Merry Sickmass To All!

     So Britta's Christmas did not evoke the memories of sugar plums dancing in heads, or singing carols round a crackling fire. Britta was sick. And then she was sick some more. And more. And more. It was the gift that kept on giving, especially when Mom and Dad caught the flu.

     We ended up bundling Britta off to emerge on Christmas Day, because she had experienced diarrhea for the past 7 days, and Kristine commented, "I don't remember being able to see her spine under her skin." That was enough. The doctor explained she likely had Norwalk or rotavirus. In hindsight, it explained Britta's apparent apathy with opening up her new Christmas pajamas on Christmas eve. What a relief! I thought it was because she didn't like the colour.

     We have set a target of New Years to open the remaining gifts and eat the Christmas goodies. This may actually be a Christmas holiday in which we all lose a little weight.

It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas

It 'tis the season of Christmas cards so we bundled Britta into her cumbersome but oh-so-cute snowsuit for some family photos. Britta insisted on walking to the red barn; whilst dear ol' dad froze his fingers on the camera and tripod.

Wind chill is no joke, children. I'm lucky I still have all ten fingers!

We are pleased to present 'our family'!

Politeness

The thing about Britta is that she is uncivilized, for lack of a better word. She will happily keep eye contact with strangers until they feel uncomfortable. Once they break her gaze, she often will full-on invade their personal space in an all-out index finger assault.

"Dis! Dis!" (see prior post for explanation)

Britta has been heard to eruct during dinners with guest, without so much as raising an eyebrow of apology. If only that were her only gaseous emission! Ministers' prayers have been disrupted by rumbles-in-the-bumble to the disdain of staid ladies with hatted heads.

We, being responsible parents, take this with the utmost sobriety. Where could Britta be picking up these barbaric habits?

Dis and dis

Britta wants to dis you. She wants to dis all of you! It's not because she hates you, it's just that 'dis' or 'this' can be used to describe pretty much anything. Britta is shy on words and so has worked out an economy-language, where 'dis' is the only word.

I'm simplifying her words a little. She also says 'shoos' on occasion and calls her belly button 'ba-ba'. She knows cows go moo, but she says 'boo' instead. She'll happily point out the window at the pasture and say 'boo... boo'. She is a country girl through and through. One of her favourite toys is a little John Deere tractor which she pushes around and makes engine noises.

Recently, she has given up on Mom and Dad's unreliable finger supports while walking, so she can motor around without the arm-length tether. We cheered and cheered!

Britta is following in Mom's love of music and booty-shaking. She has the cutest dance moves ever. Whenever we have a guest come to the door, Britta motors over with her walker/boombox and hits the big button shaped like the sun, and jumps up and down to the throes of Polly Wolly Doodle.

I'm particularly proud of identifying that song.

Summer holidays

   Well, it has been a thrilling summer! After getting settled into our new home, we had a two week trip to the west coast to see family and friends. We had the opportunity to camp in the Rockies on the way out, staying in Banff one day and then in Field the next. The Kicking Horse campground near Field is surrounded by majestic peaks which get bathed in crimson in the evening light. Field is also near Emerald Lake which lives up to its name. We did a walk around the lake and Kristine and Mom had a coffee at Cilantro. We will certainly be making a return trip!

   We hiked the Hermit Trail at the summit of Roger's Pass. It's not a long trail, but it is malevolently steep. Thankfully, the trail is quite cultured, with stones laid as steps for the steepest climbs. The views were unrivaled, but our legs were like gelatin after the hike down.

   It was wonderful to visit with Mogens and Irene and with Harry and Sonja. They are always consummate hosts with tables of tempting treats.

    We took the ferry to Vancouver Island and visited Mom and Dad, Joelle and Darcy, and Ian. Britta finally met her cousin Ezra, but when she went in for the "Hey, cuz!" embrace, he shied away and ran in terror. Britta's growl greetings can be very intimidating (as are her hugs). Britta is not quite walking yet, so all she could do is think, "I'll get you next time, Gadget! Ezra!"

   We spent a day at China Beach and a day at French Beach and Britta turned into a little beach bum. She was happiest when thigh-deep in the chilly ocean surf, swatting at the incoming waves. All too soon the visit was over and we had to leave.

   On the way home we went to a wedding in Osoyoos at a winery. It was delightful in a way that can only be achieved through the euphoria of wearing wool dress pants on a day hotter than 35C. It was heaps of fun and Britta clapped with every speech and toast. I suspect she thought they were applauding her. Vain, our daughter is so vain...

   We are happy to be home too!

Canada Day - Two weeks ago!!!

This post is not in chronological order. As an aside, I'm trying to get Britta's first word to be 'chronological'. Everyone else may settle for 'mum' or 'dad' but I figure we should set the bar high in the syllable department.

For those of you who haven't heard, we moved from Red Deer to Spruce View on June 30, so getting organized for Canada Day took some doing. We might not have made it at all except the kitchen was still packed safely in boxes and there was a pancake breakfast on at the Hall. Kristine made threats against my health if we didn't make it in time. That doesn't sound like her, does it?

We had a marvelous breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausages at the Hall before moseying on across the street to sit on the lawn at Norma's, the retired art teacher. The Spruce View parade came right by us and we saw floats pulled by tractors, small horses, big horses, even iron horses. The people on floats threw us candies and I called for extras from any of my students. In the end we gave all the candy to a rotund little boy who looked like he would savor it the most. By his wide eyes, you'd have thought he'd hit the lottery.

We had a BBQ lunch with Norma and her family. It was very kind of her to invite us as we were not together enough to bring anything.

I should mention that Britta's Canada Day shirt was purchased 11 months ago. Yeah, that's how we roll! We plan ahead, WAAAAAAAAAY ahead. Also, for some reason Canada Day gear is uber cheap in August.

We rounded off the day by watching the amazing fireworks display from our deck. I was nothing short of dumbfounded by the superb fireworks display put on by Spruce View. I expected a few bottle rockets and sparklers from the hamlet, but they brought out the big guns. I'm talking multi-coloured big boomers, screechers, and the ones that erupt into sparkles that trail to the ground below. Canada Day is THE day in Spruce View and people come from Sylvan Lake and Red Deer to see the fireworks. I would be surprised if Red Deer had a larger show. The fireworks lasted for nearly 15 minutes!

Have Bread, Will Travel

Britta had her first taste of the outdoors when we went camping in Banff this week. We packed thoroughly, imagining what it would be like to have a screaming infant in the middle of a crowded campground. The Highlander rode low as we headed to Cochrane for a picnic lunch.


Overnight, Britta has grown very single-minded with food. She wants bread. She wants milk; she wants MORE BREAD. Favourite foods of last week are out the window and bananas and avacados are met with a disdainful upturned nose. Kristine and I pride ourselves on imagined parenting skills and we immediately give in and give Britta that doughy goodness she craves.

Britta was fascinated with the train that passed through Cochrane and put down her bun for seconds at a time to point at it, looking down frequently to ensure that the bun had not run off and was still waiting to be gummed. Did I mention Britta now has a third tooth emerging? It's on the bottom next to the other two - still no sign of the elusive top line-up.

At Banff, we camped at the Tunnel Mountain campground. It's right on the edge of the town of Banff, so we had drinks at Starbucks ("Treat Yo-self!") and walked up to the Banff gardens. Britta was very taken with the begonias, much like her mother. We also had a leisurely stroll along the river while Britta napped in the stroller.

At the campground, Britta pointed at everything! Birds, squirrels, bugs, trees - nothing was spared by her index finger. Look at that! What is that? Her curiosity knew no bounds. A family with two little girls was in the neighbouring campsite and Britta made instant friends by smiling and waving her wrist-roll queen wave. They were visiting from Denmark and we had a halting conversation in English.

When it was getting dark and the mosquitos were getting bold we put Britta to bed. Not before three kamikazee mosquitos bit Britta in the center of her forehead. Britta didn't seem to mind. We purchased a PeaPod for Britta for this trip and it worked like a charm. It's a little pop-up tent, complete with air mattress for children. It was inside our tent, so Britta was doubly secure. All that fresh air put her right to sleep.

The following morning, Britta and mum cuddled so we could sleep in before a quick breakfast of muffins. We packed up camp and headed up to Lake Louise. Britta rode in the Kelty Kids pack with a home-made sun cover. Again, she was surrounded by a gaggle of hikers admiring how cute she was. One or two mentioned the valour of her steadfast mule, who was wheezing and puffing and working up a lather. Britta was very excited to be on the trek and she pointed, talked, sang, and poked her ol' dad in the head. Near the Plain of the Six Glaciers tea house Britta succumbed to the unsteady gait and had a snooze. That was fine by us, because we were able to enjoy our anniversary iced tea and scones. Guess which number this one was!

The path back didn't seem nearly as long and before long we were back to the vehicle. Our estimate for how long it would take was a teensy bit off so we stopped for supper at the Tim Horton's in Canmore. Britta fought sleep all the way home but she was out like a light the moment her head hit her cozy pillow in her bed.