Happy Birthday Brooklyn!!!

My little girl is now officially 5 years old!!! I can hardly believe it, she is growing up so fast.

What a cutie she has become...and she's the tallest girl in her class! Maybe I have a model on my hands...nah, she says she wants to be a rock star.

Justin, I hope your sister doesn't forget her rude little bro when she's famous!

Raking Woes

If there's ever a time of year I wish we had four seasons instead of two - Vancouver has "Summer" and "Soggy" - it would be autumn, particularly when all the leaves come down. Maybe I'm romanticizing it a bit, but I used to really enjoy raking leaves on a cool, crisp fall day in Nova Scotia. The air was so fresh and clean, and raking leaves with your brother, Mom, Dad, grandmother, aunt or whoever was always a chance to talk and have a laugh.

Trust me when I say, there is nothing less fun than raking soggy leaves. In Vancouver, you wait for it to stop raining so you can dash out and clean them up and you waste the only time it isn't raining straining your back to pile wet leaves in your bin. And man are leaves heavy when they're wet!!! It is really an unpleasant experience!!! Not sure a leaf blower would be any use in Vancouver, unless it could dry them out a bit before raking!

Even worse, my kids are still a little young to be of any real help. It usually ends up being more work when they help!!!

Oh well, at least we don't have any snow to shovel most winters. Sigh. That's another season I miss!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! My date for the Halloween sock-hop was my sweet darlin' Brooks. Ain't she cute?


Justin is hiding under the Boba Fett mask...last year he was Jango Fett, now Boba Fett. Oh well, at least he didn't want to be Princess Leia!

And speaking of Boba Fett, this freakin' pumpkin took forever to carve!!!

We carved another one quickly at the club Halloween party, where the gym had been converted to a haunted house. They had bowling with skulls, a place to make your own magic potions and fishing for rats and bats out of a witch's cauldron. The kids had fun but were too scared for the haunted house!

This little guy was a quick free form carving by yours truly after Justin decided it was too much work!

Happy Birthday Justin!!!

Justin is 8 years old!

We booked the gym for an hour of floor hockey with 12 boys and wouldn't you know it, the sun is shining and it must be 20 degrees. Who knew? Oh well, you never know in Vancouver.

I'm a bad dad, I was in Seattle on his actual birthday. And just to show I don't play favourites, I'm going to be out of town on Brooklyn's birthday too!!!