Beautiful Boy

We may have demonstrated a slight bias when formulating our assessment, but we think our little guy is the cutest boy who ever walked the earth.  He has an infectious smile, a killer laugh, a happy demeanor, all to go with his eye for fashion and the gorgeous blond curls that usually garner the most attention.  He had a great time in Toronto thanks to two of his favourite ingredients, time outdoors and time with a puppy dog!  He is a bit more clingy with Mom and Dad that his sister the social butterfly was, but if you have a dog or if you're outside with him, he is happy as a lark and running so fast that you have to hurry to keep up.  He has 12(!) teeth now and has had some trouble sleeping as a result, but has shown recent signs of longer sleeps, meaning his parents can see the light at the end of the 4-year sleep deprivation tunnel they have experienced.  What we love most is how he and his sister enjoy each other's company.   They will be best friends forever and you can see it starting to build in front of your very own eyes.  Wow.

Strolling by the Humber River as the girls feted Rhiannon.  He alternated between running down the path and shouting with joy at every dog we saw.

Taking a nap in his big boy bed

Goofing around with his new best pal Kobe.  The dog is 3x his size, was he scared?  Not in the least, he chased Kobe everywhere.

Looking for Oliver?  Follow the women.  Wherever he goes he is surrounded by his adoring female fan base!

Enough, Vivian!  Give a boy some space!  Haha!

Back in Our Beds

We are back in Ottawa after a whirlwind Toronto weekend, celebrating friends and family from beginning to end.  We arrived late Friday at Great-Grandpa's, rocked the family picnic Saturday before heading downtown to stay with Alli, Sean and Kobe.  Finally today we saw Uncle Claude and his crew on the Danforth and capped off the weekend at bride-to-be Rhiannon's Toronto shower.  After the long drive home tonight, we are all exhausted. Check back in coming days for some stories and photos from the festivities...we're going to sleep now.

Lakehouse: A Wicked Work in Progress

Although Oliver was more than willing to lend a helping hand, the builders seem to have things well under control.  What builders, you ask?  The builders of our family friends the Andrews' wicked new lakehouse in Quebec!  A short drive from Ottawa and you are in a peaceful and secluded piece of heaven, surrounded by water and trees as far as you can see.  The house is coming together really nicely and will be such a great place for Ron and Menna to get away from it all, as well as host friends (like us!) and family on a regular basis.  The plans looked great and the structure is living up to them, with big picture windows and a beautiful deck and sunroom to make the place complete.  We look forward to many fun times there in the future, but we already had the chance to get our first look (and first party!) and we are hooked.  Gran and Grandpa got to check things out as well as we shared an awesome picnic on the deck with Ron and Menna and the affianced Matt and Rhiannon.  We also got to fit in an inaugural swim and kayak, hopefully the first of many!  We are so appreciative of our friends, who already do so much for us year-round, even acting as babysitters and surrogate parents when the need arises!  To have a place like this nearby and to have a standing invitation to visit means the world to us and our little ones.  Oliver and Isabelle will be forever thankful for the opportunity.  Congrats, Ron and Menna, on the progress towards your dream lakehouse!

Is there a more perfect place for a party?  

The swimming phenom out in the open water with Grandpa.  She sure has enjoyed having him and Gran nearby the past couple of weeks!

Oliver and Mommy relax on the floating platform.  The boy can't wait to get in the water and mix it up just like his sister.  Look out next summer!

Kayaking cutiepie relaxes as Grandpa steers her into port.  In the future, she will be able to take her own kayak out for a spin either at the lakehouse or even on the canal.  Peace and quiet for all involved!

This doesn't look so hard.  See you guys in a few hours!

Cutest little wader ever.  The water was nice and warm and there were lots of stones for Oliver to grab and toss around.  He had a blast!

All smiles for our sweetie.  Who could be unhappy hanging out with friends and family and swimming to their heart's content?

Bendy Busker

The summer festival season continues in Ottawa and this past weekend was one of a family favourite, the Buskerfest on Sparks Street.  In previous years, we have come here to see jugglers and magicians but have ended up loving the bucket drummer most of all.  Alas, Peter Rabbit wasn't in town this year but we found someone just as exciting.  An Aussie contortionist by the name of Bendy Em put on a great show and amazed us with what she was capable of doing with her body.  Let's hope Isabelle doesn't try some of this stuff in her gymnastics class!  Oliver even ventured out on stage at one point and was quickly told that he was heading into "The Box" if he didn't return to his seat.  "The Box" is the 16-inch cube that Emma stuffs herself into as her grand finale.  Given his size, I'm sure Oliver would have fit but he wouldn't have liked it very much!   As usual, the Buskerfest gave us all a good show, and it was nice to share in the good times with Gran and Grandpa.  Isabelle and Oliver have been very lucky to have them around, as are we.  Mommy and Daddy even had a rare movie outing thanks to our visitors, that happens about as often as an eclipse!   We are back on our own for now but looking forward to a reunion at the family picnic this weekend!

Don't try this at home...and if you do, have a phone nearby to call for help!

Hey there, how are you?  Am I interrupting something?

I bet when she came here from Australia she thought the accommodations would be a bit roomier!

They don't have slides like this in Halifax!  Careful, granddaughter!

The most fearless of all princesses.  By the way, we asked Oliver "Where's a princess?" yesterday.  Guess who he pointed to!

Coolest Mom and bravest baby hit the slide too!

All that cheering and sliding has made me hungry, but not for real food!

Maiden Voyage

The fun times just keep on coming. Not only did we have another day of fun and excitement with Gran and Grandpa, but Isabelle was able to achieve a major milestone in her young life. After months of lessons and the past week of water-based freedom at a couple of cottages, today Isabelle ventured into some shallow water without her lifejacket and....swam!  Check it out for yourself!



Halifax family friends John and Martha were near Ottawa at the Rideau River Provincial Park so we happily loaded the van and headed down for a nice visit.  We have been so used to seeing them in Florida or Halifax so it was nice to spend time with them in Ontario for once!  Little did they know they would be the witnesses to Isabelle's first ever swim strokes!

Three generations survey the landscape.  Oliver is lucky to have such great women looking out for him.

Oliver gets a ride through the water from Grandpa.  Needless to say, he needed to do this several dozen more times and never really got bored of it!  Grandpa was so pleased to see how happy he was making the little guy.

Isabelle and Oliver are such happy kids.  Take them outside or around the water and they are thrilled.  Oliver loves to feel the sand in his toes and Isabelle's love of the water is well-documented!

Hey, this tent trailer is so cool!  Can we sleep here tonight?

Congratulations, Sarah and Jeremy!

Although we had a blast traipsing through downtown, partying in Barrie and revisiting Muskoka, the real reason we were in Toronto was to celebrate the wedding of Sarah and cousin Jeremy. The wedding was a great event, a chance to fete the new couple and reunite with family from across the country, especially the entire crew from Halifax. It was great to have the three sisters together again and dressed for a night of fun and frivolity. All are fashionistas in their own right, but clearly they have passed this trait onto their offspring, all of whom were dressed impeccably for the occasion. Is anyone surprised?  All three kids enjoyed the food and all the attention they were getting, and the venue had the perfect mix of rooms and stairs, lots of places to run and goof around with the other little ones in attendance.  Olan succumbed to the sandman the earliest, and given that his day started that morning at 5:30, who could blame him?  Isabelle wanted no part of leaving early, especially since the dancing was about to start and they just took apart the croquembouche!   Even Oliver was a night owl, not bidding his goodbyes until around 11:00, when he headed back to the hotel.  Isabelle got her chance to dance, but also fell asleep before hailing a cab and turning in well after midnight.  A late night but a great one, all thanks to the fabulous couple of the evening.  Jeremy and Sarah were the picture of happiness and we wish them all the best as they embark on a lifetime of wedded bliss.  A special thanks for making us all a part of your big day.  See you newlyweds next week at the picnic!

The cutest boy you will ever see, bar none. We had several offers while we walked down Yonge Street from people wanting to take him off our hands. Not a chance, get your own little angel!

Three little ones, all dressed to impress but more interested in what's going on downstairs!

Ever the budding fashion model, Isabelle strikes a pose on the stairs.  All the attention was not lost on this little princess.

Oliver is his usual spot, on the stairs.  The boy loves to climb and this place was perfect for that.  He was more than happy to travel up and down over and over.  Can you believe he even missed the speeches?!

True or false:  this group of females are related.  What was your first clue? The smiles, the hair, the fashion? Great to have this quartet together for the first time in far too long.

They gave out suckers to some of the party guests.  Oliver was mildly happy to have snagged one.

Isabelle meets the croquembouche.  A match made in heaven.  Unlike her Mom before her, let's hope she doesn't ask us to make one for her birthday!

Olan packs it in on the bar couch.  Cute little guy was such a trooper at dinner, bravely hanging on as long as he could.  He slept very soundly through a raging party, even the DJ couldn't rouse him from his slumber!

Return to the Big Smoke

It sure was nice to be back in downtown Toronto last week. We love the energy of the big city and each have fond memories of good times spent downtown, but on most recent trips we either stayed on the outskirts of downtown, or just ventured into the city for specific events. To have two full days downtown was a real treat, as was staying in some nice hotels that the kids loved. We enjoyed walking around Queen Street, through Nathan Phillips Square, over to the Eaton Centre (naturally!), eating Burrito Boyz and just being caught in the hustle and bustle of downtown. Oliver and Isabelle had no shortage of entertainment inside and out; they certainly could get used to the hotel life quite easily. We had a great time and some late partying nights for everyone, much like many of the other downtown Torontonians!

Hanging out at the Nathan Phillips fountain. We always have to make sure we have lots of change around the fountains we encounter. Isabelle and Oliver can make money disappear quickly, in more ways than one!


Are you sure I'm not allowed in the water, Grandpa? I can say that I can't read what the sign says!


I bet if I jump in when they aren't looking they won't get mad at me!


Even on the road, Oliver can find a choo-choo table that's to his liking.


Cousins and bed buds test out the hotel pillows. A+ for comfort!


Coming through! Ice delivery here! Clear the way!


The perfect place to rest my weary head after a long day of charming everyone I see.

Garden Party

On the way up to Six Mile, we stopped to visit with the always entertaining Barrie Bangays, who were hosting an afternoon of food and fun for the entire Bangay clan, including G-G, Aunt Martha and newlyweds Peter and Elizabeth. Lawrence and his crew sure know how to put on a show, both literally and figuratively. Not surprisingly, food at a chef's house is always top notch, and many other family talents were also on display, including Anita's bocce expertise and Natasha's violin accompaniment to the impromptu concert put on by Olan and Isabelle. It was also nice to celebrate the recent birthdays of Grandpa and Great-Grandma, made even more special by the spectacular cakes whipped up by the culinary cousins! It was a perfect afternoon of fun with family and we can't wait to meet up with everyone again soon. Thanks for some wonderful memories and we hope our kids grow up to be as great as Grayson and Natasha have become. See you soon, Barrie Bangays!

Such a cute little guy. He spotted the cat when he first arrived and spent most of the time searching the yard for another look. Luckily he had some adults help him out and he got his special time with his newest furry friend.


Olan decided that the kids needed to put on a show for the adults. He grabbed Grayson's toy guitar and Isabelle manned the harmonica. With Natasha providing the background, the band had a successful first gig and was ready to take their act on the road!


A helping hand from Uncle Lawrence. Everyone there was so great with the kids, especially on the lookout to make sure Oliver could explore the backyard to his heart's content. He loved all the attention and as always, if it's outside he's a happy boy.


Greatest. Cakes. Ever. Chocolate covered cheesecake and 4 different flavours to boot. Let's start the recruiting campaign to get these guys to move to Ottawa!


Isabelle made full use of the multi-faceted backyard. She climbed up through the garden many times and was in love with jumping down to the grass. Being dressed fancily didn't stop her from running wild, especially with cousin Olan the ringleader around!