Bedtime ritual...

Chad and I are really lucky. 9 times our of 10 our son tells us when he wants to go to sleep. We've got a bedtime/naptime ritual, he asks to go "nite-nite", gets his blanket and runs into our arms so we can put him down. I got a great picture last week of Braden running with his blanket. I know it doesn't look like this is a kid that is ready to sleep... he's just a happy kid! :)

Spring is here... finally

I think it's safe to say we've officially hit spring time, it's gotten a bit warmer and it rained a lot today - but I couldn't resist taking pictures of the first flowers we've had bloom in the yard. Keep in mind that I have nothing to do with the success of the yard, the plants/bushes/trees, they were all here when we moved in. Secondly, since it was rainy it's a bit dull for a background. Lastly, you can see that there are a lot of buds waiting to bloom so I'm sure I'll post another picture on a sunny day when it's loaded with flowers, but I was excited to share this with the people that will appreciate it.

I'm randomly putting this picture in this posting. It's the welcome building when you drive into the area we live. Well - it's the welcome building or where they do the home sales, to be honest I'm not sure. I haven't actually been inside, but it's something we drive by everyday.

On Friday night...

This Friday night Chad saw the Furry Creek Bear! The first sighting by the nieghbors was in the backyard 3 doors down to the right and Chad saw the Bear about a block away on the other side. But no worries... he was safely in his car when he saw it crossing the street, it was dusk at that time. Chad was driving back from dropping the trash and recycle off - in case you didn't know there is no curbside pick up in Furry Creek to not encourage a big family of Bears to roam the streets! So we have to drive our trash and recycle out to bins that are Bear-proof!

UPDATE: Picture added of the place where Chad saw the Bear crossing. Our place is less than a block to the left.

Happy Times...

I love when my boys are playing around and having fun together and I was able to get a few action shots this weekend. Just thought I'd share.

On another note - guess who beat Chad at playing RISK (my first time playing)! Boo-yah! :)

And finally... if you're one of those people that really wants to see more Braden talking and putting together a farm puzzle - it's over 2 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_5-X3o_ZEU

Little Sneakers

I wrote a few weeks ago about the class that Braden and I are going to on Fridays, it's in the town near us called Squamish. The class is called Little Sneakers, just an open indoor space for the kids to play. They have classes on Sundays so Braden has started to go with Chad then. He really enjoys it. Please excuse that some of the pictures are blurry, the kids are on the go and I did not have my camera set up to take things in motion.

Wagon Ride Crawling in the Big Tunnel

WEEEEEE! Shooting some Hoops!

Braden knocking over the big tower of blocks... he did a lot of that!

At the end of class they have a wind down time where the kids get on little mats, have their juice and sing songs. This is Braden's buddy Oliver - he's just 2 days younger. His mom Danielle and dad Derek invited us to a BBQ last Sunday. It was nice to go and meet some other people and gave Braden another chance to play with more kids!

My GAP Baby...

Ok... I know he's not a baby anymore and he's a toddler, but sometimes I'm still in denial. The time with Braden has gone by so fast! Anyway, here are a few at home pics of my little GAP dude, look at all those teeth!

A Visit to Maplewood Farm

Today Braden and I made a trip to Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver. Cute place for kids... 5 acres and they can run around with chickens and ducks, which Braden took full advantage of. They also have petting areas with bunnies and goats; sadly we didn't do it this time - I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the stroller and a toddler on the loose so we'll do it when we visit again with Chad.

Aside from chasing the ducks Braden enjoyed the horses, sheep and pigs the most. I have a few pictures and a video of the little man "talking" to the ducks. More pictures from this excursion will be put on the April album at the end of the month.

And for the diehards that want more Braden here is a link to different video than the one here... http://s150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/monicaumbaugh/?action=view&current=BradenApril022.flv

Video: Braden - "Quack! Quack!"
You may have to hit play twice...

Braden's stare down with the pony

PIGS! He tried to reach through the fence and was squealing with excitement!

Favorite part of the day was running in circles and chasing the chickens and ducks

More details on the Furry Creek Bear...

I was able to get more information from one of the neighbors about the Bear, as well as pictures of the Bear when they spotted it last week. It is a Black Bear. About 4 years ago they would see a large female... she then had a cub and they traveled around together 2 years ago and last year the cub was out on its own... they think that the Bear spotted this year is the Cub now all grown up. There is also a resident male bear (they call him "Denis") - but he's on the other side of the golf course and isn't spotted often. The pictures are of the Bear in a backyard a few doors down the street, if they see him again they are going to call us so we can grab a few pictures of our own!

A.K.R.A.A.

A.K.R.A.A??? What does that mean? Well... it's Alexander Keith's Red Amber Ale - it's a Canadian Beer that Chad and I are both quite fond of. It's an ale... with a light but rich taste... yum! There are three different Alexander Keith Ales... all brewed exclusively in Halifax, Nova Scotia - at the oldest working brewery in all of North America. I'm not sure you'll run across it where you live, but if you see it - we recommend it - or plan on having a swig or several when you make a trip to visit!

SPOTTED!!!

Forgive me for being so absentminded and failing to post about this earlier!!! Last week we got word from the neighbors (across the street - Bruce and Sue - very nice and helpful)... the neighborhood Bear is out of winter hibernation. I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday evening and the Bear was spotted three doors down the street from us in a backyard! We're told it's a friendly bear and not aggressive... I am hopeful we'll see him at some point.. preferably from a distance inside the house for the first time! :) If I get a picture of our fuzzy friend I will be sure to post it.

In the meantime I'm going to find out what kind of bear it is exactly and see if they have named him yet!

Ac-ky!

To anyone who will listen -
Acky... like "yucky" was Braden's first two syllable word a few months back. He'd use it from time to time and it was clear he understood what it meant. In fact I was proud of him because it would loudly announce "AC-KY", point and bring it over to me instead of put it in his mouth to test it for himself (ok... most of the time he didn't try to eat it first). So I've gotten used to hearing him say it and immediately investigate to dispose of whatever Braden thinks is "acky" and all is well. (Usually a little piece of paper or a crumb from a cracker). I praise him for telling me and giving it up and staying away from "acky" things.
Oh - I should mention that he says "ACKY" repeatedly over and over again until it's gone.
SO... I'm writing about this because now that our little man knows he has it all figured it I swear he spends 15 minutes at a time, 2 or 3 times a day looking for things "acky"... he scours the floor on his hands and knees, and I'm totally serious. I sweep AT LEAST twice a day in our high traffic areas... and somehow there is always something there and I feel like... what more can a girl do? In fact I sweep up parts of the house so often Braden likes to sweep (enter Evidence A the pictures in another post with him "helping" me!) Ahhh... do the crumbs ever disappear?
Sincerely,
The Incompetent Sweeper

Late Night at 8pm?

I'm sure if you've spent anytime on the West Coast this doesn't seem that crazy... but it's new to me and I'm sure some of our friends in the Midwest would say, "ah... I never thought of that".
We have a satellite dish for our cable and I haven't quite figured things out... it seems like we have some of the channels 4 times?!? Well it's all the stations programmed with the different time zones and we can watch The Tonight Show, David Letterman, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel at 8:00/8:30 and 9:00/9:30. I know it makes sense that is when it's being shown in the other time zone, I just didn't realize we would have access to it like we do.

Caramilk...

The Caramilk candybar is evil, and it's everywhere you look. I'm sure there is something like it in the US... I could compare it to a whole candy bar that is like a Dove Caramel candy piece but even better. Anyway... if I let myself and lost all self control I could turn into a Caramilk...

First day of "class"

This morning Braden and I had our first class called "Little Sneakers". When we got there he could hardly contain himself... kid after kid walked in the door and he kept calling them all "baby" and dragging me by my hand to approach almost all the kids there.
Braden had SO much fun that hour... just running EVERYWHERE... back and forth, stop to pick up a ball, run with it, throw it kick it, see a kid with another ball and try to swap, getting in the little cars, getting out of the little cars, climbing up the gym mat, rolling down the gym mat... and so on and so on. Does that make you tired just thinking about it??? Well it made our baby boy tired too... SO tired that he couldn't fall asleep for 3 hours after we got home and completely collasped around 3pm for a very late afternoon nap. I think the excitement of being around so many other kids with a huge room that was 100% baby friendly (I didn't have to tell him "no" for a whole hour!) was such a big event he got all wound up. Well... at least that's what I'm telling myself.
And yes... I'm upset I don't have any pictures. My camera battery needs to be recharged and with all this moving/unpacking I haven't found it. But next Friday I will have pictures of Braden at "class".

Sunny days...

I said I'd post a view on a clear and sunny day... here it is! :)

No, No, No, No, No

Here is a video of our little man saying "no" to booze! :)

I think you have to hit the play button twice for it to work. It's 14 seconds long

Like a vacation...

We are very lucky that we are living where we live in Furry Creek... the neighbors have been so kind and welcoming. We were invited to dinner last Saturday at the Woods home down the street, they are from Chicago! And the neighbors across the street have been helpful with daily advice to help us get aquainted to the area. So far.. so good. Now only if this cable debacle was taken care of... tomorrow I'm told it should be up and running. Keep your fingers crossed!

Here are some pictures from the 2nd floor balcony. It was a cloudy day... I'll be sure to get some clearer pictures as it warms up. But until then you can see how nice it is even when the weather isn't perfect! It's really like a vacation home and so refreshing to be out here in the country, but close enough to the city that there isn't any real inconvienence. We hope that many of you will come and visit while we're here. Good times we guarantee!

Granville Island

Our first weekend in Canada and we got to meet up with friends! Paul and Stephanie came into Vancouver from Seattle and we met them for lunch and some sights at Granville Island. It's a really cute area with shops, resturants and a great market that I can't wait to visit again and get some fresh meat and veggies for dinner. It's a shame I don't like seafood... I may have to give it a shot while I'm here.

The Ramseys at Granville Island with a shot of Downtown Vancouver.

Mommy's Little Helper

Finally we have our own Internet connection, I have a car, and our mail works and cable comes tomorrow. I'm starting to feel a bit more settled.

Braden has been Mommy's Little Helper... he loves to sweep and put clothes in the washer and wait to see the bubbles. Don't be fooled though, his contributions to messy choas far exceeds his

help around the house! :)