You Will Always Be Our Family

When Soos met Drew (2018)

Drew, I remember the first day I met you.

You were spending the weekend with Daddy and I was in Toronto to visit Kiera. I was especially excited to meet you for the first time! You were a bit less than one year old and Daddy was carrying you on his hip when we came in. He had a huge grin on his face because he was doing his most favourite thing in the whole world – taking care of you. You were smiling and a little bit shy but you came to me and let me carry you around looking at toys and out the window. Later we played with Daddy and Kiera on the floor with blocks and ALL of your toys.

You had a lot of toys in Daddy’s little apartment, as well as your crib, stroller, highchair and a dresser and toybox. I remember that evening you had salmon for dinner and vegetables and rice, and Daddy took a photo to send to Mommy so she knew you had a good healthy meal. When Daddy put you to bed, he cuddled you and sang you songs and Kiera read you a book, then you went to sleep without even crying. Daddy asked me if you could call me Soos like Rowan and Raya did, and I said Drew better call me Soos!!! I’ll always be your Soos! You are part of our family, just like Daddy is, and we’ll always love you!

Love, Soos

When Drew met Rowan and Raya (2018)

Soos, Lindsay, Rowan and Raya came to Ontario to go to Robyn’s wedding (Kiera and Lindsay’s cousin). Daddy and Kiera went too. After the wedding, we stayed in Toronto to visit you for a few days. You were 18 months, Raya was 2 and Rowan was 4. You three cousins had a lot of fun together and Daddy spend a lot of time down in the grass playing with you three. During that same visit, Daddy planned a surprise birthday party for Kiera. At the party, there were lots of people and you spent most of your time holding tight to Daddy but sometimes you played with Raya and Rowan and visited Grandma and Soos.

Good times at the park (2019)

On two of Soos’s visits, you and Daddy took me to your favourite park playground. It was especially fun because Daddy climbed on the play structures with you, and so did Soos! You also loved to play with Daddy’s watch. And you had good cuddles with Lindsay when she came to visit Kiera and Daddy in the apartment by Lake Ontario.

Your first trip to Vancouver 2022

Daddy and Kiera brought you to Vancouver to stay with Soos and Papa Mike in July 2022. Rowan and Raya were so excited that you were coming to play with them! We went to Qualicum, on Vancouver Island for a few days and stayed at a resort on the beach that had a pool. While were there, it was Daddy’s birthday so we had a cake with candles and sang Happy Birthday as loud as we could. You and Raya and Rowan had sleep-overs with Soos in her suite and we wouldn’t let the adults join us. You and Raya invented a game with your transformers and her dog stuffies and you played that game when ever we were in the suite.

We took a day-trip to a fun little town called Coombs where the goats lived on the roof of the store and ate grass because the grass was growing on the roof like a pasture. There were lots of things for kids to do in Coombs and after we played a long time, we had lunch and pink and blue bubble gum ice cream (at least the kids had bubble gum). We visited butterfly world and saw all kinds of butterflies, caterpillars and chrysalises. While we were there, I told you about the Bug Museum in Victoria and you thought that would be a cool place to visit. So I promised to take you all there next time you came to Vancouver.

Happy Birthday Drew 2023

Soos came to Toronto for your birthday. Daddy had planned a birthday outing for you at Medieval Times, where we had a gigantic chicken dinner while we watched the knights compete in the ring for the honour of guarding the Queen. Everyone who was celebrating a birthday was announced during the evening, including you! One of the best parts was the giftshop where you got a glowing medieval axe to take home.

On that weekend, you and I got up early on Saturday and made a huge fort in your room with sheets and your fort kits! There was fresh snow that weekend and you and Daddy and I went to Greenwood park to fly your drone. You and Daddy made a very funny snowman with big ears and a hat.

Special traditions with Daddy

When I visited you and Daddy and Kiera, Daddy always made happy face pancakes for breakfast for you on Sundays, with chocolate chips. One time I offered to get up early and let Daddy sleep but he said no, he ALWAYS made pancakes for you on Sunday, it was your special breakfast time tradition. He told me I was welcome to get up on Saturday with you to play but not Sunday. He loved making happy face pancakes for you on Sunday, and I think you loved eating them too!

Daddy spent a lot of time working out downstairs on the Peloton and with weights. You often went with him and lifted your own weights too to get strong like Daddy. Daddy sent me a photo of you when you were exercising with him. He loved that you wanted to be just like him.

Daddy told me about a book he read to you, about a dog and a fox who had a race. The dog was lazy and so the fox won the race. You were very unhappy with the ending of that story because you thought the dog should have won the race, so Daddy wrote you another book about a dog and a fox who had a race and the dog won! He drew all of the pictures for the book himself, and you loved it. I was quite surprised that Daddy had the talent for writing stories for children and illustration too. He said that his Daddy, your Papa, also wrote story books for Daddy and your uncles Sean and Scott when they were little. When Daddy read that book out loud to you, you both laughed and giggled because Daddy made voices for the fox and dog and made the story very funny. He loved reading to you and I remember too that when you were all ready for bed, Daddy would climb up on your bed with you to read stories before you went to sleep.

Drew, you were the most important person in Daddies life, he lit up every time he talked about you. You made him happy, and you were Daddies biggest fan. Whenever I was visiting you at home with Daddy and Kiera, I could always hear you calling “Daddy, Daddy, look…or come here”. And Daddy was always excited to see what you wanted to show him or go with you where ever you wanted to take him.

Spring break trip to Vancouver 2023

Daddy, Kiera and you came to Vancouver in Spring Break 2023 and we had a busy visit. Raya and Rowan had their birthday party together when you were here so you came to it. It was at an indoor play park with lots of climbing things and slides, and a party room for cake. You gave Rowan and Raya Scruffy stuffies – just like yours. You and Rowan found that you liked the same games like Roblox.

Because I had promised to take you to the Bug Museum in Victoria next time you came to Vancouver, we did that too. You were very excited to go to the Bug Museum because we talked about it when you visited us the summer before and Soos was very happy to take you because she loves bugs. Raya thought the Bug Museum might be interesting, Rowan really wasn’t so sure he wanted to go at all, but you were the most excited about going! We (you, Daddy, Kiera, Lindsay, Rowan, Raya and Soos) took the ferry to Victoria. When we got inside the Bug Museum, you took one look at the big bugs and decided this wasn’t the place for you! You and Daddy only spent a few minutes inside then went out to the giftshop to wait for us. Raya stayed a little longer but soon she and Kiera left for the giftshop. Rowan, who didn’t think he wanted to come to the bug zoo at all, had the most fun of the three of you. He let giant stick insects crawl on his arm and touched ALL of the other bugs and asked a lot of questions. We had a hard time dragging him out of the Bug Museum! In the giftshop, all three of you chose large spider stuffies to take home!

On that trip, I took you and Raya to my work to see the lab and the greenhouse because they are full of interesting things. We saw a robot but I think it was disappointing because it didn’t have arms and legs or a head, it was the kind of robot that works in a greenhouse. Your very favourite thing was the tape dispenser with all the different coloured tape. Daddy said he always gave you tape for your birthday and Christmas because you were a Tape Monster! In your bedroom, there were many many kinds of tape and all of your crafts were made with tape!

One sunny day Daddy, Kiera, you and Soos went to the beach to take photos. At the beach there was a circle of laughing men statues. We all put our bodies into the poses of the statues and made funny laughing noises.

June 2023 visit

In June 2023, Lindsay, Rowan, Raya and Soos came to visit you, Daddy and Kiera for a few days. Rowan had a sleep over in your room and the two of you had fun with your tablets. We all went to the Aquarium one day, and other days you three played outside. You and Raya made a lemonade stand with a money hole for people to pay.