Diaper Leak = Baby Streak

Don't ask.

The Farm Team

The Olympic Games may be coming to our doorstep but "The Farm Team" puppet show may be the closest we get to a hockey game at an Olympic Venue!
Based on Linda Bailey's book by the same name, The Farm Team is a puppet show about a barnyard animal hockey tournament, and was presented on the grounds of an Olympic training facility. All of that was completely lost on Liam. But he thought the chicken puppet was kind of neat.


The blueberries were pretty good too...

Little Mouse

That's what we call her. Well, Matt calls her Pudgy Mouse, but he means it in the nicest way.
She is growing into the sweetest little girl and changing every day. At 5 months she...

* hates being put in the car seat but usually falls asleep as soon as the engine starts.
* wears mostly 6 - 12 month clothes.
* is SO LOUD in the morning. She is super happy at 6:30am but coos at top volume while I'm tiptoeing around so Liam can sleep!
* rolls from her back to tummy as soon as you put her down.
* needs to be in bed at 7pm....or else.
* would prefer to be carried all day than be anywhere else.
* does not have any of the eczema that Liam was suffering from at this age.
* likes to watch me cook.
* thinks Liam is hilarious and laughs/smiles whenever he pays attention to her.
* can stand up while holding onto furniture.
* is just starting to grow some hair!

Hanging Out

Lots of activities going on lately and a busy rest-of-the-week ahead, so today is all about hanging out at home. Sarah is taking the "hanging" bit quite literally:


Liam spent a good part of the morning working on his slapshot. Are you curious where the bucket went? It's now serving a more traditional purpose in the backyard sandbox so we've introduced some new equipment to compensate - gloves! He still asks about his helmet though....


Sarah is doing her best to cut her first tooth. It is so close and at times she is completely frantic about it. Just a warning....don't let your nose get too close to her face or she WILL attack with those slobbery (and surprisingly strong) gums!


Liam loaded up his bus (or "bap" as he prefers) with some passengers and gave them a guided tour of the living room...




Just to be clear, that is not Sarah in the back of the bus! While doing the nightly toy round-up I have found that baby doll in some strange places (under blankets, in the recycling bin) and the blue eyes fool me for a split second every time. Should have found a doll with a little less resemblance to the real baby of the house!


Chatting with Grandma about upcoming birthday celebrations....


These two are becoming more inseparable every day....

Strawberry Fields Forever....

The local u-pick strawberry fields opened today and Liam was there to secure the very best of this season's crop!
He hopped in a wagon and headed out to the fields...

Picked a few strawberries....


Spent some time on quality control.....


....a role he obviously took to heart!


There was a bumper crop of rocks, so he picked a few of those too. They are his favorite, after all.


He trucked that wagon all over in search of the very best berries....


...think he found a good patch over there!


And what is a trip to the farm without checking in on some barnyard friends?




Today's snack: fresh peas and a very LARGE blackberry slushee. Mmmmm, thanks Grandma! :)



And here is Strawberry Shortcake, once again enjoying being along for the ride!


Now....what to do with all those strawberries?!

Must Meet Height Requirement to Ride...

....deck chairs?


Thanks to Monika for catching this photo...while Matt caught Liam! :)

School's Out For Summer

By "school" I mean the spring session of "Silly Circle Time" that Liam and I have been participating in at the local rec centre. I've heard a few moms grumble about the mandatory parent participation in the under-2 programs, but I have really enjoyed watching Liam become more engaged in the activities over the past few months.
The format is always the same: craft, free play (this is when Liam hugs all the kids), parachute, music, sticker time. A creature of habit, he walks into the classroom and heads to exactly the same chair every week and gets started on the craft project right away. He is always the last one to finish with the glue and stickers and we usually have to drag him away from the crafts to make room for the next group activity. He is definitely my kid!



Most of the kids don't understand the marching band concept yet, and Liam is no exception. They're on board with the music and noise.....but marching at the same time adds a complicating factor!


At the beginning of the program Liam was content to sit in my lap and help to wave the parachute but the last few weeks he has been the first one to rush under there.


Sarah's usually content to observe all the fun but she has been known to get her hands (and mouth!) on that parachute too!


In other news.....both kids have embarked on an anti-sock campaign today. I keep putting them on - they keep taking them off. I think they're going to win.


But Liam has taken it one step further. While changing Sarah I could hear Liam rustling around in his room...I came in to find him undressing and attempting to replace his t-shirt with a pair of swim trunks on his arms. We compromised: I helped him put the trunks on the bottom and he chose a "coordinating" top:


I wonder what they'll have in store for me after naptime....

At Last!

This weekend we packed up the family and headed north to celebrate the marriage of my dear and longtime friend, Merran, and her dear and longtime love, Roy!
The adventure started out with a ferry ride, much to Liam's (windswept) delight.


Don't be misled by my Backpacking-Through-Europe look...it was only a 40 minute ride. We just like to be prepared. For anything.


This expression signifies some interesting noises below the main deck....


The wedding was too beautiful for words, but a picture of the happy couple begins to tell the story...


Congratulations Merran and Roy - love you so much!
This one's for my girls....


And a special shout-out to Monika for being a mommy stand-in and helping Matt out with the kids while I spent the day on bridesmaid duty instead of diaper duty....ie. being beautified at the spa and keeping the company of the lovely bride. I definitely enjoyed filling a more glamorous role for a day!


And in a rare opportunity for a family shot in which we are all clean at the same time....the kids weren't at their most cooperative. But we're all clean. At the same time!


Of course no vacation of Liam's would be complete without tossing some rocks into water, so we made sure to check that off our list before heading back home....