The Rest of the Backlog, and the End...

Long time, no see, eh? Sorry about that. Did I distract you enough with the layout changes to make it worthwhile? Okay, you're right--not a chance.

As I said above, sorry for my absence. The grind of finishing off the semester, and the stress of moving back, meant that the vim and vigour with which I usually attack this blog has waned considerably. Actually, saying that it's because of the end of the school year and such is really just making excuses.

When I first started this blog, it was intended to keep everyone up-to-date on the daily developments of our newborn when he was in the hospital (which seems so long ago). Over the year-and-a-bit in between, it turned into a more frequent forum, and took on the characteristics of an online scrapbook. Over the time, you've seen the best and the worst of me and my feelings about being a dad, and I hope that they were real for you. I certainly never intended to keep it up this long.

Now, we're settled back here in Langley after our sojourn to Three Hills, Theo is getting to the toddler stage, and we're taking fewer and fewer pictures of him. It's not that he's not cute--quite the opposite--it's just that we have so many pictures, and after a while, they all look the same.

That brings me to the point--it's been a good run, but this is going to be the last posting on Theo's blog. I've thought about calling it off sooner, but every time I do, there seems to be just one more posting waiting in the wings. And then I never get around to doing it, and the blog goes for two months without any updates. Although I could keep doing that forever, I'm done.

That doesn't mean I'm going to delete the blog--far from it. I hope that you'll continue to come by every once-in-a-while and check things out, even if it is to watch a movie you've already seen before. When the site meter tells me nobody's coming back, that's when it's coming down. But that's a ways off yet.

What will you do? Fortunately for you, I keep another blog, this one so far unnamed (it used to be known as "Three Hills (Mis)Adventures," but since we're not there anymore, well, I had to change that, didn't I?). I post there every weekday, and I'm going to start making Theo photos a bigger part of its weekly operation. So check it out.

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Turns out that I left myself a pretty difficult segue, so a little visual break is probably helpful. Let's get on with the photos, shall we? Most of these were taken back in Three Hills (as the title of this post implies, I'm getting rid of a lot of backlog), and none are from May, which shows how the picture-taking enterprise has slowed over the past while. Anyway, let's hit it, shall we?

One of the best parts about this stage of parenting is starting to see your kid's personality come to the surface. If you know either of his parents well, you've probably guessed that Theo's going to be a bit of a ham. You're right.

Here's some evidence of his ham-ness. It's everyone's favourite game, shut-the-closet-door-with-you-inside (note: video works, despite YouTube graphic)...


"Hello, anybody home?"

Who can resist this face?

One of Theo's great delights is the morning bottle...

This pretty much sums up our whole time in Three Hills...

Snow is so much fun when you eat it (and then wonder why your face is cold, as he did after we took this shot)...

Way back on Easter weekend, we took a trip back across the Rockies to visit a church where prospective employment was to be had. The employment end of things didn't work out, but it was a nice trip nonetheless. On the way there, we stopped in Calgary for a visit with Theo's cousin, Gabe. They got along famously...

Until Theo pulled a Mike Tyson...

Theo loved the trip, especially since it was sunny and warm, and the place we left wasn't. Here's Theo, the mighty adventurer, with his trusty sidekick, Broomy...

And here's the place we stayed, with little Theo out front...

Here he is, riding on mommy's shoulders...

Theo also got his first set of mouse-ears, thanks to a recent trip to Disneyland by his Auntie Laura...

His hair is also starting to fill in. In fact, I could make a little bath mohawk for him. Maw...

Some random cuteness...

Could this be a portent of things to come?

And now, a few more shots of Theo the adventurer. "Hey, let's go exploring!"

"Here, we need to bring my other sidekick..."

"Um, he's a little too heavy. How about you carry him, daddy?"

"Now, if I could just hit those kids next door..."

"Reload!"
Sometimes when he's playing with a stick (like this broom handle), I wish I could get inside his head and figure out what his imagination is coming up with...

Here's a video that goes along with this whole sequence of photos. Can you figure out what game he's playing?


What's that you say? More videos?! Sure! I have several more to show you. In this first one, Theo shows off one of his new talents, playing soccer...


Here's a slice-of-life type of video, cleverly narrated, of course. The main point was to show that it was April 1, and it was snowing, but there's also a look into Three Hills life...


You'll be happy to know that one of the skills Theo picked up from me while we were away was the important snow shoveling skill...


This video falls into the "It shouldn't be funny but it is" category. We were trying to video what he had been doing before, but he changed his tactics, leading to a bit of a bad end...


Okay, "Editor's Choice" time. Two photos and a video in particular stood out from the crowd. Here's one that gives you an idea of what kind of dedication it took to venture out-of-doors in the weather we faced in Alberta...

And my favourite, a little wife-and-son self-photography...

As for video, well, there are some good ones, but this one really takes the cake. This is the little fort thing we bought him (featured in the last posting), but the way he wants to get in is classic...


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So that's it, for real. Thanks, everyone, for making this blog a part of your life for the past little while. I hope you've enjoyed watching the agony and ecstasy of being a parent, even if you've been one for some time. I sure have enjoyed keeping this blog, and I hope that one day Theo will appreciate it, too. See you all at the other blog.

Mark.

March, so far, at least...

Hello again. Here we are, almost through the month of March, and alas, I continue to fall into old habits of not getting a posting done in a timely fashion. Ah, but I am about to make up for that lack; an enourmous posting today, almost epic in its proportions, featuring photos galore (and I really can use "galore" to describe it; whatever the threshold is, I'm over it) and even a bunch of videos for those of you who are starved for some Theo action. Let's get to it, shall we?

For the past little while, Steph's been taking Theo to a play group for young ones held at the student families apartments. It's been fun for Theo to interact with the other little ones (and good for Steph to meet up with some other young mothers). He especially likes the nylon tunnel-type contraption, so we figured we'd buy him his own, because we're just really cool parents. Turns out that we found one that came with a couple other pieces too. The problem is that it's a little bit big for our living room when completely set up...

No matter; Theo's happy as a pig in slop crawling through his tunnel. Peek-a-boo!

March has also seen some warmer temperatures, so much so that we could actually leave the house and go for a walk without worrying about frostbite setting in on any exposed flesh in a matter of minutes. Although we have our stroller here, it's sometimes fun to pack Theo in the Snugli for old times' sake...

Now that it's getting nice again, we're starting to look for things to do as a family on Saturdays--things that involve actually leaving the town of Three Hills and doing something fun. Two weekends ago, we decided to take a trip to Calgary and visit the zoo.

What a place! So many fun animals, and, of course, other little kids for Theo to look at. In fact, at times, we wondered which he was more interested in. But still, they had a lot of cool animals.

Hippos...

A tiger...

Even a giraffe, along with her new baby giraffe (born last November)...

But of course, the cutest animal of all was this little monkey...

"Who, me?"

Here are the boys, with the giraffes in the background...

It's always fun for Theo to use his new found mobility to walk around...

...but in the end, he loves being up on Daddy's shoulders...

...and in Mommy's arms...

Theo's Auntie Laura also came to visit this month, which was fun for all...

You know, it's never too early to get them working on the household chores. In fact, it's about time he started earning his keep around here...

Of course, work hard, play harder, right? Theo loves his ride-on Mickey Mouse car...

All that hard work tends to be a little bit exhausting, which is why it's good to just put your feet up and chill...

Okay, time for some videos. I have seven this week--are you ready?

Wait, hold on just a minute. First, I have to tell you that these videos are all very slice-of-life type of videos; no real "plot" or compelling storyline to them, just good old day-in-the-life. Just so you know. Second, don't just leave if you don't want to watch the videos, because the "editor's choice" photos are at the tail end of the blog, and trust me, you don't want to miss them this time.

Right, now we're ready. To start, here's Theo running around at the zoo. I love the part near the end where he nearly gets bowled over by some random kid...


Here's some footage of him actually using the vacuum--hilarious. Grandma would be so proud. Notice the form, too--he watches us very closely and emulates almost perfectly. The video is in two parts. Here's part one...


...and part two...


Another two-part video here. This is his newest, most exciting game--we call it the human hamster. This is his little nylon fort that attaches to the end of his nylon tube, and he's found that by pressing on the sides and falling over, he can "roll" across the room, just like a hamster in a ball. Part one...


...and the conclusion...


Since we've come back here to Three Hills, Theo's been working on his babbling. Yes, I know that usually this happens much sooner, but not all kids can walk at 11 months, so there. He especially likes to talk when he's having his diaper changed for some reason. Of course, that means that the camera comes out...


Funny stuff. This last one, however, is my favourite one. Again, very slice-of-life, and aptly narrated by yours truly, but such a great glimpse in Theo's burgeoning personality that it's totally priceless...


Good, eh? He's such a ham sometimes. Okay, all the time. But he didn't have a chance in this family.

Finally, the editor's choice section, which is always my favourite (probably because I'm the aforementioned editor, and these are my favourite photos. You might even say that I choose them). First in line, from the zoo, a good one of Theo on my shoulders...

Second, an excellent shot of Theo in his new tunnel...

Finally, the greatest photo yet taken. Ladies and gents, the next Crocodile Hunter...

Looks much older than 13 months, doesn't he?

Well, that'll do it for this time. Feel free to leave us a comment (we do love them), and check back here again soon to get your next Theo fix. See you then.

The Best of (the rest of) February

Just call me Mr. Efficient. After a month of no new entries, this is the second one today (check out the one right below this one if you haven't already seen it). That post took care of the January backlog, and now it's time for the rest of February.

You'll likely recall two postings ago that there were birthday party and aquarium pictures. That was most of February's photos. The rest of the month wasn't nearly as eventful as the first week, but we managed a few good shots. Actually, the reason we don't have many good shots is because we didn't have any batteries. "Hey, why didn't you just go an buy batteries?" you may ask. Good question; thanks for asking it. Here's the thing: we just plumb forgot. That's the way it goes sometimes. Fortunately, we managed to borrow some from relatives in Edmonton, and now we're back with the rechargables again for March (and we've already taken quite a few, which will be the subject of the next posting).

Anyway. Without further ado, here's the best of the rest of February...

It got a little bit cold here in February...

This is a good example of what we call, "The Theo Look." I'm considering applying for a patent...

If there's one thing about Theo, he works hard for his money. For example, every morning, he heads off to his office to check his email and get some work done...

Yes, that is a real laptop; yes, it actually functions; no, it's not good for anything else. It's an older laptop we inherited from my uncle, and it's pretty much corrupted (it's a Dell running Windows ME--need I say more?). But Theo just loves it. In fact, you can't see it in the picture, but he's actually using the mouse, too. Funny stuff. And if you try to get in there and see what he's doing, he'll often run over and close the door. Makes me a little suspicious, but I haven't found any blueprints for national landmarks yet, so I think we're good.

Moving on. Here's another look I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot of in the toddler years: "Who, me?"

"Yeah, okay, I admit it. But I'm so cute..."

Total French Pea look...

February also saw us take a trip up highway 2 to Edmonton to see my cousin Nathan, and his wife Heidi, along with their new little boy, Gideon. Theo, of course, loved him, and I think (or I hope) the feeling was mutual. Here's some evidence of their meeting (as you can see, they both got the "blue sleeper" memo)...

"Whoa! What on earth is this thing?!"

"Don't worry, baby, I'll set you free..."

"Uh, guys, he doesn't really do anything..."

"Oh well, I'll ham it up..."

Here's a fantastic picture of Theo and daddy, taken by my Uncle Bob...

Finally, a few shots from a particularly good photo day. Except for the fact that there was something making a spot on the camera. If I had Photoshop (or knew how to use it, for that matter), I might fix it. But whatever, you get the idea...

Yes, he's definitely getting older and more mature. It all happened so fast, too. There, I said it. But hey, he's still the cutest baby in the world. And there's more of that to come next time in the March posting. See you then.