Sports Fanatic!

Harrison loves sports! It doesn't seem to matter what kind, he loves any and all sports. He isn't even fussy about whether it's him playing them or not. He will watch any sport on TSN (The Sports Network for those of you less sports crazy!) until his eyes roll back into his head! He watches them all passionately to learn everything he can about that sport, before heading out to try it himself, with the same intensity as the pro-athletes exert! He then practices it over and over until he's got it as close to perfect as possible, then plays like it's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final!!! At least now I know how to channel all that spirit and spunk he's got ~ sports, sports and more sports! I've said if there was full body contact hockey for 2 yr olds I'd have put him in it long ago!!! I am fairly bias, however outside/neutral parties have told me several times that they are amazed at his natural ability. Is it natural ability or is it hours and hours of practice in the basement that make him so good?! Nevertheless, I have compiled a few videos of him for you to watch and you can decide for yourself....

Here's his first dive(head first)off the board onto his swimming instructor's head!



Here's his first hockey goal!



Here's his first soccer goal!



And last of all, here is his incredible golf swing...look out Tiger Woods here comes The Hurricane!!!



Hope these all work and that you enjoyed watching my little athlete in action!!! I'm taking orders for his autograph now, as they will be worth more when he's famous...any takers!?

Family Ties

A couple of weeks ago, my grandma Moore and my Dad's brother's wife (Aunt Marian) flew through Calgary on their way to Manitoba to sell the family farm and the last of my great grandparents estate, which had been left to my Grandma and her brother, who is now living in a care home near my grandparents in Chilliwack BC. They had a 2 hr stop over at the Calgary Airport, so I took advantage of a great opportunity for Harrison to spend time with some extended family that he doesn't get the chance to see very often.

It's too bad that our family is so spread out, but we've actually done really well at staying in touch over the miles and the years. I grew up in Saskatoon, my dad's brother raised their family in Chilliwack BC, my dad's sister and her family as well as his youngest brother lived in Winnipeg MB for many years, and more recently Regina SK and my grandparents lived in southern MB before their move to BC. We've always managed to get together once a year with some of the family. But my best memories are of all of us getting together, usually gathering in the middle at our house in Saskatoon!

Cousins are special to me. I'm not sure why that is. They are like long lost siblings that you don't see often, but when you get together, the family ties and resemblences are so strong that no matter how far apart you've grown up from one another, you always feel connected. Perhaps that's part of the magic! Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging, and getting together with extended family always made me feel like I was part of a much bigger picture, where there were always other kids waiting to play, new adventures to be had, a myriad of memories to be made and amazing things to discover! I always looked forward to those family reunions, that never seemed to come soon enough, but when they did, we'd run into eachother's arms, squeeze eachother so tight in big bear hugs before catching up on all the things we'd missed since our last get together. We'd all sleep on the basement floor in sleeping bags and stay up all night talking and giggling. The older cousins (me, since I am the oldest on both sides of the family) would take care of the younger ones as they followed us around by day, and we'd look forward to our wild nights once the little kids had gone to bed! Things were always rowdy when we were teenagers and we could get into more trouble...but we were pretty good kids!

I have warm memories of the adults chatting, cooking big meals to feed all of us and lots of hugs and kisses. The affection seemed to flow freely, and there was always someone around the next corner to wrap their arms around you, stating that it had been too long since our last hug, or an empty knee begging to be sat on, even as teenagers! I am blessed to be part of a very musical and creative family, so there were always kids putting on plays, adults gathered around the piano, singing and playing guitars. Lots of laughter....I can't think of one family member that doesn't have a great laugh, or that doesn't laugh often! And there were always stories being shared about my dad's generation, growing up in Manitoba and the childhood memories they have of playing with their cousins!

Now that we are mostly adults (there are some teens left in my generation!) our relationships have grown and transformed into a whole new level, as we continue to stay in touch as adults, and have children of our own. It is so fun to watch my cousins' children grow, and for Harrison to get to know them, and forge the same kind of connections with the next generation as I did with mine. I hope he finds a special place in his heart for all of these cousins! I am so fortunate to have such a big and loving family for Harrison to grow up in, and it will only continue to grow in love and numbers. From his great-grandparents to my cousins' children, I cherish every opportunity to get together with members from all the generations and to be part of the family circle.

QUESTION: My girlfriend often asks questions at the end of her entries, which is a great way to keep this interactive and ensure you leave a comment!!!! So I'm going to try it...guess I should give her the credit~thanx Angela!!! Here's my question...How many cousins do you have and are you close to them? Why or why not? Do you have that same sense of connectedness that I do? Do you have a special memory or a special cousin that stands out in your mind?

Hope you enjoy the questions and be sure to answer them!!! Can't wait to learn more about you!

Summer Time Fun

Well, the school year is over, meaning the end of my school bus run...which means one thing....summer is here!!! We have been blessed with wonderful warm weather since the middle of June, after 3 good weeks of solid rain. We have been taking advantage of the sunny days while they are here, as they never seem to last long enough! Although Harrison enjoys winter, the snow it brings and the outdoor sports and activities that come with living in a cold climate, he is equally enjoying lots of summer fun!



He is eagerly learning all the chores that come along with summer. He loves to follow behind and cut the grass with his own little lawnmower, as seen in the picture as he followed my mom around the front lawn!



He also has quite the green thumb and is turning into a good little gardener. He helped transplant all the flowers into either the front flower bed or the little terracotta pots hanging on the front porch railing. He is so proud of the hard work he accomplished, and is even good at watering them. Mostly because that involves spraying water out of the hose, which leads to squirting everyone around him with the hose (usually me!)then soaking himself, fully clothed once I've managed to run out of his range!



With all this fabulous heat we've had, we need to cool down, and I got sick and tired of being the moving target with the hose, so my parents took him out and bought him a pool! The advantages of being the first and only grandchild I guess! It's not a huge pool, but it's quite deep and is plenty big enough for him! So we've been beating the heat by keeping cool in our new pool! Harrison gets right in and swims around, I just stand in it and that's refreshing enough for me! He is quite the little fish and puts his whole head underwater willingly. I am so glad he enjoys the water and isn't afraid of it.



We are having a fun summer so far and are enjoying being able to sleep in and not have to be on the bus by 7am! We were busy last week with Stampede activities, which there were plenty of, enough to keep you out of the house 20 out of 24 hrs for 10 days straight if you really wanted to! We've had our fill of free pancake breakfasts and crowds, but not rides....Harrison never gets sick of going on rides!!! This week he is in swimming lessons with his little friend (Ali) from Australia, and they are loving being in the same class! Other than that, we are trying to take it easy and enjoy the good weather and our short and precious time with our friends from Down Under, before they head back mid Sept. There will be plenty of adventures to write about, and great pictures to post as we make memories of our fabulous summer of 2006! I will be sure to keep you all up to date! Happy Summer!!!

Champion Mutton Buster!

I hope this works this time! He had a great time and thinks he is a champion...which I'd have to agree with! If you listen carefully, you can hear me cheering right after he gets up! I will always be his biggest fan!!! And in case you were wondering, that's Spiderman face paint all over his face, it's not red to aggravate or intimidate the sheep in any way! We hope you enjoy watching this as much as Harrison has! He gets a real kick out of watching himself and now that he realizes it's him, he cheers himself on as if he doesn't know how it ends! Pretty cute really! Enjoy the action and excitement!!! Andn leave us a comment so we know what you thought of his rodeo debut! I think I've got a cowboy on my hands....

Cowboy Up Lil Buckaroo!

I hope this first attempt at posting a video on my blog is successful! If not I will try again.

Hopefully what you are seeing is my Lil Buckaroo's rodeo debut as a champion Mutton Buster! Sun July 2, 2006 he rode a sheep for the first time at the Ranchman's Club in Calgary! It's actually the local Pro Rodeo Cowboy waterin hole, but they set up a tent out back, some stands, a round pen and some chutes in the parking lot, then hauled in several truckloads of dirt and dumped them in the middle and there you have the perfect setting for a rodeo!!! Only in redneck Alberta! There will be Bull Bustin there all week leading up to the Stampede, but it was reserved just for Mutton Busters on Sun!

He had a great ride as seen in the video and won a trophy that says Ranchman's World Champion Mutton Buster July 2006. As far as he knows he won 1st place and is so proud of himself! He is now well on his way to being a real cowboy, since he didn't even cry, nor did he get turned off the rodeo experience, and all he talks about now is his next ride and moving up to bulls! I'm afraid he's already hooked (my lil adrenaline junkie!) and he did indeed Cowboy Up!

Harrison's Happy 4th Birthday Party!

You've seen the Drumheller birthday weekend pictures, now here are the pictures from his Dinosaur theme party that was held in a local park along the Bow River here in Calgary. We were lucky to get a beautiful warm day full of sunshine after 2 solid weeks of rain! I had visions of hosting 30 people at the house, but the weather co-operated to make for a very successful children's birthday party...which is not easy to do, for those of you that have not experienced trying to keep 8 kids under the age of 4 all happy!

The festivities got under way at 11am, with a BBQ at noon, followed by roasting marshmellows to keep little hands busy while we cleaned up, (13 mos old Aiden from Australia enjoying his 1st marshmellow roast!) a game of soccer to burn off that extra energy boosted by the eating of the marshmellows, dinosaur birthday cake at 2pm,the opening of the presents, then free time to do whatever tickled your fancy of the many activities the park has to offer: canoeing, peddle boats, train and kiddy rides, splash pool and lots of yummy ice cream!!! It was a blast and everyone had a great time! The best part of the day was that my bestfriend from Australia was able to be there to celebrate the day with us, with her 2 beautiful children and Harrison's best buds! (that is 3 yr old Alberta, named for her mom's home province, in the train with Harrison) We could not have asked for a better day or a better gift!

Happy 4th Birthday little man!!!

Harrison-O-Saurus!

When I asked Harrison what he wanted to do for his 4th Birthday, all he wanted in the whole wide world was to dig for dinosaur bones! Luckily we live in Alberta and only 1 1/2 hrs away from the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, allowing me the power to make his wish come true! I love a happy ending! There's my lil dinosaur hunter fighting off a fierce and hungry dinosaur waiting to gobble up the unsuspecting tourists as they approach the entrance to the museum! Oh wait~this may not be a happy ending afterall.......

June 16th happened to fall on a Fri this year, which was perfect for my plan. I got my mom and dad on board, then convinced my sister Shelley and her boyfriend Shahab to join us on our dinosaur-sized adventure, and even got Mike (Harrison-o-saurus's daddy) to come out for Sat, as we headed to the Badlands of AB for the weekend! We all left Fri after work and spent a fun family weekend in Drumheller searching for ancient dinosaur bones, splashing in the hotel pool and even snuck in a trip to Reptile World where Harrison got to see every kind of reptile known to man from around the world before cuddling up to the resident Boa named Brittney!

For his bravery I bought him the t-shirt that says "Brittney Hugged Me"....the kid hugged a snake, the least I could do was buy him the shirt!




We even had time to fit in a little party with presents and cake in the hotel room! I think this was his most amazing birthday yet, especially since the celebration went on all weekend...he thought his birthday was 3 days long...and I guess it was!

He had so much fun discovering dinosaurs and learning all about reptiles. I felt on top of the world, making his only birthday wish come true, and watching his face light up as he turned every corner in that museum only to find something new to discover, then watch him beam with pride as he came off the waterslide at the hotel and master his back float unassisted. It was like I took a baby to Drumheller with me and brought back a Preschooler. He literally grew up overnight. As much as I want him to grow and change and learn everything about the world, I hate to see him so independant and so grown up.

Every year on his birthday I am happy to see him enter a new phase of growth, but sad when I reflect on how quickly the time passes and how a full year of memories, life lessons and learning is gone forever. I can only hope I have done enough to prepare him for the new and exciting adventures that await him in the year ahead. Four will be a big year for him as he begins french immersion pre-school in Sept and heads towards his 5th Birthday, which for me is such a huge milestone and already has me stressed out, as 5 means one thing and one thing only....school is just around the corner! I can't bear the thought of only having one more year with my baby! However, until then, I vow to enjoy every minute of him being 4 while it lasts, and to hold him close every night while he still fits into my arms and wants to be cuddled up! I guess this story really does have a happy ending!

PS He did a great job of fighting off that hungry dinosaur in the first picture, as we made it out unscathed!

Fabulous Four ~ Parts 2-4

OK OK...I'm sorry! I've been having a lot of computer trouble and not been able to connect to the internet, so I've not been successful at posting parts 2 through 4! Since I am now 2 full weeks behind in my entries and have a lot to post, I have to cheat here and combine the rest of years 1-3 leading up to his 4th Bday, which will be my next post!

Part 2
He learned to walk at 14 mos and only had 4 words until he turned 2..."mom", "dad", "pup" and "no". (are we sure he's my kid?!) He learned his body parts and pointed to them on cue, my favorite was when asked where his feelings were and he'd point to his heart! His 1st haircut was at 15 mos (I cried!) when I got tired of people asking me about "her"!!! He survived our house fire of Jan 2004 when we lived in a hotel for 6 wks. That spring before Harrison turned 2 my Grandpa Wood passed away. That was also the year our Calgary Flames made it to the Stanley Cup and we all got caught up in playoff fever!



Part 3
Enter the Terrible Twos! His actually started long before that, but at least now I had a better excuse for his hurricane like behaviour! His 2nd Birthday party was a puppy theme and really cute, despite a house full of people and kids while it poured rain like a monsoon outside! My dad ended up back in the hospital for 3 wks that June, and was unable to attend Harrison's party, so the lil gaffer (as my dad calls him!) ended up celebrating twice as we had a family party at the Foothills Hospital Cardiac Care Unit on his proper birthday! (June 16)
That is also the summer our house in the city went up for sale and we moved out to the 1/4 section (160 acres) of land south of High River, AB with the most amazing view of the Rocky Mountains anywhere, as seen in this picture! There's Harrison with my parents' dogs, sitting on a bale of alfalfa, with the view of the Rockies in the background. And another picture of Harrison and I with Yankee, our Louisianna Catahoula Leopard Dog (hound family) on more bales of hay, with a view the other direction of our field of alfalfa as far as the eye can see! Harrison loved living on the farm and being able to roam free.


Part 4
Then he turned Turbulant Three! Wow, what a year it has been! He had a birthday party at the Calgary Zoo with a Safari theme (Madagascar cupcakes!) that included entertainment by Barney, who happened to be performing live at the zoo that weekend!

By now we were living back in the city with my parents and he started to settle down a little more. His speach really started to improve and I noticed a dramatic drop in his tantrums as his vocabulary increased. He enjoyed swimming lessons, playgroups and his music class. He began to blossom socially and his curiosity about the way the world works began to show as his language got better. This was also the year I took my job driving the school bus allowing him to come to work with me, which has proved to be perfect in every way for both of us. I never have to leave him in childcare and he feels important and a sense of ownership and pride in taking responsability for his "own job", as he's as much a part of the driving team as I am, and he loved every minute of it!!! All those "big" kids sure helped too!

So there you have it....the early years of Harrison's life leading up to his 4th Birthday!!!