Miami video

For those of you with high-enough-speed connections: this video is better than the pics (I think...)

Miami

At the beginning of December we spent a week just north of Miami in a place called Pompano Beach. The weather was a bit cool and cloudy for most of the trip, but we did get two days of warm sunshine right before we left. More importantly, our condo was right on the beach and we had terrific views!

Luc LOVED the giant sandbox outside our complex (a.k.a. "the beach") and the water-play (a.k.a "the ocean") was exciting too. He loved playing there so much that he would hug the sandcastles Gilbert made for him.

Although Luc was sick with a head cold (and pinkeye!) it didn't seem to bother him too much - he even took his first steps!

We visited "Butterfly World" and South Beach (even if only for a few hours) but most of the time we spent hanging out at the beach or at the neighborhood park, relaxing and enjoying the warmth.

On our last day, we found a fabulous beachside cafe and had a great lunch there. Luc cooperated by passing out in the stroller, which meant that we could enjoy our pina coladas, mojitos, seafood and the view in peace!

Lawnmower Man

Luc has just begun walking by himself...almost! He hangs onto his "walkers" and "mows the lawn" across the living room!!! He is almost as proud of himself as his mummy & papa!

School Pictures!

... and so it begins! Luc had pictures taken at daycare last month. Unfortunately, he had just been woken from his nap and so he was very serious / grumpy and refused to smile, especially in the group picture, where he looks a bit thuggish in the photo! (This seems to be a genetic trait as Gilbert, lovely man though he is, takes dreadful photos that never do him justice! It could be worse, he could look like me in photos and have eyes squinty-shut ... poor kid!)

So here he is: my serious little guy.

Luc Turns 1!!!

Luc turned 1 year old last weekend and to celebrate we invited friends to come and brunch with us. We had a fabulous time - Luc was so excited that he didn't sleep all morning (and crashed out only at 1 in the afternoon!) We had such a great time that we forgot to take pictures!!! Here are a few that we snatched at the last minute.

Thanks to everyone (near and far) who helped us to celebrate!

P, G & L

A few milestones:

- Luc is now saying, "mama", "papa", "baby / bebe" and "adooo" (teemu?)

- Luc is crawling everywhere, pulling himself up and climbing up and down the stairs

- Luc can put some pieces of a puzzle together.

- Luc has started to feed himself with a fork!

All of these are very thrilling moments for us. Thanks for pretending they are for you too... :)

Wilderness Weekend

Gilbert, Luc & I spent a weekend in a chalet on a wildlife reserve - the chalet was a log cabin with no electricity! We did however have a propane-run refrigerator, hot water, lamps and a flush toilet... The lake was great for paddling in & we spotted lots of wildlife. We didn't have a bathtub so we ended up bathing Luc in a plastic storage bin - he didn't mind at all.

All in all, the 4 days we spent there were much more relaxing than the sleepless week at Mont Tremblant!

Visiting Oakville August 2008

At the end of August, Luc & I travelled by train to visit Grandma and then Granddad. We had a great time - Luc loved practicing walking on the train as well as splashing in the splash pads at Coronation park & eating ice-cream with Grandma. Here are a few choice pics.

Mont Tremblant August 2008

Hello all!

Life gets busier and busier! After the wedding, Gilbert, Luc & I headed to Mont Tremblant where we hoped to have a relaxing week - and ended up NOT SLEEPING!!!! Luc decided to wake up every hour in the middle of the night and scream through his naps during the day... Despite this we had a good time with a couple of visits from Fred & his two boys and from Francoise (Gilbert's sister) and Laval. (Photo).

T-shirt

Henley & Penny have quite a sense of humour: here's the t-shirt they gave me...

THE WEDDING

Uncle Simon and Aunt Jen got married last weekend in Caledon, Ontario. I admit quite freely that I thought they were nuts - not to get married, but to include Luc as a ringbearer in the ceremony. I was proved wrong (not for the first time) as Luc rose to the occasion and not only went down the aisle (with new cousin-by-marriage Mason, 1 yr.)but also stayed up partying until 10:30 p.m!!! He loved all the attention and didn't want to miss out.

The wedding was lovely and obviously smiled upon by the gods who decided to stop thundering and lightening and to switch to sunshine only hours before the wedding began!

The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome and they both looked incredibly happy. The party was hilarious & fun with lots of jokes, good food and dancing. It was everything a wedding should be. Bravo Simon & Jen!

p.s. There are SOOO many photos that I had to make them "small" size!