...and then there were four...

Some June Pics

Here are some photos from this weekend...

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Grace and Connor and I have been spending lots of time with Amy and Henry these days. Here are some pics from the day Amy invited me and Grace to help decorate some cupcakes... and a cute shot of Grace and Hank.

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Here are a few other shots from the last few weeks. Grace has been having a GREAT time playing with the kids up and down our street. Her little tent has been a real hit. One of the little girls insisted that everyone take their shoes off when they go inside... until a dog came and started snatching shoes...

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And finally, here is a little video of Grace and her friend Maggie. Maggie is REALLY cute and lives two doors down. She's always trying the handles on our car, and if the door is open she climbs in and honks the horn. Maggie understands lots of English, but doesn't know how to say very many words. Grace seems to know what she means anyway as you can see here... just click on the triangle in the middle of the image below. You might have to wait for it to load before you can watch it.

May 09 Visit to Ottawa

Well, Connor, Grace, Jennifer and Alma went on a trip to Ottawa where we packed in lots of good visiting with Grandma Wakegijig (who made the trip down from Wiky to see us - thanks!), cousin Gabby, Bucka and Nana (Sneddon), Uncle Gregor and Auntie Amanda (and soon-to-be-cousin-Will), a few Ottawa area friends and Jenn Maxwell who visited us from Victoria. Here, in no particular order, are some photos from our trip.

Go ahead and click on these to see larger versions :)

April 4th Skidoo Outing

We went on a very memorable outing with our friends Amy and Ryan and their new baby Henry (Hank) - and with Sarah McMahon, who is new to Pang and took these fantastic photos. Enjoy. I am sure that the others did all kinds of interesting things outside the tent, but as luck would have it with the timing of baby needs, Amy and I spent most of the outing inside, changing diapers, feeding babies etc, but it was a really fun adventure. Kudos to Sarah for providing that third crucial pair of helping hands! Yes, those are polar bear prints that we saw while we were out!

Connor's Memoirs @ 2 months old

Now that Connor is almost 2 months old (gulp!) we thought it was time for a retrospective on his life....

This is Connor and his pal Henry at a baby shower that our friend Mary held for the two of them on the weekend, and a photo taken today of Connor in his favourite swing and another in his bunting bag that we use to put him in and our of Jennifer's amautiq (traditional parka).

This is Grace baking up a storm for that baby shower, and just generally looking gorgeous. She is a terrific big sister, and just a delight to be around.

This is our nanny, Alma, holding Connor. She really makes our life much simpler, and she and Grace are best pals!

Here are some slightly older pics... notice the spiral cowlick on Connor's forehead!

And here are some faves from the day Connor was born (and day after)

Hallowe'en and a 2nd birthday!

It's hard to believe that another year has gone by!

Grace was a little cow for Halloween - she can sure moo!

.... and her birthday party was a big hit - good times had by all.... some photos to tell the tale...

Spring/Summer 2008

Well, our biggest news is that we're having another baby! Yup - February 7 is the due date, and we'll know on Monday if it's a boy or a girl! We're just thrilled, and we're also excited that our friends Amy and Ryan here in Pang are having a baby too (with the same due date!)

We've decided to deliver in Iqaluit again.

On the other hand, our friends Eryn and Andrew (or Nina's parents, as far as Grace is concerned) are leaving Pang, and will leave a big gap in our world here - that does seem to be part of Northern living though - people come and go from eachothers' lives. It seems that much harder when you're far from "home."

Well, Grace sure enjoyed seeing all of her cousins and grandparents and Aunties and Uncles and other buddies this summer (and so did we!)

We arrived back to Pang with a bit of a thud (no day care spot anymore), so we've been scrambling to find ways to work and be with Grace ever since. A solution is on the horizon, so that's good. In the meantime, let's reminisce about the days of summer.....

June / July Before Departing from Pang:

It was still fairly chilly until well into June, when you can see Grace having a little nap with a fleece hat on in my amautiq,and wearing a warm hat on the ATV with mummy. In July, it really warmed up and reached 20+ degrees by the time we left, but there were still ice bergs on that cold saltwater in the fiord. There are a couple of photos from Nina's birthday party. Doesn't Grace look sharp in her plaid pants? Nina and her family are moving away and we'll really miss them! There is also a shot from the day care - Grace LOVED it there, and you can see why! Way more exciting than hanging out with mom and dad.

August

In the last days of July, we took Grace to the Toronto Zoo, and headed up to Manitoulin on the Ferry. Those were two very exciting events, kicking off 3 weeks of holidaying on Manitoulin, where there were birthday parties, little crayfish and other wildlife to explore with dad, boat rides with Xavier's family, and generally lots of merry-making!