Getting Fit at the TIFF....

This past weekend we did our annual trip to the Toronto International Film Festival. Quinn got to spend the day with her Aaji and Aaja and we went downtown, had a nice lunch, and then saw 2 movies. Both movies we got in good places in the line and got good seats. Realistically though, the TIFF does a good job of picking venues where there really isn't a bad seat in the house. That being said, Brenda is partial to sitting near the "Reserved" section just in case some big stars show up. This year we saw our movies on the last weekend and most of the stars had already bolted out of Toronto. We both thought that we would have a lot of respect for the stars if they actually went to all their screenings and not just the gala opening. Anyways, we digress.....


The first movie we saw was RocknRolla. It was a Guy Ritchie film and was the type of classic that he has been known for. It is a movie along the same vein as Snatch and Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels. There were a few points in the movie that we both actually laughed out loud. Gerard Butler ("This is SPARTA") was in it and he did a great job.

The second movie we saw was More Than a Game. It was a documentary about an all black high school basketball team in a privileged predominantly white school. One of the real draws to the movie is that one of the baskteball players on the team is LeBron James. So it is very interesting to see how the media started coming into their lives and how things changed. However, they did a great job of not making that the focus and make it more about the friendships. It was also interesting that the black players were all friends from when they were young and all stuck together when one of them wanted to go to the predominantly white school. There were lots of heartfelt moments and it was a really interesting story.

On our way out of the second movie at the AMC at Yonge/Dundas square we walked by a very busy Future Shop and just happened to see a staff member carrying a Wii Fit. We have been thinking about getting one for a while but they aren't the easiest things to track down. Up until now we have just been dropping in stores when we were walking by to check. Well we saw a staff member with one and decided to drop in. The display was empty so we figured they were sold out but Brenda asked the staff member if they have any more and he quietly mentioned that "Yes, there are a few in the back". Needless to say we got one and got the heck out of there. All in all a great day and when we went to pick up Quinn she had nothing but smiles for us.... probably because she just took a couple chomps out of Aaji's arm!!

Quinn's New Kicks

We have had a busy last couple weeks with a lot going on. Lucky for us we had 2 great weddings along the way to attend and enjoy ourselves at.

Quinn got her first taste as a flower girl at her Aisling Mosi and Jay Mosa's wedding. She was amazing and walked up the aisle holding our hands just taking it all in. She was handing out smiles left and right like she was the little Queen of England.

Once at the front of the church she wanted to continue touring and really gave her dad a workout as some of the pictures no doubt show... sweat on the brow!

This weekend we are taking in the Film Festival. 2 Movies in 1 day!! Yes we are crazy. We started going a couple of years ago and really enjoy getting out there and seeing some great movies. This year both the movies we are seeing are actually highly publicized. Usually we get movies that are more of hidden gems. Kanch usually helps us out with getting the tickets and making the selections.

We picked up Quinn's new kicks. By the look on her face we think she likes them although styles were limited we think she is working it just fine.... for a construction site!! She will get a chance to dress them all up at her Nead mosi's wedding in October. Can you picture them with a beautiful white dress? If you can't we will have pics in about 3 weeks! It is funny that Quinn's shoes are more expensive than any pair of shoes we have ever owned... but I guess that is what being a parent is all about!

Alaskan Cruise

We all just returned late Sunday from our first cruise which was to Alaska.

We saw things that we all have never seen before and sights that would just make you stare in awe.

Quinn loved spending the week on the boat with her parents and her aaji and aaja. We had a moment standing on the top deck with mountains and glaciers around, we realized that Quinn will never remember the amazing things she has seen. Luckily we have a lot of pictures and video to show her.

New pictures posted at http://www.brelan.ca/

Early Rising, Graduation, and Pedicures

Quinn still is an early riser. She goes to bed anywhere from 7:30 to 8:30 but is usually up sometime between 5:00am and 6:00am. The good thing is that she really isn't looking for us to do anything for her. The bad thing is that she likes to talk and she likes to talk loud!!! We would like to be upset with her for comprimising our sleep but when we go in her room and see this... how can we possibly be angry??

A couple of weeks ago after some hard work and lots of studying Sinead graduated! She got her degree and is now off to face lifes challenges.... which could include some more school! It was a happy day for the whole extended Bedford clan.

My birthday is coming and Brenda decided to have a fun day on Saturday. It was a spa day at Novo spa in Yorkville, a nice lunch at the spa, a move in the afternoon and our annual visit to Tony Roma's in the evening. It was a great day all around. It was also my first pedicure experience. Let me just say that is was interesting. The other 2 treatments I had, a massage and a herbal wrap, were a lot more of the traditional relax thing. The pedicure was a whole other animal. I wouldn't say it was painful and I wouldn't say it was uncomfortable. I couldn't bring myself to actually look at the work that the lady was doing. She had a wide array of tools and I had no interest in what exactly was happening. I did enjoy the massage chairs and the foot bath. I also really enjoyed the final product as you can see they turned out pretty good. If you couldn't figure it out, my foot is the one without the nail polish!

Margarita Island

New pictures from our trip to Margarita Island are on the website:

www.brelan.ca

Quinn meet Personality... Personality meet Quinn

As we close in on Quinn's 1 year anniversary we look back on where we have come from. The late nights celebrating if Quinn drinks more than 1 oz. The trips to the doctor and all the tests. All the other fun stuff of being a first time parent.

Now Quinn gets to where she REALLY wants to go. We say that because she always gives it a long thought before putting in the effort to make the move. If it isn't worth it then she moves on to the next important thing. For those of you that know, she is quite the little thinker. She isn't the type to just do things arbitrarily, there is always thought involved! One of our friends recently said Quinn sure has grown into her little personality. That she has. She now has all the personalities to go with her variety of faces.

Our whole household is actively awaiting a wedding later this month. Not that we live for weddings, but this wedding is in Margarita Island. There will be a whole mess of firsts for this trip. As part of the rigour of travelling, Quinn received her first passport. We thought the picture would be a bit of an affair but surprisingly the government likes the look of "Who the hell are you" for their passport pictures as you can see below, so we were in and out in 10 minutes!

Where has the time gone....

As we now sit back and think that little Quinn is now 10 months it absolutely blows our mind. We have been through 8 teeth (the molars are still causing havoc), more than our fair share of colds, a stomach flu, and moving from an infant seat to a car seat, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Quinn continues to show us new interesting personality traits and reminds us that she is going to be quite the adventure as a little toddler. Her stubbornness to do her thing and do things her way really makes us cringe when we think about the temper tantrums that await us. Nevertheless we are loving every minute of it.

More pictures have been posted on www.brelan.ca

Where did the last 8 months go?

Here is a picture that illustrates where the last 8 months went. It is really amazing.

Quinn is so observant. She realized that someone in our house needs to be able to paint, and since MJ can't live at our house then Quinn is going to step up!! Don't worry little Quinn there are still lots of walls with base white on them!!