Christmas fast approaching.

For some reason this year's holiday season feels like it's coming up faster than normal. There are only 8 days before Christmas. The good news is that the Christmas shopping for the kids is now finally complete. Roger and Tracey are for sure spoiling the kids. Malcolm for one is super excited about it all. I think he takes after Tracey, she's always had lot of Christmas spirit. I'm not sure what Melody thinks of it all, but she seems to be taking it all in stride, despite her ongoing reluctance to get dressed out of pyjamas every morning. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. Last week the family took Carol and Gomo on the Carol ship cruise.







Here's the annual trip to Stanley Park to ride the train and see the beautiful lights.











As tradition would have it, they went to dinner at Marcello's for pizza and pasta.

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.

Help-Portrait Vancouver.

The Help-Portrait Vancouver movement is something that is very important to Roger. He's been volunteering his time for the event every year. This year, he was the lead photographer for the event at the BC Children's Hosptial. Here's the behind the scenes video shot by Steve Tan:



The main event is happening on the 1st of December this year. The group from Help-Portrait Vancouver is currently seeking donations to cover supplies and insurance. Here's a link to the donations page. Help-Portrait Vancouver Donate Here's also another fabulous write-up about Help-Portrait Vancouver from the wonderful folks at 12x12yvr: 12x12 Photomarathon

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

Happy Birthday Malcolm .

Our boy turned 6 years old on Monday. Time sure does go by fast. It doesn't seem that long ago he was in diapers. He's now a first grader and well on his way. From what I've witnessed he sure is a special boy. Things that I noticed from the very start are still very apparent today. He's got an impeccable memory. He really does love to laugh. He likes new experiences and travelling. Also, deep down inside he does really likes to take it all in and savour traditions, he's a lot like his mom that way. Anyway, happy birthday to our boy, you sure have come a long way. We all love you lots. Tracey and Roger order some Octonauts toys from the UK, as they are not available in North America. He sure was surprised and happy! Just look at that face.

Halloween 2012

Roger, Tracey and the kids had a wonderful time at Auntie Deana's birthday party over the weekend. There were games, treats, dancing and costumes galore. I think Malcolm really enjoyed himself indulging in all that candy. We're all hoping for some dry weather on Wednesday, trick or treating won't be the same if the rains come. The house is all ready and decorated for the big event. Hopefully there will be a lot of kids.

Here are some shots from the party:

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.