Season Reflections

As we are heading into New Year's eve I am reflecting on fun had over the Christmas 'break'.

I enjoyed a couple extra days off, but worked the last three days, thoroughly taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up on my work and accept last minute donations from people trying to make the best of the 2010 tax year. It is always nice when others are calling us to make their gifts.

Speaking of gifts, this year Summer seemed to grasp the concept of 'being fortunate'. In fact, she made me gather some of her toys up after Christmas so they can be donated to other children. OK, they are still sitting by the door, I thought she might change her mind, but she reminds me, albeit on the way to town, that we forgot them. I know that some of this awareness for her has come from TV, so I can't take the credit for it. Just the same I am delighted that she kind of 'gets it'.

Giving gifts, giving thanks. We were blessed with time spent with great friends Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Christmas week. Don and Summer got three Daddy - Daughter days and now we are heading into a nice long family weekend. Below are a few snaps of Christmas week.

Morison Christmas Card - Family Update

Our out-going Christmas cards this year are, at best, a little sparse. Where normally we compose a two page family letter with photos and stories - an epic 'Morison Year in Review' - this year's (if you happen to recieve a card from us and likely not before Christmas) -includes a one-liner and a reminder of the link to this blog. :-)

December seemed to creep up on us this year so we'll use this electronic, environmentally friendly method to generate our annual Christmas letter.

Our year started off in new fashion as we spent our first Christmas in our own home, just us, together as a family. We began a few new Christmas traditions of our own and while at friends' on Christmas Eve Santa made a guest appearance. Summer's excitement and belief in the 'big guy' brought a lot of magic to the holiday.

2010 didn't seem to get too busy until the Fall, but as I look back in our calendar I see it was pretty steady throughout... Lot's of travelling for Summer's appointments - they sure add up - 3 Sunnybrook, 5 Sick Kids, 3 Orillia (and those are just the out of town ones). Thankfully each one also means we have an opportunity to visit Don's cousin Barb & Laurie in Bolton, our dear friends the Miller's in Brooklyn, Heather & Scott in Uxbridge and, if we have time, a bit of shopping enroute.

I will try not to be too repetitive - as many of the year's events certainly for Summer, are already documented on this blog. We had a couple of great family trips this year - Florida in March with the Miller's and Comox in August - including a fishing trip to Alder Bay with Ken and Carmen. We had lots of great weekends on our beach with friends from near and far. Don and Corrine made their annual pilgrimage for Summer's birthday in August (Summer and I will reciprocate a visit to Edmonton for Spring Break - we're excited!) and Tania & Clayton came for Labour Day weekend - a much needed catchup!

We had a few visits from family too. My Aunt Venita, her husband Roy, and son Joe, stopped in for a night, while on route from MB to NS. Don's Auntie Bern and Uncle Dale stayed a night while passing through from BC to Peterborough. Don's parents spent 10 days with us leading up to Thanksgiving.

Summer has had a year of amazing progress. She began Junior Kindergarten in September and since then we have seen her blossom with independence and intellect. She has begun to read and spell some words, like her name, my name, Don's name and more!- I know, she is four, that is crazy! She takes the bus to and from school from the YMCA where she attends the before and afterschool program. She is VERY well liked by her teachers and peers - she is a little social butterfly. She is taking dance classes again this year (Jazz & Tap) with her friends Kaida, Abby and Kassie - She loves it.

Don is still working in Recruiting in the Contact Centre. He really wants to retire and fish full-time on Lake Temagami but I have a house reno in mind so that's not in the cards for him yet. He's been there for 4 years now but he first wrote 6 so I get the sense that's what it felt like for him. Crazy! The unit continues to grow and they are approximately 30 people now. Don's friend and colleague Tony is about to be promoted to Major and Don will then take the position of 2IC/DCO. This is great because it allows me to keep him working for another 3-4 years! :)

The MND, Peter McKay, toured his unit in the summer as well as several other high profile visitors. They continue to do amazing work and inadvertently draw positive attention to themselves. What can you say, they are good at what they do. By April they will be moved into a fancy new building...closer to better cycling and the gym - after this summer off from triathlon he should have ample opportunity to get back in shape! ;)

I have now been with our Hospital Foundation for 7 years. Holy, time flies. I successfully wrote my professional certification in April. I am relieved to finally have that completed and now I get to put a few letters behind my name - ha ha.
Our new hospital - as I have mentioned in previous posts - opens in January and my office relocated there in November. I am volunteering during the last weekend in January when the patients are moved and will assist in patient transfer. Since I give frequent tours of the new hospital my knowledge of the 'what and where' will really come in handy.

Along with all of the hoopla around the hospital opening, I am also directing the Diagnostic Imaging Campaign to raise $6M for Digital DI equipment, including an MRI. It's been a really exciting time for me in my career - moving into a state of the art hospital, rallying community support, thanking, recognizing, celebrating...

Celebrating... seems like a great way to end the Morison Family Update. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas,
Tammy, Don, Summer and our new cat George

Catching up with Carolyn

On December 4th at our community open house, my dear friend Carolyn, who was also my former boss from Kingston General Hospital, and now working at the MOH level with our hospital project, attended the open house. As always, it was so good to see her. We've kept in touch now and then over the last 14 years. She was finally able to meet Summer at the Teddy Bear Clinic. Summer was feeling a little shy and very tired.



The ED at the YMCA sent me this photo of Summer from her CIT period in April. The YMCA was super supportive to Summer and us during her casting. We'll be participating in the Strong Kids Campaign this year!

Christmas is Coming!

Our December started as busy as ever. Our Hospital Celebrations took place on Dec 2, 3 and 4th. Don and Summer joined us for the Teddy Bear Clinic on the Saturday in the Emergency Department and Pooh Bear got a full check up from Dr. Simon Says. She had a great time. Pictures to follow... Don needs to scan it.

This weekend Summer had a 24 hour play-date at our house with Kassie, and Mom & Dad had a 24 hour 'play-date' with Kassie's parents. It was a great way to spend a snowy weekend. It snowed, and snowed and snowed... in fact it is still snowing... Don snow-blew the deck on Saturday morning... and now we can't tell the difference.



Sunday afternoon, we finally decorated our tree.

Monday, school busses were cancelled, so I dropped Summer off to school and picked her up at 3 - have to say, the short day was a pretty nice treat on a Monday. We headed for the mall to get a much needed haircut. Friday is Christmas Concert day at Summer's school. She is pretty excited!

Rock Star Mom Attends IPRC at SHS

Today was Summer's routine IPRC - Individual Placement Review Committee. Basically, it was 3 Catholic School principles - including Summer's, the Resource Teacher, another teacher and me. YIKES. It was a bit intimidating.... But first the Rock Star reference:

I arrived at the school a good 15min early for my appt. because Summer has been so excited that I was coming for a meeting. This morning when I got her out of bed, she even remembered it was today that I was to visit. So I parked and began along the sidewalk that parallels the JK class windows, and I hear loud and clear THROUGH the closed windows "Hey!!!! THAT'S MY MOM!!!!" I can see her jumping up and down at the lunch table. I checked into the office and popped down to her room. I was immediately surrounded by little people. "Are you Summer's mom?", "I have Strawberries in my lunch", "I helped Summer open her lunch!", "Summer is my best friend", .... and the quotes could go on forever. Summer was especially excited and has been talking about for days, to show me her snowflake on the window with her name on it, along with the other friends - which she named correctly to me.

Summer was having her lunch, I got in a quick hug and several kisses, and headed to my appointment.

Back to that... We reviewed the services (therapy) Summer receives from OKP at school - OT and PT. and one of the teachers mentioned that she has some learning needs.... My heart skipped a beat - I am thinking... jeeze, have they identified a learning disability already??? why didn't they tell me at the P-T interview??? then she listed - Gross motor skills dev. personal care, fine motor skills dev. self help.... and I am thinking.... duh, yeah!

They outlined her strengths, which were no surprise - but I never tire of hearing: Tactile learner, cooperation with adults (what???), Social skills with peers, motivation, determination, positive attitude, intellectual curiosity.

As I departed the school, Summer was on the playground and came to the fence for a big kiss. - cutest thing I ever saw... will download my cellphone and post it one of these days.

Weekend Pics

Last weekend we took our first trip to London to visit my friend Dan who moved there in the spring. Don, Dan, and Dan's friend James went to the Michigan vs. Wisconsin, College football game on Saturday and Summer, Bradley and I had fun at the park. We were joined in the afternoon by my friends AnnMarie and Mike - and we hit the mall. Summer had a few moments with the Mall Santa - at a safe distance, and we did a little shopping too.

We also had some time visiting with Dan's other two boys Robert and Matthew between their activities of hockey and tennis. They are quite the athletic family!

Bradley & Summer at the park


Don and James - Tail-Gating



Heading Home on Sunday Morning

We stopped in Bolton for lunch with Barb & Laurie - it was great, and Summer enjoyed the break from the ride. Luckily we made it home before they closed the highway for freezing rain.


George was glad to have us back home

Busy Bees

I popped on to the blog during my lunch to give a quick update on Summer's Botox follow-up appointment that is now 4 days old news...

And I realized that I have done two posts in November... and we are over half way done the month. My friend Julie said she loves the blog, but is wondering what I am up to, since it is mostly all Summer info with the family anecdotes.

So, in a nutshell, November has been nuts. I rarely complain about being too busy, overwhelmed, run off my feet etc. and I rarely share my To Do list - how boring... however in a rare circumstance, this is what is happening in our life.

Our community is highly anticipating the opening of our new hospital. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to be a part of this amazing experience. I have been working with the Hospital foundation for 6.5 years, and much of my work has been securing donations for medical equipment and stewarding donor who helped build our hospital and are filling it with leading edge equipment.

There is a plethora of donor related activities, from signage to dedication events,and on December 3rd we have our donor night followed by a community open house on the 4th.

The Foundation moved into our new offices at the hospital, leaving our downtown location. It has been a lot better being on site to accomplish much of the work that needs to be done for the events. The anxiety of not being able to find things after the move is now being replaced by a sense of organization.

Along with all of this exciting stuff, we are also in a campaign to raise significant funds for a major capital expense for Diagnostic Imaging...

Right, and for Summer... On Monday we drove to Orillia for Summer's Botox follow up appointment. Yes, we drive 2 hours for a 20 minute appointment... sigh. However, the Dr. was super pleased with her. Summer demonstrated some great fine-ish motor activity with her right hand. We decided that she will receive botox injections in her calf and bicep but will not receive any in her forearm or thumb, as she does not want to compromise any strength she needs to practice her skills.

So far, again, we have avoided casting her right leg for heel cord lengthing,,, but I have a feeling she may require it in the future.

We head back to Orillia on December 22nd, when she will receive her sedation and injections.

Writing Therapy

I've been posting on this blog for about 6 months now. It is a great way to keep our family connected to what is happening in our lives, Summer's progress, etc.

So, at the moment, I am multi-tasking - of course - Summer is on the couch, eating her toast with jam... leather is wipeable... what the heck... I am on hold with Airmiles trying to book a flight to Edmonton for Spring Break and their website isn't allowing me to pay... fine,, so instead of taking my money on line,,, I am on hold for 30 minutes... I have caught up on the Trousdell Five blog, checked my work email, fed Summer... etc - lol.

So, back to the title of today's. There are the obvious benefits of cathartically writing about ones experiences... but sometimes when stuff is happening in our lives, moments happen, and I use "blogable moments" as a benchmark of how bent I should get about certain situations. Or, I actually try to find the humour in everyday life, so that I share those moments with our family and friends through this medium.

I am a naturally optimistic person, I would not say I am super high anxiety, though I have my moments, but knowing I have this outlet to vent, measure up, and share, sometimes reminds me to not sweat the small stuff.

Pitter patter paws

This week we decided to take the plunge and adopt a pet for Summer. Carl, our beloved rottweiler passed away from old age (12.5) 2 years ago and our cat Sneakers, passed away over 4.5 years ago - and our life has become so busy, it was hard to fathom making room for a pet.

That said, we knew a dog is not yet in the cards for us. Too much time away from the house, too many long days, etc. So we thought it could be time to adopt a cat.

I mentioned it to Don on Tuesday. As we were leaving the house in the morning, Summer was having a conversation with her stuffed cat Gilvert. It was just the cutest thing... and I thought - I think Summer is ready for a real cat.

Don, who has not been really keen on the idea of a cat, kind of rolled his eyes. But then that evening, checked out the Humane Society website and had a cat picked out. LOL

Come Wednesday morning, he had visited the humane society, filled out the paper work and we were ready to pick up our Cat on Friday afternoon.

Welcome George - a beige tabby - surrendered by his elderly owner who is moving into a home. He is a mellow two year old who is settling in just fine to his new surroundings - once he decided to come out from under the bed :-)

Halloween Weekend - 48 hrs of fun!

Saturday night ventured out in the snow to join friends in a celebration of Barb's 60th birthday. It was a well attended dinner in Trout Creek - yes, it is as hick as it sounds! But it was close to home and we managed to maintain the surprise over the last 3 months as we planned and coordinated the event. She was certainly surprised at the number of family and friends in attendance. We took this photo before we left the house, but we'll have to get a couple of party pictures from Barb's niece, as we were having so much fun, the camera didn't make it out of the bag. Summer was a star and entertained all the elderly folks once she warmed up and became her usual outspoken self. I have no idea where she gets that from!

Sunday was packed full of fun too, starting with visits to our neighbours to show off Summer's costume. What was a glorified costume fashion show, turned out to be the first 'bag filling venture'. Our neighbours delight in spoiling her, but to be fair, she gave back her share of hugs.

Kassie's birthday party was next at the Early Years Centre. All the girls had a great time and it was the perfect venue so that they had lots of room to work off some of the sugar! The kids ran wild and the parents had a nice visit. :-)

We then headed to the Shunk's for our traditional Halloween evening. Sum and the Girls played for a bit, we had dinner, the girls got dressed and they hit the street. North Bay didn't get the same amount of snow that we did at the lake, so at least there was no trudging though soppy snow. However, it was FREEZING!!! The kids made out like bandits after only 45 minutes.

We headed home and had Summer into bed for 7:30. Despite the busy day, she held her own, though she was asleep in the car about 10 min down the highway.

Halloween! Boo!

Last night was pumpkin carving time. Don downloaded a template from work. He also picked up a computer virus in the process... at work... so it became a costly acquitision! there was no harm done, so it was more so just embarassing...

Summer had so much fun. She loves the guts... We skyped to mom and dad, but mom was out playing bridge so my Dad answered and we turned the computer around so we could chat and carve the same time.

here is the effort and the result.

Great to live on the route across our nation

On Thursday we enjoyed a brief but wonderful visit with my aunt Venita, uncle Roy and Venita's son Joe. Venita and Roy are moving to NS from SK and Joe flew out to help them drive across. We love having family stop in on their to and fro -in our great country point A and point B are usually vast distances apart!

When they arrived we Skyped to my mom. I had not seen Venita in 10 years, and I think it has been longer for my mom, so it was neat to have a group conversation - visually too.

Summer warmed up to Venita very quickly - I think she and my mom share a lot of the same mannerisms. DNA is an amazing thing.

It was a school day/word day on Friday - so we said a fond farewell with promises of a visit to NS sometime soon.

Hospital Walk Run

Last Sunday was our annual Hospital Walk/Run. It was the first time we held it at the new hospital site. Our community was very excited as our new hospital opens January 30th. We had over 750 participants - including Summer and Don.

This year Lynn Johnston (author of For Better or For Worse sponsored a walk for children. Fully supervised by volunteers from the College ECE program, they played with the kids, painted faces and took them for a walk while parents ran their 2, 5, or 10KM. Summer loved it! Don ran a respectable 46:46 10km and I worked - directing traffic, serving chili lunch etc.

Stalker Mom

On Wednesday I was on route to an appointment for work. I looked at the time and figured that Summer would be at recess... so I thought I would swing by and check out the playground routine - without being detected. I pulled up to the curb. I was immediately eye-balled suspiciously by a teacher in the yard... so that is good- I think...

I looked and looked for Summer on the playground and could not see her. Her EA was with her other student. I wracked my brain to remember what coat she was wearing in the morning, and still could not see her. Gee... can't even pick out my own kid on the playground???

So, then I thought... maybe she fell and they are trying to call me at work... I better get back.

I got back to my office, checked my messages - none... checked my Outlook.... Summer was being seen my her OT Ann. I guess she got to skip recess.

Summer, proudly displaying her Turkey Centre Piece

4 Year Follow Up

On Tuesday, Summer had her 4 year developmental assessment at Sunnybrook. The NICU follow up clinic moved from Women's College Hospital to the Sunnybrook Hospial over the summer. It is a brand new area a the hospital - shiny, new and SO much more appropriate. The assessment room was nice and large and provided the space needed to do the gross motor part of the test. Much better than when we would see kids doing their gross motor skills in the hallway at WCH.

Since we were going to a new place, we gave ourselves lots of time to get there. It is a lot farther from Bolton for us and once we figured out where to park, the hour we had hoped to have to kick around was about 15 min... just enough time for Summer to have a snack, me to have a coffee and for us to find the clinic.

Laura, the OT conducted the Peabody Developmental Motor Skills assessment and she was observed by one of the Neonatologists on staff. Laura is delightful and Summer really responds to her manner. Skills assessed were: Scissor cutting, buttoning, lacing, building blocks, following directions, drawing, colouring, running, walking on a line, stairs, throwing a ball - several differnt ways, bouncing a ball, standing on one foot, tippy toes, galloping, skipping, - and probably a lot of other things I didn't realize were being assessed.

Summer did very well. She was attentive, persistent and polite. We are really proud of her.

Maureen, our PT, seemed pleased as well. Though, she always cautions us that there is lots to come, and learning disabilities are very common among kids like Summer. We will be able to assess for that at her 6 year appointment.

6 year... that is our next major assessment. On our way to our appointment we were wondering... what happens after Summer is 5? are we on our own? Maureen assured us that we have her for life - when we need her... very reassuring.

Summer and I are off to Orthopedic Lab today to have some adjustments made to her AFO.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We started our TG weekend with a hike up Blueberry Mountain (us folks from BC call it Blueberry Hill...) We try to do it annually, and this year it we managed it twice.



We had a really nice visit with Don’s parents and concluded their time with us at a family gathering in Bolton at Barb & Laurie’s for a Thanksgiving feast.

Summer was in fine form and informed us all over Thanksgiving dinner: “I am eating turkey…. And sometimes my dad calls me a turkey!” Indeed, much to be thankful for.

Kite Flying in the Bunton's Backyard


We bid farewell to Wendy, Gary as they joined Bern, Dale, and Emily and headed to Peterborough on Monday afternoon. We enjoyed kicking back with Barb & Laurie for the last few hours of the long weekend.

...Tuesday morning: Summer's 4 year follow up at Sunnybrook

Fall Fun

We’ve been enjoying the fall weather and our visit with Don’s parents. Summer is so pleased to have her Nana and Papa here. Today she is staying home with them. I am sure they will take in another nice crisp fall walk and a couple rounds of Toy Story 1 and 2.

Wendy and Gary went for a paddle yesterday and enjoyed the quiet of the lake. Don is taking Wednesday to Friday off to visit and I am sure to catch up on his list of to-do’s before winter comes.

Waiting for Nana & Papa...

So, week two of school, and it starts with a PD day on Monday. Gee, things sure have changed since I was in school. I am sure we had to wait months before our first free day off!

Summer was so disappointed that she did not get to go to school. It was a recipe for a mini-meltdown. She got over it, and had a great day with all her friends at daycare.

Our friend Blayne works at Walmart and he said that PD days are the worst…. Everyone takes their kids to Walmart – lol.

Summer was delighted that Tuesday was a school day – and we got back to our routine.

She is getting quite excited about her Nana and Papa who are coming from BC this Friday. It is funny, kids have a very different awareness of time. Waiting from Monday to Friday is an eternity!

First Week = Blur!

It was a very busy first week of school for Summer. Not only was she extremely exhausted each evening, but it seemed to just whiz by. On Wednesdays Summer has dance class - Jazz and Tap - talk about cute... This past Wednesday we had dinner with friends right after work - Gayle and Blayne pulled together an amazing quick supper - lasagna - Don's fav, and then we headed to dance class. Summer immediately fell asleep in the car, for the 5 min drive, and was out cold when we arrived. We managed to rouse her and she seemed to enjoy all the running around, jumping, tapping etc.

On Friday afternoon I was in a meeting with a coworker and one our staff pulled me out for a 'phone call from the school'. I dread these calls, but thankfully it was nothing too serious. Summer's teacher was on the other end of the line telling me Summer fell during recess and bumped her head, and she was not sure if I expected a phone call when this happens. She confirmed that she bumped it on the right side - which is also the 'right' side - as her shunt is on the left side. She confirmed that Summer is acting as her usual self and all was ok.


Are you ready for some football?

We are laying low this weekend. Trying to get a few things done in preparation for Fall/Winter. We are hoping to get a section of dock out of the water, some site prep done for Summer's play-set and Don is off to the dump for our bi-monthly garbage run. Don just popped into the house to tell me that the rain we received this week put the lake level up significantly - much needed. I am sure we'll (Don) will watch a bit of football on Sunday. He'll make a fan out of Summer yet.

First Day of School - Summer's Report

Summer didn't have a lot to say about her first day at school.

First Day of School

Summer's first day of school is today. This morning we waited at daycare until her bus arrived so that we could see her off. She was very excited to show off her new Toy Story back pack and really pleased to be packing her lunch.



She embarked the school bus with out much trouble. She had a little stage fright and didn't really know what to do once she was on, so her driver told here where to sit - right behind her.





I dropped Don off at work and headed to Summer's school to view how the drop-off went. I was undetected in the parking lot and had a clear view of the bus zone. The bus pulled up and no students were allowed off the bus until the teachers arrived to greet them.

Summer was the last kid to disembark and it looked like she did ok. Her EA was one of the teachers meeting her, and everyone looked happy.

She trotted into the school yard and out of my sight.

All of our excitment and pride trumped our anxiety and hesitation - though both Don and I admit to being a little teary at our little girl growing up.

I can't wait to hear how her day went.

School Visit

On Friday, Don, Summer and I visited her school to meet her new teacher. Her name is Mrs. Norman and she is very nice. Summer played with her a little bit and they had a chat so that Don and I could fill out some paperwork. Summer learned where all the toys in the class are kept and also a little bit about their classroom routines.

We also met with Mrs. Falconi who is the classroom EA. As it turns out, there is a little boy in Summer's class with CP and who is in a wheelchair, so Mrs. Falconi is a full time EA that will be dedicated to assisting Summer and this little boy. I am ecstatic that Summer will receive the little bit of assistance she might need with dressing, toileting, and opening her lunch. She also offered to help with our stretches, so Summer's PT will meet with her. That is a huge bonus for us!

We checked out the playground. The jungle gym is not great and it only has ladders so Summer will not be able to play on it. But there is a sand box and lots of space to run around.

Summer's first day of school will be Monday the 20th.

Back to the Grind...

Our first week back was filled with catching up; on phone messages, work, appointment tracking and SLEEP~

Summer will be starting school soon, so it was imperative that we figure out how she is going to get there. After several back-and-forths with the school secretary and school transporation department I decided that the best approach was to test Summer on a school bus to see if she can get on and off by herself... so off to the School Bus Yard.

We walked in the office and there was a familiar looking lady standing at the desk. It turns out, I know her through a friend, and she is going to be Summer's driver! How nice is that!

She took us out to the bus and Summer embarked fine. She was nervous to disembark, but we suggested she use the door opening rod to stabilize herself. There is only one railing at a bus entrance, and it is on the wrong side for Summer.

But, she did it!!

We'll see how she makes out on the first week with a backpack on her back...

End to vacay...

We wrapped up our vacation with a barbeque at the MacAstocker's for Summer to have a last playdate with Cyara and Taylor. We were among a crowd of Lee and Alyssa's friends and enjoyed a dinner of Crab, Prawns, Salmon etc... just another amazing meal on the west coast!

Summer had fun riding Cyara's bike and playing on the swingset.

On Saturday we layed low and got packed etc. More fish for supper at Don's parent's yum... We definitly all got our share of Omegas!

Sunday's early start (0400hrs) was also a start to getting back on Ontario Time... since that is 0700hrs our time... but it was also the start of a VERY long day... flights - uneventful, baggage.... Don's is always the last off the plane..., Limo to the Bunton's, bathroom break, the headed north.... arriving home at 9pm.

Back to the gring on Monday....

The Brothers = Chubby Cuddles

I met Tracey briefly at my Brother, Steve’s wedding several years back, and her husband Jordan is Steve’s long-time friend.

A week ago last Friday, we had a visit with the Trousdell Five.
I have been following Tracey’s Blog since the Brothers were born in November 2009. Way too small, way too early, way too many complications. How amazing is it to finally meet them in person and be snuggling hearty, robust, healthy set of twins.

I am holding Asher – OK – He is my favourite – Yes they are identicals, but Asher and Summer share this not so little thing – Grade 4 bleed. Asher is one of the lucky ones who did not develop hydrocephalus, but his parents, family and friends are spending the next 2 years hoping and praying that his motor function will develop normally. Honestly – he looks, feels, (and smells) 100%.

Their daughter Rio (I know – what a cool name ehh?) and Summer got a long really well and they spent most of the time running around the back yard blowing bubbles and soaking themselves in bubble-solution. This precipitated a ‘getting naked’ session, clothes in dryer and 4 year old girls running around in their underpants.

Tracey and I did not stop talking for the duration of our 2 hour visit. Don and Jordan could not get a word in edgewise. Luckily Don is more the quiet type – a necessity in our house, and Jordan – well I am not sure… but he was nice enough to let us girls have a good chin-wag.

We can’t wait to see them again, but until then, we’ll keep following their blog, delight in all their family stories and watch Rio and the Brothers thrive.

Vacation Week #2

If I thought week #1 was busy, I was hardly prepared for week #2! We returned home from Alder Bay on Sunday night and Summer greeted us heartily. We immediatly left my parent's house to attend a birthday barbeque for Taylor and Cyara - Summer's friends, grand daughters of Ken and Carmen. It was so fun for Summer to be included in the party. The girls had a blast and Summer talked about the pintata for two days after.

On Monday, Don's cousin Sarah, her partner Lisa and their son Andrew visited us from Vancouver. It was our first time meeting Andrew and he is a very sweet baby. We played pass the baby for a few hours and he tolerated it very well.

Sarah and Andrew


On Wednesday we headed back to Campbell River to visit the Curnow Crew so that Summer had more time to visit with their girls, and I had more time to rebond with Selene. We had a beautiful lunch at the picnic table, Summer had a dip in their pool and lots of playtime with the girls and Don got to bond with Vinnie - their very handsome Rottweiler.

The Curnow's


On Thursday my brother Steve who was not able to come the week before brought Chase up for an additional visit. Cyara and Taylor also came over to my parents' to play so we took them all to the park and let them run wild for a few hours.



We topped off the day with a quiet dinner with Ken and Carmen. We re-played our Alder Bay trip and made plans for next years adventures... oh, and had an amazing dinner of jumbo prawn cocktail, bbq'd oysters, bbq'd cod, bbq'd snapper and yummy pasta and salad. Times our tough...

More to follow on this week - stay tuned...

Four Grandparent Weekend

Our first weekend on vacation was a real vacation for Don and me. We headed to Alder Bay with Ken (Carmen to join us later) to see if we could slay our share of Sockeye Salmon - the first year in four that this fishery has been open. Our trip did not disappoint - we sent in 80lbs of Sockeye we caught in for canning and two coho and one spring for smoking, and a couple halibut and pinks for EATING!


Carmen joined us on Friday evening and we had four awesome days fishing.

Summer stayed with my parents and had lots of fun with both Nana & Papa and Gramma and Grampa. They had a tea party - my mom gave her a princess dress that she wore for tea. She went to the library, blueberry picking the park - a few times and also to Smitty's for lunch. Oh, I almost forgot - Gramma and Nana took her to Walmart to purchase the large Buzz-Lightyear action figure - part of her birthday present - her collection now boasts: Jessy, Rexie and Buzz.
Off to the Park!


The Tea Party Princess


The SPCA was at the mall allowing kids to pet the kitties

Summer did very well in our absence but was quite emotional around dinner hour and bath time.

We certainly appreciated the mini-vacation and knowing that Summer was having a ball with her grandparents.