Summer fun

Whose toes are these and why are they so dirty? Find out!

Announcing......

Who's that hiding in my laundry?
Go find out!

Self portrait with marker

Brett's first self portrait.

That's our house on the left, with a front door, door knob and cat door (for when we had a cat. Which we don't now.) Upstairs are windows, one with curtains.

My favourite things about the picture he drew of himself are the fingers and toes (one finger has a bandaid), belly button, eyelashes and hair. I was happy to see him draw a big smile on his face.

The caption reads TODAY IS 2007 SUN DEC 30. Under his picture he has THIS IS BRETT. Is it weird that he refers to himself in the third person?

I tried really hard to ask what he wanted to draw next, and not tell him what to draw. I was so curious to see what he would come up with.

More assorted festive and active pictures on Facebook.

Memorable moments

Rather than try to remember long stories from the last month or so, I'll post some highlights.

Brett, on his birthday: "You know, mama, I don't think I really feel 4."

Brett, after the dentist said he was looking for sugar bugs: "You mean bacteria?"

Us, after being told at the parent-teacher meeting that Brett likes routine: "Really?!"

Brett, getting ready for Hallowe'en: "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!"

Brett, after a particularly musical day at his babysitter's: "Wyyyye, Emmm Cee Aye..." complete with dance moves.

Brett, with an English accent (no idea why): "Can we read some Stuart Little?"

Brett, while watching Jeopardy: "I knew that one!"

Hallowe'en pix

I know I have to post about Brett's birthday, my parents' visit and our first parent-teacher interview, but in the meantime, here's an early Hallowe'en picture. More on Facebook (you should be able to see them even if you don't have an account).

Thanks for the costumes, Trace!

Arts and recreation

So far, preschool is a success. Brett sings us new songs he's learned there, and shows off new dances when he remembers them. He always has some artwork in his backpack, like this lovely pasta necklace I received earlier this week. My first one! (His teacher says some parents save them all year, then return them so the pasta can be reused!)

Now we just have to figure out what to do with it all. I'm thinking a bin with a lid, to throw everything into. Then at the end of the year, pick out our favourite two or three and save in a book.

Two things about this picture:
1. Our front door is red. Randy repainted before I had a chance to record the yellow. Sorry Erin. But if you look closely, you might still be able to see some behind the red. it still needs another coat.
2. Brett is making a funny face. This is a new trick he has as soon as the camera comes out. For more funny-faced pictures, check my album on Facebook.

Home improvement

We've done some stuff around the house (finally!), including new benches on our new deck. We actually paid someone else to do the deck, but Randy and I (mostly Randy) built the benches. A few more photos on Facebook, including the ways Brett helped. (This picture was taken through a screen, which is why it looks kinds weird.)

The other thing we did was paint the front door, some thing we wanted to do for a while. Brett wanted purple, orange or turquoise, I wanted red, and Randy wanted anything but those choices. We settled on yellow. Sunshine yellow to be exact. Our version of a compromise.

Here's the thing about yellow -- bright yellow: bugs are attracted to it. Like they're attracted to a bug zapper. And it's the season of many teeny flying insects, which are all attracted to our freshly painted door. Even if the sunshine yellow makes us feel bright and cozy through the long cold winter, it'll take at least that long to scrape the dead bugs off.

First day of school

Brett's first day of school is tomorrow, actually.

He's gone for a short visit and met his teachers (two, for 24 kids). With that, and a week of day camp under his belt, I think he's ready.

Tasks for tonight: decide on shoes to leave at school, pack a snack in his new lunch bag, and try to get to bed a little bit early. Wish us luck.

More family visits

Brett had lots of navigating to do as we showed Cousin Jordan many of the sights in and around Cochrane: hiking near Canmore, playing at Calaway Park, the Calgary Zoo, walking Cochrane's pathways, and shopping at Market Mall.

I had the camera out for our hiking and walking stuff. No camera for the shopping or the zoo (I was at work -- boo hoo!). Maybe Jordan will post some.

Office art

Brett came to visit me at work last week. I gave him some pens so he could doodle something to put on my wall.