hasta la vista

our wonderful time in mexico is over, and we are back in canada, having to work, drive and cut our own fruit.  ;-(

the boys were quite content with a lunch of hotdogs and cantaloupe, followed by a chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles.  zeke would occasionally mix in some quesadillas, and ty some cucumbers, but mostly it was a strict regimen of hotdogs, cantaloupe and ice-cream.

zeke did become comfortable in the water later in the week.  we spent every morning and most afternoons at the beach.  ty will swim out as far as you will allow him and was fascinated by the coral (nothing fancy, worn down to black rocks and seaweed) and its potential for being sharp.

zeke did enjoy strutting manfully up the sand.

plus playing a little football.

"can you believe it mom?"

every day to and from the beach was an iguana hunt.  the area between the hotel buildings was perfect iguana habitat with rock and caves throughout.  on a sunny day we could usually find four or five, some impressively large.

one evening we stumbled into a swedish kids club's recital and ty got involved spontaneously, even hugging the mascot.  they did a dance to "what does the fox say?" which got both the boys moving.

lots of brotherly love on this trip.  ty was very eager to share things with zeke and show him the ropes.  brotherly love of course also includes being shoved into the sand, splashed and generally being pushed around.

speaking of pushing around, ty pushed a luggage cart out of the airport for us!  i had one, kylie had the stroller and ty took the other.  i was doubly impressed when kylie pointed out (after the fact) that he couldn't even see where he was going.  only one crash.

now we're back in chilliwack and enjoying a different kind of beach.  kylie has been making mango salsa and fish tacos and quesidillas to ease the gustatory transition.  yes, i know it's hard... but we'll pull through.

nos gusta la playa

 our family is seriously blessed to be spending the last week of january in sunny mexico.  this is our first time at an all inclusive resort and we may be hooked.  no cooking, no cleaning, no driving... our only real responsibility is looking after the boys in the water.  and all that really entails is putting their lifejackets on.

zeke has been a bit more cautious in the water than ty, but after a few days of coaxing he is starting to enjoy it.  we had the opposite problem with ty at this age... he would run right into the surf and get tumbled by the waves, get up and do it again.  again, thank god for life jackets.

a sandy beach is my favourite place to practice tai chi.  zeke was watching me and started copying the form.  so cute.  tough to stay focused.

 ty's main motivation for this trip was to bury daddy in the sand, and bury me he did.  it was funny to sensorily experience his methods; in an eerily similar manner to kylie's cleaning or organization tactics, ty would put a few handfuls of sand on my leg, then my chest, then my other leg, then my chest again, then my arms for a while and so on.  very different from my systematic approach, but it got the job done.

rising from my sandy camouflage was quite the event.  it felt good too.

back in the hotel room we have developed a good system for getting the boys cleaned up and in bed.  ty wasn't angry here, he is just making faces.  zeke on the other hand is wearing his natural expression.

 we have reached a fun stage where both of the boys can enjoy the same stories.

 zeke has even started enjoying them on his own.

 in the evenings after dinner we have dance parties to wind down.  sounds counterproductive, but it seems to work.

the food at the resort is fantastic and hugely varied (ignore the pictured sugar cookie and fruit loops).  the staff at the resort seem to genuinely love kids and our kids love them back.  again it has been interesting to observe the differences between ty and zeke.  ty loves everyone, and mexicans are no exception.  he is good at saying "gracias" and "uno mas por favor" and is happy to engage with everyone, including random people on the beach, and particularly the pretty hostesses.  zeke on the other hand is typically very stoic, stonily staring down anyone trying to make him smile.  the locals however have won him over: today at breakfast he said his first fully pronounced word "peekaboo" (if that counts as a word) while pointing to our waiter, who was letting other patrons' cappuccinos get cold while he stuck his head above a wall and waved.  tonight he was clearly in love with a waitress at the restaurant.  she wasn't our server, but kept coming over to touch his cheeks and give him shoulder rubs.  he got all doe eyed and clearly wanted to give her a kiss.  he has never acted that way with anyone but his parents.  maybe he feels kinship with their dark complexions.  maybe he just likes their beautiful eyes.  regardless its amazing to watch.

sometimes we have a little downtime out of the sun.

taking silly self portraits is ty's new hobby.  if he takes about 30 a day he may one day catch up to his mother.  good thing hard drives are getting bigger.

tonight we went out for dinner at a fancy restaurant.  they required shoes and long pants!  things started off a little shaky with about 12 different glass goblets on the table, but once we got most of those cleared off and the serving staff started working their magic (see above) the boys actually sat still and (mostly) quiet in their chairs for just over 2 hours!  thank goodness, b/c there was a wedding party right beside us and there was a distinct possibility our kids would cry through their entire wedding banquet and possibly throw chocolate cake or ketchup on the bride's dress.

we have 2.5 more days before we fly home.  luckily its supposed to be sunny in chilliwack when we arrive.  not ready to leave yet.  we have some more relaxing to do, and a lot more food to eat!
nos amora la playa!

brothers

 a few pictures from this past week.  ty and zeke have been enjoying each other.  zeke is thrilled to go for a walk anytime, ty needs to be bribed with snacks already.

 they both always have fun once we're out though.

 the boys recently experienced the thrill of a lifetime, watching a concrete pump truck extend its boom all the way into our backyard to pour footings for our new deck.  fun times in the g house.  seriously.

  there have been a few nice days recently and we have been able to get outside.  ty and i have been on a some walks in the forest and i have been out on the fraser.  less fish out at this time of year, but it's very quiet.

 zeke is developing his own goofy, face scrunchy personality.  granted kylie made most of zeke's wardrobe decisions here, but these pictures let the new zeke shine.

"i don't care if i found this toothbrush in a dust pile under the couch, sometimes a guy's just got to get the sugar bugs."
(just to clarify, zeke doesn't actually talk; that's just me narrating his expression)

2014 early report

2014 has been good to us so far.  we have had a lot of rain but some sunny days as well.  it has been mild here compared to the rest of north america, 5-8 degrees every day.  still strange to go for a walk in the forest in a light jacket while the continent experiences record cold temperatures.

here is ty hypothesizing as to why the squirrel is not coming out to see him.  maybe he's asleep?  maybe out for a walk?

ty and zeke have been playing well together.  kylie had despaired of them being playmates when suddenly it just happened.  not to say zeke doesn't still get knocked around a little, but so far he's rolling with it.

we spent new years at our friends bryan and mary's house.  sadly this is the only picture we took.  happily it documents approximately one quarter of the available food.  brie fondue, chips, quiche, fruit and every type of cookie and chocolate you could want, plus plates of fried things... mmmm...

speaking of chocolate, kylie got me a nice brick of tasty dark chocolate for christmas and we're slowly working through it.  coconut ash and banana is not your typical flavour of chocolate, but it is my new favourite.

it's wonderful to look outside as the seasons change.  occasionally ty claims this spot as his play sanctuary and i can't bear to move all his meticulously placed cars for so bourgeois an activity as reading a book or gazing out across the valley.

this saturday, in addition to driving the cart at home depot, ty got pulled into their kids club, using a hammer and nails to make a sandbox out of a little kit.  the finished product was a 3d tictactoe game, but we were on a different wavelength.  he was thrilled and legitimately learned a bit about hammering real nails.  thanks home depot!

kylie has been taking the boys to a local cafe for a doughnut +/- hot chocolate on occasion.  they have proved able to sit in a chair for prolonged periods when primed with sugar.  like his dad with chocolate or his mom with veronica mars.