Now What's Up

First Letter to Santa

2011-12-18T13:58:00.001-05:00

(as dictated by Emma)

Dear Santa,

How are your elves doing with making the toys? How is your mommy doing? How does your sled fly? How do your reindeer fly?

I love your elves making toys. For Christmas I would like a Cinderella doll.

Emma

Digger

2011-09-25T22:40:00.003-04:00

Doug had his tonsils out this week. While recovering, he distracted himself by making a Lego digger... remote controlled of course. Here he is trying to get Emma's attention.

Summer Holidays

2011-09-25T22:33:00.003-04:00

We sailed to the Island in August for a couple of days. Emma had a great time on the rides, at the beach, cycling around (well we cycled, she came along for the ride) and eating ice cream. A good time was had by all.

Happy 4th!

2011-08-02T10:31:00.002-04:00

On the weekend we were visiting family and celebrated Emma's upcoming birthday. Here she is decked out in her new dress and getting acquainted with her makeover kit -- both from her aunties.

Sunday morning walk

2011-06-26T16:05:00.001-04:00

I got to go for a walk with a fairy princess this morning. It was a lovely time. She was on a mission to pick dandelions, which are now sitting on the counter in a glass of water.

Bucking the Trend

2011-05-30T22:13:00.002-04:00

Emma is bucking the big city trend of wearing black. I must say, if you're going to go to all the effort of bucking a trend, you may as well go all out.

(I don't know if you can see them properly, but yes, they are sparkly silver runners.)

Snoozin'

2011-05-30T21:58:00.004-04:00

Emma has recently stopped napping in the afternoon. This makes the day a bit too long for a busy 3-1/2 year old. But a wee snooze while waiting for dinner seems to do the trick.

Princess Fix-it

2011-05-01T22:32:00.001-04:00

Emma loves to fix her step stool. This time she was sure to use her princess 'work' gloves.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T22:43:00.004-04:00

We had an eventful Easter weekend. We got to see cousin Collin who is growing like a weed.

Went for dinner to celebrate Becky's, Aunt Lucy's and Grandma's birthdays. Emma was able to finally wear her new poka-dot dress.

and Collin got spiffed up in a new bow tie

And of course got lots of Easter loot!

A walk in the rain

2011-04-25T22:02:00.002-04:00

Was raining this afternoon when I went to pick Emma up from daycare. We had a fun - and dry - walk home.

We found a puddle that was 6 inches deep!

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-20T12:43:00.002-04:00

Emma is taking swimming lessons now. Here she is hanging around (literally) waiting for her class to start.

Ooops

2011-04-11T12:39:00.004-04:00

Emma went to a birthday party on Sunday afternoon. On the drive home another driver was particularly inconsiderate. To vent my frustration I honked my horn and called him an unflattering name. From the back seat a little voice pipes up, "What was his name Mommy?"

"Oh nothing Sweatpea."

ooops.

Diva

2011-04-04T22:04:00.002-04:00

Eye Candy

2011-03-03T00:30:00.002-05:00

Emma's favourite colour is 'rainbow', which she obviously kept in mind when deciding what to wear to daycare yesterday.

lifesaver summer dress
white with pink polka-dot leggings
white and red dora socks
pink and purple camouflage hoody (not shown).

Wow.

Jungle Jim...errr .. Daddy

2011-03-02T13:04:00.005-05:00

Emma likes to use her daddy as a climbing apparatus. A kiss and a hug from his girl compensates for the sore neck!

We're still here...

2011-02-21T11:03:00.003-05:00

Just taking a winter break ... an extended winter break. In the meantime, look a what you can do with one of the cool aps for a smartphone. :)

Ollie, Ollie

2010-11-10T08:20:00.001-05:00

We took a trip to the bird store to visit Ollie, the owner's macaw. He's beautiful.

Doug swears he heard him cackle after startling us. Didn't catch it on video though. I knew macaw's were smart, but I hadn't reckoned on a wicked sense of humour.

Jump!!

2010-11-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Emma loves to jump and climb and bounce. She'll jump from practically anything.

Trips around

2010-11-03T21:34:00.002-04:00

In September we went to the amusement park. Emma had fun on the carousel. Will have to go back next year.

First Trip to the Salon

2010-11-03T21:17:00.001-04:00

Took Emma to my hairdresser last month for her first 'real' hair cut. She was very serious about it all, kept looking all over the place. Made it a challenge to cut her hair. Of course having mom hovering around with the camera didn't help either.

Fallen Angel

2010-11-03T21:12:00.002-04:00

This year we went to a halloween costume party at the sailing club. Doug was an angel (no one believed it). Didn't take many trips to the bar to get his wings drooping. I knew it was trouble when his halo slipped!

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T22:29:00.004-04:00

Emma helped pick out a pumpkin and was all excited about making a scary jack-o-lantern. This is about as close as she got to helping though. When she found out you had to reach your hand in and scrape out the yucky guts it suddenly became mom's job. In some ways she is soooo her father's daughter.

We went out trick-or-treating with Batman and his mom. Once Emma got the hang of it she was running from house to house. Too cute.

Here kitty kitty!

2010-08-28T13:41:00.003-04:00

Emma went to a birthday party last weekend where there was a woman doing face painting and a magic show. It was the best face painting I've seen. Emma was quite a beautiful pink kitty...

I overheard Emma and Alex having quite a serious conversation:
Emma: "I'm a kitty."
Alex: "I'm Batman."

Ah well, made me giggle.

Pink Kitty was quite focused on painting her helicopter.

The Artist

2010-08-12T21:23:00.000-04:00

Emma loves doing arty stuff.

Here she is decorating the hall wall.

Drawing on Daddy's birthday card.

An installation piece in the front hall. Yes, that is her sandal.

Thank you Uncle Joe

2010-08-10T21:49:00.000-04:00

Joe gave us a gorgeous red glass bowl for Christmas a few years ago. We finally had a chance to display it. Leo has discovered that it is a wonderful place for a nap.

A genetics question

2010-08-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

How do two straight-haired parents have a kid with a head of curls?

... and into July

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

July 1st sparklers.

July started with Emma's first trip to the dentist.

She was so good she got TWO prizes!

What else do you do when it's too hot to move?

Cooking with Grandma Reggie.

The birthday party years have started.

Daddy's are for being silly with.

The Big 3!

2010-08-04T11:39:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Emma!

For Emma's birthday we went for dinner 'at the restaurant'. Her request. Emma is well known there, as Doug pointed out, they've known her since she was a bump. :)

At home she had time to play with her new train set.

And speak to Aunty Chantale.

Ottawa in June

2010-08-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

We went for a short vacation in Ottawa to go to a family party.

We took the train,

Visited the locks, and the resident ground hogs.

and hung around Sparks Street.

Here are all the second generation cousins.

June

2010-08-02T21:31:00.004-04:00

June is always a busy month for us. This year it seemed extra busy. It started with a visit from Grandma Pam and Grampa.

They brought gifts from family. Thank you Aunty Amy! The outfit is gorgeous.

Hanging out with Gramps and Dad.

While they were here we celebrated Daddy's 40th birthday.

Birthday kisses.

It took three tries but we finally got out for a sail.

Learnin' to ride

2010-06-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

We got Emma a trike for Easter. She's been slow to take it up but is now getting the hang of it. She really likes to go for a walk up and down the sidewalk.

Here's her first try at it.

Budding Photographer

2010-05-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

We got a new waterproof camera (to go with the boat of course) and had to try it out in the hot tub.

Emma wanted to give it a go. She has potential. At least there are people parts in the photos.

It's a jungle out there

2010-05-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok, I'll mow the lawn.

Princess and the Pea

2010-05-25T22:07:00.001-04:00

Need I say more...

Since March...

2010-05-25T21:51:00.004-04:00

Emma's been busy growing, learning and being a two-and-a-half year old.

Drawing her outline on the deck.

Happy Easter. She coloured these eggs at daycare.

Emma wearing the hand-knit sweater her daddy wore when he was a boy.

Mommy gets up and Emma crawls in for a few z's.

Emma discovering how to feed Smudgy treats. Smudge discovering Emma may be useful after all. :)

So, how long is her hair?

2010-03-18T07:28:00.002-04:00

About this long...

Rub a dub dub

2010-03-13T21:25:00.005-05:00

nothin' like bubbles...

Florida

2010-03-13T21:12:00.005-05:00

We recently went to Florida to visit Grandma (she sprouts wings when the cold arrives in Ontario and turns into a Snowbird). The weather wasn't great but it warmed up and the skies cleared enough for a trip to the beach and some swims in the pool.

More on Florida

2010-03-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

Just found a couple of video clips of Emma at the beach

Braving the waves...

Making castles with her dad.

Curls and Pretties

2010-01-24T07:05:00.002-05:00

Emma doesn't allow me to put her hair up very often... too bad, she has the cutest curly tails.

Craft Time!

2010-01-24T06:59:00.002-05:00

Emma and I enjoyed some craft time recently. She had fun finger painting and making crowns to wear.

Mommy and Emma sporting their new crowns.

Tidy Up!

2010-01-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

Emma has a tidy up song she learned at daycare. It is guaranteed to get her picking things up as long as you can get her singing.

Cooking up a storm

2010-01-01T08:08:00.002-05:00

Emma received a lot of cooking supplies for Christmas this year, which she enjoys very much. She immediately started cooking up a storm.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-30T22:56:00.002-05:00

We had a busy Christmas season. As it was the first Christmas that Emma started to understand what was going on, there were a lot of firsts. We went to the yacht club Christmas party where Emma met Santa. We baked and decorated gingerbread cookies with our friend Donna.

Christmas was spent with Uncle Joe, the tiny tree made the resort condo feel a bit festive. There was a lot of snow up there so we were able to go out and play in it one afternoon. Emma made her first snowman and we showed her how to make a snow angel.

When we got back to town, Emma opened her gifts from her cousins. She loved playing with it all.

Bradley's Bum

2009-12-09T21:04:00.001-05:00

Apparently Bradley needed cream and sprinkles (baby powder) so he could feel all better. Note the paint job on the wall and floor.

How do you get diaper cream off?

Sunny Days

2009-12-06T21:03:00.005-05:00

With the fall sun so low in the sky, it shines in the kitchen window in the morning. Sometimes it's a bit too much to handle before breakfast.

Dancing is in the Blood

2009-12-04T21:22:00.001-05:00

Emma had a blast dancing at a cousin's wedding we went to recently. She became the centre of attention.

Of course, it's not surprising - Grandma and Cousin Becky were in the congo line.

Fall in the Garden

2009-12-02T21:06:00.003-05:00

When Grandma was up visiting, she and Emma spent time in the garden cleaning things up. Emma particularly liked the bird bath.

Fall Rains

2009-11-28T21:44:00.001-05:00

Emma still fit in her one-piece rainsuit this fall. She and Dad were a matched set!

Mornings

2009-11-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

Some mornings are rougher than others...

Halloween (belated)

2009-11-23T22:13:00.003-05:00

A bit belated, but here are our halloween pics.

Emma didn't want to wear the costume I had for her, so we pulled out the tutu Uncle Joe gave her for Christmas and matched it with a tiara and feather boa from the costume box... Ta Daaaaa... a princess.

Notice the change in tiara. We had two. At one point she was sporting both at the same time.

For only going to two houses, Emma managed to score quite a bit of loot.

It's been a while...

2009-09-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

Life has just been flying by since August. It started with a trip to G.P. for a wedding, then a bunch of stuff (is it a bad sign if I know we were busy but I can't remember at what?) ending with us purchasing a sailboat (finally!).

So, to catch up, in no particular order...

Visit to Uncle Joe

2009-09-27T22:36:00.007-04:00

We went to visit Uncle Joe at his new place. He took us for a fast boat ride on the lake.Emma loved the wind in her hair.

We also had an amazing dinner at his restaurant. He had the pastry chef make Emma a special dessert... three cake bunnies!

I had to be quick to get the photos. The chocolate ears came off first.

In the end, the bunnies won!

Our visit to G.P.

2009-09-27T22:19:00.004-04:00

Emma had a great time visiting the family, going to Uncle Earl and Aunt Amy's wedding and having (one of) her birthday party.

Summer Time

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

The peonies didn't last long but they were beautiful while they were here.

Emma playing with her water bucket. Note the sun suit AND bathing suit. I have much to learn about 2-year old fashion. I was only going to put the sun suit on her.

Snuggling with Daddy reading on Daddy's day.

Some (sort of) recent photos

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Putting 'pretties' (hair elastics) on her cow.

Leo checking out our new back door.

Where's Leo?

Emma and Mommy

Daddy's little helper.

From May...

Helping Mommy with the spring pruning.

Playing on the deck

Big Girl Bed

2009-07-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Earlier this spring Emma made a smooth transition to her big girl bed that Daddy made her. Mommy is still getting around to making the curtains for it. (Have to have something for future posts!).

New bed meets with Smudge's approval.

Playing with Mommy on her new bed.

Thank you Daddy!

Caught Again!

2009-07-01T23:46:00.003-04:00

Addendum to this recent post about her tissue habit...

Aftermath of Emma, 23 months...

and video proof!

We are still working through the pile of tissue.

Happy Loo Loo!

2009-07-01T23:41:00.003-04:00

Don't know where it came from but the sentiment is the same.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-01T23:09:00.002-04:00

We decided to go to the zoo this morning. It was a perfect morning for it, cool enough for the animals to be out and about.

Napping on the way to the zoo. Had to be fresh to meet the animals.

This elephant put on a good show.

Emma had a good view from the backpack on Daddy's back.

Cycling days

2009-06-12T22:26:00.002-04:00

With grand dreams of commuting with our bikes for the summer we bought a bike carrier in April. (Just to keep the record straight, I was only planning on cycling as far as the local subway stn from the start.)

Emma hated it. Refused to get in.
Liked the sunglasses though.

It took a while but Emma now loves going for bike rides. Looks like royalty being pulled along. We are still working on wearing the helmet though.

Cat relations

2009-06-09T22:23:00.000-04:00

Smudge is slowly realizing Emma may have potential as a possible source of scritches. Emma has a few more things to learn about being gentle but moments like this make you hope.

Habits

2009-06-05T21:52:00.002-04:00

Looking through some old photos. She got hooked early on.

Emma 6 months...

Emma 14 months...

Some recent pics

2009-05-29T21:57:00.002-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit at the end of April. Emma helped Grandma with her cross-stitch.

I love watching Leo try to figure things out. You can almost see his two brain cells rubbing together. Here he is trying to figure out a drippy faucet (yes, left dripping on purpose).

Emma and Daddy reading on the bed.

Emma fixing herself some breakfast.

Apron strings

2009-04-13T23:46:00.000-04:00

Emma decided she wanted to wear an apron like Mommy. Grandma's fit just right.

Bed time

2009-04-08T23:49:00.000-04:00

We expect Emma to climb out of her crib any time now. I suspect the only thing that has kept her in her crib up to now is the fact that she actually likes being in it so it hasn't dawned on her to even try. In an effort to be prepared, Doug is making her a big girl bed. As she loves playing under tents made of pillows and blankets ('house! house!'), the bed is complete with curtain rails.

I better get cracking on the curtains.

Spring thaw brings ...

2009-04-06T23:39:00.004-04:00

... lovely mud to play in. Emma loves being outside; you can tell by how black her clothes get. At daycare, she and another little boy are sure to find the only mud around.

Emma Posterized

2009-04-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

I tried out a new fibre technique I read about recently. The piece is not finished yet, but I really like it even at this point.

Puzzles

2009-03-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Emma loves puzzles and she is getting quite good at animal sounds. Blend the two together and this is what you get.

btw, "bubbly" means water.

Zippy

2009-03-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

As you can see from this clip, sometimes Emma is quite speedy when she wants to be. This makes it a bit difficult to keep an eye on her, particularly when we are out shopping. So, when buying her summer shoes I was quite pleased to find ones with squeakers in the heals.

Emma loves them.

I may live to regret it.

Coast is Clear

2009-02-28T10:33:00.001-05:00

Emma doesn't always want to get into her jammies. The other night Doug caught her scoping out what I was doing in her bedroom to see if it was safe.

Little monkey.

Dancing Queen

2009-02-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

Emma loves to dance. When music is playing in the background she will just stand there and bop along while playing or eating. This morning she even agreed to dance for the camera.

We have no idea were she got her moves from, it certainly wasn't from Doug or me.

Sourpuss

2009-02-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

So, Emma insisted on commandeering my lemon the other day... some things you just have to try out for yourself.

January Snows

2009-02-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

Once again this year, Doug has made it his personal mission to see how high our snow bank would get. This year the snow bank earned the title "Mount Doole".

2009

compare with 2008

Shelves

2009-02-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

Doug finished Emma's shelves for her room. The interlocking design worked out better than he thought it would. The largest size cubby seems to fit Emma quite well.

Morning Routine

2009-02-11T20:25:00.000-05:00

For a while in the mornings Emma wanted Elmo to get dressed in her snowsuit before she would.

Brushing Teeth

2008-12-30T12:05:00.001-05:00

Emma likes to brush her teeth using the electric toothbrush. After watching Daddy, she likes to spit in the sink and take a drink too.

Some recent shots of Emma

2008-12-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

Just hangin' out.

Getting ready to go outside.

Emma and Daddy playing.

Happy girl!

Aunty Chantale gave me a 'thingy' for Christmas a few years ago. Emma just loves it and carts it around the house.

Stroller Derby

2008-12-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Emma received a dolly stroller for Christmas. We've been watching our toes and shins ever since!

The Cackler

2008-12-29T18:58:00.000-05:00

I must admit, Emma is a constant source of entertainment for us. For a while she was making this funny cackling sound when laughing... and did I mention she is quite zippy too.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:56:00.001-05:00

"A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." (Garrison Keillor)

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year.

More blog updates when we come back from visiting family.

Christmas Photos

2008-12-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

It takes a lot of photos to get one or two good pictures of Emma. It's hard for such a busy girl to sit still.

(There appears to be some technical difficulty this morning. If a slideshow doesn't appear try here:

Christmas Photos

Sleep or Eat?

2008-11-27T13:57:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is hard to decide if sleeping or eating is more important.

Cooking Lessons

2008-11-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

It is good to help mommy with making dinner. Taste testing is helping, right?!

Our Family Tree

2008-11-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

Apparently, our family tree has two cats and a kiddo.

First Snow

2008-11-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

First snow of the year and Emma wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I'm quite sure she was wondering why her world went white over night.

Getting the snow off her hands.

Daddy brushing the snow off after he tried throwing snowballs at Emma. She wasn't impressed.

October 2008

2008-11-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

Some photos from the last month...

I never know what the daycare lady will have her in next. Apparently a top knot is the solution for a hood that is too large.

Emma loves to hang out with the kitties. Usually Smudge doesn't stick around but that day was too good to miss the window seat.

This one is for Grandma.

Emma loves playing in the pillows with Daddy.

Snuggle time with mom as she is trying to make Pepere's fudge.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T21:35:00.001-05:00

A bit late but our little lion cub has been keeping us busy.

Catching up

2008-10-06T23:00:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a while. Now that we have our new routine, Emma is in a day home, I'm back at work and the kitties have the house to themselves during the day, I need to be extra-creative about carving out time for posting. Anyways, here's a selection from the last few months.

Doin' Dishes

2008-10-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

Rockin'!

2008-10-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

Emma really enjoys her rocking giraffe. They can really fly!

Dilemma

2008-10-06T22:49:00.000-04:00

So, what does a parent do when their kid does a face-plant in the dirt?
1. A quick assessment to make sure nothing is seriously wrong.
2. Grab the camera.

oh and 3. Give her a cuddle.

Camping

2008-10-06T22:39:00.000-04:00

For summer vacation we went camping with Doug's family in northern BC, Tumbler Ridge to be exact. We were there for Emma's first birthday.

For souther Ontario folk, it was quite nippy in the mountains. (Yes, that is what I remember most. No one should be shivering in summer!)

One Year of Emma

2008-10-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

A reprise of her first year.

Faces of Emma - 12 months

2008-10-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

Two months late, but to finish the series...

Happy Birthday Emma!

2008-08-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Emma astride the rocking giraffe Daddy and Mommy made her. Ok, Daddy made the giraffe but Mommy took care of Emma so he had the time to do it. Not sure who did the more work!

Faces of Emma - 11 months

2008-07-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

Here she is at 11 months (plus a week or so but close enough). Between then and now she has cut four (yes FOUR) new teeth, all on the top.

Painting

2008-07-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

If you wondered why I suddenly have time to post after completely missing June, it is because we finally finished painting our living/dining room. Emma and I have spent nearly four weeks playing in only half the house. Ugh! Of course, what better reason to go play outside, unless too disgustingly hot and humid.

Anyways, the final results are an improvement. At the start Grandma came for a visit to take care of Emma while I sanded down the baseboards (thank heaven of belt sanders!) Here we are taking a break. Emma fits nicely in the garden seat (sans the seat) I sit on to do low work.

Leo liked napping on top of the cabinets. Kept him nicely out of reach of little hands.

Emma helped Daddy rewire the outlets. She likes to be in the thick of things.

It was thirsty work.

At the park

2008-07-09T10:37:00.001-04:00

In the afternoons, we usually go to the park. Sometimes there are other kids to play with and sometimes she has to make do with mommy. Whatever the case, she has fun.

Our morning walk

2008-07-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

In the morning before her nap, Emma and I go for a walk. Sometimes we just walk down the street and sometimes we take the wagon and go around the block. This particular morning, Emma wanted to take the wagon.

Even with the wagon, Emma likes to get out and explore. Progress can be rather slow.