April

A Quick Trip - April 29, 2011
Today we made a very quick trip to London! We hadn't seen our friends since the boys' birthday party and we had to cancel a few planned trips on account of illness. So when a window presented itself we packed up and head out on the road. The boys thought eating at a picnic table in the kitchen was the best idea. Although maybe not better than when Amy spread smarties all over the table top! Next time we'll stay a bit longer :]

My cute little sous-chef. Coffee with a smile. What more can you ask for?!

April Randomness - April 28, 2011
Kaden and Connor did an awesome job of playing a game together. It was too cute listening to one 4-year old explain to another 4-year old how to play. It could have ended in one of two ways, but fortunately it worked out great!

Serious painters...

Getting Dirty and Getting Clean - April 27, 2011
Today we used apples and chopsticks with our paint.

Milo thinks it's SO funny to pour water all over his face. We think it's pretty funny too. Kaden (who dislikes getting water in his eyes) even gave it a try!

The sillies in action...

An Apology - April 26, 2011
Kaden has been borrowing chapter books from school (Magic Tree House). He likes us to read them to him, but he's also reading them himself. He thinks they are great. We have borrowed three or four thus far, but for some reason, he mistreated the last book we had (ripped the cover pretty signficantly). I know he knows that what he did was wrong, but I'm not sure remorse is an emotion to dwells on for long. Since it was going to be a couple of days before we saw his teacher again I thought it appropriate to write an apology letter. He seemed more upset about the fact that we said he might have to use money from his piggy bank to pay for a new book than he did about the ripping or the apology letter. Either way I think he learned his lesson...for now :]

Happy Easter! - April 24, 2011
Easter morning egg hunting was lots of fun. Kaden woke up early, but very patiently waited for Milo. As soon as Milo was up the boys grabbed their baskets and started to search. They both did a great job finding eggs and Kaden was especially good at pointing out some eggs for Milo to get. It took some convincing to get Milo to look beyond the first egg (he just wanted to sit and eat), but in the end it was well worth it. Milo very meticulously peeled the wrapper of his eggs saying thank you as he handed me every shred. They got some books and shirts from Nanna and Poppa (thank you!) and some new dress-up costumes as well. I think they ate more chocolate today than they have their whole lives! Milo pretty much starts every day (and every meal) now asking for chocolate eggs!

Some Easter shots...

We spent Easter night with the Ross-Mole clan. The boys got even more treats and present (thank you!) and had a blast playing with their new hoola-hoops. Kaden of course challenged Gran to checkers and Milo sweet-talked Great-Papa into sharing his ginger ale.

Mid-Weekend Fun - April 23, 2011
It's hard to get a picture with the boys both in the frame and looking at the camera at the same time. Getting them to smile can be downright impossible sometimes. But I couldn't resist this morning's moment as they brushed their teeth together on the stool. I posed them for the last shot...Kaden is only smiling because he's brushing his brother's hair...beggars can't be choosers I suppose.

Racing down the driveway is fun! We're working on stopping at the sidewalk.

Grandma and Grandpa joined us for Easter Saturday lunch. They brought back from very cool wooden instruments from Cuba for the boys. Milo had fun banging the maracas and running in circles. It was even more fun to get Daddy in on the action. Kaden challenged Grandpa to checkers and won! The weather started to cooperate so we were able to play outside for a bit after lunch. Of course, we forgot to put the lid on the sandbox a few days ago and it is still full of water. The boys didn't seem to mind ;]

What a surprise adventure we had in the afternoon. We went out to run a quick errand, but when we arrived at the mall we discovered they had a little amusement park set up in the parking lot. So we bought some tickets and rode some rides. Kaden really had fun in the bumper cars. He always tries to bump Milo (and his friends at school) in the ride-on vehicles, much to everyone's displeasure, so he was ecstatic to know that bumping was not only okay - it was required! We took a trip on a ferris wheel, rode in a dump truck and flew with the bees. The boys would have continued, but my wallet was empty (fortunately!) so we called it at day with smiles all around.

Role-reversal - Kaden in the baby swing being pushed by Milo. They thought it was hysterical.

Friday Goodness - April 22, 2011
There's not much better than a three Daddy Days in a row! We started our chilly Friday morning with a trip to the airport. We called Grandpa to find a better vantage point than the one we tried a few weeks back. He not only showed us the jackpot, but joined us as well. We saw planes land every 2 minutes and they seemed to be within arms reach. Milo kept saying, "Did you see that?" or "That's amazing!".

I found my old visi-vest and hard hat. After washing off the old (contaminated) dirt I introduced them to the boys' dress-up collection. Both Kaden and Daddy took turns sporting the new duds while trying a new game - checkers. Kaden picked it up pretty quickly. He needs a little help seeing a step or two ahead, but he's no slouch. He kept Craig on his toes.

A little Daddy-Milo time had them up to their elbows in suds...Craig believes that with photographic proof I can no longer say "he never does anything around here"! Milo had fun scooping, dumping and rinsing.

Ready...Set...Go!

Destination Excavation - April 21, 2011
Now when we walk, stroll, bike, wagon to the train tracks we have reason to go a little further. There is a new development starting and it is a buzz with excavators, diggers, dumpers and concrete trucks.

Easter Eggstravaganza! - April 19 - 20, 2011
With Easter less than a week away we decided to decorate some eggs. Kaden helped to dye some egg shells while Milo helped decorate egg shapes with glitter glue and fun foam.

The final product...

Puddle Stomping Fun - April 16, 2011
Daddy took the boys out for a walk in the rain. Gran and Grandee are coming over in the afternoon so that Craig and I can do some shopping. We figured we should run the boys a bit so they wouldn't feel too cooped-up by the time the grandparents were in charge! I guess I should invest in some rain pants for them both :]

Craft Project Day 2 - April 15, 2011
Today we turned the big white box into a puppet theatre!

Gazillion Bubbles! - April 14, 2011
This bubble maker is aptly named. The boys got it for their birthdays, but we took it outside for the first time today. So fun!

A Big Brother Moment - April 13, 2011
Kaden got Milo to sit down so he could help put on his shoes...he still needed a little help from me in the end, but it was a great start!

Science Centre Fun - April 12, 2011
This morning we joined out best buds for a trip to the Science Centre. All four kids had fun exploring.

NOW (April 2011) and THEN (January 2010)...

When the nice days hit we try to get outside - they can be few and far between this spring. It's still a bit chilly, but the boys work up a sweat swinging, digging and playing.

Fish-TV - April 11, 2011
The kids tune-into the new "station" in the kitchen.

Other equally entertaining things to watch?
Milo jumping!!!

Daddy = Danger - April 10, 2011
It must be a boy thing - fearlessness. Today while I took an afternoon run Craig took the boys to the waterfront. Could they have found bigger rocks to climb?! At least they were wearing helmets ;]

For dessert tonight the boys "dug in" to some jello (referred to as jelly in our house). Milo found some especially creative ways to eat it. "Dee-wishious!"

Tupperware and Thomas! - April 5 2011
I suppose pulling all the tupperware out of the cupboard is better than playing with the loud pots and pans! After emptying the cupboards we headed out to check out the new library. They have been renovating our local library for over a year. The kids section at the library looks great with lots of windows to let in light, new stools, benches, a computer desk and other kid-friendly amenities. However one new addition I'm less impressed with...the train table. Although the kids love it, they play with it to the detriment of looking for books or sitting down to read. At least when I find a book about Thomas I can talk them over ;]

Craft Project Day 1 - April 3 2011
Kaden and Daddy take to the garage to give a giant box a fresh coat of white paint...stay tuned for the outcome...

Dining on Dairy Queen - April 2, 2011
Auntie Martha and Uncle Cliff are in town today to take in the Jay's opening weekend games. We took the train downtown in the morning to join them for brunch. We had a little time to spare before our departing train so the boys got to have Dairy Queen for dessert!

Ready to Roll! - April 1, 2009
No April Fools here - that's Kaden behind the wheel of a car! There is a designated age for getting a drivers license for a reason! Kaden got to take a whirl in his buddy's jeep. Look out! I think Kaden was steering while Mason controlled the pedals. Not the best combination. They live on a court so they were delighted to find out they could drive on the road, but it wasn't long before they tried to venture out of the safe car-free confines.