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I almost have to laugh when I think about how much I have changed over the last several years, and one of the biggest changes in my life has been my views about having children. I used to be under the impression that having a child would prevent me from doing the things I really wanted to do, and I was convinced I would somehow lose my identity and become a standard complacent father figure shell of my old self.

I now know that what my old self failed to realize is that this scenario is not an inevitability, it is a choice.

Karla and I feel like the two luckiest people in the world right now, and it is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Declan Simpson, an 8lbs 14oz bouncing baby boy. I have spent the past few weeks at home getting to know Declan, and watching him explore the big new world around him. This has been a truly indescribable experience that I will no doubt treasure for the rest of my life. Welcome Declan, enjoy life my son.

Karla and I have been talking about getting a new puppy for quite a while, and when we stumbled upon a photograph of a litter of Lhasa Apso puppies for sale on Kijiji, our minds were pretty much made up… we wanted the one with the white boots!

We drove 3.5 hours to meet the breeder (Heidi) and the puppies on a Friday evening, and everything went really well, so we picked up our new little friend the following day and headed for home.

On our journey home I happened to round the corner of an off-ramp a bit too quickly, which caused our new puppy friend to take a rather large tumble in her kennel. Karla’s first reaction to this first boo-boo was “Woah Nelly”, and from there we named her Nellie.

She has been integrating into our lives and routine with surprising ease. We already have a 10 year old Lhasa Apso (Dyna), who has been a huge help so far with the training process, much to her dismay. We were a bit worried about how Dyna would react to a new puppy, and at this point my guess is she’s neither here-nor-there. Some days she is very excited about having a friend to play with so they tug on ropes for hours at a time, and other days Dyna will have none-of-it while Nellie bites her ears and generally harasses her. It is funny to watch, and I am sure they will grow to be great friends over time.

So that’s our exciting news. Puppies are cute, this one especially… and I look forward to posting the dozens of comedic photos we have taken so far. There is also this really funny video I took of Nellie learning how to go up and down stairs, I will throw that on YouTube over the weekend.

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Spring is in the air, can you feel it? The sun is out! I’m not cold! I’ve seen a robin! I’ve seen a few insects! Oh, and most importantly today is a great day because it’s St. Patrick’s Day, hence the Irish Grasshopper title.

While this photograph is far from the best technical shot I have ever taken, I am using it this year to celebrate the season, and the day! Enjoy.

St. Patrick’s Day fact from National Geographic:

In the United States, it’s customary to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. But in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky, says Bridget Haggerty, author of The Traditional Irish Wedding and the Irish Culture and Customs Web site.

As Haggerty explains, Irish folklore holds that green is the favorite color of the Good People (the proper name for faeries). They are likely to steal people, especially children, who wear too much of the color.

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This week I would like to write a poem to pay homage to my Grandmother who sadly passed away last week after a long and eventful life. Now I have not written poetry in years, so I only hope I would not offend her with my lack of elegance. I only recently discovered that she was in fact a poet laureate, and a published poet.

My grandmother was a caring woman,
a wife, a mother, a friend.

With days of patience, and miles calm,
she carried with her until her end.

These traits live on through her family now,
through her children’s children, down the line.

For these gifts we give thanks, and remember you,
as our grandmother for all of time.
- Matt Simpson

We love you Grandma, may you rest in peace.

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While I realize it was Valentines Day last week I still wanted to post my image of the week, which I was previously unable to do simply because I ran out of time before being away for the long weekend.

Ms. Valentine, who is more accurately referred to as Mrs. Simpson is my sweet wife Karla. Due to unfortunate circumstances we were not able to spend Valentines Day together this year, but instead we celebrated with a nice dinner at our favourite Kingston restaurant on Monday.

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