Pumpkin Patch x2

Nothing like a trip to the pumpkin patch to signify fall; soon enough it will be Halloween. The family have put together some cool costumes for the day, they're just trying to put some finishing touches on Tracey's outfit. We'll keep it under our hats until Roger posts pictures.

Earlier in the week Roger went with Malcolm's class to Aldor Acres Farm in Langley. They were lucky enough to escape the heavy rains. It was nice to see Malcolm in his school environment. Roger even had a chance to talk to his teacher, who is pretty fantastic. All of Malcolm's classmates are very nice.

The family also had a chance to got with Aaden's family to the Pumpkin patch in Richmond over the weekend. We had some great weather on Saturday so a stroll through the fields was actually very nice. It's certainly becoming a yearly tradition. They all picked out some very nice pumpkins. They'll be carving them soon. Oh btw, my skin infection is much better with a dose of the antibiotics and shots things are healing nicely. I'm sure I'll be back to 100% in no time soon. Here are some pictures from the pumpkin patch:

Elizabethan collar for the time being.

Well, I'm not sure how I picked it up, but I've got a small skin infection. The Vet says that I could have got it from any number of sources. I got two shots yesterday and am wearing this dumb Elizabethan collar to prevent any further irritation. So the next 10 days will mean antibiotics and reduced activity until it heals. We saw Dr. Patyel at Atlas Animal hospital last night when the kids were asleep. Lucky for Roger and Tracey it wasn't too expensive. Here are a few shots from Roger's film camera. He made me pose for him a couple of weeks ago. The camera is pretty cool, a Hasselblad 500c/m and the film was Kodak Portra 800.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Roger and Tracey wanted to give grandma a break this year by cooking the Thanksgiving dinner by themselves. It was an ambitious task, but all was successful. They even went with an organic turkey this year, which proved to be more expensive. The taste difference is up for debate, although moist, was it that much better than non-organic? The jury is still out on that one. Perhaps the moistness might have to do with brining as well. Also another first, they brined the turkey overnight. Well, all in all a good time was had by all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here are some shots of the kids and uncle Glen jumping on the trampoline:

Grandma and Papa away for a week

It's been a whole week with Grandma and Papa away on their cruise. We're so glad they're back safe and sound. They spent a week away celebrating their 60th anniversary in Alaska. They were certainly missed during their absence.

So with Gomo away in Korea, Roger and Tracey have been trying to cover childcare with the bulk of their vacation over the summer. They have been splitting the duties throughout the week. With Malcolm back in school, most Daddydaycare days are filled with outings to the park, shopping, and even running errands. Last week Roger even took Melody on the skytrain and bus around town. With the sunny weather, Roger took Melody to New Brighton Park last week.


Here's a picture of Malcolm with one of the fantastic souvenirs that Grandma and Papa brought back from their trip. He's having a lot of fun with the magnets, not to mention all the other wonderful gifts they brought back. They mentioned that the ship was so huge that when they met people once, they never saw them again. The sheer enormity of the cruise ship is shocking.

12x12 Photo Marathon and Raw Talent Exhibit 2012

Last week Roger was surprised to find out that one of his images was chosen as the theme winner. Theme number 7 was a tricky one to interpret, but Roger's image of the kids getting caught in the act won out. The image was taken at grandpa Harry's store in Vancouver. He really wanted to have the family involved in the photo marathon. What better way to get them involved, make them the subjects in the image. The shot was with two lights, one modified via Saberstrip as the main light and the second speedlight on top of the freezer to act as a rim and all triggered via Pocket Wizard. The definite key to the shot was the expression on Malcolm's face. He was lucky that both of the children played their roles perfectly. Special thanks to Tracey for assisting, the image was shot with the Nikon F100 and the 35mm 1.4G AFS on Ilford HP5 400 film.

Many of Roger's friends came out to see the exhibition to support the event and his photography. He was very thankful to everyone who came out. Truth be told, he just wanted his film to turn out, winning was certainly an added bonus and immense honour. He's hoping to participate again next year, at least in 2013 he'll know what to expect.


Here's the winning image:


Here's the whole set and a link to them via flickr:


Special thanks to the Kelly sisters who came out to support Roger. It was very sweet of them to come out. What a great group of ladies. Maybe next year they'll enter the competition too.

Happy 7th Anniversary

7 Years ago today, Roger and Tracey were married. They had the ceremony and reception at a heritage house in New Westminster called Robson Manor. Today the house has been converted to a little Montessori school. How things change. The two enjoyed a dinner out at Chambar, the food was delicious. Roger even managed to take a few shots to mark this momentous occasion.

Here's to Roger and Tracey on their 7th wedding anniversary.

Carnival at Malcolm's School.

Malcolm's school had a carnival on Friday to help raise funds for the playground. A few rides, some games and cotton candy for the kids to enjoy. I'm not sure how much money was raised, but from the line-ups all the events and attractions seemed to be pretty busy. Malcolm had fun with his classmate Filip, going on rides together and sharing some treats. It's too bad Malcolm couldn't exhibit the same enthusiasm for school. Last week there were a couple of crying episodes in the morning. He just can't seem to get used to being left for school, he wants Mom and Dad to stay with him. Somehow he's regressed, cause for the most part he never acted like that in Kindergarten. The strangest thing is that he's so exuberant and happy at the end of the day and always makes a point about how much fun he had. It's maddening. Here are some pictures from the carnival.

Jump

I think the investment in a trampoline can really pay dividends. Man, the kids can jump for hours on that thing and most importantly it burns off all that excess energy. Malcolm has had more exposure to the trampoline, but Melody is certainly catching on fast. We got it last Wednesday and they have been jumping on that thing every day. I'm not sure what's going to happen in the wet and cold, but you can be sure that as long as it's dry they'll jump. Don't you just love Melody's flying hair!

Hello Grade 1.

What a difference a year makes. It's hard to see the kids grow up right in front of your eyes, cause I see them everyday, but comparing the pictures to last year there's definitely a difference. He's a little taller, his face is changing and fingers crossed he's maturing. We all wish Malcolm the very best this year as a first grader. He'll definitely make that leap with his three "R"s. Our boy is growing up.

Disneyland 2012

It wasn't the best of starts for the trip to Disneyland. Roger and Tracey wanted the trip to be a surprise, but it was difficult to decide on when exactly they were going to tell the kids. On the day of departure, they sat the kids down on the couch and gave them the surprising news. Unfortunately, Malcolm didn't react the way they expected, he cried and cried exclaiming that Disneyland was no fun and that the PNE was much more fun. Melody on the other hand seemed truly excited, she asked whether she'd get a chance to see the princesses and meet Minnie Mouse. So suffice to say, the beginning of the trip was met with some drama and tears. I think as parents, it's questionable to feel whether it's worth it. With tantrums, mood swings, and less than exemplary behaviour all they really wanted is to share in an adventure with them.

I think all in all, the kids had a great time, but something that has reared its ugly head is the delayed onset of the terrible twos. Melody has had pretty much a tantrum a day all related to either her independence and or her resistance to do something. It can be something as simple as having a bath, putting on a jacket, changing her diaper or in the case of Disneyland, getting off the ride all by herself or not getting that special toy. Perhaps the high temperatures and fatigue were a factor, but Roger and Tracey have dealt with some very unreasonable behaviour over the past few days. Let's just hope that she outgrows it soon.

Despite all that, they do have to reflect on the good, that is, the kids did really enjoy themselves. Disneyland must be a pretty magical place in their eyes. A place where characters come to life and where fairy tales do come true. Pictures like this one below of Malcolm do make things worthwhile. This was Malcolm's first ride on Thunder Mountain, a less than tame roller coaster. As you can see from the expression on his face he was having a great time. The picture made it worthwhile for Roger to carry that beast of a lens (Nikkor 70-200VRII) around.


Here's Malcolm's second ride on the roller coaster the very next day. The look on his face is priceless.


The family also enjoyed a character lunch at Goofy's Kitchen, where they saw a total of 8 characters for a meet and greet. Here's a shot with Pluto.


No trip to Disneyland would be complete without a visit with the princesses. They managed to catch Belle one morning and snap a picture with her.


Roger was happy to spend some(albeit short) time with some family down south. Although he just saw cousin Connie, he hasn't seen the rest of the family in a long time, over 15 years to be exact.


Here's a shot with Tracey and the kids as well.


Here's a shot of David and me. Compared with the shot of David and me shot in 1999. Wow, things sure do change.



Their last day at Disneyland with the castle in the background.




This is one of Roger's favorite images from Disneyland. It captures the magic and excitement that is Disneyland. It was taken during Mickey's Fantasmic show, marking the last day of the family vacation. Very poignant that the blue moon was also captured, adding to the metaphor of a trip to Disneyland.

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.

Surprises.

It's been a busy weekend. Roger participated in the 12x12yvr photomarathon on Saturday. It was a day of 12 film exposures in 12 hours of 12 distinct themes. Tracey and the kids met Roger in Vancouver to help with a few of the themes. Let's just hope they all turn out ok. We'll all be waiting till the evening of the 22nd to find out.

On the home front, there have been some challenges with respect to the kids. Melody in particular is resisting going to sleep. We're all hoping that it's a short phase, but for the last several nights evenings have been tough. Lots of crying and complaining. That same old phrase starts running through my head: "No-one said raising kids was easy". It's less than a week to go for the family trip to Disneyland. After months and months of planning, it's actually coming to fruition in less than 7 days. Roger and Tracey have decided to wait and surprise them. They've told the kids that they're going to Seattle, but in fact will spring on them that they're going on an airplane to Disneyland. Roger's hoping to capture the reaction on video. They're excited enough to go to the PNE every year, now we'll have to wait and see how they'll react to this.

Here are some images that Roger took with his new 70-200VRII lens. It's amazingly sharp.

Malcolm lost his first tooth.

A couple of days ago Roger and Tracey noticed a small abscess developing above Malcolm's left central incisor. A quick visit to the dentist revealed that there was a small infection at the root of his baby tooth. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the infection will not affect the adult tooth (which is  still deep inside). The worst case scenario is that the tooth will be discoloured, but again we'll have to wait and see. We're all very proud of him, he was tough during the procedure having three needles administered and all. It's the first major work he's had done. He's been very lucky so far with zero cavities and good overall oral health. The dentist said that the infection probably stems from some sort of trauma, but the last time he's had any significant bump on the mouth was over a year ago. Well the family is happy that it's over, I think that Tracey and Grandma especially were concerned for him. He got to have a pretty special day filled with popcicles, ice cream and other soft foods to help ease the pain.

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.