The Belanger Family

What a Wonderful World

2007-06-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Second Birthday Rebekah!

2007-06-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

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.

Its all Facebook's Fault!

2007-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say that our lives have been very interesting and exciting, leaving very little time for updating the blog. But the sad truth is that I have been sucked in by the "social utility" known as Facebook. A couple month ago I received an automated email saying I had been invited to somebody's friend list on Facebook. Figuring it was something like those "find your classmate" websites, I logged on, giving as little personal information as possible. I left it for a long time and then one day I received another message saying that someone else had added me to their friend list. So I decided to see if there was anyone else I knew on Facebook. All of a sudden I'm finding old college roommates, high school friends, pals from elementary school, even relatives! Where have I been all this time? I keep adding to my friend list every day and I'm so enjoying keeping up with what's going on in the lives of those around me. So if you notice long periods of time between posts on this blog, just log into Facebook, because that's probably where I am...until the novelty wears off. :)

Weather can be funny!

2007-05-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here's Bekah's reaction to a very brief hail storm this morning.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Gotta Wear Shades!

2007-04-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

When my parents were visiting a couple of weeks ago, they bought Rebekah a pair of sunglasses. She's always been fascinated with my glasses and with the glasses for her Mr. Potatohead doll, so we thought she'd get a kick out of having her own pair. Well now she has some kind of obsession with not only her glasses but also with Dave's sunglasses and even Mr. Potatohead's glasses. And she likes to wear them upside down for some odd reason. She knows how to put them on properly and sometimes she'll leave them that way, but more often than not, she'll flip them upside down. But I guess the fault is partly mine...you'll see in the last photo that I'm the one who put the idea in her head in the first place!

Busy week

2007-04-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since the last post but there has been lots going on. Dave has been madly studying for his presbytery exams, the first step in his ordination process. His exam will be 2-3 hour oral exam. He has to answer various questions relating to the Bible, church confessions and a couple of books he read. His exam is on Friday in Toronto and I'm sure he would appreciate your prayers. In addition to that, we were excited to have my parents visit us for 5 days. They arrived last Friday and left Wednesday morning. It was a very nice time and except for a soggy day at the Vancouver Aquarium, Bekah was generally well behaved. And now that everyone is gone and the excitement is over, I am battling another cold. It seems that I inevitably get a cold after some sort of visit or trip. This is the 4th cold in 4 months which for me is very strange. I am trying my best to limit my contact with Bekah (which really isn't working) and with Dave since the last thing he needs right now is to get sick! Once this month is over, things should calm down a bit for us and we can begin to enjoy this beautiful spring weather!

It feels like Summer!

2007-04-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a whopping 24C!! Which is 75F for those of you who are metrically challenged! ;) I think the entire population of Greater Vancouver was outside yesterday and it seems like atleast half of them own convertibles! Only in Vancouver can you spend a summer day in April either on the beach soaking up rays or up in the mountains skiing! Dave took a jog along the Pitt River near our house and then we took a walk through the nature reserve. Bekah walked beside me and held my hand almost the whole way! Looks like her stroller days are coming to an end, and I can't decide whether that's good or bad. When we got home we spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside in the yard. Bekah was fascinated with all the beautiful flowers in the rock garden and found her own little flower (the only dandelion on the lawn) and happily paraded around with it and asking to take it inside to Dada. So forget spring, I'm anxious for summer now! We were so busy last summer because we had just moved here and were still getting housing and jobs in place, so this year we will be able to go to the beach, the lake, the mountains, whatever we want! But if Bekah has our way, we'll just end up outside in the yard playing on "Mommy's grass" :)

Our New Furniture

2007-04-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

OK this may seem like a slight over-reaction but we are so excited to have gotten new living room furniture this weekend. We have been married nearly 10 years and have never owned an actual sofa. When we were newlyweds, were also starving students and so our living room set consisted of a wooden-framed futon we were able to purchase and an ugly but comfortable 70's style plush chairs that we borrowed from student housing. When my parents inherited my grandma's sofa and loveseat a few years ago, we inherited their sectional couch which had been through 3 cats and atleast as many dogs and had definitely seen better days. Needless to say we left it behind when we moved to Saskatchewan for the second time. So now we have a large sofa and matching chair. They are SO comfortable and look so much nicer than our futon. But one thing we didn't realize is that you really don't get a good idea of the size of furniture when its in the showroom. It looks huge in our apartment living room and Dave teases me that I look like Frodo sitting in one of Gandolph's chairs :) But we love it all the same. And our old futon? Well after nearly 10 years together, we couldn't bear to part with it just yet so it has made its way into our computer room which surprisingly enough has turned into a cozy little den-type room. And now we actually have a spot other than the floor for overnight guests! The photos aren't the best but the set is Cypress (although I think its more a of a sage green) and it made of microfibre so it looks like suede. And apparently its very pet and child friendly. So if anyone ever wants to come over for a visit to see our furniture, we're all ready for you. And if its a long trip, no problem...we even have a little space for you to crash :)

Finally some sun!!

2007-03-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful that the rain has stopped for now. I think it has been something like 25 straight days of rain up until yesterday. Usually on Sundays our drive to church is rather boring. It is a 45 minute drive snaking in and out of traffic, dodging potholes and puddles and not being able to see any scenery due to rain and fog. Yesterday on the otherhand was wonderful! The sun was shining brightly and everything looked green and alive! There were cherry blossoms everywhere and the mountains are looking much more green than white. Flowers are abounding in parks and gardens and it was just a pleasure to drive to church. And everyone at church was in good spirits too. I remember as a little girl how I used to close my eyes and bask my face in the sunlight and pretend it was God smiling on me...and now I'm not so He wasn't! ;) So today being day #2 of beautiful weather, Bekah and I took a stroll through the nature reserve by our house and then went to the park. Here are some pictures (not in order):

I had to take a picture of this house which is on our street but for some reason I've never noticed it before. I thought it sort of looked like a house out of a fairy tale like Hansel and Gretel.

Happy Spring!

2007-03-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's the second day of spring and I am noticing that the daffodils are blooming in our yard! It's gray and rainy out (imagine that) and I'm sniffling away at the computer, trying to fight off a cold. We just returned from a 5 day trip to Edmonton which was tons of fun. We stayed with a great family and met lots great Christian folks. It was great (how many times can I say great?) to be able to relax a bit and enjoy the wonderful fellowship. We didn't do anything really touristy but we did take a very brief walk through part of West Edmonton Mall (what a huge place!) But Bekah generally doesn't do well in malls, particularly when it means she has to be strapped into her stroller so we didn't even get the chance to grab a souvenir. Not only does the mall have what seems like a million stores, there is a wave pool, full-sized hockey rink, bungy-jumping, a mini-aquarium with sea lions that perform, water park, amusement park (which we didn't get to see) and an exact replica of Columbus' Santa Maria. And of course we were so busy enjoying ourselves that we hardly took any pictures at all. So I have very few to share, but here they are.

You know you've been inside too long when...

2007-03-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

...you can't remember how to put on a toque and you think you need one indoors

...your idea of fun is sitting on the coffee table watching the TV which isn't on

...you walk around like this...enough said!!

...you decide to put on your "formal wear" for lunch

...the rocking chair in your room becomes the most exciting thing ever!

Cabin Fever and other non-exciting topics

2007-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

I realize it has been awhile since the last post but it just seems that there has been nothing remotely interesting to post in the last while. It has been gray and rainy here, meaning that mommy and baby have been stuck inside for a long time and are starting to get a little crazy. Bekah is climbing all over the furniture and making lovely crayon drawings on the walls in an attempt to keep herself occupied and I seem to be just following behind her doing damage control! Today she was supposed to have a playdate but wouldn't you know it, we are having a freak snowfall making driving treacherous, so we are stuck at home again. This really does seem to be the dreariest time of the year. I guess that means you have to be that much more creative with your time. Maybe we'll have an indoor picnic lunch or build a fort. If the snow lets up maybe we'll take a walk. Sigh, ok I'm really ready for spring now!

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that Valentine's Day is known as a "Hallmark holiday", I've always thought it was kind of nice. Yes the card companies, florists and chocolate makers have all tried to convince us that it is THE most important day of the year, but even so it doesn't hurt to have a day set aside to remind us to let those around us know that we love them. We have always marked the holiday in our own unique way. When Dave and I were dating in bible college, he bought me flowers from the little flower shop on campus and took me to the Pilgrim for a burger! Sure it was crowded, and all the other college couples were there trying to have a romantic meal in their own little corner, but we didn't mind...it was fun! Then there was the year we went to Bonanza for all-you-can-eat shrimp and Dave ate so much the waitress was avoiding our table. And one year we went out for pizza with my sister and laughed so hard as we watched a man trying to romance his true love with a pizza and a bottle of wine...at Pizza Hut! Well now that we have a little one, dates have been few and far between. Hopefully we'll be able to get out and have dinner together one day, but Bekah's well behaved in restaurants for the most part, so we usually take her with us. Dave had a busy evening lastnight, going to church Bible study in New Westminster which is 45 minutes away from where we live. So we weren't able to do anything, but he did surprise me with some roses and Boticelli chocolates. So I thought I'd share the last one with Bekah this morning. She was very happy to receive it...VERY happy! So happy she ran around the apartment with it for 5 minutes before devouring it and getting it all over herself! And so ends another Valentine's Day! :)

This is more like it!!!

2007-02-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well it was a drier and hotter than usual summer, a rainier than usual fall and a colder and snowier winter than it usually is in BC. So where is this fabled wonderful weather that makes BC such a paradise? Well we got some today. Today, February 1oth, it is blue skies, sunny and a balmy 13 celsius! The grass is green (mind you that's pretty much a permanent thing around here) and the tulips and daffodils are already beginning to bloom! When we lived in Saskatchewan, we were lucky if it was above freezing during February and as a kid in Northwestern Ontario, we were either cursing the groundhog who predicted 6 more weeks of winter, or we were laughing at his prediction that spring was just around the corner. If spring starts this early, I think I can manage through the grey, rainy winter!! Here's some pictures from this afternoon of Bekah in our yard without hat and mits, and in her fall jacket!! And my condolences to friends and family in Eastern Canada and the US and elsewhere who are still in the deep freeze!

The Evolution of Mr. Potato Head...

2007-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

...according to Rebekah. Please note that the feet were added courtesy of Mommy so that he could pose for this historic photo documentation (which in actuality is a documenting of intelligent design! :)).

The Business of Play

2007-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

I am fascinated to watch Bekah when she's playing. Although I know she's having fun, she takes it so seriously, studying every little thing and trying to figure things out. She is very bright for her age (she has an extensive vocabulary at only 19 months) and picks up on concepts very quickly. (Sorry if I sound like a bragging mother...I have actually been told this by other people, and doctors as well) Among her favourite toys to play with are her Fisher Price Little People playsets. She has a barn with horses, Noah's Ark with Animals, a little Zoo set and 2 toy trains. She isn't at the point where she's role playing or anything yet, but she loves to make the horses go in and out of the barn, pull their carts, put Noah and the animals in the Ark, and pull the train around. I must admit its hard not to envy her some days when her biggest dilemma is how to stuff all the animals in the ark, or how to get the train to go backwards down the hallway. Oh, to be a child again! :)

Today's Important Lesson

2007-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

A disclaimer before you view the video. This is a precautionary lesson, not given as a result of anything she has done as of yet :)

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Gallery of Hats

2007-01-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief synopsis of things Rebekah likes to wear on her head:

Small white plastic mixing bowls....this gives the "bowler" hat a whole new meaning!

A handknitted winter chapeau that looks stunning with purple pjs...

And of course the good old felt pouch that doubles as a Robin Hood hat...

I thought I'd have more photos than these because I know I've taken pictures of her with pj's, bibs, towels and many other things on her head.

Pictures from December

2007-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken during our trip to Dorion and Red Rock over the winter break.

Rebekah playing in a cradle my grandfather made for me when I was young.

Rebekah and her cousins (left to right): Emma, Solomon, Isabella and Rebekah

Eating dessert at Montana's Restaurant in Thunder Bay

Sitting in "Papa's chair". Everytime my dad would get up from his chair, Rebekah would sneak over, climb up and start to rock in it.

Say "cheese"!

Playing with 4-week old Siberian Husky puppies, or the "baby puppies" as she called them.

Rebekah in the new dress Grandma bought

Ok, this picture takes a bit of explaining. Rebekah

loves to put everything on her head, whether its an actual hat or not! So this time she found an apple-shaped pouch made out of felt which was sticking on the fridge with magnets. She pulled it off and strutte

d around proudly with it on her head. She looked like a little Robin Hood, it was so funny. So here she is with her lovely new apple hat!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

Or rather a very belated happy new year! It is very difficult to keep a blog current when you are on vacation!!! The time just seems to fly by. Dave arrived in Ontario on Dec 25th and we spent the week with his family. It was a big adjustment for Bekah who had just gotten used to her surroundings at my parents house. Now she was faced with twice as many adults and three new cousins. I had hoped that she would settle in quickly but it proved to be a difficult transition for her. However by the end of our week there she was starting to feel more comfortable. Then of course we uprooted her again when Dave left on Jan 3rd and returned to my parents house where it was back to square one again. But I have been impressed with her ability to cope. Granted she didn't welcome the change but she did adapt (grudgingly at times). We will be heading back to BC on Tuesday (Jan 9th) and we'll face a whole new set of changes getting used to being back in our apartment, but that's one change I'm actually looking forward to.

Home for the Holidays

2006-12-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

There's no place I'd rather be than back in Dorion at this time of year. Unfortunately David is still in BC. In order to take advantage of seat sale pricing I had to leave 9 days earlier and will be coming back one week later than he will. I wasn't sure we'd even make it after Bekah and I both caught colds in the middle of last week. In fact we postponed our flight for 2 days to give us extra time to recuperate. The flights from Abbotsford to Calgary, Calgary to Winnipeg and finally Winnipeg to Thunder Bay went well but ended up aggravating our colds and making the next couple of days quite miserable. I'm happy to say we are now feeling much better and I know Bekah is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her "dada"!

Vancouver Aquarium

2006-12-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I forgot to post these! We went to the Vancouver Aquarium last weekend and it was great! A couple from our church gave us complimentary passes and there was a good break in the rainy/snowy weather so we went. It was so cool! There were all sorts of sea animals! It's definitely a place to go back to again and again. Bekah was delighted by all the "fishies" but because we kept her in the stroller most of the time she got pretty fidgety by the end of it. Most of what we saw was indoors in big tanks and the only lighting was in the tanks, so many pictures didn't turn out well but here's what we were able to see:

A small shark

Some kind of ugly looking fish...it was probably the size of a small dog

Bekah checking some little sea creatures in the Kids Area

A turtle from the Amazon Rainforest exhibit

A tropical bird

Sea otters...they are so cute!!

Beluga whale...beautiful!

Bekah and Jess watching the Belugas from the inside.

This was the ugliest fish by far! It's a sturgeon and it was gigantic. I forget exactly how big it was but it was probably as big as the boat it was caught by!

Bekah and Dave getting ready for the dolphin show

This was the best part of the visit :)

OK, Who's out there??

2006-12-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if anyone out there watches the CTV show Corner Gas (which was filmed an hour away from where we used to live in Saskatchewan) but an episode a couple weeks back got me thinking....Here's the basic premise; Hank (the village idiot) decides to start a blog where he posts all his meaningless and tiresome meanderings. Eventually the townsfolk get the idea that if he starts to tell a boring story, they tell him to post it on his blog so they can read it. This gets him off their backs and gives Hank something to do. But in reality no one is reading his blog, only his friend Brent, who fills everyone else in on what's posted so that when asked they can say they read it. Which leads me to my next question....who's reading this blog? We originally started the blog to keep friends and family posted on our adventures now that we are so far from home. So who's really reading (aside from my DBC friends who I'm so happy to keep in touch with!!)? Have I turned into Hank?? :) So if you read this post, please leave a comment and say hi, no matter who you are! PS - I'm meaning this in the most lighthearted of ways and in no way am condemning anyone (you know who you are Meg!) :)

The storm continues...

2006-11-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

Just 3 days after receiving 20cms of snow (which is normally unheard of in this area) we received another dump of about 15cm lastnight. And along with that our power went out about 10pm. Its not until the power actually goes out that you realize whether or not you are prepared for it. We had tons of matches but only 3 little tea-light candles to light. We had no working batteries to put in our clock radio but we did come up with the bright idea to plug it into our computer's battery back-up. So at bedtime we pulled out the extra blankets and I dragged poor little sleeping Rebekah out of her crib and into bed with me. Our apartment is not built for cold winters and gets cold enough when the power is on. I figured she's be pretty cold within an hour so I popped her into bed with me. I'm glad to say that she slept well and was warm but I sure didn't. With all the kicking and rolling over and hands in my face, it was all I could do to get a wink of sleep. The power came on around 2 or 3am but the furnace didn't kick in and I was too lazy to get up, so we snuggled under the covers keeping our noses underneath. The weather is supposed to be nice for the next few days and so all this snow should be melting pretty soon. So I've had all my major winter-related experiences in the span of a few days. So I'm ready for the warm temps and rain again. Did I really say that????

Snow Day!!

2006-11-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

For all those people who told us that winters in Greater Vancouver are mild and green, guess what? A winter snowfall warning this weekend resulted in 20+ centimetres of snow being dumped on the entire lower mainland! Now granted this is a very rare event for this area, but to us it just felt right. Here it is practically November and we were still looking at green lawns! So now it actually feels like winter to us. Dave even had the day off work because of the poor road conditions (a little bit of an overreaction if you ask this Northern Ontario girl, but when snow hits an area where drivers aren't used to it, the resulting collective panic can be very dangerous). So we took advantage of the pleasant temperatures and spent the day outside. This was Bekah's first time being able to actually play in the snow and she loved it so much that she kept trying to take off her mitts and stuff it in her face. As soon as she realized how cold it was, she wiped her face off and tried to shove her wet litle hands back into her mitts. We pulled out her little sled that she got for Christmas last year and took a walk down the street and to a wooded trail on the other side of our neighbourhood park. It was like walking out of a residential city neighbourhood and right into a winter wonderland. If you've ever seen the Chronicles of Narnia, it immediately reminded me of the woods of Narnia during the winter. The temperatures will be below zero for the next few days so the snow will hang around for a little while, but it will all be gone in a short while. As much as I say I hate Canadian winters with their windchills and blizzards and huge dumps of snow, it just wouldn't be winter for me if I didn't get to see it just once!

Special Delivery

2006-11-24T14:45:00.000-08:00

The other night as I was sifting through laundry and the endless boxes of baby clothes in our bedroom, my little helper decided to empty a box and mail herself home for Christmas! Little did she know that we actually booked plane tickets and she can ride for free on my lap :)

The Parenthood Test

2006-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Someone on one of my bulletin board groups shared this today. It is SO true! :)

HOW TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE READY TO HAVE CHILDREN...

MESS TEST: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST: Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (or you may substitute roofing tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream because this would wake a child at night.

GROCERY STORE TEST: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST: Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 3:00 p.m. begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9: 00p.m. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00p.m. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00a.m. Set alarm for 5:00 a.m. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

INGENUITY TEST: Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube and turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Use only scotch tape and a piece of foil. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty box of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

AUTOMOBILE TEST: Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it into the cassette player. Take a family size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There, perfect.

PHYSICAL TEST: (Women) Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.

PHYSICAL TEST: (Men) Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

Amen!!

2006-11-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's funny to watch, or rather listen to Rebekah begin to communicate with us. You really don't know how observant babies are until they begin to communicate and we start to understand what they are saying. Bekah is an absolute parrot! That is to say she mimicks everything she hears! She will try to repeat the last word of every sentence I say, no matter if she's heard the word before or not. And any word that we say with emphasis or volume becomes the word of the day. I've already realized that she knows the words "toot" and "pooh" as in Winnie the Pooh (but no doubt she understands its alternative meaning) and has blurted them out in church. But what was more encouraging is that she is now mimicking the word "Amen" whenever we give thanks at a meal or during our family devotional time. And as soon as we sit down to eat, she starts to say "pay, pay, pay" (meaning pray) and folds her hands. Its very heartwarming to see her learning what we value as important in our family. Now comes the more difficult part of raising her to value the things of the Lord as well. What a challenge and blessing it is to be a parent. Amen!! :)

November 1st

2006-11-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Is it really that time already? Maybe the lack of snow has made me forget that winter is quickly approaching. Now rather than dodging the snowy days, we dodge the rainy days and make sure to get outside whenever the sun is shining. Such was the case today. And even though there is still green grass, it was definitely time to get out the hat and mitts! Here's a few pictures from our afternoon at the park:

Playtime

2006-10-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today Rebekah and I visited a moms and tots playgroup at the local recreation centre. I was given a voucher for 12 free visits from the local health unit, so we decided that today would be the day to check things out. Well our first visit was a success. Bekah really enjoyed it. She mostly played by herself but didn't shy away when other kids would come around and by the end she was approaching other kids. I wasn't prepared for the number of people there...atleast 50 kids from newborn to about 5 and as many parents. It was a noisy place for sure, but lots of fun for her. At first I felt a little silly packing the digital camera but I was glad to see that there were lots of other parents there with cameras too so that made me feel better. The playtime always end with clean-up and then a story. I decided to leave at that point because Bekah hasn't mastered the art of sitting still yet (just come sit beside us in church one day to see what I mean!). And she started to whine when she saw me reach for her jacket, so obviously she enjoyed herself. Because Bekah is an only child and because we are so far from family and friends, she has spent most of her time with mommy as her only playmate. So I was very relieved to find a place where she can interact with other kids. And I was just as relieved to find out that she's pretty comfortable playing even when I'm out of sight! I can't wait to go back next week :)

Another milestone

2006-10-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Rebekah took her first steps today! Granted they were little, her feet barely came off the floor, and she didn't really get anywhere, but it was still a very special moment for me! I know that very soon she is going to be racing around on her own, and it makes me sad. For me anyway, it seems like walking is the first step (pardon the pun) into childhood and the leaving behind of babyhood. As she stood up beaming with pride, her little legs started to wobble and down she went. It was so cute I couldn't help but laugh. And what does my little comedian do? She stands up again and flops down in an exaggerated manner, and looks in my direction waiting for a laugh. And that pretty much occupied her time for the next 10 minutes ;)

Standing Tall

2006-10-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, Rebekah has been getting braver and has finally been trying to stand on her own. I say 'finally' only because many babies have already mastered walking by 15 months, not because I'm anxious for her to stand. In fact I'm glad she's not walking yet since its much easier to catch a crawling mischief-maker, rather than a walking one! ;)

Today she managed to stand up and clap her hands, turn her waist, wave her hand and bend down without falling over. I could see in her eyes that little twinkle, suggesting she might dare take a step, but in the end she decided crawling is still faster, and down she went. Luckily she likes to pose for the camera while standing so its among the easier positions to snap a picture or two!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-10-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing this entry (with my empty pumpkin pie plate beside the monitor), I feel completely stuffed! But then again, there's nothing like the feeling of a full tummy after a yummy Thanksgiving meal. And the fact that there are only 2 and a half mouths to eat a 12 pound turkey did nothing to help the situation! Dave and I are used to having small Thanksgiving celebrations, since it has been over 3 years since we've been home with our family in October. But this year the celebration actually seemed a little brighter because Rebekah is actually big enough to eat turkey and play in the leaves :) Here are some photos from our day:

We started our day with a stroll through the Hyde Creek Nature Reserve, just a couple blocks from our apartment. It is an old-growth forest right in the city and it is very dark and damp. The trees are huge and the forest floor is full of moss and ferns. Unfortunately most of our pictures didn't turn out because it was so dark. But here are a couple.

Dave and Bekah found a huge tree leaf, one of the biggest we'd ever seen!

Once we got back to our place, we tried to get Bekah to pose for some pictures. Normally a Thanksgiving picture would be taken in a big pile of leaves or something, but out here in BC things are still pretty green!

Two pals just waiting for the big feast to begin

Dave's ready to dig in...

...so is Bekah!

And finally we watch the old Garfield Thanksgiving special from the 80's (our tradition!)

It's Official

2006-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Dave had his final meeting with the presbytery this past Saturday and has been officially accepted as a student minister with the Associated Presbyterian Church in Canada. He has a two-year schedule of graduate studies, presbytery exams and church ministry which he must complete in order to receive his ordination. We are excited to finally be on track! In addition to these duties he has also volunteered his web design skills to update and maintain our church website (check out the link on the sidebar...APC Vancouver). Things are certainly going to be getting busy here! We'll do our best to keep things up-to-date on this end. We just wanted to share the good news.

Just in case you were interested...

2006-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

I (Jessica) have started my own blog where I can rant about my husband and daughter. Just kidding! :) I thought it would be better to have a separate blog so I don't end up taking over this one which as we all know at this point is all about Rebekah!! In fact, here's a picture from a couple of days ago!

I've added the link to my blog on the sidebar. So if you are wondering what's on my mind, feel free to visit.

Girl Power

2006-09-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

I know its a fairly common thing for people to mistake a baby's gender, but I've finally come to the end of my rope. When Rebekah was a newborn it was very obvious that she was a girl, with her long eyelashes and little heart-shaped face. But somewhere along the line (and I have no idea where) it became less obvious. It began with comments like "how is your little one?" which in my opinion is the appropriate response when you aren't sure of a baby's gender but soon everyone was commenting on what a cute little boy I had. It may have been due to Rebekah's thick shock of hair that almost looked as if it had been cut and styled, or it may have been because she has a striking resemblance to her Dad, but whatever the reason was I decided it was time to play up her femininity. So I began to dress her in pink outfits, flowery outfits, anything I could find that wasn't neutral...and still the comments came (mostly from older folk who may not have really noticed what she was wearing). I decided to begin dressing her in skirts and dresses and while this did help a bit, I was still shocked at the number of of comments about my "little guy". So after much hesitation, I did what I swore I would never do, I put 2 sparse, uneven little pigtails on top of her head, sticking out like horns! And make no mistake, it worked!! But instead of people commenting on my cute little boy, they are now commenting on my little girl's goofy hairdo! Oh well, what are you going to do? But in closing I just have 2 things I'd like to say: 1) for those moms out there who have ever had their baby's ears pierced, put little pigtails in (no matter how small) or headbands on their follicly challenged babies...I understand, I sympathize and I will never pass judgement again!!! and 2) a word to the wise, whenever you aren't sure if the little one in your midst is Jack or Jill, you can always play it safe and remark on what a beautiful blessing from God :)

Toddlerhood has arrived!

2006-09-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when we are children we always wish we were older only to change that desire as adults and long for our childhood? Similarly, why on earth did I wish for my newborn to be walking and talking instead of sleeping and laying quietly on her back? Toddlerhood has arrived at the Belanger house, with a vengeance! In the past few weeks Bekah has gone from slowly pulling herself up on the couch to crawling onto and into everything, racing around with her walker and finding her way into almost everything she shouldn't be into! I do find it fascinating to watch her explore and discover and I can't help but laugh at her satisfaction when she manages to pull all the toilet paper off the roll. But my goodness, how much trouble can one little child find in one day? A lot!! And I can't help but wonder what it will be like when she does start walking on her own! Here's a few pictures of her recent adventures. :)

The one time I forgot to close the bathroom door...

The only cupboard in the kitchen that doesn't have child locks...

The realization that bananas feel very nice in your hair and on your face...

Where did the summer go?

2006-09-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well so much for keeping this blog updated on a regular basis! It's hard to believe that summer is unofficially over for another year. The month of August seemed to fly by for us. We took a short trip back to Ontario in the second week of August for a family wedding. While Dave was only able to stay for a few days, Rebekah and I (Jessica) stayed for 2 weeks and visited family and friends. This was the first trip back home for us since we moved to BC. Previously when we lived in Saskatchewan, we would look forward to the 2 day road trip back to Thunder Bay, but now that we are even further away, flying is pretty much our only option if we want to get there in less than a week! I was more than a little worried about flying such a long distance with Rebekah but she did very well, especially considering that she had to do without liquids and baby food until we landed in Winnipeg, due to the increased security measures at Canadian airports. Fortunately by the time we flew back, they had eased the restrictions somewhat.
One of the highlights of the trip home was Rebekah's birthday party. Although her birthday was in June, Dave's family had a special little party just for her, with all her cousins. It was such a nice gesture and all the kids had a great time. Unfortunately Dave had already returned to BC and wasn't able to enjoy Bekah's 2nd birthday party.
She also got to spend a good deal of time with my parents and my sister. She got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Brown at one of their "cruise nights" with their local sports car club, she went to the beach with Auntie Meg (or Auntie Mub as Bekah calls her) and did her favourite of all things, rode the carousel at Chippewa Park.
But alas, all good things must come to and end, and here we are back in BC. The weather has been hot, as if summer is just beginning! Today felt more like the July long weekend than the Labour Day long weekend! But I am thankful for the dry sunny days, as everyone keeps warning me about the gray skies and endless rain which are just around the corner. But for now, we'll just keep playing in the sun.

Rebekah blowing out her birthday candle with a little help from her big cousin Emma.

The birthday girl before the big party.

Rebekah and cousin Isabella hanging out.

Waving to Grandma and Grandpa from the carousel.

Playing in at the beach with Auntie Meg.

All dressed up and nowhere to go: cousins Solomon, Isabella, Emma and Rebekah.

Vacation Time!

2006-08-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Despite all of the challenges we have faced since moving to BC, we have been able to enjoy the beautiful weather and begin to explore our surroundings. Certain parts of BC feel so much like home, or atleast much more like home than the Prairies! Mountains and lakes are all within driving distance and everything is green! There is so much greenery, even in the larger cities. And every property boasts beautiful flowers or hedges. I am so glad that there is so much natural beauty here. Somehow it makes the "big city" seem a bit friendlier.

One of the first places we visited was an Antique Carousel at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. After some hesitation we decided it would be a shame to visit the carousel and not atleast ride it. So I (Jessica) took Rebekah in arm and seated her on a tiny little carousel horse especially for toddlers, the kind that are stationary.

As the music started and the carousel began to turn, she clung for dear life to the pole. The carousel began to speed up and just as I started to think it may have been a bad idea, I look up to see Rebekah kicking her legs and squealing in delight! She loved it so much that she rode the carousel twice that day and we took her back for two more rides a few days later. The carousel operators and other tourists had as much fun watching her on the carousel as we did.

Our next outing was to Crescent Beach in White Rock. We packed up our suits on a very hot 36C day and drove to the beach. Luckily it was a Friday afternoon and the beach was not crowded at all. The view was amazing and the the Pacific Ocean is much warmer than Lake Superior, that's for sure! The tide was out so we walked to a sandbar and let Rebekah sit in the pools of water. We saw all sorts of seashells and even a crab or two and Dave thought he saw a jellyfish! We also learned a lesson about the importance of sunscreen. Of course we were very diligent in making sure Rebekah was covered, and had a hat on at all times, but foolishly we didn't bother to do the same and our bright red backs and shoulders suffered the consequences.

The next day, we decided to check out a different type of beach, so we headed to Golden Ears Provincial Park, north of Maple Ridge. Being a Saturday, it was absolute madness there, but fortunately the beach area was gigantic so it didn't seem quite so crowded. The beach here consisted of gravel type rocks which meant you needed to wear shoes in the water and it wasn't terribly comfortable sitting on the beach. But the scenery was definitely worth it. Beautiful mountain views and cool, refreshing lake water. There are still many places we hope to visit this summer and fall, and we'll be sure to post more pictures when we do! Wherever you are this summer, we hope you can take some time to relax and enjoy yourself!

The Adventure continues

2006-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

First let me start by sending a huge apology for not updating this blog sooner. If you can believe it, this is the first opportunity I've had to do so since the last post. Why? Well the story is long and somewhat frustrating to recall but basically here's what happened: Our housing situation became such that we realized the trailer we moved to was not fit to live in. There were mice, mould and lots of bugs. But even worse than that, were the fact that rats were also making their way into the trailer no matter how many traps we set and how many holes we plugged! Even after a thorough cleaning and lots of paint it was still in bad shape. The last straw for me was when we found a chewed up snack container in Bekah's diaper bag!!! So we really had no choice but to move. It took a few weeks but we were able to find a 3 bedroom apartment in a nearby town. I was sad to move out of the country but I'm certainly happy not to be sharing a home with rodents!!!

So now we are in Port Coquitlam which is about 15kms East of Vancouver. We live in a nice neighbourhood with plenty of parks and walking trails.

So between the time we decided to move and the time we actually relocated again, we were able to spend 2 weeks in Burnaby housesitting for a family from our church. It was such a blessing for us. We were able to relax and unwind a bit, and do some exploring. And we found ourselves re-energized for the task of moving once again.

Now that things have settled down, we really do intend to keep this blog updated regularly! And if you don't see anything for a couple of weeks, say a little prayer for us...you never know what God might have in store ;)

Rebekah's First Birthday

2006-06-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Rebekah May Belanger turned 1 today! How did she begin her day? By standing up in her crib for the very first time!

Once she was up it was time to pick an outfit!

Apparently mommies make the best playgrounds!

At Queen's Park in New Westminster. What a lovely day to spend at the park.

Since Bekah is so fascinated with animals we decided to take her to the Petting Zoo. She absolutely loved it! The goats were quite taken with her too!

She thought the turkey was pretty cool, although it didn't think much of her.

And the pigs didn't even mind getting poked in the snout!

The baby rabbits were afraid of Bekah's squealing

Time for a picnic!

Hey Mom, that's MY applesauce!

It's all about the carbs!

And of course, what's a birthday without cake?

Happy Birthday Bekah...we love you!

A New Beginning

2006-06-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the Belanger Family blog! As we are beginning a new chapter in our lives here in British Columbia, we thought there would be no better way to document this adventure than with our own blog. So here is our very first post.

On June 6th the whole family (David, Jessica and baby Rebekah) packed up all our worldly possessions and left the quiet prairie of Caronport, Saskatchewan for the picturesque and somewhat busier Lower Mainland of British Columbia. With the help of David's parents, we travelled three days and watched the landscape change from windswept prairies to rolling foothills, to the massive Canadian Rockies and finally to the lush greenery of the Fraser Valley. We managed to arrive safe and sound, despite a somewhat harrowing drive through some of the mountain passes. And of course it never failed that we met more than our share of road construction on the way. Ironically, it always seemed to be right in the areas where there were signs posted saying "avalanche area - do not stop for the next 5km".

We arrived at our new home in Pitt Meadows (just outside of Maple Ridge and 40kms East of Vancouver) on June 8th. Our house is on a dairy farm only minutes from town. We have a wonderful view of the mountains and the Alouette River runs along the side of the property. A public hiking trail is also nearby. It is the perfect blend of country living and city convenience. And maybe one of these days we'll get brave and head to the "Big City" of Vancouver. In fact I'm sure that come hockey season, we'll manage to find our way there.

So why did we move? It has always been our desire to be involved in church ministry, and this past Fall, David was presented with the opportunity to train for ministry with a church in the Greater Vancouver area, and achieve his ordination in the Associated Presbyterian Church. Lord willing, David will be serving as a Student Minister beginning this Fall.

We are all adjusting slowly to our new surroundings. We are still living out of moving boxes as we renovate our house and continue to unpack. Rebekah is starting to settle back into a regular routine, but the poor little thing is so sick of being in her carseat that she begins to whine as soon as the van door opens. She is fascinated by all the farm animals, particularly the cows and loves to poke and prod at them every chance she gets.

Well that's about it for our first post. We will do our best to keep this blog updated as often as possible. Thanks again for visiting!