Rob, Dob, Howard & Co.: December 2013

Monday 30 December 2013

"Reading"

What trouble can I get up to?

That was fun!

At least 2 of us were trying to get in some story time!

Saturday 28 December 2013

A spoonful of sugar...

Mary Poppins: Mommy-Savvy Boxing Day Treat. It was fantastic.

Christmas 2013

Line ups at Grandville Island on the 24th for special sausages

Testing out Santa's milk and cookies on Christmas Eve

Morning pressies

Some lovely wine from Kevin for Nana

Rexy won top prize from Santa's gifts. Rexy joined in on the breakfast waffles.

An evening game of Tip It

The lucky couple

Our very own version of Jackass*

Dec 24th, Savvy wants to know what will happen if she tries to staple her finger. She goes for it. Large. We hear the screaming and she appears from the bedroom holding her hand, in shock.

It turns out, if you try to staple your finger, you will well and truly staple your finger.

It was tricky pulling the staple out, proper bend in it and all. Poor Sav was mortified, not to mention in a fair bit of pain. But there was no trip to the emergency required and we reckon that was her last experiment with a stapler and human flesh.

*Jackass is an American reality series, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, self injuring stunts and pranks. Tagline: "Do not attempt this at home."

Monday 23 December 2013

Ho ho ho!

Nice to meet you!

This is the luge area. Well the stairs before they were turned into the luge.

Think big.

Think fast.

Think a curve with the surface bending to the left down an additional set of stairs.

Think neighbourhood parents saying: "WHAT? My kid's not going down that!"

And then imagine Savvy doing it on a bike-- a bike mounted on skis. True story.

At least the trimmings from our Giant Tree in the font lawn were good for something-- a wee shelter turned igloo in the back garden.

How d'you get. How d'you get...

...to Sesame Street!?!

Mac was in heaven. Sav thought it was for babies. But she sang along just the same.

Sunday 22 December 2013

Mini Trek Reunion

Many of us went to elementary school together. A whole new level of bonding took place in grade 10 when we were all in the same TREK class. Trek being a program where the whole year's school work is done in one term and then outdoor adventuring in the rest.

This is us in 1989-90. (When fleece was "rad" and apparently is was cool to wear a pen knife around your neck...just in case).

Here 6 of us are again, 23 years later, with amazing partners and kids having joined the family.
Lovely to catch up and have a play in the snow.

Trout Lake in the background, Vancouver, BC

Feeling hard core

10km commute. Huge hill. Fresh snow. 6am. Pitch black.
Spike the Bike was a trooper.

This is me arriving at my office in War Memorial Gym

Thursday 19 December 2013

Happy Vancouver Anniversary To Us!

One year ago today we arrived in Canada, having moved from Scotland after a wonderful 12 years there.

(Vancouver Santa parade: we're never too far away from the heart of the Scots)

Sav is well on her way to being bilingual. Her highlights from the year are: paddleboarding to school, having her own room, hanging with Aunt Lynnie, and school. She loves ice skating, rollerblading, and skiing (mostly when being pulled by Joey). She loves our weekly tea and swim at Nana's.

Mac pushes chunky things about the house, scratching the floor and declaring his love for zambonis. He potty trained himself over a couple day stretch, straight to dry nights and taking care of business all on his own on the big boy toilet. That makes him pretty much the cutest thing there ever was. He has a best friend, Sophia, at nursery and they love skipping off "to work" together.

Glen Dobson still thinks our internet is provided by a company called Letus. (He got his permanent residency status, but at this rate, I doubt he'll pass the citizenship test). Preparations for Mac Ride continue, as do Glen's plans -big BIG plans- for the backyard.

I am in the midst of a very challenging but exciting process at work at UBC. Highlights to my crazy schedule include bed time snuggles with the kids, weekend mornings in jammies at the Starbucks 4 doors away, and working with Savvy on her reading. (I am kidding about the last one-- it's torture.)

We have amazing tenants in our basement and they are babysitting for us Saturday night, supplementing Nana's fabulous child minding quota. Hello date night!

(UBC Christmas party silliness)

We almost have a family doctor (our best option is a place down the road-- they said to call back in January...2015!). Although we've needed a fair few trips to the dentist (thank you, UBC extended health care and no thank you NHS dental care...), we are very lucky to have kept in good health. Even though we miss the Bridge and our British based friends and family terribly, THAT is something to be very cheery about over the holidays.

Thank you Vancouver. Thank you friends. Thank you family!