Whiskey Jacks

It's funny how once the sun breaks through and the daffs are blooming in the city, everyone decides that winter is officially over. No matter how much snow remains up in the mountains, ski season is officially "over" for the groomers.

While Anna is still light enough to carry (and while we can still use her as an excuse to go slowly uphill) we thought we'd take advantage of the beautiful spring conditions to skin up Mt. Strachan and get a few turns in. Anna sang the whole way uphill and we had a snack break at the top. The Whiskey Jacks must have heard her coming... Anna was mesmerized by the birds who took full advantage of the fact that she's a bit of a messy eater.

Cruisin'

Anna's first birthday present from her Dad could only be one thing (for those that know him well): a Giro bike helmet. Given the level of adoration she showed when presented with a certain stuffed animal recently, Dad had no choice but to pick the pink bunny helmet for the birthday girl.

We cheated a bit and drove to the start of the car-free road that winds it's way through the Seymour Demonstration Forest on the North Shore. Stock it up to new parent paranoia, but we weren't quite sure how the Chariot would perform as a bike trailer. Well, let's be honest. We weren't sure how our legs would perform towing the bike trailer from East Van over to the North Shore.

Mum and Dad had a fabulous time. The Chariot works like a dream. Anna was much happier once the helmet was off and she could settle into her morning nap (but don't tell the by-law police). Funny how a cute little girl can suddenly resemble Darth Vader (albeit a less threatening version) when she's sporting a helmet down over her face. Luckily, she'll quickly grow into it.

Olivia

Anna has this strange fascination with my blue dollar-store hairband, and has almost mastered the art of putting it on herself. This new skill has its benefits: Anna manages to get her hat on her head 50% of the time. The bad news is, she's got the same batting average for other "headgear", including clean folded underwear she's retrieved from the laundry basket.