Fun With Uncle Rudy and Auntie Carol

This was Mom and Dad's first trip to Texas since Uncle Rudy and Auntie Carol got their new place. So, we packed up the car and took a trip up to Denton to see it. This time, we remembered our camera so we actually got some pictures of everyone.

Dougie with Uncle Rudy, Auntie Carol and "cousin" Hannah


Auntie Carol even managed to pull together a wonderful meal that met all of my strange diet restrictions. We had a fabulous time and Mom and Dad really liked the community they are living in.

Tuesday, Uncle Rudy and Auntie Carol made the trek down to see us. We had a great time just sitting around, chatting and watching Dougie. Dad had already gone back to Toronto but we had a great time anyway. Of course, we took more pictures.

Dougie with Grandma and Great Auntie Carol


Dougie with Great Uncle Rudy and Grandma


Auntie Carol is so funny!


And another teeth shot


It was so nice to have them visit. Dougie sure enjoyed hanging out with them and can't wait to see them again (us too)!

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Grandma and Grandpa McCall are back for a visit. Dougie sure appreciates them braving the temperatures of a Texas August but with tropical storms hitting and a hurricane coming up the coast, it must be love.

They arrived mid-day today so we had the afternoon to do a bit of shopping and then spend the afternoon playing with Dougie. He just learned to sit himself from a crawling position so it was fun for them to see some new tricks.

Of course, we have some pictures from today.

Grandpa and Dougie playing on the floor


Grandma and Grandpa playing with Dougie


Grandpa is as fun to stand with as the diaper box

Standing/Cruising Boy

Dougie LOVES to stand. Given an option, he will almost always opt to stand. He can pull himself up and once he's up, he can remain there for quite a while. He also cruising now. He'll pull up and then walk around whatever he is using for support. Sometimes, he'll even let go to see how long he can stand -- not long BTW. I wanted to share some more pictures of him standing today.



(notice the two little teeth on the bottom)


He's turning into such a little man.

Sault Ste Marie

Last weekend, the three of us travelled up to Sault Ste Marie to introduce Dougie around to some of his relatives. It was a bit of a trek to get up there -- Kim and Dougie met me in in Lansing, MI (she flew into Detroit, and I drove across from Chicago) and then we made the big car trip up through Michigan, across the Mackinac Bridge, and to the Soo. Dougie did OK in the car -- slept for a long while, needed to take a break every now and then at a rest stop. We played some Canadian folk tunes for him on the way up, just to get him in the mood.

Although we weren't able to stay very long (only for the weekend), we had a fantastic time up there. The highlight of the trip was introducing Dougie to his great-grandmother Baba. Her verdict -- Dougie is "very strong"!



Uncle Dan and Auntie Judy had us over to their house for dinner, and we got a chance to say hello to my cousin Cathie (check out the family resemblance in the eyes!) ...



... and her daughter Danica (Dougie's second cousin):


We also took a trek out to camp -- last time I was there, Dan and Judy had just started a big set of renovations -- now it's all done, and it looks great! (Way bigger and more modern than I remember back when I was young -- especially the kitchen) Baba made it out to camp for the first time this year, and we also got to see John, Vicki, Stephanie and Danica. Some assorted pictures from the day:

Uncle John and Dougie:


Uncle John, Baba and Dougie:


My cousin Stephanie and Dougie:


Uncle Dan, Aunt Judy, Dougie and me:


Uncle John and Dougie in the hammock at camp:


Me, Kim and Dougie, with a nice view of the St. Mary's River:


Baba, Aunt Vicki, and Dougie:


Full set of photos is available at Soo Trip August 2007.
Thanks to everyone for a fun time, especially to Uncle Dan and Aunt Judy for playing host!

Tooth Count

We are up to 2! Dougie isn't loving this process but he's doing surprisingly well.

Passport Renewal

My passport expired this month. When I called the consulate to see how long getting a new passport would take, they said 3-5 months. I certainly didn't have that sort of time. They indicated that if I went up to Canada, I could get it renewed more quickly. So, that's what we did. We had a trip planned to visit the Sault clan but I added a day on so I could get my passport. We were in and out the same day with a new passport in hand.

As an added bonus, my mother drove up to spend the day with Dougie and me. It was great to have her there to help pass the time while we waited for the passport. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Grandma trying to wake Dougie up for our day


Play time at a park by the river


Mum giving Dougie some pushes


Dougie loves swinging


Cooling off at the mall with Grandma