on boxing day, we had hot pot with kimu, angie and the kids, as well as pam visiting from nyc.

baby got a “rebecca lamb” onesie from the chens, and a “i heart ny” onesie from pam. thanks guys!

rebecca’s first christmas deserved a special first ornament…i hope she’ll love it as much as i do. a one of a kind wooden block with vintage graphics on each side, which i found at the “one of a kind show” by a local artist, jackie dives.

sitting with daddy in her polka dot sleeper, aka the clown suit.

a belated happy canadian thanksgiving to all! needless to say, there is much to be thankful for in our lives right now, most of all for our beautiful healthy daughter. our future steps are still uncertain but we know God leads us. mom and helen with pre-cooked turkey:

we were too eager to eat so there is no post-cooked turkey shot, but it was good…and leftovers were even better!

time is ticking along quite swiftly, counting down to baby’s due date. we are setting up the nursery, thanks to a crib from grandmommy L, as well as a number of useful items we’ve inherited from generous friends. the bookshelf is filling up with baby items, gifts from friends and family, as well as toys we’ve dug up from when i was little.

the dining room was recently a sweat shop, covered in pinks and yellows. grandmommy T is a talented seamstress and made a nursing pillow for me and baby, among other projects.

i beautified a simple store-bought quilt with some heart and elephant appliques i made out of fleece and fabric. hope baby likes it!

i had a baby shower already with my friends before leaving chicago, and this weekend i was lucky enough to enjoy a second one! helen organized it with the help of louisa and angie (games-masters). we had beautiful and delicious food:

games:

wacky photos:

cake (caketoppers which i saved from my chicago baby shower!):

thank you everybody for my lovely gifts and a wonderful time!

we went out for a date on joe’s birthday a few days ago and had dinner at ‘burgoo’. warm stewy comfort food.

i liked the colours of this crab bisque.

happy birthday hubbie!

the last few weeks have been busy with catching up with vancouver friends.

first, visiting janet, chris and baby madeleine, along with gina who was in town from california:

hanging out with the wongs and the chens on a sunday afternoon. tayden and matia, all grown up!

spending a morning with louisa and ichiro at queen elizabeth park:

and having lunch with grace and baby natalie at granville island:

we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary a couple of days ago with a home-cooked meal (courtesy joe), complete with our non-alcoholic drinks and a rose picked from the garden. it’s hard to believe how quickly time has passed. we are thankful for how God leads and protects, and for the big and small blessings we experience daily.

yesterday was moving day. or rather, the movers came and took all of our things… we’ll be flying out later in the week. we are very thankful that my parents are here to help, especially in the cleaning and cooking department. in fact, i think the kitchen will be cleaner than when we moved into the parsonage, thanks to my mom’s skills.