Fun in the....brrrrrrr!!

We had another great visit to the Okanagan last week where we experienced the start of the quick conversion from summer to winter (not that I am complaining). Jasper had tons of fun with his cousins and auntie "Shell" and Mimi and Papa C. Highlight of the trip (for J) was the ride on the Kettle Valley Railway - a real train!! Will have to wait for pics from Mimi and Papa since Aaron and I had a blissful day and night away on our own...hurrah! Speaking of blissful, we stayed at chateau Shark and Ty and were treated to not only what is our now favorite salmon, but also fresh baked choc chip and pb cookies. Sharkie always knows the way to my very preganant heart (and belly!). We also had a lovely little family BBQ down at the beach on friday night. Jasper got to play with cousins and with Ole Mor.

This week it officially turned into winter. Its miserable and cold today and the rain caused our unexpected departure from the PNE yesterday. Nonetheless, I still managed to fork out about 10K for ride tickets so Jasper could bouncy castle for the alloted 4 mins, ending in an epic tantrum when I had to finally drag him away once all my cash was depleted....

Hot enough for ya?

Ok, I shouldn't complain about gorgeously sunny hot weather, but when you are nearing the 30 week mark in your pregnancy, all you really want is a pleasant 18 degrees with a cool breeze. Nonetheless, we beat the heat by touring the various waterparks in our fair city - logging lots of hours at our new fave, St Andrews Park in N. Van, a lovely splash at Ryall Park in New West on Saturday, and Stanley Park waterpark with the cousins on Sunday.

And my personal fav way to cool off - Ice Cream! (note that Jasper and I were supposed to share the ice cream, but I was resoundly shut out...hmph...)

Busy Busy August

We started off August with a busy BC Day long weekend with visits from Gma and Gpa, and Scottish Royalty! Yes, 2/3's of the Rob/Dob/Howard clan have descended upon our lovely city again for a weeks visit and to seal the official betrothal of Prince Jasper and Princess Savvy.

The Ultimate World Championships are in Vancouver this year and began last Saturday up at UBC. Hard to believe its been 8 years since Germany and - ok, i'll say it again - our gold medal winning year! Jasper took a lovely pic of his momma up at the fields trying to relive her former glory with a big old belly in tow! Note the uber buff auntie Shark and the super sexy mama Ash Howard in the background!

First Fish!

Jasper caught his very first fish this weekend up at the cabin (thanks in part to Daddy). The wee trout was too small even for a pan-fryer, but it was exciting nonetheless.

Jasper also got his very first quad ride thanks to Papa C...took some convincing to put on the ducky helmet, but it was all worth it in the end.

The three amigos definately had TONS of fun together, they play really well together now and actually let the adults have some QT now and then..hurrah!

Bday and bouncing!

Happy 2nd bday to Katelyn Parr. We had a wonderful time at your party last weekend at Maple Grove Pool. Jasper and I were both on a sugar high for days afterward....YUM!

This weekend, our friends the Vanderkuips invited us over for a "bouncy castle" party. Who knew that our initially timid little boy would soon become the center of the action (even with kids twice his size!), and several bouncy hours later cried and cried when we tore him away finally. Love the bouncy castle!

Grandpa Dogpile

Here is Grandpa - 65 years young!

Belated Dada's Day, Bday, and a trip to the Rock

Happy belated Dada's Day to all the Dada's out there - esp. my lovely hubby Aaron and my dad Mike, and father in law Carsten. You are all amazing fathers and grandpas, Jasper loves you very much!

Happy belated 2nd bday to Kayna Frame! Kayna invited all her friends to the Westside family place last weekend for a lovely sunny playdate and some yummy food. Of course all Jasper ate was the cupcakes....sigh.

Jasper and I had a lovely 3 day trip to Victoria this past weekend to spend some time with Gma and Gpa and for mummy to have some lovely girl time with some good friends from high school. Poor Lisa was the only one drinking though since the rest of the quartet is preggers and we are all due within 3 months of eachother! I miss wine.....

Live Action from Maui

Island Style....

We just got back from 7 gorgeous, warm , beautiful days on Maui and despite the h*ll plane rides there and back, the whole vacation was magical. Not that I have travelled to too many different tropical destinations thus far, but Maui by far had to be my favorite. Perfect climate, perfect beaches, very chill - laid back lifestyle, yet with modern conveniences and drinkable water!

Jasper really dialled into his beach bum side and had a great time in both the ocean and the pool. By the end of the trip, he could almost get his own swim diapers on!

We attended a Luau at the Wailea Marriott which was good...I think Jasper preferred the baby pool area - it was amazing (note to parents out there who might visit Maui in the future). We almost snuck back the next day just to use the pool!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Aaron and I were able to enjoy some "us-time" - inlcuding a nice day at Wailea walking the seawall and one of the absolute highlights of the trip - the "Warren and Annabelle's" show in Lahaina (so so so so good - but kids not allowed).

On day 7, on our way to the airport, it started to rain - well, pour actually, so I think we timed our trip just right. Will definately be back in the future. Aloha!

A Party, A Parade, and a Portrait (or two)

Jasper had a wee party at his preschool on Thursday morning. Mommy was too lazy, I mean busy, to plan a big kids party this year so this one will suffice.

We spent a beautiful sunny Saturday at Lynn Valley Days, complete with parade and greasy burgers and free airplane rides compliments of Daddy.

Jasper's career as a budding self-portrait artist is coming along nicely - here are some in focus and with additional subject matter!

Wipe, wipe

Ok, so this is also posted on my Facebook site, but it makes me laugh and I have finally gotten video to upload on the blog! Hurrah!

Don't worry, my eco-friendly friends and fam - all the wipes used in this clip were recycled/reused....

2 going on 4?

Jasper's 2nd birthday isn't officially until Thursday the 29th but we capped off a week of celebration with a big BBQ and party at our house on Sunday night. Aaron and I took Jasper for a haircut in the morning so he would look good for his party and I swear he went in 2 years old and came out looking 4 - my boy is growing up too fast!

So, here are the vitals for year 2:
Weight: 32-36 pounds (depending on the scale, and no wonder my back is destroyed)
Height: 3' 1" and growing!
Likes: His bottle (still), Thomas the Tank Engine (and anything related), taking baths, playing outside, daddy's car, creating general havoc and chaos on a daily basis, his momma and da-da (bliss!)
Dislikes: sleeping through the night (arg), eating regularly (double arg), brushing his teeth (triple arg)

The masterpiece!

Bday rides compliments of Paige!

Chillin with the cousins

Like his momma, Jasper loves cake....

A Lovely Day in May

I am not going to be one of those people who complain about the heat after the miserable winter and spring we have had, but dang was it HOT this weekend. To beat the heat we decided on a lovely day at Centennial Park in Burnaby complete with picnic, waterpark and cousins!

Another major milestone worth noting - Jasper ate beef for the first time! Aaron manged to convince J that not only were meatballs actually edible, but really really good. So, 8 meatballs later - we officially have a little carnivore on our hands. Now I am outnumbered...sigh.

Happy Momma's Day (and another bday)

What Mother's day wouldn't be complete without your son barfing all over not one, not two, but all three seats of our three seater couch? Despite that one not so nice incident, I had a lovely day today complete with a picnic in the park avec the fam, and some solo momma time...bliss! Happy Momma's Day to all my wonderful momma friends, and of course to my own Momma - I love you!

Jasper trying to avoid the paparazzi...

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Uncle Greg who turned 38 (old fart!)

Brotherly love?

I think Jasper just might be in love, with his cousins that is. They had a fabulous time playing this weekend at Mimi and Papa's house, Jasper couldn't stop talking about them all the way home....