Easter at the Jamieson's

While it cannot be said that Evan fully grasped the concept of hunting for eggs, he certainly understood that the chocolates were inside the eggs. This slowed down his search to a large degree, but we're hopeful next year that he might keep up with his cousins in the egg collection department.

This is our first Easter in the new neighbourhood, and we're starting to realize that this area is absolutely fantastic. We moved in just after Halloween, but we did stop by during that night to see what we needed to prepare for in the coming year. Turns out that many of the neighbours decorate not only their houses, but their entire yards as well. I'm already saving up for candy for 400 kids. Easter is a bit more low key. A few houses host a childrens' egg hunt, however. The two families down the street have a hundred or so kids hunt for eggs in their front and back yards, so our kids got to search a few yards during the day.

I met Tony, my next door neighbour for the first time today. He was busy chopping up a huge branch that fell off of my tree into his yard during the recent windstorm. No damage to his house, thank goodness. Turns out that he's a controller in the YVR tower - and he knows of Andrew (the bagpipe guy) - my brother-in-law who works in the control centre.

On the family front, we're expecting our second child in August. We again will await the surprise of meeting Evan's little brother or sister. If a girl, we've got a couple of names in mind, but boy names are pending...

On the work front, Charlene is busy with part-time teaching, marking on her off days if Evan gives her any time. a2b Fiber consumes much of my time and energy, but progress is evident. Starting a business is the hardest thing I've ever done, but if it survives the next 6 months or so, we should be set for long term success.

Vacations are few and far between, and I'm glad Charlene has teacher holidays so that my lack of vacation time isn't so noticeable. My friends from Toronto/Edmonton hijaked me for a road trip last week along the Crow's Nest and up through Banff to Calgary and Edmonton. That was my first time through the pass - the mountains were awesome! Still, 13 work days off in 4 years isn't enough. Here's to more vacation time in the coming year.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Jamieson Family

Fall Happenings

Remembering Uncle Sam

This October we lost our Uncle Sam. He was a loving family man who epitomized class. One of my fondest memories of him was his very spirited address to the New Year's haggis. He and my Auntie Mary, who were married for over sixty years, served as role models for a successful marriage.

Our love goes out to all who grieve him.

Updates!

For the August long weekend, we travelled to the interior to visit with Scott's family. Arlene and Dan were wonderful hosts! Their place, which sits atop a hillside, is simply exquisite. Evan especially enjoyed Charlie, the resident bow wow :)

During our stay, we attended the family pig roast at the cottage. Shirley and Neil were so kind to us. It was really nice to see Scott's cousins (and their families) and for Evan to meet his family for the first time!

Since our trip we have been quite busy. The Evsters is a handful to say the least and Scott's business is keeping him on the go. I am now back to work half-time (10 days a month) and in many ways, I am glad to be back. My brain, which was atrophying at an alarming pace, is starting to make up some of the losses. What I don't miss is the marking! On Monday I went home with one hundred and twenty writing assessments to evaluate. Yipes!

Summer Happenings

The Evsters

Evan is 11 months old now and is changing even more rapidly, or so it seems. He's been walking well for over a month now, but started furniture walking several months ago. General information on our Evsters:

Teeth - 8

Hair colour - he's becoming a blond

Words - yellow, ball, balloon, momma, dada, bow wow

Sign language - he can sign 'more'

Interests - balls and balloons

Favourite Foods - Q-tips, toilet paper, shoes (preferably flip-flops)

Favourite Activities - pulling computer cords, splashing his hands in water, especially toilet water :(

Temperment - naughty (well, only sometimes, but mostly he's a calm and happy wee thing)

The only major issue we have with our Evsters is his disinterest in sleep. Evidence of this is his crib, which he has chewed quite extensively. I joke that he's working on his escape, much like the one in the movie Shawshank Redemption. He only sleeps in small increments, which, as I'm sure many of you know, is a KILLER! Basically, sleep is a work in progress.

Maui

In June we travelled to Maui for a week and had a spectacular time. We relaxed on the beach, went on tours/boat/snorkeling adventures and the list goes on. We stayed at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas and had the wonderful luxury of having a kitchen and in-suite laundry. The resort also had a grilling area that visitors could use. We took advantage of this amenity quite a few times. Overall, we really enjoyed our time together.


Grouse Mountain

I have also included pictures of our outing to Grouse Mountain. I hiked the Grind while Scott, my mom and the Evsters took the gondola up and met me for lunch! It was a beautiful day.