So proud of Malcolm.

Malcolm had his second official visit to the dentist yesterday and he couldn't have been a better patient. He did all that he was asked, did not fuss or cry and was simply amazing. He let the hygienist clean, brush and floss his teeth. We're all so very proud of him. Here's a picture Roger took to document the occasion. He made us all so proud. Maybe a bit counter-productive, but he got to have ice cream after his visit.

Roger takes a picture of Malcolm everyday when he drops him off at daycare. Here's a picture of Malcolm taken the other day next to his favourite teacher, Miss Pam. All the teachers have been so kind. We're all very thankful to all the staff there.

Our little girl turns 10 months old today.

This day marks a milestone in your young little life

We're so glad you haven't given us much cause for such strife

It's hard to imagine you were so little

In fact, you've grown quite big not at all brittle

10 months old, wow it's gone by so fast

You laugh and smile at our whole family cast

We love you dearly, indeed we do

We're so glad you're a part of this family crew

Ups and Downs...

Last week was pretty tough, the mayor of Tantrum town was visiting last week and didn't leave until late Friday night. Thankfully he managed to turn things around and we had a pretty good weekend. Malcolm has shown us that he certainly can be better about his behaviour when he wants to. As for Thursday and Friday, we'd like to soon forget. That's the thing, anything can set him off... it can be something as routine and banal as asking him to brush his teeth or asking him to put away his toys, at least that's what happened last week. Tracey and Roger have also realized that his bad behaviour peaks when he has to do #2.
Melody is still suffering from the sniffles, but has been a trooper. Even with a runny nose and some congestion, she's able to persevere. Her forward crawling has developed further, she's able to propel herself quite a ways now. She's still better at rolling, but the forward momentum is improving. Her eating habits have been great, there's simply nothing she doesn't like. She certainly likes all fruit, but lately has been enjoying proteins such as, red meat, chicken and pork.

Happy 5th Anniversary to Roger and Tracey.

Roger and Tracey managed to get out without the kids. Thanks to Grandma and Papa for watching Malcolm and Melody. R & T celebrated by having a nice dinner at the Heron Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. The rain just held off for them to enjoy a stroll around Canada Place.

With summer winding down...

This cute little butterfly flew into our living room this evening. Isn't the costume great? Tracey managed to find a great one for Melody at Old Navy, 30% off to boot. We also got a new one for Malcolm, but it's up in the air as to whether he'll wear it. Malcolm is still touch and go some days with regard to his behaviour. Luckily, he's a good boy most of the time, but I swear the kid can be super sensitive and uber moody.

As you can see Melody's teeth are still coming in. With all four teeth coming in at the same time. They are still bothering her a bit, but still she's been such a trooper through it all. Thankfully, she's still sleeping through the night.

Roger and Tracey just told me that they'll be going to Hawaii in October, hence the look on my face. They'll be taking the whole family to Honolulu basking in the hot sun. I'm sad to see them go, but I want to wish them luck taking the whole family on vacation.

Oh, special shout out to Roger's friend Barry who lent him his new Nikon D700 for the weekend. What a nice camera. I know what Roger has his sights on now (insert Tracey eye roll here).

Labour Day weekend, so long.

The last long weekend of the summer, we bid it farewell along with the good weather by the looks of things. It was quite busy overall, Roger even got to 2nd shoot for a large Indian wedding on Saturday. The rest of the weekend gave the family a chance to relax and gear up for the week ahead. Every one is doing fine, Malcolm is attending "school" (daycare) everyday now and Tracey and Roger are trying to get him to stay the full day. It's been a gradual process for sure, but Malcolm's made so much progress. He hardly cries when he's dropped off and he's even admitted that he has fun there. Here are some pictures from the weekend gone by.

Here are some pictures from Deep Cove.


Honey's delicious doughnuts, greasy but so yummy.

Here's Malcolm showing his sister some brotherly love. Don't know if you can quite see it, but Melody's already sprouted more teeth. All four top teeth have broken through now.

What a wonderful weekend.

Malcolm had a great time at the PNE this year, certainly more eventful than years past. Not only did he get to ride on all his favorite rides including the giant slide, this year he was tall enough and brave enough to ride the Kettle Creek Roller Coaster. From the expression on his face you can see that he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He's certainly growing up. Maybe in a few years the family will be able to travel to Disneyland.

I'm also happy to report that we enjoyed three full days of exemplary behaviour. The only blip was last night when Roger went out for BNO and had to come home early due to Malcolm's late night wakings. For some reason Malcolm hasn't been sleeping all that soundly. Many nights out of the week he gets up for some reason or another. Roger and Tracey thought it was mainly due to daycare anxiety, but the wakings during the weekends are somewhat of a mystery. Here are some pictures from the PNE.

9 months in comparison...

I think Malcolm was a little further ahead in terms of moving around, but Melody has sure dwarfed him with regards to weight. It's fun to watch both kids grow. For the most part they've been pretty similar with one clear exception: eating. Melody is eating regular food; implementing the Baby-Led Weaning approach has allowed her to eat everything. So far there's nothing she won't eat. Yesterday, Roger gave her fish, asparagus, pears, and watermelon for dinner. She gobbled it all up. Happy 9 Months Miss Melody.

Setup shot:


9 Month Comparison:


Malcolm @ 9 Months:
Weight: 8900g = 19.6lbs
Length: 71cm = 27.9"
Head: 45cm = 18.1"

Melody @ 9 Months:
Weight: 9661g = 21.6
Length: 28.5"
Head:18.5"

PNE, happy 100th!

On Friday the family made their way down to English Bay to watch the PNE parade. It had been 15 years since the last one. Beach Avenue was lined with people to take in the special event. There were floats, performers, and even tethered balloons. Finally, to kick off the celebration the Beach Boys and Bryan Adams performed at Empire Stadium. Tracey got to fulfil a teenage dream to watch Bryan perform live. He played all his hits including "Summer of '69". Suffice to say, he rocked the home town crowd. Here are some pictures from the parade and one from the concert. Roger and Tracey were up close, stage right.

Rocky Mountaineer ride...

Yesterday, Roger, Tracey, Malcolm and Melody traveled by train to Whistler. It was their first ride on the Rocky Mountaineer train. It was a three hour ride up and a three hour ride down with spectacular views of the Howe Sound, Cheakamus River, Coast Mountains, and all the other beautiful sights one sees while traveling up to Whistler. They got to walk around the train, see all the different types of cars, and enjoy some snacks all while taking in all the beautiful scenery. The kids were great little travelers. They didn't fuss and were very well behaved. Here are some pictures from the trip, including the family lunch at Whistler.

Bowling redux.

Malcolm has been wanting to try bowling again for some time. Whenever, we walk by the Bowling Alley he mentions how he would like to try again. Roger usually tells him that it's a rainy day activity and that the next time it rains they could go. Low and behold, the weather was quite wet this past weekend. Apparently the second time around was much more successful. Malcolm did extremely well, bowling an 82 (all by himself I might add). I'm not sure if he really understands the concept of aim and scoring yet, but he was very enthusiastic and compliant. Here are some pictures from the event:

We discovered a great new park near our house yesterday called Grimston Park. It's only a few blocks away and it has a brand new playground and water park area. Malcolm had a great time with his new friend Emma racing around the wading pool.

Melody is doing great, she's adding to her long list of food she likes. So far she hasn't turned down anything. Watermelon and Mango still top the list, but she really likes chicken, rice and the Heinz cereal cookies. It's so cute to watch her eat, she shows such excitement and anticipation for what's to come.

Oh and here are some pictures from the family's recent trip to Spanish Banks. It wasn't busy at all:



Roger and Tracey got the opportunity to venture out without the kids last night. It's been a long time since they had a date night. They decided to head to the Richmond Night Market. Here are some of the delicious foods they tried, starting with the ever so popular meat on a stick, deep fried cheesecake and Sukiyaki Rice Burger. They managed to stock up on some Korean socks as well.