Life in Newfoundland

Twenty months old and back to enjoying the great outdoors

Spring in Newfoundland (or the lack thereof) usually gets a bad rap. We're not that picky though. Sure, it would be great to be wearing shorts and working on the garden right now but when living in St. John's, it's important to be patient. Our seasons are somewhat offset from other parts of Canada so our spring involves cool, wet and often foggy weather well into June. We're not complaining in the least since this weather is great for icebergs (there's a small one in the distance in the first picture). Plus, no more snow means we can get outside to start introducing Sam to the beauty of his birth province. Over the last few weeks, weekend trips to nearby ponds, Middle Cove beach and Bowring Park have allowed our little man to run around like crazy, hug a few trees, pet a few dogs, lick a few rocks and commune with nature in a toddler kind of way. It's been great fun and has provided great pictures and videos. The following video shows Sam playing chicken with the ocean and only remaining dry thanks to aerial support from his father.


This next video doesn't involve the outdoors at all but is silly enough to deserve coverage in this blog...


In other news, we've just enjoyed a fantastic few days in the company of Sam's "Amma" (formerly referred to as Grandma). After a three month hiatus, she was finally able to return to Newfoundland for some intensive multi-generational play. Both Sam and Amma were delighted with each other's company and spent most of the time in fits of giggles. They truly are two peas in a very small pod!

Goodbye hockey hair

Sam had his first haircut today. After tiring him out at the Little Gym this morning, we summoned the courage to take him to the Central Barber Shop at the Avalon Mall where Colin gets his own hair cut. We'd been told that they were used to giving little ones their first cuts and they did an awesome job. Sam got to wear a special penguin smock and got a certificate and everything! While we loved Sam's wispy baby hair, we knew it was coming to the point where he needed a trim when several people commented on his fantastic hockey mullet. For those not familiar with the term mullet, here's a definition. A good example of Sam's ex-mullet can be found here. Anyway, we weren't too sure how it would all go but Sam proved to be a champ, sitting calmly for most of the time. When he inevitably got ancy (as is mandatory for toddlers), the experienced hair cutting crew whipped out a toy guitar and also let him play with the clippers. That kept him busy long enough to complete the cut. I was sad to see his baby hair go but do think that he looks even cuter now. :)