Happy 23 months Melody.

Happy belated 23 months Melody, you've been awesome... only one more month until you're officially 2 years old. You've come so far, I don't even know where to start. First of all, it's important to mention how happy you make your Mom and Dad. You've been an absolute dream, despite your incessant demands for "naks" in the car. It's hard to believe that almost 2 years have already gone by since you arrived. Now you're walking, (no make that running), talking, laughing, and even making jokes. You're personality shines through and brings smiles to all those around you. As every day passes you learn more and more, the communication lines become crystal clear. You know what you want and now you're able to let the world know too. I know there have been some bumps in the road, having a big brother in the house can be tough sometimes, but know you've made our lives richer. We are all awaiting to see the next chapter in your development.

Fresh Fall Leaves...

It's the season again, leaves are falling along with the temperatures in Vancouver. We ventured out last weekend to capture some of the beautiful colours of Autumn and headed back to the Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby. Roger wanted to test out his new light modifier, the SaberStrip to take this years' family photo. Such a comparison against last year's photos with respect to how much the kids have grown. Also this time last year the family was in Hawaii enjoying their time in the sun.
In other news, Malcolm has come down with quite a cold. He's even missed some days of school. Last night he coughed and ran a fever of 38 degrees. He's quite lethargic and very sensitive. Anyway, we hope he recovers quickly. Melody is also sick, but she seems to take things much more in stride. Her word explosion is gaining more momentum. She's even now putting words together to form phrases. A few days ago when Roger came home, she said: "Daddy home", quite heart-warming really. It's quite amazing the words she picked up along the way.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The sun broke through the clouds this afternoon, so Roger and Tracey decided to head back to the Pumpkin Patch this afternoon. It's definitely tough to find a dry day this time of year. From the sound of things, the kids did pretty great. They trudged through the mud and managed to pick their own pumpkins.  Here are some pics from today:

Roger's back from Moncton.

Three days may not seem like a long time, but it's an eternity when you're working as a single parent. Tracey's first night with the kids was pretty great, getting them both down by 8:15pm is quite a feat these days. The next two days were a bit more challenging. Sometimes we all wonder if it's actually worth it for Melody to have a nap because on the days she has one bedtime isn't usually until 10pm! Melody's sleep schedule has been a bit different from Malcolm's at the same age.

Malcolm is still doing quite well in Kindergarten, in fact the teacher Mrs. B has designated him as the caboose. This means he's the last one to come out of the classroom and he makes sure the lights are off and the door is closed, quite a bit a responsibility for a little kid. He's accepted this duty with great pride and confidence. We are all so proud of him. Oh, also he's back in the pool again this term trying to get past level 1. The instructor had recommended that he wasn't quite ready to move on. Roger said that he's more actively participating in the lessons now, dunking his head, blowing bubbles and even feeling comfortable enough to float on his back.

Melody is certainly growing up fast. It seems like everyday her words are increasing exponentially. She can mimic almost any sound and the great thing is now she's attaching meaning. Roger has been waiting for this stage for sometime, the word explosion has been detonated!  Malcolm has even contributed to her learning. He tries to teach her new words everyday. It's very cute to see them both grow up, although there are some flare-ups they've been playing quite well together lately.