We've all been enjoying the warm summer weather, feel bad for the folks out East that are dealing with the hurricane.

The family had another eventful trip to the Pacific National Exhibition this year. Malcolm loves all the rides and this year they found out that Melody does too. Although they spent over six hours at the Fair, they kids didn't want to leave. Suffice to say, they went to bed late that night.

Friends come home.

You can tell how much of an impact people make within a group by gauging how they affect the people around them. For almost 4 years now we've had our dear friends Ryan, Sue and their kids Adrianna and Matthew live abroad in Austria. We've been lucky to have them come home to Vancouver for a few weeks during the summer to re-bond. Roger's always said this, he believes that Ryan and Sue have always been the glue keeping the whole group of friends together. In fact, during the rest of the year because of the lack of glue, days if not weeks can go by without any of the group coming together. Now that the family is back home, they tend to try and cram as many visits together as they can. We're sure glad they're home, albeit for a short time. Here are some recent pictures:

Roger's back.

Roger went away to Campbell River for a fishing and golf trip last week to take part in some Bachelor Party festivities for Andrew. Looks like fun was had by all. On the last day of fishing Andrew caught a monster of a Chinook, 23.3 pounds. While reeling in the beast, a seal even tried to take it away from him, evidenced by the two bite marks on the fish.

This past weekend uncle Andrew and auntie Deana tied the knot. Congrats to them. Here are some pictures from the past two weeks:

Seattle 2011

Roger, Tracey and the kids spent a few days in Seattle. It was great timing on their part, the weather was perfect and the strength of the Canadian dollar was a definite plus. As everyone already knows, travelling with kids can be a challenge. They were happy to report that Malcolm did extremely well. He was so excited to travel, it is fun to see the excitement in his face about going somewhere. Melody on the other hand is a bit harder to handle. In her defense, she hasn't done many nights away from home so sleeping in a strange crib, in a different room and unfamiliar surroundings is probably a bit scary. The first night she screamed when they lay her down to sleep. Roger and Tracey then tried to get her to sleep with them, but funny enough she wrestled with them for almost an hour and proceeded to laugh at them. At around 11pm she did finally go down for a few hours. Luckily the second night was better. Like Tracey says, it's a lot of work. All the preparation, gear and snacks alone are enough to fill a big suitcase. Roger did get to see his nephew Vincent. He's going to be a senior at the University of Washington in the fall. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Air Time.

Recently a book came out called "The Art of Roughhousing". Roger's always been very playful with the kids, tickling them and throwing them in the air. Now there's some scientific evidence that it's actually good for them:

"We want to get a throwback to the good stuff," he adds. "The good stuff is play. And the holy grail is roughhousing." Roughhousing does more than keep kids physically active. "There are clear signs showing that it helps kids' academic success, it's associated with being more flexible behaviorally, being better able to deal with unpredictability," DeBenedet says. "Play—especially active physical play, like roughhousing—makes kids smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likable, ethical, physically fit, and joyful,"

Here are two images that Roger's photographer friend Ron took capturing the kids in flight. There's no denying that they enjoy it. Just look at their faces.

Bit of a scare today...

Roger took Malcolm fishing for the first time ever this afternoon. Some milestones were met, but also a bit of a scare. During all the excitement of hooking his third fish of the day, Malcolm lost his balance and pitched forward off the dock and into the water. Luckily, Roger was right close and dove in after him and managed to scoop him out within a matter of seconds. The only casualty of the event was Roger's iPhone which was in his pocket at the time. It goes to show how important swimming lessons are. Roger watched him plunge into the water and literally sink like a rock. We're happy to report he's doing fine and seemed to have bounced back quite well. Here's a picture of his first fish held by his uncle Albert. Much thanks to uncle Albert for helping out and making Malcolm feel better. Funny enough, Malcolm caught more fish than anyone else, with 3 catfish under his belt.

Fever part deux.

It's inevitable sometimes isn't it? As soon as Malcolm got better we had almost of week with both of them healthy. Now, it seems that that infection has now hit Melody, luckily her fever hasn't been as high, but Roger and Tracey have been up multiple times a night with her to keep her temperature under control. The bright side is that we still seem glimpses of the happy go lucky girl throughout the day, but it's no secret to anyone that she's not 100%.

Papa has also been going for regular treatments at the hospital to combat an infection he's had in his leg. Oh, when will this whole house finally be healthy? Let's hope soon. Here's a picture of the kids down at the Quay, despite Melody's fever she played and played like nothing was wrong. Malcolm is sporting his new Spiderman hat that Roger bought for him the day before.

Fever out of no where?

I don't know what brought it on, but Malcolm has had a pretty high fever for four days now. Suffice to say our Canada Day celebrations were low key. Tracey and Roger were planning to take him to see the fireworks, but I guess it will have to wait until next time. Malcolm has no energy and no appetite- it's really tough to see him like this. The doctor said that it is a virus and could take 4 -7 days to run its course. We're on day 4 now so hopefully we'll see a big improvement soon.

Before he got sick, Malcolm had his first swimming lesson last week at the Canada Games Pool and did really well. He blew bubbles and got his head wet no problem. I bet he'll be swimming like a fish before the classes are over.

It's nice when Malcolm and Melody get along and just take a minute to enjoy each other's company.
This was the end of a fun day at Locarno Beach...the kids got to build sandcastles and play in the water. Hopefully we'll have lots of days like this all summer long.

Melody has been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather we've had for the last few days. She's a dare devil at the playground and loves to climb and go down all the big kid slides. She tries really hard to keep up to her big brother.

I almost forgot, Happy Anniversary to me! It's been six years since Roger and Tracey picked me up in Victoria and took me on the ferry to my new home with them. Sure have been a lot of changes in our household since then, but I'm still top dog! I love that Grandma and Papa live downstairs - it means extra treats and not much alone time for me. I'm a pretty lucky guy - I even heard that there might a special camping trip in my future this summer with Roger, Tracey and the kids.

Happy Father's Day!

I don't know how it happened, but the whole family is sick again (including Grandma and Papa downstairs). I think this is the first time that everyone in the whole house has been sick all at the same time. Also, from all the symptoms we've seen there's definitely a trend going on. Not the best way to celebrate Father's Day.

Malcolm is very cute with all the holidays, he's a champion gift opener. Roger got some really nice things, a few books, bbq marinade and a super cool Empire Strikes Back t-shirt! The family went out for a nice breakfast, had a quick visit with Grandpa Harry and played at the playground. Also, you'll notice a distinct difference on Roger's face, the playoff beard is gone! Too bad about those Canucks, maybe next year.

Happy Birthday Roger!

It's interesting where you find yourself with each year that passes. No time like your birthday to reflect back on the year that has gone by. The kids are a year older, a whole year of work has gone by, in Roger's case he launched his part-time photography business as well. He has mentioned that many of his personal relationships have changed too. He's made new friends and lost touch with old ones, who knows what will come going forward. One thing he really hopes for is for the Vancouver Canucks to finally bring home the Stanley Cup. We'll have to see what happens on Monday night!

So his birthday wish is this, he will strive to be a better husband, father, son, friend, manager, and photographer. Let's hope he's successful in every area. I'll report back in 2012 on his progress.

It's hard being a big brother sometimes.

Wow, lessons of sharing and trying to get Malcolm to understand that it's his responsibility to take care of Melody are difficult concepts to teach and comprehend. Everyday, it's a roller coaster ride. We don't always know who's going to show up, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hide. What Tracey and Roger have seen that ages 3 and 4 are certainly a delicate age, where sensitivities and fights for independence can create havoc in a developing mind and thus in the surrounding environment. Simple tasks become complex, defiance and stalling become so routine that it's now expected. What really breaks their hearts is that deep down they know how charming, wonderful, and fantastic he can be, he just doesn't always choose to show that side. Absolutely, there must be feelings of jealousy as well, although not always clearly articulated. Melody can do no wrong and that can be a hard pill to swallow. It's difficult to understand how much power a little boy can have over his own parents, but he does. He can make or break an event and ruin a good mood in a heartbeat. Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that he grows out of this difficult phase soon.

Here are some pictures taken at the park yesterday evening.

Happy 18 Months Melody.

We missed Melody's 18th month milestone the other day, my apologies. She sure has come a long way. Here are some of the things she can do:

She understands sign language and signs for:
Milk, water, bath, all done, apple, strawberry, out, sleep

She's got some words, but they're not always immediately apparent:
Hi, Dad, Mom, Grandma, hat, hot, baby

She can also:
Feed herself, walk, almost run, stand on one leg, stamp her feet, jump on the trampoline, climb stairs, clap her hands, pick up very small objects with her pincher grip, give a kiss, wave hello and goodbye, give hugs and high fives, and most importantly recognize what she should and shouldn't put in her mouth. She can even shake her head no and nod her head yes. Lately, she's been shaking her head no when we ask her it's time for bed, which has been trouble. She certainly understands so many more things than we realize. Often times she picks up a scrap and heads to the garbage to throw it away. Tracey even asks her to put away her laundry and she shoves them into the appropriate drawer when asked. Well, suffice to say she growing and developing quite well. We can't wait for the word explosion to happen, but certainly she understands a whole lot of what's going on around her. Happy 18 months Melody, it has been delightful so far keep up the good work!

They did it... after 17 years the Canucks have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's taken 17 years for the Vancouver Canucks to reach the Stanley Cup final, we'll just have to wait and see who we are going to face from the East. It will either be the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning. The excitement is growing in the city and we can't wait for the next round to start.

Another weekend bites the dust.

Weekends seem to zoom by oh so quickly these days and this past one was no exception. On Saturday the family went over to uncle Andrews house and on Sunday we headed to the pool to attend a birthday party. Lucky the party ended just in time to catch the first game of the Western Final against the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks. The Canucks defeated the Sharks by a score of 3-2. Game 2 is on Wednesday.

Malcolm and Melody both were unsure in the beginning, but they took to the water like ducks soon after. Roger took the waterproof Olympus Tough 6000 along for the ride. Here are two pictures from the pool party.

Nicole in competition again.

Nicole came by the house because she was in another singing and dancing competition nearby. Here she is in her 60's outfit. She had two song and dance numbers to perform tonight. Let's wish her luck. Doesn't she look great?

Here's our other performer, not quite ready for the stage yet:

17 long years since our last trip to the Western Final!

We did it, finally made it to round 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We'll have to find out who we face either the Wings of Detroit or the Sharks of San Jose. All the games have been so stressful, it's funny to read on Twitter and FB all the comments about ulcers and stress watching the Canucks. Anyway no matter who we face we have to get to the final, it is our destiny. Here's a picture of Asia and Malcolm taking in the game against Nashville. They both have no choice in growing up as Canuck fans.

Despite a disruptive night....

Well the kids did seem better today, maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was the opportunity to run outside, who knows. Coughs are still hanging around, but as mentioned previously we hope things won't get any worse. We all went out to Trout Lake today to walk around and enjoy the good weather, even me... whoo hoo! It's been a while since we've gone out as a whole family on an outing. Too bad that the weather is turning sour starting tomorrow, we certainly enjoyed the warm temperatures we had today. Melody sure liked the swing, just like her brother.

Colds again, argh!

Sad to report that the kids are sick again, coughs, runny noses, and less than happy attitudes. It sure has been quite a bad year with respect to colds, it just seems to rotate around. We're hoping that it won't get any worse for either of them. The picture above was taken on Friday, Daddy day. Roger takes Fridays off to take care of Melody. Here she is enjoying her lunch: soba noodles, smoked salmon, muffin, apples and her milk. We're pretty lucky she eats almost everything; however, she's been off of some of her greens lately. If only Malcolm would eat as well as she does, we'd have less issues with meal times.

Egg hunts and etc...

It was a pretty busy weekend as always... finally we had some dry weather to go and play outside. On Saturday the family went down to the Coal Harbour Community Centre to take part in a big Easter Egg Hunt. Fun was had by all, especially Malcolm, Melody and Aaden. They had face-painting, a giant bouncy house, toys, crafts and even some rabbits/bunnies on hand for petting. On Sunday, Roger even got out to cut the grass for the first time this season. It was cute to see Malcolm going over the lawn with his bubble mower pretending to cut the grass. Roger's just waiting until he's old enough to do it for real.

Also, we're happy to celebrate the Canuck's third win in a row, one more and they're on to the next round. Here are some pictures from the Easter Egg Hunt:

Uh oh, not again.

So I think we're in for another round of colds at the house. Poor Grandma has been sick for over two weeks with a sore throat and other cold symptoms. It's tough when the kids get sick, they're cranky, don't sleep well and it drains energy from the house. From the looks of things, it's going to be a bit milder than before so I guess for that we should be thankful.

In other news, Nicole took first prize in her category at the PEAK Invitational Dance Competition on the weekend. She did so awesome, she sang and danced her little heart out. She was sure swell.