Easter and stuff.

Easter this year was definitely different. The regular dinner preparations were absent and most of all the spirit was gone. It's most definitely due to uncle Glen and Papa's hospitalization. Not having the whole family present for dinner and activities has certainly had an effect on everyone. Papa is still in the hospital and fighting a sudden chest infection and although uncle Glen's treatment is now done the road to normalacy seems still distant. Despite the overall glum, Tracey and Roger still put on an egg hunt for the kids. No big surprises this year like in years past, but some treats, a nice brunch with Chad, Wendy and Aaden, and a few books to celebrate the onset of spring. Here are some pictures.

New car?

Yup, the family is in the market for a new car. Roger and Tracey are trying to narrow their choices down. Right now it's between the Honda Ridgeline and the Kia Sorento. Each car has its pros and cons, and right now it looks like the Kia is pulling ahead. Last weekend Roger and Malcolm went down to the Vancouver International Auto Show to check them out. They even took skytrain down, Malcolm's favorite. Once daycare ends, they'll probably move the money over into car payments. It's been nice not having payments, but it's definitely time for a new vehicle with more space. I think Roger's tired of playing tetris with all the stuff when they head out on a road trip.

We finally meet Mr. Gavin!

Uncle Lane, auntie Jen and Master Gavin came to visit last week. We enjoyed dinner together talking about old times and how children change lives. There was no doubt that Lane and Jen would be great parents, Mr. Gavin looks pretty great. He's certainly a handsome boy. I think that uncle Lane and Roger had one of those full circle moments where now Lane is in the same position Roger was 7 years ago now. Just look at the picture below, there's even a resemblance between Malcolm and Gavin don't you think? A special hello to Grandma Turner in Red Deer. Thanks for reading the blog all these years. She was so kind to send Melody her first booties back in 2009, whoa 5 years ago now. Here's the link to the original post.

Palm Springs 2014

Well, it's been a super long while since my last blog entry. Whew a lot to report! Sad news is that Papa is still in the hospital. Apparently, it looks like a few more weeks to deal with all the residual issues. Suffice to say he's considerably weaker so they need to get his strength up before any immediate homecoming. We've all been vigilantly visiting him every day, it's especially hard on Grandma.

The family is back from Palm Springs, such a relief. From the sounds of things the trip was a great success. Carol, Gomo, Uncle Glen and Grandma took good care of me though.

The trip down to California did apparently start with a bit rocky ride with a 2 hour delay in San Francisco, but for the most part the kids did pretty well dealing with all the running around. The house the family rented was beautiful and having a pool certainly allowed the kids to be perpetually entertained. The one downside is the safety issue, small children + pool requires constant monitoring. Some basic house rules were set up and for the most part everyone complied. As always the vacation was filled with good food, good times and lots of great memories. A great way to spend spring break. The next trip is planned for August, this time I get to go too! Whoo hoo! Here's a slideshow of the images Roger took during the trip.