One Year Ago...

....we were at Camp Squeah for Church Camp.

...This little guy decided he would start walking! (okay, more like running!)

.....we found out that we were expecting this little guy! (Which is why those oranges smelled soooo good!)

What a wonderful year it has been! I am truly blessed!

Shall we amputate?

Joel fell down and hurt his foot the other day and was in tears. I said to him, "Oh No! Shall we amputate?  Just below the knee?" He said, "Uh huh!" Then he ran to the bathroom and got something out of the drawer. He came back and sat down......with the nail clippers! He then proceeded to "cut" off his toes. So cute!

Book Lovers

Micah drools over books....and on them.

Joel has FINALLY turned into a book lover. Of course, its only 5 books that he truly loves (and I now have memorized!) But at least we can read a book together without him running all over the place.

Its true. He does sleep. Using his puppy as a pillow. Such a rare treat! If only he would stay sleeping and not wake up 4 times a night, we'd be styling!

Why I hate 3 months post partum

Isn't it enough to just have a baby? But then the crazy hormones continue to go nuts for months afterwards?

One day your skin is drier than a desert, the next your skin is greaser than the Alberta Oil Sands and bumpier than the Rocky Mountains.

Your hair is frizzy one day and dry and limpy the next. Oh yah, and it falls out in clumps. You can tie your hair back and still find full strands in your food, in your kids hands, and all over the floor. Its frustrating!

Plus, now its been 3 months since giving birth and you feel like your should have a little glimpse of your old body back. But Nooooo! It wants to hold onto the fat like its going outta style. It wants to wait until you're done breastfeeding to let go. And that could take a year or more! And you know that you should give yourself a break, but you just want your body back. Yah, sharing your body with a little milk sucking leach isn't great either. When can I have my body back? When do I get to be ME again?

And you know what the best part is? Every six weeks I have to go and get poked by the blood donor people who want to make sure my thyroid levels have returned to normal.  Do you know that thyroid levels are affected by hormones? It took me 8 months to finally level out after Joel. Yippee!

Oh how I love being post partum! The best part is that I have a lovely son and crazed hormones!

Amanda's Ramblings

If you use an electric wheelchair or scooter for mobility reasons, could you get pulled over for drunk driving? Do you think that goes against the "Don't drink and drive" campaign?

Dan's Ramblings

If I have to clean up after my kids, you can clean up after your dog.  Because I hate having to clean up your dog's poop off of my kids.  I don't let my kids do their business on your front lawn and all up and down the sidewalks.  Please think of all the others that use these public areas.  And while we are on this topic please keep your dog on it's leash in the on-leash areas. Your big animals scare my children.  I don't care if they are nice and like kids.  Would you like coming face to face with a grizzly bear, even if I told you convincingly that it liked you??? I promise it won't bite.....

Brothers

Brotherly Love

 

A classic Micah face! So sad.

They DO look alike....like brothers should. They are about the same age in these photos. Joel is the top pic, Micah on the bottom.

He Moves in Mysterious Ways

Somehow today was THE DAY. A full month before his brother ever could, Micah CAN.

And its not just a one time fluke. He did it numerous times.

Micah can officially roll over!

My mom says that often times subsequent children can do things faster than the first.
THAT IS NOT REASSURING!

(Joel walked at 9 1/2 months)

Send help! Fast!

Gondola Part 2

Once on Whistler mountain, we rode the mini gondola back down to the bottom.

What a view eh?

Dan was hanging his arm out the gondola to get these shots, trying not to drop the camera!

Joel wanted to hold Micah on the trip down. What a nice big brother!

They even held hands for a while.

Guess where we went for dinner? Joel is rockin the two straws of water in his pjs in Squamish. Both boys fell asleep on the way home! So nice for Dan and me.

A quiet drive, beautiful sunset and wonderful memories from the day.

Peak To Peak

After we rode up the mini gondola, we walked quickly to the Peak to Peak Gondola. (it was a wee bit nippy outside)

We rode across the large valley and were welcomed with this beautiful view. We certainly live in the most beautiful place on earth.

 

 We spent perhaps 15 minutes there, before we had to turn around and ride the gondolas down to the bottom. (The "ride" closed down and we didn't want to get caught on the wrong side of the mountain and have to walk down....that would have been bad. Very bad.)

So we rode the gondola back to Whistler mountain.

Joel's got some good photography skill eh?

Gondola Part 1

This past Saturday, we had to go to Coquitlam to get a part for our dishwasher. The boys were up early (pre-7am) so we got an early start on the day. The Port Mann was clear sailing (aka: we got to go the speed limit) and getting the part took no time at all. Dan and I didn't really have a set plan for the day, but had packed to be gone all day. We went to the Homesteader's Emporium in East Van and payed a quick visit to Jordan and Carlye, who live only a block away. Then we started driving. The boys both fell asleep quickly, so we decided that our best bet was to drive, drive, drive! 

We figured we would end up somewhere near Squamish, but we made it to Whistler before the boys woke up. We decided that we really wanted to ride the peak to peak gondola (ya know, since we were in the area).

 

Before you ride the Peak to Peak gondola, you have to take a mini gondola up to the top of the mountain. Its about a 25 minute ride, and definitely the highlight of our day.

  And the most interesting spot to date where I have breastfed.

  

It was a hot ride up to the top-definitely needed more ventilation! Joel really LOVED the ride and kept pointing out the window and saying WOW!

 

Playtime

 

Boxes DO make the best toys

Cheese!

...and now for the business portion of the day....

Joel was chasing me around the yard, trying to run me over

"Oh yah, my parents are so poor eco-friendly, that my swimming pool is filled with rocks"

Joel's Fashion Sense

Its something we MAY need to work on.

He is wearing Dan's socks. And yes, he went out in public with them on. We did put clothes on too....I promise! But, he was (gasp now) wearing socks and sandals. Yikes! He really loved wearing those socks and refused to take them off. I tried pulling them off before we went out, but he threw and fit and pulled them back on.  Good thing, we were only going to my mom's!!!