Tall Tales

you might recall me saying...

2012-01-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

There's just something about babies wearing glasses. Awesome.

to papa

2012-01-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

we got (some) snow!

2012-01-13T23:17:00.002-05:00

So I bundled them up and took them outside to play. But...

Henry was under the impression this was some sort of punishment.

And Joe was under the impression this was an all-the-snow-you-can-eat buffet. And that he didn't need to wear mittens.

So we had to go back inside.

whether he likes it or not

2012-01-10T22:41:00.002-05:00

Joe thinks it's fun to hold Henry like a baby.

"Can I hold him?" he asks.

I look at Henry. Henry looks at me.

"Well, you can try."

So it starts like this.

And ends like this.

just like magic

2012-01-04T21:18:00.002-05:00

Henry turned into a little boy today. That's what first haircuts do... turn babies into boys. Boo hoo. But - it was time to lose the mullet. Henry looks much better now, even if his neck is now colder.

happy 2012!

2012-01-01T18:27:00.001-05:00

Here's to a new and exciting year! This year, Joe's resolution is to take more photos... like this one. Awesome.

christmas in review

2011-12-28T21:14:00.006-05:00

We're still enjoying some lazy days of Christmas holidays... boys even sleeping in until 8 a.m. (bliss... never mind that Henry is up for sometimes hours at a time in the middle of the night). So before we sleep away the holiday, here's a bit of what we did. (David took Dec. 23 off work, so the review begins there.)

Friday, December 23

We did a little baking, had a twinkle walk, then home for movies, popcorn, and hot chocolate. (Henry loves popcorn and watching him shove fistfuls into his mouth is, quite possibly, the funniest thing I have ever seen.)

Saturday, December 24

Off to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton for some Christmas and train displays. Trains = Thomas therefore boys = ecstatic. Then home for an early meal (in the dining room, no less... it's Christmas eve, after all) and Mass at 7. David returned to play the trumpet at midnight Mass but, alas, the rest of us were all snug in our beds.

Sunday, December 25

Merry Christmas! We enjoyed discovering what Santa left for us and opening all the amazing presents under our tree, then feasting on egg nog pancakes made by Daddy. Henry had a wee nap before heading over to Nanny and Grandpa's for a few more gifts and a lot more food. We stayed up late, consumed a lot of sugar, and played a lot of games.

Monday, December 26

Back to Nanny and Grandpa's for more food... a delicious German breakfast and then brisket for supper. In between was a long walk through parks and on trails ("just like in Bear Country!" said Joe), more games and a teeny bit of shopping. Alas, yesterday's turkey made me so lethargic that I didn't even take my camera out of my bag.

And that is that. The last two days have been at home with our boys, playing new games and reading new books. It's cold outside, we're cocooning in here, and it's awesome.

Christmas at the kantors

2011-12-26T22:15:00.001-05:00

Big smiles, matching jammies, and a happy day. More to come....

from the Kantor house

2011-12-24T13:40:00.001-05:00

home for the holidays

2011-12-21T22:26:00.002-05:00

And by "home" I mean anyone's home... Joe really is quite comfortable making himself at home wherever he goes.

Today, Joe, Henry, and I delivered parcels of cookies to our neighbours. Joe was in charge of:

carrying the cookies
ringing the doorbell
saying, "Merry Christmas" to each neighbour who answered

(Henry and I were in charge of smiling in the background).

Joe added to his responsibilities by being in charge of:

stepping into each house
taking his coat off
inviting himself in

Our neighbours are very nice people so they didn't mind. He got a couple of house tours and a few invitations to come play another day. He has accepted and will no doubt be following up on those.

Merry Christmas, neighbours! You are really kind people and we are glad to live here.

dear raisin bread

2011-12-21T22:16:00.002-05:00

Thank you for being a delicious distraction for my boys when we are grocery shopping. They consume about half your loaf in the time it takes me to zip around the store stopping only, of course, to put groceries in my cart and more of your slices in their hands. One time, I tried to replace you with cheese bread. I paid for my mistake and I shall not try that again. I always appreciate when you are on sale but, still, will buy you as long as I have two boys in my cart.

Sincerely yours,

Gillian Kantor

p.s. but even you, raisin bread, are no match for boredom.

um, no fank you.

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

That's what Joe said after he blew out the candles and was offered one of his birthday cupcakes. Yup. He turned down a birthday cupcake. That's the kind of day it was.

Which is to say... it was a bad tummy day. Both boys have been fighting something and what better day for it to be at its worst than on Joe's big day. The curious thing about this bug is that it only curbs their appetites, not their energy levels so Joe was fine to continue with all the activities of the day but, when it came time for meals - even the restaurant food he was so longing for on his birthday - it all got a big "no fank you."

So... maybe when he's feeling better, we'll have a birthday do-over.

Still... he was a trooper and offered me these "cheese" smiles throughout the day...

And... I add this photo... check out the coach in the background... sports are going to be awesome.

one, two, three

2011-12-15T10:22:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to our Joe!

To quote his godmama Sandy, "We can't believe he is three already - what the heck?"

Exactly. What the heck? How have three years passed already? How have we gone from Joe being a teeny weeny baby to this big guy who reads stories, sings songs, dances crazy dances, and plays trains, plays trains, plays trains?

Sometimes I look - well, stare - at him and try to comprehend that this is our son. That, when I was younger, I always thought I would have children and, now, this is him right in front of me. This is the son I couldn't really, truly have done justice in imagining. He's one part David and one part Gillian and a million parts Joe... which is to say he's a million parts incredible.

Ah, Jojo, we love you so much. Happy Birthday.

decorating

2011-12-11T20:51:00.002-05:00

dear Auntie Susie

2011-12-10T21:08:00.002-05:00

We are so sorry that you couldn't be at the Kantor Family Christmas today, along with your other flu-bug bitten family members. We hope Brooke brought home her crafts and here's what the kids looked like this year:

Get well soon.

Love,

Us and all those cute kids in the above picture

it's true

2011-12-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

The name Henry means "ruler of the house."

So far, this is proving to be true. This is just one of the soapboxes he likes to stand on to bellow out commands.

one of my favourite things

2011-12-07T20:48:00.001-05:00

Please watch if you are in a grumpy mood. And just try to stay grumpy.

peeking

2011-12-06T22:44:00.002-05:00

Just being a looky-loo in my own house, peeping around corners and such.

Story-time...

Waiting for assistance... I think... I don't really know what he's doing here.

a dhas family update

2011-12-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

Here they are and they are cute.

for hire

2011-12-04T22:41:00.002-05:00

Are you a mom, looking for someone to help?

He's very, very good at holding babies.

Emilie...

Gabriel...

Tricky part is, he doesn't tell you when he's done. Just kinda slides out from underneath the baby and gets up.

introducing...

2011-11-30T20:53:00.001-05:00

Gabriel Cael Dhas. Born November 29th at 3:30 a.m. And already loved very much (see sister).

happy birthday, henry!

2011-11-28T22:33:00.004-05:00

Yup. Again. We are obsessed with birthdays in this house. Today is Henry's Baptism Birthday.

Here he was last year...

And here he is today. Cupcakes and open flame. Quite possibly the best day of Henry's life.

prodigy

2011-11-26T22:30:00.002-05:00

it's that time again

2011-11-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

Time for another edition of... Celebrating Your Birthday Early and Multiple Times.

We wanted to have a little birthday party for Joe while Grammie and Papa were here so... Happy Birthday Joe... three weeks before you turn three.

princess for a day

2011-11-19T21:20:00.001-05:00

Lily is turning four on Wednesday and her birthday party was princess themed. No one else dressed for the occasion. For shame.

leaf it to them

2011-11-19T21:00:00.005-05:00

Is it in bad form to have your guests rake your leaves for you? Including one who is nine months pregnant? If so, pardon me. But they did a really good job.

paperwork

2011-11-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

Papa and Grammie are here, en route to Ottawa for Canadian Seed Growers Association meetings. Before they go, Papa has a lot of reading to do... for both his meetings and Henry.

you do what you gotta do

2011-11-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

1. I got a haircut.

2. We took pictures for our Christmas card.

3. Everyone behaved.

4. And consumed a lot of smarties.

oh brothers

2011-11-11T20:15:00.001-05:00

It's all fun and games until someone starts to cry. We had the mattress in our office for cousin Shannon's sleepover. It became a trampoline/wrestling ring before she arrived.

my one-eyed monster

2011-11-10T19:52:00.002-05:00

That's what he calls himself. It's from the book, "I Love You, Stinky-Face." But, in truth, he is neither a one-eyed monster nor a stinky face. He is a good Joe and this is what he's been up to:

1. impressing upon me that I need to clean up my act. Joe and Henry both like to attach themselves to my pantlegs as I'm making supper. And the other day, Henry kept pushing himself around me and getting into the lazy susan. After one too many times, with an exclamation I banished them both to the playroom. Henry toddled in soon after and got back into the cupboard, pulling out multiple cans of soup. Joe rushed in after him and dragged Henry away with an exasperated, "Aaargh! Lord!" Okay. So clean up the language. And the attitude.

2. using the potty. Hooray! Maybe, after only three days, I'm getting ahead of myself but he's doing really well and surprising me with his readiness. Praise. The. Lord. I told David that, after "Gillian, will you marry me?" the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me was, "Mommy, I think I have to poop." It was just such a surprise, a relief, and the hallelujah chorus sang. Awesome.

3. saying his prayers. I can hear him and David right now, saying the Our Father in French. This will soon be followed by some songs... my favourite is how he sings a whole verse of Alleluias to the tune of Seek Ye First. If only I could sneak a camera into bedtime... you, too, would be impressed.

4. reciting commercials. Today as I was making supper I heard him chatting away to himself. Usually he's recreating a story from one of his books or an episode of Thomas. But today I heard something about "personalized service" and "work with my budget," followed up by, "Master Mechanic - you talk to the mechanic." He also knows the jingle for Alarm Force Home Protection Services (these are the commercials on when I'm watching the morning news).

5. playing trains. Always playing trains.

6. teaching Henry valuable lessons. One car ride, I could hear from the back a few tidbits, including:

"Sometimes, Henry, the answer is no."

"Don't do crazy tricks with your milk at the table."

"Never eat with your fingers or your foot."

7. baking. He likes to help in the kitchen. This has its plusses and minuses. Plus: he puts his arm around me and says, "I like baking with you, mommy." Minus: he's pushy and controlling (ie. he pushes me out of the way and controls the number of chocolate chips that go in the cookies).

Have I made him sound perfect? Good. Then you and I are both fooled.

Yeah, we have our moments of Trouble. Time outs. Stand-offs at the kitchen table over what to eat. Crazy time when he gets so rough with Henry. Some days I feel like there is more Trouble than not. But he warms my heart, that fellow. We used to have more one-on-one time when Henry napped in the morning. Now both boys are with me all morning and take naps after lunch so it's all three, all the time. The other morning, Henry was having a rough time after a night of teething/ sleeplessness/ hanging out until 3 a.m., and I decided to put him down for a morning snooze. I told Joe my plan - "I'm just going to put Henry down for a nap and then I'll be right back" - and he grinned and whispered, "After Henry is asleep, then you and me will do something fun."

So this is our something fun - we decorated a race car. Me and my one-eyed monster.

mr. henry

2011-11-06T18:20:00.004-05:00

dear grammie... or santa claus... whoever reads this first

2011-11-05T20:09:00.001-04:00

The Toys R' Us, Mastermind, and Pick of the Crop toy catalogues came to our house. They are presently being studied and a list being drawn up. There will be a lot of Thomas things on it.

Now we are watching Thomas to get some more ideas. Christmas is going to be awesome.

the chief

2011-10-31T23:02:00.004-04:00

In case of fire, don't call here. The truck is only made of cardboard, the wheels had fallen off by the end of the night, and the flashing light wasn't so reliable. Also the siren (supplied by Joe himself) sounded more like a train.

But in case of free candy giveaways, yes, call here. He seemed to enjoy that part.

Meanwhile... Henry was a police car. A very sleepy police car.

Can you tell we recently moved and have a surplus of boxes?

sit. stay.

2011-10-30T22:57:00.002-04:00

Nope. We didn't get a dog. This one is Keer, belonging to the Moynihans (though Henry clearly seems to have taken control with the commands). We had a long overdue visit with our friends this past weekend and were grateful for their invitation to sit and stay a while. It meant learning a very involved and point-driven card game, drinking lots of coke, and throwing some good conversation in between my requests for clarification on the aforementioned involved and point-driven card game. Thanks, Moynihans.

we are all in love

2011-10-28T14:15:00.002-04:00

... with Baby Emilie. We're so happy to have met her this morning and given hugs and high fives to Mama and Dad. She is beautiful.

Joe looks pretty serious in his picture but he was quite insistent on holding her and guarding her from Henry. He kept patting her arms and legs, whispering (which he NEVER does, even when we ask him to... some moments just call for it, I guess), "No, Henry, you just touch her like this. So soft." Aw. Break my heart.

birthday boys

2011-10-23T21:53:00.004-04:00

So... it's a month since Henry's birthday and a month-and-a-half to Joe's birthday. Perfect time for a party, yes? Yes. We decided that it was. There are a lot of Kantors born in the latter half of the year, which means a lot of parties... so we cheated and combined our boys' birthdays, sticking the party somewhere in the middle.

The result... this:

we played in the backyard

we toasted Grandma

we ate and ate and ate

pigs in a blanket and chocolate milk

and we ate that cake... poor fireman did not see that coming.

new life

2011-10-23T21:42:00.003-04:00

This weekend we were so happy to hear the news of two babes coming into this world...

Emilie Francine, to Lise and Phil

and Maeyer Eloise, to Devonna and Justin

We're excited to meet these little ladies and give cuddles and smooches and such. Or just high fives, if that's all they are comfortable with.

And we're also celebrating this lovely lady...

... David's grandma, Annie Kantor, who, after 89 years, was called to her heavenly reward on Saturday morning. Oh, we will miss her and all of her cuddles and smooches and such, but we are so blessed to have had her for all those years and now watching out for us from above. We really, really love you, Grandma.

saturday night

2011-10-22T23:33:00.001-04:00

This would account for about two hours of my life...

It's for Joe and Henry... more on that to come.

this is the song always stuck in his head

2011-10-19T13:38:00.002-04:00

les pommes

2011-10-15T13:33:00.002-04:00

It is a rainy, windy, and cold day... let's spend it outside, picking apples. But we were all troopers and the boys had fun running up and down the rows of apple trees. And the reward for being good - delicious, hot soup and two guys falling asleep in the car on the way home. Amen.

thanks for giving us chocolate ice cream

2011-10-10T20:46:00.002-04:00

That's also what we're thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving Monday!

thanks for giving us family

2011-10-09T20:11:00.002-04:00

That's what we're thankful for. Happy Turkey, everyone!

feeding time

2011-10-07T14:03:00.001-04:00

It really does feel like a zoo sometimes.

ten and two

2011-10-07T13:51:00.001-04:00

He's an excellent driver... very good at checking his mirrors and such.

smiley guy

2011-10-07T13:46:00.001-04:00

The second one... this is the face he makes when extra excited about something... like sausages or chocolate milk.

party time

2011-10-01T22:16:00.001-04:00

It was a good time. Thanks to all who celebrated with Henry today - he is a happy, lucky boy to be so loved.

two brothers

2011-09-30T23:28:00.000-04:00

(one with exceptionally muddy pants)

why joe had fun

2011-09-28T23:26:00.000-04:00

There was one (1) puddle in all of Bronte Creek Park. And Joe found it. While taking a picture of Henry I heard Joe yell from behind me, "mud puddle!!" And that was the end of that.

henry's birthday

2011-09-28T23:11:00.003-04:00

1. He genuinely appreciated the cards.

2. And presents.

3. And loved the birthday calls.

4. Henry, Joe, and I had a fun play at Bronte Creek Park. Joe especially. (I'll show you why later...)

5. And then there were naps (not pictured).

6. Then we picked up Daddy from work and went to a restaurant. Henry ate like a champ.

7. And back home for cake. Henry wasn't so into that.

8. Family parties to come... we're not done celebrating our one and only Henry (or "Gary" as Joseph has started to call him).

time flies

2011-09-28T07:45:00.003-04:00

And now Mr. Henry is one.

Happy Birthday, dear boy. We love you so much and are so blessed to see your smiley, happy face everyday, to comfort those tears when they come, to watch you explore and learn and grow, and to laugh, laugh, laugh with you. How did we get to be so lucky? Hmm... couldn't say. But we are. Thank God for that.

on birthday eve

2011-09-27T20:10:00.002-04:00

He's on the move. And very loud.

happy birthday charlotte!

2011-09-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

Sorry about all that spit on your cake.

while we're listing Henry's accomplishments...

2011-09-24T23:52:00.003-04:00

(ie. walking), let's also take a look at his teeth. Our boys are slow in popping up teeth so there aren't many to look at. Two bottom ones - very obvious. But look up to the top. There's one, peeking out. Is it one of his two front teeth? No - it's the one next to that... his lateral incisor. So he's getting his teeth in a goofy way. He has goofy teeth.

And when I say "goofy" I actually mean Goofy.

Meanwhile, Joe is getting his first two-year molar. And he's almost three. So we're behind. Hopefully this is not a reflection of life in general.

butterflying

2011-09-24T23:43:00.003-04:00

Today was the Bronte Fall Fair so we went down to play in the bouncy castles and pet goats. What we didn't expect (and, I'm sure, the organizers didn't plan for) was that today the monarchs were migrating through Oakville. Wowza. Beautiful.

Yes, butterflies are beautiful. But so are my people. Joe is very happy to slide and - did I mention - Henry is very happy to walk. Yes, that's right. Walk. Now that he's almost ONE, he wants to walk. And point at goats.

bedtime at our house

2011-09-23T23:39:00.001-04:00

Looks like this. I love feetie jammies.

jonah is two

2011-09-19T22:35:00.002-04:00

So we went to his party, ate very red cupcakes, wore hats, and stayed too long playing with his Thomas megablocks (and somebody threw a fit when we had to leave... David).

and now that the shower is over...

2011-09-19T22:26:00.005-04:00

... I can show you what I made for Lisel.

Ta da! It's a quilt. And I sewed it. And I'm uber happy with it. Mom helped me with the binding (and by "helped" I mean, "did most of it") but the rest was made by my sewing machine and me. Thanks, Rita*.

* sewing machine.

celebrating Lisel

2011-09-19T21:50:00.004-04:00

Hurray for Lisel!

(or as the rest of the world knows her, Lise)

who is my dear friend but, more importantly, is having a baby. We feted her (she's French... I like to throw in a word here and there that she'll understand) on Saturday with a shower for her and her little girl. We can't wait to meet Lisel and Phil's babe but, in the meantime, we occupied ourselves by throwing a party.

Now come on, Baby. Be safe. Be healthy. But come here soon.

boys in their rooms

2011-09-19T21:41:00.002-04:00

Hello. It's been a while. We're busy setting up shop and, I realized yesterday, I need to start cleaning this house. I've been so preoccupied with unpacking boxes and putting things away that I forgot about maintenance. So that's what we're doing.

Here's a peek at the boys' rooms. Joe's is pretty much identical to our old house, but stretched out. And Henry is enjoying a world of blue.

things that go

2011-09-11T21:11:00.002-04:00

more pictures of hannah and james

2011-09-10T20:53:00.003-04:00

so Ali can know what we we're up to...

We took Hannah and James out to Niagara Wine Country for a bike tour... we didn't know Hannah hadn't ridden a bike since she was 12. But - what do you know - riding a bike is just like riding a bike. You don't forget. It was a great day - rainy but great. (The picture with James and his screwed-up face... he's thinking about Klaus. Ahhh... inside jokes. We love that we can have inside jokes.)

And then the next day we went hiking. James discovered new land (thumbs up) and Joe tried to do everything that Hannah and James did (he is missing them A LOT).

And then we said good-bye (rather, had "farewell procedures").

Scheduling our next visit for 2014? Every three years? Can't wait.

wilderness day

2011-09-07T13:59:00.004-04:00

Today Hannah and James are off exploring the sights of TO, but yesterday they enjoyed the Canadian wilderness. See?

We are having the most wonderful time with them and are so happy to have them in our new home. This is really a good time to have guests... David and I have been so busy with moving and unpacking and trying to make a home out of this house that we hadn't given ourselves a chance to just enjoy this space. But with Hannah and James here, we have sat and talked and ate and laughed and just lived. And it is awesome. We really like it here. And, more importantly, we really like them. Thanks, Van Schies, for including us in your travels and in your lives.

p.s. dear Ali and Lasky - what time do you arrive?

fun with moving boxes

2011-09-07T13:50:00.002-04:00

(pardon my out-of-tuneness)

out with the old, in with the new

2011-09-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

So it's been a week... last Wednesday, we packed up all this stuff...

(and there was so much more - inside the house, so very much more)

and moved it to our new house. We're still setting up - did I mention we had a lot of boxes? - and, once we do, I'll post a tour. In the meantime, here's a room the boys are loving.

we' moved!

2011-09-04T23:18:00.002-04:00

We're here! At our new house! And I'll have pictures to post and stories to tell once our computer is set up. And once our New Zealand friends have come and gone (picking them up at the airport tomorrow... hurrah hurrah!)!

But, for now, just a note to say we're here and playing frisbee in the backyard and loving it.

how much longer can we procrastinate?

2011-08-28T22:27:00.004-04:00

Why, yes, I should be packing up my house. But, instead, after returning home from Saskatchewan late on Friday, we spent Saturday morning at soccer practice, and then the rest of the day with the Kantor family at the annual picnic. And now, instead of packing, I'm posting pictures of that. Because that's the most valuable thing I can think of doing right now. And because packing looks impossible.

Also, the picnic was such fun and relaxing and we look forward to next year!

from what I could hear...

2011-08-28T22:25:00.001-04:00

the story goes something like this:

There were two princesses and a prince. And the prince fell into a hole. And the only one who could save him was this princess.

What kind of prince is that?

dad

2011-08-28T22:21:00.002-04:00

It's harvest time. May this be the year that everything goes right.

a quick recap...

2011-08-28T21:37:00.007-04:00

We're back from Saskatchewan and heading into our crazy week of moving houses (please pray for us, that we do not misplace any boxes or small children). So if I don't do this now I fear I never will... so here is a fast forward version of our week in Shaunavon...

birthday cake for the eastern kids... Lily is not a fan of sweet things, which is why I find the second picture particularly amusing... what is she supposed to do with this?

farming... free tractor rides around the yard and canola-swathing demonstrations

tractor tires, picnics, swimming, and cheering for mum-mums

we attempted that grandkid photo... perhaps small groupings are better?

rodeo-ing... this is Matt and he is a cowboy

a day at the dam

another look at the house

and napping on Grammie.

Other things... David ran a 4-day volleyball camp at the high school, Becca is a lifeguard, I saw Cindy, Sammy, and Rachel, we visited Aunties Marilyn and Rosella, and we became regulars at The Frosty Treat. Awesome.

eleven months

2011-08-28T21:35:00.000-04:00

a preview of Grammie and Papa's Christmas card photo

2011-08-20T22:47:00.002-04:00

Should be a good one.

here's what's new

2011-08-16T22:18:00.004-04:00

1. we're surrounded by boxes.

2. happy to report that we have not yet lost a child in all the boxes.

3. potty-training is on hold... it was making poor Joe miserable. And is moving to a new house really the best time to do this? We learned that, no, it is not. And now we're happier.

4. we have a lot of stuff.

5. after 5 years of dirty lower windows in our living room, I learned that it's the windows, not the screens, that pop right out. So now we are appreciating two weeks of clean windows. It's like a whole new room.

6. Henry has reached a developmental milestone... "protests when a toy is taken away." In other words, Henry spends his days SCREAMING at Joe.

7. we will miss being walking distance from the sprinkle park.

8. David is busy patching and painting all the holes in our walls (we hung a lot of pictures. a lot). Do people do this? Are we being extra nice? Are we going to have to do this all over again when we get to our new house?

9. it's World Youth Day in Madrid. Remember the last one? In Sydney? Three years ago? A few things have changed for us since then (ie. one is named Joe and the other is Henry). Crazy.

10. after almost 4 weeks of keeping track, Joe is excited to finally put the last sticker on his "countdown to Grammie and Papa's house" calendar. So that's where we are, in case you're looking.

glamour girl

2011-08-13T22:31:00.002-04:00

My anniversary bouquet from my dear husband, presented to me when I'm with my sidekicks and at my oh-so-finest.

five

2011-08-12T07:52:00.002-04:00

Five years, two babes, two houses, and a million moving boxes.

That's our life today. 'Tis quite awesome and I'm so glad it's with you.

summer nights

2011-08-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

Our nightly pilgrimage to the sprinkle park...

puddles and pajamas

2011-08-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

This morning there was rain. And we were still in our pajamas. And it was awesome.

portrait of a (sweaty) soccer star

2011-08-07T21:15:00.003-04:00

Joe's having fun at Sportball... me, too. His/my soccer skills are improving by leaps and bounds... and by "soccer skills" I mean running, running with airplane arms, throwing, hula-hoop chasing, kicking, running away, and timbit-eating. Good job, Joe.

(look at how much fun Joe and his little teammate are having... I love their smiles at each other and excitement to just run)

(throwing the ball... not being hit by one)

happy napping

2011-08-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

That's what we say around here. The naps aren't always long, and it's not always easy going down, but the world is a lot happier when there is napping.

what's cuter than baby birds?

2011-08-02T22:25:00.002-04:00

Baby bums.

addendum

2011-08-02T22:20:00.004-04:00

Dear God -

The birds are cuter now. Thanks for that.

Gillian

p.s. - There were three; now there are only two. What's up with nature?

mama bird

2011-07-28T22:18:00.002-04:00

Dear God -

Thank you for making human babies way cuter than bird babies.

Also, thank you for Mrs. Robin, who so frequently and very faithfully flies off to find food for her babies' bellies. She is teaching me devotion, sacrifice, and how to be a better mama.

Cheers,

Gillian

worker's comp

2011-07-28T22:04:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when one drops a glass jar of soya sauce on one's toe. I'm out one helper.

ten months

2011-07-28T19:16:00.001-04:00

Today Henry started crawling. I clapped excitedly. Must have looked like a neat thing to do because, today, Henry also started clapping.

large and in charge

2011-07-28T19:13:00.002-04:00

Books are not necessarily Henry's friends.

it's hot

2011-07-23T19:40:00.001-04:00

but we're coping.

up and at 'em

2011-07-23T14:06:00.003-04:00

Henry can stand now, and he likes to get into Joe's stuff.

Here's how Joe feels about that:

african moynihan safari

2011-07-20T22:07:00.006-04:00

We had a summer fun day today... David skipped work (legitimately... he took the day off... he didn't just play hooky) and we met up with the Moynihans at the African Lion Safari. We had a great day of elephants, tour buses, splash pads, and picnics. (But not peacocks... we - er, I - did not enjoy the peacocks.)

Peacocks nearly attacked my son and what did I do? Ran the other way. Those are terrible maternal instincts. Later, Joe followed some peachicks with a stick so I think the peacocks and the Kantors are even now.

On the tour bus, watching out for lions. No lion rides this time, Emma.

Best picnic spot ever... lunching while watching elephants bathe (they didn't mind).

And the splash pad... Joe splashed a man we didn't know and Henry had a nap.

Henry woke up for the elephants... Joe only barely.

Thanks, Moynihans! It was so great to see you and we had so much safari-ing! Again, again - let's do it again.

I'm a soccer mom!

2011-07-17T21:18:00.002-04:00

This is how we spend our Saturday mornings. More pictures to come as Joe finesses his footwork.

goodnight madness

2011-07-16T21:08:00.002-04:00

Downtown Oakville hosted Midnight Madness on Friday, and what's more fun than taking your small children out into big crowds at midnight? This morning, Joe talked excitedly about all the things we did at "goodnight madness" and hopes to go again tonight (... but it was only one night. He may be disappointed to discover an empty street with no more fishing games or popcorn.)

farm kids

2011-07-15T20:37:00.001-04:00

In the ever-continuing endeavor to get some farm in our kids, Andrea and I took the gang to the Country Heritage Farm for the annual farm fair to learn about tractors, barrels decorated as animals, wheelbarrows, bale mazes, and sand. I think they're ready to graduate to driving combines with Papa now.

my job is done here

2011-07-15T20:27:00.001-04:00

They are now looking after themselves.

new owners

2011-07-14T21:28:00.002-04:00

We sold our house! Hurray! This is actually old news as we were fortunate to sell within a week of putting our abode on the market (thank goodness... very tough to get two boys out of the house during mealtimes/naptimes/always inconvenient times so people could look at our house).

So, new owners, we hope you love the place and are as happy here as we were. Please enjoy the garden and free tomatoes.

(The picture below is not the new owner. This Robin is squatting on our back lamp post and giving me the heebie jeebies every time I go into the backyard. It, too, comes free with our place.)

things of late

2011-07-14T21:25:00.003-04:00

We're potty-training. It's exhausting.

Henry has his second tooth. (Bottom right.)

Joe's playing soccer. We have a deal that if he wears his jersey and is a team player, than he gets a timbit (see previous post).

Henry has a very awesome and very fake laugh he lets loose every time he sees Joe. Sounds like this: "HA HAH HA."

We're doing lots of laundry (see first point).

can you imagine how much better avocados would be?

2011-07-14T21:19:00.003-04:00

Last week... Joseph watched me cut open an avocado and take out the pit. And, with wide eyes and big grin, he asked, "Is that a timbit?!"

(It's no fun to explain jokes but if you live in Oceania and are reading this blog, than this is a timbit.)

(Also, yes, I suppose we eat more timbits than avocados. Shame on us.)

what we're doing tonight

2011-07-14T21:17:00.001-04:00

Lowering the mattress on Henry's crib... after I opened the door to see him standing up, smiling proudly, and about to topple over.

what we're doing today

2011-07-14T21:13:00.001-04:00

hanging out with cousins

out with a splash

2011-07-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

Our last day with the Hansens... poo. Instead of sitting around, feeling blue because they have to go back home, we went watersliding. It was a busy, hot, fun, slippery day.

This is how the under-two set start their day at a waterpark. The lazy river was more than they could handle.

The rest of us took on some larger rides.

Hip hip hooray! We made it through the day!

... and fell asleep five minutes later in the car.

Thanks, Hansens, for coming all this way. We're so happy to have some extra time with you. Can't wait to see you when you come back... at Christmas? Next summer? Busy next week?

lucky ducks

2011-07-09T15:33:00.004-04:00

Today we are lucky. We get to enjoy the company of the Hansens AND Grammie and Papa, all at the same time... now if we could just get those other Girodats here....

Anyway, we went to the park to play (everyone) and do chin-ups (Michelle).

get on the go

2011-07-08T23:15:00.003-04:00

Today we're tourists in the big city of Toronto. And why drive when you can take the train (even if, as we discovered, the GO team is not very friendly to strollers and their moms... boo, them). So here's Joe (and friends) on his first ever train ride.

And here we are... tired, malled-out tourists.

we do our own stunts

2011-07-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

The Hansens are here and we are daring the rapids of Elora Gorge. Busy days ahead and we'll be tired (and sad) on Monday when they go home.