me

Elliott has really been learning the concept of self as of late. It's sinking in quickl,y and like most men, he's becoming fairly found of me, mine and all things centred around himself. Kidding. Ish.

For instance, he'll spot a big truck in traffic and as always, he'll say, "Papa truck."

"Yes," I'll say "that's a truck like Papa's."

In turn he will change his stance, "no, ME! Me truck. Me truck."

He does this with most everything. One upside is that he's also fiercely independant. I will be trying to help him into the bath and he'll be instantly angry "Me!" he'll say "me." That or maybe he'll be heading up a ladder with a Gnome that's roughly the size of him. I'll offer a little assistance and watch out ... yikes. What a change from Kate who still thinks there's some divine knowledge associated with putting on a shirt.

In other news I took "me" and Kate to Butterfly World on the advice of Aunty Rhonda and Aidan. We had a great time and I'm fairly confidant that no butterflies were actually injured as a direct result of our visit. Although with the following video it is a little hard to tell for sure. Enjoy and TGIF-ish. aj

 Elliott losing it not for the hundreds of butterflies fluttering around his head but rather it was for his deep appreciation of the moulded, plastic duck.

Proud peanut.

Murder?

My loves.

the new shop

I don't believe I have mentioned it previously, but Cody, his Dad and Janice are currently building a new Terra Nova - East - building, complete with office space, two bay maintenance shop and five bay cross dock. It's on a completely new site, it's big and it's looking beautiful.  On Rhonda and Aidan's last night we took a drive out for a muddy and somewhat greasy tour. The spaces are starting to take shape which is great because it is slated to be complete early November.

 A work in progress.

 Kate in deep contemplation: hmm... has Papa built me a large enough office?

 Posing like we had something to do with all this.

 Another big hit - the machinery.

I believe this is where the mud and the grease happened. Oops.

Stay tuned, I'll be sure to share more photos as there is a little more to see.  Happy Monday. AJ

ketchup

I'm running behind .... again. Not for lack of want, rather its time, energy and perhaps sobriety. So this is going to be a big one; a story in pictures if I may. My sister and Aidan left very early this morning and the loss is huge. In Kate's words this morning, "why do people go away like that?" Unfortunately Kate, it was us who went away, nearly three years ago now. The up side, if we lived in the same city the kids wouldn't have the time intensive stays that they do now. And we may have more times together but I doubt we would know each other and our habits nearly as well.

Aidan is a dear cousin. With four years between him and Kate and nearly six between him and Elliott, he is very kind, generous and patient. On our second last day together (a particularly gruelling one for me), Aidan did confide to me, "Aunty you know the kind of cousins I hate? The kind that don't stop crying." Though hate is a strong word, I hear you little nephew, I had a bit of a hate on for them at that point too. With that said, I want to say a big thank you to Aidan. Thank you for indulging them as many times as you did. You brought out a lovely maturity in Kate these last weeks. And Uncle Cody and I loved getting a sense of who you are fast becoming. We love you Aidan and your Mommy and Daddy. Thank you again for devoting so much of your vacation time to us.

So let's recap...

 Uncle Norm driving our very BIG rig over the BIG bridge.

One gorgeous beach of PEI.

The Dupuis' walk at Twin Shores while I attempt to get two little kids to sleep.

 One kid down and one eating smores; I averaged a little higher in Uni but who's counting.

Simply sweet PEI attractions.

Bless you Steve Jobs and our road trip saviour, the ipad.

 Driveway Olympics.

Good ol' Maritime crafts.

Sticking together.

 More arts and crafts.

 Crowded pool time.

The best shot we could get of the three hooligans.

Tossing rocks at the Hopewell rocks. Note - this is moments before a double Jorgensen meltdown.

Drinks with the ladies.

 Butterfly world.

The balls at the boardwalk.

Downtime. Who's that handsome man in the Snuggly? Is that what they're called?

All friends and family be on notice, we're fresh out of scheduled visitors and looking to recruit. Fresh towels, soap and air conditioned room now available. Think about it.

Love you all. CAKE

this birthday brought to you by the letter e & number 2

Well it has come and gone - Elliott's second birthday celebration.  This afternoon we hosted a little party for Elliott, some family and good friends with an appearance or two made by the Sesame Street gang. It was fun. No real tears or upsets - which to me is pretty much as good as it gets. The gift opening did get a little strained but Elliott caught his second wind as the big boys toys started to make an appearance. Our playroom is fast taking on a new shape and smell with the arrival of trucks, tractors, trailers, motorcycles and an old-school robot.

Thanks to Aunty Rhonda, Aidan, Grammie, the Champions and the Grants. Elliott was thrilled with all the special attention. One question though, Lydia, where did you go? Elliott has been looking for you all evening.

Decor.

More decor.

More, more decor.

Talk about team spirit. Looking good Papa.

Lydia and a mystery guest.

Carter (trying hard to give Aunty a smile) and Kate heading out on the town.

Ruby!

Aidan!

Digging in to the red velvet cakes with piles of blue icing. My teeth are still aching.

Wow, this is a proud family shot.

Two favourites: "Papa truck" and "Robot".

Grammie with her captive audience.

Introducing Leo (in green) the newest member of the Grant clan.

On a more serious note, Elliott, here is a thought from your Mama. I love you buddy. You take a little flak these days about being a Mama's boy, but rest assured, it isn't from me. I'm trying to treasure every moment because I know they are finite. You officially turn two, in two days but we've been feeling the terrible twos for some time. You're tough as nails one moment and then in hysterics the next. You tease, you torture then moments later you are so sweet, kind and generous. You love robots, doing laundry, watching shows, You tube, swings and slides, your sister, trucks, water guns, Finnegan, tractors, yoghurt, naps, tooth floss and the word no. You don't care much for diapers, pants, shoes, tooth brushings, vegetables, Max and Ruby or your parents saying the word no.  You can spit like a teenager, you have aim of a seasoned hunter and the physical awareness of a future Olympian (did I go too far on that one?). We love you to bits and look forward to the many adventures that you will help guide us on in the next 367 days.

Oh and look what the cat dragged in...

How many more times are we going to see this look sneaking in through the back door? Hopefully in the future she'll have fewer guys in tow.

One last go - happy birthday Elliott! xoxo

do these children have a mother?

Long story short, it's done. The Cedar Summit is complete and though it leads to some fights and tears for the most part it is fast becoming the stage for many new adventures and physical feats. 

A special shout out goes to Papa who overcame some dark demons (namely the covered twisty slide) on day seven. The slide was awful! For the sake of our marriage I had to abandon helping Cody. So thank you Papa, I would have nailed up some wood and said the slide was forever broken.

Nearly naked and enjoying day 5's swing addition.

Do these children have a mother? If so, do they have clothing?

 Papa hard at work. This is shortly before I retired.

In other news, great news, the Dupuis have arrived. Many stories to follow. 

xoxo aj

so this is love

This past Saturday, Cody started to assemble the kids' new play gym. It's forecasted to take 15-ish hours to assemble and we are going to be using every one of those moments. Every non-waking kid moment, Cody and I have been expanding our skill set and assembling this new home away from home. It's been fun for us and great to see the kids discover the new additions each morning. By the weekend and my sister's family's arrival we should even be done. Last night we finished the main structure and thanks to today's rain, we have a night's reprieve from the swing set and covered twisty slide.

The start of day 1 and spirits are high.

 The end of day 1.

 Enjoying the fruits of Papa's labour.

 Day 2.

Enjoying the rain and the activities of day 4!

Kate and Elliott, if you're now teenagers and reading this I hope you know what all this means ... every bolt and screw in this house is love, our love for you. Now get outside and enjoy it but please don't fight.

xoxo Mama and Papa