100 Day Project - 1-10

The first 10 days

Being Consistent

Take a look at some more pictures here

I'm sure many of you remember me doing the 100 day project with Malaika. Well, I have had some good intentions to do it with Liam as well. The problem is I take pictures three days in a row and miss the next 5. I'm not being consistent and that just will not work. I'm hoping I can get into it before he turns 1. I'm sure I will.

He's growing like a weed. Liam is currently 11 lbs 10oz. He continues to smile every time his sister puts her face in his and he's pretty much sleeping through the night. It's so much fun listening to his sounds as he relaxes in his swing. He's a mellow fellow.

Malaika is also growing fast, well that's what her pants indicate. She's certainly starting to test us more and more as she gets closer to her second birthday. This is where Tim and I realize how much we have to be on the same page and be consistent (my word for the day). We just set up a big girl bed in her room so that we can start working on the transition. Our goal, not that it always works the way we want it to, is to have her sleeping in the bed before we head to Jamaica is April. Wish us luck.

Enjoy the pictures I've posted. They're random shots from Christmas to now. I'm also planning on getting some video up in the next week or so.

Save A Life - Shaggy and Friends

Take the time to watch this video, it'll be worth your time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QJ_7Ey-RDc

Another Year Gone By

Enjoy more picture here

I know, I know, I haven't posted a thing for nearly two months - forgive me please. It's been a crazy time with a new baby in the house, guests that were wonderful, the holidays approaching, difficulty trying to upload pictures onto the blog and possibly a little writers block.

This is probably my favourite time of year. I sit back and think about the traditions that I had as a child growing up and remember the people most important to me. I think about the beauty of the mountains, the smell of the pine trees, the feel of the crisp air and most importantly the chatter of family.

I see Daddy rubbing his mustache, I hear Uncle Donald talking to someone - possibly himself, I watch as Mummy and Auntie Norma get the house organized and I smile as Auntie Marie plays with the kids - myself, my sisters (Lisa and Tracey) and my cousins (Rachele and Elizabeth). Every year for as long as I could remember our parents would pack us all up rent a house for one week and take us to Greenwich, a part of the Blue Mountain Range. No phone, no TV just honest to goodness time to spend with each other.

We played board games, read books, went on hikes in the mountains, played tennis, made up games that would seem impossible to recreate today, ate some great food and had some of the best talks around a fire place anyone could ask for. The presents were piled high in the living room and Santa always knew where to find us. We always heard our parents say "Wow the end of another year" but what a great time for us to always look forward to.

Although I miss that time in my life and I miss having Christmas in Jamaica it is my turn to say "another year gone by". It is my children that have reminded me that it is now my turn to give them their traditions and their memories.

Liam - What a wonderful addition to our family. At 6 weeks 4 days old he is already over 9lbs and growing like a weed. He's waking up only once in the night, making the sweetest cooing sounds, smiling and just an absolute joy to his big sister.

Malaika - Our little sweetheart is just that, sweet as can be. Our 19 month old gives the best hugs, loves to dance and play the air guitar and is little miss independent. She loves to swim and just graduated into the next level. She enjoys preschool and loves to hang out with her best bud Matty. Talk about a little chatter, she's also singing her favorite songs.

Phillipa - Is getting more and more creative to entertain the kids. She loves being at home but admits that a little "ME" time is wonderful. She hasn't picked up her camera much but promises to do more in 2009.

Tim - Is still working for Baxter Medical. He's had a rough year of sports in the NW as all of the teams have done poorly. He's had to turn to UW women's volleyball and cross country. Tim proudly became an Obama delegate at our first caucus and since then found himself to be a news junkie.

We continue to pray and think about you all and wish that we could be closer to many of you. From our family to yours we would like to wish you all nuff love and blessings - Merry Christmas!

It's a Boy

We are pleased to announce that Liam Edward Joseph Dugaw was brought into this world on November 6th, 2008 at 10:14am. He weighed in at 8lbs 6oz, 20" in length with a head circumfrence of 13.75 cm.

We are all enjoying this time as a family of four. Malaika is doing really well and adjusting to the little guy being a part of her world. We have a lot more to learn and look forward to introducing you all to our sweet boy.

Swim Lesson

Here's our little swimmer in action

Halloween

On the Prowl

Check out more pictures here

Malaika had two days of dress up. On Thursday not only did she get to wear her costume to school but she also got to show off her daddy. On Friday we met up with our PEPS buddies and later that evening we went hunting for candy around our neighbourhood. It was a busy evening for our little lioness.

Hanging At The Park For Simon's Game

Simon the star
Colin the goofball
Running hard and fast
Playing hard
Swinging with Daddy

OUCH!

This is what happens when you have a toy in each hand, you're heading out the door because you're excited to go hear your baby brother or sisters heartbeat and you forget about the step in front of you.

From Hollywood Princess to Sports Star

Grapeview Cabin

Check out the pictures

We had the opportunity, two weeks ago, to head out of town to a friends cabin. Although the weather wasn't the best we really had a wonderful time relaxing. We did get to watch a lot of the Olympics, yeah Jamaica, I finally finshed the book I started reading in May (Before the Legend - The Rise of Bob Marley) and we did have a chance to go on two really nice boat rides.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Pictures Galore! It's been a fun August week for us in Seattle. The first set of pictures were taken on Sunday (10th) at our PEPS family BBQ. The second set were taken on Monday (11th) at my friends Moira and Fiona's house and the third set of pictures were taken at the beach club on Mercer Island. We were hanging out with the Penny family. Enjoy! Malaika at the Park with PEPS friends

Hanging with friends

Like my outfit? Living it up on Mercer Island

Chillin at Home

Random Pictures

Everyone has been asking for updated pictures of Malaika. My sister Lisa put it the best way, she said she has no interest in reading my blog, just seeing pictures...thanks sis. Well, today you will be getting some random shots of the entire family.

Big Up Jamaica in Beijing

Mini Vacation to Bend, OR

We took a mini vacation this past week to Portland and Bend, OR. Tim had some work to do in both locations and decided he wanted to have the family with him. Let me start out by saying that this trip certainly had it's highs and lows. The first low is that even though I took my still camera and video camera I didn't take one picture.

Wednesday was an easy trip to Vancouver, WA. Tim went to his meeting while Malaika and I hung out at a play area in the mall. After picking Tim up from the hospital we headed to our hotel in Portland for the night. Malaika had traveled so well however, she did end up with a fever that night and was just worn out.

Thursday morning Tim headed to his meeting in Salem, OR while Malaika, who was feeling much better, and I took a really nice walk along the Willamette River (Portland waterfront). Later that morning we headed to Salem to pick up Tim and head out to Bend. On our way to Bend we stopped at Suttle Lake for a swim...beautiful! On arrival to Bend we headed to our hotel and what we thought was a suite ended up being a very small room. This was not going to work but of course they didn't have anything else available. Well, that night Malaika decided that she wasn't going to be able to sleep well and she woke up around 2am for about three hours. You know what that means...no one got any sleep that night. Believe me the idea of packing up and driving 5 hours to Seattle was VERY tempting.

On Friday Tim had a fair he had to attend in the morning, poor guy he was dragging, while Malaika and I slept in and then took a nice walk around Bend. When daddy returned we went for a swim and then while daddy took a little nap Malaika and I went into the Old Mill District and spent about 2 hours at Working Wonders - their Children's Museum. Friday night was probably her best night sleep. Even though she woke up for a bottle (which never happens) she went right back down.

Saturday we went for a fun family outing to Elk Lake near Mt. Bachelor. What a beautiful location. The water was cold, the sun was hot and we just had a lovely time. That night Malaika was thinking the she needed to wake up again, this time for about 2hours. What the *@#% was going on!

On Sunday we decided that we really wanted to go floating down the Deschutes River. If you are ever in Bend I think everyone should take advantage of this really relaxing and fun adventure. We had brunch, took naps and then headed out on the river. There was live music being played in the amphitheater as we floated by, lots of people watching and a great way to just chat as a family and show Malaika some really cool things. It was another rough night of sleep but we knew home was just a day away.

Although our weekend ended up being a little stressful we did enjoy our days together. We arrived home around 6:30pm on Monday evening and that night Malaika was right back into her regular routine, she slept through the night. I guess there's something to be said about your own bed or in her case - crib.

A Fun Weekend

More cabin pictures here

We're blessed to have some wonderful friends that are always happy to have Tim invite himself to their cabin. The weather wasn't perfect but we could still enjoy the company, go for walks on the beach and Malaika's first boat ride.

Avenue Q

Last month my neighbour and I went to watch this fantastic performance. Two grown women heading to the theater to watch puppets. Let me explain, this was no place for a child I'm not even sure I would've allowed a teen to go.

The Paramount describes Avenue Q: "Avenue Q is the Broadway smash-hit and 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. This hilarious show is full of heart, hummable tunes and big dreams - the perfect mix for an outstanding musical theatrical experience."

I describe Avenue Q: Amazing and funny with a little bit of everything. I loved the way they touched on some very important issues in today's society. From being gay to dealing with sex and race to much more. For puppets they were very entertaining and I must say more graphic than I expected.

If they're in your neighbourhood - GO!

Splish Splash

Playing in the water

Malaika had a few friends over on a very hot weekend so daddy got really creative and decided that it was time to play in the sprinklers. Then, our neighbour Jenny found her pool and that's where ALL of the children (including Tim) ended up. It was a fun weekend.

Bath, Bath

Bath Time pictures here

If Malaika is sitting in her highchair she is going to sign and say bath to you many, many times. She's come to realize that after a meal she gets to do one of her favourite things - have a bath. She just hasn't realized that it's the last meal in that highchair that gets her time in the tub.

How to Eat a Nectarine