When I grow up I want to be a...

    Fire Chief

   Piano player        Movie star!

Catching Up ... (part 2)

Deavan got a new special button that he's proud to wear. Can you see what it says...?!? (I'm not sure if he knows that means he'll need to share his toys soon!)

 

We're still going through a myriad of tests to find out why our little guy's not 100%.  It comes with some perks as Deavan shows off the latest in CHEO fashions - look at that pink gown (they swore there were no blue ones left)! 

While we wait for a final diagnoses, Deavan gets tired of the same old, same 'ol for food and opts for something he thinks is a bit more tasty...

 

Catching Up... (part 1)

We're a little behind on news, so here's an update...

Along with a visit to see his cousin, Alison, Deavan got some snuggle time in with A. Ren and U. Lee's cat Smudge, who's loving the attention I'm sure!

 

A quick visit to Montreal meant Deavan got to show off his funny ways with his great Grandmother

 

As the days warm, so the sap flows. We indulged in the sugar overload with a few friends at Temple's sugar shack.

Waiting for Spring

We're still in the thick of winter, but early signs of spring are starting to make the snowy season feel like it's dragging on.

Mr. D was a bit under the weather recently, and after checking his temperature a few times ourselves, he pretty quickly got the hang of doing it on his own.	Look out!  He wants to shake your hand! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Skating on the canal (with Jason, Deb & the kids).  Our pond also continues to be in great shape.	A heronry on the nearby Carp Ridge.  A very Seussian feel to the place - you fully expect brightly coloured Fla-who-ma-wadgits (or derivatives) to be peering from the top of the 60+ nests!  This will be fun to visit in the spring.
The favourite toy, the one he HAS to have, is always the one on the bottom of the toy chest.  No problem, he can reach... almost!	A sure sign of spring - the Carp Fair exhibitor book arrived in the mail, and so did Gabby's seed order, which Deavan is helping to sort & date.

Fitzski Pond... take that Rideau Canal!

An advantage to living where we do, we love that we can pack up our skates and head out back to the Fitzski Pond with our friends and neighbours.

 

 

 

 

Deavan had a blast being pulled around in the sled, attempting to lick the ice, playing with the neighbours and enjoying the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

We haven't seen the pond since our many dumpings of snow, but we'll need to shovel it off as we've got some BobSkates (thanks FitzGibbons!) to try out for Deavan. 

Make sure to come by for a skate everyone and don't forget your shovels!  :)

Pantry & Ruby

After conceding that I wouldn't get around to making cabinets for the pantry any time soon (say, within 3 years...), we'd headed back to Ottawa Valley Kitchens and had them "fill the void".  We matched everything from the kitchen, with some subtle tweaks - upper cabs went to the ceiling (no crown moulding) and doors were  5-piece in the same style (no raised panel).  Stain was the same, hardware was the same, and the granite was the leftover from the kitchen countertops.  The cabinets were actually installed back in November, with the granite about a week later.  However, it's taken me this long to finally install the sink - the cutout for the sink was easy, but without the proper bit for the faucet hole, it took a loooong time to finally get that through (think Escape from Alcatraz, digging behind the cell sink...).

Anyway, it's done now, and was worth the wait.  We still have some shelving to do on one wall (with a place for mops and brooms and such), and maybe a cork/whiteboard on the back wall.

Couldn't have gotten them installed without Deavan's help!

And, because she's so cute, here are a couple of pictures of Ruby!

Putting Christmas back in the box

"Wrapping up" the festive season, here are some other pics from Christmas - a holiday we spread over the entire month of December!

Deavan showed his dad how to dress for the occasion.	Casey surprised everyone by turning Deavan's award winning "sofa shot" into a blanket that Grandma FitzGerald can snuggle up with.
*** Gab's dinner - her first turkey!  And it was spectacular! - of course deserved the family silver.  It still cleans up nice, Robin.	*** He's a cutie, and had no end of paper, bags and bows to keep him occupied.
*** The fun continued with a Slivinski Christmas.	*** The star of the show was the animatronic Holly Jolly Santa, which continues to keep Deavan entertained.
*** Though the drive was long and the weather cold, the Alight the Night experience in Morrisburg, with Casey & Lawrence, was still beautiful and fun.	*** Goin' to the Chapel.

Birthday Boy!!

People (parents) kept telling us that "time flies"... and as Deavan passes the one year mark, it's really incredibly just how true that is. Not just that weeks or months flew by - the minutes, hours and days absolutely disappear! Changes happen so fast - things that seemed de rigeur at the time - like having him fall asleep on your chest for 2 hours while you watched a movie on the couch - are distant memories. Do I even remember when he couldn't crawl, rollover or hold up his head?! Tempus fugit...

He had a great first birthday party; he had just started taking his first steps in the few days prior and so made a grand entrance to much fanfare. Thanks to everyone who came (including his "other" girlfriend, Kate - shhhh... don't tell Elena... he's playing the field!) and made it such a fun, special occasion!

Letting mom help him open a birthday card from his Great Grandmother.

Playing tug-of-war with Grandpa's glasses.

*** Aunt Renata did a grrreat job on the birthday cake!!	*** Showing off his festive plaid with Grandpa Slivinski.
*** We've been having to closely monitor Deavan's diet, so giving him birthday cake was a bit of a gamble - he had some fun mushing it up, but wasn't too interested in taste testing.	*** The centre of attention. He tried blowing out the candle, and then decided he'd rather reach for it instead.

---

Missed in the previous post... here is a picture of Ruby earning her supper, harnessed and pulling Deavan in his sled. Dad stayed out front in case a bit of extra pulling power was required, while Mom was the caboose, providing any necessary course corrections through the twisty bits. Deavan relaxes in the middle, loving to drag his hands through the snow. He had a great time... even if the scenery never changes. ;-D