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.