August
A nice way to round-out the middle of the month!
- August 15, 2009
Are any words really needed...
We're all about the water park!
- August 14, 2009
Our good friend Shannon and her two kids, Darcy and Colin, had a small
window of opportunity to come and visit us in Toronto. We'll take it! Kaden
loved having an older playmate in the house and he really took a shining towards
Colin - I think the idea of a more "interactive" baby gives him hope for his own
brother! We took the kids to our new favourite park and splash pad. The fun was
a little different this time as there was quite a rowdy bunch of older kids
playing in the water today that made both Darcy and Kaden a little hesitant.
However the kids had fun playing in the park and enjoyed some fun mucking about
in the puddles! It was a really great visit. We look forward to many more now
that our families are a little closer together.
Dry and Wet...Hot and Cold...Fun and Fun...and a snack in between
- August 13, 2009
Yup - more fun in the sun. Summer in the city is pretty good living as it
turns out. Another visit to the "CN Tower Park" (aptly named by David because
you can see said tower in the distance) for some playground playtime, a snack to
rejuvenate, and a spin through the splash pad to cool off.
Another change for our growing boy
- August 12, 2009
Kaden on occasion has sat for meals in a regular chair when we have been out
somewhere sans booster seat or when our friends come over for lunch (Katie uses
the high chair...and soon we'll need it for Milo). So he was more than ready to
say goodbye to his high chair and hello to his booster seat pushed up to the
table with the grown-ups. How civilized! He quite likes his new seating
arrangement...although a glass and stainless steal table was probably never
designed with a sticky toddler in mind!
No Better Way to Beat the Heat
- August 11, 2009
As I mentioned before we have several parks, wading pools and splash pads
within a few blocks of our house. Today we checked out a new one with our best
buds. The water is still cold, but it's a fun way to cool off. The best thing
about so many of the parks around here is that the sandboxes are full of toys,
and in this particular park, the area is littered with ride-on-bikes and other
cool toys. They are just left by families in the area for all kids to use. It's
a nice sense of community. Kaden of course gravitated to the low-rider bike. He
just dragged the parent handle around behind him, which made for some tricky
maneuvering at times, but he persevered, pushing and pulling. All in the name of
fun! Milo dangled his toes a bit, but spent much of the time just watching the
excitement. Apparently it was enough to knock him out for a nap!
Soccer - Take Two
- August 8, 2009
Soccer was not a success the first time. Then we missed a week due to rain
and another due to our trip to Manitoba. So it was with some skepticism that we
attempted soccer this morning - we had snack first just in case it was low blood
sugar to blame last time...couldn't just be the random whims of a two year old,
could it?!? Anyway, today was great. Kaden had fun playing the games, stayed
with the group for the most part and took a strong liking to headers. We got to
spend some time with our best buds and Milo enjoyed chilling in the grass. I
love Kaden and David's pictures...typical toddler smiles when you can get
them...otherwise you get typical toddler attention span!
What could be better than hitting a ball with your head?
No time for knee-pops, Daddy.
Wade-in and Roll-over
- August 7, 2009
Within a couple block radius of our house we have several parks and wading
pools. What another great discovery! Kaden was a little skeptical at first. The
water is straight from the city's pipes so it's cold at best. When he first
dipped his tender tootsies he turned around and cried his way out of the water.
After the initial shock and a little demo from mom he discovered the joy of numb
limbs! Milo didn't take a dip he just watched the happenings from my arms (which
makes for difficult inclusion in pictures), but we at least caught a glimpse of
him in the stroller. The pictures were all about him later in the day though
while Kaden was napping. I got some close-ups of those baby-blues.
"In and Out"...easily as fun a game as "fill and dump"...
I keep trying Milo in the jolly jumper. Despite a few pictures that make it
look like he's enjoying himself, he's never really found his jumping groove.
Rolling in action - frame by frame!
Kaden helped spruce up the wall behind Milo's Intellitainer. Much more
interesting than beige.
Something for everyone
- August 6, 2009
Busy day - morning playtime at the house with the boys, a trip to the beach
with our best buds and another first for Milo (the photo is a Kaden original and
was taken at the end of capturing Milo's first of rolling off his
tummy - he was probably so happy to have achieved this milestone and SO annoyed
that we kept putting him back on his stomach to demonstrate)!
"Good gob, Milo!"
This second video is less about Milo's rolling and more about
Kaden's chattiness in the background!
Milo's Match-up!
- August 5, 2009
Well...we have been in Ontario for a little over 7 months, but we FINALLY
managed to see Amy and her beautiful daughter Keira (Milo's future girlfriend)!
It was SO awesome to see them - despite the long commute for Amy (thanks for
making the trek). Moving to Mississauga will make the Calvert-Chambers
get-togethers a little easier (especially those that come and go on the same
day)! Amy also brought along her dog Hershey to play with Ali and as a special
treat her husband Craig was able to join us as well on his way home from a
business meeting in Ottawa. It was a great day. Kaden loved the company and
still talks about it months later ("Where's Amy?"). Ali also loved her playdate
and was both sad and pooped when Hersh left at the end of the day. We hope many
more family gatherings are in our future. Watching our babes grow up so close
together will be very special.
Sunday fun in the sun
- August 3, 2009
We said goodbye to Auntie Laura in the morning and said hello to Gran and
Grandee (I think they actually overlapped for a short while)! We took the kids
to fun neighbourhood park that also has a splash pad. Kaden had fun at the
playground with his Grans while Milo...well...you know what Milo was up too!
Once we learned that the splash pad was still in operation on a weekend it
wasn't long before we joined in the fun. We don't always travel with
water-specific attire, but we typically have a change of clothes so we (aka
Craig - who doesn't travel with more than the clothes on this bag) braved the
water with Kaden. Fun. Grandee and Milo got a little face-time and once Kaden
was out of the water, he and Gran frolicked in the flowers. It was a great way
to spend the morning.
Later that day we went for a stroll with the kids to the pet store. It was
then that we confirmed what we had suspected - Milo was becoming a thumb sucker!
The purpose of the trip was to buy a good dog brush. Yes...we knew we were
buying a shedy breed, but we were hoping that good grooming might help us out.
After a few other brush purchases we stumbled upon the furminator. No
kidding. It has a hefty price tag, but after only a few short strokes check out
the fur Craig got out of Ali. Yikes! Better than on my kitchen floor is all I
have to say.
A visit to a weekend favourite
- August 2, 2009
With Auntie Laura visiting we couldn't pass up an opportunity to go to the
beach. Sure - there may not be mountains in the background, but it's still an
impressive expanse of water with many a fine rock to throw. Milo took in his
usual siesta while we ventured down to the water. Then it was back to the
playground for some fun on the swings. Kaden is a real dare devil when it comes
to the swings. Not only does he like to go high, but now he likes to twist! Milo
got in some good snuggle time with Auntie Laura as well as a lesson in women's
jewelry! The day started off cloudy but ended with sun. We enjoyed the afternoon
in the backyard where Kaden and Daddy practiced some acrobatics.
Kaden loves his "underdog with a twist"!
I still think the action of pushing someone while ducking under the swing was called an under-duck,
but I have been overruled.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
- August 1, 2009
Well - today was more about fun with the kids, but it was a good way to
spend our 5th anniversary (besides we treated ourselves to sushi the night
before)! We took Milo and Kaden to a great new splash pad discovered by Grandma
and Grandpa. I don't remember seeing these kinds of things in BC, but maybe they
just weren't on our radar yet. What a great way to stay cool and have fun. Kaden
discovered that he controlled turning the water on and off with various
touch-pads built into the ground. I think he would have been happy enough just
to play with those! However, after a few trial runs with Daddy he quickly picked
up on fun and had a blast running through all the fountains and showers. Grandpa
and Daddy had just as much fun playing in the spray. Milo relaxed with Grandma
for a while, but then I gave his toes a quick dip. He didn't seem as impressed
as the others ;]
Buttons + Water = Happy + Wet
With Daddy...
and without...
(I think the tongue wipe at the end is the best!)
Milo was not as convinced...he didn't get to run and splash -
he just got cold toes!
We'll see what he thinks next summer ;]
The day also brought us Auntie Laura!!! Toronto was her layover on the way to
Peru. It was so great to see her. We miss you Auntie Laura!!!
Milo treated Auntie Laura to both sides of his personality at
once...I give you "happy-mad"...
Can't you hear him saying, "You make me laugh...now cut it out...you're so
funny...pick me up...don't stop...STOP!!!"