Too long between posts...

So many things to report on:

Finished Kitchen...almost.

Well, the kitchen renovation is almost complete.   We need to finalize a back splash design plan and then Andrew needs to find time to put it up. Hard to find time with the kids and me still working 1 in 5 weekends :(
Here are some (old, when it was just done) photos:

Family Vacation with Royal Caribbean

We had a wonderful family vacation with the Rolt side in November commemorating the 2nd anniversary of Andrew's dad's passing.  So much fun with the kids, they loved the children's pool/splash area but really, really loved the hot tub!  Andrew and I had a nice day in St. Martin where Andrew purchased a new wedding ring (this is ring number three for anyone that is counting:) )!  Some memorable moments included swimming with the gang on a beach we didn't want to go to in St.Thomas. Our kids loving and also hating kids club.
 

Some Islander cut my head off, while we enjoyed a St. Maarten tradition!

 

...and finally, what has become somewhat of another tradition with the Asbury's when we go to St. Maarten with them! lol

Goodbye to a loyal companion:

Echo Rolt 2006-2013.

We recieved a horrible call from my mom on Thursday night on our cruise.  We were in our room with the kids (having picked them up from kids club early after a phone call saying they wanted out).  Nancy (my mom) met Echo a the emergency vet clinic and had to make a decision to move forward with a surgery for bloat or to have Echo put down.  It was a nightmare decision for Andrew and I to make at any time, let alone in the middle of the carribean.  We will miss you Echo. You were our first child, the absence of your presence is felt everyday in our lives and hearts.

In January we had a wonderful celebration of Echo's life although none of Andrew's family could make it, it was wonderful to have Candace, Dave, Braeden, Sadie, Nancy and Drew there to commemorate the life of such a wonderful companion.

Desmond and Violet had a really hard time with losing Echo and we are just now at the end of February finding our lives settling back into routines without issue dropping Des off at school or multiple mentions of our loss of Echo. It is amazing the way the brain of a child works and how something can be at the forefront but because they are not aware of how to deal with it, they act out in other ways. It was a good exercise for our family to have the celebration of Echo's life, helped teach the children about loss and the mourning process.  It was also quite healing for our family to sit down and dedicate some time to remember our beloved Echo.

Funny story about Des:  Andrew, Des and Violet were sitting on the couch watching TV.  Des was pushing on his penis, pushing it down agressively.  Andrew asked him what he was doing and Des hiding his penis said "my penis is sticking up and it is not supposed to do that. I am pushing it down".  Andrew and I laughed so hard at the innocence of the statement.  So cute!

 

 

Christmas Time:

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year.  Christmas morning was spend at home with the kids opening gifts and enjoying cinnabons.  My parents arrived for breakfast and our traditional eggs benny was served.  Then that afternoon we went to Nancy and Drew's place for dinner.  After that we packed a bag and headed to Cambridge, stopped in at the Rolt family Christmas and then off to Betty's for boxing day.  Wonderful time with family, we missed A, Den, Madi and Parker!

Andrew is 40!

Well, Andrew turned 40 on February 16th!  Unfortunately I had to work the weekend of his birthday - no one would take my shift!- so we just had a small celebration with my family on Sunday night, we went to Kyprio's for greek style dinner!  Then on Family Day Monday we went to Betty's for a Rolt family celebration for both Andrew and Teresa. This past weekend, the 22nd, I threw a surprise party for Andrew and I think it worked!  It was so much fun, friends from all walks of our lives were there to celebrate with him.

Finally, our kids are absolutely in love with the movie Frozen.  We are constantly serenaded by both kids to the wonderful songs.

Happy 1st Birthday Desmond!!

Another post that's been in "Draft" for a long time. Again awaiting pictures, but could only find cell phone pics?  I didn't want to leave Desmond's first birthday off of the blog either, so forcing an update now.

We had a few smaller celebrations for Desmond.  With the Asbury's while visiting there (actually, that was for Violet...), our own family, then with Marn's family, and another at Teresa's house with Mom and Dad combined with a Thanksgiving dinner.

Here's the birthday boy on the morning of the big day.

The birthday celebration at Teresa and Branko's will be remembered for a lot of reasons, but right up there is the cake that Teresa made to celebrate.  It was delicious! But it was a drunken sponge cake with nuts on top... for a 1st birthday!  Marn and I had a good laugh over that one, but it really was Very Good!  To bad my kids didn't get any of it!  LOL

BC Bound!

We're going to BC with the kids for 2 weeks!  We didn't think it was going to happen this year because flights were kind of expensive and the timing wasn't working out, but we found decent flights and bit the bullet.... we really wanted the Asbury's to meet Desmond before he turns into a little boy! (Which he is already...) :(
I'll be splitting my time between vacation and working in Vancouver and Edmonton, so the two weeks will go by really fast, I'm sure.
REALLY looking forward to it!!   ...and a little bit nervous about how Desmond will do with a long flight on our laps - the kid wants to go go go!

Camping, crawling and a family picnic

Desmond is growing up so quickly.  I can't believe he is 9 months old.  He is reaching movement milestones a little bit faster than Violet.  Des started crawling forward on June 13th, just before he was 8 months old.  He is already pulling up and walking along the furniture.  Won't be long now until he is walking.  I don't know if it is a boy - girl thing or a Des - Vi thing, but he is into EVERYTHING!  When Violet started to crawl, she would go places, but you could surround her with toys and she would sit and play.  Not Des, he is on the move, going over, through and around things.  He is tipping the scale at about 21.5 lbs now.  Vi had a recent weight gain and is now about 27lbs and almost 38 inches tall.
It seems so silly because they are still so small but I want time to pass a little more slowly.  I am going to miss them like crazy when I go back to work.
My crazy S-I-LTeresa and Branko invited us camping for the weekend of July 7-10.  I met up with them on Thursday and Andrew came down Friday.  It was so hard having a little crawler on my hands without a playpen during Friday.  It was the little things like going to the bathroom (we all had to go - I had to hold Des while squatting, thank goodness I have been working out! LOL).  Quite a sight to behold I am sure. It was a great weekend.  Violet loved the marshmellows on the campfire and we decided that if we can't make a vacation to BC work we might camp again at the end of the summer (fingers crossed for BC).
Des is a little chatter box now.  It is still mostly noises, a few words here and there.  It sounds like he says 'up' and he does say mama and dada but very selectively and not necessarily at the appropriate times so I think it is still just babble.  He has not started signing back to us yet but looks at us so intently when we sign at him.  Especially when Vi does it.  So cute!  He eats like a horse, this must be just he beginning as he gears up for a life eating us out of house and home.  He has started to feed himself - so much fun to watch this skill develop as he wants to get it into his mouth as fast as he can but his two point pinch is not that great.  He gets the food item in or on his hand and then smushes it up to his face.  If he misses his mouth, no worries, he just pushes his hand around until the food hits it! 
We have been watching our friend's pool again this summer and Violet has really improved in her swimming skills.  She can't swim unassisted yet but will jump into a noodle and kick around.  She will go under when she jumps but not by choice when she is swimming and she still doesn't love the back float position.  Des was hilarious in the pool, he cried for the longest time but now he has turned it around and I think he really enjoys it.  We bought Vi a suit with flotation padding in it and she loved it yesterday.  She can use her arms to swim now, so hopefully that will help her along.  Also got Des a floating ring that he can sit in, went well yesterday at the pool so hopefully he continues to like it too.  
Violet went on a special outing with her Granny two weeks ago to see Winnie the Pooh.  They went for lunch with Pop and then she and Granny went to see the movie.  What a special treat.  Violet was so well behaved and told me about the movie - well really she doesn't remember much.  She remembered they fell into a hole and there was no one at the top!  She did remember a number of the characters in the movie, Piglet, Tigger, Owl and Pooh. She didn't there there was someone called Christopher Robin (LOL).
A few weeks ago, Andrew's cousin Bridget and her husband Rolf invited us out to their farm in Listowel for a family picnic.  It was a great time with family.  Violet was in love with Gina's daughter Abby, followed her around A LOT!  Thank goodness Abby loves kids!  Des was great, he was happy to see everyone and  loved the nap in the hammock (oh wait - that was me that really loved the nap)!

 Final gymnastics day.  Violet enjoyed it so much and loved her teacher but going to do swimming and dance in the fall. 

 Mommy made me a new bib!  Leather!

 Checking myself out in the mirror after a bath.

 My vampire teeth at Canada Day.

 Des and Auntie Candace.

 Snuggling with Lia at the BBQ.

 Hanging with Abby - in LOVE with Abby.

 Chillin' with mom.

 Playing minute to win-it games at the BBQ.

 Mommy trying to capture my changing eye colour...will it be green or brown?

 Felt like Echo needed to make an appearance.

 Look at me pulling up on anything!

 

Again trying to capture the changing eye colour...

New Teeth, a trip to the zoo and the cutest 2 and a half year old - EVER!

Des broke two new teeth on the top, the jury is out if they are the front teeth or the ones beside the two front teeth?  Seems crazy that we can't tell, but it's the truth.  Need to get a photo to take a poll.*
We went to the zoo on May 29th and it turned out to be a really great day.  We purposely went early in the year thinking if the weather is not quite as warm, the animals will be out to play and frolic.  So wrong - it turned out to be a beautiful day (28) which is a little warm for the animals.  It was a good choice to go in May as not a lot of people were there so we were able to see all of the animals and did not have to wait at any displays.  We had a great day with the girls.  We went with Carey and Chris (seasoned zoo 'veterans') and their girls Cora and Mya.  All in all it was a great day.  My favourite part was the giraffe enclosure.  I love giraffes.  We all decided to go on Safari to Africa once the kids are all in University (only 17 more years - LOL).  I really want to go to Timini, the giraffe hotel in Kenya see: http://www.giraffemanor.com/ So it is all settled that we will break the bank to visit - Africa 2028!

 Beautiful female Rhino lying in the mud.  One of the first animals we saw as we entered the zoo. 

 This is a statue of a monkey that died as a result of someone throwing 'people food' into him.  So cute, but Violet didn't want to sit with him (I think she was afraid) so I got in the photo with Vi, Cora and Mya. 

 Peacocks roam freely on the zoo grounds.  So beautiful.  Cora and Mya were a little bit afraid and Carey and Chris had to execute operation distraction every time one came around. 

 Vi and me in front of the elephants. 

 These are pygmy hippos, the big ones were in hiding!  I think their enclosure was being cleaned or renovated. 

 Gorillas.  Beautiful.  So amazing to see the mommy playing with her youth.  So much like humans. 

 The girls loved the penguins.  They are new to the zoo this year.  Carey said they replaced the seal exhibit.  So cute.  They swim - SO FAST-

 Vi running at the penguin exhibit.  I could just eat her up!

 My favourite...

 Des was so great at the zoo.  Didn't fuss, slept a lot but did bite mommy hard during a feeding.  Hope that ends soon.

 Snuggling with my sweaty boy.

 Polar bear was doing a repetitive loop in his pool which was amazing for us to see him swim and move but a little bit concerning that he is very, very bored.  Just kept doing to same circle in the water. 

 Spider monkeys - they use their tail like an additional limb.  So neat to watch them climb and swing - the tail has independent movement and grip. 

 Vi loving Swiss Chalet after the zoo.

And crashing on the way home.  Granny gave the kids some money to buy something at the zoo - Violet picked the pink Monkey and we all (well - we all know how much I love giraffes) picked the giraffe for Des. Thanks Granny!

Violet is going through yet another cutie pie stage right now.  She dances all the time when we aren't around.  We are going to try to catch it on camera.  Yesterday I saw her dancing in a circle around Desmond when they were alone in her room.  So cute.  She is saying some very funny things too.  Often repeating us but we keep saying we need to write them down because we are going to forget them - and I already have - will need to remember some and post them!


*Update since this was written - Des has an upper middle tooth breaking now so it turns out he did get the ones beside his front teeth first.