What a Wonderful World

Happy Second Birthday Rebekah!

It's official...we are now parents of a toddler, no longer parents of a baby. I can't believe how quickly the year has gone by. It also marks the end of our first year in BC. Bekah has accomplished so much this year, it really is amazing! I remember on her first birthday, she stood up in her crib by herself for the first time. Since then she has mastered standing, walking, running, talking (from mama and dada to full sentences!) climbing and her latest feat, opening doors! She can also swing on the "big girl" swing (with some help of course) and climb up and slide down the slides by herself.

Yesterday's celebration was pretty low key. Its probably the last time we'll be able to just do something small as a family since I'm sure by next year she'll be wanting the full-blown birthday party (which is something I actually look forward to). We took her to McDonald's for supper, which is her most favourite place in the universe, and then came home for some cake and presents.

Our New Car

I can't believe we bought a new car...I mean a NEW, right off the lot car. This is the first new vehicle we have ever owned so it is quite an experience for us. When we first got married, we drove a 1988 Nissan pick up truck. During the 5 years we drove it, we had muffler trouble, brake trouble, engine trouble, ball joints which seized, steering that broke twice, and no shocks to speak of. In fact it was broken down so often that we spent a good deal of time driving borrowed vehicles (first it was Dave's parents second vehicle, and then my grandmother's car). Then we upgraded to a used Ford Minivan. And while it did serve us well, we spent an arm and a leg on various issues, one of which was the rebuilding of a new transmission. But finally it got to the point where we were just putting too much money into the van, so we pinched our pennies, took a deep breath and took the leap into new car ownership! We love our new car. Its a 2007 Toyota Yaris (an improvement on the Echo model). It is a sub-compact car but we are in awe of how much room there actually is inside the vehicle and in the trunk! Bekah's car seat fits comfortably in the back and there is plenty of space for me to sit beside her if needed (its actually pretty comfy back there!). It did take a couple days to get used to after driving a mini-van but we love how easy it is to park, how fun it is to drive and how good it is on gas! In fact we are eligible for $1000 refund from the federal government because of its high fuel efficiency! I still need to take pictures of the interior, but here are a couple pictures from the outside.