Heinrichs Family

Alice Lake Camping - 2011

2011-08-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of August we headed up to Alice Lake for another four night camping adventure. We met up with Carly, Grady and Mary and spent a couple of days camping together. The weather was beautifully sunny. We spent a lot of time down at the beach, but because of the mid-morning wind (we're talking gale force), swimming was brief. The kids loved the new playground, and James in particular loved the new bike park. I believe we averaged 4 trips to the park per day. Thankfully it was fairly close by. We had a wonderful time. Easy to do when you are in such good company!

Camping - Hicks Lake

2011-07-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

We just arrived home from a short camping trip to Hicks Lake near Harrison Hot Springs. Our first 3 days were cool. It rained on Tuesday, so we packed the boys up and headed into Harrison to warm up in the hot springs. Those first three days were primarily spent riding bikes, exploring in the campsite, eating s-mores and sitting around the campfire. On Thursday the sun decided to show it's face and we had a day at the beach. It was nice for the boys to play in the sand. Ben liked it so much, he decided to eat it (discovering it is not tasty.) Today we packed up and headed home. Overall, it was a very fun trip.

Race Night

2011-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights is race night at the BMX track in Pitt Meadows. James has been racing half the track for the past 3 weeks. As you can see from the video, he has a great time. Ben has started to love his bike, and this week couldn't get enough of riding the bumps and watching the big kids whiz by.

Blastball & More

2011-07-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

James played blastball (t-ball) this spring with Coquitlam Little League. They practiced on Tuesday nights and practiced and played a game on Thursday nights. Rob helped out with coaching and they both really enjoyed the season.

I also added in some cute photos of Ben and Sam! Ben makes us laugh everyday! He is such a funny little guy and seems to be thoroughly enjoying life as a 2 year old. Sam is 3 months old now and is the easiest, happiest little baby! He smiles and coos at us whenever he's awake and days seem to go by without us even hearing a cry form him.

On Canada Day we had a little block party with our neighbours. We are so lucky to have such fantastic neighbours and so many families with young kids in our complex!

We are really looking forward to the summer ahead and hope to do some camping later in July.

Mom & Dad's 60th

2011-07-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad both turned 60 this year! To celebrate, they had a 60s/70s themed part at the West Van Yacht Club a few weeks ago. Everybody had a great time and the costumes were great!

Ben's 2nd Birthday

2011-05-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ben's 2nd birthday on Saturday. We planned an outside party at Rocky Point but had to relocate to our house because of the rain. It was a busy scene with all of us at our place! It ended up working out pretty well despite having ten kids 5 and under as well as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We moved things along fairly quickly from presents to lunch to cake and everybody was on their way home by 1:00. We enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon and evening to end the day. Ben had a great time and is quite proud of his 2 year old self. He loves showing off his number 2 shirt! For the past couple of weeks James has been saying that he can't wait until Ben turns two and "he can play with me". We've been trying to explain that growing doesn't really work that way but I don't think he's really got it yet considering his statement today that "Ben doesn't really look any different to me".

More of Sam's 1st Day

2011-04-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Samuel John Heinrichs

2011-04-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

After 41 weeks, Sam decided to arrive this morning at 2:14am. Labour started at about 9:00 and went smoothly. Sam beat both of his older brothers in weight and length, weighing in at 11 lbs 3 oz and measuring of 22 1/4 inches in length. We were able to get a little sleep after he was born and before the big brothers woke up. All is well and we are looking forward to a few visitors today!

Ben's Big Boy Bed

2011-03-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

Ben joined James this weekend in the "bog boy room". We tried him at nap time on Saturday afternoon and after about 15 minutes of crying/complaining he fell asleep and slept his regular 2.5 - 3 hours. When bed time came around we told Ben that he was going to sleep in his "big boy bed" again and he seemed to want to so we put him and James to bed together at about 7:30. James was so excited to have Ben on the bottom bunk! We had been talking about it with him a lot so he was excited that the time had finally arrived for Ben to join him.

Ben was a bit teary again when we left the room but it only lasted for about 30 seconds before he was quiet. I really thought I would be up with him at least once in the night. I thought he would probably wake up and be disoriented and start crying but, thankfully, he didn't. Both boys slept until 7:00am! With only 4 weeks to go until baby #3 is due, we're so happy that the move has gone so well. Ben has now had 4 naps and 3 nights in his new bed and seems to be just fine. Hopefully it will continue well and he'll enjoy the new bedtime routine.

Rob took a couple of pictures on Sunday morning after Ben's first night in the new bed and I took some more today after nap time. I got a couple pictures of Ben while he was still sleeping when James and I went to get him at 4:00. I had put him down at 12:45 so I was surprised he was still fast asleep!

Next on the list of things to do before baby arrives: bringing all the cute, tiny, newborn things down from the attic!

February Festivities

2011-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my 31st birthday this month by having the Heinrichs side of the family over to our house last week for dinner. It was fun to have the cousins all together again! They really seem to get excited about seeing each other and playing together now that they're getting older. They all enjoyed their Valentine treats from Oma & Opa after dinner!

On Sunday, Carly had my side of the family over for a wonderful roast beef dinner (Yorkshire pudding included) and a homemade chocolate gnash cake. Thanks Carl!

On Valentine's Day, James had a dance-a-thon at preschool to raise money for World Vision (or in his words "for the children with the skinny arms and dirty water").

Today we went for a beautiful walk along the Pit River in PoCo. It's one of our favourite places to enjoy the sunshine on a winter's day. Bonus: unofficial off-leash dog walk!

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

We heard sounds at about 5:45 but Rob got up and told James he had to go back to bed for awhile. Just before 7:00, Rob got up and went downstairs to put breakfast in the oven and get things ready. As soon as James heard Rob, he got up and came to cuddle with me. He told me " Mom, you know it's really hard for kids to sleep when it's Christmas. I tried to close my eyes but they kept sticking open." He followed with "Mom, I'm extremely excited because of presents", after a small pause he dutifully added in "and because it's Jesus' birthday".

We opened presents, had breakfast and played. Around noon, Ben went down for his nap after which we went over to Mom & Dad Heinrichs' for Christmas dinner. It was fun to celebrate with all the Heinrichs cousins together. Before opening presents, Steve played guitar and we sang some Christmas songs while the cousins danced up a storm. At dinner we actually all sat down at the same time with the six cousins under six . Next year may be a different story as two new ones will be added to the bunch!

On Boxing Day we went out to Rudy & Lauren's in Chilliwack and had a fun time with the Sas side of the family. For the third night in a row, the kids went to sleep at someone else's house and we got home after midnight. As I tucked James in last night, he laid there with his eyes closed and a smile on his face and said to me "Mom, we have such a nice house".

Today we're at home enjoying a "nothing" day and the boys are loving it. Tomorrow, we're off to Mom & Dad's for our Ewens Christmas dinner.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we went to Carly & Grady's church, St. TImothy's, in North Van for their Christmas Eve service. Afterwards, we went to their house for the rest of the evening and celebrated Dad's 60th birthday.

Stanley Park Christmas Train

2010-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday we rode the Christmas Train in Stanley Park with Mom & Dad Heinrichs and Abby, Mom & Dad Ewens, Carly, Grady & Mary. We lucked out and got a dry night. It was really busy but the kids had a great time on the ride.

Christmas Time is Here

2010-12-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas holidays are here! James had his last day of preschool today. After weeks of practicing, he and all his 4 year old friends put on a very cute little production of the Christmas story. James was Joseph and his friend Chloe was Mary. Everyone had a line to say and they also sang Christmas songs throughout the play. All the kids did such a great job! What a lot of work for Teacher Marzena & Teacher Sylvia!

Unfortunately, Rob is having knee surgery today and couldn't come to watch. I just spoke with him and he's finally being prepped to go in. When he got to the hospital this morning, they told him that he might not even get in for his scheduled surgery today, so we're thankful that it looks like everything is going ahead. We 're hoping recovery is quick and goes well!

Snowy Day

2010-11-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

We were out before 9:00 this morning playing in the snow! The boys were really excited to get outside and I figured we better get out there before the rain set in. We stayed out for about an hour before coming in for hot chocolate and a snack.

After that we were off to the mall for a picture with Santa. James has always been a big fan of Santa, Ben, not so much. This year was the first time I had to sit in on the picture. Ben tolerated the situation as long as he didn't have to look at Santa or talk to him. It should be fun trying to get 3 of them in the picture next year!

Em joined us for lunch and took care of the boys for the afternoon while I picked up an afternoon of TOCing for one of my PE buddies back at my old school Heritage Woods Sec. It's really entertaining to watch kids play lacrosse in the snow!

Heinrichs Baby #3

2010-11-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

I went for my 20 week ultrasound this afternoon and everything looks great! Baby is about 15 cm (head to rump) at this point. The technician told me that the length of it's foot is about the same as the length of it's femur right now! Baby should be arriving in early April.

Hallowe'en Fun

2010-11-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late with these but I still wanted to post them because Ben was so cute in his chicken costume!

We had a great Hallowe'en, kicking it off the Sunday before at Mom & Dad's with the Heinrichs/Buhler cousins in their costumes. Mary & Ben almost looked like twins!

For Hallowe'en, Mom & Dad H. came over to do our door while we went out with the kids. We collected food for the food bank while we trick or treated as a part of Free the Children's Hallowe'en For Hunger campaign. It was a great success!

Monster Mash

2010-10-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Ellison Camping Trip

2010-08-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

We spent a week camping near Vernon at Ellison Provincial Park. We had never been there before but it looked great and it was. We will definitely be returning to Ellison. It was a nice campground with lots of shade, a shower building, a playground, and about a 15 min. walk down to the beach. The campground sits on some bluffs just above Okanagan Lake. There were two great beaches, one was for families with dogs so it was great to be able to go to the beach with Montana too. The beaches were both beautiful and the water temp was great. On our first night there, our friends Bruce and Gin came for a visit with their two kids Josh and Anna. The next day, Mom and Dad joined us for 4 nights. We took a couple of day trips from the campsite. We went to Davison Orchards one morning to see the farm and get some fresh produce and ice cream of course. Another day, we went to our favourite beach in Vernon. Bruce and Gin took us there a few years ago when we visited. It's called Juniper Beach and it's in another provincial park on Kalamalka Lake. There's a family photo of us in the water when we were at Juniper. We had a great week and the boys really enjoyed camping again, plus nobody fell out of the tent trailer!

Oliver Turns Two!

2010-08-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

We went out to Chilliwack last night to celebrate Oliver's 2nd birthday. It was the first birthday even in a long time where the whole Heinrichs family was there!

Osoyoos & Manning Park

2010-07-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

MANNING PARK

OSOYOOS

Last Sunday we left for our first camping trip of the summer. We went to Osoyoos and stayed at the Nk'mip RV Park for 4 nights and then at Manning Provincial Park for 2 nights. The difference between our two locations was like night and day!

We were packed in like sardines at Nk'mip! It was like we had been plunked into a completely different culture. There were Chevy trucks and boat trailers everywhere! The music was pumping, the boats & Seadoos were roaring, and the alcohol was flowing freely! Our site was technically a "tenting" site so with fewer RVs surrounding us, it seemed like we had a little more space. However, our site was situated at the top of a 20 foot retaining wall which meant we had to keep a pretty close eye on the boys. Thankfully, we spent the majority of the day at Mom & Dad's motel beach. Dave, Andrea & Oliver were up there at the same time and they had lucked out and got a site at Haynes Provincial Campground. We went there for a campfire and s'mores one morning and it was soooo nice compared to ours! Despite our camping situation, we had a really fun time playing at the beach and spending time with Rob's parents and brothers. After moving from Granisle to Maple Ridge earlier in the week, Steve came up to Osoyoos with Abby so the cousins had fun playing together. On one of our nights there, Opa Henry treated us all to dinner at a wonderful new restaurant and then Mom & Dad Heinrichs treated us all to gelato afterwards. Thanks Mom, Dad & Opa Henry!

Sleeping in the tent trailer this year was a little more eventful than last year when Ben didn't move around yet. When they went to bed, Ben kept attacking James with his stuffed horsey. He was having a great time but James was trying to go to sleep. We ended up barricading Ben with our bags and things went much better until our last night in Osoyoos. In the middle of the night Rob and I woke up to Ben crying. I went over to get him and he wasn't there! I ran outside and sure enough, he had slipped in between the canvas and the mattress and fallen out of the tent trailer! We had no idea that there was a space big enough for him to fit through. Thankfully, he survived the fall and didn't hit the propane tank or start rolling down the cliff after he fell. He didn't have a scratch on him and after a few wimpy cries, he fell asleep in my arms while I sat at the picnic table. Needless to say, Rob and I did not sleep very well for the rest of the night. We kept thinking about what could have happened and if Ben was actually OK or if we would notice something in the morning. He ended up being just fine and was back playing at the beach the next morning with Oma & Opa while Rob and I packed up our camp.

It was so peaceful wen we arrived at our site in Manning. Manning is our favourite park and this was the first time we took the boys there. We were so lucky to get there on the last night before the province-wide campfire ban. We bought some wood and had a campfire all evening long as well as the next morning. The temperature dropped to about 8 degrees at night so we were all bundled up in the evening and for sleeping. On Friday, we drove up Blackwall Mountain and hiked a 5 km loop with the boys. It was a beautiful day and nice and warm in the sun but not too warm. When we got back down, we went to the beach and took them to Rainbow Bridge. James wanted to see me and Rob jump off. How could we resist! Ben was so burnt out by the end of the day, he was in bed by 6:30! (We now had him in the playpen on the folded-down table in the tent trailer. We all slept much better).

We got home yesterday afternoon at a about 2:30 and had a lady and her son come by and buy a bike about 15 minutes later! We still hadn't lifted the trailer up yet when she arrived and I had to pull James' bike out of the little door so her son could give it a try. We proceeded to sell 3 more bikes that afternoon and now have a handful of other orders to deal with this week.

We're enjoying some quiet time right now as both the boys are napping this afternoon. Mom and Dad are coming over for dinner tonight and to return our furry little girl who couldn't join us on our trip because Osoyoos would have been much too hot for her. Carl, Grade, Mare, & Em are coming too. Everything we're having for dinner I picked up at the Coquitlam Farmer's Market this morning. BBQ roast from Redle Farms (http://www.redlbeef.ca/), new potatoes, green beans and Myrna's salad. Mmmmm, can't wait!

Last Day of Preschool

2010-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

James finished his 1st year of preschool yesterday. Wow, the year sure went quickly! To end the year, we had a picnic at Rocky Point Park with his preschool class. Oma had the morning off from work so she came to join us for a bit before heading back to school. James will be back at Wind & Tide next year for the 4 year old class every Mon./Wed./Fri. but we're really looking forward to our summer off. Every morning he asks how many more days of school Daddy has. Three more after today!

Cousins

2010-06-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Abby is here for her first overnight stay at our house tonight. She is almost 5 and is James' older cousin. Abby is Rob's brother's eldest daughter. Steve and Ann have two younger ones as well - Aiden who is 2 and Isabelle who is 18 months. They are both at Oma & Opa's this weekend while Steve & Ann are attending a conference in Oregon. We were lucky enough to get Abby for a night before she goes to Oma & Opa's tomorrow evening!

We had a really fun day today playing outside. We rode bikes down the trail to the creek where Abby & James were "explorers" searching for salmonberries. Abby kept coming back to the beach with handfuls of berries to share while James came back empty handed because he gobbled them up as he found them! Later in the afternoon, we went down to Rocky Point to have a play at the park and fish & chips for dinner. Mom & Em joined us for our picnic. James & Abby ran and played so much that they were exhausted by the time we got to the end of the pier.

When we got home, all three kids went right into the bathtub and then into bed after a story. James is on the top bunk and Abby's on the bottom. All is quiet. I hope it lasts the whole night! Abby says she waked up at 7:00am. I guess we'll see how accurate she is in the morning. I would love it if everybody slept until 7:00am!

Tomorrow, we'll play inside or around the complex while Ben has his morning nap and then we'll head out to Lafarge Lake and Town Centre Park for some outside time. At least that's the plan. I hope we have nice weather tomorrow.

Abby has been such a delight to have over. She and James have been playing so well together and she loves to help out with Ben too. We are looking forward to seeing more of Abby (and Aiden & Isabelle too) when they move to the lower mainland this summer!

James Update: After 6 and 1/2 weeks in a cast, James got his it off on Tuesday. He did really well and started using his arm a lot by the end of the day. It still looked a little strange because of all the dry skin and the two prominent bumps, one near his wrist and one at his elbow, caused by the end of the wires pushing up against his skin. On Friday morning I took him to Royal Columbian for day surgery to get the wires removed from his arm. He had to be admitted to pediatrics again and then fully sedated and intubated but it all went really smoothly. We had to be at the hospital at 6:00am for his 7:45 surgery but we were out of there by noon because he made such a great recovery. The first thing he said to me when I met him in recovery was "Hey Mom, you don't have 3 eyes". He was a real trooper this time and didn't even shed a tear when they rolled him away into the OR without me. He said it didn't even hurt to get the IV because he got to breath the special "strawberry air"! So cute! Not cute enough to want to experience again though. I am praying for a broken-bone-free summer.

Ready for Running!

2010-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Ben got another birthday present this morning. A new track suit from my running ladies!. Thank you so much ladies! He's ready for the track!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2010-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Ben's 1st birthday and we had the family over to celebrate. It was so nice and warm, we enjoyed the patio for the first time this spring.

Before Mom & Dad Heinrichs left for Europe, they came over one evening to bring Ben his birthday present.

Broken Bones Again :(

2010-04-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

James broke his arm again on Saturday night. He broke it originally 6 weeks ago and had a cast for 3 weeks. The specialist told us that about 5% of the time kids re-break a previous fracture and that's exactly what happened.

We were getting ready for bed and James turned to run from Ben's room to his when he fell landing on his left arm. His arm was again obviously broken and he was in hysterics this time because he knew exactly what was going to happen next. I still had to nurse Ben so Rob took him this time.

He was casted at Eagle Ridge, came home for the night and then sent to RCH the next morning to be reassessed for possible surgery. On Sunday morning he was admitted and then we waited until about 12:00 before we found out they wouldn't be able to squeeze him in that afternoon. We went home for the night on a "day" pass and got back there this morning at 7:00am. At about 11:00, he was taken down to the OR for the procedure. They wanted to attempt to reduce the fracture without surgery but weren't able to so they ended up inserting a wire into each bone. He's in a splint cast for now and will be re-casted in 2 weeks. He'll probably be put into a fibreglass cast for another 6 weeks until the wires are removed during a day surgery.

James is doing well but I expect the next few night will pretty rough. For the past two mornings James has had to fast until we got word on his surgery so tonight he was so excited about being able to have breakfast tomorrow morning!

Broken Bones No More!

2010-04-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

James bones have healed well and he got to have his cast taken off this afternoon. He said "I'm not too sure about this Mom" as we were walking into the casting room but everything went well. I' think he'll still be favouring his arm for awhile but he said, as we were pulling into the driveway, "I can wrestle Dad now!".

Easter

2010-04-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from this weekend. We hosted dinner on Saturday night and went to Mom & Dad's on Sunday night. Spring break is over:( Three months until summer!

Vancouver Aquarium

2010-03-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

We're enjoying a relaxing Spring Break with Rob home. Today we went to the Aquarium and enjoyed the sunshine in Stanley Park.

Surprise - New Cast!

2010-03-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

The old cast was too loose so we got a new one today - a surprise for both James & myself. Our x-ray & specialist appointments turned into a 3 hour affair. I would have arranged for someone to babysit Ben if I knew a recast was a possibility. Thankfully he's so amused by people lately, he didn't fuss until the doctor started sawing the cast off (he's not a fan of unidentified noises and it was well past his dinner time). Unfortunately for poor little James, the recasting was not pain free. After putting on the new cast, the doctor had to mould it to his arm and correct the bone sag by applying a lot of pressure. There were a few tears but the promise of a hot chocolate after did wonders. At our next appointment, two weeks from today, the cast is supposed to come off for good!

The pictures I posted include one of our sunny day picnic lunches, James & Rob's Giants' game on Friday night, Carly's birthday, and today's new cast with James' "get well soon" cards.

Kite Day

2010-03-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

We went to preschool today for the first time since the broken arm. James fell twice but we survived and he enjoyed the day. Some of the little girls were quite concerned about his cast and worried about him hurting himself. It was James' show-and-tell day today so he got to show off his cast when they got back to school.

Broken Bones Update

2010-03-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Good news today! We visited the specialist and found out James bones reset well and he doesn't need surgery. We'll be going back for weekly x-rays and the doctor says that because he's so young, he only needs the cast for 3 weeks! This means that he won't be getting a waterproof fibreglass cast because it's not worth the trauma of removing the plaster one next week for such a short time. The doctor also said he might give James a partial cast for an extra week after removing the one he has now (he said he usually does for the little boys).

Check out the previous post if you missed the story.

Broken Bones

2010-03-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a week. We've all been suffering through the stages of whatever cold/flu thing has been going around. Ben suffered most, hands down. I was soaked by unpredictable projectile baby vomit 4 times this week. James never threw up until this year so baby vomit was a completely new experience for me. After 4 days, his fever finally broke and he now seems to be back on the road to normal Ben. This brings us to last night.

Dinner done, baby in Bed, a relaxing evening ahead of us......or so we thought. Rob, James and I were all on the floor of the living room talking and playing. As Rob and I were talking, James got up and walked away. Rob was lying on his side on the floor. James walked up to him and attempted a two foot jump over his Dad. Rob wasn't looking, and neither was I. Needles to say, James failed to land his jump. I heard two cracks and then the scream. There were no protruding bones but the slight "V" shape to James' forearm made it pretty clear that we needed to get him to Emergency. James stopped crying pretty quick, he's made much more of a fuss over knee scrapes in the past. We gave him tylenol, loaded him into the van, and I took him to Eagle Ridge Hospital.

We punched in at 6:44 but waited for an hour before we actually spoke to the triage nurse and then went to registration. We were seated down the hall to wait our turn for x-rays. Our turn couldn't come soon enough as the very large lady beside us with a festering leg infection swore up a blue streak about getting home to her precious cat Fluffy after 7 hours in the ER. Sometime after 9:00 James got his x-rays. The technician couldn't believe James' demeanor after he saw the picture of his broken radius and ulna. He said the little boys usually go nuts. After x-rays we went back to our seat in the hall. Thankfully, Fluffy's mommy was on her way home. Around 10:30 James got a bed in the ER. They had to sedate him to reset the bone and in order to do that, he needed an IV. Insertion of the IV was worse than breaking the bones. The first nurse tried his good hand and couldn't get it after fishing around for a while. She then tried the inside of his arm opposite his elbow and fished around even longer causing much pain. I've never heard James scream like he did then. In the words of my students, it was an "epic fail". To prepare for the 3rd round, they put a numbing patch on his hand and wrapped him in warm blankets to make his veins pop out. We had to wait like this for 20 minutes. It was already SO hot in there and James did not like being kept so warm, especially knowing that he had to have another "poker". Two new nurses came back and they were able to get the IV in with only a little crying. Next they administered the sedative and I stepped out while the doctor reset James' bones. They put on the cast and I sat with James as he came to.

James was pretty funny as the drugs wore off. His speech was extremely sluggish as he said to me "Mommy, why do you have so many eyes?". I told him it was the medicine but he said it again so I asked him to count my eyes. He counted "1.......2.......3". I asked him if he would still love me if I had three eyes and he said "I will always love you, even with three eyes". So cute! After another trip down to the x-ray room and a dose of tylenol and coedine we were on our way out of emerge. Earlier, I had told James he could have some "playtime" in the playhouse in the waiting room after he got his cast. He made me stick to my word so there James was, playing ice cream shop with his new cast and arm in a sling at 12:15am. Thankfully, it didn't last long and we stepped outside to call Rob before heading home. We had had nothing to eat or drink since dinner so I said I'd get him a ginger ale from the vending machine outside after we called Dad. Do you think the machine would take my money?! We stopped at 7 11 on the way home. Rob was so happy to see us and we iced James' arm while he drank some ginger ale and told Daddy all about his night. James fell asleep before we left his room and definitely slept better than I did!

This morning James asked me if he could get a "kid sized" cast. It is pretty big and heavy. Then he asked me how many minutes it would be until the doctor could take it off. Maybe it's a good thing he still has no real concept of time yet. Tomorrow we have an appointment with the specialist to discuss the injury and possible re-casting with a much lighter and waterproof fibreglass cast. For now, he's doing OK and I think he'll be more comfortable in a few days.

Olympic Adventures

2010-03-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for the Olympics

2010-01-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

We saw on the news this week that the city of Vancouver is piloting a trolly train demonstration project in the months surrounding the Olympics. The line runs along old rail line from the Olympic Village to Granville Island. It's kind of funny because the train is a Bombardier on loan from Belgium. It just opened on Thursday so on Saturday morning we decided to go check it out. We got all decked out in our Canada gear we accumulated over Christmas, a bit cheesy but also patriotic! We expected that it would be busy but it wasn't at all. We think people are actually avoiding going into Vancouver because for a weekend, it was pretty quiet on Granville Island. We rode the train form Granville Island and then went back to the Kids Market to explore. It 's only a 6 minute ride but it's free and "so cool" if you're 3 years old! After lunch, we went back to the Kids Market and then home for afternoon naps.

Unfortunately, Rob was napping on the couch and his knee locked up. He's been suffering with a torn meniscus for over a year now and his knee locks up randomly. Usually he can undo it but on Sunday morning it was still locked. He decided to go to emergency to see if it might get him bumped up on the waiting list for surgery. There was no surgeon on duty so the doctor put him on anti inflamitories saying that he thought it was quite swollen. Rob had to take the day off work again (same thing happened 2 weeks ago) and is doing better today but is still hobbling around. He'll be back in to see the doctor this week and be making some phone calls to the surgeon's office to see what he can do. We're hoping he can get in earlier if he takes a cancellation. If not, it'll be 8 more months of waiting for a surgery consult.

The knee situation has been pretty frustrating for Rob but he's been taking it all in stride, be it a somewhat short and hobbled one. We're optimistic that it will eventually get dealt with. He started the drugs today so we hope that will help. Despite the knee, we're really looking forward to the upcoming Olympics. I'm planning on taking the boys to see the torch arrival and we're going to get out to some of the free events during the games. We were also lucky enough get some tickets to men's and women's hockey games. We're most looking forward to the Canada/U.S. game!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Christmas this year. James loved everything about Christmas and it was so fun experiencing it with him. We had my parents and Rob's parents over on Christmas Eve after going to our church. On Christmas morning we took it easy and had a nice egg nog french toast breakfast after opening presents. Later in the day we drove to Mom & Dad's for Christmas dinner and a fine dinner it was! Grandpa even came over to enjoy dinner with us! On Boxing Day we went out to Chilliwack for brunch with Dave, Andrea & Oliver and Mom & Dad Heinrichs. The gingerbread waffles were so good! We're now looking forward to a nice quiet week with lots of Daddy time for the boys.

The first pictures in the slide show are from James' preschool Christmas party. They sang some Christmas songs and then we had a little party in the classroom. James' 2 teachers are Teacher Marzena and Teacher Laurie.

Snow Day

2009-12-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of our 3 cm of snow yesterday and went sledding at Eagle Ridge fields. It was the perfect little hill for us. Auntie Em joined us which, of course, made it extra fun for James!

Firsts

2009-11-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

November has been a month of first for James & Benjamin.

Ben got his first 2 teeth and just got his second two this weekend.
James started his first set of swimming lessons without me or Rob in the pool and is loving it.
Ben started eating solid food - still working on his technique, but definitely likes it.
James had his first trip to the dentist today! No cavities!

Hallowe'en & Running Group

2009-11-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday, after gymnastics, we went to visit Rob during his class Hallowe'en party. His "team" dressed up as pirates. Ben even got dressed up in my old pumpkin costume!

On Tuesdays & Thursdays while James is at preschool, I meet up with my running group. We meet at the Port Moody rec centre and run along the shoreline trail, about 8 1/2 km. We have had some beautiful days this fall so today I took the camera along.

This is James' 4th Hallowe'en. All his costumes have been pretty cute but I think the chicken still takes the cake!

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-10-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Since his birthday, when James got the classic story by Maurice Sendak "Where the Wild Things Are", he has wanted to be Max. In the story, Max dressed up in his wolf suit and "made mischief of one kind and another", got sent to his room, travelled to an imaginary land where the wild things are, and was crowned "king of the wild things". Rob found some Max pj's online so James could be Max for Hallowe'en. The movie "Where the Wild Things Are" just came out in theatres this month and so on Tuesday we took James to the movie theatre for the first time. He absolutely loved it! So much in fact, that as soon as the credits rolled and he realized that the show was over, he burst into tears:( I was a bit worried that maybe he had gotten scared and it just all caught up with him at the end but he said he wasn't scared and he just wanted to stay at the movies. It was pretty cute.

The day James saw his first movie, Ben got his first tooth! James and I have been calling Ben a little "wild thing" because of all the gnashing of gums and crankiness. Thankfully, the tooth popped through and Ben stopped being such a "wild thing". I'm sure the next one is not far behind and the little "wild thing" will soon reappear.

Today was "party day" at preschool. Once a month, parents are invited for the first 1/2 hour of class when all the birthdays during that month are celebrated. The kids do a little presentation consisting of a few songs and we sing "happy birthday" to each child who had his/her birthday. We also get to find out about what the kids will be learning about next month. The focus for the 3-year-old programme is on math and biology so in October, they were learning about sorting and photosynthesis. Yes, the 3-year-olds are actually learning about photosynthesis. Hearing James talk and sing about it was hilarious! Next month, they'll be learning about geometry and leaves changing colour. Because it's Hallowe'en this week, the kids got to wear their costumes for party day today. They were all so cute!

Yesterday Carly and Mary came over for the day and we went to the mall. We snapped a few pictures of the cousins in their sweaters knit by Oma.

Whistler Thanksgiving & Grandma

2009-10-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving weekend we went to Whistler with Mom, Dad, Dave, Andrea & Oliver. We had gorgeous weather and a great time in the village and up the mountain. James loved riding the "gomdola"! We stayed at a cozy cabin in Emerald Estates. Thanks Mom & Dad for a great weekend.

It was a great weekend but we were also grieving Grandma who passed away early on Friday morning. Grandma's health had been deteriorating this fall and her heart just wasn't able to keep up anymore. Grandma was very much at peace with what was happening and was talking about how she would soon be "going home". She died peacefully at home with Dad right there. We love her and miss her. Her funeral will be on Saturday morning at 10:30 at St. Andrew's United in North Van.

The Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we went to visit The Apple Barn in Abbotsford. We went last year and loved it so we went back again to get our pumpkins and pick some apples.

Camping @ Cultus Lake

2009-09-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Rob & I bought a tent trailer at the end of the summer and never got a chance to take it out before school started. It was another craigslist find! It's a 1994 Starcraft and is decorated in 1990s designer colours - a lovely plum purple, teal green and bright yellow! This past weekend we drove out to Cultus Lake to give it a try. We had a great time even though we had a bit of rain Friday night and Saturday morning. James was very excited about the fact that we could actually have a campfire this time! Everything worked great and we're looking forward to taking it out next summer for a bigger trip.

Happy Birthday James!

2009-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

James turned 3 on Friday! We took him out for ice cream after dinner and then to the park for a play. On Sunday, we had the family over for his birthday dinner. James is all about the Disney "Cars" movie lately and so thanks to Grandpa & Auntie Em, we had a "Lightning McQueen" themed party. He was very excited about turning 3 but a little worried at one point too. The other night he asked me if he was still going to be James when he turned 3. So cute! This week he's off to his first day of pre-school. He can't wait!

Big Pete Retires

2009-09-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dad retired this June from the North Van. School District where he worked for his whole career. His school celebrations were in June but we had a family celebration on Saturday. Emily flew home for the weekend to surprise Dad. Rob and Grady did a special Gordon Lightfoot tribute for him. It was a great night. I put up some old pictures that we used in the slide show that Rob made for him.

PNE

2009-09-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we went to the PNE. James was so excited and absolutely loved everything. We got there just after the gates opened at 11:00 and stayed through to watch the fireworks show before leaving at about 10:45. James still naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon so we were prepared to leave if he couldn't handle it anymore but he lasted no problem! Ben spent most of the day in the Baby Bjorn carrier and napping in the stroller. We saw a few shows while we were there. We started off with The Superdogs and then caught Bobs & Lolo (a children's group that James listens to). Later, we went to "On the Edge" a truck/4 wheeler show and then watched the RCMP do the Musical Ride in the Agridome. We listened to a little bit of Tom Cochrane as we ate dinner and did a few rides in the dark before heading home. James' favourite ride was the teddy bear cars that drove on this little track. I think he actually thought he was driving the car:)

A Visit with the Van Calsterens

2009-09-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

After a week with the family we drove to Vernon to spend 4 nights with our friends Bruce, Verginia, Josh & Anna. Josh is a few months younger that James and they both had a great time playing together. Anna is just 3 weeks younger than Ben. We went for outings in the morning and made sure to be back for lunch and nap time. Thanks Bruce & Gin for a great holiday!

Paul Lake

2009-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

We spent a week at Paul Lake near Kamloops with Mom, Dad & Carly, Grady & Mary. We had beautiful weather the whole time and enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation. We rented the cabin form an Argyle teacher who both Carly & dad have worked with. Thanks Lisa & Family!

Camping at Allouette

2009-08-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we embarked on our first camping trip as a family of 4. We stayed close to home just in case Benjamin didn't do well so I could go home with him. We camped in Golden Ears park at the North Beach campground on Allouette Lake. Fortunately, Benjamin took quite favourably to camping and slept his first 12 hour night while in the playpen in the tent. I was really glad not to be up in the night while camping! The weather was pretty good for our 3 days there and we spent time playing in the forest and down on the beach. Camping with a 2 1/2 month old only added to the adventure! On the 2nd day, we went for a little hike along the river. Ben had a big poop just before we left so I thought we were going to be safe for the hike. Luckily, I packed an extra diaper and some wipes. About 15 minutes in, he was emitting a not-so-pleasant odor and when I looked down, I could see why. He had once again blasted through his diaper, onesie and pants, although the baby carrier came away unscathed this time! A few minutes earlier, we had foolishly used 2 wipies to clean up some spit-up. We were left with 3 to clean the little monster on the side of the trail. Rob took the clothes down to the river and washed them while a did the best I could with Ben. You'll notice in the family picture, aside from his very crooked neck, that Ben is only wearing his little sweater (it did have poop on the sleeve but he had to wear something), a diaper and one sock. Overall, the trip went really well. James did not want to go home and is already talking about the next time we go camping.

Music in the Square & Fireworks

2009-08-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

James loved Music in the Square so much when he went with Mom & Dad so we decided to go with him last Friday. They were featuring a swing band and some swing dancers. We had a great time! The next night, we went to the fireworks with Oma & Opa. We found a nice spot in between Kits and Vanier. It was a really nice show but a really late night for James! On Sunday, we went out to Chilliwack to celebrate Auntie Andrea's and Oliver's birthday.

Oma & Grandpa's Adventure Camp

2009-08-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

While we were away in Rhode Island with Ben, Oma & Grandpa took James (and Montana too). They did tons of stuff with him! They went to Ambleside to wave goodbye to some friends cruising to Alaska, they visited Auntie Lauren & Uncle Rudy in Chilliwack, they went down to the river in the Canyon, they played at John Lawson Park in West Van, they rode the Stanley Park train, they played at Spanish Banks, and they went to Music in the Square in Lynn Valley. James had a great time and loved all the special treats he doesn't get at home like Fruit Loops! I think Oma & Grandpa were glad to have a few days of rest after their adventures with James.

Rhode Island and a visit with Em

2009-07-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we drove down to Seattle and flew out to Providence Rhode Island to visit Em for a week. James got to go to "Oma & Grandpa's Adventure Camp" while we were away with Ben. Once I get the pictures from Mom. I'll post those too. I think he may have been busier than us!

We spent most of Saturday walking around Seattle and then flew overnight to Washington and transfered to a one hour flight to Providence. Ben slept through all of the flying so the traveling went really well. Em picked us up on Sunday morning and drove us into Newport. We spent the afternoon with Em before she headed off to work a night shift at the girls home (she's working for RI child and family services). Em had a double shift that night and then worked Monday night too so we didn't see her again until Tuesday.

We stayed at The Yankee Peddler Inn in Newport. It was an old house that had been converted into a quaint little inn just a short walk from all the shops and restaurants by the water. We had a great time staying in Newport and did a lot of different things during our visit.

We took a harbour tour on the Rumrunner on which we learned about some of the history of Newport. We went to Providence College to tour the grounds and then went outlet shopping in Mass. We walked the "Cliff Walk" by all the famous mansions and drove the scenic Ocean Drive. Em and I also ran part of the Cliff Walk on Thursday morning. It was so nice to be able to run with my sister along the beautiful coast of the Atlantic Ocean! Rob and I took a walking tour of historic Newport and learned a lot about it's history pre American Rev. We also checked out the Tennis Hall of Fame. On Friday, we checked out and Em drove us in to Providence. We walked down by the canal and the State House before grabbing a bite to eat in Providence Place Mall. Em dropped us at the airport at about 3:00 before heading to work.

We had a really fun time seeing the sights and hanging out with Em. For 3 of the days we were there, Em wasn't scheduled to work so we got lots of time with her. She's planning on driving home in November with Dad. It's hard to believe that she's been going to school in RI for 6 years and is finally coming home for good.

We flew from Providence to Chicago and then to Seattle landing at about 10:45. We stayed at a hotel overnight where we had parked the van for the week. On Saturday morning we headed out fairly early as we were eager to get home to see James. We got home around 4:00 and Mom & Dad brought James & Montana home and then stayed for dinner. We had a good sleep last night but Ben did wake up at 2:15. Thankfully he slept to 7:00 after that. Hopefully he can get back to his full night sleeps soon! But if not, oh well, it's summer holidays and we can sleep in :)

May Pictures

2009-07-03T16:03:00.001-07:00

June & July Pictures

2009-07-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Summer's Here!

2009-07-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

With a new baby and it being the end of the school year, the spring just flew by. Benjamin is 7 weeks today! We are so happy to be on summer holidays! I was just starting to feel adjusted to life at home taking care of two little boys but now Rob is home too and everything's a little easier.

Ben's being pretty good to us and has started sleeping 7 and 8 hour nights. I think he's a bit more cranky than James was but he still gives us lots of smiles which makes the crying a little more bearable.

We've been out and about quite a bit with the boys so we have lots of new pictures. Rob got a new camera lens for his birthday so I'm sure we'll have even more as the summer progresses.

May pictures include:

Ben's first trip in the carseat - we went to Rocky Point
Ambleside - our first big outing
The Surrey Children's Festival where we caught a performance by Bob's & Lolo (James' favourite group)
The Lynn Valley Days parade and festival

June & July pictures include:

Ben sleeping in my baby cradle
James enjoying chocolate sprinkles on toast - very dutch!
Father's Day at Uncle Dave's & Auntie Andrea's
A visit to Iona Beach in Richmond with Oma & Opa
Canada Day at Lafarge Lake
Blue Mountain wading pool
Confederation Park with Oma & Opa this morning - for the majority of the time, James sat with Oma and watched the digger

For the rest of the summer our big plans so far include putting laminate in the dining room, visiting Em in Rhode Island, camping, and spending a week at Paul Lake with Mom & Dad and Carly, Grady & Mary.

It's a Boy!

2009-05-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Peter Heinrichs arrived this morning at home. Water broke at 3:15 and contractions started at 3:30. Benjamin was born at 8:22! He weighs 10 lbs 9 oz and is 21 1/4 inches in length. Mom and baby are doing great, and big brother James just loves his new little brother. He can wait to play cars with Ben.

Still Waiting

2009-05-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

We're at 40 weeks and 3 days :! James was born at 41 weeks and 5 days. I hope it doesn't come to that. I'd like to keep the baby under 9 1/2 lbs this time, seriously.

Here are some pictures of what we've been doing in an effort to kick start labour. Clearly, I need to take it up a notch. I'm considering making an attempt at speed waddling this week.

The Countdown Is On!

2009-04-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm done! Today was the first day of my leave and it wasn't a day too soon! I have absolutely loved my position of teaching PE and Socials at Heritage Woods Secondary this year but you can only be hauling equipment around, teaching rugby, ultimate, wrestling, badminton and line dancing for so long in late pregnancy. I've thoroughly enjoyed my first day at home today. I went for my appointment with my midwife this morning and everything is looking good with just over 2 weeks to go until the due date. James was 12 days over due so she said that I shouldn't set my hopes to high for May 7th. I'm trying to think more May 17th so I can be pleasantly surprised if the baby comes earlier.

I haven't posted any pictures for awhile so I've put up some recent shots of what we've been up to lately. During spring break we went to Lynn Canyon and walked down to 30 foot. We also took the Sea Bus and visited Lonsdale Quay. On the Friday night, we took James to his first live hockey game. We watched the Giants win their first playoff game of the series. James loved watching the game but I think he enjoyed the Zamboni and between period activities just as much. We also spent some time at a few different parks but James particularly enjoyed a park out in Maple Ridge that has a blue digger. For awhile now, James ahs been very much into anything involving construction and Bob the Builder. During spring break, Dad was away with the Handsworth Rugby team in Great Britain. He came back with some special gifts the the boys in the family.

For Easter we went to Mom & Dad Heirnichs' for dinner and also to celebrate Dad's birthday. James had some play time with his little cousin Oliver.

On Sunday, we attended Mary's baptism at Carly's and Grady's church. Mary wore the christening gown that my sister's and I all wore. She also had a special cross that our Oma had on her charm bracelet. After the service, everybody went to Carly and Grady's for luch in celebration of the special day. It's hard to believe that she's 6 weeks old already!

Mary Jaqueline Buhler

2009-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

On Sunday March 8th, Carly and Grady called us with exciting news that they had a new baby girl! Mary Jaqueline was born at Lions Gate Hospital at 1:50 on a snowy Sunday afternoon weighing a healthy 8 lbs 4 oz. Later that evening we went to visit our new niece/cousin at the hospital.

This past Sunday, Mary had her first outing to Oma & Grandpa's house (although Grandpa wasn't there as he is with the Handsworth Rugby team traveling in the UK for 2 weeks). It sure is tough being a principal, isn't it Dad?! Mary has already regained her birth weight and has done some 4 and 5 hour sleeps at night. Carly and Grady say they have thoroughly enjoyed the first week with their new little girl!

Seeing Mary and Isabelle (Steve & Ann's new little girl) has made Rob and I even more excited about having a newborn again! The next 7 weeks can't go fast enough!

Some of the pictures are from our visit to the hospital on Mary's birthday and some are from this past Sunday. And of course I couldn't help but add a few cute shots of James from this week:)

Sportball & a New Niece

2009-02-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks we've been going to Sportball with James. It's a fun programme that introduces 18 month - 3 year-olds to a variety of sports. So far James has done soccer, baseball, tennis, hockey, volleyball, and golf.

On a more exciting note, we have a new Heinrichs niece! She was brought into the family on Friday but Steve and Ann have yet to decide on a name. It all happened so fast! She's just over a month old and weighs almost 7 1/2 lbs. Today the family was invited out to her Grandma & Grandpa Newsham's to meet her. Steve and Ann will be hanging around here for a few more days before heading back up to Granilse to settle in with their new family of five.

February

2009-02-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

These February pictures include:

James having his daily drumming session.
My 29th birthday at our house.
Our first trip with James on the sky train to Science World. He loved it and his favourite thing was the "leaf blower".
Valentine's Day/Birthday Dinner at Cardero's.
A walk out on the Pitt Meadows Dykes.

"Big Boy" Bed

2009-01-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break we moved James into his new room and into his "big boy" bed. We found a set of bunk beds, mattresses, and duvets on Craigslist that are in pretty good condition. After buying the bunks we took James to Ikea and let him choose his sheets. There were lots of choices but James was dead set on the red sheets. He was very excited about the whole thing and the transition went really smoothly. We put him in his bed for naptime which went really well so we put him back there for bedtime. The first two nights he woke up and started crying but was easily settled and did not want to go back to the crib in the other room. According to him, "babies sleep in cribs but no baby yet". He seems to have a slight understanding of what will be happening this spring especially as my belly has been growing bigger and he can feel the baby kicking. Up Next: Toilet Training

Boxing Day, New Years & More

2009-01-04T16:02:00.001-08:00

On Boxing Day we went out to Chilliwack for the annual Sas gathering. James absolutely loved playing on the drum set downstairs with his new drumsticks from Santa.

On New Years Eve we had a low key night with my parents and Em. We spent the night there and the next morning Putsie joined us and made Oliebollen (a Dutch New Years treat) for everyone to enjoy. Carly and Grady also came over and we had dinner together at Mom and Dad's.

On Friday and Saturday, we got to spend some more time with the Heinrichs family including Steve, Ann, Abby and Aiden who made the trek down from Granisle.

Christmas Day

2009-01-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a relaxing Christmas morning at home, opening presents and eating eggnog french toast for breakfast. After James had his nap, we went over to Mom & Dad Heinrichs' for a delicious turkey dinner.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a bit of a crazy night because of the weather. We had planned to have everyone over to our house and go to church. Because of the snow, the Christmas Eve service was canceled so we decided to go over to my parents instead of making everyone in North Van travel out here. We had a nice evening and celebrated Dad's birthday. Later in the evening, we had a power outage but thankfully the power was back on in less than an hour. We took the opportunity to have our own candlelight Christmas Eve service.

Vernon

2009-01-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday December 19th, we went up to Vernon to visit Bruce, Gin, and Josh for the weekend. It was a chilly -26 while we were there so we spent most of the time inside playing.

Early Decmeber

2008-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

So far, December has been full of Christmas events and James is loving it!

Two weeks ago James and I stopped by my school on Friday for Santa's Breakfast.
The next week, Bruce, Gin & Josh came for a visit.
On the weekend we went to the tree farm and got our Christmas tree. James was somewhat disappointed when we got home and he realized he didn't get his own little tree (it only makes sense since he got his own little pumpkin at the pumpkin patch!).
Later that evening we went to Stanley Park to ride the Christmas Train only to find out it had derailed earlier that day:( We enjoyed the lights none the less although James kept repeating "train broken, train broken" throughout the evening.
On Monday, we decorated gingerbread men for our "Christmas Light Night" party for our townhouse complex.
Later that night, we went to our 2nd to last swimming lesson. James has absolutely loved swimming! I never thought he would like it so much but he gets so excited when it's a swimming night.
What's next? Tomorrow's my last day of work until January, yeah! We're finishing off our swing dance unit with all the grade 9s & 10s. Most of them seem to really like it, and some are pretty good! On Saturday, we're off to visit Bruce, Gin & Josh in Vernon for a few nights (hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll make it there).
A cute tidbit about James: His current wish from Santa - drum sticks "real drum sticks Daddy, not chicken drum sticks".

Kodiaks 2008

2008-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Kodiaks on a fabulous season and an amazing Provincial tournament! As coaches we are very proud of the way you have worked together as a team this season!

Late October & Halloween

2008-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a sunny morning at Ambleside before going over to Mom & Dad's to celebrate Putsie's birthday. James loved his Curious George costume so we let him wear it as much as possible before Halloween.

On the Thursday before Halloween, I quickly snapped some shots of James in his costume outside before heading to Halloween story time at the library and before the rain started. After story time we went to visit Rob and his class at school. That night we carved our pumpkins. James was adamant that his pumpkin had to have triangle eyes, a square nose and one tooth.

On Halloween Mom brought James to visit me in the PE office at school. It was a fun but chaotic day that included a fire evacuation out into the pouring rain during lunch. the whole thing was caused by the dry ice chemicals from the haunted house put on by the leadership class. It was really nice to get home that evening and enjoy pizza with Mom & Dad Heinrichs before heading out to do some trick-or-treating with James. He had lots of fun visiting our neighbours in the complex collection lots of candy!

Baby Heinie

2008-10-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got the first pictures of baby Heinie #2 at my first ultrasound. I went in so we could get a more accurate due date. The baby is due on May 7th and I really hope that I won't go too far overdue and end up being induced again! The ultrasound was great! James came along too and liked seeing the pictures of the baby. The best part was that the baby was moving around so much. We got to see it flip over and move its arms and legs. It's amazing that the pictures actually resemble a baby at this early stage, it's only 5.7 cm in length!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-10-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we visited the Apple Barn Pumpkin Patch in Abbostsford. We have been reading and talking a lot about pumpkins and the pumpkin patch with James. He was very excited about going! While we were there, we picked up a few pumpkins and picked a bag of apples form the orchard. We also checked out the petting zoo and went for a hayride pulled by "farmer John' and his orange tractor, a definite highlight for James.

On Sunday we joined the Buhler side of the family for a fabulous turkey dinner out in Cloverdale. Thanks again Buhler family for including us!

On Monday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Heinrichs family. We enjoyed another delicious turkey dinner prepared by Mom/Oma Heinrichs. Thank you Mom! It was a special occasion because it was the first time all 4 of the grandkids were together. James loved giving kisses to the babies (we hope this trend continues!).

Earlier in the week James and I went for a visit to my midwife for my first check up. We got to hear the heartbeat while we were there and on the way home James proudly announced that he had a baby in his tummy too!

Fall Update

2008-10-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month as Rob and I have gotten back into work. Rob's starting his second year at Summit Middle and coaching the girls field hockey team this fall. I've got a great position at Heritage Woods Secondary teaching PE every other day and I'm also coaching field hockey at my school. I love having every other day off to spend with James! It's also really great right now to have some easier days to help my body get some extra rest for baby #2 to grow. James will have a little brother or sister sometime in late April or early May and we're very excited! Hopefully the fatigue and nausea will ease up in the next few weeks and I'll feel back to normal (well, as normal as being pregnant can feel anyway).

James turned 2 on September 4th and we had a couple of celebrations with both sides of the family. He's saying lots of little sentences now, knows all his colours, and is recognizing a lot of numbers and letters.

Last Thursday, James and I went for a visit to the Port Moody fire hall. We were invited by Mark who is the husband of a field hockey teammate of mine and the father of two of the girls on the Heritage Woods field hockey team. James was so excited about going when I told him on Wednesday night! When we got to the fire hall "Fireman Mark" showed James around and let him "drive" the trucks with the lights on much to James' delight (he's still talking about it). He also got to check out the tools, touch the hoses, kick the dummy, and try on a helmet. Thanks "Fireman Mark" for a a great visit!

3 Sisters Road Trip

2008-08-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

We made it! Carly and I are finally back from our road trip from Vancouver to Rhode Island. Em bought a car this summer so we decided to go on a road trip to help her get back to school. It was all decided kind of on a whim and when the 3 of us got on the road, we couldn't believe that it was actually happening!

We left mid morning on Tuesday, July 29th and crossed the border before noon. For the rest of the trip, we traveled through the northern United States. We made a few sight seeing stops along the way but for the most part, we were in the car 10 to 11 hours each day. Once we left Vancouver, we didn't see rain again until getting to Newport, RI. It was a hot drive considering we didn't have the luxury of air conditioning! We crossed 15 states and traveled 5300 km.

Here's a condensed version of our trip:

July 29: North Vancouver - St. Regis, Montana (don't ever go to St. Regis)

July 30: St. Regis - Gillette, Wyoming (wouldn't recommend Gillette either)

July 31: Gilette - Sioux Falls, South Dakota: At around 11:00am we made a stop at Mount Rushmore in the Black Mountains of South Dakota for a couple of hours. It was quite amazing and it was nice having a reason to stop for a break.

August 1: Sioux Falls - Chesterton Indiana: We stopped and took a picture along the Mississippi which divides Minnesota and Wisconsin. This day was extra long (we crossed 3 states that day) and extremely hot because we got stuck in Friday afternoon traffic in Chicago.

August 2 (our last long driving day!): Chesterton - Lewisburg, Pennsylvania: Chesterton is just south of Lake Michigan so we went to the lake before leaving and were really glad we did. Who thought such a huge lake surrounded by millions of people and industry would be so pretty and warm?! Pennsylvania was the nicest part of the drive. It was very picturesque and cool because of all the trees. For our last night on the road, we booked ourselves into a B & B in Lewisburg called "The Pinnaple Inn". The Inn was built in 1857 and has been owned and operated by a wonderful couple (Deb & Charlie) since the mid eighties. We had such a great time there, it was like living in luxury! For dinner, we went to a pub just down the street.

August 3: Lewisburg - Long Island, New York: Because we only had 5 hours of driving that day, we decided to check out the Pennsylvania countryside during the morning. It was a Sunday so we saw a lot of buggy Mennonites traveling home from church. We found a cute covered bridge and visited a farmer's market where we loaded up on local corn and fruit. At about 3:00 we left for New York. Driving through New York was somewhat stressful but we made it to the Mahlstadt's on Long Island by about 7:30 with only a couple of minor miss-haps. Em played field hockey with Noel Mahlstadt at PC and always went to her house for American Thanksgiving. They were so nice to let us stay with them for a couple of nights so we could see the city. We enjoyed a nice evening with the family and made our plans for our day in New York City!

August 4: New York City: We caught the 8:30 train into New York (the ride was about 1 1/2 hrs.) We bought a city sights tour so we could hop on and off the sight seeing buses throughout the day. We went up the Empire State building in the morning and then went to get tickets to Rent for later that evening. We took the bus and toured the city and got off to check out ground zero which is basically still a construction sight for the 2 memorial towers they're building. From there we walked along the seawall to get a view of the Statue of Liberty. We took the bus back to Time Square, grabbed some dinner and went to the show. We took the 11:15 train back to Long Island. It was a great day! (Although I wouldn't recommend doing New York in a day).

August 5: Long Island - Newport, Rhode Island (our final destination)!: We finally slept in and had a slower morning before leaving around noon. We took the Orient Point ferry from Long Island to Connecticut which cut out a huge section of driving and having to go back through New York. At 4:30, we pulled in to Meg's place in Newport. Meg is a friend of Em's and lives above a little cafe called the Peaceable Market where she works and which Em's other freinds own. Em's staying there until she can find a place to live. Meg let us all stay with her for the last 3 might of our trip. We had a cookout the night we arrived a Nina's house (another of Em's friends).

August 6: We had a leisurely morning and then drove to Wrentham, Massachusetts to go outlet shopping. And shop we did, for 5 1/2 hours! We could have stayed longer but we ran out of time. We met up with Meg in the evening and went to a cool little restaurant in Newport called The Salvation Cafe.

August 7: After another slow morning we went to Providence Place Mall for some more shopping. In the afternoon, we went out for coffee and then drove by all the mansions to get to the beach to watch the sun set. For our last dinner with Em, we went to a cool Mexican restaurant in an old house in Newport with Meg and Nina.

August 8: Newport - Vancouver: We had a pleasant 4:00am wake-up to make our 6:45am flight out of Providence to Chicago. The best little sister in the world got up with us and drove us to the airport. In Chicago before boarding our flight to Vancouver, they were asking for volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for ticket vouchers. It was only a 2 hour delay so Carly and I volunteered and got a first class flight back home as well as 2 ticket vouchers to anywhere in the continental US! By 2:00 we were back in Vancouver for a little rest before heading up to Kelowna for our cousin's wedding on Sunday.

We had an amazing time together on the road trip. I think we can all say that despite the long days in the car, the heat, and some stressful driving, we all still love each other and would do the whole thing again.

Family Road Trip

2008-07-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday July 8th we left on our first camping trip with James. We drove to Green Lake Provincial Park (in the 100 mile area) and camped there for two nights. On the morning we left, we woke up to rain so we packed up quickly and headed for Barkerville.

We spent two nights at Lowhee campground near Barkerville so we had a full day to spend exploring the historic BC town. We checked out all the little shops, went for a stagecoach ride, visited Judge Begbie at the courthouse, had lunch at Wake Up Jake's, had some ice cream, and watched a show at the Theatre Royale. It was a great day and James especially enjoyed the stagecoach horses and the ice cream.

After visiting Barkerville, we headed up to Granisle to meet our new nephew Aidan. We spent three nights at Steve & Ann's and got to know there little town. Thanks Steve, Ann, Abby & Aidan for a great visit!

On Tuesday morning we left Granisle and headed for Mount Robson. As we got closer to Mount Robson the weather got worse. It was pouring so we opted to continue right to Jasper and stay in a motel for the night. The next morning it was much nicer so we packed up and parked ourselves at Wapiti Federal Campground for three nights. While in the Jasper area we checked out several beautiful lakes and saw lots of wildlife, went to Miette Hotsprings, visited Athabaska Falls and Miligne Canyon, and walked around the town of Jasper.

On Saturday we left Jasper and drove towards Kamloops. We dropped in on some family friends at Heffley Lake for the last night of our road trip. Thanks for having us Bill & Helen, it was so nice to see you guys again! We really enjoyed our visit! James loved the "motor boat" ride!

Overall, the whole trip was awesome! James was a great camper. He loved being outside all the time and helping do things like carry the firewood. We put him to bed around 8:00 in his playpen in our ridiculously large two room tent (quite a change from out 2 man backpacking tent). He went to sleep without a peep every night while we enjoyed our evening campfire.

On Sunday we drove back home and after a few hours of clean-up and several loads of laundry, it was nice to sit down and relax at home after 12 nights away.

The Dutch Invasion

2008-07-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

On June 28th mom's Uncle Fred and his family came to visit. Fred's 2 sons are Mark & Rick. Mark's wife is Inge and their 3 1/2 year old son is Bas. It was so fun to have them over and get to know our extended family a little better! They did so many things while they were here!

On Sunday the 29th, we had the 1st of the family gatherings at Uncle Frankie's & Auntie Dawna's. We also celebrated Marly's 13th birthday that night.

On Wednesday, the Dutch came out to our place for coffee and then a walk and fish & chips at Rocky Point. That night Rick made a delicious Indonesian dinner for all of us at Mom & Dad's. We also celebrated Rob & Mom's birthdays that night.

The next day they were off to Chilliwack to stay with Uncle Rudy & Auntie Lauren for a few days. On Sunday July 6th the whole family went out to Chilliwack for a BBQ where we celebrated yet another birthday. Happy birthday Mark!

The celebration continued the next night as the boys went on a pub tour of the North Shore & Vancouver. We stayed a Mom & Dad's and had a girls movie night.

On Tuesday, we left for our camping trip but the Dutch exploration of BC continued until Saturday. They visited the Aquarium, Kot-lat-cha, Park Royal, Ambleside, Granville Island, Grouse Mountain, and Whistler.

Fred, Rick, Mark, Inge & Bas, we loved having you guys here and we hope to visit you one day in Holland!

Summer's Here

2008-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

We're a week into our Summer holidays and so far, we've packed a lot in. We've got lots of pictures from a bunch of different things we've done.

The first pictures are of James cousins: Aiden, born June 9th and his big sister Abby who just turned 3. We're camping our way up to Granisle starting tomorrow for a visit.

Next is our new van. We said good bye to our 1997 Mazda Protege and bought a 2004 Toyota Sienna. We love it and are so excited now that we can go camping with it.

On Saturday the 28th, we went to Golden Spike Days in Port Moody. In the morning, we went to the pancake breakfast put on by the firefighters. James really liked the fire trucks. After his nap, we watched Charlotte Diamond and James played at the petting zoo down at Rocky Point. That night we had the Heinrichs family over to celebrate Rob's birthday.

On Sunday the Dutch Invasion began but that deserves a post of its own which I'll do once we say our goodbyes.

On Monday evening we went down to the Coquitlam River to let Montana have a swim and James play at the beach.

On Thursday we went to Granville Island with John and Betty. We took a tour of the harbour on the aqua bus, visited shops and the kid's market, and then had lunch at the hotel.

Tomorrow morning we're going to Green Lake on our first camping trip with James.

A West Coast Weekend - Video

2008-06-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

A West Coast Weekend

2008-06-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

Rob, James, and I just had an awesome weekend! On Friday and headed out to the west coast of our beautiful province. We met up with our friends Bruce & Gin and their son Joshua who is 5 months younger than James.

We lucked out and ended up on the new Coastal Renaissance for our ferry ride. After the ferry ride we drove straight to Ucluelet arriving by 1:00. Bruce and Gin had spent the week camping and surfing in Tofino and invited us to join them for the tail end of their holiday. We stayed in a really nice waterfront cabin at Terrace Beach Resort (owned by the family of Jason Priestly for all you 90210 fans like myself). After unloading the car we had some lunch and headed out for an afternoon hike on a trail above the water.

We woke up to a gorgeous morning on Saturday so we packed up and headed to Long Beach. The boys had fun playing in the sand and water. We drove into Tofino for lunch at The Shelter and then back to the cabin for the afternoon which included naptime and more beach play. After bath and bed for the boys we enjoyed a game of Settlers with Bruce & Gin.

On Sunday morning we packed up. Bruce, Gin & Josh caught an earlier ferry as they had get all the way back to Vernon. We had breakfast in Ucluelet and stopped at Coombs before catching the 3:00 ferry home.

It was so nice to get away and recharge in preparation for the busy and chaotic last weeks of school. Thanks Bruce, Gin & Josh for such a great weekend! We are looking forward to seeing you again and enjoying the August heat in Vernon!

Rocky Point

2008-05-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last night we went down to Rocky Point with Em, Carly, and Grady for our first fish & chips of the season. It was a nice warm evening and I think the rest of Port Moody was there too. James liked watching the geese and their goslings down on the mud flats. After fish and chips, we went to Newport for gelato. James thoroughly enjoyed Auntie Carly's ice cream!

Fun in the Sun

2008-05-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

It was so nice to have 3 days off this weekend to spend with James. We went down to Vanier Park on Sunday morning. The water was still pretty cold but Montana loved it. We got her shaved this week, just in time for the sunny weather! James enjoyed playing in the sand although he did not like it when sand got in his sandals. He wouldn't walk anywhere! He's becoming quite particular about things sometimes.

This morning, Rob made James' favourite for breakfast, waffles. Afterwards, we went for a walk in the rain around Lafarge Lake.

Back to school tomorrow but only 4 1/2 weeks of classes left, yeah! And Em comes home on Tuesday!

I like my trike!

2008-04-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring has sprung and we thought it was time for James to have a trike. We lucked out and got a great deal on craigslist. I picked the trike up in Port Moody after work on Friday and James loved it from first sight. It's so great, we can actually steer it with the extended handle! James favourite thing so far is to go over the speed bumps in our complex over and over again.

A special thanks to Uncle Grady, Grandpa, and Auntie Myrna for helping out with babysitting this week while Oma & Opa are in Granisle!

Ambleside

2008-04-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning today so we decided to skip church and head to the beach. We went out to Ambleside and let Montana have a swim and James play in the sand.

New blog posts may be more sporadic now that I'm working full time until the end of the school year. Two weeks ago I was hired at Heritage Woods Secondary for a temporary position. I'm teaching 2 blocks of Socials 9, one block of Socials 10, and one block of French 9. Unfortunately, the teacher I'm in for doesn't have a prep this semester so my days are pretty busy! I try to get as much done as I can before school and at lunch so I can maximize on my James time in the afternoon. Completing this assignment will bump me into the next seniority category for next year. It'll be a busy 3 months, but it'll be worth it in the long run!

Eagles Take The Championship

2008-03-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my field hockey team competed in the finals for our division. We had our semi-final game on Saturday morning. The score was 0-0 at the half but we turned it on in the second half and won 3-0. On Sunday afternoon, we played in the final against the North Van. Stirkers. We left it until the last few minutes but came away with a 1-0 win. Our team has been in the final every year since our club was formed but for the last 2 years, we lost the final game. It felt great to win the championship this year after being undefeated for the entire season. Way to go Eagles!

Underarmour Evening Wear?

2008-03-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

A surprise package came in the mail from Auntie Em today. James got his first piece of Underarmour! Auntie Em said she just couldn't resist because it had been marked down so much at the outlet store. It'll be great for layering for the next two winters. As you can see, the fit isn't quite right yet but if it was 1990 and he was a girl, he might be ready to hit the club scene (substitute sweat socks for pumps).

Easter Sunday

2008-03-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went out to Dave & Andrea's in Chilliwack to celebrate Easter together. James got a special Easter present from Oma & Opa. Boy do they know what he likes! James is so into construction machines. He loves "diggers" and dump trucks. Whenever we see them, he points and yells "Ohhhhhhh". On Monday morning he got right back to work in his truck PJs. Thanks Oma & Opa!

Maplewood Farm

2008-03-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

It's Spring Break! Rob and I have been enjoying being home together with James. This morning we visited Maplewood Farm with Oma & Opa. James loved looking at and touching all the animals. He had a great time playing with the goats in the "meadow paddock". I think his favourite thing; however, was chasing all the ducks, geese, and chickens roaming around the farm! After visiting the farm Mom & Dad treated us to lunch at White Spot. Thanks for a great morning Mom & Dad!

Tri-City Eagles Field Hockey

2008-03-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend our team played our last two games before heading into playoffs at the end of the month. We had a satisfying 4-1 come from behind win on Saturday afternoon in Richmond and a 4-0 win on Sunday morning on our home turf. Rob came to watch and took some photos.

We've had a great season and are sitting first in our division. The other 4 teams in our club have also placed in the top four of their divisions and are heading to playoffs. Go Eagles!

Sunday Afternoon at the Park

2008-03-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, James hit the 18 month milestone and had his last set of immunizations until Kindergarten. He weighed in at 26 lbs and is 31.5 inches tall (over two inches higher than he was at one year).

On Sunday afternoon, Dave and Andrea came over. We walked down to the park for a some playtime before dinner. James loves the new little tot lot and discovered how to climb up the slide today.

Fun @ Home

2008-02-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of a few things that James like to do these days.

He loves stomping of all kinds. He especially loves stomping in his wooden shoes on the hard floor. I have to hide the shoes away sometimes or he'd be in them all day! Boots and puddles also are among his favourite combinations.

"Reading" is something James does everyday. He flips through his books and points out things like stars, moons, balloons, and hats of course. He really enjoys books that have flaps and real photos. Among his favourites are "Goodnight Moon", "The Big Red Barn", and his nursery rhyme/song book.

Estimated number of times we've sung "Do You Know The Muffin Man":200 and growing.

Another thing that James loves is putting things on his head, be it hats, tea cozies, or diapers. Knowing this, Auntie Em sent him a "Thomas the Tank Engine" conductor's hat which he loves to wear. Thanks Aunties Em!

One of James' favourite things to eat is fruit so it's no surprise that he also loves to share fruit smoothies with Dad.

Can you guess what James is doing in the last picture? It's one of those situations where I'll busy myself with something and casually say to Rob "Oh, I think James is due for a diaper change. Do you mind doing this one?" Little does he know, hee hee. It's a result of all of those fruit smoothies anyway!

Snow Day

2008-01-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to a beautiful snowy day. We were watching the news to see if school would be canceled and finally at 7:00, the good news was broadcast - SNOW DAY!.

Unfortunately, Rob still had to report to school :( At 7:30, we headed out to drop Rob off at school. After a little trouble getting out of our driveway, the roads were OK until about half way up the hill to the school. Rob opted to walk the rest of the way so James and I went back home.

I was planning on taking James to the pool this morning so that's why we drove Rob to school; however, the snow kept falling with no end in sight. I decided to forgo swimming and take James out to play in the snow instead. I bundled him up, put him in the pack and we headed to the park. Montana bounded along in the snow, increasing her snowball collection with every bound. She loves the snow and had a great time running around with all the other dogs out enjoying the snow day with their families! James had a fun time swinging at the park and then we continued on a walk around the neighbourhood, stopping for a warm drink and snack at Starbucks before heading home. When we got back we played in the complex with the other kids and dogs and then went in.

James is having his afternoon nap now and Rob just called to say he's going to start walking home shortly. Hopefully we can all get out together this afternoon before it gets dark.

Snowshoeing at Seymour

2008-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we went snowshoeing with Auntie Em and Indy up at Seymour. We had tried to go on New Year's Eve in the morning but gave up after waiting in a huge line up at the bottom of the mountain. This time, we got our act together and were on the trail by 9:00am. There was lots of fresh snow and the scenery was beautiful! We hiked around the lake and then went up to Dog Mountain to enjoy the view. James was a real trooper! We could tell he was getting cold once we got to the lookout but we gave him a little snack and he made it the rest of the way back, although he did have a little bit of a meltdown once we put him in the car seat (we've already got better gloves and booties for next time!). It was so nice to get up the mountain again and spend some more time with Em who arrived back in Rhode Island this afternoon.

New Year's Eve

2008-01-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Well, 2007 went out with a bang or, maybe more accurately, a blast of flames! We had a great fondue at Mom and Dad's last night despite a small incident involving a pot of flaming oil. Nobody was hurt (although some damage was done to the range hood, cabinets, and ceiling). As soon as the kitchen was back in working order, we finished the evening off with a chocolate fondue. Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun and eventful New Year's Eve!

A Heinrichs Christmas

2008-01-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

On December 29th we had Christmas with the Heinrichs side of the family. Dave and Andrea came in from Chilliwack and Steve, Ann, and Abby had already made the trek down from Granisle on Christmas Day. It was nice to have the whole family together again. Abby and James had lots of fun playing together!

Boxing Day in Chilliwack

2008-01-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

On Boxing Day we kept up tradition and went out to Chilliwack to celebrate with the Sas family. We ate and drank all afternoon, had a Christmas sing-a-long, and then continued to eat and drink. Thanks Auntie Lauren and Uncle Rudy for a great day!

Christmas Day

2008-01-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day we enjoyed a quiet morning at home. After opening presents, Rob made eggnog French toast for breakfast. Very yummy! In the afternoon, we went over to my parents' for Christmas dinner. Also very yummy!

Christmas Eve

2008-01-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we went to church with the family. When we got back home we enjoyed lots of hot appies and celebrated Dad's birthday.

Snowy Day

2007-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

James had fun this weekend playing in the snow. He loved sliding around in his boots with Daddy and throwing snowballs for Montana.

First Steps

2007-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

James is finally walking! On Thursday he started becoming a lot more confident and now he's walking all over the place.

Hallowe'en

2007-11-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

James looked pretty cute all dressed up in his chicken costume this Hallowe'en! Last Saturday we took him down to Newport Village to take some pictures with the pumpkins at the produce shop. On Tuesday night we carved pumpkins in the kitchen and on Hallowe'en we went "trick or treating" in our complex. James loved looking at all the glowing pumpkins!

Oktoberfest

2007-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt.........

The melody of the German National anthem, as well as other selections from the "German Beer Drinking" album, rang throughout the evening. The authentic tunes created the perfect atmosphere for the first Oktoberfest hosted by Herr Peter & Frau Cornelia. Much merriment was had by all!

A couple German sayings to ponder:

The selling of bad beer is a crime against Christian love. -- Law, the City of Augsburg, 13th Century
It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church. -- Martin Luther (1483-1546)