Status quo...

There's nothing really new to report. Papa is still in the hospital, today actually marks 8 weeks. Today we didn't get very good news either, he's got three blood clots in his lung. So, the doctors and nurses are working very hard to treat the situation. We're still keeping our fingers crossed that he can come home soon. The medical staff is confident that everything will be fine in time, so that's good news. Uncle Glen's treatment is going well. It's going to be a long haul, but as the doctor mentioned, this will be a cure to his condition.

For the past few days Roger has also been feeling sick with some sort of stomach bug. Man, we just can't catch a break. The family is gearing up for their trip to Palm Springs in a week. Tracey is still on the fence about leaving the folks.

Here are some film images Roger took over the past few weeks.

Papa and etc...

Yes, as you can see from the title I'm sad to report that Papa is still in the hospital. The good news is that he is much better, the pneumonia has cleared and his leg is much better too. The last thing that remains is that the wound on his leg is still bleeding, last report shows that the wound has almost closed though. Today we got some devastating news that will ultimately affect Papa's return home, he's been confirmed to have a superbug. Even visitors will have to gown-up to see him. Which also means that the kids can't go any longer. Interestingly enough, he's always had this superbug, it's basically a fungus in his lungs that is resistant to any anti-biotic. We'll have to see what happens in the coming days. :(

In other news, it has been a rather eventful period with respect to health. Tracey has a full-blown cold and is coughing up a storm. On Friday, Melody got a bout of food poisoning and threw up at the hospital whilst visiting Papa. Since then she really hasn't eaten much, even at Auntie Shannon's Karaoke birthday party on the weekend. She's been quite sensitive about things these days. Roger and Tracey have been dealing with her feelings of sadness and perhaps some residual effects from watching the movie Frozen. There seems to be some anxiety related with separation all of a sudden. We can only hypothesize that her feelings stem from the story, the circumstance of Anna and Elsa, whose parents were killed at sea. Suffice to say, she doesn't want us to leave her anywhere or be out of sight, especially Tracey. A lot of "Mommy, Mommy, mommy".... these days.

Reflecting back on the winter Olympics in Sochi, we're so proud of our Canadian athletes. They did fantastic this year netting 25 medals in total, 10 of those being gold. Canada finished 3rd overall! Roger went over to Chris and Jennine's house for the 4 am men's hockey game final. Although bleary eyed and sleep deprived, it was a great effort. In the evening, the family went down to Jack Poole Plaza and dinner out to Dunn's to see the Olympic flame. Too bad, Melody wasn't feeling well, here's a shot that Roger managed to get of Malcolm. Below are some other pictures from the past week, including some from Taisho's skating party.
  Shannon's birthday party: Taisho's birthday party last Friday:

Montreal et al.

Today was family day in BC. It's only been around for a couple of years now, but it's been a welcomed provincial stat holiday. We had Keith, Tamara and the kids come over for brunch and some family skating. It was a lot of fun. Why is it that long weekends especially never actually feel long enough. Also after the tough past few weeks with Papa in the hospital and other news about ill health with the family, we're all happy about having some extra time off anytime we can get it.

 I'm happy to report Roger's trip to Montreal for work went off without a hitch. It's hard for Tracey to hold down the fort by herself, but she managed very well. These days the sibling rivalry is still very much an issue and I'm sad to say that it's very one-sided. Both Roger and Tracey hope that he'll grow out of it, but these days "the face" rears it's ugly head more times than we'd like to mention. The kids on their own are really a pleasure, but put them together and it's often a chemical reaction or at least a ticking time bomb of when they're going to implode! Definitely it's a maturity issue, but somedays growing up can't happen fast enough.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks: Family Day: Montreal: Aiden's Birthday:

Happy Birthday Tracey

Tuesday was Tracey's birthday. It's a bitter-sweet celebration knowing that Papa is still in the hospital. The good news is that he's doing much better, but we're all still unsure as to when he's actually coming home. We're guessing that the pneumonia has to be cleared up before any homecoming takes place. The hospital staff have him moving about, but now going on day 12 his mobility has been affected. They're also still dealing with some deep bruising on his legs, whether that means he needs a procedure is still up in the air. So the family (with uncle Glen) went out to dinner to celebrate. The kids gobbled down their dinners at the Old Spaghetti Factory and helped celebrate the event. Certainly, life with kids makes things more complicated. We pick the restaurants that cater to them, we choose times that make sense with their schedules and bedtimes, and ultimately we do it all for them. Good thing that Roger and Tracey are flexible and accomodating.

Papa...

Papa suffered a fall at Safeway on Saturday. It was serious enough that Grandma called the ambulance to take him away. Now after three days the doctor has said that he has a pretty serious case of Pneumonia. Everyone is quite concerned because he's incoherent and very groggy. They've done a series of test and the good news is that he didn't suffer a stroke. Perhaps it's all the antibiotics and painkillers, but that's unknown. We were so worried about the injury to his leg that this pneumonia thing has really blind-sided everyone. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that he'll recover quickly and return home soon.

Birthday parties and the beginning of skating lessons.

So with the return back to school Roger and Tracey have enrolled the kids in skating lessons again. Unfortunately, Melody's worst nightmare came true, a male instructor and not a single other girl in her class, d'oh! Suffice to say her first lesson was christened with some tears and upset feelings. Malcolm on the other hand, went off on his merry way and had a great time. Also, we can say for the first time ever, he's not the smallest one in his class! He's doing quite well and feels comfortable. We'll have to see what this week brings. Roger may have to step out on the ice with Melody to make her feel better.

This past weekend, it was birthday party overload with both Camila and Alexander celebrating their parties. It's a kid melee at these types of parties, all topped off with cheese pizza, juice boxes and cake. Two pretty big parties on the weekend. On Saturday we celebrated at the bowling alley celebrating Camila's 6th and Alexander's big bash celebrating his first on Sunday. Here are some pictures from both events:

Back to work, back to school.

It has been a really fun winter break for the family. It's hard to believe that it's all over, Christmas, New Years', and time off of school. It's back to the grind of normal life again tomorrow. Lunches have to be packed, the kids have to be hustled off to school, and Roger and Tracey are off to work. Cousin Eun Yeop's arrival adds some more excitement for the family. She's a very sweet girl. We all hope that she learns a lot in the 5 short months she'll be in Vancouver. There was a bit of a scare today as she got lost a few blocks from home. Not to fret everything turned out fine, she just got a little turned around. She starts her English program at Harbour Centre tomorrow morning, we wish her much luck. I'm sure time will go very fast for her. The kids really like her, they've been very accepting that she's part of the family.

 The kids are still battling colds, with Roger also feeling under the weather these days. Malcolm's cough is going on three weeks! Fingers crossed the family is all on the mend. Here are some pictures from the past few days with cousin Eun Yeop front and centre at Granville Island and English Bay: