This year our Christmas card and update is going to be online. I plainly forgot to order our card this year. So my options were to send out cards sans pictures or do an update online. With young kids, pictures are 90% of the update! So here we are doing the update online and I'm going to up the ante and include a few videos.

Here are some pictures from the end of summer to Kalli's birthday.
And
Here are some pictures from Halloween to just a few days ago.

Our family theme for the new year is going to be fun and our goal for the year is to not lose focus on having as much fun as possible with the kids. Each year passes a little faster and I don't want to be stuck wishing I'd worked less and played harder. So cheers to attempting to find some balance! So in the name of our theme, when I realized on Dec 15th that i hadn't ordered our card yet, I promised myself I wouldn't get stressed about it because it isn't worth the stress. So here I am, stressless and writing to you all online. And I don't have a hand cramp from writing with a pen!

Kalli turned one at the end of October. She had taken her first real steps only days before her first birthday. Just today, she officially made the transition from walking with a wobble to full out running wobbly. She is carefree and not only does not, but WILL NEVER sit still. She absolutely loves to dance and actually has some pretty decent moves. Watch out Fergie! She makes us extremely happy with her constant giant grin.

Elias will be three in May. He absolutely loves the outdoors, his trains, and his cars. He is focused and very calculated with everything he does. You will often find him with his head down to the exact level of whatever toy he is playing with making his moves with the greatest precision. Elias also loves music and likes to rock out. He is always ready to greet you with a giant hug and head squish. The head squish is his signature UFC-like move where he puts his head on top of yours and pushes down. It really is carried out with genuine affection but can leave the receiver/victim with a bit of a headache.

Oscar (the pooch) is still neurotic. If Travis were writing this he would say that his personality is loyal and loveable but some days I think it's better described as hysterically affectionate with attachment issues. If you sit on the floor, Oscar will sit on you. If you collapse to the couch exhausted, his wet nose will lift your arm up onto his head. If you get him excited in any way, he will attempt to jump into your arms. Regardless of his neurotic tendencies, he has managed to capture our hearts and the hearts of many visitors to the house. Elias has figured out the "sit" command and loves feeding and giving Oscar "tweats". Unfortunately Elias has also picked up on my common statement "Oscar, go away!" and will often tell me to go away with the same mannerisms. So I have modified my command and am now saying "Oscar, go away! Please." At least that way Eli will learn how to be politely rude? Maybe not my best motherly instinct but I'll deal with what I have.

Travis has worked as a Web Developer at Terapeak for just over two years now. At Terapeak, they compile and display purchase data statistics for online retailers. Their main product is an app that gives eBay sellers detailed history for items they are selling, competition reporting, statistics about the recent activity on eBay, and more. A few weeks ago he was asked to lead a team of other developers and is happy to take on some new challenges. He played hockey again last spring and really enjoyed being back on the ice. We also both played grass volleyball this summer and really enjoyed that.

I am back to work now three-ish days a week. I have had lots of family helping me with daycare for the kids while I try to straighten out something a little more permanent. I believe we have found something that will work for us starting January. With both kids being so active, and me working evenings/weekends/naps I have been feeling really really stretched. I rarely have time to do the other things I love like watching my fav cooking show even though it's sitting there pre-recorded! My fitness level is pathetic and I am even thinking of starting to run because I can get in a good exercise in a shorter amount of time. I hate running, what am I doing? I am going crazy I tell you! As testament to my craziness I can tell you a story. At a busy family Christmas Party last week I panic'd and shouted out into a room full of people, "Where is Kalli?" Only to have my wonderful mother in law respond by pointing at my arms. Yes, oh Yes, I was holding Kalli! If I end up in the Loonie bin, please visit and bring me decent food.

Talking about visiting. We bought a new vehicle with a bit more space so this Simpson clan is now road trip-able. We're hoping to get some mileage under the hood this summer but have no specific destinations in mind. Alaska? Maybe. Mexico? Maybe. If you are on either of those routes, we may see you! We'll see where we end up. On the flip side, we have a nice space for guests in our house and love to have visitors. So, come visit! I dare you.

I'll leave you with two videos of our kids having fun like they like to do and with the two best recipes of the year in our house. I hope you try them cause I know you'll enjoy them!

Have a fun year!

No post since July so... In a slurry. That's summer in a hurry. See pictures here. Port Renfrew with visits to Sombrio and Botanical beaches. Hiking in East Sooke Park. A visit to the Vancouver Zoo and Aquarium. A visit with family in Penticton. A visit to Powell Riviera. Lots of playtime around the house and around town. Eli's first experience on Papa's big boat; caught first fish; experienced first bout of sea sickness. Eli's first experience being towed behind a boat on a tube at Shawnigan Lake; seriously; he had a blast.

I can't believe it is (T - 1) month until Kalli is one!!! ahhhhhh... She is most amazing at... wait for it... squirming. She is the squirmiest squirmer in all of squirm town. ack. But, she is also a lot of fun when you aren't trying to get a diaper or clothes on her. She's been pulling herself up for a few months and she will let go and stand up for 10 seconds with zero support. No steps yet. I think/hope that is still a while away. She is absolutely tiny! She hasn't really nursed well since she hit the distraction squirmy age of around 5 months. She just doesn't sit still and this behaviour (if you can't tell) is known to make me go bonkers. She does eat solids and milk really really well and is a happy baby so I'm not too bothered. Really... She is growing into quite the feisty personality. I'm confident she is destined for red hair!

That's all I have for now.

and 30 Years Under Your Belt!!! Happy 30th Birthday Travis!

We had a great gathering of great family and friends at our place this weekend to celebrate this major milestone. Travis got a new hockey jersey from the group of us and Chris and Lianne were really thinking and maybe feeling a bit crazy to drive around Vancouver collecting 30 different bottles of beer for Trav. Cheers to them! Lots of good people lead to fun times!

Here are some photos from the party and since our last post.

Our family has been doing pretty good. Every day Elias looks more and more like a little boy and less and less like a toddler. It is so fun to watch him learn and discover how things work. Kalli is moving all over the place, she has started pushing herself up onto her hands and knees and is getting the knack of crawling. She absolutely loves to walk and will lead you around the house holding your hands. She absolutely hates being put into any confined space except for her high chair and crib (thankfully). To save our backs from getting sore we have started using a scarf tucked under her arms as an aid when walking her around the house. I always wanted to do that with Eli because I thought it was such an amazing idea but he never wanted to walk around holding your hands. So at least this parent hack is being put into good use with #2! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. I am suffering from severe LOS (lack of sun) disorder. If this wasn't property tax month, I would be posting pictures of us sitting on beaches in hawaii last month! Sucks to you Mr. Tax Man!!

Here are some pictures since our last post.

Happy Birthday Elias!

Dollar Store Decorations. Including balloons that say Happy 21st Birthday (OOPS!) -- $5

Birthday Boy Hat -- $1

New Train Table Gear and a set of Classic Tonka Sandbox Trucks -- $100

6am Waffle Breakfast -- $5 ish

First Time on the Big Big Big Slide at the park -- FREE

First Time on the Big Swing at the park -- FREE

Steak, Potato and Asparagus dinner (Eli's fav) -- $15 ish

Devil's Food Cake Pumpkin Muffins with cream cheese icing -- $5?

Falling asleep singing... "Happy... Happy... Happy..."

PRICELESS

We love you Eli!

Hello? Reality? There you are manifesting yourself as spit up on Kalli's forehead (pictured left)... How exactly does a baby manage to yak on her forehead? Our girl just has talent. This resulted from a head dive, mid giggle, into my chest. When she emerged she was completely covered in yak from her forehead to her toes. I am not kidding. Luckily my phone (which incidentally also received some yak splash back) was near and I quickly snapped a photo and emailed Dad with the caption "Our girl has talent" officially solidifying this moment in the baby books. This is our glorious baby girl 8 out of 12 waking hours. Receiving blankets have turned into adult clothing insurance and laundry day has turned into my so called laundry life. Sometimes I wonder how she continues to grow. But every time we put her on the scale she is packing back decent poundage. She was 14 pounds, 11 ounces at 5 months. We love her with all our hearts no matter how many shirts have to get changed in a day. I guess I better dial back further... If I am being truly honest, I should change that last statement to "how many shirts SHOULD be changed in a day". You will often find me hanging around the house and okay maybe occasionally leaving the house with little yak marks all over my shirt. But that is currently what life is.

I am running with the slightly negatively charged post today because after my last post claiming that we were on a schedule and all was well, something changed. Something horrible changed. Eli decided that it was time to start taking sometimes upwards of an hour to go to sleep at night. Kalli decided that she didn't want to go to sleep before 9:30 any more. And they both got together and decided that they liked to wake up at night and come to mom and dad's bed. I need to take a moment to thank Trav for forcing me to upgrade to the bigger bed. Thanks Trav you are great! Back to the point. For the record, I am not going to say that things are good just in case Eli and Kalli are reading this and feel the need for a change again. So the only conclusion I leave you with today is that we are getting along fine.

Kalli is getting more active every day. No real crawling yet but is showing interest in following things that roll away from her. I think her eyes are amazing and I hope they stay this blue! She is still rocking the strawberry birth mark on the top of her head. It will probably stick around until she is at least two. Of course I have grown to love it (I've sickly fantasized dying the skin around to make it into a little heart) but I gotta admit that I am getting tired of people pointing it out in disgust. I almost round housed a little girl this morning when we were on the playground at strong start and I heard "ew, what is that on that baby's head". Kids are so cruel!!

Elias has the kindest heart and always has a soft spot for his little sister. He gives her big bear hugs all the time. He loves playing with his dog and being outside (the weather lately has made that a little miserable for us girls but we grin and bear it and just try to hide under the sheltered area). He is starting to rattle off all kinds of words although it takes a very keen ear and possibly a doctorate in linguistics to interpret. But that makes it more fun! He loves cooking with me right now which just makes me so proud. He will sit on the counter as I cook and eat anything I pass him. Last night he was just munching down raw asparagus. I love food and love that he seems to love it too!

I'm just going to say one more thing. In 1 month, Eli is going to be 2! Oh yea, and here are some more pictures.