Robbie Burns Night 2009

Last night was the annual Robbie Burns dinner. This would have been his 250th birthday. If you are planning a trip to Scotland, this would be the year to do it with all of the birthday celebrations going on. 

I didn't bother to take any new photos this year. You can always click here to see last year's post.

However, I had to take pictures of Liam wearing a kilt. It was Moira's when she was little. It barely fit over Liam's big tummy, but he still looked so sweet. 

So Big!

My little baby boy! I can't even call him a baby any more. He has grown so much these past few weeks. He was really slow with the walking and showed no interest in it. Why would he when scooting was so much faster! He would try to walk, but if  he was in a hurry, walking only slowed him down. Today Liam decided that it was better to walk so all day he didn't do that funny little thing that he does to get around. It was so great to see this huge milestone, but, at the same time, it meant that another stage in his life was over. Here is a video I took this afternoon of Liam's new talent. (I couldn't rotate the screen. Sorry! You'll just have to tilt your heads.)

I was beginning to think that Liam was going to talk before he walked. Check out the words he can already say:

daddy

hi

more

ball

bowl

balloon

kitty

bird

plane

shoe

bye (bye-bye)

light

Not too bad for a 16 month old. The words aren't completely clear, but you can understand what he is saying, especially when he is pointing. 

My boy. A baby no longer. 

Poll Results

Thanks for voting in the "How often do you eat out" poll. Here are the results:

     3 votes 1-2 times per month

     2 votes 3-5 times

     1 vote never

I voted for 3-5 times per month. Not that we actually "eat out" that often. In fact we rarely go to a restaurant. Usually I send Will to bring us take out. We are such home bodies that we prefer to eat at home even if I'm not the one cooking. And we tend to go in phases. Sometimes it seems like we are always eating take out and then we won't do it for a long time. I like it once in a while for a treat, but not on a regular basis. Even though I'm not the best cook in the world, I prefer to put the effort into our meals, that way I know exactly what goes into them. We get a much more balanced diet that way. 

Check out my new poll. 

Home

Liam and I flew home for a few days to go to my grandma's memorial. Even though our trip wasn't made under the ideal circumstances, we still had a decent time. 

Waiting at the airport in Boise.

Looking out the window at Sea-Tac. This was Liam's first plane trip. He did very well. He was glued to the airplane window. 

We spent our first couple of days at my dad's house. This is the view from his backyard. 

The little tree in the backyard was covered in huge dew drops one morning when I got up. It looked so beautiful. 

On Monday night Liam and I went over to Erica's house to play with the Wii. This is Caitlin and Liam snuggling on the couch. 

On Tuesday Liam and I and Mum and Al went to the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. It's a fun market with lots of shops and fruit and seafood stands. 

The view from the quay. I never get tired of seeing the city from here. It's always so beautiful, even when the weather isn't. 

Liam loved watching the tugboats. 

The water side of the quay. 

Kathleen Taylor

Three days before Christmas I got a call that my grandma had died. Even though it didn't come as a complete surprise, it was still difficult news to hear. This past Friday, Liam and I flew home to go to her memorial service. About a hundred people came. It was so wonderful to see so many people come to honour her.

This is my grandma (on the right) and her little sister Irene.

This is my grandma and grandpa and my cousins, Steve and Chris. Yes, that is me sitting on Grandma's lap.

I have a lot of fond memories of Grandma. She used to let me drink tea when I came over to visit and we would play Scrabble. Erica and I would spend weekends at the trailer in Birch Bay and we would hang out at the beach. One time we were out making sandcastles and before we knew it the tide had come in and it felt like we were a long ways out. Grandma had to come out and rescue us. She liked to drink B-52's while watching Johnny Carson and she was a pretty decent golfer. I will really miss her. I'm so glad that I was able to spend so much time with her growing up and I feel like I am a better person for it.

Poll Results

Thanks for participating in my "How do you warm up on a cold day?" poll. Here is how you voted:

     3 votes curl up on the couch and watch a movie

     3 votes have a hot shower/bath

     1 vote other

Personally, I love to have a long hot shower. There is nothing like having the warmth of the water gently hit your body and you can feel the life come back to your skin. When the hot water is all gone I like to make myself a cup of tea and curl up on the couch. Or if it's at night, I like to crawl into bed and pull the covers up to my chin. I hope this doesn't get too personal, but if Will is in bed too, then I like to lie right up next to him. He is always so warm and in no time I feel human again. 

Make sure to check out my new poll. 

For the Birds

I took our Christmas tree out of the house the other day and set it up in the backyard. Yesterday Moira and I redecorated it for the birds. We strung up some popcorn and orange and apple slices. I also put some of the fruit along the back fence for the squirrels. 




Then I gave Suki a good brushing and left her fur on the grass for the birds to soften up their nests. 


We love to watch the birds and squirrels in our yard. This year I would like to get our yard registered with the National Wildlife Federation as a backyard wildlife habitat. It's actually not that hard. Our yard at our other house would have qualified. We'll just have to redo the same things here. It will be a fun challenge.