Sunday, November 01, 2009
The many costumes of October 2009!
K had 3 different costumes this month: one surprise from Grandma & Grandpa, one for Halloween, and another for a friend's costume birthday party!
Here he is in his new chainmail knight pyjamas:
Here he is as a pirate, for the party:
And on halloween, as Zeus, complete with laurel, glowing lightning bolt, and big muscles:
Watch out, or the vengeful Zeus will smite you with a lightning bolt!
Here he is in his new chainmail knight pyjamas:
Here he is as a pirate, for the party:
And on halloween, as Zeus, complete with laurel, glowing lightning bolt, and big muscles:
Watch out, or the vengeful Zeus will smite you with a lightning bolt!
Summer vacation part 2
And here are a few snaps from the Maine portion of summer vacation!
We continued the cousin fun with more cousins in NH/Maine.
We stayed in these nice little cabins on a Bay near Bar Harbor:
We explored the town of Bar Harbor a bit:
And explored the beaches around the island, too. Here's Aunt W with a big starfish she waded in to retrieve for everyone!
We also took some hikes. Here's the fam on top of Cadillac Mountain:
And here is one of the many fabulous sunsets we got to see back at our cabin:
We continued the cousin fun with more cousins in NH/Maine.
We stayed in these nice little cabins on a Bay near Bar Harbor:
We explored the town of Bar Harbor a bit:
And explored the beaches around the island, too. Here's Aunt W with a big starfish she waded in to retrieve for everyone!
We also took some hikes. Here's the fam on top of Cadillac Mountain:
And here is one of the many fabulous sunsets we got to see back at our cabin:
Friday, October 16, 2009
Looong Overdue Summer Vacation photos! (Part 1)
Here are some pictures of the Vermont portion of our summer holiday in August. We're looking back to remember the warm sun even though it is cold, dark and rainy here now.
At Plumlee House, thanks to the Chapmans, we played a lot of games,
Hung around at talked (and ate) a bunch:
Played with some big rocket balloons!
Had an Ultimate game: 
...which ended up with a big dogpile on Uncle Eric, somehow:
We also went on a long kayaking trip that was really awesome, but we didn't bring the camera out of fear of it getting wet. So you'll just have to imagine that part.
At Plumlee House, thanks to the Chapmans, we played a lot of games,
Hung around at talked (and ate) a bunch:
Played with some big rocket balloons!
Had an Ultimate game: 
...which ended up with a big dogpile on Uncle Eric, somehow:
We also went on a long kayaking trip that was really awesome, but we didn't bring the camera out of fear of it getting wet. So you'll just have to imagine that part.Tuesday, September 08, 2009
First Day of School!
I know we haven't posted vacation photos yet (soon -- we have recovered the camera cord!), but today was the first day of Grade 2 and here's a photo I snapped off the back of my bike (at a stoplight) of K and B as we all biked K to school:
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Aikido demonstration
Today was the first day of the Powell Street Festival, a Japanese festival that takes place in our neighbourhood each summer. While Chibi Taiko did not play this year, since the senior students are all in Japan, our Aikido dojo, Shohei Juku, did a demonstration under the hot sun, and K participated (D took pictures).
Here is K's teacher, Shinobu Sensei, with the kids who participated in the festival demo today. Shinobu has a lot of wonderful energy for the kids classes, and makes them a lot of fun:
She kept a good eye on him the whole time, since he was the littlest one in the group. Here they are "knee walking":
Tama Sensei, the leader of our dojo, called K up first off to demonstrate tenkan, a core move in aikido that involves stepping and pivoting out of harm's way:
The demo was a combination of pairs showing a move, and then everyone in the aikido group doing the move all together, much like a regular aikido practice. Here's K in the group demonstration of how to throw down an attacker who tried to strike his head:
And here's Tama Sensei throwing a senior student around:
Here is K's teacher, Shinobu Sensei, with the kids who participated in the festival demo today. Shinobu has a lot of wonderful energy for the kids classes, and makes them a lot of fun:
She kept a good eye on him the whole time, since he was the littlest one in the group. Here they are "knee walking":
Tama Sensei, the leader of our dojo, called K up first off to demonstrate tenkan, a core move in aikido that involves stepping and pivoting out of harm's way:
The demo was a combination of pairs showing a move, and then everyone in the aikido group doing the move all together, much like a regular aikido practice. Here's K in the group demonstration of how to throw down an attacker who tried to strike his head:
And here's Tama Sensei throwing a senior student around:
Folk Festival weekend
We had a great time at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival this year, and it was especially fun with Uncle Matt visiting.
K had a great time hanging out with Matt:
And at the festival (kids are free!). In this kids area there were games and some water for cooling down. K discovered he's a natural at poi:
The festival is right at the beach, and the first night in particular there was a beautiful sky-blue-pink sunset, and after it got dark we got to see the space shuttle pass overhead (with Canadian astronaut Julie Payette on board):
Sunday only B went back to the festival, and the rest of us chilled out around home, catching up on rest after 2 late nights in a row. Every Sunday the main street in our neighbourhood is closed to car traffic, so we went up to the Drive and checked out the street performers, then went to cool off in the spray park:
K had a great time hanging out with Matt:
And at the festival (kids are free!). In this kids area there were games and some water for cooling down. K discovered he's a natural at poi:
The festival is right at the beach, and the first night in particular there was a beautiful sky-blue-pink sunset, and after it got dark we got to see the space shuttle pass overhead (with Canadian astronaut Julie Payette on board):
Sunday only B went back to the festival, and the rest of us chilled out around home, catching up on rest after 2 late nights in a row. Every Sunday the main street in our neighbourhood is closed to car traffic, so we went up to the Drive and checked out the street performers, then went to cool off in the spray park:
Camping pics
Since we're about to leave for 2 weeks of holiday, we thought we'd better empty our camera memory card, and wow is there a lot we haven't posted about here yet. Starting with...our end-of-June camping trip!
We camped on the West coast of Vanocuver Island for the first time, and it was chilly and windy, but beautiful.
Every day we went to a different beach. K built sand castles and driftwood castles:
We also did a fair bit of hanging around the campsite playing board games, reading and roasting marshmallows:
We camped on the West coast of Vanocuver Island for the first time, and it was chilly and windy, but beautiful.
Every day we went to a different beach. K built sand castles and driftwood castles:
We also did a fair bit of hanging around the campsite playing board games, reading and roasting marshmallows:
Monday, July 06, 2009
Greek Myth
This morning, K told me he made up a "Greek" myth. In it, there were aliens in outer space, who each held up a planet and ran around the sun with it. The reason we have earthquakes, the myth explains, is that a big wind comes along and shakes the planets that the aliens are holding up.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Taiko Concert!
K performed in his first Taiko concert with Chibi Taiko last weekend. It was *very* exciting, and he worked really hard! We're very proud of him for sticking with this all year, practicing, and getting up on stage in front of lots of people.
First, here is a clip of the beginners (ages ~5-9; started in the fall) opening the show with "Flying Chibi." One of the members of the seniors group who helps teach the beginngers is leading them, and K is directly to her left.
Second, here's a clip of the seniors and juniors playing the group's signature piece "Chibi taiko." There are some really great solos from about 3:00-4:00 in the video, and you can see the full setup, with drummers rotating in and out, auxiliary percussion (the beginners!) in the wings, and the group's leader, Shinobu, leading the piece with his drum off on stage right. (Sometimes the seniors will use bigger/higher drums, but when they are playing with the younger kids they have to keep them on the floor so everyone can reach!)
{Edited add: something went technically wrong with this second video -- I will have to reload it later. Sorry!}
And for some background, here's a link to his taiko group's website, with more photos, articles, and info on Taiko and Chibi Taiko in particular: http://www.chibitaiko.bc.ca
First, here is a clip of the beginners (ages ~5-9; started in the fall) opening the show with "Flying Chibi." One of the members of the seniors group who helps teach the beginngers is leading them, and K is directly to her left.
Second, here's a clip of the seniors and juniors playing the group's signature piece "Chibi taiko." There are some really great solos from about 3:00-4:00 in the video, and you can see the full setup, with drummers rotating in and out, auxiliary percussion (the beginners!) in the wings, and the group's leader, Shinobu, leading the piece with his drum off on stage right. (Sometimes the seniors will use bigger/higher drums, but when they are playing with the younger kids they have to keep them on the floor so everyone can reach!)
{Edited add: something went technically wrong with this second video -- I will have to reload it later. Sorry!}
And for some background, here's a link to his taiko group's website, with more photos, articles, and info on Taiko and Chibi Taiko in particular: http://www.chibitaiko.bc.ca
K is sooooo funny
Here's a little video of K making our little buddy E laugh. Everytime K said "Boo" all afternoon, E just fell over laughing. It was hilarious. Also Note the kitten going crazy with the baby blanket.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Cousin visit & Lost tooth!
First, here's the picture of cousins Martha and Joe with K&D. We look funny in the picture because we are doing "Sumo Stance" from Aikido. Don't we look scary and mean?
Second, we have very exciting news -- K has lost his first tooth! He is very excited, as he was feeling like the last kid in Grade 1 to have all his baby teeth, and reeeally wanted to lose a tooth before the school year is out. And when we say he "lost" a tooth, we really mean lost...in an apple he was eating for lunch! Fortunately, the tooth fairy was very understanding. ;)
Second, we have very exciting news -- K has lost his first tooth! He is very excited, as he was feeling like the last kid in Grade 1 to have all his baby teeth, and reeeally wanted to lose a tooth before the school year is out. And when we say he "lost" a tooth, we really mean lost...in an apple he was eating for lunch! Fortunately, the tooth fairy was very understanding. ;)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Biking!
This past weekend, K decided it was time to ride his 2-wheeler on his own. So he did!
Foliage of various types
Grandma asked how the garden is coming along. Like this:
K and a friend love to climb trees in the park after aikido on Saturdays:
K and a friend love to climb trees in the park after aikido on Saturdays:
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Loose tooth!
K has his first loose tooth! We're wondering which will come first: school letting out (at the end of the month), or the tooth falling out.
While D was away at a conference this week, we skyped with video every night. Here's a snap of K showing me how loose the tooth was *that* day:
While D was away at a conference this week, we skyped with video every night. Here's a snap of K showing me how loose the tooth was *that* day:
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Aikido & cherry blossoms
Here's K in his gi just before Aikido practice on Saturday morning:
An action shot. "Hey! Ho!":
The lovely cherry blossoms that are now raining petals all over our patio and the roads around our neighbourhood:
An action shot. "Hey! Ho!":
The lovely cherry blossoms that are now raining petals all over our patio and the roads around our neighbourhood:
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Garden
Grandma noticed the garden behind K in the scarf pictures. Here are some more pictures of our garden-in-progress. The people who lived here before us were not gardeners - in fact the one raised bed that they had on the patio was filled with tools and junk! So we cleaned that out, built a second flower bed on the patio (that's what you see behind K in the scarf pictures), and have set up a small food garden on the balcony where we get some sunshine. Here are some pictures.
Here's what the patio looked like before we built the second raised box (this picture is looking down from the balcony):
Here are the lovely boxes we got for the balcony (we were going to just build pine boxes but were won over by the wonderful smell of these cedar boxes):
And here is K planting snow peas in the food garden (we also have kale, spinach, green onions, cilantro, strawberries, blueberry bush, corn salad and bok choi growing):
Here's what the patio looked like before we built the second raised box (this picture is looking down from the balcony):
Here are the lovely boxes we got for the balcony (we were going to just build pine boxes but were won over by the wonderful smell of these cedar boxes):
And here is K planting snow peas in the food garden (we also have kale, spinach, green onions, cilantro, strawberries, blueberry bush, corn salad and bok choi growing):
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Scarf!
Three months ago Aunt Nancy taught D how to knit. K is still cultivating patience enough to learn, but D just finished her first project -- a scarf for K! Of course, you'll notice that he is wearing a t-shirt today...but in the fall the scarf will be nice and toasty warm! K waned to wear it anyway, and we took some goofy pictures of him modeling it, and eating homemade pretzels afterward. Thanks again Aunt Nancy!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Kitty, jenga, and livres
Here are yet more photos of things K has been doing lately.
Cuddling Pritzkeh (she likes to try to play with his hair!)
Playing Jenga (he's gotten very good at it!)
Reading in French (both for fun out of library books, and these little readers for homework from school):
Cuddling Pritzkeh (she likes to try to play with his hair!)
Playing Jenga (he's gotten very good at it!)
Reading in French (both for fun out of library books, and these little readers for homework from school):
Sunday, March 08, 2009
February Happenings
Before sickness hit, we were having a pretty good month. Here are a few photos!
K in his "office" mass-producing valentines for his whole class:
K, "Cousin" E, and Pritzkeh play Jenga on the kitchen floor while D cooks dinner:
K in his "office" mass-producing valentines for his whole class:
K, "Cousin" E, and Pritzkeh play Jenga on the kitchen floor while D cooks dinner:
Sick kiddo
We're mostly recovered now - just a bit sniffly yet - but K has been sick for most of the past week. He went from stomach ick to fever to a chest cold. Our sweet kitty, Pritzkeh, kept him company the whole time he was down. Here are a few photos of the sick days:
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Home sweet co-op
Here's a photo of the outside of our new co-op. We still have a couple boxes to unpack, and are figuring out where everything should live in the new place, but you'll see pics of our particular unit eventually.
Kitty!
It's been a while since we last updated, and a lot has happened. We had holidays with family and then moved into a nice co-op townhouse (still in the same neighbourhood; just closer to everything).
But the most exciting thing right now is that we got a new kitty! (Having a pet was one of the perks of the move; our old house was no-pets and we missed having a cat).
She is about 3 mos old, and we're not sure what her name will be yet. She is adjusting famously to our house, and is so happy to be away from the SPCA and all those other kittens who were jumping on her all the time (she loves people; not so much other cats). She is playful and snuggly and a great lap cat. And she's BIG for her age!
Here's a peek at our new kitty:
If you have idea for a good name, leave a comment!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Snow!
We have had SO much snow this past week! Check out the pictures!
We *thought* we had a lot of snow this weekend, when K's taiko concert was cancelled and we went sledding/skiing our former upstairs neighbours.
K&C sled down the hill at the park:
B brings out the XC skis for the first time since moving here:
D&L are glad to have friends within walking distance on days like this:
...But that was nothing compared to what we've got today!
K helps shovel the walk:
D&K in snow higher than their knees:
The only child has a snowball fight with his snowman:
They assure us this will all be gone by Sunday, when we plan to hit the road to the vacation cabin. Our fingers are crossed they they're right, and they probably are - rain is pretty inevitable around here. However, this is crazy fun while it's here!
We *thought* we had a lot of snow this weekend, when K's taiko concert was cancelled and we went sledding/skiing our former upstairs neighbours.
K&C sled down the hill at the park:
B brings out the XC skis for the first time since moving here:
D&L are glad to have friends within walking distance on days like this:
...But that was nothing compared to what we've got today!
K helps shovel the walk:
D&K in snow higher than their knees:
The only child has a snowball fight with his snowman:
They assure us this will all be gone by Sunday, when we plan to hit the road to the vacation cabin. Our fingers are crossed they they're right, and they probably are - rain is pretty inevitable around here. However, this is crazy fun while it's here!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
6th Birthday Party!
K wanted a party at the bowling alley again this year, with glow-bowling (black lights, flourescent wall paintings). The kids bowled a game (duckpin balls, 6 pins), had sandwiches and cupcakes, presents, and fun in the glow lights with their glow-stick necklaces.
Eating:
(Don't these sisters look so much alike?)
Opening presents:
(This is the other youngest child in K's Taiko class:)
Enjoying the glowy fun:
Eating:
(Don't these sisters look so much alike?)
Opening presents:
(This is the other youngest child in K's Taiko class:)
Enjoying the glowy fun:
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Arts & crafts
We're hanging around, cleaning the house and doing arts & crafts today. Check it out:
The World's Largest Paper Airplane!
And here's a video - K demonstrating how to use his knitting spool (from Aunt N!) to make a scarf for a stuffed animal. He says he'd like to learn to knit with needles so he can make big scarves for poor people too.
The World's Largest Paper Airplane!
And here's a video - K demonstrating how to use his knitting spool (from Aunt N!) to make a scarf for a stuffed animal. He says he'd like to learn to knit with needles so he can make big scarves for poor people too.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Homemade applesauce
B and K made applesauce, with the food mill, out of local organic macintosh apples from our farmer's market.
It was fun to make...
...And even more fun to eat!
Our young friend E approves too. We're told it's his favourite first solid food. Here he is being cute and practicing rolling over. K is very generous about sharing his old baby toys when E comes over for a visit.
It was fun to make...
...And even more fun to eat!
Our young friend E approves too. We're told it's his favourite first solid food. Here he is being cute and practicing rolling over. K is very generous about sharing his old baby toys when E comes over for a visit.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Babkabousha!
K made a track for the circular plastic piece left when a roll of scotch tape was used up. The track has been a work in progress all weekend; it is made from cardboard, masking tape, and some duct tape (after the masking tape just wasn't sticky enough).
K says that when the roll falls off the track along the way he says "Waah waah." When it completes the track, rolling into the box at the end, he says "Bravo!" And when it completes the track but doesn't roll into the box at the bottom he says "Babkabousha!" - as illustrated in this video:
K says that when the roll falls off the track along the way he says "Waah waah." When it completes the track, rolling into the box at the end, he says "Bravo!" And when it completes the track but doesn't roll into the box at the bottom he says "Babkabousha!" - as illustrated in this video:
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Our Cat Witch
"You know how witches have cats? Well, maybe the cat wants to dress like a witch too. A Cat-Witch."
Out cat witch ready to go trick-or-treating last night:
And being more feline:
Sorting his loot:
And choosing some chocolate to eat:
Out cat witch ready to go trick-or-treating last night:
And being more feline:
Sorting his loot:
And choosing some chocolate to eat:
Pumpkins 2008!
Here's a photo essay of our halloween decoration creation this year.
Picking the cornstalks and small pumpkin from the garden:
Picking the BIG pumpkin from our garden! It turned out to be a wise idea to plant pumpkins in 2 very different places in our yard, as one did much better than the other, being drier and sunnier.
B & K carved a jack-o-lantern in the big pumpkin:
K drew an adorable face on a tiny pumpkin he got from school:
And K made some other assorted decorations for our front window too. We were well-decorated this year!
Picking the cornstalks and small pumpkin from the garden:
Picking the BIG pumpkin from our garden! It turned out to be a wise idea to plant pumpkins in 2 very different places in our yard, as one did much better than the other, being drier and sunnier.
B & K carved a jack-o-lantern in the big pumpkin:
K drew an adorable face on a tiny pumpkin he got from school:
And K made some other assorted decorations for our front window too. We were well-decorated this year!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Taiko
Chibi means "little kid" and Taiko means "big drum."
And K is very excited to be starting to take lessons from Chibi Taiko, a local youth taiko ensemble!
Chibi Taiko has a website/blog, if you're interested in checking it out.
And you can see some of the senior members of Chibi Taiko in action, playing at this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_2Yw6TupTU
At 5:28 the segment with Chibi Taiko (in the flame shirts) begins.
If you want to see more taiko, TAIKOPROJECT, in Los Angeles CA, has a lot of great videos up on YouTube, where you can see a broad range of traditional and modern taiko styles. You may even have seen/heard TAIKOPROJECT on commericals for Nike or Mistubishi.
And K is very excited to be starting to take lessons from Chibi Taiko, a local youth taiko ensemble!
Chibi Taiko has a website/blog, if you're interested in checking it out.
And you can see some of the senior members of Chibi Taiko in action, playing at this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_2Yw6TupTU
At 5:28 the segment with Chibi Taiko (in the flame shirts) begins.
If you want to see more taiko, TAIKOPROJECT, in Los Angeles CA, has a lot of great videos up on YouTube, where you can see a broad range of traditional and modern taiko styles. You may even have seen/heard TAIKOPROJECT on commericals for Nike or Mistubishi.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Homemade shofar
We went to a neat Secular Rosh Hashana / Yom Kippur Observance
last weekend, at which all the kids got to make and decorate shofars (made from pvc piping). K's been having a good time making a lot of noise with it ever since.
Here's K in his pyjamas giving a demo of his shofar:
(The embouchure is a little tough while you're giggling, as you can see.)
last weekend, at which all the kids got to make and decorate shofars (made from pvc piping). K's been having a good time making a lot of noise with it ever since.
Here's K in his pyjamas giving a demo of his shofar:
(The embouchure is a little tough while you're giggling, as you can see.)
An independent writer
Now that K can sound our words and write them himself, he can do fun stuff like...add items to our farmers' market shopping list:
Word on the Street Festival
K helped D run a table at the Word on the Street Festival at Library Square downtown this year. It's a big festival all about books. We saw a book reading by the author of the Stanley books, did a scavenger hunt, and and K got to walk across the stage with the summer reading club medalists from our branch, because he read (and recorded) 50 books over the summer.
This is K spinng the wheel at our table (for the Libray Association's Information Policy group). When you spin the wheel, they ask you a question and if you're right or not you get a candy! K's question was about Internet filters. See if you know the answer!
Q. Can you see if there's a filter on your Internet or not, just by looking at the outside of the computer?
A: No! (K got it right, did you?)
This is a picture of an electric eel being tickled by seaweed while it's reading the newspaper. K drew this as part of the scavenger hunt.
This is all K's loot from the festival - he really cleaned up!
K would like to add that we rode a bus that we don't usually ride to get home from the festival.
Bye! Love, Kobi.
This is K spinng the wheel at our table (for the Libray Association's Information Policy group). When you spin the wheel, they ask you a question and if you're right or not you get a candy! K's question was about Internet filters. See if you know the answer!
Q. Can you see if there's a filter on your Internet or not, just by looking at the outside of the computer?
A: No! (K got it right, did you?)This is a picture of an electric eel being tickled by seaweed while it's reading the newspaper. K drew this as part of the scavenger hunt.
This is all K's loot from the festival - he really cleaned up!
K would like to add that we rode a bus that we don't usually ride to get home from the festival. Bye! Love, Kobi.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Visit with Aunt D
Before the beginning of grad school, Aunt D came for a visit! We met up in Bellingham, but our plans for a Mount Baker area hike were foiled by bad weather, so we went to the children's museum and ince cream shop instead. Then Aunt D came Back home with us and hung out in our neck of the woods for a day.
K& Aunt D picked the last of our prune plums (which are now prunes, thanks to our dehydrater!)
We picked a whole lot of other stuff too - this time of year the garden really earns its keep!
We went on a little walk in Lighthouse Park, a very well hidden but lovely seeming park in West Van. K & Aunt D scoped out all the fungus along the way. Here's Aunt D looking things up in her mushroom book.
And here's the view of the lighthouse that was our destination. Next time we go to the park we'll allot more time and go all the way down to the lighthouse.
K& Aunt D picked the last of our prune plums (which are now prunes, thanks to our dehydrater!)
We picked a whole lot of other stuff too - this time of year the garden really earns its keep!
We went on a little walk in Lighthouse Park, a very well hidden but lovely seeming park in West Van. K & Aunt D scoped out all the fungus along the way. Here's Aunt D looking things up in her mushroom book.
And here's the view of the lighthouse that was our destination. Next time we go to the park we'll allot more time and go all the way down to the lighthouse. 
Monday, September 15, 2008
Kobi does math problems on his easel at home:
And helps D put together some new shelves:
K's class has a website this year (see the link in the blog sidebar), with links to French kid websites to practice vocabulary and numbers. He now gets computer time at his desk while we cook dinner:
Today K read his first French book all by himself! What is even more impressive to me is that he read it upside-down while pretending to be the teacher reading to me, the class.
And finally, these are flowers from our garden that K helped pick as a boquet for our friend Martha who moved to Austin at the end of the summer:
And helps D put together some new shelves:
K's class has a website this year (see the link in the blog sidebar), with links to French kid websites to practice vocabulary and numbers. He now gets computer time at his desk while we cook dinner:
Today K read his first French book all by himself! What is even more impressive to me is that he read it upside-down while pretending to be the teacher reading to me, the class.
And finally, these are flowers from our garden that K helped pick as a boquet for our friend Martha who moved to Austin at the end of the summer:
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
First day of school
Here's K goofing around before we left for the first day of Grade 1 this morning:
Here's K looking very stern in his pyjamas and the knight gear (belt, shield, sword) he made out of paper:
K took this picture of D to show Barbara how tall his tallest dahlia is:
This is the pumpkin that is destined to be our jack-o-lantern this fall:
Here's K looking very stern in his pyjamas and the knight gear (belt, shield, sword) he made out of paper:
K took this picture of D to show Barbara how tall his tallest dahlia is:
This is the pumpkin that is destined to be our jack-o-lantern this fall:
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Anemones
Last year, when we told K he coul dhave his own garden plot this year, he decided he wanted flowers that looked like sea anemones. We got dahlias with curly petals. After a lot of patience, the flowers have now bloomed, and the resemblance is striking!
Actual anemone, from the aquarium last week:
The first dahlia flower that opened last week:
K is very proud!
Actual anemone, from the aquarium last week:
The first dahlia flower that opened last week:
K is very proud!
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Aquarium with Nana & Papa
Nana and Papa are visiting, all the way from Maine! Last weekend we all took a fun trip to the aquarium. We saw a 4-dolphin show (2 are new to the show!)
And the baby beluga, who theyère pretty sure is a girl, swimming with mama beluga Qila:
Here are Nana, Papa, B & K, watching the otter get fed:
And here is the cute little guy munching on an oyster:
In the rainforest exhibit, K was especially taken by this large colourful parrot.
And the baby beluga, who theyère pretty sure is a girl, swimming with mama beluga Qila:
Here are Nana, Papa, B & K, watching the otter get fed:
And here is the cute little guy munching on an oyster:
In the rainforest exhibit, K was especially taken by this large colourful parrot.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sasquatch Provincial Park
Camping at Sasquatch Provincial Park was great!
We took a hike on the Beaver Pond trail. Didn't see any beavers, but did see lots of frogs!
The park has 4 lakes of varying sizes. K had fun building dams and lakes along this little creak that ran into Hicks Lake:
The views were typical BC beautiful:
We found that K is now too big to sit double (on a grown-up's lap) in a one-person kayak. So B tethered the kayak and let K paddle solo in a nice shallow area.
He was a natural kayaker!
We took a hike on the Beaver Pond trail. Didn't see any beavers, but did see lots of frogs!
The park has 4 lakes of varying sizes. K had fun building dams and lakes along this little creak that ran into Hicks Lake:
The views were typical BC beautiful:
We found that K is now too big to sit double (on a grown-up's lap) in a one-person kayak. So B tethered the kayak and let K paddle solo in a nice shallow area.
He was a natural kayaker!
Writing!
Now that school's out (and there is no pressure to sit still and practice writing), K has become quite a writer!
It's fun to see what he writes about - the subjects that loom large in the minds of 5-year-olds.
For example, we had the "Beware of dogs with sharp teeth" series:
And the bad guys in jail talking about poop:
(text translation:
-You are poop
-Ha ha
-You are bad
-Poop boy
-Bad boy
-Let's go get our swords
-You are bad)
It's fun to see what he writes about - the subjects that loom large in the minds of 5-year-olds.
For example, we had the "Beware of dogs with sharp teeth" series:
And the bad guys in jail talking about poop:
(text translation:
-You are poop
-Ha ha
-You are bad
-Poop boy
-Bad boy
-Let's go get our swords
-You are bad)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Camping, part 2
We took a few hikes while camping, because K is now old enough to do short hikes! We took one along a river and up to some waterfalls. This is a view along the way.
Here's K inside a hollow stump along the trail.
Here's the waterfalls at the end! The spray was very wet! We had lunch nearby before coming back down.
K took this picture. It is a big old tree stmp with a younger tree growing out of the middle of it! We saw lots of examples of tree roots climbing around, over and through big old stumps in this forest.
This was an old downed tree that looked like a whale!
Here's K inside a hollow stump along the trail.
Here's the waterfalls at the end! The spray was very wet! We had lunch nearby before coming back down.
K took this picture. It is a big old tree stmp with a younger tree growing out of the middle of it! We saw lots of examples of tree roots climbing around, over and through big old stumps in this forest.
This was an old downed tree that looked like a whale!
Camping part 1
We went camping at Golden Ears Provincial Park! It was sunny and beautiful!
K marked his spot:
The wooded area was carpeted with moss and moss hung from the trees. It was really neat.
There were lots of big old tree stumps, like this one. K climbed up this himself!
K has developed a habit of twirling his hair. Are things like that hereditary?
This was the beach a short walk from our campsite. Not sandy, but beautiful view.
K marked his spot:
The wooded area was carpeted with moss and moss hung from the trees. It was really neat.
There were lots of big old tree stumps, like this one. K climbed up this himself!
K has developed a habit of twirling his hair. Are things like that hereditary?
This was the beach a short walk from our campsite. Not sandy, but beautiful view.
Party, bunny & garden
Kobi's rocket pinata. K&D made this on a rainy day last fall. Kobi wanted to have a "school's out (& half birthday) party." We had a barbeque with some friends, and the kids demolished the pinata. We don't have any big trees in our yard that we could hang it from, so we set it on a milk crate and let the kids hit it off, t-ball style.
This is the rude bunny that was wreaking havoc on our garden this spring. B caught it under a laundry basket. Here it is in the cat carrier waiting to go to the spca.
K has his own garden for the first time this year. He's growing lavendar, dahlias that looks like sea anemones, glads, beans, corn, and pumpkins. This picture was a few weeks ago, post-bunny. The garden is much more lush now!
Here's K being a garden helper, washing out some flats we used to hold seed-starting containers this spring.
This is the rude bunny that was wreaking havoc on our garden this spring. B caught it under a laundry basket. Here it is in the cat carrier waiting to go to the spca.
K has his own garden for the first time this year. He's growing lavendar, dahlias that looks like sea anemones, glads, beans, corn, and pumpkins. This picture was a few weeks ago, post-bunny. The garden is much more lush now!
Here's K being a garden helper, washing out some flats we used to hold seed-starting containers this spring.
