My first experience with Salmon

It was nice this past weekend... I got a two day break from cooking (in case you didn't know, where we live isn't a place that gets delivery so I make dinner... every night. This is a big change from Chicago where I had www.grubhub.com bookmarked). Paul enjoys cooking and made two good meals for us! One of which was salmon - Red Copper Salmon from Alaska to be more specific. I am not a seafood person... I'm not sure if in the Midwest it smelled too fishy or if it is the overall texture, but it's never been my thing. Being on the West Coast now where we're supposed to have access to some of the world's best I thought it best that I keep an open mind and give it a shot. Paul made (actually taught me) how to make Salmon... he grilled it on cedar planks with a dijon mustard/brown sugar glaze. I have to say that it was a positive experience. I did like it. Now, I wouldn't get it at a resturant and give up a good steak for fish - but I'm willing to continue to try, so that's a step in the right direction!

Chef Fox mashes a garlic clove while he put his assistant Stephanie to work on the shrimp

Fox's Kitchen - "You're not doing it right... the glaze needs to be spread EVEN... what are you doing???"

(Obviously this is a staged photo op... I did it just right!)

Man Cards Suspended...

Paul and Steph got us a fabulous gift to even further enhance our patio experience... a table top warmer. Days are in the 70s/80s (actually the 20s, but that's in Celsius - and I just learned how to do a quick conversion - btw, thanks Bruce - so I don't expect our U.S. clan to know what that means). But the nights cool down a lot and this gift is ideal!

Well... Paul and Chad have their Man Cards Suspended... after about 20 minutes of two grown men twisting and turning the gas pipe in (I mean at one point Paul was trying so hard he had a vein popping out of his neck!). They did not want to look at directions, they said it was obvious how it worked and clearly the just didn't have the right connecting piece... WRONG. When they finally stepped back and declared we'd have to take our evening indoors- Stephanie gave it a shot while the guys were picking up their drinks to head in - she got it no problem! And with a smirk "Guys, you ever here of righty-tighty/lefty loosey?"

Yeah, yeah - they put it together so that's something I guess... Braden helped them.

Trying to put a few hairs back on their chest the two girly men took a shot of Jack to drown in their sorrows. :)

Memorial Day Guests

Paul came up from Seattle again to visit and brought his girlfriend Stephanie. It was so nice to have people visit again, we really enjoy it a lot. And if it tells you anything Paul wanted to make the drive two weekends back to back, I hope it convinces some of you that it's worth it to take a vacation here!

While they were here they climbed The Big Chief in Squamish, Chad and Paul golfed again and Stephanie and I took Braden to Whistler Village. Each evening there were feasts of food and after Braden's bedtime a few margaritas on the patio one night and the tasty Alexander Keith's Red Amber Ale and Dominoes another night. All in all a great weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know Stephanie better and seeing Paul the last two weeks helped bring a little bit of home to us here in Canada.

Paul and Steph spent a lot of time with Braden, he really likes them both a lot... I captured a few fun moments...

Braden was amused at Uncle Paul

Paul dragged Steph and Braden around like this for awhile, every time he stopped Braden said, "Pllleeeaaaseee, Pllleeeaaaassee" (although it really sounds like "Peas, Peas"

Steph and Braden then took turns dragging Paul around

Paul introduces Braden to his first caterpillar. What I did not get a picture of was Braden picking it up and squashing it... he wasn't gentle enough. It wasn't something I liked seeing so I knew it wouldn't be a picture you'd all want to see.

Hard at work... some home improvements

Now that the weather has seemed to make a change for good we've been doing some improvements to our outdoor space. The hammock - it's AMAZING. It is so, so comfy and it's relaxing and really added a lot to our space there. What makes it even better was I got it for a steal, it was the last one they had so I got the one on display, it was $62 - and I got it for only $25! I also got a table to put up one of the flower pots and we got one of them hanging too so things are better spread out. I included a few before pictures as a point of comparison. And not pictured is a hummingbird feeder that hangs on the other side... there are a lot of hummingbirds here.

All the beautiful flowers that Chad's mom got me for Mothers Day... here they are just all put together and needed to be spread out more.

Before the hammock we just had two chairs

After...

And functional too! I've already napped out there
And our friend Paul loved it so much he wanted to spend the night out there. But he didn't... although I don't doubt that he'll try again next time he's here!

More to Come

Hi! Things have been busy... I'll be posting a big recap by tomorrow night. And thanks to everyone that has shared positive feedback about the blog, it makes it worth it and feel good that people are thinking of us often and checking in to see what we're up to.

Dad's shadow...

When we got here the front part of the yard had to be torn up and we were waiting for the weather to turn to be able to get grass on that part of the yard... ok - and really - we're city folks and haven't had a yard since we were in high school so we also had to figure out exactly what we needed to do to make sure it was done right. Anyway - first step was to get the large and medium size rocks out and it was so cute when Braden jumped right in to help his dad. Without any instruction he just started doing what Chad was doing and picking up rocks and dumping them into the bucket, he was following his every move. It's so awesome to see them mimic things this way - he seems much more a little man now... not a baby anymore!

Another visitor!

Paul Fox came to visit us this weekend from Seattle! The weather was PERFECT and we had a great time (and too many margaritas after Braden went to sleep - thanks Natalie for the killer recipe!) It was nice to have Paul and Grandma Ramsey here this month, we really enjoy the company. Visitors welcome anytime!!!

And less than a month until my girls get here - woo-hoo! :)
On Saturday we all went to lunch at the Furry Creek Golf Course before Chad and Paul spent a nice afternoon on a beautiful and unique golf course. From what they were telling me you have to see it to believe it!

Paul (top) and Chad (bottom) teeing off at the Furry Creek Golf Course

LEFT: The first tee is to the right and the fairway is WAY below!

RIGHT: A creek of rushing water that runs throughout the Golf Course

Mother's Day Recap

Here are some pictures from our visit to the park Chad and Braden - the mountain in the background is called "The Big Chief" (I think that's right) and it's a big rock climbing attraction in Squamish.
Braden wasn't in the mood to take a picture, I was trying to get a nice background
The first few times I flipped upside down like this Braden freaked out, he did not know what to think of it

He looks like an angel...

So many of you have been very kind and told me that Braden is an adorable little boy and always seems to be smiling and happy... well he is :) But I thought I'd shed a little light on one of those moments that is typical of toddlers. If this is a story that doesn't interest you... no offense taken, just scroll to the next post. I'm writing about it so I have some documentation. Time goes by so fast and I can't remember all the details of taking care of a newborn anymore so I want to be sure that when we have Baby #2 I can recall that when they are 17 months old this is what Braden was going through.

This afternoon Braden and I went to the mall to get some fresh fruit and veggies at my new favorite outdoor market...I've been there twice this week. I also wanted to get a something on sale at Linens-n-Things. Once we made it to the mall I went to the market first since it was the farthest from us and work my way back. As we were walking through I thought it would be a good idea to make this a fun adventure for Braden and get him out of the stroller for awhile so I took him to the pet store to look at the puppies, kitties, bunnies and fish (he loves it). Next door to the pet store is a toy store so I took him in and they have this huge train station set up for the kids to play with... so we stayed... for 45 minutes when I noticed the foul stink coming from my child's backside that told me we needed to hit the washroom. I paid for what I was getting, and after another 10 minutes we left. HE WAS NOT HAPPY (I think my ears were ringing for an hour). But I held my ground and off we went.

By some miracle - while it was a bit of a struggle - we took care of the diaper business.

Where I really made the mistake was thinking that I had calmed him down and I could run into Linens-n-Things.

HYSTERICS in the middle of the food court in front of the store. Not a little tantrum... full blown. So with a squirming, screaming child on one hip and pushing a stroller with my free arm (he would not get in the stroller... you pick your battles) we left the mall, it was quite a sight. I'll give myself some credit, I didn't get too flustered. You don't really care what the other people think because you're just trying to do the best job you can and are focused on your child.

Who can really blame the little guy, he has a lot going on between a struggle with wanting to be completely independent... and in pain from the last two teeth about to break through... and not a long enough nap in the afternoon... and mom being the big meany that she was taking him away from the Thomas the Train heaven he was in. That's a whole lot for someone his age to be handling.

*what i mean about his struggle with independence is - there are times he wants to roam on his own like he does at home. that means no stroller and no hand-holding, which is pretty tough for me to do with him since he still wants to get into some things and I'm stuck with the stroller too and can't follow him or chase him if he decides to run... (who am I kidding, Braden loves to run everywhere... all the time), so if he won't hold my hand - he has to be in the stroller and he's not always a big fan.

We continued to have hysterics in the car for 3 minutes (yes, I looked at the clock) and he was asleep for the rest of the way home. (I also want to note that 3 minutes doesn't sound like a long time - but it feels like 20 when they are that upset)

What have I learned - it happens and Braden's ok and I'm ok. Occasionally the past two weeks he'll throw a fit (when he's overtired since we're still working on going from two naps to one). He's like a lot of kids his age. I wanted to share this story in case you've been through it, are going through it, or will one day go through it... I've been there too.

When we got home we played with bubbles and read books on the porch enjoying the gorgeous weather we're having... just like it never happened! :) "The Fit" was only maybe 20 minutes of our day together - and the rest of the day was really nice and I can't forget that.

Needless to say I never did get what I needed at the Linens and Things... maybe tomorrow???

HAPPY MOMMY'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! Happy Mother's Day Paula! Happy Mommy's Day to all my friends that are moms or will be soon!

Today has been great so far, I got to sleep in (I was still up at 8:15, but I laid in bed until almost 10!) and when Braden gets up from his nap we're going to run a few errands and play in the park. The sun came out about an hour ago it's beautiful.

Week with Grandma Ramsey!

We had a busy week with Grandma Ramsey in town! From going to the park in Richmond, to Granville Island, visiting a Pet Store (Braden loved the puppies and the kittens), to taking a trip to Whistler Village and Shannon Falls. Lots of pictures...

Braden's last two teeth are making their debut so his patience was a little thin this week, not to mention he's just anxious to be Mr. Independent. But we survived the week and so did he, it's just part of the process. We still had a great time.

Paula helped out with things to make our home nicer and she put together a great Mother's Day gift... several beautiful pots with a variety of flowers. It really makes the large porch much nicer. After living without a yard or plants for the last 11 1/2 years I don't know much, but I'm going to learn!


LOVED watching the kittens play at the pet store

Nap Time with Grandma Ramsey!

Playing on the porch. You can see the flowers here, but I'll take some close ups this week.

The porch is my new favorite hang out...

I'm a big boy, I can walk up the steep driveway all by myself!

WHISTLER VILLAGE

The closest we could get to a family picture, it's not always easy to get a man on the move to sit still. And I'm very aware I am severely Vitamin D deficient (which really means I am super pale!)

Braden sits on the steps at Whistler Village - yelling and waving "bye-bye" to the women sitting outside the coffee shop. Yes - he's a HUGE flirt.

Braden ate dirt for the first time and thought it was "ac-ky" but he it didn't stop his facination with it.

Grandma Ramsey in front of Shannon Falls. It's only 15 minutes from where we live.

Guess Who's Come To Visit!

We are very happy that Grandma Ramsey has joined us here for about a week!!! We were out and about and busy all today and predict the rest of the week will be much the same so I will have lots to post about. Today we met Chad out for lunch... then took Braden to a park... and then went to Granville Island where we picked up some wine, kabobs and fresh fruit.

Relaxing in the grass... ok, not really.

I meant to get Braden running in the park and he completely wiped out at the same time I snapped the picture. Grandma and I taking a walk in the park together

A Slide Ride... WEEEE! Thanks Grandma!

Climbing through the tunnel

I wonder...

Gee... I wonder which one of us Braden looks like??? :)

Trucks

One of the words Braden says now is "truck"... however it doesn't usually come out that way. Imagine any two or three inappropriate words that he may be saying instead. And a peacock... well he's only picked up on the second syllable - which also happens to be the way he says "sock". We're working on pronouncation, but it's all just part of the process. :)

What day is it???

As most people know, this move to Canada has given me the opportunity to stay home with Braden. One thing I just had to write about is the blending of one day to the next... more than three times this week I've found myself seriously asking "what day is it?" This past Tuesday I was convinced it was Friday (and actually writing emails and talking on the phone asking about weekend plans, etc - I'm sure I sounded like an idiot). This morning I sat in the car and thought long and hard about everything I had done this week so I could answer the question and figure out it was Thursday!!!