Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Today is boxing day, and I'm at my Grandpa & Grandma Horban's house to celebrate Christmas with my cousins Avri, Danae and Marea and their mom and dad. We've been celebrating Christmas for days, and I can't think of anything better! Christmas Eve morning I woke up and opened my presents from my mom and dad. I got a Thomas train set which I thought was the absolute greatest! Then our friends Sean & Wix came over for brunch and they also gave me a Thomas train set which added onto the other set to make a giant train track! I was in heaven!! It also snowed for about 12 hours straight that day, so I was also super excited about the snow. So we decided to forego the Christmas Eve service we were hoping to attend and drove out to my grandma and grandpa's house early, that evening. Christmas morning we woke up and guess what... We opened MORE presents! Crazy. More books, clothes, a Thomas train and a Little People garage. I was so excited and a little overwhelmed.

Celebrating the Christmas Season!

We officially kicked off the Christmas season with the Baerg family Christmas celebration yesterday. I spent the whole day playing with all my Baerg cousins; we had a blast! Opening presents, playing with new toys, eating great food! There's nothing like Christmas. However, just like last year, my Christmas experience is slightly hampered by teething. My two-year molars are cutting through, and this past week has been the worst! We finally visited the doctor this morning and found out that my emerging molars have caused fluid build up in my ear, making it really uncomfortable to chew and sometimes even making me sick to my stomach. So for the past week I've basically felt like I've had the flu. The doctor put me on Benadryl and Tylenol and while I still don't feel like eating much, I'm definitely more myself. On the plus side, getting sick often means watching lots of TV in my house. We even watched the Polar Express together tonight! For those of you who don't know, I have a slight obsession with trains.

It's been snowing a lot here the past few days. My mom and I got all bundled up for the first snowfall and went for a walk. I could've been out in the snow for hours! I love snow, and when I see it I yell "NOOO!" (my 'S's are still a work in progress). I also get very enthusiastic about Christmas lights. I let out lots of ooooh's and aaaaah's and wow's as we drive around neighborhoods at night. Christmas is so bright and sparkly!

A Very Ordinary November

I haven't posted anything in awhile, just cause nothing interesting has been going on! I've been keeping busy with my family and friends, but nothing out of the ordinary. I got to watch Cooper's soccer game with my dad yesterday, which was pretty awesome. Especially since I got to eat lunch with Coop and Mack after, and we played for a bit. I've been going out with my dad a lot this month, cause my mom has lots of work to do. Us guys have hit Ikea, Metrotown, and even downtown Vancouver. I got to ride the skytrain for the first time, with my buddy Tydin. At first I was very unsure about the whole thing, but by the end I was diggin it! I love spending time with my dad. We get pretty silly and sometimes a little rough; I like to treat my dad like a human jungle gym! It's super fun.

Boo!

Happy Halloween from this cheeky little monkey! I went trick-or-treating for the first time tonight. And what I really loved was answering the door with my grandma and checking out all the crazy characters that showed up tonight. Elmo even made an appearance! I've never been more ecstatic.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This was my second thanksgiving, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the family get-togethers, I was certainly not into the turkey dinners like I was last year. I've been a bit finicky lately with eating non-baby food; I prefer pureed food, personally. My preference has a lot to do with getting my 2-year molars, as well as unfamiliar textures and the need for chewing which tires my jaw out pretty quickly! So I was a bit uninterested in eating what the rest of the family was devouring with pleasure. My parents hope I outgrow this picky eating soon, cause it's wearing down their patience! I have a tendency to do that these days...

Almost overnight I've entered into the wonderful world of the "terrible two's." I'm asserting myself in any situation that challenges my independence and freedom. And I've learned how therapeutic it can be to throw a little temper tantrum when someone tells me "no!" My parents don't seem as excited about this phase as I am... My time-out chair has been re-established and we've been making many trips to it in the last week. It's okay, though, because my newfound independence is for a purpose, and my assertive nature is going to be a positive character trait when I get older, once I grow into it. (This is what my parents are telling themselves when I push them to their limits!).

A Trip to the Apple Farm

On Thursday my mom and I visited Willow View Farms with my buddies Tydin and Jarris, and their mom. We had a blast! We visited the barn animals - saw baby chicks, pigs, goats, sheep and a cow. I felt I communicated well with the animals, imitating their sounds... We had quite the conversations! We also explored the tractors and other farm machinery, and we picked our very own apples to take home. I LOVE apples!

Mmmm... Pizza!

I LOVE pizza! Pizza and chicken strips with fries are tied for my absolute favourite food. We don't eat either of them very often, but when we do, oh man is it ever good! My mom makes mini pizzas on whole wheat pitas for lunch sometimes. You can hear a pin drop in our house when we have mini pizzas for lunch. I'm so lovin my lunch that I could care less about anything else. I prefer to eat the crust first, picking off all the toppings to eat after, and eating it upside down so that pizza sauce gets everywhere.

I went to the aquarium with my dad and cousins recently - we had a blast! I love fish, so I was totally excited to see huge aquariums with amazing fish inside. Plus, anytime I get to hang with Mack and Cooper (or as I call them "Kkkkk" and "Pooper") I have so much fun. I also played with my other cousins, Avri, Danae and Marea at a couple Horban family dinners in August. They have so much energy, it's awesome! We get silly together. I just miss my other cousins, though. Paige, Josie and Taylor live across the country so I only get to see them at Christmas and sometimes through a webcam. Only a few months to go, and then I can give them all big bear hugs!

Kelowna

My mom, dad and I went to Kelowna recently for a few days, and we had so much fun! It was just the vacation we needed. We hung out with our friends Sean and Wix most of the time, going to the mall and the beach and playing at the water park (my favourite Kelowna activity). We also got to experience a crazy thunderstorm - lightning and thunder for hours! My parents love thunderstorms. One of the highlights of the trip was my very first Starbucks indulgence! My mom and dad treated me twice to a 'kid's steamer' (warm milk sweetened with vanilla) and I also savoured a petite vanilla scone. So good! I now understand my mom and dad's addiction to Starbucks.

Airshow Pics

Sick as a Dog

This past week has been another tough one... I came down with some sort of bug that affected my digestive system and it hasn't been fun. The doctor took me off milk and cheese completely - two foods that have become my absolute favourites! I can't wait for a dairy fix once this bug is totally gone. I walk around the house making a 'k' sound; my way of letting everyone know all I really want is some milk. And I run for the fridge any time it's open at the slightest chance I could sneek my sippy cup. It never works. My parents and I are so ready for an easier week... we've had quite a run of sick and sleepless times lately, and we're ready for some more fun!

On the brighter side my mom and dad bought me a Hot Wheels car ramp to commemorate my very first major pukage. Not a fun way to get any kind of toy, but boy do I love my Hot Wheels! It's six feet long and my cars go super fast when I race them. It's awesome!

I've picked up two phrases recently that I love to use as much as possible: "Oh no!" and "What's that?" I say them both with such enthusiasm; my parents love it! I also have my very own potty seat now. I'm not ready to use it yet, but I love to pick it up, put it on my head and wander around the house.

Night Owl

There's not a lot of sleep happening at my house these days. I've been keeping my parents up at night for the last couple weeks. I recently cut my eye-teeth, and then I came down with a cold, and I think I'm going through another growth spurt cause I just can't get enough to eat, but then I get heartburn and indigestion when I go to bed. So the Baerg household is a little irritable and overtired lately. (Speaking of my growth, at 17 months old I'm currently creeping up on 30 lbs and I'm 33 inches tall).

Despite our sleepy woes, I've been enjoying all the summer fruit I can get my hands on! Nectarines, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, mangoes, and best of all... watermelon. I LOVE watermelon! I am addicted to it, and I have the pink-stained bib to prove it. Another joy of summer is the kiddie pool! My friend Annah has invited me over to enjoy her pool a couple of times and although I'm very hesitant to get in at first, I love it once I get used to the water.

Just Photos

A Day at the Zoo

Well, more like a couple hours at the zoo, but I still got to see lots of wild animals. My favourite were the monkeys - my dad got them all riled up, so they made some funny noises at us! They're so cool, swinging and jumping around. I also saw giraffes, ostriches, flamingos, a cheetah, a lion, a rhino and a few others. I went with my mom and dad, for the Focus on the Family annual picnic. I think the best part about the picnic was all the space I had to run around in. I love to run free, but I don't get to do it too often.