Gearing up for Summer

Spring it seems is heading on it's way out like a lion and because of that we have had a few challenges with getting the gardens ready. But never one to let an opportunity slide by we managed to get some flowers in the tub and some veggies in the garden. Now all we need is some nice sunny summer weather to help everything grow!

Easter

Now that mummy has a job for the next few months, the schedule around here is wacky. So it wasn't until Monday that we celebrated Easter with the family. Of course I never really had a clue that i was missing out on anything so waiting till Monday had no affect on me.
Sunday morning did see me decorating eggs with mummy and daddy and I made some very colorful ones.

Then I spent the rest of the day with daddy helping him get mummy's
3rd garden bed all finished so we can plant the veggies. This one involved a bit more preparation cause we had to build a rock wall around it and then mummy also wanted a raised garden box built so she would have even more room. I think we did a great job and got all but the box finished.
Monday morning dawned and I thought I should try out one of those eggs that I decorated. Note to self... they really aren't that tasty no matter what the outside might look like! I guess I'll just stick to making them look pretty.
Since daddy had to work it was just mummy and me so we got busy making the dessert for dinner at Grandma and Grampas. Finally daddy got home and we went to pick up Nonna and head over for dinner. It was a pretty loud affair and the food was yummy.
After dinner we finally got to search for what the "Easter bunny" AKA Mummy & Auntie Kim hid. We each had our own clue and you would think that me being the youngest that I would need the most help but you would be wrong. All my cousins were a bit challenged in the search department (though Kristen did find Tessa's loot). It got to a point where they even had to play hot/cold and ended up sounding like the seagulls from Nemo!

After all said and done though we got lots of chocolate and even some toys. I think I like these random holidays.

Jacob's musings and other genetic insights

So I must admit that Jacob is a clever little guy, of which I can freely admit he doesn't inherit from me ...he gets his good looks from me ;)

We are often amazed by the things that come out of his mouth and some of the things he does. So, I thought I'd share some stuff that makes us go 'Hmmm'.

"Mummy, you can share your lunch with me 'cause I am cute and so are you." (Really sucking up here!)

Jacob as he is building something: "Wow, I'm a genius!"

At dinner with his cousin, daddy and mummy, after I was trying to tell him I was brilliant: "Daddy, Meagen and me are geniuses and mummy is smart!"

Outside, when he discovered his dad drove the tractor over one of his dirt construction projects: "Daddy, it appears you've wrecked my gate."

One day, when his Grandma asked him something, his answer was simply "Apparently."

(Editor's note: Apparently, it appears Jacob's genius does come from his father, not his cute - and smart - mother!)

Skates,lunch and Zoo- whew I'm tired

On Wednesday mummy and I skipped going to school cause we had errands to do and people to see. Number one on the list was to drive into Surrey to buy me some new skates cause the ones I'm wearing now just aren't strong enough for my feet anymore. I have been wearing white skates and then we stick some black tape on them but this time I really wanted to have orange tape. Alas to my disbelief they don't make orange tape so we compromised and got some bright orange laces instead. Then because I was being somewhat good mummy bought me a second pair of skates for when my feet get bigger and these ones are already black with new guards. Now I am committed to skating till at least size 13.5!
After skate shopping we headed into Abbotsford to have lunch with the gals cause it was Crazy Barb's birthday. I like having lunch with all those girls and I like going to the restuarant to watch the train drive overtop my head. What was even neater was we all got a goody bag filled with sugary treats. YUM!
But the best part of the day was when mumy said we could meet up with Hayden and Carson at the Zoo. Now you might think I was excited to see the animals but really I like running on the track and pretending to be either a train or a plane. I did stop occasionaly to look at the animals or shout at them and even pet the donkey but it really was all about running around like a uncaged animal.

You are probably thinking that after all this activity and excitement that I fell asleep on the way home but you would be wrong. We even passed Darla and noticed that both Sara and Carson were fast asleep but nope not me cause I run on and on like the energizer bunny till I crash and burn at dinner! You guessed it not a pretty site to witness but we all survived and I have lived another day to test the limits of my world.

Messing around

We went to the river the other day with my friends Olivia and Damien and we got to messing around and came away with more mess.
First we decided that we needed to make some soup so out came the bucket, the sand, some grass, water and the special ingredient - dog hair.



As appetizing as it looked we didn't really want to taste it so we went on to try something way more tastier. Blueberries! They were very good and after finishing them, mummy couldn't decide if they made me dirtier than playing in the mud did.



It was a wonderful day to play in the sun and I'm looking forward to having lots of fun days this spring and summer.

I can fly, I can Fly, I can fly!

Last week we went to the park with my friend Keira and we got to ride our bikes there. I have gotten really fast at riding but you couldn't tell that day as I was experiencing a "moment". Anyway the park that we went to has a really neat skateboard place that I like to ride around on and run around on. That day I also thought it would be a great place to test out my flying skills.






One day soon I'll be ready for when Peter Pan comes to my window and takes me off to Neverland.

Can you feel the love?

I love my cousin Meagen. She's a girl but she still likes to play games with me. I hope that we can always have fun together.

Olympic sites

Well I found the pictures that we took while in Vancouver soaking up the Olympic atmosphere. Of course my camera was still being fixed so I couldn't get really great shots from the distance I was standing. The crowds were in full Olympic fervor but it was a nice sunny day and other than having to wait for washrooms it was a great experience

Checking out the Olympic sites

So last week, mummy, daddy, my auntie Leasa, Meagen, Craig, Tessa and me all headed into Vancouver to see "Canada". I got to have my very first skytrain ride and I was very interested in where the wheels were and how it worked. I really wanted to look out the window but the train was very busy with people who also wanted to see Canada.
When we got there it was very crowded but we managed to see some of the sites and get some pictures of the cauldron (of course somehow my pictures are no longer on my camera nor on my computer). We visited the Saskatchewan Pavilion and got a real live picture of us transported to the field with the Roughrider mascot. We also tried to stand in line to get into the Bay to buy some souvenirs but the line ups were very long so instead we headed to a Park near the Seawall and run around and check out the rocks.
All along our journey we heard people yelling "Go Canada Go" so I decided to get in on the action and yelled back in reply "What the hell!" After daddy explained that wasn't what I should say I chanted "Go Canada Go" while Craig raced me up the streets in my stroller.
Mummy says the Olympics are over now and that our athletes did really well and that maybe one day if I work hard I can go the the Olympics too.

Hanging around

So I have been doing lots of fun outdoor stuff since the weather has been nice but unfortunately Mummy's camera is broken so there haven't been many pictures to document the fun. We have been spending lots of times at parks (where i can practice my bike riding)and rivers and at my playground. There's a really great place on the river that has lots of sand to play in and you can make your very own ocean if you dig enough. Of course you have to be careful or you dig yourself into the water and hopefully you are lucky enough to have boots on that don't reach the water point.
This month is going to be very busy for Mummy so I get to spend extra time with my grandma and Nonna and yesterday I got to spend the whole day with Auntie Kim who bought me some very cool glasses to look very "Smart" in
On days when the weather hasn't been very nice there is of course always lots of things to build with and play with inside and sometimes my cats even like to hang out and play with my toys after I have gone to bed.

Hurray, hurray, I'm 4 today!

Today I officially turned 4 years old and guess what when I woke up my voice was still the same. I thought that it might have turned into my big boy voice but nope not yet.
Yesterday we had my birthday party and all the people that love me showed up to help celebrate with me. We had a very full house and I told mummy this morning that we need a bigger house so that next time everyone would be able to see all my presents.
My grandma decorated me a nice yellow Tractor cake and mummy put out lots of food and daddy even got my birthday video ready to show this year of all the adventures that i had this last year. Then i got to blow out my farm candles and dive into the stack of gifts.
I was quite spoiled this year and even though I got lots of nice presents I have managed to play with all of them already. Some of the things i really enjoyed are the "Motrin comtrolled car", the mini hockey sticks (both of these gifts are great for chasing the cats with, though I would never do this in front of my parents), the art easel so I can make artistic masterpieces all the time, some really fun games so we can have a game night every week now, a playmat for my trains and then mummy and daddy gave me a roundhome for my trains to sleep in and park. I can now set up a track for Thomas and his friends that is as long and wide as the rug in the living room!
I had an awesome party and then today mummy spent all morning playing with me and then tonight i got to blow out another candle on my cupcake. I am now ready to look forward to the challenges and adventures that being 4 entails.

Christmas & New Year festivities

It has been very hectic the last couple weeks because of it being Christmas and New Years so mummy hasn't really had the chance to catch up so i have taken it upon myself to let you in on what has been going on.

Well after all the threats by my parents I guess Santa must have decided that I was on the nice list cause I scored on the presents. Not only did Santa bring me trains like i asked for but he also brought me a station to park them at and i can be the announcer. Now it could have been that I really was on the naughty list but I believe that Santa was moved by the fact that i left him not only 2 cookies but also chocolate milk and a carrot. He must have been impressed cause he ate all but one bite of the second cookie and drank his milk and Rudolph even left carrot crumbs outside our door.
I also must have been really good cause mummy and daddy bought me all sorts of cool lego toys and trucks and so did my grandparents and aunts and uncles. I am also now set up to do crafts of all sorts from play-do to painting and then if i get exhausted from all the playing i can sit quietly and read some of the great books that I got. Then before bedtime I can rock the house down with my new guitar and microphone. I must say this being being on the nice list instead of the naughty ones has great perks!



Now don't get me wrong, Christmas wasn't all about the toys cause we also got to see all the family and spend some time with friends (who concidentally also got me a Diego train set). I got to spend time with my uncle David who i don't get to see much and then to make the holidays complete we even managed to get some snow time before our big New years eve sledding trip.

Now i really like snow and have been wanting to make a fort but on this day I wasn't so much enthralled with the white stuff like mummy was and so after getting all bundled up i melted down and went back inside only to sit by the window and watch the 'igloo' progression. When I deemed it was time to come back out and help with the final steps I got all bundled up again and helped with the scraping of the inside walls of our super fort. Unfortunately the weather being a might tempermental, we only got to spend one day with our fort before mother nature melted her away along with our 3 snowmen.



But that wasn't all the snow we got to have fun in cause New Years eve we trekked out to "Karen Creek" near Hope and together with my aunt and 2 uncles and mummy and daddy we went tobogganing down a hill filled with lots of bumps and lots of fluffy snow. Now you might wonder after my last experience sledding if I felt a little apprehensive and i did just a tiny bit but mummy wouldn't let me sit on the sidelines and so I forged ahead and down the hill i went (but no solo). We had lots of fun and even tried to make a train but daddy didn't navigate too well and the train crashed. We had lots of fun though when we decided to throw some snowballs and eat (my diet also included some tasty snow).



After sledding we headed back to Hope to have a great feast with my grandparents and some of my aunts friends and play games and eat some more. The best part was we got to have a sleepover and then a really yummy breakfast the next morning before we headed home and officially ended the Christmas holidays.


But don't feel sad for me cause my parents tell me that my birthday is in another week and I get to have my party next Sunday with all my family and guess what?
I GET MORE PRESENTS!!!!!!

Getting ready for Christmas - Part 2

There never seems to be enough time to get things ready for Christmas but we did manage to tick off a few things on our list such as making a Gingerbread train.
We had a train left over from last year so we decided that we would tackle making it one evening. Well it wasn't so bad except that i don't think everyone was really committed to building it and the icing was not cooperating very well. Daddy decided that it needed to be runnier so he added some water but then it was too runny so mummy added some more icing sugar. Me, well all I really wanted to do was eat the candy! After some grunting and some veiled threats that we wouldn't do this train next year we (meaning mummy) finally finished it.




We also fit in a little skating party and my cousins even came along with mummy, daddy and me. I needed to teach my cousin Craig how to stop so i thought a little game of tag would be the best teaching method. Not sure if he ever did manage to stop but it was fun anyway. Mummy had to teach Meagen how to skate too but I'm not sure if her method of "helping" is endorsed by Skate Canada! Tessa already knew how to skate cause mummy taught her when she was little so she helped hide stickers.


Daddy also felt the need to show his skating skills but he ain't no Kurt Browning, maybe more like a Toller Cranston wannabe!

Christmas sure does involve lots of fun things to do

Slide and crash and burn...

Last Tuesday, Mommy had an awesome idea. There was fresh snow on the ground and it was our first chance to go tobogganing down our favourite spot, the driveway. Our driveway is a cool curvy hill that ends down by our bridge... that's where the trouble all started.

Everything was fun while Mommy and me cruised the driveway together in one of our sleds but then I had a thought: What if I rode solo??

Well, after some consideration, Mommy decided I could try sledding by myself, with some precautions. So, we went halfway down the driveway so I wouldn't zoom so fast, then she put me on the little slippery surfboardy sled with the handles. I grabbed on for dear life and off I went.

It was sooooo cool zipping down the bottom part of the driveway all by myself but just when I thought I'd be stopping, the sled had another idea.

At the end of the flat bottom section, beside the bridge, there's a steep embankment about 20 feet long that drops down to our creek. My sled, and Newton's laws of physics (which Daddy promises to explain to me someday), decided I should explore the embankment that day. So, over I went, dropping from Mommy's sight. Later, she'd say it made her feel nauseous... I think that means happy. Lucky for me, my sudden highspeed acceleratation was cut short by some soft friendly branches, rocks and blackberry bushes before I made it to the icy creek. Boy was I lucky!

Mommy called Daddy to tell him the exciting news and we all met at the Emergency Room to celebrate. A nice doctor wrapped me up in a blanket and gave me three presents he called 'stitches'. It seemed nice enough until he said he was taking them back in a week. That made me cry! Daddy said we could go out for lunch to celebrate some more and I had a chocolate milkshake; nothing else... but Mommy and Daddy didn't seem to mind.

The next morning, my left eye decided to sleep in and he didn't open very much that day. He musta been tired. Daddy said I looked like Rocky after some guy named Mr. T smacked him silly. Anyway, I still think tobogganing's fun and I can't wait till next time. I hope we get to celebrate again. Mommy says we'll try a different hill.

Tree, tree oh glorious Christmas Tree

We went and picked out our Christmas tree a few weeks back and our excurison had a few bumps involved such as trying to find a phone battery, having lunch and having a dead car battery. When we finally did get going again we had a nice drive up to the tree farm and eventually picked out the best tree there.
I got to help chop it down and help push it over and then we got to take it home and decorate it all up.
We decided to move the tree this year since we are having family over for Christmas dinner and so now it stands nice and tall in a special spot. After daddy got it all centered in the stand we got to put up the decorations which is my favourite thing to do. .
Mummy told me I had to be careful and i really was cause I didn't break one ornament (I did unfortunately erase my message from last year on my 2008 ornament which made mummy sad) I'm getting really good at putting up the ornaments but not so good at spreading them around, I like to put them all together so that they have friends.
I also like to put them really close to the bottom of the tree so the cats have something to play withSo now we are all ready for Christmas and mummy has even put tempting presents under the tree but since i helped with the wrapping I know that none of them are for me. So hurry Christmas, cause I've been a good boy!