Happy New Year 2012!

Favourite Yuletide additions to our household:  "Cookie" (really barks and moves!) and the new doll bed (works well as a mini-bed for a toddler!)...

Feliz Navidad, Apartment-Style!

We'd better rescue those guitars and start strummin'... Prospero Ano!

"GEBUDNIK-IMPERIAL-RUSSIAN-STOUT!"

Such was Steve's dire pronouncement this morning, waking up with a hangover of such proportions that it precluded our planned trip to Whistler, which we've postponed for a few days until he's at least speaking English again! We were at a neighbourhood soiree yesterday and wouldn't you know it, that interesting craft-beer turned out to be a whopping 9% alcohol! The girls and I raided his wallet and ended up going to the mainland to do some Christmas shopping today; and we treated ourselves to a fabulous sushi lunch in Horseshoe Bay while his imperial majesty slept it off. Domo origato, comradski Blotto!

Christmas-Ferry

Every year, the Queen of Capilano dons her gay apparel--and what a stunner is this lovely tree, spicing up my exam-time commute! I have about a hundred exams and term papers standing between myself and my Yuletide break, but that hasn't stopped me from doing our annual cards and letters (I try to limit it to the same number of people who attended our wedding in the eighties, something in the...eighties...but I tend to lose track after the first few eggnogs). I even managed to mail off the parcels back East today--it remains to be seen if I actually get all the addresses right this year. Merry merry!

Light Up the Cove

Aurora really rocked the Cove at the annual celebration of lights!

Photo by our dear friend and talented shutterbug Kristen Jarvis.

Evening-time

Due to the time of day (dusk) and my limited photographic skills, you can't see Steve waving from the rooftop as he moves some rafters into place. We've had fairly good luck with fair weather this season, still hoping to get things covered over as soon as possible to avoid exposing the wood to the elements too much before winter truly sets in. Steve is also doing some other work to finance our building expenses over the next little while, so it's quite a challenge and a busy time for us all (I'm working extra too). The girls love to see how Daddy is building them a new house--and Miranda has already made him promise he will NOT work on Christmas Day (or night, for that matter)!

Go Girl

Aurora takes her toy car for a spin around the kitchen... actually, the toy car belongs to "Gigi"--that's Aurora's new name for Miranda. As far as we can tell, "Gigi" means "Sisty"! Aurora has no problem saying her own name, and even refers to herself as "Baby Aurora," to the tune of "Baby Beluga," her favourite song. We've been singing a modified version of the Raffi classic to her, which ends with the refrain, "and a little white whale on the go"--we've changed it to "a little white girl on the go"... some kind of political incorrectness there, I'm sure, but it makes us all smile. You go, girl!

Upstairs

Miranda is on the stairs at Bowen Island Community School with chums Ailsa and Ainslie; the girls are spending a lot of time together these days and really enjoying each other's company. All three have been enrolled in an art class this fall, doing sketching and watercolours under the direction of a local artist once a week after school. Even during playtimes they seem to gravitate towards craft projects as their favourite "games." What's truly amazing is how these lovely young girls are growing, changing, and developing their talents and personalities as they make their way through grade one. Onward and upward!

Cheers!

Here are Steve, Nana, and girls, picnicking al fresco at the jobsite, aka new house. We have the BBQ set up--and even an outdoor woodstove--so it's quite jolly! Entertaining at the new house? Why not? We've had friends and neighbours over for bonfires and good cheer, although the weather is definitely a factor as the winter draws in...fortunately, we can always head back over to the apartment when we get too chilly! (Or at least swap our beer bottles for a thermos of hot choc...) Recent progress on the house includes posts and beams and--can the roof be far behind?--the first few rafters... cause for celebration indeed!

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!

Big shoes to fill

Here's Rory at her babysitter's place, trying on some borrowed shoes--doesn't she look proud of herself? She has a number of intelligible (to us) words already, including "shoes" (or possibly "juice") and "cheese." You can just see it in her eyes, can't you? "One of these days these boots are gonna walk right over you!"

Family circus

A big group of us moms and kids enjoyed the circus theme (that's Miranda as donkey-girl in the pic) at the Stanley Park Ghost Train in Vancouver, after a yummy dinner at White Spot! Oh, wait, there was one dad with us... AND Aurora had a funny train-spotting moment as well. We were wending our way through a dark forest that was populated by wild creatures (lions, tigers, and bears, etc.), and when a big, noisy, hairy ape appeared out of nowhere, my baby pointed and yelled, "Dada!" Everyone on the train laughed... and so did Steve (phew!) when I told him about it later.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a super visit with master-gardeners and chefs extraordinaires Janie and Merlyn on Saturday--delicious luncheon of lobster thermidor followed by raspberry clafoutis for dessert--then on Monday at the apartment, with my mom and Jon B, we made a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixin's. No doubt about it, a fabulous weekend, with lots of great food and drink...a good time was had by all! (except maybe the turkey and the lobster themselves, as Miranda pointed out...)

Fall art by Miranda

September sweethearts

Here's Miranda and friends earlier this month (I think this one might even be from the first day of school!) on the school grounds. Talk about a bevy of beautiful blondes! Let's just hope they're all still speaking to each other come November...you know what girls can be like! Ah well, for now, all is sweetness and sunshine and light...

Teeter-totterin' along

Ailsa, Jada, and Miranda are enjoying the big teeter-totter in the back playground at the school on one of the many fine, sunny days we have been swaggering through this month. Steve is glad of the good weather, expending a staggering effort before the heavy rain sets in for the season. Nana Lorna has been getting out for walks with us girls (and friends) and gradually getting her strength back--the walk uphill to the schoolyard is a truly heroic effort. I'm still managing to stumble through boot camp twice a week (most weeks) on my days off work, and appreciating the good weather for that as well!

Movin' on up

Here's Miranda posing on the "spider web" play structure in her school yard. She's settling in nicely to her new class, and we are all getting into our fall routine. Aurora is with her beloved caregiver "Bebbie" two days a week while I commute to Richmond, and both girls are spending Saturdays with Steve when I go to Vancouver for my course at UBC. Nana Lorna is admirably withstanding the chaos of our busy comings and goings from our deluxe apartment in the sky --OK, it's only the second floor of the building, but we do have our own private elevator--really!!!

Makin' the grade

Miranda began Grade One today--seems like just yesterday she was toddling around learning to speak--no, that was Steve after that big party at our neighbours' place a couple weeks ago! She's in a class with the teacher she wanted, AND her best friend, so it's all good. Aurora goes to playcare at the school two mornings a week so Mama can do boot camp. Meanwhile, Dada is loving the two-minute commute to the job site, and Nana is settling in comfortably to the new apartment. Roll on September!

A cure for cabin fever

Movin' on! We found a great three-bedroom apartment in the Cove, to share with Nana Lorna as we complete our home renovations (now only two minutes away!)...Lots of excellent help with the moving process, thanks to Jon, Tim, Kevin, and Grady: the fellas worked their butts off for pizza and San Pellegrino Limonata--truly heroic! We'll miss our little house in the big woods, our home for the first fifteen months of Aurora's life. I took this final photo of Steve and the wee gals before we packed up. Bon voyage toute la famille...

We all scream for ice cream

I wisely chose to take the girls for ice cream to compensate for a challenging afternoon for both of them (not to mention myself): Miranda's dental check-up and Aurora's vaccinations! Both appointments went fine--despite some reluctance, some struggling, a little out-and-out rage, and a few tears (I really must try to control myself, LOL)... Somehow it all melted away as we enjoyed our cones at Cocoa West! Coooooool...

Nana and girls

Nana Lorna is enjoying spending time with her grandbabies as she recovers from her stroke. The girls have been coached to treat her with kid gloves--although perhaps we should have told them what kid gloves are! Aurora is especially rambunctious, with a lot of character: as we like to say, when they were handing out personality, she got in line twice! Thank goodness she has Miranda as a role model, and a wonderful--and impressively resilient--Nana as well.

Beach baby

Bowen Bay Beach buddies!
We joined some friends for a picnic dinner and swim, and Aurora bared it all and braved the waves with Dada. Although her delight was relatively short-lived (Steve handed her off so he could do a long swim out to the buoy), it was sincere... she's still recovering from mosquito bites incurred on our camping trip (as is Miranda), so I'm sure the cold salt water was refreshing. It's another fine weekend, so we're headed to the beach again this afternoon while the sun shines!

Baby needs new shoes

What to do on a rainy day? We've been spoiled lately with lots of hot and sunny weather, so more days have been spent at the beach than inside, leading to increasing chaos on the home front. Here's Aurora checking out the shoe shelf at the cabin--she helped with organizing the work gloves, boots and shoes, then decided that the shelf space would actually work much better as a place to play. After all, we're still on summer vacation...Forget housework! Let the games begin!

A very Hardy holiday

Image stolen from Penny's facebook gallery! This "bus stop" structure on the dock at Penny, James and Ainslie's place at Hardy Island was a weekend project for the guys--as if swimming, boating, eating, drinking, and treasure-hunting weren't enough! Memorable moments included jumping off the motorboat near Harmony Islands and spectacular waterfalls, seeing a bear onshore, swimming from isle to isle, Miranda's first time kayaking, searching for pirate treasure, hunting for snakes and toads on Hardy (Island) with Hardy (the dog), quest (successful) for the world's best cinnamon buns in nearby Egmont, smores round the campfire, mega-mug G&Ts (for those over 7), roast lamb on the BBQ, and much more! Thanks to our fabulous hosts for five fun-filled days in a remote and beautiful paradise up the Sunshine Coast...with excellent company!

Berry nice

Miranda enjoys the biggest, brightest summer berry in the box! She's having a fun season with playdates, day camps, and family excursions. Strawberry fields forever...

Home again, home again

Both Nannies are safely back in their respective homes, although Nanny Lorna had to go to hospital in Vancouver after a possible stroke. Speech and vision were affected--but fortunately, recovery began within 24 hours of the first symptomatic headache. Meanwhile, Nanny Carol landed in Ottawa without mishap. Whew!

Dada and daughters

Here's a proud papa with his girls, in a photo taken at Nana's apartment. Our well-laid plans were to have Nanny Carol stay at Nanny Lorna's place while Lorna was away; however, that only worked for the first couple of days! Unfortunately, Carol was laid low with some serious health issues and ended up in Lion's Gate Hospital for over a week before joining us at our house-sitting gig. Not exactly the vacation she had planned, either...but at least it meant some extra time with the kids!

Nana Lorna's journey

This photo of Aurora and her doting grandma was taken on Nanny Lorna's deck before she set out on her trip--a voyage which turned out to be more eventful than she planned, including a hospital stay in Nova Scotia, interspersed with all of her visits to family and friends in eastern Canada. Time to come home for a rest...?!

Owlspotting

(Click on photo to enlarge spotted owl)

A wise old owl
Sat in an oak;
The more he saw,
The less he spoke.
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why aren't we all
Like that wise old bird?

Hair

Miranda got a french braid, Mama a cut and colour, and ditto for Nana. Nothing like sprucing up for summer, especially with all of our various plans: Nanny Carol coming from Ottawa, Nanny Lorna travelling back east to Ontario and the Maritimes, and the rest of us house-sitting in Deep Bay, right next door to our "real" house for a few weeks...Not too harried a schedule!?!

View from the Falls

Well, actually, this is a view from Claire's property, sort of below and next door to our place. We had fun showing our Vancouver cousins (Jane, Merlyn, Dan, Jenny, and Lach) the work in progress; they joined us on the weekend for a celebration of Aurora's first birthday. The weather co-operated for an al fresco lunch at the cabin and site tour of Huck Hill. Maybe we can celebrate baby's next birthday at home--a girl can dream!

Happy Birthday Dear Aurora!

Round Saltspring

We got off the rock! Steve and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary on Saltspring Island... He and Jon (photo credit) did the Round Saltspring race and came 15th out of 21 in their class--"not last place!" as they proudly announced. Nanny Lorna stayed with us girls nearby at St Mary's Lake--I even made it in for my first (and second!) swim of the season. Ahoy!

Blast from the past

Blaine, my house-mate from Queen's (20+ years ago!) visited from the UK with his lovely wife, Linda. They took an afternoon off their Vancouver IT conference, and we did a grand tour of the Island, featuring a look at the "new" house and plans, scrumptious cafe lunch, a peek into the cabin, and even some beach time! Best of all was seeing my "old" friend--just the same as ever! Or better!

Happy Mother's Day 2011

My first Mom's day with two girls! Highlights: breakfast in bed (eggs and waffles with fresh fruit), a rare chance to lounge and read a magazine with a big cuppa coffee in hand, a family walk, flowers from our garden at the house, and chicken dinner with Nana Lorna, followed by raspberry rhubarb pie. Yummy mummies of the world, have a well-deserved, happy, happy day...

may a moody baby doom a yam

Aurora illustrates my favourite palindrome...

Happy Easter!

We had a grand total of three celebrations over Easter weekend, with family, friends, and neighbours. As evidenced in this photo, we ended up with a profusion of tulips: orange, red, yellow, and varigated. The Big Rabbit happily found the way to the little house in the big woods. Life is beautiful... and chocolatey!

Crawl space

Daddy's little helper--down under... We call this "Nana Lorna's room"!

Now that's another storey...

Yeah we're movin' on up! And we're buying a stairway to heaven...
('scuse me while I kiss the sky)

Now we are six

Here's Miranda with her favourite lemon cake and strawberries, celebrating with six candles! Yeah baby! We had a family party on the day, and will have some of her galfriends over next weekend for an afternoon of fun. It's been a big year for our big girl: moving to the cabin while we rebuild the house, welcoming a new baby sister, starting kindergarten, and the list goes on... she's done it all, admirably. Love ya, sweetheart!

Happy Birthday, Nana Lorna...

72 years young!!!