is Fun!

eggs and toast + jam = sticky baby face and fingers

wobbly toddler + slippery wet concrete = scary photo of attempted steps
fear of sprinkler + two weeks = toddler who loves sprinklers and is stressed by wet grass?!?

water park + playground + sunny day = superfun!
sprinklers everywhere + getting stuck = dad getting wet wet while rescuing me (HA!HA!HA!)

Happy First Birthday Kolton!

On Saturday, Ethan and I got to go to a birthday party! We used to go swimming with Kolton and his mom Georgia on Wednesdays. Yes - it IS a turkey baster stuck to his forehead!

Party people! Here is Ethan with a couple of Kolton's friends: Sophie - 2 years, Matthew - 1 year old this coming weekend. They were so sweet!
Libby - 16 months, and her brother Seamus - 3 years... with Kolton and Sophie and Ethan playing with a giant package jumbo blocks. Good times!
Here is Ethan with Georgia and Colin's dog - Radar. He is a gorgeous, awesome dog, and Ethan and the rest of the kids just loved him. Ethan got some kisses through the screen...
Kolton playing with his new mini 4x4 quad. That thing has some torque!
Ethan hanging out with Kolton's Dad, Colin. Thanks for having us at the party, we had a blast!

Week 46

On Thursday - Ethan started stringing together steps. Uncle Axl and Auntie Natalie were over for dinner and every once in a while we would hear a "four in a row!" from the boys in the living room. Ever since that afternoon he has been working on walking and can already walk 5 or 6 feet all by himself. Man they learn fast! He still falls alot and also looks like he is "chasing his head" as Troy calls it, or like he has had too much rum - but I have a feeling he will sober up soon.

The Best Kind of Fun

Dad knows how to have the best kind of fun. He loves to get dirty, climb in tunnels, go down slides - just like Ethan does...

He loves to throw and catch...

And he knows how to thrill... He is always in the mood to play, or up for any game - EXCEPT SCRABBLE...
He is the biggest, strongest, funest, bestest Dad in the whole world! Right Ethan? RIGHT!

Here and There and Everywhere

I feel like we have been really busy in the past little while. Everyday it seems as if we are meeting someone, going somewhere, doing something. I love being on the go - but it seems like time is flying by, and I would like press pause for a while to soak up all the details of the summer because it has been so perfect. So here is a little rundown of events in the past week for us.

Friday

We went to Sam and Liam's place for a playgroup. Sam is running a daycare starting in the next couple of weeks and she wanted to have an open house. This was great as we hadn't seen them in a while, and her place is toy heaven. Ethan had a blast charging around and I had a great time chatting with other moms and watching all of the little ones play eagerly if not spastically (still learning to balance and control limbs - and pretty funny).

Liam showing Ethan his picture book...and a row of babes from the playgroup. It is so hard to get one toddler to sit still for a picture, six was a challenge to say the least!
Saturday

...and another row of babes (equally as hard to get to sit still for a picture due to alcohol consumption). L-R Joan, Tanya, Moira, Kellie, me, Angela, Annie, and Holly.

This weekend Troy was in yet another ball tournament, and he was so tired that he decided to stay home with Ethan Saturday night while I went out for Angela's 40th birthday. We had a blast, and Angela looks better than I've ever seen her look.
Sunday

Early: I woke up with a headache realizing that my car was at the party locale from the night before and I would not be able to get to it in time to meet Auntie Alicia and her dad, Morley, and Uncle Grant and their dog Qimik at 8 at Thetis Lake for a walk. Thank goodness they wanted to come to my place and walk in the forest nearby!

Midday: Go to the ballpark to watch a game and so dad can have a bit of playtime with Ethan between games. Curse at the drive between our place and McDonald Park in James Bay because of all of the tourists and Dragon Boaters spilling on to the road and making the traffic painful.

Mid-afternoon: Pass out on the couch while Ethan is napping while I should be cleaning because I have a friend coming to stay and some parts of my house are embarrassingly dirty. Oh well!

Evening: Back to the ball park to watch Troy's team win in the final, and than pick up my dear friend Dr. Carrie Marshall from the Clipper Ferry. She was here for a really quick visit on her way back home to Hawai'i. I hosted a get together for a couple of friends to visit with Carrie after Ethan's bedtime in my filthy house. My friends are kind enough not to comment.

Extra! Extra! Ethan Takes First Steps

Yesterday afternoon, Troy and I were eating dinner in the living room and Ethan was zooming around on the ground as usual. When we are eating, he is usually somewhat like the dog pacing back and forth between us looking for bites and tidbits from our plates. He will crawl over and pull himself to a balanced stand and pat your leg and say "uh, uh, uh" to get your attention for a nibble.

Yesterday while he was standing in front of my knees, he suddenly jerked one of his feet into the air and moved it forward! Troy and I both looked at each other amazed as if to say "did you just see that?", and suddenly he turned towards Troy and he took a couple of more steps. You know that these milestones are going to happen...but it is still so freaking awesome when it does!

So he is officially toddle-ing. Now that he knows how to lift his feet and move he is wiping out all over the place. It is pretty exciting!

In other news...

Here's Benji with his and Jen's new daughter, Savannah. Isn't she so sweet? I caught her with her eyes open when Ethan and I went to visit them.
Here's Ethan and his buddy Cason - Holly and Shaun's son. They were so cute smiling at each other while using babyspeak code to discuss whatever plans they were hatching...

"HA! HA! The joke's on you - suckers!"

Ethan at the park today getting a taste of the season to come...
Ethan and Alex, Adam and Courtney's son, goofing around at the park together...masters of mischief and mayhem...

Just Another Fun Filled Summer Weekend!

Farting around in our jammies in the morning...

Playing at the beach on Dallas Road before lunch....
Throwing the stick for Cooper...

Bumping into Uncle Axl and Auntie Natalie at the playground park on Cook Street where we went to eat our lunch. What a nice surprise!

"Dad, can I come Sunday golfing with you?"

Week 44

"Watch how I distract you with my cuteness as I see what kind of trouble I can get into...", says Mr. Mischief.

It's like he has super powers or something.

What Do You Mean, Darrin's Here!?!

This past Friday, Troy's brother - Darrin - called our house. He lives in Edmonton. We chatted for a bit which was great because we hadn't talked in a while, and I gave him Troy's cell number to call him at work. He called again on Monday - and we supposed it was because he never got a hold of Troy... but really, HE. WAS. IN. VICTORIA! So that night we had them (girlfriend - Shannon and kids KK and William) over for a visit because they had never met Ethan. It was great to get together.

Than on Wednesday evening we went to Uncle Axl's house for a BBQ with the Robinsons. Above is Uncle Axl getting ready to fire up the Bar B with Ethan.
KK (Cayley) and William with Nana Robinson enjoying the appys on the deck.
The brothers harassing their Dad in some type of "hot-potato-psyche-out" game.
Grammie playing a not-so-aggressive ball game with Ethan in the yard.
The surprise visitors Darrin and Shannon! And Ethan taking a refreshment break with Grampie...

Auntie Natalie brings out Lucky the Horse for pre-dinner entertainment. And Grampie uses Lucky to get some giggles.

It was great to get together with everyone, especially the surprise visitors. Troy and I promised to return the favour and just show up in Edmonton with no warning. See you soon...MWA HA HA!

Ten Months Old!

This month you are humorous and wild and you have forgotten how to sit still. You are attempting to conquer the world, and your territory and following gets bigger and bigger each day. You are friendly and outgoing and confident. You try to catch people's eyes and attention and you love a reaction.

You love to climb. You love to stand. You love to throw. You are 100% a noisy, dirt-loving, busy boy. From the time you wake up to the time you fall asleep, you push your body to its limits with reckless abandon. You are so curious. You understand how to open drawers and cupboards and you love to press buttons to turn things on and off and have them make various noises. I know toddlers are busy - but you really are extraordinarily busy even for a toddler.
I spend my days keeping up with you and keeping you out of trouble. It could be easy to get frustrated with you, but honestly, most of the time I find you amusing. You are like a bad puppy that does not know any better, and I love bad puppies. As I try to steer you towards good habits and good manners, I am quietly entertained by your "bull-in-a-china-shop" philosophy to life.
I can tell that the wheels in your head are moving as fast as your limbs and you constantly amaze us. Your cocked head with its furrowed brow over an inquisitive look happens over and over throughout our days. Your comprehension and the idea of cause and effect is starting to kick in. I'm not sure how you ever sleep with all those synapses going off all of the time - but I'm glad you do.
Day after perfect day has gone by this month. I stare at you trying to drink in all of the details that make you so precious. I try to inventory the dimples where your knuckles should be, the folds in your wrists, the intensity of your gestures and every other little piece of you that is now ten months old. I tiptoe in to your room each night before I go to bed to have one last look at you before the day is over. Every night I have to fight the urge to scoop you up and nestle my nose in your neck to inhale the fresh-out-of-the-bath-baby smell.

I love you,

Mama