Fun times in February

February was a fun and exciting month. Valentine's day saw Joel painting Valentine's for his Grandparents and getting Valentines himself - celebrating another Chinese New Year - welcoming Grandpa Kai back from Hong Kong - and general mega fun times for him as he gets more confident with his ability to walk...or often now - Run.

Family fun

Love is in the air...actually that's probably just paint that Joel's trying to feed the dog. One of the things that he is starting to really like is drawing and colouring. We gave him the chance to make some Valentines and he loved it. 

Here's the result:

And here is the creative process that Joel followed:

First remove all non-essential clothing

Cover entire hand in paint to ensure maximum coverage 

Finally sample the finger paint to verify quality of materials

To celebrate Valentines day Joel got a visit from his Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jack! They brought him all sorts of great things, including a Valentine that sings! ...yes, thank you for the Valentine that sings the 30 second song whenever he presses the button.

Joel and his mudder looking at his Valenting SWAG

(and yes, that's how swag should be used kids. We had it first)

Showing his classic generosity - Joel loves to share

Grandpa Kai took a whirlwind trip to Hong Kong to see family during Chinese New Year. He was gone for almost two weeks, but definitely was in Joel's good books since he came back with a toy helicopter from Great-Grandma Chan!

Grandpa Kai showing Joel how to play with the new toy

The helicopter is one of Joel's favourite toys now. 

It makes lots of great noises

Joel is becoming very active and mobile now. He loves to run around and help out as much as possible! Whether it's emptying the fridge of all the food for you, emptying the cupboard of all the pots and pans, or putting lots of stuff in the garbage - he's always looking out for you.

Out and about

Luckily the month wasn't too cold out so we were able to get out of the house fairly often. We also were able to really put the sled to good use! The one thing that we know about Joel is that he has a need for speed and thrills. If there is a chance for him to go fast - he'll take it. Often his legs can't keep up with how fast his mind wants him to go, but between both of his parents we are able to corral him effectively. 

About to go out for an adventure

In his sled and dressed warm in the Peru jacket 

he got from his Uncle Justin

Moose and his best bud...well, at least when Joel has treats

Hello~ everybody!

Maybe it's because it's the same height as Joel, 

but he loves this thing at the Market Mall playplace

Bean bags. Yes they ARE awesome Joel. 

Libraries are getting better all the time. 

Sailing the seas in Northland Mall with First Mate Tigger

Learning about the world includes 

many trips to the hardware store

Salad for EVERYONE!

Joel taking control and feeding himself

Winter indoors

It has been a cold past couple of weeks, so we have been a little bit stir crazy in the house. We can't help but look forward to Summer so we've been working on Soccer skills and in prep for a rousing round of hide-and-seek we've been brushing up on our peekaboo skills as well. 

Enjoy

Baby Giggles

Sometimes the best thing for having to go back to work is simply baby laughs.

Enjoy...Joel sure did!

New Year's Resolutions

Well Joel, Let me introduce you to a shining example of a New Year's Resolution. There has been a small gap in the blog postings <cough><cough> July...<ahem>

...A New Year's Resolution is when you realize that you're not doing something as well as you had hoped so you commit to doing it better in the new year. So I'm resolving to post more often so that we can see you and your upcoming brother /  sister.

So let's take a look back at how your Christmas was this year and the fun that you had with your family!

Here you are ready for a delicious Chinese Christmas dinner 

that your Grandma Lil made for everyone

Your extended family came too for dinner!

L-R: Brock, Taylor, Aunt Aleeta, Grandma Lil,

Grandpa Jack, Aunt Anne, Uncle Frank

Christmas morning and Santa's Moose met you in the morning

You were spoiled this holiday 

- and we loved every minute of it

Grandma and Grandpa came over to see you open your gifts

Even Young-Oong was having fun 

One of your favourite presents this Christmas was the 

bath time penguin from Uncle Bill, Aunt Jen and Katie

So many great things - your mom was thrilled that you 

finally had some dolls...time to get you some Action Figures!

Thankfully there was a rock guitar to balance things out!

This is pic 3 / 12...Joel...you did like to squirm!

(your mom will probably hate this pic, but Merry Christmas 

at Grandma and Grandpa Lough's)

Digging in for dinner! 

(odd that you're the only one looking at the camera!)

Mr Entertainer

This is when I realized that we 

could have just bought you a box

So much fun with your Grandpa too

You had a great dinner with everyone. Your favourite was the turkey

It was a great Christmas with lots of great memories made. We loved that you were able to share it with us and really experience it. We look forward to many many more!

7 month adventures - Hawaii!

Joel, your mom and I thought about when it was that we were able to go on our first flights. I was two when I went out to BC to visit family, your mom was just over a year when she went to Hong Kong - and you have us both beat - you're an international traveler at 7 months!

Aloha Joel!

Where else in the world is better than Hawaii for a first trip abroad? I don't think that anyone will disagree that if you're going to spend some time in Paradise - Honolulu, Hawaii fits the bill.

Hawaii was incredibly hot. We only were able to stay for 5 days and the time with you just flew by. We had a great time though and you had some adventures too. Most of the time it was too hot for us to go out with you during the day, but in the morning and the evening your mom and I would take you to the beach or walk through some of the markets that had air conditioning. We did try to take you to a brunch, but you definitely let us know that it was too hot. :) 

So what was it that took us to Hawaii? Well your Uncle Byron and Auntie Diane got married. It was a wonderful wedding that brought everyone together to spend time and celebrate with them. They were married at the Ihilani Ko Olina resort next to the ocean. It was very pretty and we made sure that you were dressed up for the occasion. 

Dapper to say the least

 

Vows

Auntie Mellie, Tyson, and your mom

Uncle Byron & Auntie Diane

The wedding was great but we also had fun exploring the island and spending time with your Uncle Justin. He spent a lot of great time with us taking photos and relaxing in the apartment that we rented. We had a lot of space to relax and enjoy our days while we waited out the heat. You really liked the balcony and being able to watch the ocean. 

Enjoying the balcony with Uncle Justin

Om-nom-nom - delicious teething ring

No bathtub in the apt? No problem!

Always take a picture here - VERY happy that you're in it

Playing in the sand

Family walk in the morning

First steps in the Pacific Ocean

Just chilling in the sun

A favourite spot of yours

It was an awesome trip and it gave us all great practice for travelling as a family on the plane. We loved being able to share the trip with you and explore a new part of the world for you. 

We can't wait for the next adventure!