Trampoline Tots

Another highlight of a very fun Thanksgiving weekend in the south was discovering the marvel that is the trampoline. Miz V is firmly in favour of any activity that makes falling this much fun.

PANDA!

On the American Thanksgiving jaunt down south we popped into the National Zoo in Washington DC to ooh and ahh over nifty non-indigenous species. PANDA!!!!

Big kiss

Cedric and V smooch! And goof off.

This IS Halloween

Boo.

Penguin!

I am also posting a slideshow, but here's the best of the Halloween shots.

Random Shots with Auntie K

Check out how impressed Teddy is with his new competition.

big smiles all around

Rainy Walk at Golden Ears

Unfortunately we didn't have much time for hiking, but we did get one good stomp through the BC moss and mud. Miz V's rainsuit finally got a proper workout!

Kenna's Ikea Toy

Big Hit!! V takes it for a test smash.

Some lovely footage of Miz V playing with Great Grandma. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bash!

Some visuals from V's annual trip to the pumpkin patch

Footprints in the Gourd

I'm going to include this in a slideshow as well, but this is a nifty picture of a footprint V left in a rotting green pumpkin while we were foraging for jack-o-lantern in the Laity backfield.

Happily Ever After

Here's a look at some moments from Cat and James' wedding and the trip to Canmore

Miz V meets the Rockies

V walks the training paths at the Nordic Centre in Canmore. Spot the pumpkin head!

Canmore Dance Party!

Miz V gets down at Cat and James' reception. Who can resist Bananarama?

We Be Jammin'

Rye toast is merely a jam delivery system

Verity "helps"

I haven't told her about dishsoap yet.

Skully Sweater Complete!

After two months of on and off knitting, behold the "girly" skull sweater in all its non-boy clothes glory!

Nominingue Ahoy!

In August we went off to Camp Nominingue, Matt's boyhood camp, for the Alumni Weekend, and had a fantastic time. The camp is usually boys only, but they have a holiday week at the end of August where families attend. It was a wonderful active and relaxing weekend, featuring sleeping in a platform tent, eating in dining hall, swimming, canoeing, hiking, sailing, celtic dance party, campfires and other fun stuff. Below are a few images of our camping excursion...

Froggie!

Verity has discovered a marvelous piece of playground equipment...

Kransekake Kraze!

Lower Falls Lookout

Short clip of the Lower Falls Lookout at Golden Ears Park.

Dock Walk

Short video clip of M and V walking the dock at NOTLSC after the first day of the Youngstown Regatta. Miz V is getting better at managing the "walking with lifejacket".

V does BC

We've only been on the ground for 48 hours or so, and we've already been on two hikes, met distant cousins, been shoe shopping, hit the farmer's market, done a splash park (coffee in hand - or at least, L's empty coffee cup) and made krumkake. Whew.

More updates as adventures permit!

Treehugger

Miz V's westcoast odyssey has begun! There are some updates due ASAP, but for now, enjoy this pic of a muddy, happy tot

Miz V and Grandma L

This is just a very nice picture of Miz V with Grandma L. We've been out to visit Fergus a lot this month what with the municipal strike, and Miz V has been really loving the extra grandparent time.

Pocky and Paddling

This weekend we took the canoe out for V's first big ride. We went across the channel to Toronto Island and brought some sushi picnic. The island is usually swamped with visitors and tourists, but the municipal strike has frozen the ferries, so it was eerily deserted, and beautiful.
Miz V had a nap on the way over, at my feet in the bow, and snoozed nicely until we hit some waves and the water broke right over her head! Soaked and mad as a wet cat, she let me know in no uncertain terms that this was not a welcome wake-up call. Once she awoke, she enjoyed the ride, but it will take awhile to teach her to sit down in the boat, as she really wants to stand up to see better. We realized that we had not brought her a change of clothes, and so I put her in M's socks and spare t-shirt, which lacked in fit and style, but had the principal advantage of being dry. Anyway, the great outdoor adventures continue!

V organizes her books

Miz V decided to take all her books out of her book basket and arrange them on the table for deeper consideration. There have been a few reading leaps lately - she's started to bring books as requests, and to demand the same book be read three or four times consecutively.

Lazy Bones

Sleeping beauties, huh? Note the time. We are lazy, lazy ladies.

Singing with Kenna

Kenna sings! In French!

Bhangra bebe

Dance Dance Revolution! Miz V and Sonya boogie at the World Music Stage at the Dragonboat Festival

Little Steps...

And so, it begins.

A Little Kindness

Great-Grandma McN found a dolly at church thrift, and V quickly adopted her as her very own. Hilariously touching!

Teleconferencing the Papa

How did 14 month olds go jetsetting sans pere before Skype?

Snapshots From The Coast

Helping Dad

How did he ever get anything done before?

Have Bed, Will Travel

We're getting ready for another road trip - and we have several planned for the next few months. We have four trips scheduled in the next few months. It makes sense to have our own travel bed rather than relying on hosts and hotels to provide V-friendly bedding.

We borrowed a Peapod for the China trip in December, and it was fantastic, portable and really worked for us. For the summer season and beyond, it will be a great help.

We'll be ready to hit the road soon!

Daddy's Little KittyCat

There's no reason to post this, just because Miz V is cute and M looks drunk on happy. Yay!

Ravioli Rock

It really, really does.

Verity's Second Criterium

On Friday the second annual Toronto Criterium race zoomed around St Lawrence Market, and we headed down to look at the nifty bikes.

Anchors Away!

This past weekend Matt had his first regatta of the season, and V and L joined him for the BBQ dinner on Saturday. Miz V was super excited to see all the boats.

V Swims on TV

V's swim class was featured on a CityTV health segment. V shows up splashing away. Please ignore the grotestque person holding her.

Sushi Al Fresco

Ahh patio season is here. Also,Miz V acquires a taste for sushi. Two terrific things together at last.

Brilliant Disguise

Miz V has been trying to figure out how clothes work for the past few weeks, and yesterday she had her first dress-up breakthrough. She got hold of the nursing cover I keep in the living room in case of guests, and made it into a cloak. She then proceeded to crawl all over the house squealing at full voice, and refused to give up her newfound garment. This provided about ten solid minutes of entertainment, which for a 13 month (yes, 13 months) old, ain't bad at all.

Booked!

Miz V likes books. She has one or two, as you can see. And she likes to spend some time everyday going through her book basket and looking them over. This makes me happy. Managed to catch a candid shot of this activity today - huzzah for the zoom lens)

Car Seat Bingo

So this is the new vehicle seat - while Miz V does still fit the bucket, it's a tighter and tighter fit. According to the legal fineprint (and Ontario law), she is now just big enough to move up to a front-facing chair, but I think we'll keep her in the bucket a few weeks more - the recommendations are to go to the seat's maximum, which is a few pounds away. Since Miz V is okay about riding backwards (apparently some kids HATE it) and it's supposed to be safer rear facing, we'll let the bucket ride awhile longer. But we do have the new seat ready to go, so should be good to go when she's ready for the next level.

Soo...put your hands together and welcome the Britax Roundabout (in Denim, because it was on sale) to the party. It's the only seat that fits comfortably in the back of the Golf, and should be good until she hits 40 lbs. Hopefully at that point she'll be ready for a booster seat. Car seat #2 - here it is!

Blue Eyes

Miz V took a tumble practicing her standing, so to cheer her up we played with the camera. Blue eyed babes, that's us.

Skinny Minnie

New Stats, for those who play along at home:

Height: 75 cm, (29.5 inches) - this places her between 50 - 60th percentile for her age.

Weight: 9.16 kilos (20.194 lbs) - this places her between 30 and 40 percentile for her age.

Head circumferance: 47 cm (18.5 inches) this places her at the 95 percentile for her age.

So what does this mean? Well, first it means we're not endangering her by not having purchased her new car seat yet - we have half an inch and two pounds before she officially outgrows it. That said, we'll get it soon.

She's on the tall side, but not by much. And she is little, weight-wise. Nothing to worry about, she is a very active kidlet and so this dip is normal for a 1 year old.

And she has a giant, giant head. BRAINS!!!

All in all, she's healthy, happy and wily. Sounds about right.

Beatboxing Yogurt

A vid from early March, in which V goes to town on a bowl of yogurt. Also, bebe beatboxing!

Opening GG Nab's gift!

Long Video, but overdue record of opening Great-Grandma's present

Verity and Doyle Want Outside

Spring is abuzz, and the little creatures clamour for fresh air.

First Bike Ride!

This is a poor resolution snapshot from my mobile, taken this morning while Miz V and I took our first ride around the hood using the new bike seat. It works great! She sits up front on the little green chair, and she sang the whole time. She even accepted the helmet once we were out on the road. HUZZAH! I really missed my bike last year, and this was great to go out and ride around again. Working hands = braking! Bebe seat = Fun for All!

SAVE THAT MELON!

Yes, V fans, as she approaches the big 0-1 she will soon be officially cleared for a variety of extreme sports, such as riding on a bike carrier and being in the Chariot pushed by a rollerskatin' mama. For these activities we want to protect those massive brains, and so we have the first helmet! Pics and stories of her rollin'life to follow soon

Swing, baby!

Spring will come. And then we shall swing!

Feeding Doyle

Doyle has discovered the Cheerios are in fact food stuffs, and Miz V shows her generous spirit.

Dashing Through the Snow (or, Her Chariot Awaits)

Okay, so now we have one baby and three baby conveyors. The big stroller, the Uno for the carseat and for heading out around the hood, the Maclaren for travel and the car, and now...The Chariot Cougar 1. This is a very high design CTS (child transport system, can you believe that!) tha has many nifty possible attachments. It transforms into a jogging/running stroller, a bike trailer, a conventional (albeit boxy) stroller and - yes, the primary reason we had to have it - a SKI TRAILER. M had the opportunity to rent a similar trailer while we were in WHistler, and both he and Miz V loved the experience. So, one presumed tax return later, we now have a supercharged CTS with suspension. Miz V does really enjoy it, mostly because

it means she gets to be outside having fun. This weekend we took it out for an 8km jaunt around Hardwood Hills near Barrie, and both the weather and the exercise were terrific. I just wish I had a skiing rickshaw to ride in too, especially for the last 3 km...

Hurry Hard!

To celebrate the Family Day holiday, L & M booked some ice at the curling club so M could try his hand at this noble sport. V came along for the ride, as she always does, and she did us the solid favour of watching quietly for an hour and then napping for an hour, giving us time to enjoy several ends of practice. Yay for sleeping bebe!