that was painful

Someone please....please....PLEASE remind me not to collect 3 months worth of pictures (mostly of Alex) before deciding to upload them to Flickr. Updating was not fun. At all.

With that said, I've upgraded to a Flickr pro account, so now all the older pictures are once again accessible.....and I don't have a monthly limit.

With that done, I guess I'll have to tackle the numerous video tapes. *sigh*

And maybe...just maybe....I'll try to start blogging again.

(this doesn't count)

today's poll: closed, open, or with tongue?

alexandra in april

Okay......so my posts sort of fell by the wayside for the month of April. What can I say? I've been busy.

But I'm not the only one. Little Alex is growing like a weed, and accomplishing a number of firsts. I unfortunately have been away at work for much of it, but fortunately with digital technology, we've been able to capture some of these momentous events.

While we haven't taken too many pictures (and may have accidently deleted some), I have recently uploaded a number to my flickr acount so go check it out.

We've also managed to capture a few videos as well. Some of the events include:

First Easter (with family)

First (semi) solid foods.

First unassisted sitting.

First assisted steps. (The jury is still out on this one. Mom says she walked. I'm a little more skeptical. Have your opinion heard in our comments section.....now open.)

First teeth. (Note: As I write this, mom was heard screaming upstairs as Alex sunk her new teeth into mom's hand while getting her evening bath.)

So much happening. And I'm bound to miss more as I have to head out and play secret agent for a week. When I emerge from the shadows this weekend, perhaps there will be more to report.

(maybe even a Spider-man 3 review)

(if I'm brave stupid enough to attend on opening night)

that time i was on coach's corner

On March 17th, 2007, while the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the Montreal Canadiens, I appeared on Coach's Corner with Don Cherry. Okay....well not exactly. A little while back at our office we gathered in red serge and took a photo to send to the troops in Afghanistan. Someone involved knows Don I believe, and arranged to have the photo shown on the program, along with a plug for the "O" Division Slain Peace Officers Fund. Thanks Don.

Original

Coach's Corner

mystique

As a new father, I've come to realize that a baby is a very expressive creature. A widening of the eyes, reddening of the face, the curling of the lip....all these things can have a profound effect on the child's appearance. I've found a webpage that helps to illustrate this seemingly chameleon-like ability in action.

Click, and be amazed.

the weekend that almost wasn't

So this weekend was supposed to be chock full of familial visitation, but circumstances dictated otherwise.

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew were supposed to come by on Saturday but the boys were coming out of illness and my sister was starting into it, so they opted not to make the 2 hour journey and stay home to recouperate. I'm sure Serious Gord was keeping their hands full anyway. So instead we went into town and ran a few errands. A few staple items were picked up at Wal*Mart, and I picked up some guitar strings and a comic book ('cause once in a while you gotta get your geek on...)

Sunday was supposed to see Alex's Grandpa and Granny come by after their fun-filled weekend in Toronto, but they were serving as airport shuttle for their friends so ended up staying an extra night. Subsequently Sunday became a day for groceries and housecleaning. Yeah.....we got down with our bad selves.

Monday morning I got up early to head in and get some blood work done (after a 12 hour fast...yay). I got there at 7:05 a.m......and was about 20th in line. Awesome. It was also kind of stormy with blowing snow and such, so travel was rather treacherous with white-outs in places. Grandpa and Granny showed up in the early afternoon, and apparently just in time to miss this catastrophe on the highway. They got to spend some quality time with the little one, and I got a few guitar lessons from pops. I also managed to throw out my back while carting some firewood from outside into the basement. Sweet.

And now it's Monday afternoon. Grandpa and Granny have departed for home. Mom and Alex are laying on the couch snoring while I plunk around in cyberspace.

strike a pose

We took the munchkin in for photographs a couple weeks ago to preserve for all eternity her 3 month cuteness. There was the obligatory portrait pose, as well as an adorable one depicting the hatching of our little chickadee.

Awwwww.

i'll be home for christmas

There's just something about being "home" for the holidays. A certain familiarity and sense of belonging that you just can't quite get anywhere else. Like listening to the local radio station and hearing the voice of the guy who used to live in the apartment upstairs from you when you were a kid, and let you play the original Donkey Kong on his Intellivision. Or getting together with the friend you've known since 6th grade with your wives and babies and talking about how one is doing exactly what he set out to do in high school and the other is somewhere completely different than anticipated. Or driving by the fast food restaurant you worked at for 8 years and being flooded by the memories of days past. Or helping your Dad and brother-in-law pick up an old piano (that weighs roughly a billion pounds) and bringing it to your sister's house as a gift for your musical prodigy of a niece. Or just sitting around the house with the family and enjoying good food and good drink and being merry.

Or watching the adorable smile on your daughter's face as she gazes at her Auntie while sitting on her Gran's lap.



Yep. Nothing quite like it. Merry Christmas to all.

(Now if we could just get some snow!)

winter was here

This photo was snapped a few days ago. It looked like winter had finally arrived. However, mild weather yesterday and today has all but melted the snow. Perhaps it won't be a white Christmas after all.

Let this also serve as announcement that there are some new photos on my flickr page.

progress doesn't look so good

Check this out:

Here is what the view from my back deck looked like 4 months ago.

Here is what the view from my back deck looks like today.

I guess 'greenbelt' just doesn't mean what it used to.