Friday, February 29, 2008

On the Up and Up

Look what she has discovered now and she is pretty pleased with herself I must say! Yes, she is on the up and up and up...and Grandpa has to do back-up duty! I don't think he minds a bit, as they both seem to be having fun.


What a kid. How do they learn and grown and learn so fast? Seems like just yesterday we were wondering if she would ever sit up on her own, and here she is climbing stairs. Amazing! Just amazing!

Everything, and I mean everything, is full of wonder for her and an exciting new discovery. What a privilege to be there when she discovers things for the first time and is enthralled with the shape and feel of common objects. Can you see this joy and wonder in her face as she explores the stair spindles n this picture?

Oh to see the world through the eyes of a child for just a day. Wouldn't that be a trip? I think that is a trip I would like to go on. Care to join me? Clean off you glasses, and let's go.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Sleepover

Thesha and Smudge came for a sleepover last night. Total fun. It was a trial run to see how The Smudge would manage sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Daddy is out of town working this week, so it seemed like a good time to try it.

We are not sure what The Smudge thought of the idea. She looks a bit dubious here doesn't she?
"You want me to sleep where?"
After checking out her bed for the night, she had a bath and got ready for a good night's sleep. Well, it turned out to be only an OK night's sleep. She was up and down a few times, but did more sleeping than waking so I guess we all ended up on the plus side of things.
I must admit that Grandpa and I are a tad tired this morning, but Smudge is bouncing away in her Exersaucer, looking none the worse for wear, with no shortage of energy, so I guess her sleepover was a success. I think I need a nap though!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Busy being cute

That's what she is these days. Busy, busy, busy, being cute, cute, cute.

She is so pleased here to be stepping out and walkingI think she likes reading Grandma a story.
OK, two seconds in this little chair is long enough. Time to get up and move.
This new toy on loan from Evan is a big hit. She can pull herself up and not pull the toy over on herself. She loves to pull herself up on almost anything she can get her hands on, and has had a tumble or two. You just can't nail everything to the floor! Yep, busy, busy, busy!
OK, enough of that, time to roll around and see what else I can get into.

I am busy being busy today, so must run. Talk to you all later.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Going to the....

AC posted a blog about Barney last week and you must read that story here if you haven't already. Barney was a sweet and lovable dog and it makes me sad to think that someone might have abandoned him on that snowy day in the country. The farm is on 120 acres of land, and Barney was heading for the river and the deep woods when we just happened to see him struggling to get down the drive. As you can see in the picture above he could barley keep his nose above the deep snow. If we hadn't called him over to the side door and brought him into the house there is no telling where he would have ended up.
Once inside, he made himself right at home. As soon as we sat down he wanted up on our laps, or snuggled in close beside us on the couch. He whined at the window when AC went out looking for his owners, and wagged his tail joyfully when we went for a ride in the car to Nice Local Lady's house.

Surely he got out on that cold snowy day by accident and is now back with his owners. I will try to keep track of his progress and let you know the rest of the story when we know it. The dogs in our family are honored members of the family and are treated like gold, so it is hard for us to even imagine that someone isn't missing this beautiful dog.

Speaking of dogs in our family, here is a picture of BIL with his two dogs Zeus and Elu. They love to run in the woods while we go on our snowshoe/photo walks. We think of them as our dogs too.
My brother also has two dogs Oliver and Charlie. Charlie, the black dog is the older of the two and has lost the use of his back legs. He is not in any pain, but he can't get around without help. Brother and SIL lovingly lift him on and off the couch, up and down stairs, and over to his food dish. He can drag himself around on the hardwood floors for short distances, but outdoors is a real struggle for him so....
SIL bought him a custom made doggy wheelchair! Here is brother dear strapping him into the contraption for a potty break outside. Charlie doesn't mind being strapped in at all, and wags his tail happily when he knows that it is time to go out for a short walk.
I didn't do a great job with this video, but it gives you a brief look at Charlie on the move. Now that is a loved dog.


We love dogs and consider all of the above as "our dogs" but this guy rules the roost at our house and would NOT appreciate a four legged creature of the canine kind being allowed through our front door.
Wk 1 Framed
Don't worry Rockster your quiet patch in the sun won't be disturbed by barking anytime son.

Monday, February 25, 2008

On the move

My goodness, she is really on the move these days. Now that she is crawling she moves around the house faster than the speed of light it seems. Here, she is checking out the dust bunnies under the stove.
Now it's time to program the PVR and then check out this shiny disc on the floor. (Grandma's note to self - move that lamp!)
OK, enough of that, let's go over here and check out that china cabinet full of pretty teacups. Can you see how she is looking right past the stuffed animal we put in front of her and has her sights set on the china cabinet.
After this visit I ordered a six paneled movable gate/corral type barrier that can be used in any number of configurations to make certain areas of the room out-of-bounds. We put up a pressure gate between the kitchen and hall, got a bag of cupboard locks and plug sealer thingys, and made a list of things to move up and out of the way.

Yes she is on the move, and that makes all of us move a bit faster just to try to be one step ahead of her. I had better tighten up my running shoes, it is going to be one challenging race.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Coffee with the girls

We had a coffee date in the city yesterday, so winter duds were donned and we set off for a fun day. Once again Grandma did back-seat duty, so she just had to take a picture or two. Cute huh?
Once we got to the mall, winter gear was stowed in the stroller and we strolled free of coats and boots. Yahoo! Smudge squealed with delight and greeted people with an enthusiastic "eeeiiiiiiyyyyyeeeeiiiii" The greeting sure got some shocked looks from people followed by smiles. It was a very entertaining walk through the mall I must say.

After we checked out the first floor of stores we stopped for some refreshment, and then set off to inspect the other two floors. It was fun to bring some squeals of joy to those shoppers too.
All in all it was a great way to spend a dull February afternoon. We did lots of window shopping, got some ideas for outfits for the wedding in August and found a kazillion things at Winners we would love to buy, but only bought two! Isn't Winners the best stores?

Well, I must run now. Will talk to you all later. Have a good day and a great weekend.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Little Miss Smarty Pants

After our trip to the park yesterday we stopped in to see The Smudge. She was just getting up from her nap, so I got to give her a bottle, oh joy!

While we were waiting for the bottle to heat up she enjoyed showing me the new fence Mommy put up in the living room. It has lots of baby-hand sized holes in it, so it is just perfect for pulling herself up on, and she is doing that a lot lately. Now she has plenty of room to play, but can't get at boot-trays, basement stairs or other interesting places she would love to explore but might cause her harm, and that gives mommy peace of mind. The arrangement is perfect for mommy and baby, and that is a good thing.
I just love the way the sunbeam is hitting her little bottom in this picture. Yep, she is a ray of sunshine from top to bottom!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Snowy Morning

Let me share just a few more pics of our trip to Riverwood. I know our kids in Korea will enjoy them if nobody else. Being at Riverwood for a winter holiday is like being in a postcard at times. This snowy morning being one of them.

Can you believe this view? This is what I saw when I rolled over in bed and looked out the front window. Glorious huh?
Once my feet hit the floor, I made a beeline for the kitchen to put on the coffee. On the way there I stopped to take a peek out the side window. Oh my, the car needed some help to see daylight, but we didn't and thoroughly enjoyed the winter day. What a beauty.
AC posted a night shot of the red shed behind the car, taken from the back porch, in his blog this morning. Night or day, we were gifted with beauty each time we looked out a window.

I have to look a bit harder for it here at home, but the sun is shining on fresh fallen snow just outside my bedroom window here this morning and it is a beautiful winter day. I think we should take coffee to the park this afternoon and see what is happening down there. Maybe I'll get a picture or two to post tomorrow.

In the meantime here are a few more pictures of our walk at Riverwood last week. Enjoy.

AC looking for photo opportunities.

Brian setting off with his camera and tripod over his shoulder.
Man and beast enjoyed the walk

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Turning the world upside-down

Ten months old today, and Smudge has turned our world upside-down. Now she loves to get a whole new perspective on her world too.

Here she is sitting on Grandpa's lap.

We have to hold her hands tightly, because without warning she throws her head back and giggles as she turns herself upside-down.

She is in no hurry to be upright again, but she is all smiles and chuckles when she is.
Happy Ten Month Birthday Smudge!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Little explorer...

After we unpacked the car and checked the house out, we got back in the car and headed straight over to Thesha's to see The Smudge! She had grown another inch I am sure, and was moving around the house lickety split like an old pro at crawling now. What a smart girl she is.
She has a box of toys in the middle of the living room floor, but she wants to play with the boot tray you see behind her. She keeps making a beeline for it and mom keeps turning her around to head for her toys. You can see in this picture that something has caught her eye over to her left. I wonder what it could be.

Oh, a box!! Who needs beautifully designed toys when there is a boot tray or a box in the room.
Yep, she is starting to pull herself up too. Growing and learning every day. How exciting for all of us.

We had a fun time at Riverwood, but I did miss this little munchkin and am so glad to be just around the corner from her again. She sure brightens up these dull February days.

Hope you find something to brighten your day and make you smile as you walk through this rainy day too. It's the little things that really make a difference.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Winter Holiday

We are home from our Winter Holiday, and although it is always sad to leave Riverwood, I am very happy to be home. It is nice to go away, but there is no place like home sweet home and my own bed.

We travelled up to the farm on a rather snowy day so we had dull skies and wet roads along the whole route. It was pretty in its own way though and I took a few pics from the car window to try to capture the mood of the day.
The Kawartha Lakes District is beautiful in any weather.

Even though we were treated to cloudy skies on our travel day to the farm, the sun shone brightly the next morning and this scene was the gift I received when I looked out the kitchen window while waiting for the coffee to drip into the pot. I felt like bursting into song - Oh what a beautiful morning!

After breakfast it was time to strap on the snowshoes and go for a walk in the woods. Oh joy! The trees were heavy with fresh snow and it was breathtaking to blazed new trails along old paths in this winter wonderland.

This view of the river through the trees at one point along the path, made me stop for a second look. I couldn't capture the total beauty but hopefully this pic gives you a little taste of the winter splendor that surrounded us.
After our cold walk, we had a heartwarming visit with The Tuckers back at the old farmhouse, and whiled away the afternoon catching up on all their news. When night closed in we made steaming mugs of hot chocolate to wrap our hands around, while we wrapped our minds around a good book. Yes, it was a perfect winter day in the country.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Getting Around

OK, last group of pics before we sign off for the week. Enjoy!

Who needs to crawl when I can roll wherever I want to go?

I would love to get into this cabinet but daddy put a lock on it. Sigh. Oh well, I can still have lots of fun putting my fingerprints all over the glass.

I really don't like this hat Grandma, so take the picture quick and get this thing off of my head!

Hurry Grandma - pleeeeease take it off!

Expressive Miss

We are heading up to the country tomorrow and will be on a very slow dial-up connection there, so I don't think any pictures will be posted next week. I thought I had better give you Smudge Fans a double dose of Her Cuteness today to help tide you over.

You can tell by the way she is sucking in her top lip that her teeth are bothering her here. She had flaming red cheeks last night too, so something is going on in that little mouth of hers. She won't let us get a peek inside though.

Tongues, fingers or bubbles are always in the way.

Cute, cute, cute!

She is watching The Big Comfy Couch here and she is clapping with delight over something one of the dolls did.

Learning to Crawl



She is almost there, but can't quite get arms and legs working together. Won't be long though before she is moving at lightening speed towards objects she wants.

Be sure to check out AC's blog for video of another new trick she is learning.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Happy Birthday D 3

A very special Birthday wish is being sent to D3 today.

The girl with stars in her eyes!

And a smile that lights up the whole room.
Love you Puff! Have a wonderful day. Love M&D

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Smudge Fix

We are not doing much babysitting this week, so don't have many new pictures of Smudge to share, but for you Smudge fans who check every day to get their fix, here are a few more from last week.

Cookie Monster


Sunshine Girl


What AM I going to do with this hair?