Happy Halloween!

Mojo did his best to fill the roll of Superman's sidekick, but it looks like there's only room for one Super Hero in this house.



Turn in your cape Mojo....



There, that's better....

Let's hear it for SUPERMAN!

Okay, I know Halloween is still another day away, but I just couldn't keep all this cute to myself. So here's a little preview of the Super Hero disguise Liam will be charming our neighbors with tomorrow night. Mommy's hoping for a good haul of Coffee Crisp. And maybe a Kit Kat or two.

First up: The infamous "Superman" pose. Not sure why he does this on cue or how he learned it, but it is the inspiration for this year's costume. And he rocks it every time.

Ready for his close-up:


Milk. It does a body good. Even if you're a Super Hero out for a walk with Mommy.


Flight Practice:
Break Time:
Off to Save The Day:


Every Super Hero needs a sidekick....stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Pants. Who needs 'em?

They say you learn something new every day. In Liam's case the lesson du jour is this: how to remove his own pants. And really, once you possess that kind of knowledge, why WOULD you continue to wear such a restrictive garment?

I'm not looking forward to the day he figures out diaper tabs and I find one of those discarded on the floor in a similar way:

Hello Tuesday

First, Liam would like to give a big Happy Birthday shout out to Uncle Mike! Actually, he'd like to get his mouth on the camera because he is teething something fierce. Hence, the spooky close up. I think he would make a good Dracula for Halloween this year.....

In between gnawing on the crib, the high chair table, my shoulder and anything else he can sink those gums into (OUCH!), Liam likes to spend time with his tub of raisins. Give him a few raisins to snack on and it's no big deal. But give him the tub and he will sit wherever you put him and nibble quietly and contently for a surprisingly long time. And he will inspect each raisin as you see him doing here. Needless to say, we are going through raisins at an alarming rate.

Today is another beautiful day so before heading out to do some errands we enjoyed a little trip to the park. It seems that the rate that Liam gets FASTER on the playground is proportionate to the rate I am getting SLOWER at trying to keep up with him. I'm feeling a little cumbersome these days, especially when I'm trying to block all open sides on the climbing apparatus. Looking for the silver lining: at least I have more surface area?!

After some swinging and climbing we switched to something a little more my speed for the way home: leaf stomping! The kid's a natural. And don't these two pictures together make it look like his legs are on backwards?

Babies + Pumpkins = A Farm Full of Cute

It was another weekend full of adventure for Liam - from the world of competitive sport to some down home country time on the farm.
We'll start with the sports. Aunt B (sorry Bridge, it's kind of stuck!) was in town for part of the weekend and after a fun visit on Friday night she took Liam and Matt to the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup on Saturday. (I was somewhere with a little more glitter, a little less ice.) Liam looks like he's ready to cheer on Team Canada in 2010....if we decide to take on a second mortgage for some tickets, that is.A look at some of the action....

On Sunday we switched gears and trooped out to a pumpkin farm to snuggle up with some baby animals and climb around on some gourds. Liam was highly entertained by both activities.


Liam took a special liking to the smallest goat in the petting farm. After a hug the goat took off....and Liam chased him around the pen squealing like a piglet. (Liam was the one doing the squealing.)

Still chasing the goat....

Another victim...
My very talented hubby was behind the camera this weekend. He has a much more discriminating eye for photos than I do....ie. they don't ALL have Liam's spacey-tooth smile in them. In spite of that, they turned out so well I just have to share a few here. But don't worry, I'll be back with more Liam-centric photos tomorrow!

Things that are making me smile today....

...and that I have pictures of. :)

1. Liam loves to read. But he loves puppies even more. So his favorite books are ones with puppies and especially the one with a soft, furry eared puppy. They like to cuddle.
2. This kid will never shy away from an obstacle. Now that doors are considered obsolete technology Liam figures it's time to crack the code of the safety gate system. I peeked around the corner this morning to find this:
   
   It's only a matter of time....
3. Doodlebops. Usually good for 10 minutes of entertainment for Liam. I could use this time wisely and clean the kitchen, but it's way more fun to watch him dance along with "Let's Get on the Bus."Okay, maybe I dance a little too.
   
4. A perfect fall day.
   
5. Sunglasses have made it onto Liam's "I Will Tolerate This" list. A very good thing considering the sun in his eyes usually makes him very irritable. And sneezy. Go figure.
   
6. More of that determination. And from the looks of things it's time for Mommy to go shopping for some longer jeans.
   
7. A really huge leaf.
   
8. Fun mail. Like these bunny slippers I had my eyes on and then ordered for our little girl as soon as we knew she was a she. Footwear just doesn't get cuter than this. I like knowing these little slippers may be the first thing to cover her tiny toes. Other than kisses, of course!
   
9. Speaking of our little girl....I think she likes the slippers too.
   
10. Liam stuffing pumpkins to hang on the trees outside. I'm a sucker for arts & crafts! The best part of this (in Liam's mind) was that the recycling truck came by just as we were hanging the pumpkins. As usual Liam was very excited to see the crew and waved at them with every pick up. They waved back, and now I'm not sure who is the bigger fan!
    
11. Last but not least....Celine Dion! A fun night out courtesy of my bff Monika last night and a chance to belt out the infamous "BABY, BABY, BABY!" along with the diva herself. Celine, not Monika - heehee. Here is that exact moment immortalized.

Then and Now

One year ago today this cutie posed for me in a laundry basket. He was propped up with pillows and a duvet so he wouldn't tip over and he let me snap away......

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. I sucessfuly bribed him with a lemon wafer to sit still for 1/25 of a second. Still blurry, so apparently I need to be even faster than that. Or find better cookies.

Soygurt, Puppy Love and My New Career as a Swimsuit Model

It's always an exciting time around here when we find a new "safe food" to add to Liam's repertoire. Anything that doesn't cause itching, hives or a dash to the emergency room qualifies. So we are happy to report Liam's first safe dairy item other than $30/can formula: Soygurt! Mmmmm. Fortunately he's on board but only if he can feed himself.....
Well, it's been a long time coming but Mojo seems to have resigned himself to Liam's presence. In fact, I'd almost say he is enjoying the showering of kisses that Liam bestows on him each day. He could probably do without the crowded-into-a-corner head-lock hugs but hey, it's a start! The only trouble is, as soon as this duo spots me with a camera the love fest is over. So this sneaky shot is my only proof of their new bond...at least for now. :)

And finally, my new career as a swimsuit model. Did you read the rest or just scroll down to this part? :) Well, it might not be quite as glamorous as that. In fact I'm sure it had more to do with Liam's adorableness than mine. But we looked outside at the rain and drizzle this morning and thought it would be way more fun to get wet at the swimming pool than by walking a few metres outside our front door. And while we were splashing about, just being our naturally photogenic selves (wink) we were "scouted" by a photographer and an employee of the city and asked to model for some photos to be used in the city's leisure guide or other promotional material. The whole situation seemed a bit ridiculous to me...anyone who knows me at all would never guess that I would
a) agree to be photographed in a swimsuit of any kind, ESPECIALLY an oh-so-flattering (uh, no) maternity suit, and
b) would appear to be comfortable and enjoying myself in the water. With a slippery baby.
But that's how it went down! We hammed it up for the photographer, splashed in the water, played with a watering can (Liam's idea - the camera loves that kid) and then Liam topped it all off by floating around on a little raft. There was fancy lighting and "extras" in some shots to make it look natural. And we were paid in swim passes. (I love that.) What did YOU do this morning? :)