Seattle 2011

Roger, Tracey and the kids spent a few days in Seattle. It was great timing on their part, the weather was perfect and the strength of the Canadian dollar was a definite plus. As everyone already knows, travelling with kids can be a challenge. They were happy to report that Malcolm did extremely well. He was so excited to travel, it is fun to see the excitement in his face about going somewhere. Melody on the other hand is a bit harder to handle. In her defense, she hasn't done many nights away from home so sleeping in a strange crib, in a different room and unfamiliar surroundings is probably a bit scary. The first night she screamed when they lay her down to sleep. Roger and Tracey then tried to get her to sleep with them, but funny enough she wrestled with them for almost an hour and proceeded to laugh at them. At around 11pm she did finally go down for a few hours. Luckily the second night was better. Like Tracey says, it's a lot of work. All the preparation, gear and snacks alone are enough to fill a big suitcase. Roger did get to see his nephew Vincent. He's going to be a senior at the University of Washington in the fall. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Air Time.

Recently a book came out called "The Art of Roughhousing". Roger's always been very playful with the kids, tickling them and throwing them in the air. Now there's some scientific evidence that it's actually good for them:

"We want to get a throwback to the good stuff," he adds. "The good stuff is play. And the holy grail is roughhousing." Roughhousing does more than keep kids physically active. "There are clear signs showing that it helps kids' academic success, it's associated with being more flexible behaviorally, being better able to deal with unpredictability," DeBenedet says. "Play—especially active physical play, like roughhousing—makes kids smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likable, ethical, physically fit, and joyful,"

Here are two images that Roger's photographer friend Ron took capturing the kids in flight. There's no denying that they enjoy it. Just look at their faces.

Bit of a scare today...

Roger took Malcolm fishing for the first time ever this afternoon. Some milestones were met, but also a bit of a scare. During all the excitement of hooking his third fish of the day, Malcolm lost his balance and pitched forward off the dock and into the water. Luckily, Roger was right close and dove in after him and managed to scoop him out within a matter of seconds. The only casualty of the event was Roger's iPhone which was in his pocket at the time. It goes to show how important swimming lessons are. Roger watched him plunge into the water and literally sink like a rock. We're happy to report he's doing fine and seemed to have bounced back quite well. Here's a picture of his first fish held by his uncle Albert. Much thanks to uncle Albert for helping out and making Malcolm feel better. Funny enough, Malcolm caught more fish than anyone else, with 3 catfish under his belt.

Fever part deux.

It's inevitable sometimes isn't it? As soon as Malcolm got better we had almost of week with both of them healthy. Now, it seems that that infection has now hit Melody, luckily her fever hasn't been as high, but Roger and Tracey have been up multiple times a night with her to keep her temperature under control. The bright side is that we still seem glimpses of the happy go lucky girl throughout the day, but it's no secret to anyone that she's not 100%.

Papa has also been going for regular treatments at the hospital to combat an infection he's had in his leg. Oh, when will this whole house finally be healthy? Let's hope soon. Here's a picture of the kids down at the Quay, despite Melody's fever she played and played like nothing was wrong. Malcolm is sporting his new Spiderman hat that Roger bought for him the day before.

Fever out of no where?

I don't know what brought it on, but Malcolm has had a pretty high fever for four days now. Suffice to say our Canada Day celebrations were low key. Tracey and Roger were planning to take him to see the fireworks, but I guess it will have to wait until next time. Malcolm has no energy and no appetite- it's really tough to see him like this. The doctor said that it is a virus and could take 4 -7 days to run its course. We're on day 4 now so hopefully we'll see a big improvement soon.

Before he got sick, Malcolm had his first swimming lesson last week at the Canada Games Pool and did really well. He blew bubbles and got his head wet no problem. I bet he'll be swimming like a fish before the classes are over.

It's nice when Malcolm and Melody get along and just take a minute to enjoy each other's company.
This was the end of a fun day at Locarno Beach...the kids got to build sandcastles and play in the water. Hopefully we'll have lots of days like this all summer long.

Melody has been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather we've had for the last few days. She's a dare devil at the playground and loves to climb and go down all the big kid slides. She tries really hard to keep up to her big brother.

I almost forgot, Happy Anniversary to me! It's been six years since Roger and Tracey picked me up in Victoria and took me on the ferry to my new home with them. Sure have been a lot of changes in our household since then, but I'm still top dog! I love that Grandma and Papa live downstairs - it means extra treats and not much alone time for me. I'm a pretty lucky guy - I even heard that there might a special camping trip in my future this summer with Roger, Tracey and the kids.