Apart from the recent Baptism photos posted I thought I would update you on what's been going on here....Jer has taken a bit of time off of work for some brief holiday time. We've used it to our advantage, I think, and tried to pack in as much play and adventure as possible -- the zoo, Heritage Park (a historical park in the city), a four-day-stay in Canmore, hiking in the mountains, taking in a Folk-Festival, White-spot lunches (sorry A.Cindy) and more. It's been a great few weeks and we've really benefited from getting out of the house and out of the city for a bit. We've got super travelling companions in the girls and, as they all get older, we hope this continues!
The babies -- well, they're not really babies any more (weeping silently) -- are growing so fast. The past few weeks have seen some incredible growth and development all round:
Caitlyn has discovered a new way to terrify her parents and has managed to climb the couch AND the chair in her room -- no sooner have we turned our back and she is up on the chair, delighted of course, showing us how she can reach all of the items on the change table! She is truly a monkey and, enjoys every minute of her mischievous ways! She continues to work towards walking however has stalled at standing on her own for now. I've put away the walker toys so that she and Heather can get on gaining confidence and skill walking on their own!
Emily has shown great progress over the past few week. We were very concerned about her in June (regarding her motor skills) however she has proven that, in time, she will gain skill and confidence to get moving on her own. She has abandoned rolling as her means of transportation and fully adopted the commando-crawl. With this, she is eagerly practising pulling up on all fours and has begun to master getting herself up to a high-kneeling position. She has gained a whole new perspective on life now that she can pull herself up - specifically, she can look out the screen door to see what's going on in the front yard(s)....she is simply delighted with herself for accomplishing such a great task! Emily has also revealed to us that she is a talker! She has added "papa", and "mama" to her language bank, signs for the word "more" and can tell you (if you ask nicely of course) what a cow, sheep and more recently a duck says! We're very proud of her and the leaps that she is taking....
Heather is our little power-house! She has displayed great prowess and excitement with attempts to walk on her own...so far 2-steps!! Her shy nature often takes over though and, when she perceives too much attention is being directed towards her, reverts to her well-mastered crawling! She has taken to the walker toys we have in the house and can now steer them very well! Despite her enjoyment of walking with the walker, I've decided to put them away for a bit as I mentioned to allow her to gain skills walking on her own....it won't be long!!
Heather, not to be out done, also has wowed her parents with her verbal skill...Jer and I have convinced ourselves that she says "good girl"....it is quite hilarious and we both get a chuckle watching her excitement at mimicking our words!
Jennifer seems to have grown exponentially this summer - in height and maturity! We continue to get spoiled with her caring nature towards her sisters and delight in her smiles abound! She's enjoyed all the adventures this summer (so far) however feels compelled to ask..."when are we going to be there?" about 1000 times, seemingly unphased that the same response awaits her every time!
We'll be off to Kootenay Lake next at the end of August...we've had good trial runs so far and look forward to a more extended holiday!
We caught a quick glimpse of Grandpa Bill who was able to come and visit us for a few days! What a great visit it was -- all the girls (and grown ups) enjoyed the time we spent together...looking forward to next time!
In between all our adventures, we've managed to secure a nanny! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have someone willing and able to work together with us! Sadly, this also means that I will be going back to work in October. It was a long, arduous and thoroughly hashed out decision that we've made....admittedly, I'm not sure how I'll fare being back at work full-time but, nothing is in stone and there are always other options if things don't work out! So, we'll make the best of the rest of the summer and then....
Here are a few snaps of the weeks past....enjoy
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| showing her hiking prowess...Jennifer scales the Douglas Fir Trail with ease! |
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| ...swim hat and goggles in one! |
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| Caitlyn and Heather....tupperware fishing! |
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| ...and so it starts! Heather taking after techno-Dad! |
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Zoo day! Eating lunch with the peacocks!
Heather, Emily, Caitlyn |
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| First taste of ice-cream.....mmmmm Caitlyn is hooked! |
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| Group hug! Caitlyn (lying) and Emily! |
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| Nothin' like watermelon on a hot "Heritage Park" day! |
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| Heritage park picnic lunch! |
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| Our pizzeria girl! |
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| First lunch out -- White-spot - YUMMY! |
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Food tastes better in the mountains!
Picnic en-route to Canmore! |
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| Caitlyn enjoying the scene! |
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| Emily taking it all in! |
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| HIking with Papa -- Caitlyn! |
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| The view on the hike! |
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| Jennifer with friend and hiking companion - Norah! |
