mags' log

I'm moving!

2009-02-26T21:30:00.003-05:00

I have moved my blog to wordpress at http://magslog.wordpress.com. There has been some weirdness in the adoption blogosphere recently so I've switched to wordpress so that I can password protect posts if I want to at any point.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

2008-12-19T09:39:00.003-05:00

Van, exhausted after his nap. He fell asleep again in my arms shortly after this picture was taken.

Kim, exhausted after skating. She fell asleep draped over the arm of the couch.

Buddy, exhausted from doing nothing. He sleeps most of the time.

Haircut

2008-12-19T09:07:00.004-05:00

Before.

During.

Tolerating being vacuumed.

After.

24 hours later. (I have no idea what Van is looking so incredulous about.)

Mini ice-storm

2008-12-18T09:43:00.002-05:00

We had a mini ice-storm last week that left everything magically encased in sparkling ice for a few days.

Sick day

2008-11-24T11:56:00.004-05:00

Van is home sick today. We just got back from having a ventolin mask at the doctor's and now he's breathing easier and sleeping on the couch.

And, because I posted the question on Laurie's blog, I'll repeat it here: How do people feel about toe cleavage? You know, if you’re wearing low-cut, close-toed shoes and you see a bit of toe crack. Is it good, bad, indifferent?

Here are a few pix from the last couple of weekends.

A collective art project.

A recent dog walk.

At Zanie and Grandaddy's cottage in August

2008-11-07T21:10:00.002-05:00

Fisher folk.

Kim doing her best to look underwhelmed by her cousin Adrien's catch of the day.

Thoughtful Van.

I like this shot because it looks like Van is Kim's conscience sitting on her shoulder.

Van, happy to be in a boat! (even if it is tied up at the dock)

Daddy and Van. Can you guess by the angle of the p.o.v. who took the picture?

Van, then and now

2008-11-07T21:03:00.003-05:00

Van's referal picture, 5 weeks old.

Van now.

3 faces of Kim

2008-11-07T20:58:00.001-05:00

Kim as Lucy Liu in "Kill Bill"

Kim in action

Pensive Kim.

Halloween!

2008-11-07T13:18:00.005-05:00

This year was special because it was the first year that Kim anticipated Halloween for days--even counting the number of dodos left for about a week beforehand, and the first year that Van "got" it. By the second house he fully grasped the concept of trick or treating. He would walk up to the door, open his bag, and then say, "thank you", and "Bye-bye after he received his booty. His stamina was incredible. Steve and I kept thinking he must be tired and trying to carry him, but each time we picked him up, he very firmly said, "Down".

Practicing being a cowboy a few days before the BIG day.

Not so tough, tough guys.

Pucker up baby!

2008-11-06T22:02:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friend Donna for this blast from the past. This is Kim getting ready to plant one on Donna's son Ben when they were both about 2 years old. (Also, thanks for the post title.) Kim and Ben are each other's oldest friends: they were in the orphanage in Vung Tau together when they were babies.

Anatomy of a family shot

2008-11-05T09:28:00.005-05:00

It's time once again for our bi-annual family shot. It's not easy to coordinate 2 squirmy kids, a dog, and a self timer to get a decent shot. See below.

In the park with Grandma and Grandpa

2008-09-18T12:00:00.025-04:00

miscellaneous cuteness

2008-08-25T22:07:00.004-04:00

Van modeling a shirt from Grandma

Van modeling Kim's bathing suit

Van modeling a bucket of blocks

Kim's take on Kung Fu:

(Mantis)

(Crane)

(Tiger)

Van's take on how to eat an ice cream cone

Kids in a cage

Strategically placed watering can

Busy rainy weekend

2008-07-21T13:47:00.008-04:00

We took advantage of a somewhat rainy weekend to cut Van's hair. Is it just me, or does he look like Mark in the 'original' sibs portrait?!?!

Kids in hats.

Kim and Van sharing a yoghurt drink.

Van entertains himself

2008-07-06T22:10:00.001-04:00

Kim's first day without training wheels!

2008-07-03T12:07:00.002-04:00

Kim nailed the two-wheeler and all its integrated components--starting, stopping, and steering in about 45 minutes on Sunday.

Life at our house

2008-05-12T14:14:00.009-04:00

Buddy, snapped by Kim

Van, dressed by Kim

My little rock stars

Kim being blasé about the paparazzi (picture taken with Kim's camera!)

worth a thousand words

2008-04-30T10:19:00.002-04:00

We were lucky recently to get this additional baby photo of Van from our agency, TDH. Judging from the hair, I'd say he's about 2 1/2 months old. Because we have so few baby photos of our kids, an additional photo is truly priceless!

These boots are made for walking!

2008-02-25T10:03:00.003-05:00

The obligatory cute-little-kid-in-big-boots shot. But he is, and they are!

Better late than never, right?!

2008-01-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got around to having some professional portraits done. (Actually, we got sucked in by "winning" a free 10" x 13" picture and, of course, ended up not being able to walk out with just that one photo.)

For the last year, or so, Kim has gone to great lengths not to smile in any photos not taken by Steve or me.

Van looking seriously impressed by being up on a stand under bright lights.

Two funny faces!

These are a couple of pictures that Kim drew for Grandma and Grandpa a week or so ago that we haven't gotten around to mailing yet.

This is the ginger bread house that Kim and I made on New Year's eve day. I don't think housing construction is my forte. Right after this picture was taken, I went to pick up the tray to move the house of the reach of little boy hands and doggie jaws and the whole thing collapsed like a double-wide in a tornado! I thought Kim would be upset, but practical child that she is, she realized that this meant that she could probably eat a piece right away.

We forgot to take pictures of the kids on Halloween so we finally got them dressed up and snapped a few a couple of weeks ago.

Kim looking feline.

Van's costume was the one that Kim wore on her first Halloween and Kim borrowed her costume from the daycare so that they could be tigers together!

Backstage, after the performance!

'tis the season

2007-12-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

Van looking unsure about his first experience with the jolly fat man. It must not have been all bad though because he has been experimenting recently with saying "Ho, Ho, Ho." It's pretty darn cute!

Kim modelling her starting school togs--a present from Auntie Annie.

Van being amused at Kim's shenanigans.

Kim being her silly self.

Walkin' the dawg

2007-11-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Pictures from a dog walk a couple of weeks ago. Van was determined to walk Buddy himself, so Kim gave him a few pointers on just how to do it--to make sure he was doing it right.

Later in the walk, Kim somehow managed to get herself carried!

One of those weeks

2007-10-12T13:59:00.000-04:00

This morning Van woke up soaking wet with pee because I had forgotten to leave a Huggies diaper out for the babysitter last night and the budget brand ones don't cut it overnight. This was because I was running late on my way to class last night (to hand in a paper that I had barely had time to finish), because I couldn't cycle, because the night before that, I had snapped the cable of my only remaining functioning brake on my bike and nearly ploughed into the back of a panel truck while hurrying home because the kids were with a babysitter for the second night in a row, because I had also been to class the night before that to write a test that I wasn't prepared for because I didn't have enough time to study on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, because Kim had a ped day on Tuesday, and Monday was a holiday and because Steve left for Kansas on Sunday at 5:30 a.m., (when two diamond cab drivers almost came to blows over him and were almost killed by me because I thought their yelling right outside our front door was going to wake my kids) I was too busy playing with the kids to study.

Anyhooo, back to this morning; a pee soaked Van and I went downstairs to get him a bottle only to find dog poo and pee all over the kitchen floor! I think what happened was pack mentality--Jasper pooed because he is ancient and was desperate, and then Buddy thought, "hey, I can do that in here?! Cool." And he let loose.

But hey, it's Friday; Steve will be home early Sunday morning and life will go on.

Here are a couple of shots (courtesy of one of the daycare teachers) of Van playing on the play structure at daycare.

The remains of summer

2007-10-10T09:33:00.001-04:00

It seems like summer just doesn't want to let go. This morning I picked about .5 litre of raspberries, a litre of cherry tomatoes, and a cucumber from the back yard, and there is no sign that the plants are slowing down production!

Here are a couple of pictures of Kim showing the appropriate serious reverence for baseball.

A picture of Van almost exactly one year ago. Scroll down to the first and second posts for comparison shots.

Sign of the times

2007-10-05T21:54:00.000-04:00

A couple of nights ago Van bit Steve on the nipple, much to Steve's discomfort and pain. Well, Kim was definitely impressed by Steve's reaction and went straight for the stationary and markers to add her $.02. See below.

bi-annual family shots

2007-10-04T10:52:00.002-04:00

Updated October, 2008

Here are the family shots that we have taken for Kim's and Van's follow-up reports that we send to Vietnam. We have to send a report once a year for Kim and every 6 months for Van. The photos go from most recent to oldest. I've also included the family shots we took in Vietnam.

Where coffins go to die

2007-10-02T14:21:00.000-04:00

There is metal collector down the block from us. His loaded trailer is often parked a few doors away. Twice this summer, he has had a metal coffin in with the old propane tanks, radiators, bike frames, old stoves, etc that make up a regular load. The first time, Steve asked him where he had gotten the coffin. He replied: "I can't tell you." Steve and I both smiled thinking that he was kidding. He wasn't. We can't figure out if he doesn't want to reveal his source because he thinks we might beat him to the punch and go salvage coffins ourselves, or because his possession of the coffins is the result of some unsavoury practice!

a few more recent pix

2007-09-27T10:04:00.000-04:00

As requested, more pix!

Pocket treasures

2007-09-26T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here is what I found today checking pockets while sorting laundry: 2 stones in Kim's pants front pockets, 1 St-Ambroise beer bottle cap in Steve's pants back pocket, 1 used kleenex in my pants front pocket and 1 grocery list in my back pocket, and nothing in Van's pockets because like on many baby clothes, the pockets are fake.

Some recent pictures of Van.

Van's do

2007-09-25T10:13:00.000-04:00

Van seems pleased with his new hairdo, and it sure is wash and wear!