Atop Nana's Mountain

Snow angels and shots of Glayva atop Nana's Mountain (aka Tunnel Mountain) is how Emmett, Oscar, their parents and Auntie Clare remembered Nana yesterday. Oscar caught a ride on his Dad's back, while Emmett hiked the entire mountain almost by himself. They've been hiking up this mountain on March 30th for the past three years in honour of her, to remember her laughter and catch a glimpse of her spirit from high up on a cold winter's day. 

We sure do miss you, Nana. 

Kisses for Nana

In anticipation of a trip to see his sick Nana, with the help of a bowl of applesauce Emmett and his dad rehearse Emmett's kissing technique.

Emmett got the chance to squeeze in a few precious Nana kisses but, sadly, Nana lost her battle with cancer. Everyone misses her. A lot.

Emmett's parents believe that Heaven has internet access (with a data transfer rate of, like, a gazillion Mbps), so the stranmccann posts will continue. They have to. Nana was one of the main reasons this blog was created, and unconfirmed reports suggest that she checked it 5 to 6 times a day. Who's to say that won't continue?

So, Nana, we thought you might be interested in an outtake from one of Emmett's earlier kiss rehearsal sessions. Thank goodness for experimentation and the discontinuation of unsuccessful trials. This kiss was not Nana-worthy, and was a reaction befitting a child who has just kissed weird, mustachioed, non-bathing, 2-packs-a-day, gingivitic Great Uncle Herb.

Avocado and Nana's raisin cake

He hasn't quite mastered a knife and a fork, but Emmett is getting the hang of using a spoon. For the most part.

However, when it comes to Nana's raisin cake, forget the utensils. Fingers are the cutlery of choice, allowing for more rapid transportation from tray to tummy.

Snow, snow, go AWAY...

...don't you know, it's the end of MAY?!?!? Emmett's dad cursed his decision to take the snow tires off the car on the May long weekend, especially with the extreme snowfall warning issued yesterday. Luckily, the snow did not stick in their neighbourhood, but Emmett, his mom, and his Nana were trapped inside as it poured rain. So Emmett spent the day exploring his artistic side, by reading with Nana,

his first painting session,

and attempting to play Van Halen with a spoon and a mixing bowl.

Holiday soundtrack

Emmett celebrated a wintry December day by spending much of yesterday morning providing his own brand of festive music for his parents. Nana and Gramma will comment on how smart their grandson is. Little do they know that Emmett is receiving $4.00 for participating in a Pavlovian conditioning experiment at U of C.

Reinforcements arrive!

Emmett and his parents rose early this morning to meet Nana and Grampa at the airport.

Emmett is currently adding 30-40 grams per day to his already monstrous physique. While sporting this impressive growth rate, it will be some time before he is equipped to properly shake Grampa's hand. Best guess is sometime between 2028 and 2033.