Hiya. Sorry, we are still here!! Got back from Canada on Oct 20th.

Wow. Time flies.

Early October, Ethan and I just got over a miserable flu and then the 5th of October, Ethan and I flew to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for 2 weeks. It was awesome.

Daddy had to stay behind since he isn't able to fly until next August.

The trip took around 10.5 hrs including a connecting flight from Calgary to Edmonton. Ethan of course was a supreme flyer. He wasn't much of an eater on the plane but preferred milk bottles and snacks. I think he was saving his appetite for when we landed on Sunday.

Uncle Jeff and cousin Jackson( 22months) came and picked us up around noon and it was a solid friendship as soon as both their feet hit the ground. Ethan also got to meet up with his cousin Taylor (4yrs)

On Monday, my sis in law, Auntie Kels had to work the voting polls so her sister Naomi came over and helped out with Taylor and Jackson. Everyone had a great time together.It was soon apparent in a relatively short time, that Ethan loved juice, snacks- mainly pretzels, fish shaped cheese crackers, cheese, hot dogs, KRAFT macaroni and cheese and granola bars. He was eating non stop and both his arms and legs have added cushioning... and his bum too.He has i'm sure grown taller and his feet have gotten bigger too. One breakfast consisted of two hotdogs and a banana. - Interesting..

Tues to Fri were wedding rehearsal, spa day and my best friend's Diana's wedding in which I was a bridesmaid for me and Kels and her sister were kind enough to look after Ethan. Not only did he not miss me but he has so much fun and was pretty well behaved for his Aunties.

Sunday and Monday were Thanksgiving which Ethan got to take part in!! Funny enough, neither had turkey but the food was sooo good. One Thanksgiving at Auntie Kels' parents and one at Diana's brother's place. (Diana is my best friend who got married while we were there. The ceremony was lovely.)

While in Edmonton, Ethan tried pizza, sushi (not such a fan) and alphaghettis (a huge hit) and dim sum (didn't much like it at all) Ethan had the time of his life, having a 24hr playmate- well minus the sleeping.

Jackson and Ethan and Taylor had a blast running down the hall and screaming, taking baths together, playing with toys.

Ethan also learned to say:

down please = Dow eesth- with fingers pointing down up please= uhh eesth- with fingers pointing upjuice= joosth cheese= cheesth he wants

a snack= mum mum pointing to his mouth

cold cold cold(as in the weather is cold, cold, cold)= coh coh coh

dinosaur= die a sss

turtle= turrr tuh

sorry= give a hug and kiss to the person who he wasn't minding his manners to- This is how Jackson also says sorry- as a result, Ethan has perfected his kissing and on demand usually will pucker up and give you a kiss with a audible "smack"

good bye= buh bye- in a lilting voice- the second bye sound goes up

hi= hi yi- same lilting second tone

It was also good that we left when we did as Ethan was starting to grab and compete for toys from Jackson and he was hitting his cousins which was a very bad no no. He actually had a couple time outs in the high chair, which he seemed pretty happy just sitting there watching everyone else... not sure if it worked...but he did get the message when Kels and I said "No", loud and clear and even if we said it but not loudly, his face would squish up and he would let out this painful cry of protest. A fake cry.

We stayed at Uncle Jeff and Kels until the 19th of Oct. Then flew back. The trip was fine with Ethan being much more independant and active on the flight wanting up and down.Once again, passengers commented on how incredible well behaved he was! How fantastic is that!

He seems to be doing something new everyday and I keep forgetting to get it on video or take photos- bad mommy... He sure keeps us busy.

So here are the pics from our trip. Ethan's cousins- Jackson and Taylor

Getting to know each other. Having fun at the indoor playgroup at the recreational center. Way too much fun. These two love posing for pictures complete wtih loud vocal " CHEESE!!!" Ethan and Jackson hanging out on Jackson's bed.

Playing dress up.

Taylor and best friend playing hide and seek.

Uncle Jeff in his hilarious pajamas. Ethan ofcourse non stop eating snacks.

Tay and the boys playing KAHS(Cars)

This face just cracks me up- Ethan is saying "What mom? I'm eating here!!"

Ethan looking at the birds outside the window and fascinated at the camera case.

Princess Taylor with her new glasses and the boys

Yay! Bathtime!!! Woo hoo! Taylor joined the boys on a different night and it was still so much fun for everyone.

Thanksgiving at Diana's brother's place. Their eldest son, Stryden was really great and shared his toys with Ethan. Ethan especially loved this this Spiderman chair and would lean back and recline on it. So cool. We were so proud of Taylor who finished all of her breakfast!!! Ethan after a lunch of macaroni and cheese and alphaghettis.

Let no one come between a boy and their food.

Taylor, pretty as always.

Ethan being Ethan. Group hug!! Giving each other lotsa luv.

(Below) A fun afternoon at the Galaxyland Amusement Park in West Edmonton Mall.

Lining up and waiting for the train to arrive. Ethan, Tay and me on the train. Jackson was asleep

But Jackson soon woke up and then we waited in line for the cars, planes, helicopter and car ride. Ethan got scared shortly after these photos and I had to pull him out of the helicopter crying.

This was like a ferris wheel but with hot air balloons.

. On the Merry Go Round. I had to hold Ethan on the horse cuz he didn't like it very much and wanted me to hold him.

(Later that evening:)

Ethan was playing with the puzzle pieces then all of sudden lay down on his back on the floor.I think this was a sign of things to come as for some reason, he really enjoys lying on his back on any floor. Carpeted, tile, wood...

At the the Edmonton boarding gate. Ethan just decided to lie on the floor to everyone's amusement. Maybe he wanted to stay a bit longer.

(Hopefully this isn't a sign that it comes from me, as my mom like to remind me of the times when I was little and I would lie down in a shopping mall floor screaming and wailing...)

When we got to Manchester Airport, we were surprised to see daddy had a beard!! Ethan didn't really recognize his daddy. The next morning, Ethan woke up disoriented and called for Jackson- jah sa, but only me and daddy were here. Since the 19th, both Ethan and me have been waking up around 12pm. We are not back to the UK time zone.

Ethan is still eating everything. He has breakfast, snacks, juice, lunch, snacks, juice, dinner and then milk before bed.

On another note, his finger nail is growing back- (thank goodness)- it's already half grown out on his finger nail bed.

I'm sure there is much more to tell you but it's almost 3am and

need sleep...

Bye for now!