Happy 3/4 Birthday!

It's exciting, it's shocking and it's true: Eliot is 9 months old today.  Some vital stats for the memory book:

Weight - 18 lbs
Number of teeth - 8
Favourite foods - banana, prunes, pears, oat cereal, carrots, broccoli, peas, sweet potato, tofu, chicken and anything else Mama K can think of to grind up.
Favourite past times - Jolly Jumping, reading (and eating) books, relaxing in the garden, playing with stacking cups, furniture walking, crawling towards Holly's dishes, socializing with Mama J
Vocabulary - "dadadad," "bababa," "blah blah" and much unrepresentable vocalic experimentation
New tricks - picking a toy up off the floor while holding onto something with the other hand, taking assisted steps, scarily competent commando crawling, sitting down from standing with minimal plunkage, baby downward dog.

Larger Than Life

Whoever came up with Yukon Tourism's slogan certainly captured the essence of the territory.  I had a wonderful time last week exploring a tiny fraction of the wilderness near Whitehorse: a day hike up Mt. Lorne, near the junction of the Alaska and Klondike highways, and another up White Mountain, 6km down the road to Atlin.  Mostly perfect weather, astonishing scenery and a steadfast, adventurous companion made for an unforgettable few days.

One of many ridges on Mt. Lorne

An unwelcome reminder of the Chilkoot's scales!

Starting our descent

Little Atlin Lake through the clouds on White Mountain

Limestone cliffs

Exploring a cave after some "off-roading!"

Rest assured, Eliot is having his own northern adventure.  What with playing at neighbourhood parks, reuniting with old friends and experiencing summer at the cabin, can he be anything other than a sourdough?

Through the tunnel  

At the cabin with Grandpa

Playing with Peregrine

Refueling for more fun!

Ganbare Nippon!

Congratulations to the japanese soccer stars on an incredible World Cup victory over the powerful USA.  The team played with talent, grace and composure, coming from behind twice to finally win in a shoot-out.  A historic, well-deserved win for a nation I hold in the highest esteem.  

More Outdoor Fun

The social engagements of summer continue!  Yesterday, Jean took Eliot to his buddy, Gabe's, first birthday party and today we all went to Tom's and Cheryl's for a lovely lunch.  They have a Quebecoise exchange student, Celia, staying with them, who joined us and made fast friends with the babe.

The Baby Talk Gang

Enjoying the party favours

Fun with Celia

Splish Splash

Another busy and beautiful day!  Big sister Sarah came over in the afternoon and joined Eliot in his first backyard swim.  The two of them also played the drums, sang songs and enjoyed story time.  Huge thanks to Andy for the paddling pool and to Sarah and Joanne - Eliot had a blast today!

Fun in the pool

Ahhh...refreshing!

Story time

Summer Time

We haven't enjoyed much summer weather yet but we did take advantage of the glorious sun yesterday.  Jean and Eliot sat out in our garden with books and toys in the early afternoon; then, we went to Grandma and Grandad's for an al fresco visit complete with singing and guitar playing.

Finally some sun!

Singing some old favourites

Clap clap for Grandad

O Canada

Happy 144th Birthday to our incredibly vast and inspiringly beautiful country!  I feel so fortunate for a citizenship that grants me the promise of freedom, the right to marry and a safe environment in which to raise my son.

Standing on guard for Thee