Ryan Age 3

Carrot lovers

Springtime is in the air

Vancouver rocks in the spring!  We get the most amazing pink blooms all over the city!  The kids love it (so do we!)

Ryan is fully addicted to Pokemon

Someone please help us!  Ryan is addicted to Pokemon – that’s all he talks about.  We don’t understand the Pokemon language or fascination.  Anyway, he’s even recruited Madeline to the dark side!

Star wars meets Merida!

Madeline and Ryan have started playing together more.  They needed to find a balance and here is a perfect example.  Madeline is riding her horse as Merida from the movie Brave.  Ryan is a jedi master!

Our kids love Dance Dance Revolution

At Christmas one of the games daddy got from the kids for his xbox was Dance Dance revolution.  We had no idea at the time that everyone would love this game.  The kids beg to play it, even mommy gets in on the action!!

Madeline sings a little song

Madeline must have learned this song at daycare. It shows off Vancouver’s ethnic diversity!

Ryan’s Graduation from kindergarten

Ryan has grown up so fast I can’t believe it.  It seems like just the other day he was crawling (actually, that’s probably not an understatement).  But our little boy is no longer little – he is officially a grade 1 boy …

Madeline bikes by herself!

I’ve been taking Madeline out to the garden on her bike.  Most of the time I need to hold her to keep her up but she’s been insisting on riding by herself.  After trying it out once I think she was ready to be video tape…

Happy Father’s Day

Being a dad rocks!  It is so awesome to have a day dedicated to you being awesome.  Here are the photos of us on that day!

Our favorite sushi restaurant

We love having dinner at sushi gallery.  Ryan always gets the mango roll, and Madeline gets six small avocado rolls.  Mommy and daddy usually get a rainbow roll.   Yummy!

Mommy’s Birthday (2014)

We won’t say how old she is but it doesn’t matter because my wife is like a good cheese – gets better with age.  (and grows mold?? – nope, that will never work!)

Happy Mother’s Day 2014

The kids are so excited to celebrate Mommy and Daddy day.  They did ask when they get their own celebration day for which I didn’t have a good answer.  Madeline made a special gift for mommy and Ryan made a birdhouse him…

Jennifer’s wedding

One of Madeline’s daycare teachers at Chuva, Jennifer got married and asked Madeline to be her flower girl.  When she asked back in November 2013, we didn’t even hesitate to say yes.  Jennifer has always adored Madeline …

Daddy’s real birthday

It’s so awesome having kids – they certainly know how to make you feel great!  Here I am celebrating #40 with my awesome family!

Jasper turns 40!

It is hard to believe that 40 came so quickly but whatever –it is here!  Grace threw an incredible party that was hosted at our friend Peter’s barDisplace.  A lot of close friends came together for food and drinks and th…

Madeline and Ryan playing the violin together

Madeline loves watching Ryan practice the violin.  Actually, she doesn’t really just want to watch, she wants to join in and practice herself.  The sound of both of them playing together is truly magnificent and really c…

Our trip to Seattle (and to see Lilo)

We have been going down to take a quick vacation in Seattle or Washington for many years now.  We usually visit Mi Jung and Yong Chae and their kids.  Ryan really likes their dog Lilo.  Madeline is no longer terrified of…

Ryan and Madeline fly a kite together

This is a pretty cute video of Ryan and Madeline playing together.  They both really wanted to go fly a kite together on a day with no wind.  I had to explain to them that in order to get wind they would need to run with…

Happy #70 Baba!

We really wanted to be in Moncton to celebrate Baba’s 70th birthday but couldn’t make it.  It really is the busiest time of year for Grace and I and there is no chance we can get away.  We decided to sing her happy birth…

Daycare Birthday

As I’m sure most of you have realized by now we celebrate our kids’ birthdays multiple times.  The way it works for Ryan is we have a party for him where we invite all of his friends, daycare throws a party and we have a…

Ryan’s birthday cake!

As I am sure most of you know getting ready for a birthday is quite an adventure.  Each year it seems like we try to get better at making a cake.  It was very difficult for us to decide on what kind of a cake to make but…

Ryan on a skateboard

One of Ryan’s gifts at his birthday party was a skateboard from Ella.  Daddy made Ryan a deal that if he could learn how to do a few things on a skateboard he could take it outside.  This is Ryan trying to show off his f…

Making Ryan’s Lego Table

For Ryan’s fourth birthday we wanted to do something special.  Ryan has always been a big fan of Thomas the Train and had a ton of his trains and wooden tracks.  He loved building and playing with that set.  It seemed as…

Haircut time

It is that time of year where daddy likes to shave his head in anticipation of a summer of coolness.  This year right before shaving his head Ryan wanted to do the same.  How could we refuse?  Here are some photos:

Does my sister look like me or do I look like her?

Ryan’s Easter

Since Easter cam on Madeline’s birthday this year we did spend a little extra time with Ryan on his Easter to make sure he didn’t think we were ignoring him.  The morning started off with the Easter bunny randomly hiding…

Sophie’s birthday party

Normally, we don’t post about other kids’ birthday parties but Sophie (our neighbor down the hall) and her mom are amazing at throwing birthday parties.  At her birthday she had a pony and each of the kids got to pet the…

Bob the builder

Ryan is a fan of bob the builder (tv show).  He likes to go between Thomas the train and Bob the Builder.  We were shopping the other day and saw a ride at the mall – it was a bob the builder ride.  Unfortunately, it was…

Can you see me?

After school (almost every day) Ryan asks if he can climb the tree.  He is referring to the tree below (smiling tree).  Many of the kids after school like to go inside and climb the many branches – it is quite safe insid…

Ryan the poser

There is a little man made chair in one of the forests close to our house.  Ryan’s friend Sophie showed it to him last year and he thinks it is a bit magical that a chair could be made out of a tree stump.  Every time he…

Ryan loves skating

Ryan has been skating for a while now and whenever we go to the rink to have some fun he gets a lot of attention.  There is something about seeing the kids when they are this young skating around that makes you smile.  R…

Ryan knows how to read

Ryan has always been interested in the alphabet and how the alphabet forms words.  We never really taught him how to read but he would always ask us how to spell something (JUICE was the first word he learned how to spel…

Snow in Vancouver?

It might seem like we are lucky to never get snow in Vancouver but to a kid growing up it seems like it never snows.  And in Vancouver if you don’t run to the nearest hill you won’t get the chance to even play in the sno…

The best weather!

This year in LA for Christmas was the best ever.  I seriously think that it was sunny and nice every single day we were there.  That is a bit unusual at that time of year and we certainly were not complaining!

Christmas in LA

Christmas is starting to become a bigger deal to Ryan as he gets older.  He certainly had a blast spending time with his cousin Tyler (who is just a few months younger).  Tyler was great at sharing all of his toys and bo…

The visit with Santa

This year we tried to avoid the mall Santa as he can be dirty and smelly and overused.  We decided to go to one of the community centres for pancakes with Santa.   Here we had breakfast with Santa and got to sit on his l…

Ryan and dogs

Ryan loves animals – I have to admit his favorite animal is cats but he also has a deep fondness for dogs.  Whenever he is out riding his bike and he sees someone walking a dog he stops them and asks if he can pet the do…

Our Hawaii Vacation Video

As you have probably already come to realize – we like to make a video summary of our vacation to Hawaii.  Here is this year’s video.  It has a bit of everything!

Scary Face

There were lots of activities that we attended at our resort in Hawaii.  We went to the Kids Zone every day.  At the end of our last full day in Hawaii they had a special concert and gathering for everyone on the front l…

Ants in my pants

When we went to Hawaii last year Ryan did a video of himself jumping off of a beach chair.  This year he requested that I videotape him jumping off again but wanted to add a twist or two.  I think the title is fitting!

Homemade Ice Cream

One of the activities that we took part in on vacation at the Kids Club was how to make homemade vanilla ice cream.  Here is the recipe.

Jumping Waves

At our resort in Hawaii it was surrounded by 4 lagoons which was great.  Actually, lagoons are perfect for kids as it blocks the big waves.  But at one point we wanted to explore the awesome waves of Hawaii so we took Ry…

Waterfall and Swimming

This year under advice from Auntie Esther we bought a special floating device to help Ryan build his confidence and have fun in the swimming pool.  This floating device was awesome – from the first moment Ryan was able t…

I’m Stuck!!

It is always fun to bury kids. And it is also a lot of fun to bury them so deep that they can’t get out.  Check out the frustration when Ryan realizes that he is stuck!

5 Minutes of Fame!

During our vacation at Hawaii we had the chance to get some free entertainment.  Ryan decided to participate and had a chance to test out his stage abilities.

Giddyup Horsey!

While we were in Los Angeles visiting family before our Hawaii getaway we decided to go to a park to relax and check out some pumpkins.  They had a horse ride for kids and Ryan wanted to try it out.  Check out his video.

Los Angeles (on the way to Hawaii)

This vacation to Hawaii that we’ve taken now a few times has really become something we enjoy…not like it is hard to enjoy vacations.  We have it figured out how to stop over in Los Angeles to visit family and travel to …

Children’s Museum

Daddy and Ryan had to find something fun to do in Los Angeles in order to avoid shopping with mommy.  We decided to check out the children’s museum.  It was pretty cool!

Son of two musicians

Ryan is a good entertainer

Ryan has always been a good brother to Madeline.  He has been very gently, sweet and kind.  The other thing he has done has been a great entertainer for her – unfortunately, his favorite time to make her laugh is right b…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here we go again – another year and another feast.  Unfortunately, Grace doesn’t really like turkey but that didn’t stop me from cooking up a feast.  This year I really tried hard to make the best possible bird, and I ha…

Monkey Ryan

While I was off touring the East Coast mommy had to stay home and take care of both kids.  That’s not an easy task!  The challenge is how to entertain Ryan while taking care of Madeline.  One idea Grace had was to take R…

Reaping the rewards of the garden

It was a successful year at our garden.  Actually, we were kind of lucky and picked up a rogue garden that someone had forgotten about.  We certainly had lots of food and the biggest disappointment would have to be the t…

A day at Granville Island

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we decided to head down to Granville Island to relax.  There are so many interesting things to do on Granville Island – the worst part of it all is that it is always crowded.  Well…

Blueberries, blueberries….everywhere!

After our trip to the East Coast we came back hoping to still make it back in time to pick some blueberries.  Daddy did some research and found a few u-picks and decided to check them out.  On our first trip Ryan came, a…

East Coast Vacation

We have already posted some cute pictures from our East Coast Vacation (2011).  It was really a blast for all of us – to see some of the photos just clickhere to visit them on Madeline’s site.

Happy Father’s Day

Daddy was surprised on the Father’s day when Ryan presented him with a mug that Ryan had painted himself.  It was quite a special day for all of us as we went to the park where they had tons of bouncy castles set up.  Ry…

Ryan’s first date

On Friday night we went to the local carnival.   Ryan was very excited to go to the carnival and we planned to have a picnic there, too.  Once we arrived all Ryan cared about were the rides.  He ate a few bites and ran o…

Big Brother

Ryan has really taken on the role of big brother quite easily.  He seems to like the responsibility and is very loving and caring around Madeline.  He is so excited to see her everyday after school and wants to hold her …

Bike Rider

As you’ve probably read earlier – we had a bunch of birthday parties for Ryan.  What we didn’t mention is what he wanted and what he got for his birthday.  About a month or two before his birthday Ryan started asking for…

Birthday Celebration #3

Well, at this point Ryan must have been thinking that we could make a cake out of anything into any shape imaginable.  We asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday (at home) and he said a garbage truck.  Not…

Daycare Birthday Party!

Ryan is a lucky kid.  He gets a birthday party with his friends and a birthday party at daycare.  And, of course, we celebrate his birthday at home on the actual day.  That makes for 3 parties (and 3 cakes!).  Actually, …

Ryan’s Birthday Party (3 years old!!)

Ryan had his birthday party and invited lots of his friends over to celebrate.  This year Ryan wanted to hold the party at our house.  We moved everything around to have as much space as possible in our living room and s…

Daddy’s Chili

Daddy has been making lunches for Ryan ever since he was eating solid food.  It started out with the basics and has since evolved into more complex lunches (of course).  It is always a challenge to try and find something…

Happy Mother’s Day!

On Mother’s day it was hard to get a chance to get away from mommy to go and pick up some special stuff for her.  Here in this photo you will see that Ryan bought mommy a balloon and some flowers for Mother’s Day.  It wa…

Ryan keeps getting better at skating

Ryan has been taking skating lessons at the community centre.  His teacher is the same teacher that daddy has for power skating.  We both find that to be quite funny.  Ryan can now skate half of the rink backwards and ca…

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It is that time of year again and daddy is getting older.  This year Ryan wanted to buy daddy a seat for his bicycle for his birthday so he can take Ryan everywhere on his bike.