Gingerbread Goodness

Happiness is indeed homemade. Sure, the cookies were gluten-free - but fun for all to make, tasty for some to eat and a great memory maker for a family.

MOMENT: "C" is for Cookie, That's Good Enough for Me

Three seasonal bakers hit the kitchen for some festive creating that Tavish would be able to eat. It was so much fun, that we don't have any photos of the finished products to show for it. However, Tavish did serve a "G", "D", "M" and "T" gingerbread cookie to Grandpa, Daddy, Mommy and Tavish respectively for dessert after our Bedford Christmas dinner. Tavish alone has since enjoyed the occasional gingerbread tree cookie from time to time. He sure is pleased with himself when he eats them and his smile stretches across his face ... all with the perk of being wheat-absent. Guess it's true what the bible says "You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands: you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you." Psalms 128:2.

Feeling the Spirit of the Season

The seasonal spirit was in full swing at the NAC (National Art Centre)'s free Christmas orchestra concert on December 11th. Tavish began as a mere witness and evolved into a dancing, clapping, violin playing and singing participator. Guess that's the power of Christmas music for you!

MOMENT: Learning and Joining-in

Tavish seemed excited to learn the words to a new song and joined in where he felt he could. May the music infect you with the spirit of the season the way it did with our toddler ...

Urban Tree Farm

'Tis the season for Christmas tree picking. Fortunately for us (mostly for Tom and Tavish), we live just a short walk away from the Market where we could hunt for our very own Christmas tree without breaking our ... er, um ... their ... backs.

MOMENT: If a Tree Hauls in the City, Does Anybody Hear?

Tavish picked out our Christmas tree. His choice was obviously unassisted as it is the kind that is "the most expensive tree" they had, but it was small. Besides, what the heck? It's Christmas ... the tree of choice is not the place to Ba Humbug, right?

Caught by Winter

We had our first snowfall. It's officially unavoidable now, it's time to put the convertible away for the season.

First day at "School"

"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child"

- Maria Montessori

Tavish with his new lunch bag - ready for the day!

MOMENT: Fearless and Tearless

There has been a great deal of build up and anticipation (read: anxiety for Mommy) for today and it finally came: we took Tavish to a "school" (Montessori ... elaborate daycare). I've had my reservations, mostly selfish but they were quickly put at ease today. What a trooper our son is. He confidently walked up to the school with his lunch bag slung over his shoulder (even though it only contained a snack for today), climbed all the stairs and went right up to "Miss Danielle". I held my breath to see what would unfold only to watch Tavish excitedly show her his lunch bag. We've been emphatically told that the goodbye is to be swift and brief. So, I asked for a hug which was given with an accompanying "bye Mommy". That was it. I turned and left. I didn't make it to the bottom of the stairs without tears welling in my eyes and falling on my ride to work. I watched the clock with anticipation: 'is he okay?', 'does he like it?', 'has he been there too long for his first day?' etc, etc. 


Tom picked up a happy toddler three hours later who came complete with a huge smile and reluctance to go. Oh, so he's fine? The note from his teacher read:


"Tavish had a great first day! Got several lessons (beads, drawing, cylinder block, chopsticks and others) Had a good snack. No tears at all and seems happy! Tomorrow he should be fine until 1:30. Thanks, Miss Danielle"

When we asked Tavish tonight, "would you like to go to school longer tomorrow?" he replied "no". I held my breath then heard the rest of what Tavish said "I want to go now". I hope this is the first of many firsts that are going to be this smooth, fearless and tearless (at least for Tavish!)

Tavish-o-Lantern

Halloween has been so much fun this year! Tavish's interest in 'ba-gum-pa-gums'a year ago remained and evolved - he proudly stated he was going to be 'a pumpkin` when asked, even before we re-introduced the holiday to him.

MOMENT: Carving, Creating, Parading and 'Treat'ing

There's been build up to this holiday involving themed crafts and colourful creating. I even got to work re-purposing an old orange sweater to turn our Tavish into a jack-o-lantern. Tavish and his construction-worker Daddy led the charge in their bright orange costumes at the second annual neighbourhood Halloween parade. Then he experienced Trick-or-Treating for the first time at the neighbour's. Grandpa Mike is such a good sport!

Hope your Halloween was as spooktacular as ours was. BOO!

Transition - Final Phase

It was time for a bigger bed for our bigger little boy. The assembly was a job for the Bedford boys - Grandpa Mike, Handy Daddy and Builder Tavish had a project ...

MOMENT: Handy Helper

Tavish was Daddy's Little Helper by providing entertainment, company and some more 'twisting'. He's all settled into his 'new' room with his "big crib". He can crawl in and out with ease but would find it difficult to fall out of while sleeping. Perfect. The final touch involved dusting off the ol' sewing machine - Mommy made a duvet cover! He's all set up and very excited about it ...

Seeing Seattle

Tom's sister and family moved to the Pacific northwest for work. We missed them so made a trip out of it! Grandpa Mike came too - the whole Bedford family was together again.

MOMENTS: Rain brings Rainbows

So many adventures were had. We hit up the Aquarium where Tavish touched and watched all kinds of neat things; we hiked through lush forests; enjoyed ferry rides with family; let Tavish take the wheel during our lunch visit to Microsoft; and enjoyed three boys playing and singing together as cousins. So, although being in Seattle in October means rain, the end of the rainbow accompanied us on a highway one day providing a nice reminder that if you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain!

Transition - Phase I

Tavish loves his crib, often referring to to his nap time as "playing in my crib". Although it might seem wrong to take that happiness away from him (fine, it's our happiness too - the confinement has been handy), it's time for the crib to go. Phase(out) I involves removing the bars and putting the mattress on the floor.

The "before" photo: A Baby's Bedroom

MOMENT: Twisting with Tavish

Tavish was integral to the phase-out construction. He twists and likes to help with little assistance.

So far, the absence of bars have led to three smooth nights of sleep with few 'thuds' and lots of excitement. It is worth noting though, that there has been no 'napping' at all since the rails came down. Surely the novelty of bedroom freedom will fade at some point, right? Let's just hope that excitement isn't replaced with the joy of escaping because (knock in wood) there have yet to be bedroom break-out attempts.

Stay tuned for Phase II - single bed assembly. Coming soon ...

Skipping Rocks

Tom must be the best rock-skipper I've ever met. I've witnessed him skip rocks into many different bodies of water over the years; he loves it.  It appears that the love of rock throwing may be contagious or at the very least, hereditary.

MOMENT: Tavish See. Tavish Do.

The love of rock throwing, he gets from his Daddy. The love of using sound effects might well come from Mommy. (blush)

PS - please pardon the plumber pose ... (heehee)

Mommy's lil' rock thrower.

Happy guy.

Adventures of the Green Potty

It's true, Tavish is potty-trained. Happened pretty easily with the help of his portable green potty. It was the absence of a toilet on our main floor that prompted us to purchase the green potty. It's gone everywhere with us. Yes, only the best vistas for out-and-about business will do.

MOMENT: Oh the Places Your Potty Will Go!

It's been to the park. It's been on the side of the road.  It's been in a boat ... and many other creative (and practical) places. Always ready in a timely manner too. Thank you, green potty - you've served us all well.

Standard canoe trip gear.

A pause on our portage is not a problem!

Needing to piddle on a lake paddle.

Bike ride beach break with a bonus.

A new Footprint Lake landing landmark?

No interruptions to beach time in Cape Cod.

Urban Portage

The whole family loves a good paddle. We also all love that we can do these things we enjoy in the heart of our city. All it takes is a little family team work to get our gear loaded and "Sweetride"off to the canal ...

Unloaded under the Congress Centre.

Crossing at the lights to get to the canal.

MOMENT: Pack up to Portage

We had all of the elements for a good portage: equipment loaded, canoe on head, patience for the green light and hands to hold for safety. Oh, then a beautiful evening to enjoy our family paddle. Bliss. Oh, except extra batteries for the camera, oops.

Carp Fair

Fall fairs are fun. Certainly through the eyes of a toddler. How can it not be?! Tavish acquired a red friend (albeit temporarily), explored heavy machinery, watched trains, pet animals and rode his first horse. Yup, we've got him loving the country life already!

MOMENT: Good times and a Goodbye to a good friend

Tavish's first cold of the season happens to have coincided with his first trip to a fall fair. Rest assured that any nose wiping or sniffling was due to the cold, not to sadness or loss.

Bike Parade

The neighbourhood bike parade provided the perfect opportunity for Tavish to 'ride' his bike beyond the confinement of our backyard to explore the wonders of the open road. He loved it and may well have been the youngest participant propelling himself along the route. We've got next year's parade already marked in the calendar!

MOMENT: Proud Parader

An extra kudos to Daddy who pushed two bikes for the parade, one of which was towing the chariot while Mommy supervised (read: blocked traffic and documented the moment). Another shout out to Sofie for sharing her bike with her buddy - perhaps the best loan ever! Also to our friend Jess who was watching the parade and captured the photo of our whole family parading along.

World's Biggest Splash Pad

"Water is the driving force of all nature"

- Leonardo da Vinci

MOMENT: The Wonders of Water

For instant entertainment, just add water. Watch our fully clothed toddler explore the world's biggest splash pad (well, biggest in Tavish's world thus far) with growing excitement and shrinking inhibitions.

Garden Harvest - Part II

It was time to harvest Tavish's second crop: carrots. They provided us with growing entertainment and greenery scenery on our deck, but we were out of carrots from the store ... it was time to see how his garden did grow. He harvested, prepared and enjoyed from seed to plate to being some yummy for his tummy ...

MOMENT: All Wrapped Up with Carrots!

Tavish tends to his carrot crop, does some clean up work and is paid back with a carrot-enriched dinner! Yum.

Imagination on Wheels

Tavish's friend let him borrow a bike. He's in two-wheel heaven and cruising to all sorts of fun places and seeing lots of people.

MOMENT: I'm beeping

Tavish has become quite the narrator of all things including thoughts, actions and observations. At one point he said: "I'm beeping" to let me know that he was backing his bike up. Yes, he also has an imagination to keep things interesting. Context is no longer a given to fill in the gaps in understanding. Enjoy his journeys and tales of the people he sees along the way.

Neighbourly

Everyone loves flowers. Family loves flowers made from hands and feet ...

MOMENT: Flower Delivery

Traced toes and fancy fingers inspired a random craft project at the end of the day. Grandpa Mike was the lucky recipient. Tavish went the extra mile (fine, the extra few steps from our door to Grandpa's door) to deliver his homemade symbol of love in person.

Zerberts

There are some moments that cannot be interrupted for a camera. Post nap today we enjoyed the best family snuggle. When it broke up, I noticed Tom's belly and the power of suggestion took over ...

MOMENT: Belly Sounds = Belly Laughs

Zerbert: creating a seal between a human mouth and flesh (commonly the 

stomach or arm) and then blowing, producing a fart-like sound.

Mommy: Tavish, do you see Daddy's belly? What should we do with it?
    (pensive pause)
Mommy: How about a zerbert?
    (the penny drops)
Tavish: Yeah!!

He leaned over and made the biggest, loudest zerbert on Tom's belly that I'd ever heard! Certainly bigger than one would expect from a 2 year old. Tavish laughed. Tom laughed. I laughed. I then jumped in on the festivities and gave Tom a zerbert. Tavish and I took turns demonstrating our biggest and finest zerberts. Tom was a good sport - he had a drooly belly before 'last time' was finally called. Fair is fair though, all bellys were zerberted before the moment officially passed in favour of snack time.

Some days, the moments are more like minutes and I wouldn't change any of them for the world, drool on our bellys or not ...

Cape Codders

This summer, our great escape was to Cape Cod with Grandpa Mike. There was water, waves, sand and sun. Memories were made and we all had fun. I will attempt to summarize an amazing week into a series of "moments" ...

MOMENT: Grandpa Games

Grandpa Mike helped to keep things interesting for Tavish while working on developing some skills ...

Focus: Keep your eye on the ball(oon), Tavish.

Stamina: Go long, Tavish.

Strength: Don't let go, Tavish.

Linguistics: Wonderful welcome wording, Tavish.




MOMENT: Frisbee Flicks

Who knew that frisbee could be a family sport already? Vast beaches provided playing space for Mommy and Daddy with room for Tavish to learn a key element of the game: catching.

MOMENT: Wonder of Waves

We explored away from our calm beach and over to the east (Atlantic) side of Cape Cod to check out some big waves. Turns out, they're pretty fun for everyone ... Mommy and Daddy did some body surfing too, so the moment was without a photographer. (you're welcome)

Flee: Ain't no wave on Mommy and Me!

Fly: Daddy, lift me into the sky!

Overall, what a great, great vacation. Many moments to be remembered, but this photo wins to capture the overall moments in my memory:

Local Paddle

Our family loves how easy it is to take in a quick paddle. It was a heatwave, but we went for a fast family paddle post nap one day as a family getaway that was close to home.

MOMENT: River Paddle

We were all eager in our packed up car and the eagerness continued for our mini-paddler on the water too.

Slippery Slope

Water slides are hit with Tavish. Photo evidence also suggests that they were a hit with Daddy too. Weeeeeeeee!

MOMENT: Slow Start, Speedy for Seconds & Soggy Snuggles

Tavish wasn't too sure about going up to the water slide when we took him to Mont Cascades. Took some time to ease into the idea, but one slip down the slide with Daddy and he was running for more! The giggles were unavoidable and the smile unfading. Summer is great and so is a snuggle from a soggy water boy at the end of it all ...

Garden Harvest - Part I

For Tavish, the seed of knowledge began 'growing' this spring in our backyard. First he observed our grass growing (from seed) and the maple leaves blooming as every day passed. Our little gardener later planted a few seeds of his own. The fruits of his labour have been a tasty treat of learning lately.

MOMENT: Bean Bliss



Tavish planted bean and carrot seeds on our deck this spring. He's been watching them grow, watering them carefully and sampling them as he goes. There is excitement resulting from his tasty labour of love (and learning). Yum, beans!

Might as well Jump!

He's up, up and away! Both feet officially take flight when jumping now. Tavish jumped about 5 times in a row across the room before I got the camera ... but one jump is all that's needed for proof, right?

MOMENT: Catching Air

He was onto me eventually, so the appeal of the camera haulted further efforts for a repeating jump show. There's always a silver lining - we caught the neat "gegadigadiga" sound he sometimes makes as a result.

That's a Wrap

Tavish loves food. He also loves salsa, avocado and milk. His verbal manners are pretty good too. The chewing etiquette will come ...

MOMENT: Mouthful of Meal

Happiness lies in eating a wrap. Sometimes I feel like he's the modern 'Mikey' - give it to Tavish, he'll eat it! (and ask for more)

Storyteller

This is a Tavish-told tale of two books. These are his current favourites. The best part, he likes reading these stories to us - complete with sound effects and enthusiasm. Neither story is terribly short, clearly videoed, nor are they perfectly audible if you're coming in cold - but this storyteller is worth giving a listen just the same.

MOMENT: Cranky Bear



The general gist: a lion, zebra, moose and sheep find a cave with a cranky bear. They decide to cheer him up by giving him antlers, a mane and stripes. There is roaring then a thoughtful sheep who makes the bear a pillow from it's wool so it can sleep. Aw.

* distracted videographer at the start, the quality improves...






MOMENT: No Sleep for the Sheep



The general gist: a sheep goes to sleep in a 'big red barn on the farm', but is waken by a series of animal visitors. 'Go to sleep says the sheep' politely every time 'please don't (oink, quack, neigh etc) anymore'. In the end, the rooster wakes them all, except for the sleepy sheep. Yawn.

* poor lighting, but the story is told so well!

The Bedford Band

This is a glimpse at our rough beginning as a family band. Please pardon the absence of rhythm, pitch and tone. Maybe this will be worth millions some day? To stay focused, we remember that we'll never be worse than we are right now (practice makes perfect).

MOMENT: Playing our Instruments all Together

There have been some recent additions to Tavish's musical collection of the harmonica, shakers and our bear bells from canoe tripping. My childhood ukulele from Hawaii was delivered in person by my Mom on her recent visit. Tavish loves this 'gee-tar'. A quick trip to the Dollar store expanded his instruments to include a recorder and a tamborine. The rest is Bedford Band history...

Fiddle-dee-dee

We biked to a free kids concert during the annual Tulip Festival. Chris McKhool's "FiddleFire" was phenomenal! They played a wide range of music with the violin/fiddle, piano, bass and drums. Tavish was enthusiastically 'playing' all of the instruments and joined in by clapping along and dancing too.

MOMENT: "A Violin Sings, A Fiddle Dances" - unknown

Tavish air 'played' most of the instruments he saw, but seemed most drawn to 'playing' the violin/fiddle. We learned these two instruments are the same, but are named based on the type of music they are playing. Huh. Either way, he's a natural!

Rock Around the Clock

The cuteness of this video speaks for itself ...

MOMENT: Dance Like No One's Watching



FLASHBACK: Early Moves and Moans

When Grandpa Mike provided us with the above video clip he took, he also included some old footage. This is Tavish circa November 15, 2009 at the whopping age of 7.5 months - a year and a half ago. It was a time when he was on the cusp of crawling, teeth were appearing and sounds were forming. Oh, and he was chubby and had substantially less hair. Aw.

Game Time

"When I grow up, I want to be a little boy"
- Joseph Heller

MOMENT: Chase and Chuckle

The Richardson's came over for dinner one night. While the adults and baby Lucy hung out at the table, Sam and Tavish entertained themselves. They invented their own game that involved the precise hanging of a shirt, some chasing, a whole lot of chuckling with some manners thrown in. The excitement went on with intense enthusiasm for a long, long time. Indeed, the best in-house entertainment you could ask for on a Friday night.

Toot your Horn

Daddy pulled out his trusty (and a little dusty) trumpet and teamed up with the toddler to make music. They claim to be pretty good, but they do like to blow their own horn. Ha.

MOMENT: Tavish play that?

Someone pointed out to me once that Tavish generally talks in questions. His voice almost always goes up at the end of a sentence. Here is some proof to that observation when Tavish's statement is delivered as a question: "Tavish play that?" Evidently, pushing keys is fun and all, but blowing into the horn has its appeal too.



MOMENT: Blow and Tell

See our son blow his horn then take off to trumpet to Grandpa Mike about it ...

Eager for Easter

Easter is even more fun with an eager toddler craft making, bunny print following and nature walking ...

MOMENT: Chick and Bunny

Crafting a chick for Grandpa Mike was a big hit for Tavish. He was especially excited that both hands were traced. He was also pretty excited about going to Grandpa's and that the Easter Bunny was coming.



MOMENT: Let Me Spell That Out For You

This festive craft provided an opportunity for Tavish to demonstrate his signature abilities and to showcase his spelling. It was indeed a happy Easter.



MOMENT: Tracking the Bunny

Tavish is a rookie at this, but he did manage to follow the Easter bunny trail to some treats ... with the odd "hi Ellwood" distraction. Fair enough, a dog can be a pretty exciting site to see in the morning. :)



MOMENT: Forest Frolick

We made use of the land out at Grandpa's to explore. Seems we have a mini adventurer on our hands, Tavish was impressed by flowers, interested in 'baby' trees growing next to their parent, intrigued by deer poo and keen to keep on trekking.

Dance Revolution

Tavish's dance moves have been refined since "Hey Buster" tunes came into his life. Makes sense, the music has a great beat and the songs cover toddler relevant topics including: jumping, doing a pee dance, a bellybutton doing nothing, having lice twice, going on a playdate, boogers in your nose and, of course, poo.

MOMENT: Jumping Song

First request every morning is "Jumping Song?". It's requested again after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before we leave the house, whenever we return, if there's a lull in action and always, always, always before bed. It's become our evening ritual: dinner is finished, toys are put away, and the "Jumping Song" is played. Not exactly the best 'wind down' music, but he works on his almost two-foot jumping and is a good heart raiser for Tavish's good sport parents. Please, feel free to jump in!



MOMENT: Spin With Your Partner

Tavish is learning all kinds of new moves. Observe him learning the partner spin to a song about poo. (sigh) At least it's accurate, "birds and bears and crocodiles too - everyone, every day, has to make a poo-oo-oo-oo-oo".

Spring? Is that You?!

Seems as though spring has finally sprung! We eagerly dusted off our bikes and set out on our first family bike ride of the season on the weekend. Mommy and Daddy were excited to be outside getting some activity. We stopped to play at Brittania Park for a bit where Tavish appeared to be excited to get some activity too. Looks like spring has put some extra kick into Tavish's step ...

MOMENT: Kicks and Giggles

Tavish discovered that chasing around the ball was fun, just for the sake of being fun. Kick (giggle, giggle).

Rockin' Socks

We house a horse. He lives in our living room and his name is Socks. He's a hand-me-down family heirloom made by Grandpa Mike. Tavish is the third grandson to discover the joys of rocking with socks. Yeehaw-ha-ha!

MOMENT: Easing In - Slow and Steady

When Socks arrived, Tavish enjoyed slow rocks on Socks with assisted dismounts. The beginning marked a slow and simple time ...

 

MOMENT: Giddy Up - Giver!

It didn't take long before Tavish tested the rocking limits and was getting on and off of Socks unassisted. Here Tavish is rockin' on Socks with Grandpa Mel watching on skype.



MOMENT: Beheaded

Mommy and Daddy missed the great beheading of Socks. (Not-so-great if you're Socks or the repair Grandpa ... or Tavish, frankly) That's right, Tavish took a tumble off one of his early (but eager) rocks. He was cushioned by a nearby nanny though, so the only thing hurt was Sock's aesthetics (mildly) and Tavish's excitement - can't ride Socks without a head?!? Grandpa came to the repair rescue and kept us informed on Socks' road to recovery:

"I'm afraid the decapitation is more serious than it first appeared. He's going to be alright, but I'll have to keep him under observation for the next 24 hours. And there will be some scarring. The long hair will cover some of the scars, but I'm only a woodworker, not a magician."
- Grandpa Mike

Worry not, Socks is back and Tavish appears to have forgotten all about the once headless-horse in our home.

A Cook with a Contusion

The "Little Kitchen" often plays host to several cooking creations by Chef Tavish. This day, the Chef was sporting his battle wound from a heroic encounter with a chair leg and his forehead at a restaurant a few days earlier. BAM! Down went Tavish and up came the contusion. This was the first fall, likely of many, to result with a wound. Luckily, it didn't appear to limit his cooking skills - phew!


MOMENT: Oven Mitts - Practical, in Theory ...

Tavish keenly observes his parents (let's be honest, mostly his Daddy) prepare meals and the safety details have not gone unnoticed.



Note: background music accidentally (and perhaps too loudly) provided by Tavish's favourite album "Hey Buster" - 'Going to the Toronto Zoo'.

Harmony and Clarity

Grandpa Mike gave Tavish a harmonica. He loves it. Sure, it's loud - but it's been fun for Tavish and for his folks. We unite over the harmonica - playing in harmony and communicating with clarity --- well, most of the time.

MOMENT: High and Low, Fast and Slow

Tavish shows off some of his mad harmonica skills just one day after receiving this gift of racket ... er, um ... I mean 'music'.



MOMENT: Thank you Grandpa - it's loud, quiet and funny

Tavish tells us what he said to Grandpa when he was given the harmonica, how it plays and demonstrates how funny he thinks playing this instrument is.

Year 2, Party 2 - Family Edition

Most Sundays are spent with the Bedford side of the family and this Sunday happened to coincide with The Tavern Kids Campaign – an initiative of local children's band, Hey Buster, to "introduce the children of Ottawa to taverns.” Ah, the perfect excuse to celebrate Tavish's 2nd birthday with family, no?

Celebrate we did as a family among other toddlers, surrounded by live children's music and with the accompaniment of an adult beverage. The occasion was finished off with pizza and cake at our place.

MOMENT: Guitars, Drums and Violins - Oh My!

Tavish has developed an affinity for instruments and music. He can identify individual instruments in music - most of the time correctly too. Needless to say, he was mesmerized with the band and their instruments while sitting on Daddy's lap among the masses: "ge-taar! duhms! vie-lin!" etc, etc.



MOMENT: A Fine Drinking Establishment

Wouldn't you know it, Tavish bumped into a friend he knew at the tavern! They were able to 'cheers' the occasion with their sippy cups. Hmm, I wonder if this is foreshadowing for 17 years from now ... them socializing at a bar with a beverage?



MOMENT: Huff and Puff

Ah yes, the excitement of blowing the candles out had not waned since the day before. Tavish was just as elated to blow out his 'two can-ules' at the second party as he was at this first. Two candles, two cakes and two parties for a two year old.



MOMENTS: Cousins Celebrating

Who doesn't love cake and a new toy or two to play with? Thanks to Auntie Michele, Uncle Mark, Harrison, Finn and Grandpa for the new toys for the boys to break in!

Year 2, Party 1

Two years ago our lives were filled with such joy,
For into our life came a new baby boy.

The process of making something so great,
Took time and patience for our son arrived late.

We think the timing could not have been better,
For this time of year marks a change in the weather.

From trees drips sap if you’ve the patience to wait,
With care that sap becomes something great!

Come celebrate this occasion among maple trees.
With friends we will enjoy - the syrup we’ll seize!

We invited Tavish's friends and their family to the largest urban maple sugar bush's "Maple Sugar Festival" to celebrate and enjoy Tavish's second birthday. There was so much to explore: the sugar bush, the sugar shack, the pancake breakfast, the inflatable playground, the horse-drawn sleigh rides, the live music and of course, the cake!

MOMENT: A Sleigh Ride Show-off



The last person whose birthday we celebrated was named Barbara. Anytime Tavish heard "Happy Birthday", he was saying "Happy Birthday, Barbara". It took him awhile to get that it was happy birthday, Tavish - but he certainly knew how old he was and told us during the sleigh ride:



MOMENT: Syrup?

Tavish and Daddy checked out the buckets of sap. This was especially enjoyable after getting a sample of syrup from the evaporator in the Sugar Shack - yum.


MOMENT: Green Goodness

Tavish was drawn to the inflatable play structures. He's got some more growing 'up' to do for some of the contraptions, but he was eager to get into the green one. I went in with him the first time (brr on the feet - but fun) and Ahmed braved the green bubble with Tavish the second time. Certainly, Tavish enjoyed it ... and so too did the adults.


MOMENT: Candles on the Cake

Not too sure I've met anyone who loves candles as much as Tavish. He loves watching other people blow out candles. He likes blowing out hand drawn candles. He likes singing songs about candles. What a perk to get to do it himself!



Our little two year old is on a restricted diet right now, but showed no signs of disappointment for his yummy birthday muffin. Yum!