The McDean's

This and That

2011-05-07T19:33:00.004-04:00

The kids were really excited for Easter this year. Morgan did her best even though she was fighting the flu.

And if you thought Jody was only into brainwashing our children into being Habs fans, you would be mistaken. He would also love to see them become Pats fans as well. They humour him, but Charlie refuses to wear the Q-T QBs jersey for more than a few minutes.

We went to the Fred Kid Fair today and the kids got their faces painted. They were pumped.

I just had to throw this one in since it's the cutest thing ever.

Surfin

2011-03-20T12:21:00.005-04:00

The Wheatons invited us over to help celebrate the month of Jamie's birthday.

The kids had a ball together.

And the surfer saw some action.

Charlie just being Charlie.

And Morgan's green fingernails for St. Patrick's day.

Sooo long February

2011-02-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

As usual, with the arrival of the end of February in New Brunswick, comes the end of my good humour with the cold and snow. There have been major snow storms pretty much ever week, and the piles of snow keep getting higher. Despite all this, the kids still like to get out in the white stuff and play.

Jody is continuing his Habs brainwashing, which seems to be working.

Winter Fun

2011-01-29T19:23:00.004-05:00

Marilyn and Howard hosted a family get together at the camp today. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day with sunshine and warm weather. We did lots of sliding.

Miss V. had her nap outside in her sled.

Jason brought a couple of snowmobiles (one of them is kid's sized). At first the kids wanted nothing to do with them, but after a little consideration they went for their first snowmobile and 4-wheeler rides.

Charlie couldn't get enough.

It was great to get the 2nd cousins together to play all day.

Jody's birthday

2011-01-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted as life is hectic and there doesn't seem to be much time for the old blog lately. Anyway, if anyone is still out there, this is for you :)
Jody rang in his birthday recently with a little family celebration. He loves a fuss for his big day so much, so I tried to deliver.

Party #3

2010-12-13T20:25:00.003-05:00

And the final party on the real day. I know the cake is hacked, but I couldn't go through with making another cake when there was so much left over. Morgan didn't seem to mind.

Charlie thought he would jump in and help Morgan open her presents. This was before he shocked himself on the Christmas lights. We like to keep things interesting around here.

Joint Party with Uncle Pat

2010-12-13T20:14:00.002-05:00

Happy 30th birthday Pat!

Not sure what's going on here.

Happy 5th Birthday!

2010-12-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

Party #1

Fall

2010-11-28T20:02:00.003-05:00

We went to the Santa Claus parade last night and huge snowflakes fell the entire time. It was so pretty.

Jody and his mustache took a quick break from his studies to join us at the parade. We're on the final Movember countdown. It's for a great cause but I will be happy to have his clean shaven face back. :)

And a couple from the October archives...

Boo!

2010-10-31T19:43:00.004-04:00

We took our first crack ever at carving a pumpkin this year.

We (especially Charlie) were impressed with the results.

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-17T20:38:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that our little girl is big enough to head off to school, but the time has arrived and she is now in kindergarten. We had a bit of a rough start to the first day, but since then she's been great and is really enjoying it.

Alberta

2010-09-13T19:30:00.011-04:00

After months of anticipation, the east coast McDeans flew west. It was the first time the kids had been on a plane and they made out really well.

Jody and I got away for a night to celebrate our anniversary which was awesome!

We took in a lot of sights...

and squeezed in a wedding too!

Morgan, Charlie and Jody were all in the wedding, and everyone looked fabulous!

Welcome to the family Sara, and thank you both for showing us such a wonderful time. We miss you guys!

King's Landing

2010-09-05T14:51:00.002-04:00

We went to King's Landing for their Agricultural Fair this Labour Day weekend. We took a horse drawn wagon ride.

...and some of us participated in a corn eating contest (congratulations Dad for coming in 2nd!). Atta boy!

We visited Perley House, which is the house my grandfather was born in.

A good time was had by all.

Our First Camping Trip

2010-08-03T13:10:00.004-04:00

We decided to test the waters on this whole camping with the kids thing. It was a last minute decision and Heather and I ended up zipping up to Mactaquac on our lunch hour to put up "dwellings" (aka tents) on 3 campsites. That was a scene that would have been worth catching on film. Only 1 of the 3 was actually standing properly when we left. We rented a tent trailer and that evening when we all rolled in, and the person we rented the tent trailer from was there to set it up for us. It was perfect! The first night there were 3 families, and the second night there were 4. It was a great time. These photos are thanks to Heather (and contrary to what the date stamp indicates, this all happened in 2010, not 2007). :)

Bermuda

2010-07-30T15:45:00.003-04:00

I am about a month behind on blogging, but I'm trying! I have to say that my current job has some perks. In June I was fortunate enough to go to Bermuda for work. They have a large Canadian population who we were busy trying to attract and repatriate.

Jody got a cheap flight and was able to join me. What a beautiful place.

Abby's graduation party

2010-07-08T06:58:00.006-04:00

Jeremy threw a party for Abby's graduation at the lake. We spend the day and the kids (big and small) had a ball.

Pete kept Charlie entertained for much of the day and Charlie is still talking about Pete.

Peter even took Charlie out on the jet ski. I was having heart palpitations, but they survived. Now Charlie randomly repeats "Pete boat".

Bella and Lucci were there and the girls had a ball together. Morgan was trying to get Lucci to come home in our car and stay at our house for a sleepover. Since she's only 1, we decided it might be a better idea for when she's older... I love this picture, they are really cracking up over something.

The Graduate

2010-06-30T15:44:00.002-04:00

Morgan graduated preschool a couple of weeks ago, and as part of the celebration, her class put on a circus. They had lions, elephants, clowns, acrobats and "type rope" walkers. Morgan was the later and as you can tell was pretty adorable.

There was a quick change after the show and it was time for everyone to get their diplomas. I was so proud! It's off to kindergarten in the fall. How is that possible?

Party #2

2010-06-29T07:28:00.003-04:00

No birthday would be complete without a friend's party and a family party. Here are some pics from Charlie's 2nd 2nd birthday party. :)

Charlie's 2nd Birthday

2010-06-17T14:16:00.005-04:00

Charlie recently celebrated his 2nd birthday and had some of his lady friends over for a Spiderman party. He LOVES spiderman.

Charlie got a little 4-wheeler which we couldn't get him away from. It has a foot pedal for an accelerator which is great when he starts stunt driving (standing up and hands-free driving). Charlie now has a helmet.

Mother's Day and other May(ish)

2010-05-12T07:45:00.008-04:00

This year I was spoiled on Mother's Day with breakfast in bed and some great treats. Since both mom and Jody's mother are here in town, I also get to enjoy spending time with them and doing something that usually revolves around eating (one of my favourite things to do). The kids also took it upon themselves to get dressed up for the big day. Jody doesn't believe me, but Charlie picked out his blazer to wear. They both looked adorable.

Jody is thrilled that Charlie is buying into the Habs fever. One of his first "sentences" has been "Go Habs Go". Let's hope they do well tonight!

Morgan is typically a jeans kind of girl, but she also loves her summer dresses. Again, adorable!

Charlie eating Cheerios with a fork.

Annual Good Friday Potluck

2010-04-13T20:10:00.002-04:00

Heather and Andrew hosted their annual Good Friday potluck again this year. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and one of the first days that the kids could play outside without being bundled up. They loved it!

Crystal Palace

2010-04-13T19:23:00.004-04:00

Jared and Sara gave us the best Christmas gift this year - a trip to Crystal Palace! The kids had never been there before and they thought it was great. The Keats' and Osbornes decided to come the same weekend so the kids had buddies to go on rides with. I love this picture as they all look like they are having such a blast.

The dads had fun too! Those swings were my favourite.

Vancouver 2010

2010-03-04T19:49:00.004-05:00

I was fortunate enough to go to Vancouver to work during the Olympics at Atlantic Canada House, which was a pavillion showcasing food and talent from the four Atlantic provinces. It ended up being wildly popular with lineups starting an hour before it opened in the morning and continuing all day long. The highlight was the New Brunswick Day of the Olympics where New Brunswick products, food and artists were front and center all day long. It was awesome!!! Besides that, the weather was gorgeous most of the time, the people were so friendly and there was fun to be had everywhere we went.

We rented a condo and this is the view from our balcony.

Julie, Weston, Jaida and Addison came for a few days and it was so great to see them.

Canadian pride was evident everywhere.

We snapped a picture of the cauldron through the wire fence.

Heather and I now work together which makes for even better work trips.

Here is Team NB on New Brunswick Day

I got to meet Jon Farriss, INXS drummer.

We took in a medal ceremony.

And I made my first trip to Whistler.

We even ended up in the background of an interview on CTV, and the kids got to see me on TV.

When I got home, we went to Art & Gloria's to watch the men's gold medal hockey game. Go Canada!!!!

This and That

2010-02-01T09:08:00.003-05:00

Morgan got a dollhouse for Christmas but we finally just picked it up and put it together this past weekend. I think its pretty awesome and would have loved something like this when I was little.

Sitting on the dining table.

Both our kids have turned into good little eaters. Here is Charlie eating broccoli.

Young Charles has decided at the ripe old age of 19 months that he no longer needs a booster seat when he eats. For a while the beginning of each meal started with a screaming fit and lots of thrashing around. We finally figured it out. He wants to be just like everyone else and not restrained in some baby chair. Oh why oh why do I have 2 children with wills that are just as strong as my own??? Look at how pleased he is with himself to be sitting in a regular chair.

Skating

2010-02-01T09:02:00.001-05:00

Morgan got out on skates for the first time last weekend. It was a beautiful day and she was in good hands with her father.

Sleepover

2010-02-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

Morgan had Emily over for a sleepover a few weeks ago. It was the first time she'd had a friend sleepover and they made out great. They danced, played in the snow, played and read stories.

The only kink to iron out came at bedtime as Morgan is used to going to sleep with the door closed and lights off while Emily sleeps with the door ajar and lights on. After about a dozen trips up and down the stairs and some compromises, they finally drifted off.

Happy Birthday Jody!

2010-02-01T07:53:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T20:29:00.005-05:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. We had a wonderful holiday and spent lots of time with family. Our larger Christmas dinner was hosted at Paul's house a few days before Christmas and was nice and relaxed.

The kids were really excited this year, and it made me get really excited too.

We're lucky to have kids that are young enough to still sleep in on Christmas morning, and they were content to eat breakfast before we opened our gifts which was awesome.

Morgan got a vanity from Santa with makeup which she had asked for and was really excited about. She insisted on getting dressed first thing so she could do a make-over. I told her she could hang out in her pjs and relax, but she would not do a make-over with pjs on. Here is the end result:

Christmas Concert

2010-01-03T20:08:00.004-05:00

The angels

Happy 4th Birthday Morgan!

2009-12-13T20:45:00.002-05:00

Morgan had her angel birthday party over the weekend with a few of her friends. I guess she was trying to do something a little different from the princess parties that a lot of her friends have had, but keeping it within the same ballpark. We did our best with the angel theme, but it kind of morphed into a fairy party which was just as good.

Here is Tracey's work of art. We loved the cake! It was beautiful. Thanks again Tracey!

Harmonica Charlie

2009-11-30T20:27:00.002-05:00

Christmas ho ho

2009-11-30T19:54:00.002-05:00

Santa Claus made his first appearance of the season at the parade this past weekend. It seemed to be a better parade than usual, and the kids got enough candy canes to last until next Christmas.

We then headed over to the Keats' for a potluck, and the kids had a ball. Charlie was taken with Nathaniel and of course all the boy toys.

Morgan and Emily made each other over. They were so sparkly and shiney afterwards! Morgan decided she wanted to stay for a sleepover. There was no talking her out of it, so she stayed with Emily for her first friend sleepover. I was fully expecting a phone call, but not only did she stay, but she didn't come home until 1:30 the next day! She had a ball and is already trying to figure out when she can do it again.

Odds and Ends

2009-11-22T20:32:00.002-05:00

I've been slacking with keeping the blog updated regularly, but it seems as if I don't have a spare moment between work, kids and Jody's studies. Hopefully we will get our husband/dad back in April ;)
I know it is unhealthy to let my 1 1/2 year old eat a paw full of french fries, but look at this face - he couldn't be happier!

Morgan had a rough day at the office.

And maybe Charlie did too.

With nana

Trouble

2009-11-03T19:53:00.001-05:00

Spooky Things

2009-11-01T12:41:00.004-05:00

A few days before Halloween, Morgan informed me that we needed 3 more spooky things around our house before we would be ready for the big day. I thought my mums and pumpkins might cut it, but I was obviously wrong. So, I rummaged through the basement and pulled out some last minute spooky stuff. The kids had a great time trick or treating, and we've got enough candy to fill Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

We went to Sylvie and Greg's house for a Halloween party, and the kids had a ball. They really did have a LOT of spooky things, plus loads of yummy food (note the orange frosting on the cupcake. I should have removed the costume prior to his mouth making contact with said frosting. Live and learn). The kids didn't want to leave.

Happy Birthday Kya

2009-10-26T20:10:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th birthday to Kya. The girls were all beauties in their princess dresses.

Tracey made the Barbie cake, and it was awesome! So talented!

New camera

2009-10-06T19:17:00.003-04:00

I got a new camera and am so excited to take pictures with it. The kids have been good sports so far.

We spent a rainy Sunday hanging with our cousins. What a great distraction for the kids.

Charlie's Nana and Nanny have gone away on vacation and if they want to remain number 1 in the little man's books, they had better make a fast return. Charlie took a real liking to auntie Maril over the weekend and would not leave her side. He wanted her to carry him everywhere, sat on her lap, followed her like a shadow and cried when she left the room.

Go Shorty, It's Your Birthday...

2009-10-01T19:44:00.002-04:00

Charlie has taken a liking to trying to squeeze into some unusual places, like cupboards or shoe racks.

Morgan and Charlie have started getting "musical" on us too. They love to practice banging pot lids together.

Birthday squeezes for mommy.

Here's Charlie doing a little after-dinner clean-up. Watch your heads, dishes or anything else that might be laying on a table or counter while his "clean-up" is taking place. So helpful.

The cake that Jody and Morgan made for me. Awe... Then it was off to Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival to see Joel Plaskett. I love my birthday!!!

A day at the beach

2009-09-10T20:07:00.002-04:00

We went to the beach on Labour Day weekend for the afternoon and the kids had a ball. Charlie spent a fair amount of time trying to eat sand, but otherwise a good time was had by all.

We took Morgan for a haircut and she wanted it cut short (like mommy's), so short she got. I think it looks so cute! However, it somehow makes her look older and taller :( She is also sporting her new "work" shirt in this picture. After she outgrew her old work shirt, she asked us to buy her a new one.

Soccer Star

2009-09-10T19:47:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late with this post. Another soccer season has come and gone. Morgan was on the Flounders team with Ava and Kya, and "Giant" Pete was her coach (Ava's dad). It was great going back to work after being on maternity leave with Ava and Kya's mommys knowing that we would still have our weekly get togethers at the soccer field.
In reality, soccer was almost like torture for me :) It seemed like an impossible task to leave work at 4:30, get across the river to pick up the kids, get home, prepare and eat supper, then turn around and be up the hill for 6pm. Torture! Thankfully, Art and Gloria made supper for us every Monday night after the first week to avoid some of the time crunch, but it was still torture! Even though I got to see my friends every week, I had a 3 year old attached to my leg for most of every game. When I did get her on the field, it would require my full soccer participation. Then there was the mandatory trip (or two) to the porta-potty every game. To top it off, Charlie hated being at the soccer field. Picture me holding a crying, screaming Charlie while trying to shake the 3 year old growth from my leg. Snack time was still the highlight this year. Somehow, despite all of that, Morgan asked me just last week which soccer team she would be on next year. Ah yes, there's always next year.

August birthdays

2009-08-31T20:15:00.004-04:00

Both mom and Gloria celebrate their birthdays in August. Mom had a milestone birthday this year. I won't divulge which birthday on the internet but let's just say it was a BIG one :) We had a bbq to help her celebrate. Of course it was sunny all day and then poured right when the party started, but we had fun inside.

We had a bit of an impromptu party on Gloria's birthday. Partly to celebrate her birthday and partly to celebrate her final chemo treatment. She is a trooper. Happy birthday!!!

Summer Vacation in New Hampshire!

2009-08-18T20:41:00.008-04:00

We hit the highway and headed to New Hampshire for summer vacation. It was our first family vacation and we had a ball. We loved being in the mountains.

There were some HOT days, and the kids loved the sprinklers.

We hit Storyland with Nana.

Morgan was in awe of Cinderella, but a little scared. She asked me "where is the boy that lives with Cinderella?"

Worn out.

The pool was a big hit. Morgan wanted to pass up Santa's Village and stay at the pool.

We went to Santa's Village and had a great time.

She loved all the rides.

A little smooch.

Bring on the sun bbq

2009-08-18T20:35:00.002-04:00

We had an unusual amount of rain earlier this summer, so we decided to throw a "bring on the sun" bbq to help tease out the sun. Alas, it didn't work and we had to reschedule due to rain. The following day turned out to be beautiful and quite a few people were still able to make it. We brought out the sprinkler, wading pool, bbq and refreshments. Oh, and our favourite Auzzies were in town, so it gave us a chance to see the Finnmiester who is as cute in person as he is in his pictures (and Sarah and Louise too).

Lost... and found

2009-08-18T20:18:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a while as I had "misplaced" my camera for about a month. I'm not sure if anyone is still bothering to check in, but I've got over a month of catching up to do.

A woman I work with had a few of us ladies over to her cottage on Deer Island for a little getaway which involved a lot of wine and good food. Oh, and no kids. It was a great little getaway and kind of kicked off summer's festivities. This shot is from the ferry.

It's July, so where is summer?

2009-07-06T19:47:00.004-04:00

Going by the calendar, it is July 6, which is well into summer, but you wouldn't know it if you are living in old Freddy Beach. I think we've had something like 25 straight days of rain. UGH! I wonder if this is what is like to live in Vancouver or Ireland? If so, I'd be moving. At any rate, there was a break in the rain on Canada Day so we headed down to Officer's Square to listen to some live kids' music. We are big fans of Scotty and the Stars, and they seem to be the only live music we've been taking in lately. Good thing they are great! We ran into the Keats' and the kids had fun. Thanks for sharing your picnic!

It was all going well until this handsome little devil (Charlie, not Jody) pooped his drawers and I realized that the diaper bag was missing its key supply - diapers! So, that was the end of the Canada festivities for us. Next year I must remember a) picnic, and b) diapers.

They threw a little Rusted Root into their set which I appreciated :)

Here is sleeping beauty while we were trying to wake her up to take her to the fireworks. If I had been trying to sneak in there and not wake her up, you know she would have been instantly sitting bolt upright. This time we had a heck of a time getting her up. If I could add sound effects, you would hear her snoring. At this point I was thinking fireworks were a bad idea, but Jody and Morgan went out and she loved them!

They met up with Nanny and Grampy. I can't tell who looks more excited in this picture.

Yesterday was a wild day. It went back and forth between rain and sun all day. While the sun was out, the kids took advantage and got in the pool. Charlie did a little skinny dipping. I told him he might as well take full advantage of the opportunity now, because in a few years this will be scandalous.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-06-28T19:59:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to dad, who is celebrating another birthday. I won't say which one, since I used up all of his good humour with my birthday card about him getting old and organ donation :)

Morgan has been going next door on a regular basis to visit the teenage girls over there who lend her nail polish. We go over at least once a week for a visit and a new colour. Today they gave her a boa and lent her a Cinderella movie. She loves it. For those of you who know Morgan, you won't be surprised to read that she doesn't actually speak when she's over there, but they get a lot of air time once we get home...

We were pleasantly surprised to get a visit from the McGatheys today who are visiting from Massachusetts. It was the first time we had met Aidan, and the American Morgan has grown so much since the last time we saw her. Hopefully we'll see them again soon!

The Wheatons had us over for dinner last weekend. We hadn't seen them in a long time so it was great to get caught up. And the girls had a ball together. It was also nice to have the Deans and Lyons' there who were happy to keep the kids occupied so we could kick back a bit. Thanks guys.

Charlie Turns 1

2009-06-14T20:54:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Charlie's first birthday today. It feels as if he's been with us forever, but the last year seems to have flown by.

It's great to have a big sister who can help blow out the candle and open presents.

A first taste of this sticky stuff.

He likes it! He really likes it!

Mactaquac

2009-06-14T20:44:00.002-04:00

We headed to Mactaquac this weekend to visit some friends who were camping. There were 4 families and the kids are all very close in age. Morgan had her first s'mores and hot dog spider (at the same time) and I think she was in heaven! I see some camping trips in our future.

Charlie has a thing for eating rocks...

Back to work

2009-06-07T20:16:00.004-04:00

My aunt Jo lost her battle with cancer this past week. This picture was taken at Thanksgiving and she looked like the picture of health. She had a playful spirit and loved her family, babies and animals. She will be missed by us all.

I started back to work this past week as well, and we've been busy trying to get back into our new routine.

We had our last week day playdate with the Slipps and Lydons at the McDonalds' play area. I remembered why I hadn't been there in a year when Morgan kept hooping for me to help her up or down a level. I got my workout anyway. These 3 are on the same soccer team this summer, and Pete is their coach, so we will resume our weekly get togethers on Monday nights :)

More May

2009-05-19T10:05:00.002-04:00

Charlie is not the biggest fan of eating, and he sometimes wears more than he ingests, but he looks pretty cute even when covered in sweet potatoes and cereal.

Grampy's birthday just went by and Gloria had us over for a delicious meal.

I've been getting my hands dirty in the yard lately, and take some breaks to play with the kiddies.

Arbour Day

2009-05-05T19:36:00.004-04:00

The title of this post is to recognize the fact that we have a new arbour in the backyard. This wouldn't have been worth mentioning had it not been such a fiasco to get up. Jody and I are far from engineers, and last night in our effort to get it up, as we were carrying it, it fell over and nearly crushed me; we were both standing on it trying to drive its' posts into the ground; and we left it on its pegs overnight so it looked like it was up on stilts. Luckily Art came to the rescue tonight. Thank goodness Art is willing to help us with all our projects around the house. I will have to post a picture.

I have been lucky to be on maternity leave at the same time as some good friends, and we are able to get together every once in a while for playdates or outings. Here are a couple of shots of one of our playdates at the Lydon's house.

Morgan likes to dress up

and go for walks with her backpack.

We went to Eric's 4th birthday party this weekend which was spiderman themed. It was great to see the kids.

Some of the girls I was in baby group with when I had Morgan had baby #2 around the same time as I had Charlie, so we formed another baby group. These babes are now hitting their first birthday! Here are a couple of pics of Abigail's party.

Charlie and Madeleine

Spring Clean Up

2009-04-20T10:36:00.003-04:00

Although we still have some snow on the yard, we were anxious to get out and start raking. Morgan is a great help with her beach sand rake.

My cousin Erica's little guy, Owen, had his 2nd birthday party this weekend. Here he is with his new set of drums. He and the other little people were discussing starting a band. Practice at Erica's house :)

And these two turkeys crack me up. Morgan wanted to dress up as a cat to go out for our nightly walk. Why not? They have fun together.

Easter Bunny

2009-04-16T19:45:00.003-04:00

We had a great Easter with an egg hunt in the morning, brunch at my aunt and uncle's, a ham supper at mom and dad's, and an Easter Monday turkey supper at Art and Gloria's house.

Potty Talk

2009-04-16T13:35:00.003-04:00

Morgan has picked up potty talk lately. We decided to ignore it for a while, but it was non-stop. "Hi Charlie fart fart", etc. So, after a while, we told her that potty talk is for the bathroom. She complies for the most part, but sometimes she can't contain herself. Case in point, the other night at supper, she started whispering "fart, fart, fart". I said in my very authoritative voice "Morgan". She replied "I was saying farm, farm, farm. Farm animals can't say potty talk because they're animals, right?". Right. She then hopped down from her chair and ran into the bathroom where she said "fart, fart, fart". Jody and I couldn't help but crack up over that one.

Don Juan

2009-04-09T19:36:00.002-04:00

Charlie showing off his mad skills of balancing on one foot.

We're finally able to get out for some outdoor fun.

Charlie has been a real lady's man from pretty early on and loves to flirt with women whether he knows them or not. He and his nana have a pretty serious love affair going on. When she comes to our house, he grins from ear to ear, grabs her hair or face to pull her close and kisses/licks her. They hardly notice anyone else around.

Our Trip

2009-03-16T19:57:00.002-04:00

I packed up the kids and joined mom and dad for a trip to Maine last week while Jody stayed behind and wrote an exam. I was nervous to travel with both kids since they've never gone that far in the car before, but they made out great.

Cousin Ted came for a quick visit from Massachusetts and met the kids.

Morgan loved the pool.

And helping grandad make pancakes every morning.

Charlie's new trick is to blink when he sees the camera. I remember Morgan going through this stage at about the same age...

Snow Shoes

2009-03-16T09:55:00.003-04:00

Morgan got snow shoes from Art and Gloria for Christmas, and they finally got out to test them out this past weekend. Morgan was a natural and really liked it. Uncle Jared is home for a visit and brought his snow shoes along too.

Again this year we have deer going through our backyard day and night. We're hoping they don't get through our burlap and into our cedars.

Stylin

Charlie sporting a new hat. Sooo cute. Morgan saw this picture and said he looked like Lucy's daddy. Well, for those of you who know Lucy's daddy, he often wears hats like this one.

Over the Hump

2009-03-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

Now that March has arrived, I like to think that we are over the winter hump. Mother Nature doesn't seem to agree as the winter onslaught continues. They are calling for snow, freezing rain and ice pellets today. I don't know what the difference is between ice pellets and freezing rain but at this point I would prefer sun and sand. Anyone want to babysit our two little cuties while we get out of dodge??? They are really cute and Morgan listens some of the time :)

Morgan loves to pull Charlie in his sled. She yanks really hard, he jerks backwards and they both giggle.

Tiny Dancer

2009-02-15T21:09:00.003-05:00

We have been getting our fair share of cold and flu bugs in our house this winter. Usually, I am able to dodge the bullet while Jody struggles with colds all winter long. Not this year. I think karma is biting me in the butt for teasing him about always being sick and calling him bubble boy. I got hit hard before Christmas. A couple of weeks ago, Morgan was down and out for a few days. Last week Charlie and I seemed to come down with it on the same day with sweats and chills, and in the end he had a double ear infection and I had an ear infection as well. This is something I haven't had since I was a kid. So, we are on our meds, starting to feel better and Jody is still healthy.

Morgan started dance class last month and although it took her a while to warm up to, she now really likes it and is doing great. These girls are the cutest.

Namaste.

Winter

2009-02-10T13:55:00.005-05:00

I love when babies chew their toes.

We went to Winterfest this past weekend. It was MUCH busier this year than last, but it was a beautiful day and for $3 per person, you can't beat it. I asked Morgan what her favourite part of Winterfest was, and she said the warm tent. Ah, that's my girl!
Here we are on the sleigh ride.

Snow Day

2009-01-23T13:21:00.003-05:00

We awoke Monday morning at 6:18 am to a call from Art telling us that the NB Power building was closed due to problems with the sprinkler system. So that meant Jody got to stay home and work. We managed to squeeze in some play time between all that work stuff.

Morgan got the Rose Petal cottage for Christmas and she loves it. She likes us to get in it with her, but with her stove, crib and bassinet, its a tight squeeze.

Here are a couple of shots of the handsome man who is now 7 months old. Jody likes to put Habs attire on him hoping that he will become a fan. If that becomes the case I will never live down painting over the Habs symbols in Charlie's room before he was born...

Welcome 2009

2009-01-12T09:06:00.004-05:00

Life is pretty busy at our house around the holidays with Morgan's birthday a couple of weeks before Christmas, and Jody's birthday a couple of weeks after. We also had a wedding thrown into the mix so it feels as if we've been on a bit of a treadmill. Things are finally starting to settle down and get back to normal and we are now into the deep freeze of winter. Congratulations to Jeremy and Abby on their marriage. It was a great time.

I am really enjoying my maternity leave and being able to spend so much time with the kids. Charlie is now sitting up which makes my life a little easier.

Morgan got finger paints for Christmas so she's been getting in touch with her creative side.

Morgan likes to play dress-up. This is her bag lady/senile old woman look.

Happy birthday to Jody!!!

Christmas

2008-12-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

3 Years Old

2008-12-07T20:44:00.010-05:00

Our little girl turned 3 years old this weekend. She has changed so much in the last year with moving to a big girl bed, potty training and becoming a big sister. She loves to dance, listen to music, read books and she has a mild obsession with lip gloss. She can dress herself, button her buttons, peel an orange, wink (Julie, she beat you on that one), and she notices every detail. Happy Birthday Morgan!

When asked what her favourite part of her birthday was, she responded that it was her giant cupcake cake.

We had a gymnastics party for her friends. We had been to one of these parties a few months back and I thought it was a great activity for the kids.

Gingerbread

2008-12-07T20:44:00.006-05:00

A bunch of us went to a gingerbread house making class on the weekend and had a ball. Morgan loved consuming as much candy as possible in an hour, and I had fun putting the finishing touches on our house :)

And here is the finished product.

The little man has been spending some time in the jolly jumper lately.

We cut down our Christmas tree this weekend with the Deans. We missed having Jared there to heckle us, but we managed without him.

And a shot in front of the tree, minus Charlie who was snoozing in the car. Luckily we got our tree before the snow started to fly today.

Firsts

2008-11-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

Charlie tried rice cereal for the first time today. He seemed to enjoy it, although I don't think too much actually went down his throat. What did go down the hatch came back up a few minutes later. I cannot wait for the spitting up to be over with!

We woke up Saturday morning to our first snowfall of the season. I was excited to get out and make a snowman or something but the snow was too powdery. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for snowmen if this winter is anything like last year's.

5 Months Old

2008-11-14T19:37:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it, but Charles is 5 months old today. He is weighing in at 16 lbs and is a little over 26 inches long. He has started reaching for toys and tries to jam just about everything in his mouth.

Here is Morgan's mugshot at 5 months. Sometimes I think they look so much alike, but they deinitely have their own looks.

When I put this outfit on Charlie, Morgan asked me why Charlie was putting his work clothes on. Ha! They must look like Jody's work clothes to her.

Our little goblins

2008-11-01T20:26:00.008-04:00

Charlie and his little buddies dressed up in their Halloween costumes for this week's baby group. As you can see the butterfly costume was this year's "it" costume among the diaper set this year.

Gloria made Morgan some cupcakes for Halloween.

Morgan didn't seem to remember everything that went along with Halloween last year, which made Friday night very exciting. From the decorations to the costume, and the candy being handed out at every house, she loved it. When she got home she put little stashes of candy all over the house and can think of nothing else. All day she has wanted to eat it or look at it. I was able to space out her snacks to about every half hour throughout the day and I can't believe she wasn't complaining of a tummy ache, but I'm sure that will come.

And the pumpkin costume is one of the few things I was able to reuse with Charlie from Morgan. They were both pretty cute little pumpkins.

Fall

2008-10-27T11:52:00.004-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been very busy so I've fallen behind on my posting [as Jody has been kind enough to point out to me :) ]. We had some sad news with the passing of Jody's grandfather, which is never an easy thing. This did bring Jared home from Calgary and he got to meet Charlie for the first time and spend some quality time with Morgan. Jody went to L.A. for a conference for 5 days. I was a little anxious to be flying solo with the kids, but both sets of grandparents took great care of us. In fact I had it easier than I do when Jody is home, since I didn't have to cook supper once.

Charlie has a new toy to drool over - this jumper that his cousin Rhykr lent him.

Thanksgiving

2008-10-12T20:15:00.003-04:00

My aunt and uncle hosted Thanksgiving dinner today and it was delicious as always. These dinners grow every year with significant others and babies being added to the mix. Hmmm, I wonder if there will be any new family members for next years Thanksgiving dinner. We have lots to be thankful for.

Getting Together

2008-10-12T20:04:00.003-04:00

Heather and Andrew graciously hosted a get together on the weekend with loads of food, drinks and kids. Having that many kiddies in my house would likely stress me out, but they all played together really well, and you would never know the house was crawling with ankle biters. :) Thanks for having us!

Note Charlie.

Fall

2008-10-05T20:07:00.002-04:00

Fall has arrived and Morgan felt strongly that we needed 2 pumpkins to decorate the front steps. Off we went to the "pumkin store" (AKA Sobeys) and she picked out these two gems. Let's hope the neighborhood kids don't smash her pumpkins or we'll be off to the pumpkin store for some replacements.

Morgan and Charlie went apple picking today for the first time. This was something Jody and I used to do every year with Ted and Martha while we were in Massachusetts, complete with apple cider, apple pies, apple donuts, pumpkins, hay rides and usually a stop somewhere for some drinks and a meal. While we had a fun time today, it was straight up apple picking. Jody, Morgan and Charlie don't eat raw apples, so I either have to get baking or start trying to consume about 5 apples a day...

Strike a pose

2008-10-02T20:10:00.004-04:00

Cooking Class

2008-09-27T06:43:00.004-04:00

Now that I am in the full swing of maternity leave, and Morgan is home with us a couple of days a week, I am always looking for activities that she would enjoy. It turns out that a few of the girls who were in my baby group when I had Morgan also had a second baby around the same time as when Charlie was born. Some of us have been to a kid's cooking class the last couple of weeks and Morgan seems to have a good time. The kids chop, stir, measure, pour and most importantly sample.

She really liked sampling the chocolate sauce that went along with the fruit kabobs.

Recently

2008-09-16T20:36:00.002-04:00

The kids have been keeping us busy lately, but I guess that's the way life will be from now on (and we thought we were busy with 1 child!). Morgan started her new daycare last week and is home with me and Charlie a couple of days a week. So far so good, but thankfully we've had the grandmothers around to provide some distraction.

Charles loves his bath and loves to roll over.

Jody and Morgan baking their first cake.

Trip to the Zoo

2008-09-03T21:40:00.004-04:00

We went to the zoo last year and I don't remember seeing as many animals being up and active as they were today. Since most people are back to work and school after summer vacation, the zoo was quiet. Morgan told Charlie last week that the animals were going to eat him.

We caught the lions at feeding time and it was a little intimidating to hear the big guy roaring. Charlie was crying while we were visiting the lions and I was afraid that maybe Morgan's prediction of Charlie becoming a snack would come true, so we moved along while Jody and Morgan watched the big cats a little longer.

This monkey was hanging there swinging for the longest time. I guess he was just keeping himself entertained.

As you can see the goats eliminate the middle man in the "feed the goats" process and go right to the source.

Little Monkey

2008-09-03T21:17:00.004-04:00

Here is a shot of Charlie practicing karate kicks in the outfit uncle Jared sent him. At his 2 month checkup he was 12 lbs 11 oz. He rolled over from his back to his stomach last week.

I am amazed watching these two together.

Morgan got together with her second cousin Owen over the weekend and the two of them had a ball together. He is almost 18 months old, and Morgan treated him like a little brother. Here she is reading to him.

Summer made a comeback

2008-08-26T14:29:00.003-04:00

Just when we thought the summer weather was gone for another year, we were treated to a great weekend. We spent 3 days at the pool in an effort to squeeze as much enjoyment as possible out of those glorious days. Little Charlie can't actually be out in the sun since he's too young for sunscreen, but he's got the pool look down (or is that the old man look?).

One of the last dives off the old diving board before she cracked...

Birthday Mamas

2008-08-20T08:51:00.004-04:00

With everything that has been going on in the last couple of weeks I neglected to wish our moms happy birthday, and I didn't even get a picture of either of them on their big days. Come to think of it, I don't think I got a picture of dad on his birthday either. I'm slipping I know... Well happy birthday mom, dad and Gloria. We love you all and thank you for being such great parents and grandparents.

We attended Bella's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. It was a princess party, and although missy Morgan had a princess outfit at home, she had no interest in leaving that itchy thing on for any length of time. So this is what she came up with. Pretty cute.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2008-08-15T10:21:00.005-04:00

Today Jody and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that 5 years have gone by already. Happy anniversary!

A shot of me with some of my favourite ladies.

A shot of us with nan who passed away on August 6th. It was sad to see her go but I know she's now in a better place with pa. She was a wonderful woman who loved her family, friends, church, music and travel. I have so many memories of her that I will remember always.

2 Months

2008-08-14T07:15:00.001-04:00

Charlie turned 2 months old today. He's a handsome little man and so well behaved. He naps more through the day than Morgan ever did and when he's awake he is pretty content. He is trying to find his thumb, but right now he is jamming his fist into his mouth which doesn't seem to be as satisfying...

He cracks himself up with some real knee slappers.

All dressed up on our way to Connie's baby shower.

Morgan and Charlie - they really seem to love each other.

Ava turns 2

2008-08-05T13:10:00.005-04:00

Sweet Ava celebrated her 2nd birthday this past weekend and we were treated to a great birthday party complete with a pony ride.

Morgan wanted nothing to do with the pony ride but she had a blast at the party. She spent much of her time running around giggling.

A giant cupcake!

Congratulations to big brother Noah and new big sister Kya on the arrival of their new sister Brianna.

And the sweetest man with the sweetest smile.

LONG weekend

2008-08-05T12:59:00.003-04:00

We stayed pretty close to home over the New Brunswick Day weekend which turned out to be a good thing since the weather didn't really cooperate. The Osbornes had a bunch of us over for a bbq on Friday night which was great. The kids had fun (well, except for Charlie who might not be much of a partier) and we were treated to one of Suzanne's puppet shows. The kids took over the puppet show and it all went downhill from there.

Tricia was the only one there without kids and kept them all entertained. I'm sure we won't see her again for another 10 years or so.

The Frontins are in town and although they are dealing with some crumby weather for their vacation, we're happy to see them and to meet Addison.

The Camp

2008-07-28T07:04:00.002-04:00

When I was growing up we would go to my aunt and uncle's camp pretty regularly on the summer weekends to enjoy the lake. In the winter we would go snowmobile. We hadn't been since I was pregnant with Morgan and decided that she is at a great age to really enjoy it. We packed up the car and headed up there on Saturday. Morgan had a ball playing in the sand, going for a swim, a paddle boat ride and feeding the ducks. She didn't want to leave.

Morgan loves to help in the garden and she watered Marilyn's plants for her.

Charlie had fun doing what he likes to do best... eating and sleeping.

2008-07-23T12:38:00.002-04:00

We went for our 1 month checkup last week and Charles was weighing in at 10 lbs 7 oz.

Morgan loves, loves, loves her baby brother. And he is so cute with his little outfit on.

Hamming it up for the camera.

A month later

2008-07-16T09:32:00.002-04:00

Charlie is now 1 month old and it seems as if he's been with us a lot longer than a month. Overall he seems pretty content and still sleeps quite a bit. We took him to Maine for an overnight trip and he was a great traveller. We shopped and ate out, and the little man was a trooper. His hair has fallen out on the top of his head, so he's looking a little like George Costanza (only much cuter of course).

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T14:50:00.002-04:00

Charlie celebrated his first Canada Day today. We packed a picnic and headed in to Officer's Square to watch Scotty and the Stars, which is a local kid's band. Scott used to work at Morgan's daycare so she's a fan. It was the first time I'd heard them play, and I thought they were really good. Morgan found her baby sunglasses and insisted on wearing them. She loves to fish out winter boots or corduroy pants and wear these things in the summer. It's like a blast from the past. Crazy kid.

Later on we watched the Canada Day parade which only lasted about 10 minutes. I think it was half the size of last year's parade but Morgan liked it as she got candy and a flag, so that's all we can hope for...

Life with baby

2008-06-27T10:59:00.003-04:00

I painted some pictures for Charlie's bedroom when I started maternity leave but was still without baby. I thought they turned out pretty well.

Thank you to everyone for the good wishes, phone calls, visits, meals, gifts, etc. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Charlie is doing great. He has been up once through the night the last couple of nights, so we've been lucky and I am able to get a reasonable amount of sleep. He's pretty content overall. Morgan loves her baby brother and can't seem to get enough kisses planted on top of his head.

The weather has been great and Morgan has a ball in nanny and grampy's pool.

Grandparents

2008-06-24T11:27:00.002-04:00

Jody.com

2008-06-16T20:38:00.004-04:00

Charles Kevin Arthur Dean arrived on June 14 at 9:19 pm. I was having a nap and at around 4 o'clock my water broke. I yelled out the window to Jody who was working in the yard "It's time, my water broke!" Since Morgan's delivery was such a long process (27 hours from the time my water broke), we figured we had tons of time. Jody finished some yard work, I watered plants, he showered, we stopped at Jody's office, hit the drive thru so Jody could pick up some supper and arrived at the hospital at about 5:40. By then it felt like I might be having contractions every 5 minutes, but I still wasn't sure. We waited for over an hour for the doctor to come and check whether my water had broken. By that time, contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes and they were getting more intense. The nurses decided to get me prepped. I asked for an epidural pretty soon after, and within a few minutes of getting it, I was fully dialated. They told me to start pushing at 8:40. Jody and I couldn't believe that it was going so quickly. Charlie arrived at 9:19 pm and weighed 7 lbs 13 oz. Today is our first day home and the little man is doing a lot of sleeping. I'm sure he's just saving up his energy for after midnight. Morgan is very interested and helping lots. She's going to be a great big sister. We are so in love!

Soccer - Week 2

2008-06-10T08:17:00.002-04:00

This week we were reminded by Morgan several times that we needed to bring snacks to soccer. You would think that we sent her there with no supper last week, but like her mother, the girl likes to eat. So, we packed a cooler bag which she HAD to carry, and off to soccer we went. She wore her jersey and in between crackers, cheese and grapes, ran out onto the field for a little soccer action. Atta girl!

Soccer

2008-06-03T10:28:00.003-04:00

Last night our little 2 1/2 year old started soccer. I should have known that Morgan wasn't going to jump right in when on the drive there she repeatedly told us that she wasn't going to wear her soccer jersey. When we arrived, she stayed true to her word and not only refused to wear her jersey, but also her nametag, and wouldn't even stand in the general area of the other kids on her team or her coach. She spent most of the time running far away from us and coming back laughing. One of the other dads commented that she was an "independent thinker". Yes, i'm sure we'll come to appreciate our independent thinker in the years to come. Her friend Bella was on the opposing team, so she and Morgan did kick the ball around towards the end of the hour. After we left, she talked about how much fun she had.

She is truly her mother's daughter. This morning over breakfast she told her father that next week she was going to bring cheese, crackers, grapes and her Dora cup to soccer (there was a family next to us who had a picnic, and she couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her eat their food). It's all about the grub.

More May

2008-05-25T08:26:00.002-04:00

On Mother's Day we went out for breakfast with Gloria, and supper with my mom. We had a great day and Morgan was very good in the restaurants.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms out there. It's becoming my second favourite day (behind my birthday of course).

Happy 55th Birthday Art!

2008-05-16T09:01:00.002-04:00

Arty the one man party, AKA grampy, turns 55 today. We've been trying to talk him into the Freedom 55 plan, but he's got such a sweet deal at work that he'll likely be there for the rest of his days. Can't say as I blame him. Happy birthday Art.

Eric's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-05-03T20:42:00.004-04:00

Eric celebrated his 3rd birthday this week and we were happy to be able to help him celebrate while Jody started painting the nursery. There were crafts, cake, presents, and a trip to the park.

The party didn't stop there. We stayed for supper and by that time the kids were pretty grimey, so we threw them in the tub.

The cutest thing ever...

Flood

2008-05-03T20:24:00.003-04:00

We have a little monster that runs around the house on a regular basis making scarey sounds. I finally caught said goblin on camera.

Baby Rhykr returned our Bumbo chair, and it has become Morgan's new favourite thing. She carries it around from room to room, and up and down the stairs. She also LOVES the Scholastic flyers that she gets from daycare, and here she is in her Bumbo reading her flyer. This picture reminds me of her grandfather sitting reading the newspaper.

Fredericton flooded this week to levels that haven't been seen since before my time. Actually, the last time the Saint John river's banks swelled to this level was in May of 1973 at the time of my parent's wedding. It was pretty awesome to see, and since we work in the downtown area, we had a couple of days off work. We didn't have any problems out our house, but Jody's parents live close to the river and this is what it looked like on their street this past Thursday.

In addition to the "New Price" sign in the picture above, "Waterfront Property" should also be added.

Go Habs Go

2008-04-23T14:42:00.005-04:00

Until after Monday night's game, I wasn't allowed to post about the Habs/Bruins series, for fear I might jinx things. Morgan didn't get to stay up to watch the game, but she eagerly agreed to watch the highlights over breakfast the following morning. I think she likes to humour her dad. He couldn't bear to watch the entire game, but by the 3rd period he was sneaking longer peaks. All he cared about was the Habs beating the Bruins. Now that they won the series, I guess we can now tune in to Big Brother and the Hills without complaint :)

The Saint John river is on the rise with all the melting going on around the province, and it has now reached flood levels. Let's hope our basements all stay dry.

Spring

2008-04-20T19:33:00.002-04:00

We've finally had some warm weather in the last week, with highs of 20 degrees. The snow has taken a beating and we've been itching to spend some more time outdoors. Today Morgan helped her dad wash the car.

It was Owen's first birthday party today. Morgan was so excited about the party she talked of almost nothing else for the 2 days leading up to the big event. Owen's dad Dan is home from Afghanistan on leave for his son's first birthday. He made Owen a Winnie the Pooh birthday cake (he frosted it too!). Jody thinks I'm overly impressed by that fact, but I don't know any other dads who make their children's birthday cakes (well, except maybe my dad). Of course, I should mention that Jody did make breakfast this morning which consisted of eggs, sausage and toast :)

Hockey Night in Canada

2008-04-11T09:08:00.003-04:00

Last night was the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Canadiens vs. Bruins. Dan called before the game to rib Jody a bit. Jody tried to get Morgan into her Montreal Canadiens pj's to help get into the spirit of things, but she refused to put them on, and wanted her toenails painted instead. You can't blame him for trying. Luckily the Canadiens came out strong and ended up winning!

In other news, I now have a little more than 2 months to go before my due date. Some people are very complimentary about the baby belly. Others seem to lack common sense and spout out all kinds of interesting questions. To answer my top 5 favourite questions:

- No, I am not having twins
- No, I haven't miscalculated my due date
- I'm not sure if women in my family normally get really big during pregnancy
- My face is puffy because I am pregnant
- Yes, I am indeed STILL gaining weight

Well, that about covers it. TGIF.

Sugarbush Weekend

2008-03-30T12:51:00.005-04:00

This weekend was Sugarbush Weekend at King's Landing, and a group of about 20 of us decided to take it all in. We headed out for breakfast first, and then off to King's Landing. Everyone in town seemed to have the same idea, but we saw lots of people we knew.
Here is the sap being heated and poured into the snow.

Morgan decided she liked the sweet stuff and was wearing it from head to toe before long. It was all over her face, jacket, mittens and pants.