Morning time plans

Monday, July 28, 2008

We are trying to get a movie of the lady on the move. So that you can picture it, she is rather like a zombie coming toward you, arms outstretched, saying aaaaaaaah. It's her new favourite thing...so lots of practice. Our pride was boosted yesterday by people at church commenting on how good she is in a short space of time, and how being able to stand up in the middle of the room, walk and then stop is a big deal. (I guess rather than holding on, letting go and then walking and falling over)
We are house/dog sitting for 2 weeks so may be sporadic in being online....I hope Tom can sort out in our new place.

Friday, July 25, 2008

eight steps in a row.......
where will it end?

Thursday, July 24, 2008

summer fun

My bread is being kneaded by my handsome bread maker so there is time to write this evening.

It was another zoo day today, always good fun. We were with friends and over lunch were visited by a peacock family with their new chicks. Very cute but a little intimidating as the babies pecked their way under the table and the adults tried to follow. Bare feet feel very vulnerable!

Heidi has spent the evening standing by herself, taking a few steps (this time standing, then 2 steps, then standing again, then falling over) so I guess it's progress. However she has discovered the fun of pushing things along and so the roasting tins as well as her truck(on it's side I might add) have been up and down the lounge.

Off to babysit.......mines sleeping :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

First steps

The inevitable is happening, our baby is growing up.
She took 2 small steps across the room this evening and has gone to bed glowing with pride. I shall go to be mourning the little baby but being grateful that she is growing as she should.
We are all well.
I discovered the fun and slight terror of quad biking last Friday out at the farm. I think the fact that I was giving rides to other peoples children heightened my fear level, but oh did I have fun. I had free rein of one of the hay fields and wove in and out of the bales. I had no idea that hay bales really were as big as they are, and I realised that what I have always believed to be a bale of straw is in fact hay. I thought yellow = straw but no.
We are house sitting for Wycliffe friends for the next 2 weeks, looking after 2 of their 3 dogs and watering plants. Should be interesting. Heidi finds them fascinating, long may that continue!
Tom is aching to get on the computer and little interesting to say so..........
will keep you posted.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Long overdue update

Well.....I only made 3 breakfasts, which is 2 short of my target but it's only the first year and good to leave room for improvement!

Stampede day was fun, far too hot and full of interesting sites. Heidi ended up waving a little Canadian flag around most of the afternoon after being given it by a nice Army lady (she was way to scary to explain to that 'no thank you we were British'). There is something a little strange about your small child waving the wrong flag. Of course there were the usual cowboys, as well as a marching band which we just jumped out the way of on time and a superdogs show which was fun. (Heidi did spend most of the show standing on my lap looking at the audience but hey she enjoyed it!) We went on a barn tour with a real life retired cowboy, and some of the other kids went in a helicopter and fighter jet. And I saw a little horse cutting. What do you think that is? I thought something like sheep shearing, but no......you are cutting the cattle with your horse ie getting one cow out of a whole bunch of them. And yes this is a popular, points awarded and prize money giving sport. (and they think the British are weird!) I was also introduced to the Vita-mix at a trade show, a super duper blender that can spin so fast you can make hot cooked soup from raw veggies in 4 minutes flat! and on the flip side can make icecream super quick too! The price tag is over 600 dollars :)

Apart from that we have been a little lazy. visiting friends, out to the farm on friday (more dirt consumed to no ill effect), Tom having a lie in till 12.15 on sat (he was solidly asleep all that time so I guess he needed it), and my new obsession of a 2000 piece jigsaw which I picked up for a dollar (50p).

Heidi's is now standing up with no hands (very cute but she is expecting a clap each time she sits down, why do we start these things?) and climbing on and off the sofa by herself.

On a slightly sad note, I know there are more important things, a storm last night wrecked a large proportion of my herb and vegetable garden. It's horrible to pick up tiny tomatoes and chillies off the floor and find shredded leaves and pansies all over the place. Will have to wait till the sun comes onto the balcony to fully assess what's going to recover with some sunshine and what needs to be pruned off :(

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Yee Haw!

It's stampede here in Calgary and it really has sent the city nuts.
There are cowboy hats everywhere, even the police have uniform issued cowboy hats. I tried one on yest, and am sure I will give in by the end of stampede. There's a really lovely atmosphere of fun around the city.
The stampede starts with a parade through the downtown area and being the nuts person that I am persuaded a Friend with 4 kids that we should go. The parade starts at 8.55 sharp! but the pre parade parade to get us all warmed up with our yee haw's starts at 7.30! So we had a sleep over here, and then were on the train to downtown with 5 kids in tow by 7. And we got perfect kerb side seats. It's first come first to get a good spot and I'm pretty sure we got the last kerb bit (across a car park entrance but when the roads are closed it's not a problem). The parade was great, full of marching bands, cowboys, cowgirls, Indians, police motorbike displays and the like. There are over 200 horses in it which is a pretty amazing sight. The inevitable does happen but they have sweepers (big trucks not men with brooms) every 10 floats or so and they clear very effectively. Even the sweepers are dressed up like horses and cows! And yes that really is a man riding a bull down the high street!
The other great stampede tradition is the pancake breakfasts round the city which are free. We went to one yest (I have been challenged to see how many I can get in my first stampede). very yummy 2 pancakes a sausage patty and lots of syrup and butter and oj. Lots of freebies too so I have 2 more mugs for my collection!
Heidi and I are planning to go down to stampede ground on Wed as it's kids day and I can get in for free with her between 6 and 9 am! and of course there will be a free breakfast!
Tom and I have gone nuts too and spent some time watching the rodeo on TV last night. Bull riding, stear wrestling and barrel racing (that's the girl sport). Don;t really understand the rules but there must be some. Big business too some of the cowboys took home 700000 dollars last year!
We might buy Heidi a horse!!!!