Birthday Balloon

Alan had a great birthday party, and on his birthday today, he's still having fun with his birthday balloons!



Update - one month later and the balloon is still floating! and Alan still loves it!

Alan's First Birthday Party

Today was Alan's first birthday party, at our family's favourite place, Dynamoze!



Grandma's feeding the birthday boy. Cupcakes soon!



Auntie Glo came for his birthday party too!



Our birthday boy loves frosting!



Sleepy boy - it was a fun party!

Alan Stands!

While visiting Auntie Karen G., Alan decides to show off.



Every time he stood up, Alan would throw his arms up in the air - "Ta da!"

Air Show!

Today we went to Alan's first air show. The boys were not happy with the noisy demonstrations - next year we'll have the nifty ear muffs that Auntie Jenn found for Mackenzie. Once they were over though, Kevin had a nap and Alan had a food fest/fight with Mackenzie, tossing Pirate Booty and baby cheetos back and forth.


Sometimes we're amazed where this boy will sleep.


"I need more ammo!"

We then got to tour Uncle Marc's plane - a C-135 configured to carry important passengers.


Alan wants to play with Uncle Marc's sunglasses.


Alan checks out the seat reserved for four-star generals.


Mommy is easily amused by a trip up and down the ladder to the cockpit.


Daddy had fun taking pictures of planes in the air and on the ground. Yesterday, he flew in the composite flyby. Today, he's taking pictures of it.

Trick or ReTreat!

Our neighbourhood had it's 8th Annual Halloween picnic and costume parade. The weather had cooled down enough for Alan to wear his penguin costume.



Kevin had a comfy astronaut costume, with all the gear handily printed on the outfit.



Auntie 'Chelle came to join us, and she held Kevin's hand for the parade while Mommy carried Alan. Daddy was left to pack the remains of the picnic.





As is traditional, we went to Auntie Karen G. to show off the costumes.



After that, it was time to go home for bed. What a long day!

Halloween at SeaWorld

This Halloween we went to Fright Fest at SeaWorld - Alan's first real visit. Our good luck started off with a perfect parking spot - right up front along the center aisle. While Mommy and Alan had lunch, Daddy and Kevin went to Shamu's Happy Harbor where they climbed up and down the pirate ship. Then we were off to see the dolphins, where we were just in time to feed them! Daddy touched the slimy fish while Kevin laughed as the dolphins hovered near by.





Alan was curious, but cautious. "What are these strange wet creatures?"



Then it was on to the Coral Reef Aquarium, where we watched the underwater feeding show. Both boys were fascinated with all the activity.



Afterwords, Alan got a close-up view at Kevin's favourite spot.

The Thumper Sleeps

One of the reasons Kevin has the nick name "The Thumper" is that he's bouncing off the walls when he should be napping. When he does crash, though, sometimes he does so in the funniest places.

Here he is in front of the family room fireplace on his ABC carpet, where he fell asleep in the middle of playing.


Up in his room, he'll often pull the pillows off his bed on to the floor. One of the pillows is the big curved Snoogle, which mommy used while she was pregnant. Now it's perfect for making a nest in Kevin's bed...



...or on the floor.

One of his favourite thumping items in his bedroom is the rocking recliner. Sometimes, we'll find it 4-5 feet away from it's original position because he's been rocking it so hard. Yesterday, mommy found him asleep in it.



Sweet dreams baby panda!

Pumpkins!

Today, Kevin's playgroup met at the Bracken Pumpkin Patch. We came here with Auntie Jenn and Uncle Marc two years ago, and it was fun to be back.

This was Alan's first visit, and he enjoyed examining these strange orange objects.





While Alan hung out in the pumpkins, Kevin wandered around checking out everything. Every so often, he would come to check on his little brother.



Kevin and Alan sat with Mommy on the big hay wagon for a photo opportunity.



Then, it was back to checking out pumpkins.





But all good things come to an end, so Kevin helped Mommy pick up one of their chosen pumpkins. It was time to go home!

Hanging out with the Cuddles

While Alan and Mackenzie have their Gymboree class, big brother Kevin does some colouring.



Alan and Mackenzie have fun in the rocking boat at Gymboree.



The scooters are pretty nifty too!



Alan LOVES Gymbo!



After class, we all go to Taco Cabana for lunch. Uncle Marc is silly and Kevin is loving it!

School Spirit

Kevin's school t-shirt came in last, week, so this Friday was the first time he participated in School Spirit Day. Even though it was the smallest size they had, the shirt was HUGE on him! Mommy had to tuck it in all the way.