Cousins are so Much Fun!

It was great to see Scott's family this weekend and just let loose. Jackson always has so much fun playing with his cousins. I am very thankful that he has little cousins about the same age to run around with and just be his adorable self.

He is especially loving the pool. We will be enrolling him into swim lessons this summer so it's a great beginning to a long summer of water fun. I just wish the weather would get a move on... Beautiful one day, showers the next. Oh well, it just means really hot times ahead!

All About Thomas

This past weekend was totally all about Jackson...

He is totally into Thomas the Tank Engine. If he's not playing with his trains, then he's reading about Thomas, or watching a movie or playing Thomas games on Daddy's iphone.

A few months back we found out that we could go for a ride on the 'real Thomas'. We couldn't pass this up.... how much longer will Jackson love Thomas and why wait! So the tickets were bought, the hotel room booked (it was in Squamish) and the date marked on the calendar.

It was a bright sunny day despite the forecast of gloomy showers and we woke up ready to take on the day and all the excitement. Jackson had been talking about Thomas for the past week leading up to our big ride. The anticipation was building and the event did not disappoint us.

Even as we were parking the car, Thomas was chugging out in front of us. Jackson's mouth dropped open and he stood mesmerized that Thomas was right in front of him. An amazing start to our memorable day.

It was very well organized with different stations that were not over scheduled but filled with fun little activities or just enough stimulus to keep hands and minds busy. Always a hit with Jackson are the train tables and motorized train tracks.

When it was time to take pictures with Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt, the line ups were fast and efficient. No screaming and crying, just lots of excited exclamations of delight that Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt were really there.

As we boarded Thomas for our ride, Jackson was in awe of all the other trains we passed and loved to hear Thomas' signature 'Toot toot'. This was Jackson's first 'steamie' ride but I'm sure it won't be his last.

We are so thankful that we have this day full of memories and took the time to enjoy the whole weekend with the focus all on Jackson and having fun as a family. As you can see it was a full weekend for us all.

Sunny May Days

Almost the end of May... already! Wow!

Here's some the activities our little family has been up to this month.

We had been planning to visit this great local site in preparation to our Day Out with Thomas in June. And although Daddy was fighting fires the whole long weekend, we were able to squeeze in this train adventure on the holiday Monday. It was so very detailed & interesting that we will definitely be back for another look.

That same day we finally got our plants & seeds planted in the 'family' garden. Pumpkins, beans, zucchini, watermelon, peppers, carrots. Just a few of the many delicious summer fruits & veggies we will eagerly be watching sprout this year.

Look at our happy little farmers!

The trampoline that we bought last summer has been set up for another season of fun. Scott loves to get in on the action with the kids. And they love every second of playing with Uncle Scott/Daddy. Just another 'big' kid in the bunch.

Jackson has improved tremendously since last year on his jumping skills. When we had the trampoline set up last year he was very tentative as he hopped or simply ran around the surface. Now he is fearless and bouncing up a storm. Can you make out the song he is singing in the video? He just has to watch out for the big kids as they throw each other off balance so lessons of patience and waiting turns are being learned.

Responsibilities and chores are another lesson we are slowing incorporating into Jackson's everyday life. He is our #1 dog food scooper when it's time to feed Kali. He really gets right into his job!

And our mini little home garden is flourishing with our recent showers. Our potato box & herb garden have really taken off. They were my mother's day gifts (along with solar powered mini lights for our patio) from Scott & Jackson. They made the potato box themselves and we can't wait to see how much they yield. And yes, that is a 2 yr old using a power drill. Oh Daddy!

And our cute little strawberry plant (our take home treat from Kayla's Strawberry Shortcake themed 2nd birthday party) has produced it's first crop of the season. Jackson got the honors of testing it out. Yum!

Egg-stra Special Fun

Colouring eggs with our best buds the Koteles'.

We will be eating hard boiled eggs for weeks...

First year that we went to the local community egg hunt! Wow there were a lot of kids! And lots of fun!

Then hunting with the cousins in Nana & Papa's backyard. Only serious hunters allowed here...I think the count was either just over 100 or pretty close to that! But every last one was found by these master seekers.

(In between all the Easter fun, our good friends Andrew & Shannon had their 30th birthday party...pictures to be posted on my Facebook site...Warning: Very fun 80's theme costume party!)

Almost Home...

It has been a long hiatus since I last blogged but I have good reason. Without Scott home since mid February it has been a very busy time for me. Just coming home from work and trying to keep things in order with a 2 yr old has had it's challenges. Thank goodness for the blessings of friends and family who help me out and keep me sane.

And to top off all the craziness of everyday life, I am in the midst of organizing all the registration for the Fire Department Spring Seminar. This is a huge event for the department with almost 400 participants for a weekend packed of training and demonstrations. Lots of work but so great for all the fire departments from across BC.

Jackson & I have been keeping active since the weather has been so beautiful and we especially love the extra daylight so we can play after Momma comes home from work. Can't wait to share his newly learned skill...scooter riding. He loves his little Radio Flyer Scooter, especially his new helmet. He wore it for almost 3 days straight...seriously!

Sorry no recent pictures, not for lack of taking them (& cute videos) but I haven't been able to find the camera cord since Scott left. We may have to breakdown and buy a new one. Darn, I hate that when I know it has to be in our house somewhere!

All the more to look forward to in the next post as I hope to have a little more time to share our adventures once Scott is home next week (Yippee!)...Jackson & I are counting down the days!

Popcorn and a Movie Night

Just a little snuggling and cuddling and just good old fashioned family time.

We had a lazy Sunday afternoon followed by a trip to the video store where we picked up a couple of movies for the night. One for Jackson and one for Scott & I.

After supper it was into our jammies with bundles of blankets. And we couldn't forget our hot air popcorn with real butter. Almost as good as the Smalliver Theatre! A great night in with the ones we love...

(Good thing Mom& Dad's movie was rated family, as someone didn't go to bed right after his own show...woke up halfway through our movie. Nothing that a little extra 'nuggle' didn't remedy. Oh well!)

Game On!

Future Hockey Player in the Making...

One Christmas gift that Jackson plays with everyday without fail is his hockey sticks and net from Uncle Spencer. We are always being asked to 'play hockey with me'. And we oblige at every chance we get. Here's a little footage of some 'Home ice' play complete with a penalty caught on film...see if you can spot it!

(I have footage of Jackson's Zamboni but need to get it to load properly...keep posted as I will try again soon, so super cute.)