June

Cutesters - June 29, 2010
Today we tackled the Home Depot, painting and the swings. A good way to round out the month.

No more pool prison - June 28, 2010
Well - the first pool was a great idea, but not in practice to have the kids get in and out on their own. So, this was my second attempt. Getting in and out is a synch, but those "slides" are another thing unto themselves. Good for a squishy seat anyway.

Self-serve and strolling - June 26, 2010
Milo is gaining even more independence - namely feeding himself. Of course this has seen him turn into the fussiest eater. He'll happily eat the sweet stuff, but at least the other things he will eat without much of a fight are pretty good for him - yogurt (seen here), fruit, cheese and bread. Daddy made it home for our after dinner stroll. It takes a while to make it around the block (if we can even get that far) but it's fun to out while the weather permits. Kaden and Daddy were very complimentarily dressed today!

iPods and Popsicles - June 25, 2010
Even Milo is learning how to use the iPod. He tries to push the buttons and says "Baby Beebah" for Baby Beluga or "Bus" for the Wheels on the Bus. It won't be long before he can find them himself!

Busy Day - June 24, 2010
What better way to start the day then at Balls of Fun?!

Whoever said the spray-on sunscreen was oil-free did not spray their kids on a surface where they could see the aftermath! Good thing we never use this particular sunscreen inside. Yikes - the deck showed the boys footprints for days! We brought the sprinkler out again today and set it at kid height. Although Milo has watched the sprinkler in the yard on numerous lawn-watering occasions, he hadn't played in the sprinkler before. He knows they go back and forth - he even says as much - but the first time the water came back towards him he just stood there and took it from the top of his head, across his face and down over this belly button! He seemed quite surprised! At least he learned for the next pass! After a good soaking we went back to our trusted bubbles - Milo is actually getting pretty good at blowing (as opposed to licking).

Sprinklers come and go...and so do kids once they know better!

Bubble blowing in action...

Okay - I can't resist - they're just so cute when they are naked. So...I know the second picture is a bit risque for the web, but I just had to include it since there are apparently no barriers to playing guitar (so I used my limited photoshop skills and at least blurred what should be blurred...)

More ways to use the guitar - June 22, 2010
Kaden saw a woman play the violin at Rob and Izzy's wedding...so he found a way to play one too!

More ways to sit and strum! - June 21, 2010
I picked up some cute outdoor kids chairs at Shopper's Drug Mart - can't go too wrong for 10 bucks! The kids love them. We didn't even get them outside before they were set up and sat in. Of course - would good is a chair without a guitar?!

HAPPY DADDY DAY!!! - June 20, 2010

A day full of Daddies! We started our day with a pancake breakfast with my Auntie Cathy and Uncle Blake. They were on the way to Niagara on the Lake and were able to spend the night (and help my mom with the kids while we were at the wedding). The sun was shining as we took to the yard to do a little painting and to take turns inflating the pool! Yikes - I looked explicitly at the diameter dimension, but not the height! In the end, we created a bit of a pool prison ;]

It was a good day - Daddy was home from work and both of our Dad's were able to join us for dinner. Lots of Dads to love! Another bonus for the kids was the new swing set we set up in the back yard. When Nanna got Kaden up from his nap he looked out the window and said "Daddy is building a PARK!" They couldn't even wait for it to be completed before they wanted to take it for a test drive! Once the swings were operational, each of the Dads rotated through pushing the kids!

Happy Wedding Rob and Izzy!!! - June 19, 2010
Our good friends asked Kaden to be their ring bearer. You never know what you're going to get when you ask a three year old to do a job, but Kaden was a star. His winning smile wooed all the ladies and he walked up and down the aisle like a champ. I'm hoping to get a few more action pictures from the happy couple, but here you can see how CUTE he was in his morning suit. By the time it was all over he managed to stay awake in the car just long enough to eat his well deserved smarties - you might even be able to see the chocolate stain on the side of his mouth.

Happy Graduation, Kaden! - June 18, 2010
It brings a tear to the eye...my little graduate ;] Gotta love preschool gradation! Kaden did a great job marching in the processional, accepting his diploma and tossing his hat (which he made himself) with his fellow graduates. The celebration was followed by cake (also a big hit) and running amok in the field with his friends - the girls in particular, I might add!

How adorable are these preschoolers?!
Our little graduate decides to pick his own seat!

Nanna and Poppa Visit - June 17, 2010
Nanna and Poppa are in town for the weekend - partly to visit and partly to help with the kids while Craig and I (and Kaden for a while) are attending our good friends wedding. It doesn't take long for Kaden to lure them out to the back yard to play ball!

It's never too early to start earning your keep! - June 16, 2010
In the days leading up to my parent's arrival I decided it was a good time to paint our living room and dining room (stay tuned for before and after pictures). We had been talking about it since the start of the year so I figured there was no time like the present! Kaden wanted to help too. We've got several more rooms to paint so we better start refining his painting skills ;]

What will they think of next? - June 15, 2010
Van Kaden starts the day in shades - typical rock star behavior. Despite not being a ride-on-toy, Milo discovers he fits pretty well in the back of his dump truck.

Early Father's Day Celebrations - June 13, 2010
We joined Uncle Chris, Auntie Shannon and Braydon for some early Father's Day celebrations at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The kids are getting along so well and are enjoying playing together whenever they are given the change. Of course it's always fun to play with Grandpa's trains and his piano (some day Milo will have to push his way onto the bench too)! We tried to snap a few family pics and even a shot of the three generations of Calvert men. Who were we kidding?! The best pictures are included here, but I was tempted to put the string of photos that showed the steady downfall of Milo's patience for sitting and smiling (at least he's not half way out of Craig's arms in these ones)! Once all the "official" pictures were done, Kaden and Braydon were left to their own devises on the couch - such clowns!

Even Milo is excited about Granpa's trains. Whenever he passes by the top of the stairs to go down, he stops and says "choo choo"!
Can you hear what Kaden is saying?! Good thing Grandpa has him to help "fix" the trains. All Milo wants is to see the trains moving!

Saturday Sunshine - June 12, 2010
We started the day in pants, but by the afternoon we were out in the sand and water soaking up the sun (and soaking our clothes)!

Morning Smiles - June 11, 2010
How cute are they?!

Milo practices his signs while Kaden practices dolling out banana!
 

"Solo" at the Science Centre - June 10, 2010
I braved the Science Centre for the first time without any support/back-up/sanity! It turned out just fine. I was worried the boys would take off in opposite directions, but we managed to explore and play together pretty well. Milo honed in on the wheels when we first arrived, but it didn't take long for Kaden to find the guitars! After some jamming we had fun shopping and ended up where both boys could happily get wet! A good day.

Milo continues to practice his mobility - he's becoming quite the climber.
More importantly he's trying to draw my attention to something of great importance....

Despite my poor videography skills - Milo does a great job showcasing his sign for fish
 

Best interactive exhibit. Ever.
 

Our usual post-nap/pre-dinner trek takes us up to the train tracks to watch the Go Trains at rush hour!

Mischevious Milo - June 9, 2010
Our little man is getting better at walking every day. He's also getting more adventurous. He's discovered the craft drawers (stickers have now been sealed inside ziplock bags...we'll see how long it takes until he can open them too). Milo still likes to hold onto his own shirt (or have his arms and shoulders tucked up like a little T-rex while he walks), but if he's holding onto something he seems to be a little more stable. But apparently just learning to walk doesn't preclude him from wanting to move more and learn how to somersault! Or is that downward dog?!

Check out our walking machine...aided by his trusty friend Bunny Bear (a favourite of Milo's despite belonging to Kaden)! 

Port Credit Park - June 8, 2010
We checked out another park not too far from the house. This one is a short drive into Port Credit, but well worth it. Not only does it have a fun playground, but it has a little town of Port Credit of its own. It's also conveniently located adjacent to the Credit River. We strolled over to the river to have our snack before heading back to play some more. Of course, getting the boys in the same picture and looking at me at the same time is pretty much impossible! Kaden continued to work on his hanging ability while Milo persevered at his climbing skills.

Boys in the Backyard - June 6, 2010
We love Sundays. Why? Because they are Daddy Days (with Craig's current work schedule he's only home one day on the weekend). The grass is starting to look pretty good and we venture out further and more often with each passing day. The boys love to catch, kick, volley, throw, and play "bolly ball". Milo subscribes to the old adage "monkey see monkey do" as he tries to mimic Kaden doing somersaults. Yikes!

Daddy Day at School - June 5, 2010
Kaden's nursery school had an open-house playdate for the kids and their Dads. This is the boys on their return from school with Craig sporting his new tie.

Motoring Milo - June 3, 2010
It's funny how kids pick up their own likes and dislikes regardless of the parents influence (or lack of influence). Milo loves wheels - cars, trucks, bikes, buses (especially buses...he can even say bus)! I took this picture because Milo can often be found lying on the ground scoping out wheels.

Our two boys - Van Kaden and Curly - June 2, 2010
Kaden continues to love playing guitar. He rocks out on Daddy's guitar and today even manage to play both his guitars at once. You can see that Milo's hair is getting curlier by the day. It's still so fine so I'm resisting cutting it...but soon he might be a bit of a mop top.

It takes him a second to get started, but once he does...."ROCK ON"!!!
He's emulating one of his favourite singers...but as you can see he still needs to build up some neck calluses!
 

Clowning Around - June 1, 2010
Kaden demonstrates getting sunscreen applied in "dots". Later in the day he demonstrates what happens when you leave a three-year-old to his own devises to put his shorts back on...please say hello to "Shorts-Head"! For a new take on the water table I added bubbles. Fun! The boys each use the top of Crabbie for their own purposes (Milo is such a climber...) and once Daddy arrives home it's out into the grass for some family weeding and horse-play!