Oot and Aboot in Vancouver II

We have been enjoying the last of our time here in Vancouver. It truly is a beautiful city! The weather has been nice and it has allowed us time to get out and explore. Sophie has REALLY been into her "Your Baby Can Read" DVDs (which is the only TV she watches), and in them they talk about a lot of zoo animals. So, we decided to bring her to the Greater Vancouver Zoo to see some of them live and in person. It was super hot so we didn't stay too long. We saw many animals that Sophie adored. Here are a few pictures.















































































































The next day, Jim and I took Sophie for a walk. I wanted an iced tea from Starbucks, so Sophie and I stopped in while Jim went to the music store across the street. There, we met Reese, the cutest little brown doxie this side of the border.














And of course, Sophie decided she must try the lemon.














I also had the opportunity to make Alice in Wonderland cupcakes for a friend of mine's birthday. Click here for my flickr to check them out. I am pretty proud of myself! I made the fondant myself and the birthday girl was extremely pleased! While I stayed home, Jim took Sophie to the Walking With Dinosaurs show (where he got to see an old friend Lynda from Blast!).
































Last Friday I took Sophie to the Davie St community garden. Here are a smattering of photos I snapped. I kind of pretty much really love sunflowers, and they had a few beautifully bloomed ones. Sophie was very gentle and enjoyed smelling the flowers as well.






































































This has been one of our favorite cities on tour and we hope to come back someday!

Les photos de Brad F

Gordon White, the premier 'king' clown on KOOZA, and his wife Elaine graciously invited the band to his house for a gathering. Brad Fernihough, KOOZA's fantastic physio, is a near-professional photographer and shot a a few pictures of Sophie at the BBQ. Check out his other amazing work here. These were taken August 10, 2010. Sophie is 20 months old.

Oot and Aboot in Vancouver

We have really been enjoying ourselves here in Vancouver.


















(I found this fabulous shot of site on the interwebs. I did not take it, nor do I own the rights. I just thought it was cool! That's the Science Center you see in the middle.)


It is quite a beautiful city and the weather has held out for us too! We've been pretty busy visiting the local spots. We went to the beach and the pool, which Sophie has gotten more used to. Lately she's been having a fear of water (even seeing it on a poster invokes fear) so we're trying to take it slow and easy. Here are a few shots of her having fun in the pool.


















































Last Monday we made the beautiful drive along the water (the Sea to Sky Highway) to Whistler and spent the day exploring. They held a lot of the Olympic events there, so we could still see a lot of reminders. We sadly got held up at lunch so we didn't get a chance to go up the gondola to the top of the mountain, but we did watch the bikers and walked around the town below. We were amazed at the amount of people and dogs, and at the sheer magnitude of the place. There are literally miles and miles (or kilometers!) of trails to hike or bike or ski. We kept imagining all the skiers and the racks of skis in the wintertime. We drove around looking for bears and other wildlife, but none were found. I heard there are a set of twin bears up the mountain. We definitely want to go back! The drive alone was worth it!














The biggest thing in Sophie's life is that she's now taking pre-ballet classes from a classically trained Russian ballerina named Anastasia. She is pretty much amazing! She's so patient and understanding of toddler tendencies/personalities. Sophie has had four classes now. She has one by herself and one with some other children on site. It's so nice for Sophie to get some time away from Mommy and to socialize with other children her age. (Plus it gives me a chance to go workout! WIN-WIN!) This is to replace Kindermusik, for now at least. I'm so disappointed that she couldn't do it this city. Either all the classes were at capacity or they were at a bad time and far away. Here are a few shots that Ms. Nastia took last week. We're not allowed in, but it looks like a fun time is had by all!






















































Aaaaaand my favorite:












This past Thursday, Jim and I celebrated four glorious years of marriage. We went to Stanley Park (a huge park in the middle of the city, with everything you can possibly think of in it!) and ventured to the aquarium. Click here to check it out! They had whales and dolphins and (my favorite!) a sea turtle! They even had sea otters! One of the sea otters seen in this video holding hands was there. I wore my shirt to celebrate, and even got a compliment! Here are a few of the best shots we got.






































































The baby beluga was a ham for the cameras!








































So far so good! This is truly one of our favorite cities on the whole tour. We look forward to exploring the city more and sharing the experience vicariously with you!

20 months!

I honestly have no idea how I'm resisting the urge to kiss her right this second. Happy 20 months, Cheese-Face! We love you very, very much!

Transfer week between Seattle and Vancouver, BC

We made it to beautiful (and rainless so far!) Vancouver, and premier was this past Thursday. Life is pretty good here on the road, but we long for our own home, pets, close-by family and friends. This need was illuminated moreso by traveling home to Michigan during the break. Sophie was a trooper but had some problems on the plane. I think it was because her whole routine was missing, and she had to sleep while one of us held her (instead of her nice, dark, comforting crib and toys). She cried quite a bit on both trips, and kicked a whole glass of my Diet Coke into the lap of the nice, extremely patient man next to us. It's really a good thing he sprung for the expensive, stain-resistant slacks. And the fact that he's also a parent helped our cute little Sophie stay that way!

We left Monday and got in late that night. Lutzes drove all the way down and generously offered to pick us up at the airport. Not the most convenient thing, but I think since there was a Sophie involved, there was no hesitation. I don't really blame them! She remembered them, talked to them a bit and finally fell asleep on the drive. Lutzes just got back from their epic Europe trip to Germany and Switzerland, and we loved listening to the stories, looking at pictures, and drinking the dee-lish apricot brandy they brought back. All the families came over to visit and we had a fantastic time. The kids were super great with Sophie! Allison, Ben and Hannah played with her and even went outside on the deck to blow bubbles.




























Kristin and Rhonda laughed at her when she put the lego bucket on her head. Nut!




























Grandma and Grandpa sang to her and read her books.














They got her a doggie from Switzerland and two books in German, that Sophie ALWAYS wants me to read. I think I'm getting better every time, but usually I just try to point out the pictures and sort of make it up as we go along. Of all the 20 books we have here, lately she has been picking the German ones 99% of the time. It's cute and I'm pretty sure she's on to the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing or saying!

Thursday we left good ol' Mt. P and headed down to Lowell. The last time Sophie has seen the dogs was around Christmas, when she cried when Clay tried to kiss her. Now, it was an entirely different story! She was just as interested in them as they were of her. It was pretty cute!


We visited Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park on Friday in the 2018 degree heat. Click here to check out the website! It was so amazing! It's been open this long and I can't believe we've never visited! Here are a few pictures of Jim and Sophie. The flowers were beautiful and the sculptures were thought-provoking and interesting, however, I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't had the pleasure of visiting.




































Afterwards, we picked up Grandma from work and went to our favorite pizza place (Salvatore's!) in all of Grand Rapids. This is also where Sophie decided to show Grandma and Grandpa her "evil eye" face.














More random photos:
Sophie enthralled with the hummingbird on the feeder.














Sophie found the toy drawer! The princess is wearing her rightful crown! (These three were taken by Grandpa Mallory.)






















































Sophie "jumping" in the backyard.

Breaking News: The Cuteness sighted!

THIS JUST IN! We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this important bulletin. The elusive creature that is The Cuteness has been sighted again. Reports are coming in that this time she has been seen in and around Seattle, WA. Authorities confirm that witnesses have, in fact, seen The Cuteness, and strongly insist she is not dangerous, nor should caution be exercised if confronted. In fact, physical contact is suggested and encouraged. She has responded well in the past with hugs and kisses. There is video evidence of one sighting, shot by an Adrienne Lutz aka Mama from Bellevue, WA. The video footage of the incident you are about to see is unedited and raw.



Now back to your regularly scheduled program. Stay tuned as we keep up with this important story, more at 11.

19 months!

Happy birthday, sweetheart!














STATS:
33 1/2 inches tall
25 pounds