Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2012

Sometimes it's difficult to think of what to do on the weekend. Yesterday, Roger and Tracey had the great idea of going to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon. Roger recently saw John Greengo's photos on FB and was really impressed by the colours. So they packed up the car and decided to head south for the day. They weren't disappointed, it's pretty amazing. Yesterday was actually the last day of the festival and lucky for them there were still several tulip fields open. It was a pretty mucky trek through the muddy fields, but worthwhile. The kids were great, they didn't fuss at all considering they were delayed at the border for almost an hour. They're pretty good travellers those two. On the way home, they stopped at Bellis Fair and did a bit of shopping and had a snack. Here are some photos from the festival.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are on and Vancouver is in it again. I guess I'll use the term "in it" loosely right now, considering they're now down 3-0 against the Los Angeles Kings. Obviously, there's still a chance, but it's not looking good for the home team. Tracey and Roger have both been stressed watching the games. It's hard to imagine that the President's Cup winners, the top team in the NHL is having so much trouble beating the 8th place team in the West. We're all holding our breath for the next game to see if we can keep hope alive. I'll be such a disappointment if we get ousted in the first round, especially after last year and this year's performance.

In family news, things are going well. The arrangement we have with Melody's aunt watch her during the week has been going so smoothly we'll be sad to see her leave in the summer. Melody has sure taken to her "고모". So many milestones happening this year, nephew Vincent graduating from University and also Carol graduating from High School!

Here are some pictures Roger took of the kids visiting with Grandpa Harry at the store. It's a free for all for treats when they're there.

 

To kick off the start of spring, the Easter bunny came by and dropped off two new, two wheel bikes for the kids. Malcolm really seemed to like his new mode of transportation. He still needs to get the hang of pedaling, but for the most part thanks to daycare (that's where he learned to ride) he's well on his way. The egg hunt went well and thankfully to the sunny warm weather the family was able to enjoy some time outside. Let's just hope that it's just a small taste for things to come. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Happy Easter everyone!

Spring has sprung in Vancouver

It's been a long winter and to be honest, I think we're not the only ones starving for some sunshine. We've had a lot of rain and chilly temperatures the past few weeks. It's great for the ski hills, but not much else these days. We were glad to get a sunny day today and ventured out to the Museum of Vancouver followed by lunch by Kits Beach. Here are some pictures of the beautiful Sakura blossoms blooming. There's no place more beautiful in the world than Vancouver in the sunshine.




In other news, now that soccer is over Malcolm started his spring activity, tumbling and gymnastics at the Arenex. He seems to like it much better than soccer. He gets to run around and jump on the trampoline every Saturday for an hour or so. The great thing is that there are only two other boys in his class which almost makes it like a private lesson. Here are some from his class this past Saturday.

Happy Blogiversary!

March 23rd marked the anniversary of this blog, I can't believe it's already been six years. The blog was originally started to document some of the daily events that unfold with the family. Along the way, it's become a sort of photographic journal with updates for friends and family to visit at anytime. The formats have changed over the years, but the current incarnation has been in place for a few years now. I'd like to think that some people who come across it find it somewhat interesting to read. If anything the pictures on the blog should be visually appealing. According to Sitemeter, the blog gets 40-70 hits a week, which is interesting.

For the most part, the blog is for Malcolm and Melody. It's written so they can hopefully one day go back and read all the posts that were created about them growing up. Along the way they can see how important it was for their Dad to keep a visual record of events and milestones along the way. They'll appreciate it when they're older, right? Anyway, for those of you who are daily, monthly, yearly or even one-time visitors thank you for stopping by. Here are some pictures of the family taken at Kits Beach this evening. Roger loves taking silhouettes at  sunset.

A little behind...

Whoa, I didn't realize how behind I was on the blog. Well, the 15th went as quickly as it came. Turning 7 years old wasn't as earth-shattering as many people think, after all I should be going through my mid-life crisis shouldn't I? Do dogs actually have those? It's been a good life living with the family. The best part is that I'm not home alone for very long throughout the day. Living with the grandparents downstairs has been a real treat. Here's a shot of me on my birthday, with Roger's new 85mm lens:

It's been a busy week, with Malcolm off for Spring break and Melody under the weather. We've been filling our days with mini activities and perhaps too much TV. With respect to Melody, I'm not sure what happened, but she picked up a stomach bug and ended up keeping us up for a few hours last night. It has been the first time she actually vomited since being a little baby (if you count spitting up). She seems much better today, but still not her regular self. You wouldn't be able to tell by the picture though (it was taken this morning). She sure is a toughie, much more than her brother.  Roger and Tracey had some grandiose plans for the week, but again with Melody sick it's difficult to venture too far. Hopefully, she'll bounce back fast and they'll still get to do some fun things this weekend.

Last week, Roger and Tracey were invited to Malcolm's class to share in some activities. They were able to observe what he does on a daily basis and also see what sort of progress he's been making. According to his teacher he's doing very well. In fact, he's now starting to read! He's able to sound out many words for himself and the sheer joy and pride is evident on his smiling face. It's pretty clear that he's not the tallest kid in his class. What the heck are these other kids eating?

2011/2012 soccer season is over.

Well this morning concluded Malcolm's first organized team sport activity. His U6 soccer team had their last game of the season. All in all it was a good experience for Malcolm, but Roger thinks he may not be quite ready for competitive sports yet. For now he doesn't have the same drive as the other kids do with respect to getting to the ball. They've enrolled him in trampoline next, so we'll see how that goes. Luckily the skating lessons have been fun for him and he's made some steady improvement. In other news, since the BC teachers have decided to strike, Malcolm will be home three days next week due to the job action. I think it's safe to say that all parents in BC are hoping for a swift resolution to it all. Here's a link to many other photos of Malcolm's soccer team throughout the year: link.

Malcolm's skating lessons

Despite all the job action by the BCTF and work to rule being in place, Malcolm has been pretty lucky with all the activities that have been going on at his school. We've already had the Christmas concert, a visit to see the Nutcracker and now skating lessons with his school. Roger has even had a chance to get out and help during the lessons. From the looks of things all the kids are having a good time.

Malcolm and soccer...

For the most part Malcolm's involvement in soccer this year has been a good experience for him. Despite Roger's intermittent frustration and disappointment at Malcolm's effort (sometimes it's been lacking), we have to look at the bright side. He's been exposed to competitive and organized sport, he's met with other boys/peers his age, and developed some motor skills that probably would have gone undeveloped during our wet and cold winter. It's a tough age; skill levels are across the board and I guess, since it's not baseball, crying is still pretty much allowed. By far the biggest challenge is to try and keep the kids focussed and attentive. Roger's former coaching experience was focused on 10-12 year olds who were simply at a different level. It's been a learning experience for all. By the look on Malcolm's face he at least seems to be enjoying himself. Here's a shot from the warm-up yesterday.

Enchantée de faire votre connaissance, Léon.

The family had a chance to visit with the Lee sisters on the weekend over some Poutine, but most importantly meet with Auntie Mimi's son, Léon. Roger mentioned how much he resembles Auntie Mimi, he's a cute little guy. From the sounds of things he's doing quite well, sleeping and eating like a champ. He's even cutting a tooth, wow how fast they grow. It's pretty amazing how fast time swooshes by, he'll be six months old soon. Congratulations to both Mimi and Felix on their new bundle of joy. He's lucky to have two such amazing people as parents. There's no doubt that he'll grow up to be an artist, he's got good taste and talent in his genes. Here are a couple of pictures of baby Léon, I've limited it to two to prevent cuteness overload:

No one said it was easy.

Certainly no-one has ever said that raising kids was easy, in fact there are more proverbs and quotes emphasizing how hard it can be. Even Socrates said: "Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers." And that was 470BC! I think as parents go Roger and Tracey try their best and they'll be the first ones to admit that there's always room for improvement. Some days can be simply exhausting, simple tasks like getting dressed can result in a tantrum, times outs and lots of mood changes in both child and parent. A few weeks back, they were especially having a hard time with Mr. Malcolm's behaviour and bad attitude. In recent weeks they've implemented a new technique modelled after Dr. Thomas Phelan's series called 1-2-3 Magic. So far there's been significant improvement in Malcolm's behaviour. There are still time outs, but I've noticed they're a lot more infrequent these days. The biggest lesson from the series is to remove all the emotional baggage that comes with power struggles and discipline. Let's just hope it goes in the right direction. Here are some pictures from a quick home photoshoot Roger did. Also, I'd like to end to two great quotes I heard about raising children: "Raising children is like chewing on a stone". "Those that teach children learn more than they do".  

Happy Birthday Tracey.

This is the year of the Water Dragon, it's supposed to signify abundance and good fortune and also specific to Roosters and Rats, that's Tracey and Roger, whoo hoo! Unfortunately, it also says to avoid year of the Dog people (which is Malcolm). We're not sure what this all means, but let's hope good fortune trumps anything bad for 2012. Here are some pictures from the past week. Here's a picture of me! "This is my tough face". Here's Melody and Uncle Glen, playing on the iPad. Melody has taken a liking to Roger's iPhone. It's difficult to get it back sometimes. We can only wonder what kind of technology is in store for her generation. Just last week we had so much snow. This week with the increasing temperatures and rain falling from the sky, the snow is almost a distant memory. Here's Malcolm building a snow castle in the backyard.

We enjoyed a sudden snowfall late Friday night, so the kids woke up to a winter wonderland this weekend. The family got together and built a snowman. There's talk of more snow on the horizon with Wednesday bringing 5-10cm. I have to say, I love the snow a lot and Malcolm is excited as ever. Melody on the other hand likes to be outside, but is not as adventurous, that will probably come in time. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Let's hope driving conditions don't get too hairy during the week.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2012, Roger mentioned that I'm going to be 49 this year! Whoa, I never really understood the dog years thing, but that seems too old. After all, I've got some spring in my step still. Well, I'm happy to announce that the family rung in the New Year with an outing up the mountain, a quick visit to the playground and also a celebratory brunch and dinner with the family. Here are some pictures from the past few days. Happy New Year to everyone, especially our friends, family and followers abroad. Best wishes to everyone in 2012!