Happy Father's Day!

Yup. It came. It went. Zoom. Just like this Lotus that passed us on the highway today...

Unfortunately I only remembered by lunch time (a bit late, I know)..BUT! Luckily I can save my skin by postponing this day until next weekend... If I remember. oops. grin grin. Better write it down somewhere I look often (perhaps on the belly of the baby?).. Anyway, I have a good excuse - we were camping in our new-to-us tent trailer. I think the trip was an overall success with some minor adjustments for next time (like bringing dental floss!). Live & learn..

The Rig

The kids did great! Although, mental note to all those that have little kids with toilet phobias - perhaps the first big camping trip of the year be spent somewhere with FLUSH toilets. Thankfully Kyra only had to hold her #2 for 2 days, so she's much happier now that she's been to her 'own' toilet once again... sigh. One day, we'll look back on this and laugh I'm sure. Little Noelle was a trooper, loved being outside, napped when she was tired and went to bed without too much fuss - there are 2 teeth arriving but she lived without the Motrin even! I made her a sleeping bag (like, the night before we left! Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!) and it was perfect! Both of us couldn't understand, though, when she started cranking out at 4 in the morning - she was exhausted and should be sleeping dammit!.. Eventually, she went back to sleep but when I picked her up in the morning, I realized that her diaper had come off one side.. Soa-king WET! Ick. Sorry Noelle.. The following night went much smoother and quieter. aah.

I think I interrupted a private moment here at the trailer hitch ball.. (oh, that's a boo-boo on her forehead from meeting up with the corner of a speaker, rather bloodily I might add).

We went to a well known bird-watchers campground and caught all sorts of wildlife in action. The bird calls were amazing! Kyra & I scared a few grouse hiding out in the grass and some American Pelicans fishing for snacks in the shallows. And we woke up to Mourning Doves cooing in the tree. Pretty cool.. Even cooler was the fact that Kyra wouldn't get off her tricycle - another milestone event after months of complete cycle-apathy.. phew!

Ride, momma, ride!

This young'un (a Short-Eared Owl)was in a copse of birch trees by the lake, just doing some dancing on the branches. Just amazing to see such beautiful creatures up close! I even got to see my first herd of wild antelope today! Who'd a thought in Canada?! Hope next time is as much of a HOOT!!

Sisterly Bonding..

Now that Noelle's passed her first birthday, Kyra has decided that the two of them may actually play together..most of the time. Sure the squabbles have begun and Noelle has found a voice of protest in her own defence - more like the sound of an injured hyena or possibly closer to a smoke detector sounding off - but, it's her own voice and I'm happy she can defend herself in the rough and tumble world of sisterhood. Those earplugs are now looking more appealing with each passing week. On a more quiet note, the two of them can now snack together (even though the bigger one always seems to control portion sizes for the littler one) and share a sippy cup or two of good old moo juice.

Cheers!

The Video

Our triumphant and fairly excited little walker..

It's FINALLY Happened!

Well, after much coaxing, cheering, teasing and general silliness to get Noelle to walk. Today was the day! Wow.... and so the real toddler begins and there goes any free time that I might have enjoyed during her waking hours. poo. I guess I'm not all THAT excited about the walkiness afterall.. hmph. Okay, self-pity aside, we're all still fairly giggly with the knowledge that our little fledgeling has - fledged.

In other news...

Mother's Day was rough. Very little sleep the night before mixed with too many handfuls of salty snack foods made for a day of dry mouth and half-wakedness (is that a word??). Anyway - I did get some pretty cute cards from everyone and a lovely-tears-to-my-eyes card from Ernie. awwww.

Also today we bought our first tent trailer - a 1997 Jayco 10'. It's the usual kind - tent trailer-y with a fridge (itty-bitty), furnace (also itty), sink (even itty-er), king bed & double bed, an indoor/outdoor stove and 2 tables (that can be moved outside)! I think it comes with an add-a-room screen room (which I've heard tell are a pain in the butt to set up), a portapotty, a couple of organizer things, and some odds & sods that the previous owners thought that we might need. All in all, a good and satisfying buy for us. And just in our budget, too! What more could a campin' family want?!

Oh, and on another note (as things always happen in threes..). I was looking out the kitchen window this morning just in time to notice a funny coloured bird flitting around the trees. With binoculars in hand (we always keep a tiny pair in the kitchen for my bird watching escapades) I focused in on the little fella. He was a Western Tanager - a little yellow sparrow-like bird with a red face. Cute! And so tropical looking for such a cold climate! It was a great start to such a great day!

And speaking of which - I'd better go have a look at our NEW trailer that's being parked in our garage as I type this! Ooo, exciting stuff!

The Slide Into Spring...I hope

Well, here we sit. Housebound. Staring at the snow outside and wondering if spring really did come or if it was all just a dream... The weather people say that this winter weather is supposed to go away by next weekend - but I'll believe it when I see it!

Not much new around here. Planning on a birthday party for Kyra and trying to recover from the horrible sinus cold that has rocked our house and our Kleenex stock (severely depleted now).

Here're a few pics from this month of note. The first 2 I took while hanging out in the hallway. The second 2 are from our budding Photographer, Kyra. I can only be thankful of digital cameras and the ability to DELETE... We are seriously thinking about getting her her own camera next month, I think she'd love it!

'Eye see you!'

Unhappiness? Ha! Laundry baskets are F-U-N!

Hmm... There seems to be something missing here..
We call this one 'Smoosh'. Kinda cool.

A Whole Year Already??

Wow. What can we say? It feels like only yesterday that I was having painful contractions in the yard, in the van, in the elevator and in the delivery room.. Ah, memories...

Noelle was ceremoniously presented with her birthday cupcake and promptly snuffed the wick with her fingers - poof! like that! The shock is the resulting cry and kind of a symbolic way to enter her second year of life on earth (see pic at right). Last night she screamed through the wee hours - fever of 100F and nose running like a faucet. Ugh. Today I noticed 2 molars bulging their way through her bottom gums too, just to really add some variety to the pain into her little head. Poor thing. And to add insult to injury, tomorrow morning I'm taking her for her 12 month immunizations..

It's not easy being small..

Toddler?? You must mean "DAWDLER"!!

I suppose that somewhere between the 'toddler' and the 'school-age' kid comes the 'dawdler' period. The unmistakeable signs are all here -- such as taking 10 minutes to put on shoes; 2 hours to finish off a bowl of cereal (left out on the table for 'nibbling') and tonight's shining example...

Mission: Have a bath, Go to Sleep
Steps to get there: Bathing, Drying, Pyjama donning, Peeing, Story reading, Sleeping.
Estimated total time of Steps after bathing: 15 minutes

Actual Steps: Bathing; draining of tub; standing in tub while draining; rinsing body parts while tub draining; washing toes while 1 cm of water remains in tub; putting away tub toys in empty tub; drying hair in tub before getting out; getting out; being carried by Dad in fancy towel to show how 'cute' she is; unraveled from towel and running around hallway naked; running around living room naked on the pretense of 'looking' for her sleeping buddy (a stuffed elephant); naked child & elephant return to bedroom; going to pee; air-drying privates; deciding on which pyjamas to wear; arguing about which pyjamas to wear; asking 'mom' about which pyjamas to wear (I was putting the baby to bed at this point); pretending to put on pyjamas on while writhing on floor; writhing under Dad's hands in his attempt to put her pj's on; writhing under Dad's AND Mom's hands to get dressed; pyjamas on and deciding what book to read; wanting a cup of milk; drinking the milk; wanting another story from Dad; wanting a story from Mom; Mom reads a story; having belly rubbed/back rubbed/feet rubbed/head rubbed/faced tickled before settling into sleep; asking for a drink of water (getting a 'no' for an answer); sleeping (phew!).
Actual accrued time to sleeping from the draining of tub: 45 minutes
Observations: Amount of frustration directly proportional to level of Dawdle. Amount of silliness directly proportional to level of Dawdle also. Tonight was VERY silly.
Conclusions: Drink more wine...