Better late than never

It has been a while, but here are some pictures from our trip to Madison in September. More to come....

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Linus wanted to wish Grandpa a happy birthday, and one great way to do this, was to wear a brandmark that Grandpa thinks very highly of!

Happy Birthday Grandpa - can't wait to see you again.

Gross Negligence

Mom and Dad have been grossly negligent lately and they are starting to hear about it (rightly) from the grandparents. So, in order to try and fix this oversight, we are posting once more. Likely, the grandparents were not complaining about the lack of pithy comments, but more the lack of pictures. Therefore, here they are:



A Return trip to Parc Omega:

Linus models a shirt, straight from Kabul (courtesy Aunt Bev):

More pics are coming......

Mon Frere, Ma Soeur

Linus is excited. One, that he has a baby brother or sister on the way, coming in March (hopefully in time to celebrate Hanami) and two, that his parents have started to communicate in medium of "cake". Both of these developments make us all very happy!

Of note, Rocket is acting funny again (in a good, protective and concerned way). Just like last time. He is a good dog.

Bonjour Québec

This past weekend, we made our first family trip to visit Quebec City. The city is the oldest in North America and next year will celebrate its 400th anniversary. Apart from the history, there were also hotel beds and really fun rides at the amusement park. Let's hit the pictures for more:

Our accommodations were great, and as usual, Linus posed to present a picture of the bed, graced with his presence.

Linus was looking at a statue of Franklin Roosevelt here. About 5 feet is another bust, this of Winston Churchill. The two statues commerate the Quebec Confernece, or QUANDRANT as it was called at the time. In the kind of strange nationalism you might find in Quebec, the third attendee at the conference, Canada's Mackenzie King, is not in the statue at all. (Even weirder, about a block from there is a status of Ghandi - great guy, not really a big influencer on Quebec though).

While history is cool and all, amusement parks are cooler. Linus visited Les Galeries de la Capitale (or Capital Mall) where they had a pretty cool amusement park inside. Linus' obsession with ballons paid off with a trip on a ride that is comprised entirely of ballons. Yeah.

Linus and Momma went on the carousel ride, with horses and fancy benches to sit on.

Linus hit a huge milestone with his first solo amusement park ride. He was tall enough for the turtle ride with about a 1/2 inch to spare and thus got to hop on. His serious looking demeanor left some doubt if was enjoying himself. The tears when we took him off the turtle clear that doubt up right away, so it was back on for another go-round!

Here, Linus and Dad show off the great view at the top of the Québec Citadel. Mostly for Dad, it is a chance to take a break after climbing the big hill. Had Dad been a British soldier, the history of Canada might have been very different.

Dad and Linus relax at the top of yet another hill. This one at the fountain in front of the Quebec National Assembly.

This is one of the narrow, old streets in the old city of Quebec. It was very pretty and picturesque. Linus enjoyed the hustle and bustle as well as the smells from all the street cafés along the way.

Linus at the Lynx

Linus saw the Ottawa Lynx take down the Syracuse Chiefs, 5-0 on Friday night at Lynx Stadium. Linus saw his chance to try a few pitches behind the first base line lower deck. Ready for the wind up.

0-1 (tough strike zone).

I had the chance to ask Melissa, the daycare teacher, on Thursday: 'Do all the kids play with balls this much?' 'Oh no,' she responded, 'Linus really likes the ballon...'

What are you looking at?

Sometimes Linus comes home from school all decorated.

GO USA!

Linus and Cousin Noah appear before the sold out crowd at Frank Clair Stadium for the 2007 FIFA World Cup game on Friday night. Linus appears interested as his team scores the goal that gives USA a 2-1 victory.

For more information on the event see: http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/round=249401/match=58861/preview.html

Linus Takes In The Experimental Farm

Linus and Dad pose before the cows munching area. Some goats wear collars and therefore must be dogs. We will call this goat 'goat dog.' Throughout the tour of the farm, Linus saw 'feathered dogs' (chickens) and 'wooly dogs' (sheep).

Linus and Papa lend a hand to make maple ice cream with the nice ice cream-making ladies.

Slumber Party

Linus and Mama spread out the blankets and put a dvd in the computer in Line's room for his first ever 'daddy is out of town sleep over party.' It was great fun...here are the highlights: Linus prepares for movie time by sharing his snacks with Rocket.

Linus gets sleepy but doesn't let go of the popcorn bowl.

Waking up from slumber party and ready to dance.

Fetes des Peres

For Fathers Day, we have had a pretty eventful day, and it is only 12:30 as we write!

The day started out with the Alterna Do It For Dad 5K to raise funds for research of prostate cancer. Linus, Dad and about 550 others went for a nice run on the scenic Rideau Canal. Mom was along to cheer and of course, to take many pictures.

At the start of the run, things are kind of crowded.

But then thinned out a little.

At the finish, there is time to pose for pictures, and soak in the glory of a job well done.
And to chow down on on a hard-earned banana (or two)!

Once all was said and done, Linus came in hair in front of Dad, and it shows, on the final stats at the end of the day. We can all agreed that next time, we need to reel in that Steve Paradine fellow.



Once we got back home, it was time to attend to more domestic duties, like making pretty pictures. Being Fathers' Day and all, Linus saw fit to make something special for Grandpa John:


And one for Grandpa Pat too!



Happy Father's Day to the grandpas and to the uncles out there.

Fun Firsts

There was Liney's first shake through a straw...it was delicious. Then there was the day care summer party with Liney's first run of the balls.

Everyone loves bouncy slides...

especially Linus.

The bouncy house was a thrill too.

The boys end the day with a balloon bracelet.

Liney's vocabulary is growing and while he still heavily favors 'ball' and 'dog' we hear things like 'du lait' and 'open the door' and 'ouvert' and 'donne'

Numero Uno

It's like he's already dreaming of the Olympics:)

Always Around Friends

Rocket and Dad watch on as Linus erects a large lego wall. The animals sleep when Linus sleeps...except Justice the Crime Dog who

stands guard.

Happy Mama's Day/Tulip Fest

Linus sits on one a tulip in 'tulip park.' It's good just to take a moment.

Linus loves to climb anything.

The enthusiasm is contagious.

A little piece of Tulip Park.

The end.