Happy 5th Birthday Malcolm.

You've come a long way that's for sure. There have been some significant milestones recently and turning 5 years old is certainly one of them. We're all so proud how you've adjusted to school, kindergarten hasn't been much of a transition after all. Doesn't seem that long ago we were waking up through the night to feed you. Now, you've grown to become a big boy. You're strong minded, but kind when you want to be. You're talkative, but still somewhat shy. I hope that you know that you're family loves you very much and does everything within their power to give you a good life and try their best to help sculpt you into a fine human being. They try to give you every opportunity and expose you to many new adventures. You're a lucky boy, we hope that someday you'll realize it.

We're glad you had fun at your birthday parties. Bowling was a lot of fun. We left the guest list up to you and the party was actually quite cozy and quaint. We know how much you loved all your gifts. Here are some pictures your Dad took during the festivities. Near the end of the month we'll get to celebrate your sister's big day of turning two. Happy Birthday Malcolm, you're well on your way. Grandpa Harry wins the prize for biggest gift, even Malcolm fit in the box himself.

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.

Malcolm and kindergarten...

Despite a couple of tiny bumps along the way Malcolm's been adjusting very well to kindergarten. Again, we all think it's because he's used to the whole routine from daycare. He likes his teacher, he's involved in the activities, and is always excited to go. He has never once even protested about going to school.

Melody celebrated her 23 month yesterday and she's doing quite well too, despite a little cold she's picked up along the way. She has more words now, she can certainly comprehend so much and all that coupled with a bit of a growth spurt. Tracey and Roger  had to hire another child care provider since Carol's Mom had to quit. The new lady is very nice. So far she comes twice a week with her 1 year old baby to look after Melody. All day long Melody points to him and says: "baby". In fact, everything associated with the baby she says "baby" whether it's the stroller, booster seat, play yard, etc... it's quite entertaining to watch.

In other news, Papa is in the hospital again. Last weekend he suffered a fall while walking and the repercussions of the fall have now translated into some other health issues. It's so ironic because the incident came at a time where he was feeling quite good. He'll be in the hospital probably for a few days undertaking a few different procedures. The good news is that the doctors seem to have figured out exactly what is wrong. We're all hoping for a speedy recovery.

That's all the updates for now. Here's a picture of Malcolm and Melody at breakfast yesterday. It was picture day at school, so Malcolm dressed up in a collared shirt. We'll have to wait and see how the pictures turn out.

Happy Anniversary

Roger and Tracey have already been married for 6 years now. They celebrated by going out to dinner in Yaletown. It's funny though, when ever they go out all they do is talk about the kids. That night in particular was poignant because they both vowed to try and enjoy life more, life with kids that is. Roger especially felt like he was being too harsh with Malcolm, perhaps setting expectations too high for him. Afterall, he's still only 4. You do really have to enjoy every moment that is presented. Sure times will be tough sometimes, but all in all the kids are only young once. This time will never come back again. 

So many transitions right now. First and foremost it involves Malcolm entering Kindergarten and Melody being looked after by a new person in the house. Luckily both situations have been great. Melody is so fixated on little baby E that she even cries when they leave. You see the caregiver that Roger and Tracey hired also brings along her son, baby E. All day long she points at E and says: "Baby". By the way, speaking of Melody's speech, it's exploding right now. She can say so many words now and everyday it's expanding. So far we have: Baby, Key, Hat, Hot, Shoe, Sock, Wow, Uh oh, camera, Obi, Mama, Daddy, up, Grandma, Papa. It's quite amazing to watch really. So all around we wish everyone the best of luck, Tracey, Roger, Melody and Malcolm.

Kindergarten, a milestone in the making.

I think it's been quite an easy transition for Malcolm. This week he's only been attending school 1-2 hours a day. They don't call it gradual entry for nothing. Actually, we have his daycare to thank. The routine that he's established there has certainly made the world of difference. The irony of it all is that his school day is only from 9-3 whereas his days at daycare were 8:30-4. He's so relieved that there's no more nap during the day. He's certainly tired by the end of the school day, he's asleep as soon as he hits the pillow. In fact, he fell asleep on the way to his first soccer practice this evening. It's certainly going to be a busy month, kindergarten, soccer, swimming and even skating lessons. There's some concern that he's overscheduled, but Roger thinks that keeping him busy will ultimately be better for him. I know he needs exposure to all these different things. We can't even imagine when Melody starts all her activities, whoa it's going to be even busier! The picture above is a little triptych that Roger created to mark his first day of kindergarten. He's growing up fast!

Malcolm begins his first organized sport: soccer.

So Tracey and Roger have been trying to get Malcolm excited for soccer. So far, he's been quite good. He seems genuinely interested in trying it out. To Roger's surprise he wasn't the smallest kid there either. He has his first real practice next week. With Roger and uncle Albert coaching, at least there will be some familiar faces around. He's got some shiny new soccer boots, new jersey, shorts and soccer socks. We've all been kicking the ball around at the park, here's a short video of him dribbling with his fast little feet. Not to be outdone, Melody got her own soccer ball too!

We've all been enjoying the warm summer weather, feel bad for the folks out East that are dealing with the hurricane.

The family had another eventful trip to the Pacific National Exhibition this year. Malcolm loves all the rides and this year they found out that Melody does too. Although they spent over six hours at the Fair, they kids didn't want to leave. Suffice to say, they went to bed late that night.

Friends come home.

You can tell how much of an impact people make within a group by gauging how they affect the people around them. For almost 4 years now we've had our dear friends Ryan, Sue and their kids Adrianna and Matthew live abroad in Austria. We've been lucky to have them come home to Vancouver for a few weeks during the summer to re-bond. Roger's always said this, he believes that Ryan and Sue have always been the glue keeping the whole group of friends together. In fact, during the rest of the year because of the lack of glue, days if not weeks can go by without any of the group coming together. Now that the family is back home, they tend to try and cram as many visits together as they can. We're sure glad they're home, albeit for a short time. Here are some recent pictures:

Roger's back.

Roger went away to Campbell River for a fishing and golf trip last week to take part in some Bachelor Party festivities for Andrew. Looks like fun was had by all. On the last day of fishing Andrew caught a monster of a Chinook, 23.3 pounds. While reeling in the beast, a seal even tried to take it away from him, evidenced by the two bite marks on the fish.

This past weekend uncle Andrew and auntie Deana tied the knot. Congrats to them. Here are some pictures from the past two weeks:

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.

Happy Father's Day!

I don't know how it happened, but the whole family is sick again (including Grandma and Papa downstairs). I think this is the first time that everyone in the whole house has been sick all at the same time. Also, from all the symptoms we've seen there's definitely a trend going on. Not the best way to celebrate Father's Day.

Malcolm is very cute with all the holidays, he's a champion gift opener. Roger got some really nice things, a few books, bbq marinade and a super cool Empire Strikes Back t-shirt! The family went out for a nice breakfast, had a quick visit with Grandpa Harry and played at the playground. Also, you'll notice a distinct difference on Roger's face, the playoff beard is gone! Too bad about those Canucks, maybe next year.

Happy Birthday Roger!

It's interesting where you find yourself with each year that passes. No time like your birthday to reflect back on the year that has gone by. The kids are a year older, a whole year of work has gone by, in Roger's case he launched his part-time photography business as well. He has mentioned that many of his personal relationships have changed too. He's made new friends and lost touch with old ones, who knows what will come going forward. One thing he really hopes for is for the Vancouver Canucks to finally bring home the Stanley Cup. We'll have to see what happens on Monday night!

So his birthday wish is this, he will strive to be a better husband, father, son, friend, manager, and photographer. Let's hope he's successful in every area. I'll report back in 2012 on his progress.

It's hard being a big brother sometimes.

Wow, lessons of sharing and trying to get Malcolm to understand that it's his responsibility to take care of Melody are difficult concepts to teach and comprehend. Everyday, it's a roller coaster ride. We don't always know who's going to show up, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hide. What Tracey and Roger have seen that ages 3 and 4 are certainly a delicate age, where sensitivities and fights for independence can create havoc in a developing mind and thus in the surrounding environment. Simple tasks become complex, defiance and stalling become so routine that it's now expected. What really breaks their hearts is that deep down they know how charming, wonderful, and fantastic he can be, he just doesn't always choose to show that side. Absolutely, there must be feelings of jealousy as well, although not always clearly articulated. Melody can do no wrong and that can be a hard pill to swallow. It's difficult to understand how much power a little boy can have over his own parents, but he does. He can make or break an event and ruin a good mood in a heartbeat. Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that he grows out of this difficult phase soon.

Here are some pictures taken at the park yesterday evening.