Papa and etc...

Yes, as you can see from the title I'm sad to report that Papa is still in the hospital. The good news is that he is much better, the pneumonia has cleared and his leg is much better too. The last thing that remains is that the wound on his leg is still bleeding, last report shows that the wound has almost closed though. Today we got some devastating news that will ultimately affect Papa's return home, he's been confirmed to have a superbug. Even visitors will have to gown-up to see him. Which also means that the kids can't go any longer. Interestingly enough, he's always had this superbug, it's basically a fungus in his lungs that is resistant to any anti-biotic. We'll have to see what happens in the coming days. :(

In other news, it has been a rather eventful period with respect to health. Tracey has a full-blown cold and is coughing up a storm. On Friday, Melody got a bout of food poisoning and threw up at the hospital whilst visiting Papa. Since then she really hasn't eaten much, even at Auntie Shannon's Karaoke birthday party on the weekend. She's been quite sensitive about things these days. Roger and Tracey have been dealing with her feelings of sadness and perhaps some residual effects from watching the movie Frozen. There seems to be some anxiety related with separation all of a sudden. We can only hypothesize that her feelings stem from the story, the circumstance of Anna and Elsa, whose parents were killed at sea. Suffice to say, she doesn't want us to leave her anywhere or be out of sight, especially Tracey. A lot of "Mommy, Mommy, mommy".... these days.

Reflecting back on the winter Olympics in Sochi, we're so proud of our Canadian athletes. They did fantastic this year netting 25 medals in total, 10 of those being gold. Canada finished 3rd overall! Roger went over to Chris and Jennine's house for the 4 am men's hockey game final. Although bleary eyed and sleep deprived, it was a great effort. In the evening, the family went down to Jack Poole Plaza and dinner out to Dunn's to see the Olympic flame. Too bad, Melody wasn't feeling well, here's a shot that Roger managed to get of Malcolm. Below are some other pictures from the past week, including some from Taisho's skating party.
  Shannon's birthday party: Taisho's birthday party last Friday:

Princess Melody.

What a busy weekend it was. We celebrated Melody's birthday with a small friends and family brunch. This year we tried to keep is small and only invited the people she wanted at her party. Also, breakfast being her her favorite meal, what else could be more fitting. It's amazing how many sausages and bacon slices she can eat. I think it's safe to say that she had a great time. She wasn't shy at all, it wasn't that long ago where she'd cry when someone new came into the house. When it was time to open her presents, she even declared out loud: "Thank you to everyone". Really we are very thankful to everyone for their kindness and generosity. Let's just say her doll collection now has been injected with a new cast of Disney Princesses. She even slept with Snow White in her crib last night. Here are a few shots from her party over the weekend. Here's a link to the whole set on Flickr.

Malcolm's Birthday Party.

Despite the downpour of rain, we think that the kids had a lot of fun at Malcolm's birthday party over the weekend. There's something special about having the whole facility to yourself; no need to deal with strange kids and parents (other than your own). It's really just an opportunity to run around, burn off some energy while celebrating the boy's 6th birthday.

Special thanks to everyone for attending and showing such generosity in showering Malcolm with such an awesome array of gifts. He spent all day Monday playing with everything! We're all so lucky to have such amazing family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for help making Malcolm's birthday so special.

Oh by the way, Tracey and Roger are officially off of Subway and sushi for a while, ah leftovers! Here's a link to some of the pictures from Malcolm's Birthday via flickr: Slideshow

Obiwan and Mickey Mouse.

Certainly, my status within the family has been significantly downgraded with the arrival of the kids. I totally understand this situation, it's not unlike what happens within most family homes with pets. For the most part dogs just aren't allowed to go everywhere and anywhere they please, even if the family wants me to tag along. I feel happy that I was able to go to Sechelt with the family, but now with the trip to Disneyland on the horizon I know I'll miss the family a lot during their absence. At least I don't have to stay in a kennel or with some other strange family. I'll get to stay home with Grandma and Papa, keeping them company during the five days everyone is away. I guess in some respects we're lucky the weather has cooled down, I can't imagine more hot weather now. I have trouble enough as it is, wearing this fur coat 24/7. Well, I do with them well, I'm sure they'll all have a great time at "the happiest place on earth". I can't wait to hear about it.

The portrait above was taken with a 50 year old camera, a Koni-Omega Rapid 6x7 Rapid. It was shot on Kodak VC160 and lit with a SB900 mounted with a small umbrella camera right.