Ferry Adventures to Victoria

Brent entered his 2nd triathlon of the season in Victoria on July 5th. We took the boys over on the ferry the day before to explore Victoria and have some time together as a family. The boys loved riding on the big boat, people watching, and just having an adventure. We did a little bit of exploring in parks and enjoyed the beauty of the ocean.

Brent had a fantastic race, finishing in 4th place for his age category, shaving 10 MINUTES off his previous triathlon this year. He's gearing up for one more race this season and inspiring all of us to keep active.

Latest Developments

We had our first glimpse of the newest Raabe today. Both Nate and Jadon had dating ultrasounds but I guess the third time around you realize the baby will grow and develop regardless if you know all the details about it. We waited until this babe was about 20 weeks to take a peek and will likely wait now until around the middle of November for baby to join our family. He or she is active, according to the ultrasound technician, but I don't feel a lot of movement yet. However, I also can't really recall the last time I sat down to relax or take notice of the child growing within! We decided not to find out the gender of this child. He or she was sitting pretty low in the pelvis, bum down and wanted to keep private things private anyways. The technician was able to capture 4 profile shots (which is 4 more than I have ever had). I am sharing only one with you as they all pretty much look the same.

Growin' Up

Last week Jadon was forced to take a nap without the soother since he was at Grama & Grampa's but his soother was at home. He did beautifully, so mommy & daddy thought maybe he was ready to transition to sleeping without his "prop". We endured one night (it wasn't so bad) but then mommy caved one nap alone when she really needed some quiet time. Shortly after, we enjoyed a visit with our new niece & cousin, Fiona. Jadon graciously decided (with some encouragement) to give his soother to the baby. He has mourned its departure a few times, but for the most part has rolled with the new routine. One transition done, about 465,378 to go.

Big Boys

Brent tried his hand at cutting the boys hair and did a fantastic job! Both boys sat very patiently while Brent used the clippers to give them their summer "do's". This was Jadon's very first haircut (at 28 months). Mommy was pretty sad to see the curls go, but thinks her little man is quite handsome. The curls can (and will) grow back one day.

Born to Boogie

This post is very belated and will be kept short as Nate has his final preschool party tomorrow and there is sure to be a lot of footage. Nate was having a hard time getting enough oxygen during the preschool party in May. Possibly if he would have had a bit more sleep the night before, he would have had more pep for his performance. He also seemed distracted by hunting for treasures (and he didn't even know about geocaching yet!). Regardless, this clip is cute for his dancing skills.

Party Day for April

April 30th was party day at preschool for this month. Our dear friend Joelley was not able to come to the party and Nate missed her energetic encouragement. As you will notice in the clips, he is not very engaged and keeps yawning, but underneath a smile sneaks through every now and then.

Training Wheels For Sale

Near the end of summer last year, Nate started to adventure out on his bike (with Daddy very close at hand) without training wheels. This spring, he has mostly used his training wheels until this week when he asked Brent to remove them. Yesterday, he was biking with Brent running really closely beside him to catch the wobbles and stops. Today, Nate begged Mommy to take him biking. Having not supported a new cyclist before, Mommy was very nervous and had a really hard time letting go of the seat and the handle bars. Our retired neighbour was chuckling, encouraging Mommy to let go as "He's got to learn sometime!" Well. the next pass was somewhat improved. I was able to let go of the handle bars which Nate probably was thankful for as he had slightly more control. All of a sudden, the kid is cycling the length of the lane, with Mommy panting behind him. When Brent came home, we took Nate to the soccer field near our home and you can see for yourself his progress. He has taken flight.