Sophia's new video

Check out Sophia's new video below.  It's a cold and foggy day to end 2012.  We had a quiet but enjoyable first Christmas in our house in Regina.  It was nice to have a week off from work and spend time with Darcy and Sophia.  Happy New Year 2013!

New video of Sophia Kestrel

Here's the latest video of Sophia.  I think it's the longest single video that I've made.  Last summer I made a two parter.  She really enjoyed playing with our friend's daughter, Naomi, who is also two.  She seems to pick up a new word every day. 

We're closing in on our one year anniversary of moving into our house.  We did a lot of yard work this spring and hopefully next year we can build a deck in the front yard and, ideally, a patio in the back yard.  We will stay home at Christmas this year so that we can enjoy the holidays in our house.

Sophia Kestrel in Spring and Summer 2012

Summer fun in Alberta

Hi everyone,

We're in Calgary, AB visiting friends and it's the tail end of our summer vacation.  Here's a photo that a friend of mine took of the three of us today.  I think it's only the fourth Sharman/Shires family photo.   I'm making a Spring/Summer 2012 video of Sophia that should be ready in a few days!

Sophia turns two!

Hi everyone!  It's been a cool and rainy spring but luckily it was a warm and sunny day on Sophia's birthday.  Grandma Sharman visited and Sophia got many nice presents.

We're waiting to have our front and back yards plus the side of our house re-graded.  Our front porch deck and shrubs will be cleared by a bobcat.  It will look nicer once sod is put down and we build a patio in the back and a small deck in the front.  Then it will be nicer for Sophia to run around and play!

Sophia Turns Two!

Video of Sophia in Winter 2012

Another posting just a few days after the previous one - this hasn't happened in a long time.  Unfortunately the next entry may not be for a few months once I return to work on February 22.  Sophia's birthday is on April 23 and some of her grandparents will be visiting us this spring.  So the next video may come in May.  I'm sure Sophia will have more delightful surprises.   Hopefully some of them can be captured on the camcorder!

Welcome to 2012!

I didn't think that it would be six months between postings!  But many things happened last fall that delayed things.  Me moved into our new house and I traveled to Europe in September 2011.  Then we traveled to Charleston, S.C. for a working vacation in late October and early November.   We spent Christmas in Edmonton and on January 11 I had surgery on my back.  It was day surgery and it went very well.  My sciatic pain is gone but I still have numbness in my left foot and toes.  My back is stiff but I'm pretty mobile.  I've been on medical leave for six weeks and I've had a relaxing rehab.  Darcy has worked very hard looking after me and Sophia.  Darcy is taking bellydancing classes once a week.  She's also been practicing henna and she's drawn some great designs on our hands and candles.

Below is a two part video of my ancestral homeland of Bukovina in Romania when I traveled there in September.  It was an amazing journey to see where my Schreyer ancestors came from 100 years ago.  The third video below is the long overdue video of Sophia's adventures in Summer and Fall 2011.  Stay tuned for her Winter 2012 video!

First official family photos

We enjoyed our two week trip to Alberta and B.C.  The weather was great and we visited with many friends and family.  My friend Keith, in Calgary, took some photos of us in the basement of his home.  It looked like a real studio and I think that the photos turned out great despite Sophia being a bit cranky!

Meanwhile we're starting to pack up for the move to our new house on Sept. 3  This will be our third move within one year!  Hopefully we'll stay put for a while...

  

Another new Sophia video

August has rolled around and we've enjoyed some great summer weather.  Our vacation to Alberta and British Columbia starts on August 5.  It will be an adjustment to only have a two week break compared to a month or more when we lived in Abu Dhabi.  We'll sign mortgage papers this week and pay the remainder of the mortgage balance.  We move in a month from now and we have to pack up some things for one final time, or at least not for a few years after this!  It's exciting but a lot of work lies ahead.

Sophia is still on the verge of walking on her own.  It's cute how she wants you to take her hands and help her walk.  She's also so much more engaged in playing too.  I've managed to make a short video of her in July (where did that month go?!)

Summer in the Queen City

Half the year has gone by already and much has happened.  It's been wonderful watching Sophia grow, express emotions, babble, and try to stand and walk.  Her sleeping patterns have improved greatly but Mom and Dad aren't getting enough shut eye. Michael's sciatica and disc problems are bad and a MRI appointment scheduled the day before we leave for our summer vacation will likely reveal the damage to his "old" back.  

Other big news is that we bought a house on June 20!  Darcy and I still can't believe it.  Our agent told us about a brand new listing that day and we literally had to stand in line to view the property.  It was within our price range, close to the University, had many upgrades on the main floor and seemed to have a solid basement.  We wisely bid higher and got the house.  Our move date is September 3 and we hope to live there a long time!

My mother visited us for a few days in June and ironically left the morning of the day that we bought the house.  Enjoy the latest video of our daughter....

Sophia Kestrel in Spring 2011

Hi everyone!  We finally created Sophia's latest video (see below).  She turned one year old and it's been a wonderful time watching Sophia grow and develop.  Spring is in full swing here and Sophia has spent some quality time outdoors in our community garden and front lawn. 

Sophia's Grandma Gain will visit for the first time in June so it will be a special visit.  Our two week summer vacation plan is to drive to Calgary and visit friends, spend three nights at our favorite stay in the Rocky Mountains (Alpine Village), fly to Vancouver and visit Darcy's relatives, and conclude with a few days in Edmonton.

Sophia in Winter 2011

Hi everyone!  Below is Sophia's new video.  She turns one year old on April 23 so stay tuned for her special birthday video.....

Sophia's First Christmas in Edmonton

We had a wonderful Christmas with family in Edmonton.  Sophia's first Christmas was memorable and I've just finished making a video about it.  It's been cold and snowy which made it a winter wonderland.

Sophia Kestrel's new video

Season's Greetings to everyone!  

Check out Sophia's latest video or watch it here. She amazes us every day with something new!

We've spent the last two months establishing ourselves in Regina.  It's the capital city of the province of Saskatchewan which is located in Western Canada.  A snowstorm hit the city the day after Michael arrived and a few more storms hit before we Christmas.  But we've been settling in slowly unpacking our boxes.  Our shipment of belongings from Abu Dhabi should arrive in early January.

Sophia celebrated her first Christmas in Canada in Edmonton.  It was a special time for parents and grandparents.  Her Christmas video should be available in about a week.  

New video of Sophia

Apologies for not blogging much but the last month was a bit busy. We somehow managed to make the fairly smooth transition from Abu Dhabi to Regina in October. It was difficult to say goodbye to some wonderful friends. We've been in Regina barely three weeks and we have experienced two major snowfalls. Quite a change from living in the desert. We expect our 22 boxes of household items from Abu Dhabi to arrive in early December. Then our consolidation of stuff will be complete. More to come as the year winds down and we begin to settle into our new life on the Canadian Prairies. In the meantime here is the latest and long overdue video of our daughter Sophia Kestrel. - Posted from my iPodTouch

Last day in Abu Dhabi

Come on in...the water's fine!

Cool

Jes hangin at da villa wit my peeps, yo

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd check in with all my fans. I'm working on sitting up and rolling around these days. I'm having lots of fun with my new friend Lily. Soon I'll be moving to Canada. See you soon!

Rental house photos

I should have googled our new rental house's address earlier because I just found some nice photos of it. It looks very cozy despite us not having seen it in person! The realtor told me the old fireplace works so it will be nice to use in winter for ambiance. I'll arrive in Regina on Oct. 25 to pick up our 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring, register and insure it. Other errands to do that day are meet the realtor, get the house keys, ensure utilities are hooked up & buy some groceries. I'll also need to buy an air bed and wait for the movers to arrive. They're supposed to arrive between Oct. 25 and 27. Darcy and SK will arrive on Oct. 28 so hopefully I will have had time to assemble the new crib and assuming the movers have come by then.

We're selling most of our household items to friends in Abu Dhabi. They are moving into a large villa and need a lot of things. So the transfer will be on Oct. 1 and we'll stay with them for 3 weeks. My company will put us in a hotel for our last three nights in Abu Dhabi (Oct. 20-22). Then we fly to Canada on the 23! But there are still many things to do before then...

New video of Sophia and moving update

Check out the latest video of Sophia. She is darling and is much cuter in person. We managed to find a house to rent for a year. We were able to get a screen shot of it (or see photo below). The realtor says that we could move to another house if we don't like thus one. Despite not having seen it we like the area from using Google Earth. I drove around the area and it's close to my new job at the university and Wascana Park. It has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a wood burning fireplace and an unfinished basement. It's had a lot of renovations done in the last few years. 





We're on track to depart Abu Dhabi on October 23. There's still so much to do including securing movers in Abu Dhabi and Edmonton to get our belongings to Regina. Oh yeah, I start my new job Novembet 1! I'm really looking forward to this transition in my career.

July video of Sophia Kestrel

Hi everyone! 

We've been in Canada for one month now and can't believe we only have less than one week left before we head back to the desert.  It's been a busy time in Edmonton with some big changes in store for us.  Details to follow.  In the mean time below are links to the two videos of Sophia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUb5MJZTvJI (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYI4tVjCbSQ (part 2)