Griffin's First Day at Escuela!

My Big Boy! Griffin started escuela this past Monday and was a total star! Good thing he has big brother next door in the preschool class to watch out for him. Seems as though he is already a hit with the ladies young and old(er)!!

Birthdays and Bunnies and Big Brothers!

Spent a gorgeous April Saturday down in Deep Cove, throwing rocks and hanging on the playground. A big shout out to my darling Jasper for being an awesome big brother last night - while at dinner last night there was a little boy who kept pushing and hitting Griffin until big brother Jasper stepped in and kindly, but firmly told him to stop it - I was SO PROUD!

Easter bunny visited twice this year! Not good for Mom's waistline!

Griffin was more interested in computing than egg hunting!

We had a nice pre-Easter dinner with the Days complete with Al's fabulous home cooking and a pre-easter egg hunt. It is really neat to see all the cousins getting along so well and even LC and Griffin starting to hang out, they even egged eachother on as to who could stand on the chairs the most times before going ass over tea-kettle!! I think LC won, or shall I say lost...

I of course celebrated my 29th birthday this past week and was spoiled rotten. Things got off to a very good start at the Team Finn Wine Tasting Festival on April 7th - you know you are in for good evening when you have already done 4 laps of the tasting tables by 9pm! Anyways, my buddy Kelly and I literally closed the place down with the lights getting turned on and our coats being firmly, but politely hand delivered to us by the manager of the pub - go girls, woot woot!!

Sharks and Burrowing Owls

"Yes, i'll have 2 tall decaf soy vanilla lattes please!"

Sha and Ty man tasting the wares at Burrowing Owl

Two plus bottles of vino blanco and counting!!

Looking a feeling happy after a few bottles of Pinot Gris!

Happy Cousins playing in the loft

The Homeys in their new duds from Mimi

We just got back from a lovely jaunt to the Okanagan to visit the fam and to have a little pre-birthday getaway for the hubs and I avec our dear friends Shark and Ty. Shark, being the clever little thing that she is, booked us a fabulous one night getaway at the Burrowing Owl Winery in Oliver, BC which included a 3 course (more like 6 actually) gourmet dinner, a gorgeous room complete with fluffy robes and fireplace (and best of all NO KIDS to wake us up thanks to the very brave Mimi and Papa C), and a mouth-watering home-baked gourmet breakfast all for a low low price (due to it being off season). Sha-sha also had the brilliant idea of riding from Penticton to Osoyoos so we could get a little exercise and a good gab session en route. However, the wind gods had other ideas and decided to throw gale force headwinds our way the entire time, so the gabbing was more like shouting and the riding was more like grunting and groaning, but I am glad we did it nonetheless - and I got to show the Team Finn pride!!

Mama's Night Out!!

The boys and I just got back from a lovely 4 day trip to the Island. Despite an unfortunate incident of Griffin high-fiving the gas fireplace, a great time was had by all, and much much thanks as always to Gma and Gpa for taking the boys so I could have some much needed mama-time.

The day began with a quest for yet another perfect mama-bag, I found my original mama bag on LoJo a few years ago, but alas it just wasn't to be. However the trip downtown wasn't totally in vain as I ran into my lovely friend Jen and we had the chance to catch up over a half litre of vino blanco...bliss. After a quick turn around at home it was right back out to meet the girls at The Superior Cafe - a very cool little joint near Fisherman's Wharf - all eclectic and funky with live music most nights. The vino started flowing and the laughs started coming and I capped off the evening by some now infamous self-portraits. FUN!

Team Nielsen's Olympic Journal

Well, the Olympics are winding down now and its been a pretty amazing experience - I certainly hope all the positive energy and goodwill towards others lasts well beyond the conclusion of the games. I have to say there is something really cool about tens of thousands of people peacefully coming together to celebrate Canada - noone was rowdy, noone was pushing and shoving despite the crowds - everything was very polite and very Canadian.

Party night out with M and K of MELK fame. No pics, but my first "celebrity" run in was with Evegney Plushenko and Elvis Stojko down by the International Broadcast Centre. And yes, his nose if really really big in person.

Short track speed skating and "celebrity" sighting #2 - Me and Kevin Bieksa (of the Vancouver Canucks!) Team Canada didn't fare so well in the finals, but it was still fun to watch.

Aunty Shel and Aaron at the RUS vs CZE game

Very wet and grumpy and sick trip and to see the torch with the boys - had to placate the troops with sugary treats from Starbucks. To top it off our battery died on our digital camera so had to make do with iPhone and stills from our video camera - hopefully that explains my bloat face. Unfortunately the one thing that makes the downtown atmosphere so amazing (the tens of thousands of people everywhere) makes it absolutely hellish to do anything with kids. They pretty much need to be locked and loaded in the buggy lest they get swallowed into the massive crowds. But, at the very least we can tell the boys they were there when they are old enough to appreciate it : )

6 years and 15 months

Saturday was a lovely "day before our 6yr wedding anniversary" day marked by hubby's wardrobe overhaul (thanks Kelly!!) and an afternoon at the spa pour moi thanks to Gma and Gpa's babysitting services. Capped off the evening with dins at Salmon House, some champagne, lots of vino, and yummy food - bliss.

I guess we still clean up pretty nice even though we are a couple of old married farts now.

My darling little Griffin has been a tad neglected in the blog lately and now that he is well past 12 months the monthly updates will likely slow to every once in awhile when I get to it. He is a full on walking machine, and along with that freedom comes a strong sense of adventure. He will climb anything and everything and his best move is the "hang-ten" with no hands from atop his turtle bouncy seat thing - a feat that I am not even sure I could do! He still sleeps quite horribly no thanks in part to the seven new teeth he has sprouted lately (3 molars, 4 canines), is still a good little eater (pickled beans - who knew?!), and has quite the little temper - guess he's getting some of his mama's stubborness - guess they had to get a little of my DNA somewhere!

January 2010 Round-up

Ah, it seems as though I am having a slow blogging start in 2010. Life is busy, boys are great. Griffin is now officially walking (by walking I mean that he is on 2 legs about 90% of the time) and it is SO cute. Again a little bittersweet knowing that yet another "last" milestone has been reached, but I think we are all happier for the freedom this affords him! Now if only I can get him sleeping, even 4-5 hour stretches would be a miracle at this point - mama is running out of dark eye circle concealing options....

Highlights from Jan 2010 thus far

Guess who is so happy to be walking?!

The Insanely Gorgeous Nona Navin at her surprise 40th party. A super fun party for the entire fam and then an even better mama's night out at the Loden Hotel after! Mmmmm...champagne! Mmmmm...cake! Mmmmm...appies!

The equally gorgeous Aunty Sha-Sha with sexy short hair and baby G-man

Griffin getting his groove on at the bday party

Sha, Baby G and I hanging near the food table (of course)

Visits with Baby Eli and the girls. Wee Eli is so precious and tiny but alas, no stirring from the ovaries when I hold him, a good thing I think!