18 posts tagged “family & friends”

So maybe it wasn't my best idea to give two small boys cardboard lightsabers and let them fight it out in the garage having Star Wars music blaring in the background... But it did keep them occupied for half an hour on a Saturday. And it certainly hasn't been the worst idea I've ever had.

Downsizing yet another box of stuff I came across some old photos. Most were doubles or have been scanned but a few I can't remember seeing in decades or at all. As one who has always enjoyed taking photos to find some new ones was a real treat.

You youngsters out there will be hard pressed to remember a time when Lego didn't come in themed sets with all the right pieces, but in my youth you had to make due with what you had and we liked it that way. If that meant Autobot City had to be multi-coloured so be it. Or building a Death Star Corba Terror Dome snake creature thingy meant you had to plan ahead to make sure you had enough black blocks to complete it, that's what you did.

Being the photographer usually means that it's rare to see one's self in a photo. But that makes it all that more meaningful when you do get one. Even if you're behind the crowd or looking a little dorky on your parent's lawn in the 1980's.

the Family '94

I just love that there is proof that at one time I was skinner than my sister Kim because those days are long gone. Gone!

As any of you with children know that their next favorite seasonal event after Christmas is almost upon us.

The Artists

This year the boys painted their own little pumpkins and Daddy couldn't help get in on the fun. ET did a great face on his and was done in five minutes and Carts took at least thirty minutes plus painting his.

I guess he wanted to make sure he painted the whole thing. ET said my Nightmare Before Christmas one was cool, but I had to explain to him that daddy cheated and used the internet and his was much better because he thought it up himself.

Allo Pumpkin Carving

Like past years, we carved some pumpkins. And by we I mean Donna empty's them, I carve them and the boys check out how I'm doing during commercials. Which was okay, because I had a big headache and they were going to cause my head to implode. Last year we invested in a carving set that came with stencils that are really make the job faster and easier.

Halloween Pumpkins

ET's Class Pumpkin

Cart's Class Pumpkin

Also the boys classes at daycare made their own pumpkins and I snapped a photo of each. Boy they are spoiled. In my day we had one pumpkin and we liked it that way.

So what has your family planned for Halloween this year? Pumpkin carving? Costumes and trick or treating? Or turn off the lights and hide, hoping your house won't be covered in toilet paper?

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Halloween at LaRonde

 The weekend before the big event, we had a boys only day at LaRonde and let Donna rest and relax.

Since we had the season pass we went one last time for the year for Halloween. Like last year, they had the place decked out in a Halloween theme... pumpkins, spiders, and people dressed up as vampires and rats walking around the park. There was even some kids already in their Halloween costumes.

Scarecrows littered the kid section

I was going to buy some popcorn for us to snack on, but it was only being sold in the reusable bucket container for $10 (they must have hundreds left from the 2008 season) and it was way too much for the boys to eat late in the day. So we got beaver tails instead. In retrospect maybe not the best thing to give little kids with all that sugar, but certainly less volume than the bucket of popcorn and I didn't want them to be stuffed for dinner. I split one between the boys and they did eat most of it, but ET was disappointed he got a plain one and not the chocolate. They a got a plain one mainly do to my unwillingness to clean up all the chocolate they would invariably smear all over themselves... especially Carts.

We played some air hockey at the arcade (see the video) and the boys really liked that. Though Carts did get frustrated that he couldn't hit the puck very often. Did wish they had some more kid friendly games; I just don't think shooting zombies is appropriate for kids four and under. Call me crazy.   

It might have been a little cold, but the sun was out and we had a real enjoyable day. Plus it was a great confidence booster to my dad skills. 

Here we go again

With less than a week left till the arrive of our third (and better be final) child, the last few things are getting done around the house.

One such check box was assembling the bassinet. This being the third time I've assembled it, I'd have gotten the hang of it by now. Wrong.

Both Donna and I remembered there was a step I had forgotten last time and it required me to take half the thing apart. Unfortunately we couldn't remember it. Well I figured it out once I skipped the same step again and had to take it apart.

Almost an hour later I had succeed and

Final product

Just to update, Donna has been scheduled for a planned Caesarean on the 22nd and we have to be at the hospital for 6am. The kid is not even born and already making us get up at an ungodly hour!

Since I've finally figured out how to post to Twitter and send photos to Facebook from my cell I'll be getting the news out as soon as possible.

I would post directly to VOX but due to my cell and carrier, posting to VOX shows my cell number. Even though I deleted it immediately it's still indexed by Google.

Baby counter