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LEGAL INFORMATION AND
NOTICES
July 13, 2008 - Feast of Words
It was a night of prayer and partying as we celebrated the Feast of
Words.
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this event, click here
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July 6, 2008 - Quebec 400th - Great Family Gathering
On
our last day, we headed from our hotel back to downtown Quebec and the
storied Plains of Abraham Battle Park by the St-Lawrence River for the
Great Family Gathering, one of the most spectacular family fun events we
ever experienced.
Inflatable rides, sports, fun activities, costumed characters, train
rides, play structures, giving away of free food and drink samples and
even Celine Dion tickets, and best of all, it was all free for the
1000's of family who showed up! Joyeuse 400ieme anniversaire,
Quebec, et merci!
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this event, click here
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A great way to cap off the hot morning, with a tri-colour
popsicle
(which dripped all over daddy's shoulder on this hot summer day).
July 5, 2008 - Quebec 400th - Valcartier Water Park
After
a full morning at the aquarium, we sure appreciated our afternoon nap
which refreshed us to get ready for our late afternoon visit to
Valcartier Water Park, apparently Canada's largest water park.
The multitude of slides, rides, and attractions were very impressive,
although Justice opted for simple splashing by the beach of the
artificial lake (the awesome Pirate ship and cannon battles were just
too loud for him). We would definitely come back to visit this
world-class water park in the future.
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this event, click here
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Justice enjoying the sand and water splashing.
July 5, 2008 - Quebec 400th - Parc Aquarium
After
spending the previous day in Old Quebec walking, we thought today would
be a perfect family fun day for Justice, so we started off with a visit
to Parc Aquarium which featured polar bears, seals, walruses. Once
we got scared off by the salt water fish (which live in the St-Lawrence
River, some which reached sizes as long as a human being), we decided to
head over to visit the wet lands, play structures in the woods, and
splash pad. The aquarium's location offered us a great view of the
bridge.
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this event, click here
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Justice checking out a grey seal getting ready to eat.
July 4, 2008 - Quebec 400th - Old Quebec and Chateau Frontenac
We
had been looking forward to this family vacation for months, and it
turned out to be just as super-fantastic as we had hoped; perfect
weather, extremely friendly locals, and an incredible celebration of
Quebec's 400th Anniversary featuring a beautiful city and spectacular
entertainment for all.
On our first day, we roamed the packed and charming cobbles tone
streets of Old Quebec, visited the legendary Chateau Frontenac and
Dufferin boardwalk, and even ran into Jaleh and Sepehr in a crowd of
50,000. No rain showers would deter our spirit nor the
Commemorative Show. In fact, the rain allowed us to marvel at a
spectacular rainbow. Simply awesome stuff.
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this event, click here
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Old Quebec - a most charming experience.
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Chasing puddles at Chateau Frontenac
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Somewhere...over the rainbow...
July 1, 2008 - Happy Canada Day!
First,
we visited Grand-Maman Ba-Noi for some quality time at the park by the
Ottawa River. Then, following Justice's afternoon nap, we
continued a family tradition and gathered at the McFarland's Canada Day
Pool Party which featured gourmet burgers, pool volleyball, and great
family fun.
It's great to be Canadian!
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this event, click here
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Thank you Al and Jenn (and some guy in the middle)!
June 21, 2008 - Summer, Ginger, and Chili are Here
These
are the dog days of summer, literally. Justice is having a blast
enjoying the nice weather, along with Gabriel, Zoe-Anh, and guest
appearances by Ginger and Chili.
Although we've only had a handful of fully dry days with lots of rainy
days, we still get to enjoy the great outdoors with walks by the creek
or playing at Tyler's play structure. Justice also loves playing
with dogs, chasing them, caressing them, and occasionally tormenting
them with his overzealous enthusiasm.
Let the summer begin!
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this event, click here
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Gabriel and Justice, hand in hand. Ahhh...
June 15, 2008 - Father's Day
With
Mr. Lam's spirit still very strong in our hearts, we celebrated this day
as a family at Pinhey's Point Historic Site in Dunrobin, Ontario.
The weather was perfect, the petting zoo and play structure were fun,
the strawberry crepe breakfast was scrumptious, and the atmosphere was
relaxed and mellow, all combining to make it a super Father's Day.
Everything was just beautiful.
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this event, click here
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you
may look back
and realize they were the big things.” - Robert Brault
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Father and son bonding - there's nothing like it.
June 14, 2008 - Bao-Anh's Birthday
All
family members gathered around for a great birthday party featuring
Vietnamese food and Korean BBQ, general chaos with the kids (especially
the ones aged 2-3 years of age), and an eye-opening Nintendo Wii
demonstration.
Happy Birthday, Bao-Anh, we love you!
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this event, click here
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Happy 12th Birthday, Bao-Anh!
June 7, 2008 - Valley View Farm
It
was a hot and sunny day on this first weekend of June as we had some
family fun at the farm. We went to Valley View Farm where Gabriel
and Justice ran amok, fed and petted the animals, and climbed on
anything they could possible climb on (train, horses, play structures,
etc.). Yee haw!
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this event, click here
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Sweet kissing.
May 31, 2008 - Justice et Gabriel dans l'eau
Justice + Gabriel + puddle of water...enough said.
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this event, click here
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Wet and wild.
May 25, 2008 - Jaleh and Sepehr's Wedding in Montreal
A
fabulous party list of 250+ from around the world gathered in Montreal
to celebrate the union of two great people and friends, Jaleh + Sepehr.
This wedding had it all; a spiritual ceremony, a classy afternoon tea in
a courtyard, Persian food to-die-for, nice speeches, multimedia
Powerpoint presentation by Arash, an ultra-hip guest book, a traditional
knife dance, and a rockin' DJ and dance floor. We even raised the
bride and groom in the air.
Congratulations to Jaleh and Sepehr, you deserve the best life has to
offer!
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this event, click here
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Jaleh and Sepehr with Phil and Amelia
May 22, 2008 - Go Diego Go!
 Television
cartoon celebrity, Diego, came to town, along with his famous cousin,
Dora the Explorer, for a live action show at ScotiaBank Place.
Cousins Justice and Gabriel, along with over 4,000 other children and
their parents, got the chance to participate in this very interactive
experience as Diego embarked on "The Great Jaguar Rescue."
Unbeknownst to us, the "Rescue Pack" is apparently a heavy-set rapper....jpg)
It was a super-fun way for the kids to spend the afternoon (and for the
parents to spend money on overpriced toys :-). Later on, Justice
and Gabriel got the chance to "re-decorate the basement." Go Diego Go!
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this event, click here
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Cousins Gabriel and Justice with "The Great Jaguar" masks.
May 19, 2008 - Mayhem in May
Slowly
but surely, I'm catching up with my web site with photos and highlights
of the past few weeks; Mother's Day, seeing Canadian comedian Russell
Peters with the Gatchell's, Grand-Maman time, visit from Phil's
university friend Paul, visit from Ginger, mattress playtime with Vahid
and Naim, playing with a new train set, more potty training, and overall
mayhem in the month of May. Whew!
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these events, click here
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Justice playing with his train set with
Vahid and Naim
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Mattress time in hyper mode!
May 17, 2008 - Feast of Grandeur
It was a night of prayer and partying as we celebrated the Feast of
Grandeur.
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this event, click here
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May 5, 2008 - Jaleh's Bridal Shower
Our
good friends Jaleh and Sepehr are getting married so with some dreaming
and scheming, a surprise Bridal Shower was organized for Jaleh by family
and friends.
It was a delightful evening of outrageous games, gifts, and bountiful
food.
Looking forward to the wedding coming soon!
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this event, click here
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Happy Bridal Shower to the bride-to-be, Jaleh!
May 1, 2008 - Gabriel and Zoe-Anh Visit
While David and Dominique enjoyed "The Police" rock concert, Gabriel and
Zoe-Anh came over for an overnight visit. Seeing Justice and
Gabriel in action is both endearing and maddening at the same time.
They help each other, they conspire together, they feed off of each
other, they create a lot of noise and mayhem together, heck, they're
great cousins.
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this event, click here
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Madness and Mayhem - you gotta love it!
April 30, 2008 - April Highlights
After
6 months of winter, temperatures are finally rising, snow is melting,
and the people of Ottawa are coming out of hibernation and re-connecting
and enjoying the warm and sunny weather.
Some of the events we enjoyed this month were playing outdoors, Girl's
Night for Amelia, a play date with the Gatchell's, Minh-Anh's First
Communion, and visiting Grand-Maman Ba-Noi.
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this month, click here
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Girls' Night Out
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Play date with the Gatchell's
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Minh-Anh's First Communion
March 31, 2008 - March Madness Highlights
I
remember there was a time when I would do weekly web site updates of
Justice. Now things are so crazy-busy, here I am updating March
highlights in the middle of May.
Its 20 degrees today, but back in March we were still waist deep in
snow. In any case, some of the highlights were fun times with his
baby sitter Becca, our good neighbours Tyler and parents, celebrating
St-Patrick's Day, shoveling snow, vacuuming, and yes, dare I say it,
potty training!
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this event, click here
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Justice with Becca
March 29, 2008 - Justice Chez Gabriel
More great times with his cousins Gabriel and Zoe-Anh. When
Justice gets together with Gabriel, there's always a bit of magic (and
mayhem), and this get-together was no exception.
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this event, click here
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March 23, 2008 - Naw-Ruz and Easter Weekend
What
happens when religious events all occur the same time? You have a
super long weekend and you celebrate non-stop. It was the
culmination of a wild and wacky month of March with fasting followed by
Naw-Ruz (Persian New Year) and lent followed by Easter. It was a
terrific opportunity to get together with loved ones, including all of
Phil's god-daughters.
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this event, click here
    

The Nguyens and the Gunnings

Justice and his cousins
March 22, 2008 - Vargha and Nousha's Wedding
What
can we say about Vargha and Nousha's Baha'i Wedding? It was the
most grandiose location at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, one of
the best wedding dinners ever, extremely well organized, brief and yet
meaningful wedding speeches, everyone dressed in style, lots of familiar faces and new friends having fun partying and dancing to
pump-up music by DJ Shariar, and a warm, kind, and loving bride and
groom. We were delighted to be invited to this incredible soiree.
Congratulations Vargha and Nousha!
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this event, click here
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The Bride and Groom with Phil and Amelia
March 16, 2008 - (Early) Easter with Grand-Maman
K nowing
Easter Weekend was going to be busy, we had an early Easter with
Grand-Maman. As always, the boys fed off each other's energy and
fed off the Easter chocolate soccer ball.
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this event, click here
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Grand-Maman and her beloved grand-children
February 29, 2008 - February Highlights
It was a most eventful month, to say the least, marked by Phil's
father's passing and funeral. On the brighter side, we enjoyed
Family Day holiday, Ayyam-i-ha, a visit from Dr. J (Uncle Jagdeep to
Justice), Justice's multiple 2-year birthdays, all of which made the
mounds of snow more bearable.
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this event, click here
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Justice with a self-imposed time out in the corner...
February 29, 2008 - Ayyam-i-ha Celebrations
It
was just about two years ago, on Saturday, February 25, 2006, that we
celebrated Ayyam-i-ha in Kanata with Amelia whooping it up on the dance
floor late at night. We then went home to bed, and then one hour
later, Amelia started feeling something in her belly. Twenty-three
hours of labour later, Justice was born on Feb ruary
26, 2006.
So it was a celebration of sorts as we performed a Taekwon-Do
demonstration for the Baha'i community two years later, with Justice
attending his first-ever Ayyam-i-ha.
To view photos of
this event, click here
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February 28, 2008 - More 2-Year Birthday Highlights
Just to add to the 2-year madness and mayhem, Justice partied with more
family members and friends this week:
To view more photos of Justice at Daycare (February 25), click here
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Justice on a cake diet this week
To view more photos of Justice with Grand-Maman (February 26), click
here
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Justice blowing out the candles
To view more photos of Justice's birthday Baby Devotional (also
celebrating Joey's and Thomas' birthdays) (February 28), click here
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Birthday boys Thomas, Justice, and Joey
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Can you find the birthday boy? (Hint: he
is by himself sitting in a precarious position)
February 26, 2008 - Happy 2-Year Birthday Justice!
We can't believe Justice is two years old. We have seen our son
grow into a walking, talking, and laughing toddler who enjoys life to
the fullest and provides us with so much joy (and sometimes hair-pulling
madness), we can no longer keep up with all of his daily milestones.
No longer can we possibly keep up with digital cameras or videocameras -
the best we can do is just enjoy the moment. One of those special
milestones was his birthday, which we celebrated with family.
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Family gathered from everywhere, even a guest appearance by Ginger and
Dr. J from Boston. We laughed a lot and had a most re-energizing
time eating coconut rum cake (without the rum), mohitos, watching the
Sens thrilling comeback victory against Pittsburgh, and playing movie
charades.. We know Grand-Papa was smiling down on us and his spirit was
alive and well. Happy 2-year birthday, Justice!
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this event, click here
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The kids - always an achievement to capture them on camera all
at the same time.
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Love and laughter - that's what birthdays should be all about.
February 10, 2008 - Mr. Lam - Rest in Peace
NGUYEN,
Lam Thanh On Sunday February 10, 2008, at the age of 63. Beloved husband
of Huong Nghiem. Survived by his loving children Phil and Amelia, David
and Dominique, Huyen and Vu, Thien and Yen, his beautiful grandchildren
Bao Anh, Bao Dan, Minh Anh, Gabriel, Justice and Zoe-Anh and his dear
sisters Van and Huong. Mr. Lam will be dearly missed by his cousins,
nieces and nephews and their families, his many friends, and all of
those whose lives he touched.
"As I close my eyes, I know I can do all things through God, who
strengthens me. As I close my eyes, it is the powerful legacy and
positive memories of my father that keeps me going. As I open my
eyes, and look unto a sea of faces, with sadness in your eyes and love
and compassion in your hearts, it is your support that inspires us."
- from Phil's eulogy
Thank you to the 100's of people who came to pay their respects, send
beautiful flowers, heartfelt letters and e-mails, and even prepared food
for us and supported us in every way possible. Your love and
support truly does make a difference, thank you.
To view some of Phil's favourite photos of his father, click here
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February 9, 2008 - Winterlude
How do you break up the winter and make the most of another snowy day?
Go to Winterlude in the nation's capital, of course.
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weekend, we enjoyed Canada's winter celebration and headed over to
Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau where we partook in the various
activities at the packed Snowflake Kingdom, the largest snow playground
on the continent. We bravely went down on one of the 30 giant snow
slides, reveled in the snowy and family-friendly environment (we even
saw Natasha and Lara), and of course had to have some world-famous
Beavertails.
Oh yeah...
To
view photos of this event, click here
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Wheeeee...
February 6, 2008 - Torben and Savinna Visit
With the recent birth of their second child, Anisa, we had the fantastic
opportunity to
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