Hallowe'en

Oliver and his friend Owen wore their Hallowe'en costumes to Science World this morning! They were admired by everyone, of course, but especially by their moms!

Oliver fishing for salmon (a grizzly bear's favorite snack!).

My vocabulary

This morning we decided to write down all the words that Oliver can say. We didn't think he said much, but when we counted them up...he can say over 30 words! His very favorite word is "NO" (emphasis his). He says this word more often than all the other words combined! In no particular order:

mummy (mum-MEE)
daddy (dad-DEE)
truck
please
ball
car
book
duck
baby
up
down
sit
more
bird
dog
wheel
ME (ie: give it to me)
cracker
apple
bye
hi
milk
juice
bubble
bottle (sounds like bubble, but different context)
sock
shoe
hat
hot
cold
train
spoon
GO (a favorite in the stroller, at the playground, while running around naked after the bath...)
soo (soother)

And when prompted with the name of the corresponding animal, he will make the following noises:
argh! argh! (dog)
miu! miu! (cat)
ee! ee! (monkey)
cah! cah! (bird - the bird we see most often is a crow)

Locarno Beach

Sunday morning at the seaside! It was a beautiful fall day, and Oliver played with his parents and grandparents in the sand and the leaves.

Saturday night with gma and gpa

Grandma Jude and Grandpa Bill babysat for Ollie on Saturday night while his parents went out on the town. Christina and Tom took full advantage of their freedom, and had dinner with friends, went to a hockey game and then a fabulous Hallowe'en party! Oliver was spoon fed his meal in the loving and doting arms of his grandparents and he thanked them by participating in the clean up. A lovely evening for everybody!

Swimming class

Tom took Oliver to swim class last week. The boys had a great time, and Oliver learned to stand on the deck and leap into his Dad's arms!

Tea time with Dad

Going to the park!

We found a great park at the Kits Community Centre that has a spongy surface. This came in handy on our very first visit, when Oliver tumbled right out of this tube onto the step below and then straight to the ground! He was ok, but his mum nearly had a heart attack! Can you see the fading bruise on his forehead?

Grandma Jude and Grandpa Bill

Beacon Hill Park petting zoo

Royal Victoria half-marathon

We spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Victoria, with Grandma Jude and Grandpa Bill.

Tom did the Royal Victoria half-marathon, and Christina did the 8K. Oliver cried when his parents left for the run. Grandma Jude found him near the front door a few minutes later, trying to pull on his running shoes!

Tom was looking good after 18K - only 3 to go!

London UK

We just got back from a fabulous trip to London! Oliver enjoyed himself so much! From the moment we got to the airport in Vancouver, he seemed to thrive on the momentum and energy of travel. The flight over was fantastic - Oliver swanned up and down the aisle, smiling at everyone and enjoying their friendly attention. He slept for the better part of the journey, and awoke to meet Grandma Jude at Heathrow!

Christina, Jude and Oliver discovered the playground at Hyde Park, and spent a lot of happy times there. It was fun to see the little British kids, with their scarves, smart clothes and cute accents! On Friday, Tom joined us and we found the Princess Diana Memorial Playground - a treasure! The women couldn't decide if it was Tom, or Oliver, that had more fun!

Other highlights of the trip included hanging out at our lovely flat - Oliver played for hours in the gauzy curtains and with the phone. Also, there was a wonderful trip to"Hamley's" toy store where he picked out a few souvenirs for himself.

Of course, London is a very fashionable place. You don't want to go out without the right accessories...

We are exhausted from the flight home (not quite as straightforward as the flight there!), and jet-lagged, but still glowing from the amazing holiday in one of the world's most exciting cities...