Caleb sure is having a social week! After Alex's birthday on Saturday, we had Rina, Carl, and Mattias over for a bbq on Sunday evening. We hadn't seen them since their moving day, so it was really nice to catch up. The two boys hadn't seen each other in ages since Mattias was with his grandma on the day that they moved. Caleb was so excited that he didn't eat his dinner very well because he just wanted to play. Since he's normally such a good eater, we weren't too worried about it! We barbecued hamburgers (Caleb later loved his!) and Rina and Carl brought over a delicious salad and dessert. After dinner Caleb and Mattias played for a bit longer before Caleb had his bath and was off to bed. There are photos of the boys in the August folder. We were able to finally see Rina's photos from Greece - I definitely want to go one day - and we heard all about their rental house in Nanaimo. They have a fantastic flyer outlining all the features and showing great photos. It is such a cute little house; they'll have no problem renting it out.
Caleb is growing so fast! I know that I've probably neglected updating you all on his progress over the past little while. He's stands on his own for quite a while now and we're pretty sure he'll be walking soon; he walks all over the house with his walker and is getting really fast at it. His 'vocabulary' has expanded greatly and he really enjoys singing along with us; he also learned to scream after being around all the kids at Alex's party (great!). For mealtimes he's eating more and more of what we are having and he really enjoys the independence of feeding himself (with his hands). His newest skills include clapping and using sign language to indicate when he wants milk, daddy, or mommy. He also points at everything wanting to know what it is called and is in the routine of giving good-night kisses to all his toys (and mommy and daddy). I can't believe that he'll be a year-old soon - I'm already planning his party!

Half-Way Point

Well, we're half-way through summer and, for the most part, it's been great. The Bard-B-Q was fantastic. We saw Taming of the Shrew and it was hilarious. They used a Western theme for the play and, although still in Shakespearean English, they spoke with southern drawls. It was amazing! In the intermission we had a great salmon bbq and following the play we were directed to a private seating area where we had coffee and dessert while watching the Celebration of Light Fireworks (Canada performed). The next morning we helped Rina and Carl move to their new place (closer to us!). On Tuesday, we had the great news that Kris and Claudine welcomed their newest addition, Amelie, into the world. We went to see them in the hospital on Wednesday and everyone was doing great. That evening, we went to Jessica's to see China's fireworks show. She has the perfect roof-top balcony to view the fireworks as she looks right out onto English Bay.
The following weekend, I set off for a surf weekend with the girls. We left on Friday and it was pretty difficult for me as it was the first time I've been away from Caleb. Although I knew he was in Charles's capable hands, it was still pretty tough for me to say goodbye (even though it was only for three nights!) Mandy, Cori and I drove to the ferry together where we met up with Kelly and Christina. Cristi, Laura, and Suzanne caught an early morning ferry and were already at the house in Ucluelet when we got there. We had surf lessons through Bruhwiler Surf School on Saturday and Sunday mornings for about three hours. By the end of day two, we were all very comfortable with and somewhat addicted to surfing! I can't wait to do it again (perhaps in a warmer climate next time!). We were provided with wet suits which kept us warm and the weather remained dry throughout the weekend; the afternoons were actually quite sunny. We headed home on Monday afternoon and, despite having our ferry break down, driving to a different terminal, waiting in line for hours, barely getting on the 4:30 ferry, and redocking once we reached Horseshoe Bay due to a broken ramp, we eventually made it home.
Since then we've been kind of laying low. I was so happy to see my little family again that I just wanted them to myself for a while! We did go to Kris and Claudine's for an impromptu bbq a couple of days ago. Amelie alternated between eating and sleeping while we were there and Caleb had a great time playing with Alex and his toys.
Last night we received the sad news that Grandpa Larson passed away. He had been in the hospital for about a week and was apparently rested and peaceful when he died. Cindy had gone in to see him that morning, shaved him, and put on some music for him to listen to. After a full life of 100 years, he was ready to go. We all love and will miss him greatly. Will Yogi Yorgensen ever sound the same again?
Today we're getting ready to celebrate Alex's second birthday and Rina, Carl, and Mattias are coming over for dinner tomorrow. After that, who knows...?

Caleb's First Trip

We returned home last night from Cusheon Lake Resort on Saltspring Island. The resort is one that Charles took his class to a few years ago, and since then we're returned three times with friends. The first time was with Mandy and Kevin, last year with Rina and Carl, and this time Mandy, Kevin, Rob, and (of course) Caleb joined us.
We arrived amid sprinkles on Sunday afternoon but by Monday afternoon it was clear and we enjoyed the sun on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday was spent getting settled and unpacking before dinner. After Caleb was asleep we all played Tricks followed by Catan - Cities and Knights which took us into the wee hours!
We attempted to visit two local bakeries on Monday (both were closed!) and we were pleased to find the Saltspring Island Cheese Factory open. After selecting a few varieties, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grounds. In the afternoon Rob and Charles took out one of the canoes while Caleb napped and Mandy and Kevin went into town. That evening we took a break in between games (Bang and Tricks) to go down to the hot tub.
Tuesday was a beautiful day and we began by driving out to Mount Maxwell which has spectacular views of the islands. On the way back to the cabin we went into town for lunch and then returned for Caleb's nap. Later that day we all trooped down to the lake for some swimming and sunning on the dock. Charles and I took turns with Caleb on the shore where he made some little friends and really enjoyed wading out into the water with us. We had a somewhat earlier night and finished up with the games around 11:30.
Wednesday morning was spent enjoying a leisurely breakfast before packing up. We went into Ganges and spent some time in the galleries and shops before having lunch and heading out to the ferry. I've added some photos in the Saltspring folder.
We were a little nervous about how Caleb would handle being in a different house again - would he think we had moved again?!? There was nothing to worry about, though, as he adjusted just fine and slept pretty much as he would have if we were at home. The trickiest part was when Charles and I would head off to bed; Caleb was sleeping in our bedroom and since it's been so long since he's slept in a room with us that we were sure that he'd wake up as soon as we opened the door. It turns out we were worried for nothing - we should have been more concerned about him waking us up as it turns out that he talks/laughs in his sleep A LOT! He is so active that it's no wonder that he is such a great sleeper. He had a fantastic time showing of for and playing with Mandy, Kevin, and Rob. I wonder if he's now wondering where everyone went!?!
This weeked we'll be heading out to the Bard-B-Q and Fireworks performance of Taming of the Shrew with Mandy and Kevin and then on Sunday we'll be helping Rina and Carl move. Then it will be less than a week to Surf Camp!!! Somewhere in there we're hoping for news of Kris and Claudine's new baby!

I know, I know

It's been ages since I last updated our site!!! I blame: moving, Caleb, houseguests, and facebook so I think I can be forgiven!? We've definitely had our hands full the past few weeks. After moving in we've had workers here a few times a week to finish up little jobs that didn't quite get finished. The problem with buying in the last phase of a development (and getting pushed back by two weeks) is that all the trades have left to work on new projects and it's very difficult to get them to come back to finish off on their last project. Luckily we're both home now, so that's helped with scheduling. We're almost finished chasing down all the 'professionals' so pretty soon we should have our house to ourselves.
It hasn't been all work, though. We did manage to go out to see Amos Lee at the Commodore last week. We went with Cori, Kelly, and two of Kelly's friends. We had dinner at The Banana Leaf before-hand (it was fantastic) and really enjoyed the concert. Neither of us had been to the Commodore for a concert before and we really enjoyed the venue. We've also had Rina and Carl stop by a couple of times, Kris, Claudine & Alex came over for a bbq, and Trish and Tyler stopped by for a visit and tour of the house.
Charles' birth-mom, Laurie, and her two sons Austen and Landon are also here for a visit. They arrived on Saturday and are staying for one week. We took them to Fort Langley the other day and yesterday they were off to the Capilano Suspension Bridge while we stayed home to deal with more people coming out to the house. I think we'll be heading to the beach today.
I've added some family photos (June 2007) and will be posting some of the new house soon.

Moved In

We're moved in! We could not have done it without our wonderful helpers: Rob, Mandy, Kevin, Rina, Carl, Jitt (thanks Trish for freeing up Jitt so he could come and help), Chris, Cristi, Kris, Chris J, Matt, Friedhelm, Joyce, Mom and Dad; thanks guys! It took multiple trips over two days but eventually we got everything here. Mom and Dad were also a huge help as they watched Caleb throughout the move and Dad barbequed burgers for everyone on Saturday. For now our days are full of unpacking, reorganizing, and having workers into the house to finish those last-minute tasks that didn't quite get done. I'll add some pictures as soon as the house is 'show-ready' (provided I find the camera!).

Two More Weeks to Go!

This week has been a vast improvement! We are starting to see real progress in our house; all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets are in as is the laminate flooring. The ceilings have been sprayed and most of the linoleum floors are down. Now they need to paint before installing the countertops, mirrors, and carpetts. On the outside all of the siding is done and they are just working on the board and batten section. Of course this means that we finally have to really start packing.
We didn't get any packing done this weekend as we were pretty busy. Rina and I took the boys to Aquafit on Thursday. Both of them are really enjoying their time in the water. It seems like they both really get into it at the end of the class so we stayed in the pool playing with them for a while after the class was over. It was really relaxing for us all. On Friday we went for dinner at Pearl with Rob to celebrate his new job. They have a new chef and so there are some big changes to the menu; however, they've also kept a few of their signature dishes. We all really enjoyed our meals and, although we all shared a Creme Brulee, we we still able to walk up the beach for Gelato afterwards. On Saturday we took Caleb for his swimming lessons in the morning - he's getting really good at blowing bubbles! In the evening we went for an early dinner with Kris and Claudine at Wings. They've been telling us about the wings there for a while and we were glad to finally have the chance to try them out. They were great! After dinner we tried to get to the early show of Pirates 3 but it was sold out so we headed over to Chapters/Starbucks while we waited for the next show. Despite the fact that it's received some negative reviews, we really enjoyed the movie. Today we're going to head out to do some shopping between Caleb's naps so we can enjoy the afternoon in the sun!

Week From Hell

I am so relieved that last week is over! It started with finding out that our house is delayed by two weeks on Monday and something negative happened every day for the rest of the week up until Saturday. I won't get into it all here, I've been able to vent a bit to friends and don't really want to think about it anymore.
On the up side, we did have a great time at Claudine's birthday barbeque last Tuesday. We had a delicious dinner and really enjoyed our time with friends and Kris's family. Thanks guys - it was definitely a bright point of my week!
Caleb had a fantastic week. He got into a sitting position by himself on Monday, started crawling on Tuesday, and waved bye-bye to us as we were leaving for the barbeque. We've had our hands full as he is becoming more and more mobile. No matter how many more foam mats we buy for the tile floor, he remains determined to get off the mats and onto the floor. Today he got the first of what I'm sure will be many bumps on his head. He cried for about a minute and then was back to his cheerful self.
So far this week has been much better and I hope it continues that way!