Day by Day

Spring is in the air and with the changing seasons comes big changes in my life. Very recently, our family received a subsidized daycare space. With a bit of luck and Mom's sleuthing, we were successful in acquiring a full-time spot at a local centre. As I write this, I have completed my first two weeks and it's going wonderfully. The place is big and spacious with high ceilings and plenty of toys and activities. There is only 15 toddlers, so we get lots of 1-1 attention. They will do my laundry if I have an accident and we get yummy meals and nutritious snacks. I'm making new friends and learning lots of new words and songs.

Its a nice, close walk from our house and I like to do a little stroller jig as we approach 'school' every morning. The staff have commented to my parents that it's like I've always been there. At the end of each day, I get a report to take home of what I was up to. Mom and Dad are both relieved and excited with the arrangement.
I come home each day exhausted from all the stimulation and activities. I'm certainly tired and ready to go to bed when story time rolls around!

Anyway, there you go. I'm officially a student of life. So many lessons yet to learn.

Talk to you all soon,

Jonah Django xox

I Often Dream Of Trains

Hey everybody,

As some of you know, I have discovered the world of Thomas the Tank Engine. I am to put it mildly, obsessed. Every other word I utter is, "Choo-Choo" and I bet my parents regret buying me all these trains. On the plus side, it does keep me occupied and Mom and Dad are amazed at my level of concentration and skill in guiding them around my modest figure eight track.






If anyone wishes to donate extra tracks or finds a cheap bargain on any Thomas product, call my folks ASAP.

Jonah The Conductor

Art Imitates Life

This piece is called 'The Wizard ' and is from my first ever finger painting session. Thanks to my friend Violet for getting me the painting kit.



This is the final in my master stroke series. I call it 'Crazy Banana Dance'

Such a card!

Hey everybody,

Well I don't know about you but I'm only now recovering from my birthday, what a blast! With over 20 friends and various family members in attendance, I felt very lucky and truly fortunate to have such a wonderful group of people around me.

I also want to take a moment to thank all my friends for the lovely gifts. Also there are two very special people who went out of their way to hand craft birthday cards for me that I feel deserve special recognition. As you know, I am a budding artist and always delight in hand crafted art. Since cards typically get lost or filed away, I got Dad to take a picture of them for posterity.

The first is from the lovely Sarita B. That's her on the left with Nigel and I standing by the tree, how cute is that? The second one is from my Auntie Miriam and Uncle Darren in England. I especially love the talking tiger. Also, as you can see above, my new blog header with the Campervan and tents is actually a picture of a funky new t-shirt that M&D got for me. What a perfect image for my blog, as I plan on doing a lot of camping this coming summer.









I of course loved all my other cards too but due to copyright infringement and all that, could only publish the original ones here. Needless to say, I'm loving my new pj's, Jungle Book DVD, art supplies, Thomas Trains and books. I am one extremely happy fella.

Thanks again to everybody who came. See you on the birthday circuit.

Cheers,

J :D

You say it's your Birthday!

A tribute to our shining star

It is sometimes hard to believe that our little baby, who arrived on a bright sunny day in February is now two. It is true what they often say; they grow up so quickly. Although getting to the big 2 has been a roller coaster ride, Jonah is poised on the verge of everything. With his boundless energy and zest for life, a deep love of trains and reading books, Jonah is already making some of the big toddler transitions. With an increased vocabulary, awareness of people and things, a natural curiosity and motivation to try grown up stuff, Jonah is a force of nature!

He is also a wonderful boy, very caring and empathetic, always up for a cuddle and a twirl of your hair. He plays well with others and is learning to share despite claiming everything as 'mine'. He is deeply sensitive and head strong too, traits that we recognize all to well.

So here is to you Jonah Django Losell, our pride, our joy, our shining star. Remember that we love and adore you and look forward to these terrific and terrible, trying and tender two's.


Playing with Thomas, his latest passion.



Jonah and Mama Lu pose at Jd's party



Jonah asked me to once again thank all the kids and parents that came out to celebrate his big day. Look out in your mailboxes for a very special treat and thank you from our family to yours.

And now for a little bit of fun. I found this crazy book at a Goodwill on parenting, a publication distributed by the Dept. Of Health and Welfare Canada, circa 1950. I looked on the internet for it but it no longer exists. I'll try to scan it but for now, enjoy this almost 50 yr old bit of advice.

Excerpt From, "Up The Years From One To Six"
Chapter 7 - Your Two Year Old

Your two year old no longer wobbles but he does take plenty of tumbles. He is a "runabout." He can walk upstairs and downstairs holding on to a rail or wall, using both feet on each step. He can pull drawers open, and he loves to take things out and put them back again. He is talking in short sentences, delighting in nursery rhymes and simple stories.

By two, your child is busy imitating everyone. He will follow you around as you clean, wash and bake. Sometimes he will be content to watch you and at other times, with great determination, he will try his hand at your activities himself. Whatever your two year old is imitating, it is not just play, it is serious learning.

A two year old finds it hard to get along with two parents at one time. He is just learning to react differently to different people.
A 2yr old might be quite happy in his mother's presence but become unbearable when father comes home.If your casual about the matter and avoid creating a problem, this phase will soon pass.

.

Let's hope this fun doesn't pass too soon!



Daddy D

Jonah's Amazing Paintings

All artwork by Jonah Losell

Sadie Losell (RIP) 1992-2009

Hello dear friends,

Some of you may have been aware that our lovely cat Sadie was not well these last fews months. Initially we thought it was bad tooth decay but eventually a Vet confirmed that she had a very large tumor, growing under her chin. Due to her old age (80 in human years) it was determined that she was too old for surgery or a biopsy and that not much could be done for her. Lucy and I did everything we could, giving her two courses of antibiotics and filling her with love and tuna, to ease the pain and help her quality of life. Sadly, as the tumor grew, Sadie lost her ability to eat and drink and despite being incredibly social and fighting hard, we determined it was time for her to go. She was not in distress and went peacefully yesterday, Valentines Day at 12:47pm in the care of a local vet.

Below are some pictures of her over the last few years. She was a wonderful friend and companion. I'm glad she had the chance to meet jonah and she loved him to bits. I would describe Sadie as a real character, fiercely independent but very affectionate, fickle but funny, always up for a picture and very social. Sadie had a lust for life, was kind to her brother Bumper and went out of her way to be gentle to Jonah. She was my first cat and purred by my side through many ups and downs. She will be forever missed and never forgotten.

Sadie is in a better place now and will be a welcomed addition to the great choir invisible. No doubt Bumper was there with his wise old face, scanning for her arrival at the big gate in the sky, waiting to walk with her to the catnip fields.

May you rest in peace sweet Sadie cat.