Whew!

Whew, it's over. After all that build-up Christmas has come and gone. Luckily not too much of an early morning for the family. Malcolm woke up at 6am, but Roger managed to coax him back to bed till about 7am. We opened our stockings in the morning and our presents throughout the day.

We were hosting Christmas Breakfast so we had to get ready with all the food and preparations. It was quite a spread, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast and the like. Also, several hours later turkey dinner prepared by Grandma. All in all, it was a pretty good Christmas, good food, great gifts and time with the family. Thankfully Malcolm was good, although he got his Candy on, chocolates, candy canes, cookies and baked treats galore. Now we'll have to figure out how to get rid of all that extra packaging and wrapping paper fall out. Here are some pictures from the day:

It's been tough...

Everyone is almost back to 100% in the house, health-wise. Malcolm's cough has finally subsided thanks to the dose of the steroid puffer and Melody looks like she's turned the corner as well. Now if we could only find a cure for the boy's attitude. I think the most heart-breaking thing is that we know he can be so good. He's apparently an absolute gem at Daycare and when people visit the house you couldn't find a more charming 4 year old. Unbeknownst to many is how ornery and cantankerous he can be at home. A lot of times he's downright mean to Tracey, yelling at her being so oppositional that attempting mundane tasks like getting dressed can often spark a full-fledged tantrum. Sigh.

It's been quite a busy time at Malcolm's Daycare. He's had his first Christmas concert, breakfast with Santa, made gingerbread houses and even visited the local Kindergarten to share in their pancake breakfast with Santa; such a busy time this Christmas season. Malcolm's going to need some kind of therapy to work through the withdrawal that's going to happen in January. Here are some pictures from the recent events at his daycare. Pictured below are quite possibly four of the nicest and most caring teachers ever. (L-R) Miss Pam, Miss Aman, Miss Margaret and Miss Doris are pictured below:

Stanley Park Christmas Train

The family made their annual trip to the Stanley Park Christmas train last Monday evening and from the sounds of things, a fun time was had by all. It really does help to go on a weekday, the crowds were certainly diminished. Lucky for the family it was dry and quite mild compared to years past. Here are some pics with Roger's new Nikon D700. Yup, a new toy for him, darn technology.

It's kind of ironic to see the pictures now cause the kids look so happy. You wouldn't have guessed that they are all so sick with colds now. Let's hope the family all gets very healthy soon.

Help Portrait Vancouver 2010

Two years in a row Roger has been involved with the Help-Portrait initiative in Vancouver. This year it took place at the Union Gospel Mission, where approximately 600 people came through to have their picture taken. Here's some information about the event. Also, you can check out the blog link as well.

Help-Portrait Vancouver 2010 (Thank You) from Steve Tan on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Melody!

It was a lot of preparation and hard work, but it all worked out extremely well. We officially have a one year old and a four year old. Melody's party was a lot of fun filled with friends, family and another round of cake pops. Bakerella has certainly made an impression on this family. The party was great, the birthday girl powered through even though she only had a 45 min nap all day. From what Roger and Tracey have said, she wasn't cranky, she didn't fuss, and she was a real trooper. The Doljabi went well, looks like she's got a future in the military using technology. She grabbed the sword then the iPhone, we'll have to wait and see if it really pans out. In fact, in the end she ended up grabbing all the items and passing them to Tracey. It was mentioned that she's got a future in philanthropy perhaps. So, she didn't walk by her first birthday, but we expect that it should be happening soon. Thank you to everyone who was in attendance, Melody thanks you as well. Here are some pictures from the event.

Melody's Birthday counting down...

Can't believe how much time flies. Our little Melody is growing up fast. This past week we got rid of her baby tub and now she's in there like a big girl. She's so much more easy going than Malcolm was at the same age. As you can see from the picture, she loves the water, her brother not so much. Even a little drop on his face can sometimes trigger a full-blown meltdown. It's interesting how a brother and sister can be oh so different.

Step by step, oh baby!

Day by day Melody's getting better and more confident about walking. She's really getting the hang of couch surfing. We're not sure if she'll be walking independently by her 1st birthday, but it might be close. Here's some video taken last night:

Melody Couch Surfing... from Obiwanhavanese on Vimeo.

Thinking of you...

All jokes aside, as most people know I initially started this blog (for fun) to chronicle our lives as seen through the eyes of our Havanese dog, Obi. Most of the posts are dedicated to documenting the growth of the kids and all the trials and tribulations of this journey that we're all on. I hope one day we can look back on all the past entries and laugh together.

The blog has allowed me to share not only our lives with friends and family, but to also act as a creative outlet for myself. Sometimes the posts are simply updates, sometimes they represent an official log for us to come back to, in recent times it's an opportunity to capture the beauty that I see through my lens, and in today's case it's perhaps a voice to give me peace of mind that somewhere out there my Mother can hear me. It is a voice that has called out to proclaim my contentment, the joy and fulfillment I feel of being a father and husband, a true statement of well being. Today marks the 5th anniversary of my Mother's passing. It was a life-changing event that will never have resolution. Sadly, I have to admit, I don't think of her as often as I used to, but the fact remains although her death was tragic, that tragedy is unparalleled to the loss I feel that she never had the chance to meet my two beautiful and fantastic children. She was an amazing lady, I miss her dearly and today more than any other day. So again, I send this message out into space in the hopes that she can hear me and to let her know that I'm ok. I love you Mom.

Here's a picture taken in June of 1973, just after I turned 1, she was 25. She was just a kid herself.

Here We Bowl Again!

Malcolm has been wanting to go bowling again for quite a few months. Roger and Tracey can't even drive past the bowling alley without him mentioning it. To celebrate that he has finally been staying at daycare for the whole day (including the afternoon rest), Roger took him bowling on Saturday. They had a great time and Malcolm really enjoyed his special outing with Daddy. Now we're gearing up for Melody's big birthday party in a couple of weeks and then the busy holiday season will be in full swing along with Tracey's return to work. Wow! It really is a busy time of year. I hope I still have time to fit all of my naps in. Woof!

Happy Birthday Auntie Suki!

To help celebrate Aunt Sue's birthday, Roger and the family have been working on a little photo assignment that was sent from Vienna. They have been provided with 10 different photographic themes to work with and to interpret those themes in any way they see fit. They haven't quite finished them all yet, but hope to do so by the submission deadline tomorrow. At Sue's birthday party they will share all the submissions from the groups and pick winners in each category. Here's one shot that Roger captured for one of the themes, "Something Radiant". Can't wait to see all the submissions. We asked Malcolm to check on his baby sister to make sure she was feeling ok.

Thank you to Pardeep Singh...

This past September, Roger got to second shoot for a pretty great photographer friend of his. His name is Pardeep Singh and his work can be seen here. Pardeep is a wonderful wedding photographer with a great eye and fantastic sense of composition. For obvious reasons he's booked solid year round. It was an honour working with him. Here are a few shots from Zareen and Gurpreet's wedding that Roger managed to capture.

Happy Birthday Malcolm!

Malcolm turned four on November 5th. First he had a party at school with all of his daycare friends and teachers. Roger and Tracey made Happy Face cake pops to mark the occasion. Their cake pop technique is starting to get more streamlined and efficient. This was their third attempt; everyone always seems to enjoy the yummy little cake morsels. After school, Malcolm had a pizza party with the family and some close friends. Meena and Jayden were even in town from Toronto so they stopped by for a visit. Malcolm was spoiled with lots of new toys; everyone was very generous. Some of the new additions to his toy box include a Playdoh Dentist kit, an indoor trampoline, a recycling truck, a firetruck, a Chuggington train track with a loop de loop and a talking Toy Story Woody Figure. Lots of fun!  Malcolm is very lucky to have so many people in his life who care about him.
The rest of the weekend was quiet, but the weather on Sunday was beautiful so the family took a quick drive to Stanley Park for a walk and a visit to the playground.  Next time, they better take me!

In three short weeks, it's Miss Melody's first birthday. Where does the time go?

Happy Halloween Everyone!

The weather was quite tremendous this year, sunny and clear to take in the trick or treat festivities. Like last year we were able to double Halloween with Malcolm's birthday party. It was quite a small affair with only a few of his little friends on the guest list. A good time was had by all, it's definitely fun for everyone to see all the kids dressed up. This year Malcolm dressed up as an astronaut and Melody metamorphosed into a cute little butterfly. Oh, and to follow Bakerella's lead Roger and Tracey managed to make some pretty cool looking Jack-o-lantern cake pops. Malcolm's family birthday party is slated for later this week on his actual birthday. Here are some pictures from the event.

Aloha from the family.

Whoa! A week without the family was sure something. Luckily cousin Carol and Papa took good care of me while they were gone. From the sounds of things, everyone had a great time. The weather was warm and sunny, the kids did great on the flights, the accommodations were fabulous and the beaches were stunning. I even heard Roger and Tracey say that the vacation exceeded their expectations. Melody was a superstar traveler; she loved the beach (she even loved to eat the sand) and after a little warming up she even loved the water. And she ate everything in sight- she even tried to take a bite out of Malcolm a couple of times. Malcolm was a true beach boy- he couldn't get enough of playing in the sand- he spent several hours at the beach everyday and never got tired of it. The family was also lucky enough to be able to spend some time at Aaden's fancy pool and and even witnessed Aaden walking on his own (Yay, Aaden!). The trip also included some yummy meals including a visit to the mouth watering "Cheesecake Factory". Sounds like Tracey will be up for a trip to Washington State to sample some more delicious desserts one of these days. Roger got to eat at "Todai" and it's fair to say that Melody lived up to her reputation of being an eating machine.
All in all, the trip was a huge success and Malcolm is already asking when they can go back. I'm keeping my paws crossed that the next vacation will be a dog inclusive road trip!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

After much debate about the weather, the family headed to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday for their annual romp through the muddy fields in search of the perfect (and for Roger's sake, not too heavy) orange gourd. It was opening day, but the crowds were light as probably the rain and wind warnings kept them away. Malcolm had fun and especially enjoyed the musical entertainment. After three years, Roger and Tracey have the pumpkin patch figured out- rubber boots,spare shoes and plastic bags are a must even if it's not raining. Today we shift gears to Thanksgiving dinner with Uncle Glen and family. It's always a treat when they come to visit. And then it will be time to pack for Hawaii- I hear that trip is less than a week away. I don't get to go, but at least Grandma and Papa take good care of me. I hope Roger will take tons of pictures in Hawaii...lucky ducks!

Autumn has arrived...

The human members of my family had a chance to do an Autumn photo shoot the other day. Melody loved the leaves and tried to snack on a few. There really isn't anything that she won't eat! Here are some photos from the shoot. Malcolm wasn't very interested in having his picture taken, but Roger managed to get a couple of smiles out of him. Melody and Aaden got along very well and played together for a long time. Such a great picture of Chad, Wendy and Aaden. Hopefully, next time the family will do another shoot with me too.