Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Hello Everybody out there in Internetland. We have had a fantastic day playing in the snow. Well we actually only played in the snow for 30 minutes but it was enough to last all day for us. We have had a major dump of snow here in Saskatoon and Andrew decided we should go out and enjoy it. Plus we got to test out Dinara's new Minnie Mouse snow suit. It works perfectly...she was as toasty when we took her out of it as when we put her in it. However, our little bug does not like having her mouth and face covered with a scarf (my scarf from when I was little I might add). Oh well. It was warm here just snowy so we didn't bother her about it too much. Oh, to get back to the main story...we went tobogganing today. It was fantastic! We had a great time and Dinara was really enjoying the snow. She didn't really enjoy it when it was piled up near her face but she loved sliding down on the toboggan and scooping it with her hands. We tried to get her to make a mini me snow angel but she is a little too young yet (I photographed what we did get though). I think we may have finally finished our Christmas shopping today...well for those in Saskatoon. The rest of you we are shopping for after the big rush. It is much more difficult to go shopping long term when you have a little one that constantly wants to be entertained (and no I am not talking about Andrew there). I think we managed nicely though.
I think that is enough for today. Hopefully we will be seeing some of you in the new year...hint, hint there Edmonton friends. Miss you guys lots. Talks soon.

Dinara in her new snowpants. Yes, Mommy was trying to get out of the shot but Daddy thought it would be funny to include her.


Daddy trying to get Dinara to walk to him in the snow. She was a little trepidacious...as you can tell.


Dinara's mini me snow angel. She is just too cute for words.


Daddy and Dinara going down the hill.


Dinara going down the hill by herself. Such a big girl!


Dinara after tripping and falling in the snow.


Dinara trying to get up from the snow.


Dinara standing in the snow.


Dinara having a post snow drink of warm milk, vanilla and a little honey and talking on her cellphone. She just loves Mommy's old phone.

I hope you enjoy all the pics. Lots of love from us to you.

Dinara's Passport Application

Well today we went and applied for Dinara's first Canadian Passport. It is so cheap for children's passports ($27). Everything went fine and we should have her passport in the beginning of January. We have also booked our airfare for our Disneyland trip and we leave the 18th of February return on the 22nd (sorry Mom but I/we are going to miss your birthday...again). We are very excited!! Our good friend Bridget (the Disney friend) is going to arrange for accomodations with her Vacation Club points (which we are going to buy into when we are down there...hopefully the Canadian dollar stays good) and we will buy our passes later this month for the parks. Dinara is free as she is under 3 years old. Well that's all for today. TTFN.

Dinara's Citizenship Card

Just a short note to tell you all that her citizenship card arrived today. It is so cute. We are going to the passport office tomorrow to hand in her application for a passport. We are almost 2.5 months in advance of our Disney trip (which we booked our airfare today) so it should hopefully (keep all fingers crossed) arrive before we have to leave. I'll update soon. Not much more to report really. Lots of love from us to you.

Early Christmas on the Island

Well hello again.

I know I said I would update yesterday but I got busy...sue me. Oh well. Well let's see where to begin? Well we left on Sunday of last week to go visit Nana and Opa on the Island. It was a fun time. We flew Air Canada (never again if we can help it) and boy was that a mistake. They seem to forget (often) what preboarding is and then ask stupid questions on the plane. For example: Did you seat belt in the car seat? I wanted to belt back a witty retort but left it with a simple yes. Stupid flight attendant. I wanted to say "uh you mean I have to belt in the chair not just my kid?" Duh. Oh well other then that and Miss Dinara peeing through her diaper (once each way) the flights went well. Dinara really doesn't mind flying and plays nicely while in the air. I think it would be a little better if we had a portable DVD player (think this will be purchased before our trip to Disney).

So our visit on the island went well. We had an early Christmas (with presents and everything) and Dinara was thrown a cocktail party in her honor. Christmas was fun (as you will see by the photos) and Dinara loved all the wrapping paper and boxes she received...oh you mean there were things in the packaging. Well our little one didn't really notice that. She also liked the food you get to eat at Christmas. The cocktail party was a hit and lots of presents came from that for Dinara too. Suffice it to say our luggage was a little heavy upon our return to Saskatoon. Dinara wore a pretty little cocktail dress that Mommy and Daddy bought in Saskatoon at the party. It is very cute...black velvet top and red plaid bottom. She looked like a little angel...well close anyway. She loved all the people at the party...especially those she could convince to give her food (which was everyone). So everything was a hit.

We had visits from old friends and family (John & Carole, Lea & Joe, Ted & Marie). All of which were totally enamored with Dinara...some even shedding a few tears after meeting her. Others made fast friends with her by inviting us over to have morning pancakes (which were amazing)...Dinara loves her pancakes (well she loves food end statment but you get my meaning).

That's really all for now. A litte tired this morning as Dinara made all sorts of noises starting at 6 am...the time we pinpointed when she must have peeded through her diaper soaking her bedding. Our girl is definitely the Pee Queen. Bye bye for now.


Dinara before her haircut.


Dinara after her haircut. She looks like she is saying "what ya talking about ma?"


Dinara wearing one of Mommy's field hats. It was so funny when she put it on that I had to photograph it.


Dinara looking surprised when Mommy put in a Disney film. This is the face she makes when the Disney castle appears in the opening credits of all Disney films.


Poppy giving Dinara some milk foam with chocolate shavings on it. She loved this and this was a popular thing to have Opa make her.


Dinara's first reindeer...I mean deer sighting.


Dinara opening her first Christmas present. This one happens to be from Joanne Thorpe. Thanks again for the present.


Daddy with wrapping paper on his head.


Dinara with wrapping paper on her head.

DINARA IS CANADIAN!!!

This is just a short message to say that our little girl is now officially CANADIAN! I went online today to check her application status and it told us that as of November 26th she has been granted citizenship. Yeah!!!!! Just thought you all would like to know.

We just got back from visiting Nana and Opa on the island and will be posting later today. Bye for now.

We are Lollybloggers...Please Forgive Us

Hi Everyone.

Well it has been a busy few weeks. We have now returned to wonderful Saskatoon from Canmore. We are slowly getting accustomed to life here again. It is marvelous to be home now. We loved it in Canmore but the commuting really just took a lot out of me this summer. We are cleaning and organizing the house again. We accumulate so much stuff it is unreal. Andrew is back playing his 40K miniature game and I have begun the slow process of returning to the gym. We purchased a family membership at the Y in Saskatoon (incidentally where Andrew took his swimming lessons when he was young). Christmas is getting in full gear in the Pearson household. We have our new fiber optic tree up and have been watching all the Christmas cartoons and muppet movies round the clock (much to the chugrin of Andrew). We have begun our shopping but are finding it hard to buy for a couple individuals...which is always the case. We leave on Sunday to go for an Early Christmas with Andrew's parents and my folks arrive on the 19th of December for Christmas here. I just love Christmas time. Well what else can I tell you...hmmm.

Oh! Dinara went for her first visit to the pediatrician...Mommy wasn't at all impressed by her. She first starts asking questions about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and early warning signs (which we knew and ruled out months ago). Then she starts asking me medical background information on Dinara's birth mother and about her health before we got her. I had already told her that all we knew was the form I gave her but she didn't seem bright enough to understand that. Then she starts in on what Dinara drinks...we tell her that she drinks milk and watered down juice. She then jumps to the conclusion that Dinara walks around all day with a bottle in her mouth and tells us no juice only water and milk. I then told her that my daughter does not have a sippy cup in her mouth all day, she only gets a drink when she is sitting and we don't allow her to run around with it. This pediatrician really got up Mommy's nose. She was whining about the strike and not really listening to Andrew and I. She also sent Dinara for blood work (6 vials of blood were taken at once out of my little one). I had less blood taken the last time I went for blood work. I don't think we will be going to her again. She also told us to get some booster shots and hearing testing done on Dinara, but didn't write anything down nor give us a sheet to hand in for her hearing tests. Stupid head.

Well that's enough ranting for now. To the Pearson's in Ontario we are sorry but we will not be making it out to Ontario anytime soon. We were hoping for this month but just can't work it into our schedules. I would say in the new year but it is already turning out to be hectic. We are going to Disneyland in February and I am doing my first real field season in Argentina in March. We haven't figured out if Andrew and Dinara are going to join me. I might just have to suck it up and go on my own. The one town I will be stationed in isn't really that good for families and no one speaks English. I think the next trip if I am in El Calafate I'll bring them (this is a tourist city and everyone speaks english). Oh well. I'll just have to bear being away for 6-8 weeks from my family. It will be very hard and I'm a little worried I won't be able to stand it. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Ok, Ok, enough babbling here are a tonne of photos.


Dinara playing with and in her toys. Such a little cutie.


Silly grin girl.


Her first Halloween costume. This is of course approximately 2 months before Halloween. Just wanted to see what it would look like. Also, like the facial reaction.


Aunty Nerissa with Dinara. Nerissa and Shah came and visited us in Canmore. They were going to a wedding in Calgary and stayed the night with us. They brought Dinara a cool set of musical instruments...those are controlled substances in the Pearson house though.


Dinara in her Carlsbad Caverns shirt. The last time she wore it before she outgrew it. Oh well...I bought two different ones in two different sizes.


Dinara and Daddy in front of the Giraffes at the Calgary Zoo. We all enjoyed the zoo that crisp day in October.


Mommy and Dinara in front of the Zebra(s). Initially there were no zebra out of the pen but Andrew started making zebra noises and they came out. Others at the zoo that heard him started referring to him as the Zebra Whisperer.


Daddy and Dinara in front of the Elephant pen. Dinara is making an elephant noise while Mommy took the pic. She absolutely loves elephants and makes the cutest noise whenever she sees one. She also got to see the Calgary Zoo's baby elephant that day. Lots of Fun.


Dinara and Mommy in front of the Imperial Oil sponsored Tiger area. I had to have my pic taken here as I worked for Imperial this summer. It was great. We got to see a baby tiger too.


Dinara in another tub of toys. Do you see a trend here?


Dinara in her new Calgary Zoo T-shirt. They didn't have an elephant one otherwise I would have bought it. She had her bangs cut by Mommy (not easy to do) and she was enjoying brushing her hair.


A nice pic of Dinara in her shirt. I bought it big so it still fits her.


Dinara asking for some of Mommy's food. So cute. This is on Halloween. So she did wear the first costume we bought her. You might be asking what happened to the Stitch costume? Well she outgrew it and it was in Saskatoon.


Grama attacking Dinara with her Aunty Fina doll (we call the doll this as it looks like her Aunty Fina...before she changed her hair color). She really looks like she is hating the attention eh?


Dinara in her costume at playgroup. Mommy had a blast playing with Dinara there. We played in the ball pit, and with many other toys. We had a great time.


Dinara eating her first chocolate from Halloween...well actually Grama and Grampa brought this for her. She did enjoy it still though.


Mommy, Dinara, Grama (without her costume) and Grampa beginning our first Trick or Treating. Dinara was not thrilled with the idea and actually was a little scared. Grama had been dressed up as a whoopee cushion but Dinara didn't like it. Consequently, Grama took it off.


Mommy and Dinara getting ready to go to the first house. She was a little better when I put her down as this house had dogs. She loves dogs and went running up to them.


Dinara being allowed to pick her own candy from the first house. She picked two pieces and then tried to put the lid on the bowl that held the candy. She did enjoy getting licked by the dogs at this house though.


Daddy consoling Dinara after her second house. We didn't get to any others after that. She had had enough so we quit. She got four pieces of candy though. Good enough. Next year hopefully will be better. She was just a little too young still.


Dinara's candy from Trick or Treating.


The candy Grama and Grampa brought for us from Edmonton.

Well I think that is enough photos for today. That should give you all your Dinara fix for a couple days. TTFN (Ta Ta For Now).

Lack of Posting Should Stop Now

Hi there everyone...or at least the few of you that are still checking for updates. The last couple of months have been extremely busy for us here in Canmore and I apologize for the lack of photos of our little bug.

Updates...hmmm. Well I am finished my contract with Imperial Oil as of Friday and I (we) are very excited to be going back to Saskatoon. We have had a good time in Alberta and I loved my experiences in Calgary...but we are home sick. I can't wait to have only a 6 minute commute instead of a two hour one. Work went well and I present my stuff to the company on Tuesday. Wish me luck. Dinara and I will be flying to Saskatoon on Saturday and Andrew is going to spend a couple of days in Edmonton visiting friends. I have had three job interviews for next summer (Shell, Nexen and Petro-Canada) and hopefully will hear from them this week. Imperial doesn't hire the same summer students each year but I have been informed by the head manager in charge of recruiting that they are very interested in me for permanent once I am done the PhD. So goody there for me. I think I will work one more summer and then I'll just focus on the PhD. That way I have some experience and the companies don't think I am just an academic.

On the Dinara front...lots of new developments. She says a few words now...Daddy, Mama, Bye Bye, Hi, Eye, Hand, Pooh, Boo, and she tries to say Toes. She is very cute...duh...and having a good time with mom and dad. I have some pics to post courtesy of Nana and Opa. I have misplaced my camera cable and therefore cannot download the photos that are on my little Nikon. We have visited the Calgary zoo and had a blast. Dinara was making elephant noises all day afterwards. She really loves elephants...just like Mommy. She eats like a trooper still...storm trooper maybe. She is also good at telling us when she is full now. She either taps her stomache or pushes the spoon away saying No. Time is flying by for us. She is now 21 months old, 25 pounds and 78 cm tall. She is growing like a weed.

Well that's all for now. Now that my work term is ending I will be able to post on a more regular basis. I have November and December off and start school again in January. It is going to be nice to have two months off to play with my little girl and just hang out with my hubby. I have missed spending large amounts of time with them.

Bye bye for now.



Here is Nana and Dinara at Breakfast at the Radisson. Dinara is in to the tea already. Oh well. She likes Mommy's coffee too. Sharon doesn't really like this photo so look at the bottom for a couple more I have added. I thought this was cute but there are a couple more too.



Mommy and Dinara playing with Silver the cat. We were eating at the Flatbread company in Canmore at the time. The food was a bit dissappointing.



How about it? Would you all pay 25 cents for a kiss. That day we made enough money to put her through university.



Opa and Dinara at the park. Looks like the little bug is definitely enjoying herself.



Bye bye from our little cutie pie.

Here are the other pics of Sharon/Nana and Dinara. I think these will make Nana happier.