July

Introducing Ali - July 25, 2008
Yes...we did it...with a one and half year old and a new babe 9 months away...we got a puppy. She's a great little black lab. We picked her up at about 10weeks of age and since then she has been settling nicely into the family. House training went fairly smoothly with only a few minor set backs. She's very friendly, and despite being a puppy (meaning she has been chewing the walls a bit!) she seems like she will have a good disposition and will be clever enough to take to training! She can already sit  on command...but we're definitely a long way off from having a well trained dog! She's really good with Kaden too. He waves at her every morning when we come downstairs and he likes to give her little pats. He's also equally interested in her crate. It has a door that can open and close. How cool is that?!

Here you can see Kaden's interest in both the dog and the crate.
Which one do you think won out here?
You can also see Kaden's self-assuredness. He knows what he wants and doesn't want. He's just missing the finger waggle here!
 

One small step for Kaden...one giant step for a change in our lives! - July 23, 2008
Kaden started to take his first unassisted steps today! On the eve of my birthday he took the plunge. By the time we started rolling the first video his walking had degenerated into more of a game of stand and fall...but that's half the fun. A day or so later we had him cruising between the couches! Look out world - here he comes!

Lang Bay - July 17 - 20, 2008
This is what life becomes after kids. Each year for several years, Craig and I joined a group of our good friends for an annual summer adventure in the BC wilderness. We started on Nootka Island, traveled to Powell River for a canoe trip, slogged through the Stein "Valley" and hiked the West Coast Trail. Last year was our first year to 'opt out' of the journey as Kaden was newly on the scene. This year, two of the other couples have new babes in tow. So...our adventure this year consisted of "roughing it" at our friend's mom's cabin up the Sunshine Coast, at Lang Bay. We stayed in the little green house by the water and enjoyed several days of good food, good company and sleeping indoors...and of course a little botchy ball!

July 17, 2008 - Unlike Kaden's first dip in Okanogan Lake last summer, he loved the ocean! He loved to splash and swish. The shallow water was pretty warm at the end of the day after the tide came back up over the warm sand. Of course, he was more than happy to sit on the beach and play with his bucket. Fill and dump. Never a bore. Kaden also got to ride in style in his buddies (Ellis and Anders) wagon. All that was missing was a large leaf to fan him and perhaps a bunch of grapes for him to nibble from our fingers! We spent a lot of time on the front porch just relaxing. Kaden kicked back in the sun shelter and amused himself with his toys that made the journey as well.

Kaden loved playing in the ocean with Daddy!
 

July 18, 2008 - Never one to stray to far from the swings, Lang Bay didn't disappoint with its near-by park. Even the adults took a turn at a few of the 'rides'. Of course each day we sauntered down to the beach for a dip and a romp in the sand. Kaden even got to have his usual bath routine in a special claw foot tub.

July 19, 2008 - It was a full day, but relaxing none the less. We started our day sipping lattes and reading. Later in the morning we took a walk of the area down the beach and home through the forest. Lovely. While we were away, Kaden learned to stand on this own. He was so proud. He would let go of whatever he was holding, hold his hands above his head and grin from ear to ear. What a champ. Our friend's relatives who live close by have some animals on their property. So we toted Kaden up the hill in the wagon and went to visit the horses. He enjoyed petting them although he was a little bit shy. They are terribly big up close for me even! After some practice at standing we also got to visit a new puppy. In anticipation of getting our own puppy later in the week it was fun to see what Kaden would do. At the end it was time to take in some dinner on the porch. Kaden's friends, Claire and Anders, are still pretty young, but next summer the toddlers will rule the roost!

Here he is enjoying being pulled around in the wagon. What a rough life.
 

We also managed to catch some of the standing-action on video.
 

McFamily Photos - Early Summer, 2008
While visiting the McCutcheon side of the family to celebrate Nanna and Poppa's 40th anniversary, we got some professional photographs taken of our every growing family. Here are some of our favourites. We're a fine looking bunch if I do say so myself.

Time to lock the drawers - July 11th, 2008
Kaden loves to open and close drawers, doors, gates, hands, legs, you name it! For the most part, he is pretty content just to open and close. We have yet to install too many child latches, as the ones we installed under the kitchen sink still catch us off guard! However, there are only so many times I want to put those little plastic bags back in the box from which they came! We'll have to find a new game I'm afraid.

You can't have one without the other - July 11, 2008
Kaden is introduced to the wonder of ketchup with grilled cheese.

After a few minutes of finger painting and simply sticking his ketchup
laden finger in his mouth, I taught Kaden the art of dipping!
 

The wheels on the bike go round and round! - July 6, 2008
A sure sign of parenthood is having to trade in your old youthful ways and settling on practicality! Craig sold his downhill mountain bike so we could buy a second 'family' bike and take Kaden out on two wheels. We bought Kaden his own seat for the bike and convinced him that if mommy and daddy were wearing helmets it would be fun for him! As with the backpack, he seemed a little suspicious at first, but I think he got a kick out of riding on the bike with us.

The morning after - July 6, 2008
Kaden traveled well to get home and seemed to adjust to the time difference fairly well. The only exception being he wanted to wake up much earlier than we did. Daddy brought Kaden into bed and almost immediately, Kaden crawled up to use him as his pillow and fell back asleep for another couple hours! Too cute.

Summer Fun in Ottawa - June 30 - July 5, 2008
Besides just having a summer holiday, our trip back to Ottawa was centered on celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. After a few days of hanging about Ottawa and waiting for Daddy to join us, the Calverts and the McCutcheons (including my folks and my brothers and his family) celebrated in style in Mt. Tremblant. On the drive up we stopped at Chateaum Montebello to have lunch and stretch our legs. The grounds here were lovely; complete with a playground in sand!

This was Kaden's first trip down an enclosed slide. Weeeeee! He liked this one...as opposed to the long, cold, dark water slide that Daddy took him down at the resort. It actually turned Kaden off slides for a few days it seems...but he's back in the saddle now.

Weeeeeeee!!!
 

Our chalet in Tremblant was called Wyndham Cap. It was a 5 bedroom house complete with all the amenities. We stayed three nights and enjoyed time playing at the house, splashing about in the resort pool and touring around Mt. Tremblant village. Each family had a night to be responsible for dinner and an appy. We ate lunches out and enjoyed simple breakfasts in the chalet. It was a perfect arrangement. The cousins all had a blast playing with each other and being doted on by the family.
 

This picture was a Ben McCutcheon original!

Mt. Tremblant Village was very similar to Whistler, with the exception of the ski hill itself. Tremblant is more of a hill compared to the west coast mountains! They have a neat gondola that carries you from the bottom of the village to the base of the ski hill. We rode that each day; sometimes several times. We shopped and ate and took in a few other sights. We rode the gondola to the top of the ski hill...although it turned out to be quite buggy. Poor little Mia was the favourite snack of the black flies. Uncle Drew and Ben went down the luge course the first day. It looked like so much fun, the following day we left the babes with Nanna and Poppa and the rest of us took to the course again. It was lots of fun. To give the women a little more time to shop, we sent the men with the kids down to a park to play! When that wasn't enough, we left the Dads at the house during nap time so the moms (including Nanna) and Poppa could go back for more!

July 4, 2008 - The day after out return, my mom took Glenda and I out for pre-birthday pedicures. Devine. While we were out being pampered, Daddy and Uncle Drew took the kids to the dinosaur museum.

July 4, 2008 - On our last night in Ottawa, we had the final anniversary celebration - dinner at Uncle Drew and Aunt Glenda's. The cousins got some final playtime together in a backyard full of fun things - slides and sandboxes - Kaden was in heaven. Before leaving, Kaden got a special treat, his first bubble bath!

July 5, 2008 - On our final morning in Ottawa we took advantage of the great weather and took a small walking tour of the downtown. We checked out the canal and the war memorial and even managed to see part of the changing of the guard. We had lunch on a patio on Sparks Street and then went back to the house to pack.

It was a great holiday. Bye bye Ottawa!