Randoms

So I had to put this picture up because it is super cute. Here is Isaiah eating his cereal at my parents house...he only needs 4 phone books to reach the counter! Think his bowl is big enough? His bib even reaches his ankle. Look at how big my baby is!
Here are Isaiah and I at the beach in Penticton. He wasn't so sure about the water. Maybe next time though he'll be brave and go in.
This is the clematis in our backyard. Greg is pretty proud of how many flowers it has and how big it is. So, for all you flower lovers here you go.
Here's our palm tree. It doesn't look very big in this picture but it's about 5 1/2 feet tall already. This is pretty good since we've had it since it was about 1 foot tall. Next time (when my memory card isn't full) I'll be sure to add a picture of the Falks 1st ever vegetable garden that is producing plenty of tasty treats.
Last but not least here is a shot of Isaiah carrying the corner flags back to the sideline after Greg's soccer game.

Camping

So, we went camping for the first time ever. It was fun...except for the fact that it rained all day Saturday. Oh well, the kids loved it and it really wasn't that bad! Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

Noah and Greg reading bedtime stores by the campfire....this campfire pales in comparison to the HUGE one he built later that evening. It was so big the neighbouring campers were commenting on it. It was huge I'm serious!

Here's Greg and Isaiah down at Alouette Lake. We all hiked there in the rain but had a great time throwing rocks and exploring the beach.

Apparently we have to go camping more often so I get out of dish duty. As you can see, Noah and Sabrina took over dish duty and they did a great job!

Here we are sitting beside the campfire eating smores. I think this was the 1/2 hour it didn't rain on Saturday!
Finally, the drive home. It didn't take long before these kids were passed out in the back of the truck. Overall, other than the rain and Isaiah's head injury, we had a great time. Looks like we'll be going again in August. Hopefully this time it doesn't rain or I quit! Ha!

New Thumb

Here is a picture of Isaiah's "new thumb". He won't let me get close enough to take a more current picture but it looks great...still pretty swollen but great! This picture was taken 2 days after his surgery. Thanks everyone for your prayers!

Canada Day

Here are some random pictures from the end of June. Our friends Elliot and Julle have a scooter and the kids spent the afternoon pretending to ride it. Here Jacob (our neighbour) is giving Noah a ride. As you can tell, Noah really likes the helmet.

Here's Isaiah doing what he loves best, pushing the lawnmower. Greg can't wait till he is old enough and big enough to push a real one.

CANADA DAY! Here are some photos from the Canada Day Parade we went to in Abbotsford. Isaiah liked the parade much better this year. When the fire trucks and police cars came he pointed and said "Wow". A marked improvement from the screaming he did last year.

Dinotown

The family took a trip to Dinotown on Fathers Day and here are some pictures from our
Dino-riffic day!

There were boats we got to paddle...well, Greg and Noah did while Isaiah and I enjoyed the ride.

There was a big dino-slide Noah went down.

Here are all the guys posing by the big brontosaurus...you can't see them so well because I had to back up so far to fit them all in the picture.

The kids even got to ride in a big field of pterodactyls.

They also got to ride in this funky purple car. I can't believe Noah actually let Isaiah drive! Anyways, it was a great day along with all of this there were shows, a parade, mini golf, bike riding, bumper cars (not a favorite of Isaiah), and even a sports section with golf, football, soccer, hockey, and baseball (Greg was a fan). It was a great day. Happy Fathers Day Greg!

Two Thumbs Up!

So, as most of you know Isaiah was born with an extra "nub" on his right thumb. Well, we have been waiting a while for the surgery to remove that "nub". Two weeks ago we got a phone call telling us that they had space on Monday June 23rd....provided Isaiah wasn't sick. At the time he wasn't sick and hadn't been sick for a while so we jumped at the opportunity. Needless to say he was fine until Friday when he ended up with an ear infection and laryngitis. So, it was a weekend of worry as to whether they would do the surgery or not and how it would go, etc etc.Anyways, Isaiah walked in to Children's Hospital yesterday with three thumbs up and he came out with two thumbs up! Yay! This should hopefully conclude the surgery portion of Isaiah's life and end his chances of a career as a movie critic!

The surgery was supposed to take 1 hour and 20 minutes and it involved removing the extra bone and moving tendons and ligaments to the outside of his new thumb followed by a cast for 3 weeks. However, the surgery itself took only 45 minutes because when they started operating they realized he had two sets of tendons and ligaments so none needed to be moved. All they ended up doing was removing the bone and adding a bit of fat to the tip of his thumb to shape it better. Plus, instead of a cast for 3 weeks he only needs a bandage for 2-3 days which we can remove and then just cover the stitches with a band-aid. It was a relief to know that it went better than planned. An hour after his surgery we were on our way home and by the time we got home Isaiah was ready to eat! He ran around the rest of the day with Noah and the other kids and has shown no signs of pain in his thumb or anything. So far so good. Thanks everyone for your prayers and I will post pictures of his "new thumb" when the bandage comes off!

BEFORE


AFTER

It was a long day so after a bunch of food and some playing the kids cuddled up on the couch to watch a show before supper. In this picture I asked Isaiah where his third thumb was and he's giving me the "I don't know" hand.

Water Park Mania

Wow, two blogs in one week...you guys must think I've gone crazy...truth is, Greg is in Seattle watching the Brazil versus Canada soccer game (lucky guy), the kids are in bed, and there is nothing on TV. So, what else could I do?

Well, the other day....when it was warm (not like today) the boys and I met up with Cindi and her kids at the Mission Water Park. It was a great time had by all.

I think it is fair to say that the kids spent more time on the blanket "Snacking" then they did actually playing in the water....well, mine did anyways. Here they are after munching on some snacks...Noah was probably eating Auntie Cindi's snacks since mine weren't good enough. But do note that we brought almost the same food...I guess hers just tastes better! Thanks for sharing.

The kids....well Olivia anyways....eventually made it into the water. Noah isn't really in the water but Olivia is. Poor Olivia, she waited in the cold water for Noah to come and stand with her under the rainbow for about 2 minutes but Noah preferred to stay dry. Noah eventually made it through the rainbow, but only when Auntie Cindi went with him.

Isaiah liked hanging out in the train engine....eventually the sprinklers inside the train engine came on and that was the end of hanging out in the train. Poor guy got trapped inside and soaking wet! Not a fond memory of the Water Park.

I had to post this picture because it is typical of Noah and Sabrina. When they are together they tend to always be with each other. Too cute!

The day ended with a group shot in front of the Water Park. We had a great time. Thanks Reids for coming with us...we'll have to bring the Dad's next time!

The Past 2 Months

So, I have been told that I really need to update our blog. I must say, we are very boring people. Other than Greg's soccer, football, and work, not much happens around here so there really isn't much to write. Oh well, here are a few photos from the past couple of months.

Isaiah enjoys "hanging out" at Noah's gymnastics classes. The gymnastics teacher was so impressed with Noah's gymnastics / athletic skills that she wanted to move him into the 5-7 year old class. After much debate we left him in the 3-5 year old class and he's having fun...it isn't very challenging for him but it's fun and he's learning to be around kids he doesn't know! Isaiah can't wait to get out there and start joining in.
Greg went to the last ever Seattle Supersonics game in March and before he left with Tyler Noah and Isaiah decided they should model their shoes. Not much walking went on since they were like skis on the kids! Noah figured he'd wear his Seattle Seahawks shirt for the occasion.
A few weeks ago we headed up to Summerland to visit my parents. We did a lot. We went to Grandma's work to look at the big loaders, diggers, and dump trucks. We went to Summerland Sweets for Ice Cream and candies, we walked into town and went to Penny Lane, we played on the playground, we even had donuts. One day Noah found these earmuffs and wore them everywhere, even when Grandpa took him for a ride on the ATV. Isaiah got to go for a ride too and he really enjoyed his first trip....to the end of the driveway and back!
One afternoon it got really windy and Noah tried to fly his kite....no such luck! So, we broke out the golf clubs instead. I'm hoping one day Isaiah can make it big as Tiger Woods caddy! As usual my dad had the putting green in tip-top shape, Noah only took a few chunks out of the lawn.
The other day Greg and I took the kids to Mill Lake. Noah rode his bike all around the lake and it was then that we realized his 12" bike was just too small. So, on Sunday they had a great sale on 16" bikes....so we got him one. Here he is riding his new bike! Pretty fancy!

Well, that's about it from us! The kids are doing great, Isaiah has recovered from his sprained ankle! Hope whoever reads this enjoys the pictures and I promise to add more soon! We've decided to take up camping this year....I've never been but Greg says it's fun. So, I'm sure you'll soon see pictures of camping, our vegetable garden, trips to Mill Lake, and all the other fun stuff we plan to do...even Dinotown!

Isaiah Turns 1

So, it is official our baby is now 1.....sniff sniff! It has been quite a year and we have definately realized how blessed we are to have Isaiah here. On to the party! We had the typical Falk bash for his first birthday party which included 35 close family and friends. Noah helped pick the guest list which amounted to quite a few people apparently. I don't know so much that he cared but fun was had by all. We had a feast, some gifts, and even a pinata which was requested by the older kids. To our surprise Noah was right in there with everyone...quite a switch from his birthday party where he hid upstairs for the first 1/2 hour. So, I guess both our boys are growing up!

He had a Sesame Street themed party and here he is sitting under his Sesame Street sign.

As usual, Auntie Cindi made an awesome cake for the party. It wouldn't be a Sesame Street party without a Cookie Monster cake now would it?

Here is the Little....or should I say Big Man enjoying his first taste of cake. Most of this piece ended up on the floor but he had fun and surprisingly his shirt stayed white!

Now that he is one we thought he was ready to try sleeping in a Big Boy Bed. Who knew the transition would be so easy! We left his crib up for a couple of nights but he never needed it. He loves his Big Boy Bed. Noah has "lent" his very special blue blankie to help Isaiah sleep. I know, his cherished blue blankie....what a brother! Anyways, he's doing well, he wakes up at about 7:30 in the morning and starts banging on his door so we can let him out! I guess it's almost time for another......ha ha!

Randomness

In the past month we have done a couple of things. One of them was this trip to Chuck E Cheese with Grandma and Grandpa from Mission and Auntie Cindi, Olivia, Sabrina, and Malcolm. Noah and Isaiah both had a ton of fun riding all the rides. The Reid kids had fun too. I think Malcolm had the most fun just putting money into the rides and then getting off....before the ride was over.
We also decided to surprise Grandma from Summerland by showing up at her house a couple of days before her birthday. She was surprised to see me and the kids when we showed up at her work. Greg didn't come....something about a job and work! One of the things we did while we were there was go bowling....or in Noah's words "Bowlering". He had so much fun and scored 86 all by himself with no help. My Mom, Dad, and I also benefitted from the pool noodle bumpers they had in the gutters though we still threw gutter balls...go figure!
Noah figured no birthday was complete without a cake....so, here he is making Grandma a chocolate (his pick) cake. I think his help ended after the batter eating with a face only a mother could love!
Isaiah took a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's as an opportunity to snuggle up in their bed. I think it is a lot warmer and more comfy than his crib.
Well, we came back from Summerland on a Friday and on Saturday Noah had his weekly gymnastics class. He is pretty good at gymnastics.....as is the case with all the sports he tries. Here he is on the pommel horse holding himself up. Noah quite enjoys gymnastics just like he did soccer. As for Isaiah, he is doing well....sick again but other than that he is doing well. That is all from us for now.

Photo Shoot

Our neighbour Anne has set up a "Photo Studio" in her basement and she needed some guinea pigs. So, I sent over my two pigs and look what happened? Anyways, here are my 3 favorite pictures from the shoot.

Winter Pictures

So, just before Christmas we had to take Isaiah to Childrens for an ultrasound and meeting with the Renal (Kidney) Doctors. Last year at this time we were hearing only bad news about Isaiah, so this year it was great to hear that his kidney is doing well! Yay! They say it is growing like it should be and is functioning well so we don't have to go back for a year. I must say this news made for a great Christmas. And, as you can see he looks great...even though he is sick all the time he is doing better than I had imagined. Zay has also started walking....well taking about 10 steps by himself. Unlike Noah he gets into everything and anything...Greg's poor TV is now used as a climbing post!

And here is Noah. He is a great kid who is growing like a weed. This year he understood what Christmas was...the birth of Jesus. He was a little disappointed though when he woke up on Christmas morning and Santa had already been here. Last year he saw Santa but this year Santa had already left?! Strange. Anywho, he had a great Christmas and was spoiled as usual. Just before Christmas he finished soccer and is now doing Gymnastics. He has only had one class but he loves it so far. Noah already writes his own name, knows all the letters and can write most of them, knows where he lives on a map (along with other places like Disneyland), and can count. It is getting harder to outsmart him. Looks like we are in trouble!

As I mentioned before, the boys had a great Christmas. Here they are wearing their new robes Santa brought them. They were spoiled. It even snowed on Christmas Day. For Noah's first Christmas it snowed up in Summerland and for Isaiah's first Christmas it snowed too. Fun. I dont' remember it ever snowing on Christmas when I was a kid.

We have had a ton of snow here lateley and here was one of the snow days. Greg and Noah built about an 8 foot high snowman in our front yard and here are the kids in front of it. Noah just got his own toboggan so it better snow again!