The Lego Solution

I am obsessed with storage, after the influx of LEGO from Christmas, I needed to come up with the perfect play space and storage before it got out of hand. I spent a lot of time searching blogs for what other people had used to rein in the chaos and came across a great option at IKEA Hackers. It transformed some standard IKEA units into the perfect play space with lots of storage. Matt got to work assembling things and then we headed out to Home Depot for the remaining supplies to finish off the time. I still haven't gotten around to organizing the LEGO so it's all scattered about the table but the table is a huge hit. Simon is always sitting down and playing with his beloved Star Wars characters. I expect we'll be spending many any evening over the next number of years creating masterpieces. Now to find the perfect resting spot.

Ringing in the New Year

Bed time at our place is between 7:30 and 8:00pm - definitely not conducive to ringing in the New Year - but since babysitters are hard to come by (and expensive) on New Year's, we thought we would just see how far we could push off bed time. We had a great time with friends and though the adults peaked at about 10:30pm (I was trying to get everyone to celebrate a Newfie new year) the kids made it until midnight. I think Miles managed the extra hour after shocking his system with an impromtu, fully clothed shower at 11:00pm :) We missed the ball drop and we were all lame and left shortly after the stroke of midnight but enjoyed the evening out with friends. Sadly we didn't get any pictures....

Santa Claus 2011

We were late with our Santa visit this year but thankfully we got there early and didn't have to wait in line long. Miles isn't old enough to get the Santa concept yet and he isn't a fan of the big guy. He was game to go visit him though with the promise of a candy cane reward. Simon was first up and he surprised us by asking Santa for LEGO Star Wars :) Miles joined his brother and posed for a few photos. The poor little guy was terrified and kept swallowing like he was trying not to throw up! Santa wanted to know what Miles wanted for Christmas and he shyly pointed at a candy cane. Santa obliged and Miles took off. I think next year, he'll be more excited and will have a list ready to go!

Pittsburgh Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. For Matt, our pilgrimage led us to Pittsburgh and two sports shrines, Heinz field and Consol Energy Center, to see the Penguins and Steelers in action. The journey started months ago when we were lucky enough to score some hard to get face value Steelers tickets. We drove down on the Saturday and spent a few hours shopping at the outlets, then we headed into the city to enjoy a rare kid-free dinner at a restaurant without a kids menu! The next day, we opened our blinds to a sea of black and gold. Being from a town with a fickle fan base, it was incredible to see how crazy Pittsburgh is about the Steelers. Every...single...person in town was decked out in the team colours. We headed to the game early and checked out the tailgating. It looked like a lot of fun but it seemed that you definitely needed to "know" someone to get the full experience. The stadium was increbile and it was a beautiful, warm day - quite the surprise in December. The game started off with a blocked field goal and that set the stage for the day. Lots of touchdowns and by luck, all the action was in our end (with the exception of the sole Cinncinnati touchdown). It was fun to be part of the action. Following the game, we made a repeat trip to our favourite restaurant from our last visit. Monday was the Penguins game. We got into the pregame skate and got an upclose and personal view of all the players. It was really neat to see Sidney Crosby. The other players are mostly unrecognizable to me but Matt was like a kid in the candy store. The game that night was a little bit of a disappointment, not only did the Penguins lose, but Sidney Crosby got knocked out again, by his own player no less. I have no doubt that we'll be heading down to Pittsburgh again in the future, it is truly an amazing sports town.

Gobble, Gobble Resurrected

After a year hiatus, we decided to attempt a scaled back version of Gobble, Gobble. We wanted to keep it to a manageable number and only have to cook one turkey. We had some issues with said turkey but other than that, dinner went off without a hitch. Turns out we didn't need to set so many places as the kids were done and off playing again in the basement before the adults had even served themselves! Simon of course, asked for a hamburger and Miles balanced off the few bites of dinner he ate with a few servings of ice cream.

The boys are at a great age now. They are perfectly happy on their own and playing with the big kids. It was also nice to have a new found space in the basement now that the pool table is gone. It was another great night spent with friends that we don't often see and it just makes us realize that we need to make more time for friends!

Simon - JK Parent Teacher Interview

Well with 36 families, a day wasn't enough for Simon's kindergarten teacher to schedule parent-teacher interviews. When we didn't get any notice home my girlfriend (who is also a kindergarten teacher) assured me that it the teacher didn't schedule a meeting, she had no issues with Simon. Of course, I needed to hear this first hand so we arranged a phone interview with Miss K.

Well it turns out my friend was correct as Miss K. apologised that she did not meet with us face to face. Past years, they had 2 days to do the interviews where this year they only had 1, and she wanted to meet with the parents with kids who were having trouble.

The highlights from the conversation about Simon:
-follows direction really well (wondering if she is talking about our same kid)
-very cooperative
-well liked by the other kids and the teachers
-very good candidate to go into French immersion
-very polite
-"Charmer"
-good with all shapes, letters and numbers (up to 10 required)
-always willing to help

And the stuff to work on:
-Very slow at getting dressed (yep she is talking about our son) as he socialises a bit too much and is always one of the last ones ready
-Fine motor skills are weak (expected for a boy at the age of 4. She suggested some alternatives to pen and paper for working on them: Lego, spelling out his name in Cheerios, play dough and cutting.

I'm a pretty proud parent over here. Of course, we would love to see a little more polite, cooperative and helpful around the house as well :) but a least he's showing his best side to the rest of the world.

More Simon Funnies

This morning while getting Simon dressed for school.

Simon: "you know it's not picture day today Mummy."
Me: "I know. It's tomorrow."
Simon: "then why are you dressing me in cute clothes".

-----------------------------------------

While discussing dinosaurs in the car.

Simon: "Crocodiles are a type of dinosaur still living"
Me: "Yep"
Simon: "There are some nice crocodiles that speak Spanish and some that aren't nice that don't even talk at all".
Me: (better stop watching Dora)

-----------------------------------------

What we get from Simon about his day at school.

Me: "What did you do at school today Simon"
Simon: "We just sat and stared at the wall"

-----------------------------------------

While talking about having a playdate with his friend Nik (where he spent Thursdays this summer)

Me: "Maybe we could have a playdate with Nik soon"
Simon: "I hope he brings some Oregano"

-----------------------------------------

While the ref had his hand up for a call at Matt's soccer game.

Simon: "Who's that man giving a high five to?"

Simonisms

Me: "Simon we just have to stop at the store to pick-up some potato chips"
Simon: "Can you just get regular chips for me please"

-----------------------------

As heard while Simon is doing a puzzle naked (I have no idea why he's naked)

Matt: "Simon don't play with your penis"
Simon: "I have to because I have nothing to do while putting together my puzzle"

-----------------------------

While talking about the different make-up of families.

Simon: "Does Shawn have a sister"
Me: "Yes he does. His family has a boy and a girl just like Seamus and Quincy"
Simon: "Who is the girl?"
Me: "Quincy"
Simon: "But she doesn't have any hair"
Me: "But she wears dresses"
Simon: "What does that have to do with her hair"

------------------------------

While talking about our last trip to a "lake beach"

Me: "There are beaches at the lake. When Miles was still in my belly we went to a beach on lake Ontario"
Simon: "It must not be fun to be in your belly, there's not even any toys"

--------------------------------

Upon being caught sneaking out of his bedroom after bedtime.

Me: "Simon, what are you doing out of your room it's bedtime"
Simon: "I just needed to put water on my thumbs"

---------------------------------

While waiting to pick up Terry at the airport.

Simon: "What planet is Terry from?"

Happy Birthday, Sweet Miles!

I can hardly believe you're already 2! You are such a ball of energy and each day with you is a challenge and a joy. At two years old:

-you're starting to get some more words to add to your repetoire however, your favourites are still "no", "more", "show" and "stop".
-you love your monkeys and would carry them around all-day, every day if we let you. We have a collection of six lest we every be without one.
-you are a biter and use it as your weapon of choice when you're lacking size/strength. Poor Simon sported a full dental imprint on his back for a couple of weeks!
-loves playing with bigger kids
-is really bossy about what he wants and where he wants you to be. It's not uncommon for him to grab/push you to get you to go/do what he wants.
-loves going to bed for the evening because that means he gets vitamins.
-is desperate to use the potty standing up but is just not tall enough.
-is a bit of a junk food fiend. He loves Smarties, chips, popcorn, etc. It's amazing how much more lax we've been with our second child!
-you still take an afternoon nap and sleep most nights from 7pm-6am (7am if we're really lucky)
-loves, loves, loves his milk. He'll tolerate juice but water has pretty much been a no-go.
-loves raw vegetables and will often forego dinner so that he can gourge himself on veggies.
-has awesome coordination. He can kick on the run, from the air and can handle himself on the trampoline with all of the big kids.
-looks so much like his brother at the same age. Thank goodness for date stamps on digital photos.
-is obsessed with balls. He has a particular fondness for a beach ball and as many golf balls as he can possibly handle.
-puts everything in his mouth and is forever eating things like sunscreen, deodorent, toothpaste. When it gets quiet, watch out.
-has developed quite the temper. We're sensing the twos are going to be a whole lot more terrible than they were with Simon.

Happy Days

The sun is shining, the snow is melting and we have all shed a few pounds by losing our winter gear! We are all so happy to finally be wearing our spring coats. No one more so than Miles. He has the cutest leather bomber jacket and he has been told over and over again how cute he is in it. He enjoys the compliments so much that he now insists on wearing his jacket in the house. It's only with a lot of tears that we're able to remove it for him to sleep at night. We have taken to calling him, "the Fonz". Let's hope he gets over his obsession before he outgrows the jacket because it will be mighty expensive to keep him in leather for years to come!