20 years of Jay Hockey.

Roger's been playing ice hockey since he was in his twenties, yes he was kind of a late starter. He never played as a kid, playing full contact at the age of 11 wasn't so appealing considering the late start and his small stature at 11. Anyway, he started playing in an adult league in 1994 called Hockey North America and has been on the ice at least once a week ever since. In 2001 he was lucky to join a group called Jay Hockey out of 8 rinks. Really a good group of guys who started playing together in 1992 (Thursday nights). Thanks to Bill for introducing him to the group. Over the years there have been some tussles, even a taser incident, but mostly filled with good times and  lots of laughs. The group is pretty diverse with ages ranging from 15 - 60!

So to mark this special anniversary occasion Barry the organizer decided to put on an celebration in Whistler. Let's just say it was a jam packed weekend filled with many testosterone charged events including golf, shooting, hockey, card games and libation consumption. This trip made him realize how much he didn't know about the group he's played with for over 10 years. That's the great thing about the group though, or perhaps indicative of how well guys get along despite their varying levels of familiarity. Here's a picture of the group that came up to Whistler:



Congratulations to Barry and the crew for all his hard work in organizing such a successful event and his perseverance in keeping the Jay Hockey group going all these years. Thanks Barry. A special shout out to Steve for refereeing the game.

The great things about Malcolm.

I think from time to time when Roger's feeling sad or worn out the blog posts can act as mechanism for release. Essentially, the blog was started to document and reflect on life with the family through my eyes, but the truth of the matter is, ultimately it's for the kids. One day they can look back on their oh so documented lives and hopefully give them insight as to what was happening. Although the blog doesn't always go into all the tribulations of life as a family, perhaps a more balanced approach is necessary. Hence, this blog post is dedicated to the great things about Malcolm.

These are some of the things we are so proud of:

• Malcolm is a polite and courteous boy who cares about others, specifically he cares a lot about his grandma and papa. 
• Malcolm has learned to read, letters, numbers, signs, he's well on his way as a 1st grader.
• Malcolm is learning to be more independent. We believe that his experience at day care and at kindergarten has helped developed this.
• Malcolm has a sense of humour and loves to laugh. Luckily there is a lot of joy in his life and you can see it on his face every day.
• Malcolm does like to try new things and have new experiences. He is naturally inquisitive and enjoys exploring new sites and destinations.
• Malcolm is a very smart boy, with an impeccable memory. 
• He's so interested in science and experiments. We'll have to see if one day he finds out about adding Mentos to Coke. 

The bottom line is that we all love him very much. From the sound of things and what other parents say, he's just being a normal 5 year old.

No one said it was easy.

July has been very nice with respect to the weather, we've had a few wet/cold days here and there, but for the most part it's been nice. With Malcolm being off on summer vacation and 고모 in Korea, childcare is shared by Roger and Tracey. During the weekdays Roger takes two days off and Tracey takes two days, leaving one day for grandma and grandpa to pick up the slack. Most days are hard, Roger and Tracey have to think of various activities to do. This week luckily, Malcolm is in Circus Camp, a week long gymnastics class speckled in with circus fun, like juggling, stilt walking, clowning and the like. He's got a performance on Friday to show everyone what they've been up to. There have been a few bumps along the way, but all in all, he's having fun.

Having kids was something that Roger always thought he would do, but he'll be the first one to admit that the challenges of behaviour, health and safety are at times difficult to deal with. Ever since Malcolm was three (he was never a terrible two) we saw a transformation in him. That's where his behaviour and tantrums all started. Lucky for us he has learned or maybe grown out of most of the screaming fits, but that's not to say they don't rear their ugly head now and then. There's a very poignant quote that applies here: "The years go by fast, but the days are long." As the kids get older I'm sure issues, problems, concerns are traded for others. For the meantime they have to remember that they are raising two quite wonderful children. Although, their behaviour at times can be difficult to deal with, they are still raising two wonderful children. Here they are last night at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.

Our trip to Kelowna.

We were lucky enough to be invited by some friends to their parent's vacation home in Kelowna. It is a very beautiful property right on the lake. Malcolm had a chance to experience some firsts: first time floating on his own in a life jacket, first time on a Sea-Doo and first time in a pleasure boat to ride the tube. Melody didn't much like riding on the boat, but she sure did have fun playing with the other girls on the trip. Being the youngest, all the older girls work very naturally to be big sister to her. They carry her around, hold her hand down the stairs and generally keep a good eye on her. The drive was a bit of a worry, but the kids did fine. It's hard to be cooped up in the car for 5 hours, but it was more than worthwhile. Roger got to work in the kitchen (he really loves cooking on vacation for a group of people) and the kids played so well together, Tracey even got to have some adult conversation while enjoying some beverages.

Family

I know Roger can be a pain sometimes when gathering up all the family at functions for a portrait, but he really does mean well. It has been a great opportunity the past few weeks where uncle Kevin and auntie Connie have been in town. Recently, for a family bbq and luncheon he managed to grab a couple of snaps for the old family album. Hopefully, family from afar will appreciate his efforts. Here are two recent shots taken of the family. Don't mind Malcolm, he was a bit grumpy that day. Just to be clear, Melody was not sucking her thumb. She wanted to let people know she's a big girl. Also, Gomo looks great for just having had surgery. Luckily, her recovery has been going very well.

First vacation of 2012

Sechelt was overall a fun trip and good experience for all. It's funny with the kids though, despite their talk and excitement they love coming home. We spent 4 days and 3 nights at a beautiful (albeit rustic) house right on the water. The most important point, I got to go too! 

Malcolm loves travelling, he was a travelling superstar. He slept well, ate well and adjusted well to all the changes. Melody had fun with all the changes as well, but sleeping continues to be a bit of a challenge. Roger and Tracey started the kids out together in the same room, but it became quickly apparent that it wasn't going to work. To be fair to Malcolm, they pulled her out of the shared bedroom and gave her a room all to herself. It was the first time she slept in a bed that wasn't a crib. They surrounded the bed with pillows to prevent any late night tumbles and luckily she did manage to fall asleep. The best scenario worked with Tracey sleeping in the bed next to her, which seemed to give her the most comfort. Tracey even said that Melody would touch her throughout the night to make sure she was there. Anyway, the family got to spend some time away playing at the beach and finally enjoying some sunny summer weather. Here are some pics from the trip below. To see the whole set click this link.

Happy Graduation Carol.

Hard to think that this girl:

Is now this girl:
Really not so much a girl anymore, but a young lady. We're going to miss you over the summer Carol. Have a great time in Korea and we'll see you at the end of August.

Last day of school.

(Malcolm first in line out the door on his last day of school)

Just like that, Malcolm became a 1st grader. He celebrated his last day of Kindergarten last Friday and is now on summer break. Tracey and Roger are worried how they're going to keep the two kids from killing each-other and driving them crazy at the same time. It's all a delicate balance sometimes.

This is Malcolm's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. B. She's really done a wonderful job in not only teaching the kids, but keeping them in line. As she says, at the beginning of the year the kids weren't used to things like lining up, sitting quietly, and even going to the bathroom on their own, certainly many areas of growth during this time.



As a treat to all the parents, his class performed a couple of musical numbers in class.



Melody came to class to celebrate Malcolm's last day too. Roger loves Malcolm's classroom, a giant window providing an ample amount of light for some great photos.

Graduation

Two of our family members reached great milestones yesterday. Malcolm graduated from kindergarten and cousin Carol graduated from high school. The whole family is so proud. Malcolm did really well this year in kindergarten and despite a little bit of a rocky start, the year shaped up to be a really great one. His teacher Mrs. Baird said that he's grown 7cm since the beginning of the year. Roger and Tracey are hoping that he'll have a growth spurt over the summer as well. Carol too did great, it can't be easy moving from another country and be expected to assimilate into a new system. She's really come a long way. We really hope for great things for Carol as she now embarks on a career in the film/tv/digital media industry. Her program at Vancouver Film School will be great.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day folks out there on the interwebs. I think a fun time was had by all celebrating fatherhood, despite the early wakeup by Malcolm at 5:50am... poor Roger. Malcolm was so excited to give him his gift that he woke up super early. It was a cute school-made necklace self titled, sparklie dude. Roger wore it with honour for the morning until its googlie eyes fell off. Following that, the two Dads Roger and Mel + family were treated for breakfast at White Spot. The family also managed to swing by Grandpa Harry's store to wish him a happy Father's Day. Here are a few images from the day. In the afternoon Roger also had a chance to play with the new pressure washer. He washed the backyard paver stones and deck. Not really my cup of tea, but he seemed to enjoy himself.

Happy Birthday Roger

It was a jam packed weekend. Saturday we celebrated Roger's 40th birthday entertaining so many friends and family at the house. It was fun to look around the room and see all the great folks that have remained so close over the years. In fact, most of the friends in the room he's known for at least 10-20 years, topping out with Steven at 35 years and counting! As always, there was a lot of food at the party. Tracey had the hors d'oeuvres catered by the Savory Chef, which were a big hit. From what I understand the Vietnamese mini subs were a fan favourite. Also, courtesy of Roger's Dad they had 25 pounds of Kalbi on hand to share and enjoy as well. A couple of Roger-centric games were played including a round of Family Feud. Andrew edged out Janey in the Roger trivia contest, keeping up with his best-man duties. Roger says when you're young 40 seems like an eternity away, but now that he's reached it, the weight of the situation doesn't seem as bad. Perhaps that's a good thing, Roger still feels young (maybe his body might disagree) and for the most part still looks it. He really does wonder where the next 40 years will take him. To think the kids would be 43 and 46, whoa! By far, the biggest hit of the party was the makeshift photobooth that was put together in the garage. Roger set up two strobes and a white seamless for guests to trigger pictures via remote. I think cousin Joseph and Ty managed to take advantage of the apparatus the best. Here's a slideshow link to the best images photobooth link: All in all the party went off without a hitch, the kids played well together, the adults seem to have a good time, delicious food was had by all, and ultimately Roger was able to celebrate this momentous occasion with so many people that he cares about and loves. Special thanks to Tracey for making the event a huge success.

Hopefully, summer is just around the corner.

It's always a constant concern and topic of discussion, but the weather has sure been quite disappointing the past while. Although, we did have a few days of sunshine most of the days have been downright un-spring like. The school year is winding down and I think it's been a huge success for Malcolm. Despite his bathroom woes to start, it really has been a good experience for him and us. Hopefully with the onset of summer Malcolm will be able to see some of his classmates around town, especially at the local playground. Also, Roger had 5 rolls of film developed at Custom Colour in Vancouver. Can you believe it cost almost $200! This photography thing is definitely not cheap. He really loves it though, the analog look is something that can't really be duplicated in digital. The first few pictures were shot with film, primarily Kodak T-Max 400. The family went down to Spanish Banks this morning to walk out on the tidal flats to explore what happens in low tide. The kids walked forever out to the shoreline and back again. It's cool how far they could get in low tide. Melody and Malcolm enjoyed walking out on the sand looking for creatures and observing all the seashells, crabs and seaweed. Certainly the other dogs were having a great old time. Maybe, I can go there someday.

Victoria Day long weekend.

The family has been dealing with a bit of a bug this past week. Last Thursday, Roger and Tracey kept Malcolm home from school extending his long weekend to extra long proportions. Melody has had some mild symptoms, but luckily nothing serious. Bad news is that Roger now has a sore throat; let's just hope that it all goes away quickly.  Sometimes it feels like at least one member of the family is sick; it would be nice to have longer stretches where the whole family is healthy and happy.

The past few days have been filled with playing outside (Malcolm is especially excited that the water table has made its seasonal reappearance), a trip to the bowling alley, eating out and various visits to supermarkets around town for groceries and such. The family also had a chance to meet up with Chad, Wendy and Aaden on Friday night for dinner and a trip to a neighbourhood playground. Roger got to play golf with his buddies and Tracey snuck out the see the "Hunger Games" movie.  Also, did I mention that I'm famous? I'm not usually one to brag, but I'm one of the New West dogs who was selected to be featured on the city's new electric boxes.  Two paws up for me!

Busy weekend.

Quite a busy weekend for the family. Trips to the park, Malcolm's gymnastics class, time-outs, meltdowns, #2 issues, birthday parties, yardwork etc. The one thing that we're all looking forward to is the onset of some good weather. We had a little taste of it this weekend, but no-one can really say it's been very warm. It's already May and we still find ourselves wearing jackets and complaining about the wet and chilly weather. It seems like any glimpse of sunshine brings a smile to many faces. I think we're all starved for a little good weather. Oh, and we wouldn't want to forget the "Supermoon", here's a shot that Roger took from the backyard last night:


Roger has recently re-discovered his love for conventional film. He's been shooting all sorts of 35mm film the past several months. Now, with the purchase of a new photo scanner, he's digitizing some of his work on a tumblr blog called: http://believeinfilmfilmisnotdead.tumblr.com/ There you'll be able to find lots of film work he's shot of the family, street and miscellaneous subject matter (mostly of the kids though). So far, although the process is super arduous, the results have been pretty good. Here's a small sample:

With his classmate Pemba, at the park.

Baby Sierra, Queen of the Stink Eye!

Melody, Butterfly in flight.

"Brotherly Love"