Us Four, Adventure Galore!

Chess Set

2012-01-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

For a few years now, I've been searching for a chess set that I really like, and at a cost I was willing to pay. I saw these at a recent tournament, offered to buy them from the player, and they are now paired with a board I've had for some time.

My new chess set
Made by House of Staunton, the pieces are wood, nicely weighted, and have leather pads instead of the usual felt. Each piece also has a particular look I like, something not easy to find with all the variety available. Can't get much better than that.

Now I can play in style! One thing that I really like about Chess is the aesthetics of the board and pieces, and having a nice set to play on makes it that much more fun.

Merry Christmas, 2011!

2011-12-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, our friends, family, and readers! We are enjoying the holiday season with our family, and taking some time away from the usual activity to relax and enjoy each others company.

Click to see full size image.
Wishing you all the best as we head towards the New Year, and for all of 2012!

The Hoyers

Bible Pairs, by Little Scribes

2011-12-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce a brand new app in the Little Scribes series that was just launched in time for Christmas!

This clever game features an object, person, or place along with three others, one of which is related somehow. Some are simple relationships, such as a fish and a river, while others require some story knowledge, such as pairing Moses with the burning bush.

Once again, much credit is deserved by the artist, Susanna Holdren, who did a great job with this app. An app can be great on its own, but the artwork can make it awesome!

Click to view on iTunes!

2011 Winter Swiss Chess Tournament

2011-12-20T21:08:00.000-08:00

I played in a local chess tournament that ran for a number of weeks during November and December. With fifteen players, it was an above average turnout, and I had a great time, and some really good games.

Tournament Results
The tournament set a few new milestones for me. First, you'll notice that my new rating is also the highest I've achieved to date. Second, I'm no longer the lowest rated player in the club, something that was the case for quite a while. And third and probably most importantly, it's the first time I've scored two wins in a single tournament.

2011 has been a good year for me in terms of chess, and I've been able to play in a number of tournaments. My plan for 2012 is to continue to play in tournaments regularly, keep improving my play, and keep my performance and rating on an upward trend.

Autumn 2011

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's the first of November and the chilly breeze of autumn has set in. The leaves are turning colors, and everyone is enjoying the beautiful transition between summer and winter.

We recently had photos taken of our family, and we wanted to share a few with you here.

The Hoyer Family!

Charlotte, our big girl!

William going for a swing!

Cutie!

Little man.

Peek-a-boo!
All the best from our family to yours this autumn! Get out and enjoy the sights and sounds while they last.

Photos by Alyssa Rae Photography.

Seattle Central Library

2011-10-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Seattle earlier this month, we visited the Seattle Central Library, which appeared high up on a list of things to see in the area.

As it turns out, it was a great choice and we were highly impressed.

The building exterior -- impressive in itself.
It's located in downtown Seattle, not too far from Pikes Place Market. If you want to take a virtual tour around the block, check out the street view!

On entering the library, you're in a huge open area with elevators and escalators to take you to other parts of the library, as well as a seating area, and a coffee and souvenir shop.

Where would you like to go?

We chose the up escalator.
It seemed like the most obvious way forward, so up we went. Behind the escalators you can see the Fiction section, which despite spending an hour and a half looking around, we totally missed.

The long ride up!
Two escalators take you almost all the way to the top -- a long way! You can see on either side the floors you pass on your way up. It's something of a sloped spiral, so you can make your way down just by following the floor one level at a time. If you need to, you can jump into the escalator at certain points.

A very different feel.
The library's design isn't the warm and cozy type we've grown up with. There's a lot of glass and metal, which gives a very cool feeling. However, it doesn't seem to deter anyone, and the place had a lot of people here and there. If you do need a taste of the warm and cozy, head over to the children's section, which is as you would expect.

The next stop was the highest point in the library. Once you reach the highest point on the 10th floor, you can walk down a narrow walkway beside the elevator shaft and peek over the edge all the way to the main floor where you come in.

That's a long way down.
Note the escalators that you can see in the third photo.

And lastly, we visited the Seattle Room. The library has a number of special areas that feature specific types of information. I'm pretty sure I saw a Map Room too, but we didn't get to tour it. In the Seattle Room are all kinds of building plans, layouts, building models, books, and more -- all having to do with Seattle.

Natasha in the Seattle Room.
We took the elevator down part of the way, toured some of the book levels, then took the elevator down again to see the children's section. We'll take our kids back there for sure next time were in the area.

All in all, a really neat place to visit, and with no cost attached, the entertainment value is unbeatable. Go check it out next time you're in Seattle!

Seattle Trip - Oct 2011

2011-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary this year, we took a short trip to Seattle to see a few of our favourite sights, stay the night, and of course, eat some delicious food.

We stayed at our usual accommodations, Hotel Sierra. If you're ever in the Seattle area and want to stay somewhere outside of the main city, we highly recommend it. I actually don't think we've stayed in another hotel in the area since discovering it. After checking in and having a little down time, we drove over to another of our usuals, Claim Jumper, where we enjoyed their overly large portions and great rustic atmosphere.

Natasha did some research to find out what things there were to see in Seattle in hopes of discovering something new. We selected a list of things that fit our schedule, which included: Pike Place Market, the Seattle Central Library, Kerry Park, and a recommendation from our family: Chipotle! Here are the details of our trip to these places.

Seattle Central Library
When Natasha told me that the Central Library was on the list of top attractions, I was pretty skeptical. We recently blogged about the new library in Surrey which was very impressive but not what I would call an attraction. Let me tell you, I was mistaken.

Seattle Central Library
I really think that this library is something nobody should miss when visiting Seattle. It has something for everyone, and when you consider that it's easy to access and is totally free, you can't go wrong. First, there's some great architecture for those who like to look at unique buildings. Everywhere you look are glass and metallic designs, and exploring it for the first time has the feeling of walking through a real life maze. And for those who want to test their fear of heights, you can go up to the highest viewpoint and peer down ten floors to the main level. Seriously, go check it out.

Kerry Park
A park? Yes, I was skeptical of this one too. What could be so interesting about a park? As it turns out, it's more than just a grassy area with trees. Kerry Park is quite a small area high on a hill with an expansive view over the city and nearby water.

The view from Kerry Park.

All smiles from this viewpoint!
Pike Place Market
No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to this market. You can buy everything from art, to produce, seafood, flowers, and in the lower levels are all kinds of shops, including one where I found an interesting LIFE Magazine for my chess collection. If you're there, don't forget to explore the streets around the market too, which are full of unique and interesting shops.

We did find something new this time though, a street band with an early 1900's kind of sound and an interesting mix of instruments.

The Millionaire's Club
Chipotle
Last but not least, Chipotle Mexican Grill! Our family has been raving about this place for years, but with no restaurants in Canada, we haven't been able to try it very easily. However, we made a special trip this time and were rewarded for our efforts.

Entering Chipotle's for the first time!
Our first experience is one that will have us coming back again. The food was great, and the staff even threw in some free chips and salsa for us first time customers!

Tacos, tacos, tacos!
If you want to kick it up a notch next time you are hungry for Mexican food, don't hesitate -- go straight to the nearest Chipotles.

Overall, our trip was great. We both agree that we really got to like Seattle this trip, probably because we were able to explore more of what it has to offer, and had some really nice weather to go along with it. All we need to figure out is when we can go again!

LIFE Magazine - Bobby Fischer

2011-10-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

In a recent trip to Seattle, we made our usual trip through Pike Place Market. One of my favorite stores there is Old Seattle Paperworks, which offers a large collection of collectible magazines going back to the early 1900's. Their LIFE Magazine collection appears to be one of the largest, and on this trip there was a particular issue I was after.

LIFE Magazine - November 12, 1971
Yes, this is one I have seen in a number of photos but never in person. It features Bobby Fischer on the front cover, just prior to him becoming the World Chess Champion.

The writer covers a period of a few days spent with Bobby, and describes him much the same as numerous writers have. The one thing that caught my attention, however, was his reported appetite. Big meals with multiple glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, and selzer water, and a couple of banana and whip cream desserts.

It's nice to remember him during his good years, and this magazine is a great addition to my Chess collection.

City Centre Library

2011-09-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

We heard there was a new library in Surrey, so earlier this week we took the kids for an evening outing to take a look. The library is located near the Surrey Central skytrain station in a really modern-looking building. The inside of the library is very large, with a number of meeting rooms, study areas, and even a coffee shop.

A view from the top floor.
As you can see, the library has a very modern theme. It's very clean looking, a lot of white -- one might even say it's a bit cold.

William trying out a cozy chair.
Scattered throughout the library are various chairs and benches, many of them quite unique. The fact that the library has 77,000 sq ft of space means there should be ample room to relax, browse, and read.

Charlotte and William in the kids area.
The kids section has some nice reading areas, a number of computers to play with, and a bit of a play area. As seen in the above photo, lining the walls are interesting displays for kids to peek into.

Overall I was pretty impressed. I really like the idea of a library having a coffee shop, which I hope brings in revenue for the library system. Instead of being a place to simply read or get books, this library feels more like a place to spend some time.

The area directly around the Surrey Central skytrain station is a bit sketchy, but hopefully with the new city hall being built nearby, and more improvements throughout the area, it should really start becoming a great place to go.

William: 18 Months Old

2011-09-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

William is 18 months old today! That's 1.5 years for those who aren't in the baby stage and aren't counting in months.

So, what's new with William? He's picking up a few words, which is really nice. He's daring, active, full of personality, and is always wearing a smile.

He also loves, loves, loves to eat! Rumor has it he ate 3 hot dog wieners, a cheese slice, and half a dozen marshmallows in a single sitting.

Here are three photos specially selected to show you what he's like these days!

Big boy.

Really getting active these days!

In the studio.
Watch for the next post for William in March 2012!

August 2011 Slideshow

2011-09-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

The photo albums keep coming, and we have finally caught up after getting behind by quite a few months.

We are happy to share our August 2011 Slideshow! What you will notice about this album is that it is loaded with children and family activities. Due to the fact that I was off work, we had a lot more opportunity to get out and do things during the days and really enjoy the summer. August had some really nice weather too, so it made for a lot of great adventures and photos.

Enjoy!

9/11: Ten Years Later

2011-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

✈

▌▌

As I write my yearly blog post for September 11th, I wonder what other bloggers will be writing, and what people will be talking about or thinking. The usual "Can you believe it's been ten years?" or "Where were you on Sept 11, 2001?" no doubt, but there are other things on my mind.

Did the world learn its lesson from the terrorist attack ten years ago today? Have we acted on what we know? And what are we doing about it today?

Ask yourself these questions, and if you aren't satisfied with the way things are, what are you going to do about it? It doesn't take a lot of effort. Vote for someone who believes in protecting what we have and isn't afraid to stand up or speak out. Make a plan for protecting you and your family. Boycott the people, products, businesses, or anything else related to those who continue hostility towards freedom, whether on a global scale or in your own neighbourhood.

I'm moving on. I don't mean I'm forgetting about 9/11. I'm just going to stop looking backwards and start looking forward at what I can do to make things better, and I hope you'll do the same.

Greater Vancouver Zoo

2011-09-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Natasha took Charlotte and William to the zoo, along with a few friends. The kids really enjoyed the zoo in Edmonton, and we thought it would be nice to see what the Greater Vancouver Zoo was like. As it turns out, it rather exceeded expectations!

We bring you a mainly pictorial report, with a few comments. Enjoy!

Smiles all around -- the zoo is fun!

The zoo train.
This train is top quality and takes you around the entire zoo for a good tour. It also comes with a price tag, and you need to book a specific time. They didn't make it onto the train this time, but next time we'll ride it.

Buffalo

Charlotte likes to get close!

The cheetah, Charlotte's favorite!

Giraffes! Natasha's favorite zoo animal.

Cutie giraffe!

Charlotte sitting on the elephant statue.

William sitting on the gorilla statue.
Up next, we have the birds of prey! They put on some very impressive shows, and we have some videos to go along with the photos. Be sure to watch the owl video!

Owl.

Zoo not exciting? Watch this video!

Another bird of prey...

... and a video of it!

All the Mom's and kids. Good time had by all.
So that's the Greater Vancouver Zoo in twelve pictures and two videos. If you're wondering whether or not it's worth it, hopefully these give you a good idea. As for us, we'll probably end up buying a yearly pass and take the kids there on a more regular basis. It's an inexpensive, enjoyable, and educational outing!

June And July 2011 Albums

2011-09-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming to a close, and we are working on quite a bit of content over the next while to share with you. We always want to keep our photo albums up to date, so here are two more for your viewing enjoyment. These albums are absolutely stuffed with great pictures that really give a good insight into our travels, and times with friends and family.

June 2011 Slideshow
July 2011 Slideshow

Also note that we have updated Charlotte's Corner and William's Wall, both to be found in the sidebar. There are now 182 photos of Charlotte and 72 for William, and they rotate randomly.

April and May 2011 Slideshows

2011-08-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

We've fallen behind on our monthly photo album slideshows but are catching up and have two ready from earlier this year. April and May 2011 were full of activity and you're in for a real treat. Enjoy!

April 2011 Slideshow

May 2011 Slideshow

Choose a favorite photo from each month and add them to your comment below!

July 2011 Edmonton Trip

2011-07-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Edmonton earlier this month to visit our family and friends in the area, and enjoy some of the activities around the city. We made it a more leisurely trip by taking the drive in two parts each way, which is much easier on the kids and to be honest, on us as well. Our photo report follows -- Enjoy!

Travel: The Way There

Our first stop was at the Britton rest stop at the Coquihalla summit. The weather was great, and the kids enjoyed wandering around, picking flowers, rocks, and waving at cars.

We drove as far as Valemount where we stayed overnight. It's a cute town, amidst lovely mountains, and a place we found very relaxing to stay.

Andrew and William at a park.

Swimming in the pool!
The next morning we started the last part of our drive to Edmonton, with a stop in Jasper for lunch.

Riding the big horn statue in Jasper.
The Zoo
In Edmonton, we visited the Edmonton Valley Zoo, our second year in a row. Last year the kids were a bit young, and they enjoyed it a whole lot more this year.

On the train!
We met up with Auntie Sandi, and cousins Anna, Caleb, and Ethan, the last two who also rode the train.

Choo choo!
So, where are all the animal pictures? Sorry! You all know what animals look like already. Visit the zoo; We recommend it if you have kids and are in the area.

Galaxyland
Ever since our visit at the beginning of the year, Charlotte has been talking about Galaxyland, so we made a return visit. She rode all the same rides as the first time, and a couple bigger ones too.

Excited to be back!

Charlotte on the forklift!

William riding the tractor!

Smiles all around when everyone's having fun.
Fun With The Family
Much fun was to be had with the family, and the kids really had a great time with everyone. The older they get, the more they can interact and really get to know their grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Four generations of Hoyers!

Oma Wilde with William.

Opa with William.

Omsie with Charlotte.

Charlotte's huge bubble bath!
Thunderstorms
We posted the big news in our last blog post about Natasha winning the "iReporter of the Month" for her storm photos that she took while we were in Edmonton. It was a well deserved prize, as she was up at 5:30am taking photos with her iPhone 4, and keeping at it until she had the perfect picture.

The bright orange sky before the storm.

The incoming thunderstorm.

Natasha's winning storm photo.
Travel: The Way Back
The trip back was as enjoyable as the trip there, and we stopped in Jasper for lunch once again.

Checking out the real train.
Our overnight stay was in Kamloops. I am always impressed by the scenery there, and it's somewhere we might have to visit more often in the future.

We're home now and back to our usual schedules. Keep watching for more adventure for the last half of 2011!

Natasha: "iReporter of the Month"

2011-07-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Natasha for winning the "iReporter of the Month" award by one of Edmonton's local radio stations, iNews880!

During our recent visit to Edmonton, we had a couple of thunderstorms hit where we were staying at my parent's house. One especially large one came in the early morning, and Natasha was up around 5:30am snapping photos of the incoming storm.

My parents told us that photos could be submitted to iNews880, which she did. Here are the photos!

The morning began a very bright shade of orange, with ominous clouds moving in from the south.

The photo that sealed the deal! This incredible photo captures a fraction of a second between a brightly lit morning with a rainbow, and a violent thunderstorm. The fact that these photos were taken with an iPhone 4 make them even more impressive.

Both of these images were featured on the news website and local TV stations on the morning it happened, and can be found on the iNews880 Thunderstorm Sunrise photo album.

The prize for being iReporter of the Month is a cheque for $880, and much deserved for her efforts in taking these photos! Congrats, Natasha!

Go Fly A Kite

2011-07-07T01:24:00.000-07:00

Andrew and his childhood kite.
The weather's been good, and some kite flying was in order. Hadn't done it for well over five years, and the good old kite still works just as well as it did fifteen years ago.

Now to get the kids interested as they get a bit older. I'm thinking I should pick up a box kite again to have something unique.

It's going to be a great summer.

Little Scribes Giveaway

2011-07-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

A special giveaway contest for our Little Scribes app is being held by a fellow blogger at www.jessicakirkland.com. Head on over to check it out. Be sure to leave a comment to show your support, and check out the Facebook and Twitter links as well.

For more information on Little Scribes, see the iTunes page here.

Canada Day 2011

2011-07-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we took the family down to the Cloverdale Fairgrounds for the Canada Day festivities. The weather was perfect, there was lots to see, and we met up with some friends as well! Here are five of our best photos from the day. Enjoy!

Andrew, Natasha, Charlotte, and William!
Having a great time!

Dave, Naomi, and Mayakla.

Charlotte playing along with the Victory lady on stilts.

William high-fiving a tree mascot.

The kids appear to be having a blast!

A Pawn's View

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Looking at things from a pawn's perspective.
Part of the reason I love Chess is the visual aspect. I'm always on the lookout for a good photo, or for Chess references in advertising, films, or anywhere else. This photo is one I took recently while doing a bit of Chess reading.

Today is the start of a new Chess tournament I'll be playing in. Looking forward to some great games in the next few weeks!

Chess Tournament Results May 2011

2011-06-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

After a year away from the Chess scene, I returned to play in a tournament at the Langley Chess Club. Although I hadn't been playing much (or at all), I'd been studying casually, and my games were some of the best I've played. There is still much room for improvement, but that's the whole challenge!

Tournament results.
Above is the tournament chart. Beside each player's name are the results for each game, one per column. The result (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) is followed by a number corresponding to another person in the same chart that the game was played against.

So, three draws out of five games isn't bad. Many of these players have a lot more experience and play more often, so I consider it a challenge just to keep up and get good results.

Another tournament starts next week. Watch for the results to be posted in mid-July.

Charlotte's 3rd Birthday!

2011-05-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is three years old, and we had a great day of gifts, food, and fun. This is a big day, officially moving her into the preschooler phase, being more than halfway to going to school!

So what's new with Charlotte? What's she like these days? Well, the photos and videos below will give you a pretty good idea of her personality. She's full of energy, likes being silly, and amazes us all the time with the things she comes up with. Her English is getting pretty good, she knows the alphabet and most numbers almost perfectly, and remembers tiny facts or events that we never thought she would remember.

Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of her birthday.

Charlotte with all her gifts.
See what we mean about personality?

Her new balance bike, a Strider PREbike!
Just say no to training wheels! See the Strider bike video.

Charlotte decorating cupcakes!

More decorating!

Happy Birthday!

The Happy Birthday song. More of that personality!
Can't get enough of Charlotte? Click here to see all of the posts in the last year or so tagged with her in it.

41st Canadian General Election: Thoughts

2011-05-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2011 has come and gone and Canada has elected a new government. This election held a lot of interest for me because of its timing and the people and parties involved, and it was made a lot more exciting by the fact that nobody really knew what was going to happen until the counting was finished.

First of all, congratulations to the Conservative party for forming a majority government, to Stephen Harper for being the central focus and leading the party to its first majority in over 15 years, and to our local candidate, Russ Hiebert. I have met Mr. Hiebert on at least one or two occasions and am happy to have a representative that I know more than just by name.

The Liberal party, while being a strong force in Canada's history, has made some very big mistakes in the last five years, especially in regards to leadership. This probably wasn't the deciding factor, but when things started to shift, they just didn't seem like a safe bet. They'll be back I'm sure, and they should use the next four years to get their act together.

NDP - wow! Honestly, I think this was a well deserved victory for the NDP who have spent so many years in third place. Jack Layton is a clever character who impressed me in the small amount of debate I saw. He really knows how to stick it to the man, and I'm sure question period will be a most interesting time.

Green Party - You've worked hard and deserve your one seat. Elizabeth May, welcome to Parliament. At least now you'll get invited to the debates. Hopefully Stephen and Jack will let you speak from time to time while in session.

And now a discussion about social media. I've been monitoring Facebook and Twitter for days and weeks, and was amazed by the almost exclusive support of the Liberal and NDP parties (and the bashing of the Conservative party) via those channels. I assume that it's because of a younger demographic using social media, but as it has usually been, Conservative supporters are the silent ones waiting in the background that just go out and vote. Yes, social media probably had an impact, but based on the outcome, not the one most people had intended. Until something changes, I don't think we should base predictions or get a feel for the political situation based on the volume of social media posts -- it just doesn't add up.

And to all my friends and family, whether you agree with my political views or not, I hope we can continue working together, having fun together, and getting back to life. It was a great campaign with lots of comments and counter-comments, and I do look forward to it again, but not until 2015.

Little Scribes: Jewish Flash Cards

2011-04-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

The second app in the Little Scribes collection, Jewish Flash Cards, is now available on the App Store! It features 100% custom artwork, and has a number of great Jewish themed images. It's a universal iOS app, running on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad.

Click to view on iTunes!
Once again, big thanks to our artist, Susanna Holdren, for the time she's put into giving this app some outstanding artwork.

Links
Little Scribes

littlescribes.ca
Jewish Flash Cards
Bible Flash Cards

Artist: Susanna Holdren

pixelmist.com
pixelmistdesign on Twitter

holdren.net
susannaholdren on Twitter

Developer: Andrew Hoyer

andrewhoyer.com
andrewhoyer on Twitter

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

After getting everyone dressed and ready for church this morning, we took a couple of photos, and ended up with some where everyone was looking -- a great success! Enjoy!

Charlotte's Corner, William's Wall

2011-04-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Along with our addition of three months of photo albums, Natasha went through all the best pictures of Charlotte and William and added them to their Corner / Wall. We're featuring them in the left and right columns for the next week. The images refresh automatically so you can just sit back and watch. Enjoy!

January, February, March 2011 Slideshows

2011-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

After falling three months behind in sharing our photos, we are coming back all at once with 176 great photos for January, February, and March. See the links below, and the Photo Albums heading in the sidebar for the archive.

January 2011 Album Slideshow
February 2011 Album Slideshow
March 2011 Album Slideshow

Take a look, then post a comment with your favourite photo from each month! Enjoy!

William Has A Birthday

2011-04-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

We start this post off with a collection of twelve photos, one from each month of William's first year!

William, from 0 to 1!
On Saturday, we had a birthday party for William. Here are a few photos of the event!

Birthday Cupcakes!

One candle, one cupcake!

Having fun with the other kids!
And last but not least, a video of the cupcake presentation!

Here's a mystery to solve! Can you see who actually blows out the candle? Post a comment with who you think it was.

William: One Year Old!

2011-03-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

365 days! 52 weeks! Twelve months! One year!
Big congrats to William who is one year old today!

One Year Old!
As you can see, he's standing well on his own, and is often taking three and four steps at a time. Despite being a bit slow at eating solids, he's caught up fast and is gobbling just about anything we give him.

So, good bye baby stage, hello toddler! We look forward to the adventures that await this summer as William will be walking, perhaps even talking, and growing up quickly.

Second Generation Train Set

2011-03-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Our family likes to hang on to things, and I am no different. I still have many of the great toys I used to play with as a kid, and now that our children are getting to the right age, they are emerging once again! Some of these toys have lived in boxes for over fifteen years, waiting for the next generation to arrive.

The most recent is a wooden train set that my sisters and I spent many hours playing with.

The wooden train set!
Somehow, the playability of quality toys doesn't diminish over time. Despite the electronics and other toys available these days, kids still love the really basic toys that are simple fun. No sound, no moving parts, just pushing a train around a track, and setting up buildings and trees.

Even William likes it at almost a year old -- at least to chew on!

Little Scribes: Now On The App Store!

2011-03-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce the launch of the first app in the Little Scribes collection, Bible Flash Cards! It's a great app featuring 100% custom artwork, all with a Biblical theme. It's a universal iOS app, running on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad.

Children in the one to five year range will enjoy this app, and all of the kids we've tested it on have shown a lot of interest (let's be honest here -- the "big kids" who try it enjoy flipping through the pictures too) and it's super easy to use -- just open it, and start viewing pictures one by one by pressing on the screen.

Click to view on iTunes!
A huge thanks to our artist, Susanna Holdren, for all the work she put into this project. Every piece of artwork you see in this app was created by her, and we hope to see a lot more from her in the future.

Links
Here are a few links you might be interested in with regards to this app.

Little Scribes

littlescribes.ca
Bible Flash Cards

Artist: Susanna Holdren

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Developer: Andrew Hoyer

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William: Eleven Months

2011-02-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

It's true! William is a mere month away from the big One Year! As you can see from the picture, he's getting to be pretty big, and is almost entering the toddler stage. He has been standing on his own for up to ten or fifteen seconds at a time, and we are expecting his first steps any day.

More recently, he's been eating soft table food, cut up into small chunks, like spaghetti, and chicken, rice, and corn.

Next: William's one year post!

Six Years Of Blogging

2011-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Today marks six years from the first post to this blog, back in 2005. Looking back over the 860+ posts, it is interesting to see how things have changed and progressed over that time. It records good times and bad times, and has evolved significantly as our lives and situations have changed.

We hope you have enjoyed reading the blog over the years and hope you will continue to visit us often in the future! Who knows what adventures await!

Little Scribes

2011-02-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce the upcoming launch of our new project, Little Scribes! The goal of this project is to create custom apps for toddlers and kids with high quality artwork, a ton of entertainment value, and a Biblical theme.

Our first app, due to launch in March 2011, is a flash card app that we are really excited about. The artwork is amazing, and the kids we've shown it to so far have been immediately interested and all smiles as they name each image. Our artist, Susanna Holdren, has been working hard on the artwork, and she deserves huge credit for making this come together.

We're just beginning our marketing campaign, and you can help! Please see the following links for more information and ways to keep in touch and spread the word.

Website
We've set up a website at littlescribes.ca to showcase the project and provide information on upcoming and launched apps. If you've got a blog or website, please consider linking to us!

Facebook
In addition to a website, we have created a Facebook page, located here: Little Scribes. This is probably the easiest way to stay in touch with us. Just visit the page, and click the "Like" button. It's also very easy to spread the word this way. Just click the "Share" link at the bottom of the left column!

Twitter
No social media marketing campaign is complete without Twitter, and we're there too: @littlescribes. If you use Twitter, we welcome you to follow our tweets!

Charlotte's 4th Chess Lesson

2011-02-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

So, the last few days, Charlotte has been asking repeatedly to "play a little bit Chess", so I pulled out the board yesterday and we reviewed the basics we've been practicing every few months.

Charlotte over the board!
She's pretty good with the names of the pieces now, although the Rook and Bishop often get mixed up. Since she's been asking more about it, we might start playing a little more often. She's nearly three, and as I understand it, in Russia, that's when they begin learning the game!

William: Ten Months

2011-01-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

Another big day today: William is ten months old! He's made a lot of advancements this month, making a swift transition out of the baby stage.

William is ten months old!
William is still a smiley baby, and just as unsmiley when he gets tired about an hour before bedtime. He's been saying a lot more ma-ma-ma and da-da-da (with additional prompting by his big sister), and his newest thing is waving bye bye.

He's also more active than ever. He's been crawling steadily, and has gone from standing up against almost anything to scooting along the crib, couch, and even pushing around the toy piano. At this rate, we are wondering if he'll be walking by his first birthday.

Last but not least, he's reached an impressive 22 pounds; A solid baby!

Watch for his eleven month post in February, and that all important milestone, one year in March!

Career Update: Jan 2011

2011-01-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

I don't often talk about work here, but periodically things change and like all other major life events, I want to note it here.

Last Friday, I was let go from my job. Over the space of a few years, the amount of work for my project was declining, and after attempting to work other positions, it was simply time to move me on to my next adventure. We parted on good terms, and I am very pleased about the accomplishments I had during my four years there.

However, it's time to embark on the next phase of my career, and all I need to do is figure out what that is. I'm taking a couple of days to rest, consider my options, and take care of a few things that I haven't been able to get to.

Most likely, I'll be looking at many options. Getting a new job in an interesting position is always a possibility, and I also want to pursue some new iPhone development projects, as well as other contract and freelance jobs.

Thank you all for your support over the last number of years and in the future. We are all doing well, and look forward to whatever lies ahead for us.

The Tale of Mr. Brown

2011-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

A promotional video was just released for a product I have been working on for almost four years. It's the latest in a series of product videos with a common theme, and while I am slightly biased, I think it's the best thus far. Our creative guys are amazing and I am totally impressed by their ability to combine artistic talent, writing, humour, and product information.

Enjoy!

Update, August 15, 2011: Video has been removed from YouTube. Not sure why, as the other ones still remain. Sorry, and thanks to those who have viewed it in the past. If it ever comes back online, I'll re-add it.

November and December 2010 Slideshow

2011-01-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you who love seeing endless streams of family photos, you're in luck, because we have the November and December 2010 photo albums available for you to browse. We've chosen only the best, and still have over 170 pictures!

November 2010
December 2010

Birthdays, Christmas, holiday feasts, and tons of cute kid pics are to be found. Comment on this post to vote for your favorite photo from each month's album.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas: 2010

2010-12-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

Hello friends, family, and all of our readers. We want to extend our warmest greetings to you and wish you a very Merry Christmas! The last two days have been exciting and fun, with lots of food and great times with the people around us.

We are going to spend the next week relaxing, getting together with our friends, and generally just enjoying the holiday season; Ending the year on a great note.

Here are a couple of pictures from today. We broke our usual tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve, and did them this morning. There were many gifts, too many to list and thank everyone for here, but we do appreciate every one.

Before: The gift pile!

William's first Christmas gift opening.

Charlotte with her gifts.

William doubled his toy collection!
Hope you're all having as much fun as we are! We'd love to hear from you. Please post a comment to say hi, tell a story from your Christmas this year, or whatever.

Merry Christmas!

William: Nine Months

2010-12-25T22:05:00.000-08:00

William is nine months old today! A lot has happened since last month, most notably his new skill in crawling. About two weeks ago, he made his first crawling motions, and now he can get around quite well. He's even pulling himself to standing which lets him access at least twice as many things as before... and have twice as much fun!

William's cheeky, toothy grin!

Peek-a-boo, William!
He's getting more interactive all the time, which makes for some very entertaining family time. Actions such as clapping are happening more often, and he's really gotten to enjoy eating finger foods. Give him some kind of food he can grab and eat, and he'll sit happily for quite some time.

A mere three months until his first birthday. We are very interested in seeing how his progress compares to Charlotte at the same age. So far quite equal, although the differences are starting to show, especially in the last month or so.

Check back in January for the 10-month post!

Thanks to Shelley for sharing these photos, and Matt for taking them!

Natasha's 29th Birthday

2010-12-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Natasha turned 29! Due to some scheduling changes, we didn't get to do some of the stuff we planned, but we switched it up and had a bit of a different birthday this year.

Natasha still got to open her gifts from the kids and I on Sunday night.

Natasha opening gifts with Charlotte's help.
Then on Tuesday, Natasha went out with a group of girls to Milestones for the evening. This was a great way for her to get out on her own for a bit, and spend time with her friends.

The girls!

Natasha with the dessert.
The dessert was a cake which Dianna made, it was delicious!

Next year is the big three-zero. I think we're going to have to plan something very special for that occasion!

iCarc Lite

2010-12-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago, I released iCarc Lite, the free version of iCarc, "The Carcassonne Companion", to the App Store. It contains tile lists for the base game and a limited selection of expansion sets. It's the perfect way for users to try the app and upgrade if they want more functionality.

For details, and to download, search "iCarc" or "Carcassonne" on the iTunes App Store, or click the App Store button below.

Egg and Muffin

2010-12-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

We ordered a new toaster online and just got it a few days ago. It's called the Egg & Muffin, and as its name suggests, it makes breakfasts sandwiches, along with all the other things a toaster usually does.

Here's how it works. First, crack an egg into the poaching cup after putting some water into the heating tray.

The egg tray.
Next, add your meat to the next tray and stack.

The meat tray.
Lastly, put your English muffins in the toaster, configure it to your liking, and away it goes. While the toaster is going, the heating tray boils the water, steaming the eggs to perfection.

Toaster loaded with English muffins and toppings.
Five minutes later, the eggs are cooked, the meat warmed, and the toast or English muffins pop up together.

Assemble, and enjoy.

The final product.
So the question is, who needs Timmy's?

iCarc v1.3

2010-12-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've launched version 1.3 of iCarc, "The Carcassonne Companion". It contains two new expansions, and a set of powerful new features which make the app even more useful. The logo has been updated as well!

The new iCarc logo
iCarc runs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and has received great reviews on the App Store.

For details, search "iCarc" or "Carcassonne" on the iTunes App Store, or click the App Store button below.

Mr. Grinch

2010-12-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holidays start for most people in two weeks. Here's a little something to help get you in the mood, and through the next ten days of work! Enjoy!

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch", on the accordion.

Gingerbread House

2010-12-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Natasha picked up a gingerbread house kit while at the grocery store last night, to see if Charlotte would be interested in building it. As it turns out, she enjoyed it a lot and seems quite proud of the result.

Starting the house, pieces all laid out.

Charlotte decorating the house.
In the end, Charlotte ate a few of the gummy's, but during construction she was really good about not eating them.

Natasha and Charlotte, with the final product.

The masterpiece!

Belated Birthday

2010-12-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

It was my birthday almost a month ago, and Natasha noticed we hadn't made a blog post of it. Highly unusual, but it was an unusually busy time and it just slipped away on us.

We were very pleased to have my parents here for my birthday, and we enjoyed a pleasant day around the house, eating some tasty food, cake, and of course, opening a few gifts!

Opening the first gift: pencil crayons
I'd asked for this gift, because Charlotte likes me to color with her, and the short kid pencil crayons are difficult to use. Also, this way, I can keep track of them all without having to worry about losing colors or whatever.

Andrew and Charlotte inspect the magnetic paperclip holder.
A cute gift from the kids, this little novelty holds paperclips magnetically (shaped like one of those Hallmark characters) and says "Take a clip, leave a nickel". I've had it on my desk at work for a month, and not a single nickel. Oh well, it's a great desk decoration anyway!

Then the big one:

Whoa! An iPad!
A very impressive gift from my parents: An iPad! I'd been asking for this, not in a serious way, and while I lightly suspected something was going on, it was still a great surprise. Natasha bought me a great looking case, and it makes for an awesome new addition to my Apple electronics collection. I've been using it almost every day, and a few recent blog posts have been written on it. The great thing about its size is that I can carry it in my backpack where my laptop requires a large case.

And not to forget anyone, Natasha's Mom took us out for lunch for our birthdays which are both at the end of the year.

Thanks to everyone for the great gifts, and especially for taking the time to come out to visit. We had planned some other activities with friends, but sick kids forced us to cancel, and we'll hopefully be able to make up for it soon.

Had a great birthday! Lots to do before my next one!

William: Eight Months

2010-11-25T00:02:00.000-08:00

It seems like we just posted his seven months, but here we are at eight months!

Our little boy, William.
Yes, he's not a baby anymore, but a little boy. He's got four teeth (two top, two bottom), and has been working towards crawling for a while. He hasn't made it there yet, but just today we discovered him being able to sit himself up from laying, so we dropped his crib mattress to the lowest setting.

William is starting to interact with more things around him, and especially Charlotte. He laughs when Charlotte makes noises at him while at the table, and they both splash water everywhere when in the bath. We're really looking forward to the next six months when they will start to be able to do a whole lot more together.

Happy Eight Months, William! A year is coming soon, and nine months sooner!

Charlotte: Two And A Half

2010-11-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

Charlotte is two and a half years old today! Once she got past a year, we stopped posting monthly, and the differences between these posts is impressive. Here are a couple of great photos from the last few days.

Charlotte loves trying new things, like playing in the snow!

Our little sweetie!

Charlotte has been up to a lot these days and is growing and advancing by leaps and bounds. Her latest challenge has been potty training, with which she is doing quite well. After a few days of many accidents, she started to catch on, and within a few weeks is going for full days with a nearly perfect record.

She's talking a lot these days, often in full sentences. It's great to see her talking to William, and interacting with him at the table, in the bath, or just playing with toys. Her vocabulary includes all the basic shapes, colors, the alphabet, as well as counting to ten.

Lastly, she loves helping with things around the house. She probably doesn't realize that these things are "work", but we think it's cute and she has fun carrying dishes to the table, throwing clothes in the washer, and pushing the broom around from time to time.

Two-and-a-half going on three!

Snowman

2010-11-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

We woke up on Saturday to a nice fresh layer of snow over the grass, and a clear sunny day to enjoy it with. We got up, ate some breakfast, and put on our warm clothes for a trip outside to enjoy the snow.

Andrew and William, bundled up.

Natasha showing William the sky.
We took over 100 photos in the hour we were outside, enough to complete our Christmas cards and photos for a few other uses including the blog.

Charlotte and William
Both kids seemed to really enjoy the snow, but Charlotte especially, as she could run around in it, move it around, and even help push the big snowball for the snowman. William was happy just looking around, and playing in the snow on the ground, although he nearly went in face first a couple of times.

The final product!
Here we are with the snowman, and a pretty good one considering the Lower Mainland doesn't always get a lot of snow, and not always wet snow. Natasha came up with some great accessories, and Charlotte was pretty proud of the finished snowman. She keeps wanting to look out the window to see it.

Much of the snow has already melted, or turned into hard packed ice which will slowly disappear over the next few days. Not that it's going to be warm or anything. Temperatures will remain around freezing for a while, but the sun seems to have a great effect on the snow and ice lying around.

So, we've survived the first wave of winter weather. Wonder if we'll get any snow for the holidays!

War And Peace

2010-11-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that peacefully is the best way to live. Unfortunately, the world we live in is one in which war is a fact of life, and is often necessary. Throughout human history, war shows up in each stage, and our current peaceful life is an unusual calm in comparison to the last few thousand years.

The past two generations are ones completely unaccustomed to major war, or indeed any hardship. Our grandparents, who came through very hard times, have a special advantage that the rest of us don't. They learned special skills, and obtained a level of maturity that is pretty much unseen in the youth of today.

Compare the young adults of today, spending their time playing video games, and protected on all sides by the hedge of Mommy and Daddy, with the ones of the early to mid 1900's who were dodging bullets and bombs, or crossing the East German border at risk of being caught and shot, all before the age of 20.

I often wonder how I would have fared, living in those days. I hope I would have lived up to the challenge and emerged strong like the rest of them. Looking around at today's society, I wonder what would happen if the need to defend our country would once again arise. Ownership of guns is uncommon and almost frowned on. The mere idea of armed conflict is shunned by most. The perfect world we've built around us is blinding us to the dangers that lurk just out of view.

This Remembrance Day, I give my thanks to all veterans who fought in the wars of the last 100 years, and those who continue to defend freedom today. Without their actions, bravery, and determination, we wouldn't have the kind of lives we have today.

Take some time this November 11th to think about what you would have done had you been born in a different time, a time of war, and thank those who fought to bring us where we are today.

How The Blog Is Evolving

2010-11-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Natasha and I were recently discussing the blog, as we do from time to time. Mainly we talk about what needs to be posted, and more often about how little we post these days.

What we have learned is that a blog really reflects ones situation at any given time. If you look back five years to when I started the blog on my own, I was posting photos, journalistic style reports, book reviews, and other commentary. After Natasha and I got married, the blog took on a new angle, and certainly improved in content thanks to her editing skills. Look back over the last year and you'll find it's nearly all about the family and children.

For a while, I was thinking that the blog had taken a turn for the worse, and some people suggested it wasn't as interesting as it used to be. But now that I've considered it a while, I realize that what you see here is a great view into our every day lives.

What's going to be really interesting is how the blog evolves over the next five to ten years. I wasn't in on the very early days of blogs, but I'm pretty close to that first group of people who started up blogs and whose lives have changed considerably since then. Most especially I am interested in seeing how Charlotte and William will fit into it down the road.

Most likely, you will see their own personalities, abilities, and interests start to have an impact on what is posted here. Maybe they'll be into sports, music, chess, or maybe they'll find some hobby we haven't even considered. We'll be directly involved in these activities, and that type of information flows easily to the pages of this blog.

Whatever happens, we'll continue posting the highlights of our lives here, even if only once in a while. If nothing else, it will provide a look back on our family in a way that has never been available before. We hope you continue to visit and keep up with our ongoing adventures.

Charlotte's 3rd Chess Lesson

2010-10-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Had a lot of fun with Charlotte today, giving her her third Chess lesson!

Not too bad! This is definitely progress as can be seen by looking back at her first Chess lesson and her second Chess lesson.

September and October 2010 Slideshows

2010-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

You've all been waiting anxiously, and they're here! The September 2010 and October 2010 photo album slideshows! As always, you will find these and all of the past ones listed in the sidebar.

Here is a photo of Charlotte and William; A taste of what you'll see in our slidshows!

Also note that Charlotte's Corner and William's Wall have been updated. Charlotte has 150 photos, and William has 31.

Enjoy!

William: Seven Months

2010-10-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our big boy, William!
William is seven months old today! He's growing fast and is turning into a little boy quickly. Accomplishments are growing at about the same rate he is. He's got two bottom teeth now, and a nearly permanent smile to go along with them. He's sleeping through the night most of the time too, and is eating solid food twice a day. We weighed him at home the other day at 19 pounds!

He's sitting up really well, and we're looking forward to seeing him start crawling. Stay tuned for the eight month post!

Mr. Sticks

2010-10-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

And now for something totally different! Here's a video made by some very talented people I work with. It also advertises the very product I do software development for every day now!

Enjoy!

Andrew & Natasha: Five Years

2010-10-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

It's our anniversary today: 5 years! We thought it might be clever to post two photos to show us then and now.

Then

Now
To celebrate, we're going out for a late dinner, maybe dessert and coffee. Rare occasions these days!

Five years is about 1825 days. Not so long when you think about it, but it's amazing what can happen in that amount of time. Looking forward to what the next five years has in store.

August 2010 Slideshow

2010-10-05T23:05:00.001-07:00

It's ready! Click here to see our August 2010 photo album slideshow containing 54 photos of family, friends, and fun.

Enjoy!

iCarc v1.2 On The App Store

2010-09-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

iCarc v1.2 Screen Shot
I recently submitted iCarc v1.2 to the App Store and it was approved a couple of days ago. It comes with a few interface improvements, especially on the Tiles page shown above.

For more information, see the App page here.

I've already received some feedback from customers and am planning a number of really exciting features for v1.3. Join the Facebook fan page to keep up to date with what's going on, as well as the iCarc Twitter account.

William: Six Months!

2010-09-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

William at six months old!
Today marks six months since William was born, and what a cutie he's turning into. He's been sitting up on his own for at least a few weeks now and has a lot of fun playing with toys along with Charlotte.

Life hasn't been all smiles though, as he went through a number of days of teething, but the first tooth has finally poked through and things are back to normal... until the next tooth anyway!

William has also been getting the family favorite, Milupa rice cereal, once a day and he gobbles it like it's all the food he's had all day (actually, it is, the rest is milk!). Today he's starting with other baby foods as well, sort of on a meal by meal basis. Before we know it, he'll be eating pizza along with the rest of us.

Anyway, we are very pleased with William's progress and look forward to watching him grow up. Next up, seven months, moving swiftly towards that big first year birthday!

September 11th, Nine Years Later

2010-09-11T01:37:00.000-07:00

✈ + ▌▌= The biggest mistake 19 terrorists ever made!
Once again we reach the one day in the year that reminds us most of the day the world changed nine years ago. Nine! And as always, my blog post to go along with it.

While most are moving on with their busy lives, being lulled by the passage of time, I feel like part of an ever-shrinking group of people who still realize the danger that awaits just out of sight from any number of people and groups intent on the destruction of the country and way of life we love.

And so I make a call to all our readers: Be aware of what's going on around you. Think critically about what you see and hear, and especially about what people say. Above all, stand up for yourself and others, and against all who threaten what you have. Never Forget.

Photo Credit: LGF 9/11 Slideshow

BBQ: Appy, Meal, Dessert

2010-09-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

This summer has been an interesting one for the BBQ. I've baked french fries when it was too hot to do it indoors, and experimented with more fish than any previous year. Another breakthrough was the discovery of whole pork loin which I can cut into steaks myself for inexpensive and delicious meals.

This week has taken it even further, as I have managed to make an appetizer, and a dessert on the BBQ.

The appy: Grilled watermelon.
This one surprised us a lot. I was unsure of the result but did it spur of the moment just to see what it would do. It's simple. Brush with olive oil, grill a few minutes each side, then sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper! I read some other recipes that included honey and lime which could be really good too.

The dessert: Grilled peaches.
This one was tasty, an excellent summer dessert. Halve your peaches and drizzle with balsamic vinegar (really!) and brown sugar. Do this an hour or two before if you can. Make sure your peaches are ripe but not too soft. Grill face down for a few minutes, then flip for a few minutes on the other side. When you flip them, sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar on the open sides and let it melt. Serve with icecream, enjoy!

Basically, I'm starting to wonder if there's anything reasonable that can't be made on a grill. I'm going to keep experimenting. So far it's been worth it!

William: Five Months

2010-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

William at five months old
The days and weeks are moving by quickly and William is now 5 months old! He's a very happy baby, smiling all the time, and is starting to show signs of growing up. He's rolling both ways now which is a great help, and pretty soon he'll start getting a snack of the family favorite, Milupa cereal, every night before going to bed.

The big half year post coming up in a month!

June and July 2010 Slideshow

2010-08-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

We know you've all been waiting anxiously, so here they are: The June and July 2010 Slideshows!!

June 2010 (24 photos)
July 2010 (70 photos)

There's some really cute pictures, so go through the albums, and as always, the links to these and all past months are available in the side bar.

Edmonton's Valley Zoo

2010-08-18T01:32:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Edmonton, we wanted to take the kids out to a few things they would enjoy. The zoo seemed like a good option, something everyone is interested in, and a way to show Charlotte that an Elephant isn't just a plastic toy! So, off we went to the Valley Zoo «Google map» with Charlotte, William, Opa, and Omsie!

Charlotte looking at the owls with Natasha.
Charlotte really liked seeing all the animals. It was her first time seeing them in person and she seemed to think it was pretty neat.

One of the many owls on display.

A dire warning!
Off to see some of the larger animals, the fences are decorated with signs to save visitor's fingers.

The calm zebras were grazing in the field.

The main attraction, Lucy the elephant!
This was the first time Charlotte has seen an elephant, and according to Natasha, her first time too! Apparently, there is no zoo in Fredericton.

And lastly, the fun photo!

Nearly getting gobbled by the shark.
And that was our trip to the zoo. We've heard that other zoos are better, but this one has the basic animals, a few rides to go on, and is a great place to spend a couple of hours with the kids.

Gone Fishing: Lafarge Lake

2010-08-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, I went for a drive to Coquitlam to meet a couple of friends for a few hours of fishing at Lafarge Lake «Google Map».

The lake and surrounding park is a great place to spend time, and we often make a day trip to the area with the kids. The walk around the lake is nice, there's a playground and water park nearby, and shopping, food, and bubble tea all in the area. Country in the city at its best.

Right, back to fishing. We arrived at the lake with tips from an experienced fisherman, and an expectation of bite after bite. Read on to find out what happened.

Nick and Andrew, no fish yet, but hopeful.
We tried a few spots and despite a lack of fish, had some good conversation and enjoyed the warm weather.

Bernie, apparently with the Ogopogo on the line.
Or perhaps one of the large koi you see from time to time? Unfortunately, no. Not a single bite. No bait or lure was going to trick a fish this time around. We weren't alone either. All the other people we saw fishing didn't seem to be having any luck either.

In the end, we headed out with no fish, but had an enjoyable morning of fishing anyway. This isn't a bad fishing lake overall, but it might be better if you get there in the few weeks after they stock it as I have a feeling the number of fish decreases over time and doesn't really sustain itself.

Vacation In Edmonton

2010-08-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning we arrived back from a 12-day vacation to Edmonton. Our goal was to get some relaxation, spend time with our family and friends, and do some sightseeing with the kids.

The schedule included going to the Storyland Valley Zoo, West Edmonton Mall, and eating lots of delicious foods.

Here are a few photos from the trip. You'll be able to see these and a whole bunch more when we post the links to our photo albums next week.

The main man! William did really well this trip.

Charlotte enjoyed all the attention she gets now that she's older.

Opa with the two kids and a little distraction compliments of Baby Noah.

Omsie and Charlotte at Old Spaghetti Factory.
Charlotte appears to be so hungry she had to gnaw on her hand. Put a rush on that pasta!!

Natasha and Charlotte in the pool at Millennium Place.
This facility is excellent and a place you could entertain a family for hours on end. The pool isn't just your regular pool. It's filled with slides, floating equipment, and more.

Fun time with Daddy.
Our big excursion this vacation was to the zoo. We have a bunch of photos from that trip, and will do a special post just on that coming up here in a day or two.

Lastly, a huge thanks to my parents for their hospitality and for all the food and fun! To all the relatives and friends we met and spent time with, it was great to see you. Thanks to those of you who had us over for meals, went out with us for coffee, etc. We enjoyed it all very much!

Shiny New BBQ!

2010-08-12T22:09:00.001-07:00

Please welcome the newest addition to our patio, a big shiny BBQ!

Just in time for summer!
We picked this one up on sale and put it together before going on our family vacation. Just tonight we decided to move it out to the back yard so we can start using it full time.

Our old BBQ is now in our garage until we can decide what to do with it. Sell it, give it away, whatever works. It's an excellent BBQ which we've had for almost five years, but with a growing family and hopes of cooking for more people, something bigger was in order.

And this new BBQ is actually pretty big! Look at it compared to our old one.

Out with the old, in with the new!
Natasha gets credit for thinking of this comparison shot... very clever.

On the menu for the remainder of the summer: steaks, hamburgers, steelhead trout, salmon, sausages, a variety of veggies, and a whole lot more!

William: Four Months Old

2010-07-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

As we continue our monthly reports on William, we are pleased to announce that he is four months old today!

William at four months old!
A happy baby, and ubercute, William's recent skills include rolling over from his back to his tummy (at which point he starts whining until we turn him over) and giggling from time to time.

Another interesting development is that he's stopped liking the soother as much (falling asleep almost all the time without it) and is favoring his thumb, blankie, etc.

Check back in a month for William's 5-month post!

How we made edits before Photoshop

2010-07-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

We called it the "black marker tool".

The Memphis Feast

2010-07-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

Natasha came up with a brilliant plan tonight. She arranged for Charlotte and William to be watched for a couple of hours, and we went to try a restaurant new to us: Memphis Blues BBQ.

The reports we heard were true. The portions are great, especially when you order one of their great looking platters. When they arrive at your table, there are smiles all around, including those at nearby tables, and customers just sitting down.

A boatload of meat, also called the Memphis Feast!
Behold, the first level in the platter scale. This meat-lovers feast comes with pulled pork, sliced brisket, ribs, smoked sausage, short ribs, chicken (they were out, so we got extra pork), cornbread, beans, coleslaw, potato salad, BBQ sauce, and a pile of well seasoned fries.

Yes, you heard right, this is the smallest. See their menu here. You can go up to their $136 platter which adds (besides a ton more of the regular meat) oysters, shrimp, and catfish, and feeds between 10 and 12 people. Wow.

Did we end there? Nope! We placed a second order; a slice of pecan pie for dessert.

Natasha enjoying her Lemon soda with all the food.
And now the leftovers; practically a meal in itself. Note that we left behind at least half of the slaw and potato salad, and a large pile of fries.

The leftovers.
Overall, this was a big hit with us, and we hope to make another trip soon. All we need is a group of 8 to 10 people who want to go with us!

Why So Many Apologies?

2010-07-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

There's a trend that has been going on for some time but that really caught my attention recently: The effort our governments go through to try to make past wrongs right by saying "Sorry".

Two cases in point:

1. In 2008, Stephen Harper made an apology regarding Indian residential schools. The details of the schools is beyond the scope of this article, but see the link for details. Obviously, some wrongs were done, and those affected should be compensated. But should our current Prime Minister be saying "I'm sorry" for actions taken by people as far back as the 1800's?

2. Currently, the City of New Westminster is preparing an apology to the Chinese community who it says were discriminated against. Surely this is for recent abuses? Read the article, which states that the council minutes that describe the discrimination occurred between 1860 and 1926.

To be clear, I believe in doing things right the first time, apologizing when you do something wrong, and for compensating those you may have hurt. What I don't agree with is apologizing on behalf of someone else for their actions. It becomes rather ridiculous to start digging up the the history of over 100 years ago, finding fault in other people's actions because they don't meet with today's standards, and then trying to fix it by saying "Sorry". Especially in the case of New Westminster, it makes me wonder about the amount of free time they must have to take on a project like this when so many current problems exist in BC.

What I would rather see is a simple acknowledgment that something was done that we don't feel was right, and a concerted effort to bring things back into line. This would actually have some meaning, and a long term effect.

To our governments, small and large: Please stop saying "I'm sorry". Fix the wrongs, and get back to fixing the problems of today. After all, actions speak louder than words, and a "Sorry" from the wrong person is exceedingly hollow.

iCarc: "The Carcassonne Companion" v1.1

2010-06-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

I recently launched an upgrade to my iPhone app, iCarc. It has all custom graphics, and a couple of new features as well. The app lets you track the number of tiles remaining in a game of Carcassonne, and more importantly, exactly which ones are left to be played.

For app details, see the Apps page on my website, or check it out on iTunes.

Free game draw
I've brought back the free draw now that the app is back on the app store. For full details on how you can get into the draw, see the bottom of the Apps page.

The easiest way to qualify, and the best way to help me out, is to click here to see the Facebook fan page, "Like" the page (which gets you into the draw, it's that easy!), then invite your friends to join as well.

William: Three Months Old

2010-06-25T01:28:00.000-07:00

Today is William's three-month birthday!

So far, William has been a very good-natured baby, smiling often with many "a-goo's". He's sleeping really well, some nights better than Charlotte, and recently he's shown a liking for blankies. It doesn't matter what blankie; Any one will do.

He's getting close to rolling from his back to front, and we are expecting that sometime in the next few weeks.

Charlotte's taking more of an interest in William (especially his soother) and held him for the first time yesterday.

Charlotte holding William.
Next update at four months, or anytime something important happens!

Weekend Trip To Harrison

2010-06-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took advantage of the nice weather (luckily, as Sunday was chilly) and made a day trip to Harrison Hot Springs «street view». We called up Nathanael and Shelley to see if they were interested, and we all headed out in the early afternoon.

Charlotte played on the beach, the boys made sand castles, and little William slept soundly. The adults relaxed most of the time, with the exception of chasing down Charlotte when she decided to go for a run down the beach.

Charlotte, loving the freedom of the beach.

Chillaxin', sort of.

Natasha, and Shelley.

William slept soundly, protected in the stroller.
After that, we went to a nearby park to BBQ some burgers and chat. A few showers started to come in so we got packed up and started the drive home. Everyone had a busy but enjoyable day, and the kids slept like angels.

Father's Day, 2010

2010-06-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Father's Day #3 for me, and we all had an enjoyable day together. Natasha made me scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, and I opened the cards from her and the kids.

For lunch we had "Steak Dinner For Two", a package deal from a local butcher and specialty meat shop.

Steak dinner for one!
This package comes with two steaks, two mushroom neptune (mushrooms stuffed with imitation crab and shrimp), two prawn skewers, and two stuffed baked potatos. As an extra treat, I picked up two zucchinis stuffed with feta cheese and sundried tomatos.

Natasha bought me a couple of nice gifts as well.

Bobby Fischer: The Career and Complete Games.
This book contains every tournament game played by Bobby Fischer along with commentary and analysis. Should be an interesting read.

Mancala!
Mancala is a game we recently picked up on the iPhone, and this will let us play at home, while traveling, etc.

Hope all you Dad's had a good Father's Day!

April and May 2010 Slideshow

2010-06-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some of our more observant readers will have noticed that the number of posts we've done has decreased slightly since the birth of William. Well, well, who would have guessed that things would have been busier with two than one?

Still, we catch up eventually, and we now present our photo albums from April and May 2010. Enjoy!

April Slideshow

May Slideshow

Seattle Trip, May 2010

2010-06-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of Charlotte's birthday, we decided to take an extra day on the long weekend and make a short vacation of it. So off we went to Seattle to stay at our favorite hotel, swim in the pool twice a day, eat tasty food, and take Charlotte to the Children's Museum.

Swimming was one of the highlights of the trip for Charlotte. She got to go to the pool four times and loved every minute of it. In fact, "swimming" has become part of her daily vocabulary now, especially when it comes to the bath.

Charlotte swimming with Daddy.

Charlotte in her cozy swimming robe.

William chillaxin' beside the pool.
After seeing posts by my sister about the Children's Museums in their area, we decided to try one in our area «street view» (the museum is in the center of the city centre complex).

Here are a few pictures of our adventures in the Children's Museum.

Charlotte trying out some instruments.

Charlotte driving a bus.
There was a lot of pushing and shoving by kids to get to the driver's seat.

The grocery store.
No picture of Charlotte here because she didn't really get the idea of pushing a cart and loading it up. She preferred just handling all the food, and grabbing it out of other kid's carts.

Charlotte playing in the water table.
The special area for toddlers was great and had all kinds of things to climb on, move around, and interact with. Best of all, way less pushy kids.

We all had a fun weekend, which ended with our birthday celebration with Charlotte!

iPhone Apps: MeeGenius

2010-05-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

An app I recently purchased has become one that I use on a daily basis. As always, Natasha and I are always on the lookout for good apps for Children. MeeGenius has a collection of illustrated stories with audio and highlighted text.

At first, Charlotte had little interest. If she couldn't press a button or things weren't moving fast enough, she wanted to see something else. However, after a few weeks, she's been coming to me almost every day asking for a story.

The stories are short and sweet, most having between 10 and 14 "pages", which as you can see are mainly pictures. The audio is what I love most about this app. The words are clearly spoken, and each word is highlighted as it goes along.

Also interesting is that many of the stories are noted as being "retold", and it seems that some of them have a slightly modified ending, but it adds to the fun.

The Three Little Pigs.
This is one such story. Very well read, and at the end, the pig in the brick house befriends the wolf and teaches him how to eat many other delicious foods (besides pork, I presume). I'm not sure but I have a feeling the original story didn't end in a buffet.

The Lion and the Mouse.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The illustrations are really well done, and actually add much humour to the stories if you watch closely.

The MeeGenius app proves that quality apps exist and provide a great value for $1.99.

For more info, see their website and follow them on Twitter.

William: Two Months

2010-05-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

William is two months old today! Time is going by quickly and he's getting to be a big kid already, over 14 pounds. He's also smiling a lot these days, not shown in the photos shown here.

William in his cute sports suit.

William enjoying the swing from time to time.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Charlotte!

2010-05-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

The day has finally arrived! Our little girl is two years old today! Guess she's not so little anymore.

Charlotte's two!!
We just got back from a two-day trip to the Seattle area where we took Charlotte swimming four times at the hotel, to the Seattle Children's Museum, and a few other places around town.

This morning we opened Charlotte's gifts. You can see all her gifts except for a few, below. Also, some of our family and friends sent money and bought clothes and other gifts. Thank-you from us and Charlotte for each and every one of them.

Many of Charlotte's gifts.
Charlotte also got a "Little Tikes Princess Cozy Coupe" from Auntie Stephanie, Auntie Susanna, and us!

Little Tikes Princess Cozy Coupe.
We've unpacked everything and Charlotte has been playing with all of them. The car might be a little advanced for her right now but she has lots of room to grow into it and learn how to drive it well. In any case, she loves playing with it, and the toy cell phone it comes with.

We had icecream cake for dessert. Charlotte even managed to blow a candle out on her own!

The icecream ~~log~~ cake!

Natasha helping Charlotte blow out the candles.
After bedtime tonight, a whole new year begins!

A Busy Saturday

2010-05-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun but very busy day. It began with a trip to YVR for William's NEXUS interview. Despite their many questions and his inability to answer, they still approved his application.

Then, off we went to Stanley Park for an afternoon of enjoying the great weather. On the way, Natasha suggested we go to Park Royal to look for some rollerblades for me. It just so happened that we parked near Five Guys burgers and decided to check it out. Good move! The burgers are huge and tasty, the fries are done to perfection and literally overflowing their containers. They even have self serve peanuts if you want to munch while you wait. Of course, we took photos!

Even I had trouble biting into this burger!

Natasha with the "little" burger, as the menu calls it.
Then, off to Stanley Park to burn off the calories we just consumed.

Natasha and the stroller with Charlotte and William.

Andrew sporting his new Rollerblades!
We had a good skate and went almost the entire way around. Charlotte got a chance to play at a playground, and by the time we headed home, everyone was worn out.

Another successful Saturday with the family!

Northern Voice, 2010: The Review

2010-05-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I attended Northern Voice 2010, a Personal Blogging and Social Media Conference held at the University of BC. «street view»

I met up with @nickamado, coworker and social media enthusiast, prior to the keynote, and set off to take in some new ideas, interesting stories and concepts, and plenty of geekiness.

The 45-minute keynote speech flew by, but mainly because I was taking in my surroundings and watching things with interest. Most people had laptops, many iPhones, and even a few iPads (the first time I've seen one). What were they doing with them? Tweeting madly, for the most part, for any Twitter user or follower who might care to read snippets of everything coming out of the speaker's mouth. I'm fairly certain that some people were so focused on their electronics that they didn't ever see the presenters.

The Atrium of the Life Sciences Centre
So, off to the first session regarding whether or not blogging is dead. Obviously a popular topic, as the room was packed and we sardined into a few remaining seats, surrounded by more people with laptops and iPhones, ready to tweet even the smallest tidbit. Actually, this was probably the most interesting session, with three presenters giving opinions on blog trends, and a lot of feedback, questions, and comments from the listeners. The general consensus? Blogs are alive and well. Despite all of the micro-blogging going on these days, your standard blog is higher quality, and maintains a solid history of what you've written.

Lunch was buffet style tortillas with a variety of things to fill them with. Although simple, it's obvious that quality was taken into consideration, and I really couldn't have been happier with it. We sat on the grass outside on a nearby hill with a bunch of conference attendees. Pretty sure the tweeting continued there too.

Session two: Coping with Social Media. How to deal with the influx of email, tweets, Facebook stuff, news readers, blogs, etc. Most of the information given out here was common sense. Use lists and a good reader application for Twitter, clean up your Facebook, and use a quality news reader that lets you organize all of your feeds well. Oh, and add email filters until they're coming out of your ears. Everyone's goal for the year: getting your email inbox down to zero. I dream of that day. The venue for session two was a large auditorium with excellent seating, power plugs for laptops, and microphones all around for easy question asking. This played a big factor in staying put for session three.

Now this is a nice auditorium!
Session three, in the same location, was the "Uses & Misuses of Social Location Sharing Sites". How far is too far when it comes to telling people where you are? The panel had many interesting things to say, but the big question that really remained unanswered in the end was: ~~What is the Matrix?~~ Why do people want to share their location? What are the benefits and where is the value in it? And further, what are the dangers? It's a whole new area of social media development, and it will be interesting to see where it leads.

After session three, I decided to head out to take care of other Saturday business like playing with my kids! Anyway, session four, "Blogging the Parenthood Experience" was one I could skip. I have growing concerns over the (lack of) quality on many "Mommy" blogs (if any of your posts have more than 30 exclamation marks, this might be you) and it's likely that session does a world of good for many family bloggers.

Conclusion
For anyone interested in learning more about social media, or wanting to get a better feel for its uses, maybe make connections with others in the same industry, this type of conference is really valuable. To get real value from the conference, one should attend both days, I think. The whole thing is very efficiently run, and I saw no sign of any problems. Each session has four options to choose from, so there's likely something for everyone, all the time. Overall, it's a fun event to spend your day at, and to really beef up your tweeting skills!

#nv10

Happy Mother's Day, 2010

2010-05-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Natasha, Mother's Day, 2010
Happy Mother's Day to my great wife and mother of two, Natasha! Thanks for making our family so great!

Also, Natasha and I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to both of our Mom's. Thanks for all you've done for us!

Pics Of The Kids

2010-05-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

We've continued to take as many photos as we can of the kids, and here are a few good ones we want to share. Watch for the April photo album coming sometime soon.

Charlotte, the hat girl!

A nice close-up of William.

William swaddled and ready for bed!

Charlotte with her friends, Arianna
and Phillip on their kid quad!

iCarc: The Carcassonne Companion

2010-05-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

My new iPhone application, "iCarc: The Carcassonne Companion" launched today on the iTunes app store. I've been working on it for quite a while during my spare time, and it has finally paid off.

iCarc is a companion to the board game, Carcassonne, a tile laying game where each player in turn chooses a tile from a bag and plays it. The companion lets you track which tiles are left to be played by having a list of all tiles at the start, and removing them from the list as they are selected.

You can read more about the app on my (also new) official page, http://www.andrewhoyer.com

NOTE: As of May 4, 2010, this app has been removed from sale. It will return shortly, and an announcement will be made at that time.

William: One Month Old

2010-04-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

William is one month old today! It's been a busy month and time has really gone by quickly. Just yesterday, we rearranged all of the bedrooms so that William now has his own room, Charlotte has the same one with some different furniture, and we have our room all to ourselves again.

Here are a few photos from our trip to the park this afternoon.

A soother?! Say it ain't so!

Thanks to all our family and friends who have visited, helped, and supported us. Keep your eyes open for... you guessed it! William's two-month post!

March 2010 Slideshow

2010-04-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

March was a whirlwind month with lots of events, activity, visitors, and the big arrival of William! Click here to see the slideshow, or see the photo album list in the sidebar.

Also, we are happy to announce the addition of "William's Wall" to the sidebar along with "Charlotte's Corner". Charlotte has over 120 photos now, and William is starting out with five and more to follow.

Enjoy!

Charlotte's Second Chess Lesson

2010-04-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight Charlotte had her second Chess lesson. Her first was in September (read the post here) so we're on track for about one a year. Seems to be working.

Something that hasn't changed: Charlotte's stacking strategy. On the other hand, not a single piece got chewed on.

What a move! Bg4+! Now that Charlotte is talking more, she's able to pick up words easily. She learned all the names of the pieces although "Bishop" was the toughest one. "Pawn" and "Queen" were the easiest, and I figured "Horsey" (she knew this without me telling her) was acceptable!

Looks like a Chess champ to me! This was a fun 20 minute activity which she actually played on her own for a portion of. Next lesson... sometime in the fall probably!

iPhone Apps: Three Fun And Free Apps

2010-04-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Having two kids has made things busy and we've had less time for the non-essential computer work than in the past. On the other hand, it's created more windows of "downtime" where we can sneak in a game or two, do some browsing, or look up some new apps.

I came across a set of three apps by the same developer, all which are small and simple, are free to download, and provide easy entertainment for the few minutes you may have here or there.

Valistroke
A simple yet fast paced puzzle game, Valistroke is one where you trace a path within a grid, hitting all of the numbers - in order - before reaching the goal.

To make things more interesting, using as much space as possible gets you extra points, and a timer forces you to move as quickly as possible (more points for that too).

Planet Simulation
While not technically a game, Planet Simulation is very interesting, and you can try to invent some challenges of your own. The program lets you launch various types of stars and planets which orbit the sun and react to the gravitational pull of all the other bodies in play.

Watch out, planets have a strong pull towards each other, so you aren't likely to get too many of them orbiting properly at the same time. For fun, send off 20 or more to see what ensues!

Cat Shot
Always dreamed about being a cat, shooting cute flying fish out of the air with a large sling shot? Here is your chance! In this simple game, shoot down as many fish as you can in a set amount of time to score the most points possible.

Watch out, it takes time to reload! I really like the animation of the cats in this game, although most of it has no direct effect on play.

Enjoy!

William's Baby Dedication

2010-04-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had William dedicated at our church by our pastor, Ed Byskal. We were very pleased to have him do this as he also did the dedication for Charlotte.

William's Baby Dedication with our pastor, Ed Byskal.
He had some very moving things to say; Things we will always remember while raising William. We are extremely thankful for his dedication and the time he spent in consideration of it.

Also, we are happy that both my parents and Natasha's Mom were able to be there. They've all been here since before William was born, and we greatly appreciate the help and guidance they have given us over the past few weeks.

Afterwards, we got a few photos outside of the four of us.

Us four!
You may notice that Charlotte is not in the first photo. After about two minutes of me holding her, her squirming forced me to put her down and to take the extraordinary measure of handing her off to Natasha's Mom (as far as we know, the first time this has ever happened).

Lastly, thanks to Natasha and our Mothers for coordinating our outfits!

And Then There Were Four!

2010-04-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

With the addition of William, "Trooper Plus Two" no longer fit, and what you see now is our new blog title:

"Us Four, Adventure Galore!"
"The Story of Four Best Friends' Quest For Adventure!"
Expect all the same from us, plus all the adventure William will add to the mix!

Update: Apr 3, 2010 12:13pm PST
We now also have "William's Wall" in the left column along with "Charlotte's Corner". Watch for monthly additions to this feature for both kids now!

William's First Day

2010-03-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from William's first day! It was a busy day, and relatively fast paced. In fact, his entire hospital stay consisted of a mere 13 hours before we took him home. There are more photos, which will be featured in upcoming posts, or our monthly photo albums, but these are all about William.

The family is now four!

Opa and Omsie, with Charlotte and William.

Nanny holding William.

Checking out of the hospital!

William bundled up for the ride home.
Those "bananas" are one of the greatest carseat inventions, and totally beat anything that comes with your average carseat. No more flopping head!

A nice close-up of William.

Welcome, William Andrew Hoyer!

2010-03-25T01:02:00.000-07:00

Our little William
We are pleased to announce the arrival of our baby boy, William, born on March 25, 2010 at 1:02am, and weighing in at a hefty 9 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring over 22 inches long.

Natasha is doing great and made it through delivery extremely well. It was a long, tough day, but in the end, it is all worth it and everyone is happy.

We'll stay at the hospital for 24 hours, then head home to continue the adventure!

Heading To The Hospital: Baby #2

2010-03-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

We promised a blog post when the time came for us to head to the hospital for the birth of baby #2. Some people didn't believe it, but here it is nonetheless!

Contractions have been in progress since 3am PST, and we've reached a place where the trip to the hospital seems like the right move.

It's unlikely we'll have time for more posts before the baby arrives, but you can check Twitter from time to time, and once the baby is born, there will be an official announcement posted to the blog as soon as possible.

Got an interesting heading-to-the-hospital story? Post a comment and share it!

Stay tuned, everyone!

Thirty-Nine And A Half Weeks

2010-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Natasha, coming on 40 weeks!
We are waiting daily now for the arrival of baby #2! Natasha is feeling good, and we are both anxious to meet the new member of our family.

As always, stay tuned every day for updates! All important happenings will be blogged as soon as possible.

Northern Voice, 2010

2010-03-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago, this blog reached its 5th birthday. I guess that puts me somewhere in the range of being an experienced personal blogger, especially as I've taken the time to do extensive customizations to the blog over time.

More recently, with new trends such as Twitter, I'm also interested in social media when it comes to business. Businesses are jumping on board, and almost every company these days has a blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page. During the last ten years, my career has been focused on software development, but interestingly has been mainly for companies that are involved in marketing.

Further to that, as I'm beginning to write my own software, particularly for the iPhone, the power of social media to advertise those types of small ventures is unparalleled.

So, to try to boost my overall knowledge and skill with the latest social media tips, tricks, and ideas, I'm going to be attending Northern Voice this year in May. It's a two-day blogging and social media conference held at the UBC main campus in Vancouver, BC; The sixth year it's been running. I'll be attending the Saturday session only, but as I understand from my co-worker and social media guru, Nick Amado, it should be enough for a typical blogger such as myself.

The list of speakers and topics has not yet been released but is supposed to be posted in the first part of April. This event is still over a month away, but I'll post photos and updates when I attend, and probably even while I'm there.

While we're on the topic, why not head over to my Twitter page, and follow me for even more updates on what I'm doing?

Time Change Tonight, Spring Forward!

2010-03-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

For all those in regions that participate in daylight savings time, we move an hour ahead in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Set your main clocks an hour ahead before you go to bed tonight, then get the 25 or so other clocks you probably have over the next few weeks. Twice a year I am impressed by the sheer number of things that have clocks. Cars, computers, watches, cell phones, radios, stoves, microwaves, and even coffee machines!