Tubs in the Sock

Sorry ... I mean, socks in the tub. This is how you can detect tired parents... their toddler is sitting in the bathtub with nothing on except her socks. Bright red socks. No camera nearby, but take my word for it, Keva's Daddy must have been feeling the fatigue when getting her ready (or nearly ready) for her bath that night. *yawn*

Play Imitates Life

Since grocery shopping has to be done, why not take along some helpers and make the most of it? I've said it before and will say it again, grocery shopping with Tavish and Keva is kinda fun...

Mommy's helpers

Snack break!

MOMENT: Getting it Done

If their play does at all imitate real life, then it would suggest than not only am I a thorough shopper, but I must enjoy it because they make it look that way when they play...

Phantom Phoner

Keva loves the phone (like mother like daughter). I'm embarrassed to admit this, but Keva's first official 'sign' actually was "phone". Several months back on our way home from dropping Tavish off, I stopped to check the messages that had come in on my phone. I looked down to see my daughter, with a twinkle in her eye, holding her hand flat to her ear saying "uh-uh". Um, yes ... phone, Mommy is on the phone. It's true, her first sign wasn't "food" or "more" or "sleep" or any other sign we do a lot around here. It was one she made up herself  "phone" (blush). My parents must be loving this ...

MOMENT: Phone from my Feet

I'm even more embarrassed to admit this story, but it's such a good one (and I'm confident in my overall parenting abilities) that I'm going to share it anyway. I was almost  finished what I was working at on the computer when Keva let me know her nap was over. I don't recall what I was focussed on, but it seemed important at the time. So, not wanting to neglect her (see? good parent), I went to rescue her right away. When she was engrossed in some independent play, I thought that I could quickly finish off what I'd been doing on the computer. She was immediately onto me ... she always knows when I sit down. Both my mobile and cordless phones were on the couch beside where I was working. She, of course, was instantly lured over to them. In a moment of weakness, I caved and dismissed her having the cordless phone in her hand. I just need one more minute. A moment or two later, I hear my cellphone ring. It wasn't on the couch, it'd fallen to the floor. When I grabbed it and answered I heard "hii-eee" in stereo. "Huh-huh". My daughter, sitting at my feet, my cordless phone to hear ear, looking up at me with pride. She'd called her mother. On the phone. No idea how, but I got the encrypted (and not-so-subtle) message. The computer was put away and we were phoneless and fancy free together in our living room ... well, right after I captured the moment after this life lesson from my daughter...

* note: Keva's wide-open mouth is her way of saying "yes"

Superheros

Tavish has been schooled in the world of superheroes at school. It's amazing how a child ill-exposed to television or pop culture in general can become an expert so quickly, but it's certainly happened. As parents, we are ill-equipped for this genre of stuff': no toys, books, apps or shows in our house. This might (groan) have to (sigh) change (gasp), but just a little...

MOMENT: Mighty Paper Heroes

It seems that Tavish's most informed friend in all things superhero, is Jacob. "Who knows the most about superheroes, Tavish?" "Jacob, he knows everything". I was at the school one day and said to Jacob "You know so much about superheroes." He smiled proudly (wearing a superman shirt and a red piece of material as a cape) and then said "Tavish knows almost as much as me now too!". From what I've seen and heard, Jacob has only ever been Superman. It's no wonder Tavish LOVES dressing up in costumes when he can, it's peer pleasure! Jacob dubbed Tavish 'Green Lantern' and boy did that stick...

At any point, I may turn into my superhero alter ego 

One evening while getting ready for bed, I heard something crinkle in Tavish's pants pocket. Tavish pulled back, smiled and said "can I show you something?". I was intrigued. He turned around to secretively and carefully pull something out of his pocket. He took his time and got it perfectly organized to show me. He spun back around with a bright smile on his face and had these in his hands...

At school, he had carefully torn out these pictures from the back of a magazine. He looked at me and asked sweetly "do you think this green one is Green Lantern, Mom?". He also said "Mommy, did you know that this Batman and Superman are lego?! I can tell by the feet. Batman and Superman lego!" The situation is pretty real, he fell asleep with these things in his bed that night and I overheard him playing with them in his room after stories. A few nights. They are still sitting in a bowl in his room. I don't think they still hold the same appeal, but he hasn't exactly parted with them either.Yeah, this superhero thing is a culture that permeates a young boy's life indeed. Wow.

Fine Dining

In response to the oft asked: "what's for dinner?", I've joked "I'm not sure, what have you made?" This usually elicits a chuckle, but one day, Tavish chuckled, paused, and then a wash of excitement came over him. Following another pause he said "but I can't use the big knives". "I can help you with anything that needs big knives. Is there something you'd like to make?" A final pause. "Yes, pasta!" And so ... it happened, our 4 year old made us all a pasta dinner ...

Stirring

Serving

Enjoying

MOMENT: Sous Chef Becomes Head Chef

A few days later, Tavish picked out the kind of pasta noodle he wanted (spaghetti) and helped select a few key ingredients at the grocery store. I drove him home and he took things from there. All I did to help was carry the pot of water to the stove, cut a few of the vegetables (carrots, celery, onion), and work with the ground beef. He even handled the garlic press largely on his own. Chef Tavish had everything under control. He served us our dinner with pride. Bon Appetite! It was delicious.

Boogie Boy

It was a nice break from solo parenting to take on dinner time with my friend Renee and our collective four children. (Both hubbies happened to be out of town for work.) Okay, so it's never 'restful', but it does make that evening pass more quickly and if you bravely opt to venture out, it leaves less meal time mess to clean up. We checked out a new local restaurant. It wasn't very busy, so the boys kicked up their heels ... literally.

"Any problem in the world can be solved by dancing."

- James Brown

MOMENT: Dance Like No One's Watching

And dance they did. Maksym got the party started, Tavish was quick to join, and Seb busted out some dancing shoes to boogie too. Keva sat this dance out, she was enjoying the last of her meal. It was a great time and the staff there were loving it and thanked us on the way out. No discount applied, but we weren't kicked out either, so we came out on top I'd say.



MOMENT: Baby Dance Moves

Keva's no stranger to dancing, as the above video may imply. She dances a lot...pretty much any time she hears music of any sort, she lets us know with her trademark moves. She even finds herself fairly entertaining. Sitting? Standing? No problem, she can move to the music!

Seek and You Will Find

When Mommy is away, the kids will play...

"Life is more fun if you play games."

- Roald Dahl

MOMENT: Ready Or Not, Here She Comes

While I was out one evening, the kids discovered a new game to play together. Tavish did the hiding. Keva did the seeking. Daddy captured the moment. Mommy shares it with you. Enjoy!

Simon

"No one has fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true educator should be to unlock the treasure."

- Emma Golman

When Tavish's class was created in October, there was another transition for Tavish and his young classmates to make. One boy, Simon, stood out. He is 3, doesn't speak much English, doesn't have any siblings, has never been away from his Mom, and was now in a class with different kids, a different teacher, and no Education Assistant. It was a lot for him. There were tears, shortened days, and his Mom having to stay with him when he was there. Tavish's teacher took this situation to be an opportunity to work on 'empathy' among Simon's classmates. It worked. It worked very, very well ...

"The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of
empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other."
- Meryl Streep

MOMENT: Kindness

Ms. T sent Tavish home with a sticker on his shirt that read "I was a caring friend today" on his second of third day in the new classroom. When I asked Tavish who he helped at school, the conversation went like this:

Mommy: Who was the friend you helped today?
Tavish: Simon. He's like a baby, but he's not a baby. He cries a lot.
Mommy: How did you help him?
Tavish: I did what I did for Keva. I say "shhh", I put my arm around him and I bring him toys
Mommy: Does Simon like that?
Tavish: Yes, it helps him to not cry and feel better

Day after day, stickers and positive comments from Ms. T have come home. "I helped to tidy up today". "I was kind to a friend today." "I was very helpful today." One day, she explained that she was going to run out of stickers and that she's never seen anything quite like this before with how helpful Tavish is with Simon.

I saw this play out myself when Keva and I showed up to the school for the Halloween parade. Tavish was in line with his classmates, holding Simon's hand. I thought he'd rush over to be with his 'digger', but I could tell he felt confident that he was where he needed to be. There was no letting go of Simon's hand either, I could tell that too. When I smiled in acknowledgement to Ms. T, she was quick to note that she didn't ask for this, but that Tavish just seems to know what Simon needs. Aw.

On more than one occasion, we've seen Simon with his Mom and when we say hello to them, she's quick to say (in broken English) "your son, it's your son, he so good! thank you! thank you for him!" or "Simon okay now. It's your boy. Thank you!" I'm pleased to report that Simon is now attending full days most of the time and, according to Tavish, doesn't cry anymore and his Mommy no longer has to stay with him.

Tavish and Simon waiting for the parade to start

Parading along hand in hand

"It's not so much the journey that's important; as is the way that we treat those
we encounter and those around us, along the way."

- Jeremy Aldana

Constructing Halloween

Tavish initially suggested he wanted to be a fire truck again this year. I had to think quickly on my feet. I knew it would be more cumbersome for him this year, so I came up with making Keva into some sort of vehicle to support his costume. (Yes, I'm going to try to get away with sibling costumes as long as they'll let me.) He liked it so the TK2 Construction Company Ltd was formed...

Foreman Tavish keeping safety a priority

Keva digging and steering clear of danger

TK2 Construction Ltd is a family company

MOMENT: It Takes a Whole Family...

There was a fair bit of sewing, taping, printing, and glueing that was required, but this construction crew was certainly equipped! Tavish and his buddy, Riley, had a good time trick or treating in the rain (with their Keva driven back-up vehicle) on our very festive street. We were surprised with the crowds - somewhere around 200 kids! We ran out of candy and blackened our home to still have a ringing doorbell. Kids take their candy seriously. Tavish does too, of course, but he can only have some of it (note: majority of candy contains either dairy or gluten). To get around this, and to support the reduction of unneeded amounts of candy, the "Switch Witch" visited Tavish. He was very excited with the mini granola bars, nuts, globe ball, and small lego kit he received in exchange for a bunch of his candy. Phew! Here's to hoping she can make an appearance for years to come...

Halloween Eve

Sweet child of mine ...

I've been 'that' Mommy, all concerned about the quality and quantity of candy that this time of year seems to invite. There's the dairy and wheat concern that people seem to accept, but my dislike for unhealthy doses of unhealthy sweets seems less socially acceptable. We went to a party at a local dance studio the weekend before Halloween where he was given a generous dose of sugar as a parting gift. Tavish put this 'loot' bag into the fridge for safe keeping after he enjoyed a candy or two. Daddy said the rest of the candy was for Halloween day.

As any normal 4 year old would, Tavish requested some candy daily between the party and the night before Halloween when he says to Tom at bedtime: "Daddy, I can give out my candy from the party to people who come trick-or-treating to our house tomorrow." He expressed that he wants to be sure we have something to give kids who come here. He really is the most generous 4 year old I've ever known. And as I was writing this (and frantically cutting yellow bristol board), I heard the patter of his feet coming downstairs. He had a sticker in his hand that his teacher stuck onto his shirt "I am a caring friend" because he was concerned that we'd forgotten to put it on his mirror with the other ones his teacher has given him. We're not the only ones who have noticed his innate kindness toward others...

We've especially noticed this in Tavish's relationship with his sister. He has always been sweet and considerate but he's even factoring Keva into his future plans. He recently likes to talk a lot about what he'd like for his birthday party in March. Turns out, he'd like to give stickers to his friends, but the best one to Keva and wants to be sure she can help him blow out the candles and will be sure to give the first piece of cake to her. He's so loving and generous...

My heart is happy.

It Happened Today

It happened on October 28th. Well, it's been happening slowly I guess and I have always known that it was coming. The shift. The pull. The separation. All summer I had a feeling that we were on the edge of a big change and I was right. Today it was obvious with this one moment...

MOMENT: Pom Pom

Tavish is growing up. Of course he is, but I mean he's growing up by separating from us being Mommy-baby, to Mom and son - he's a 'big boy'. With the weather cooling, I pulled out last year's toques and put one out with his coat. When he came to get ready for school at the front door, his words confirmed it all...

Tavish: Mommy, I don't want to wear that hat
Mommy: Okay, sure. Is there a reason?
Tavish: I don't like to wear pom poms anymore
Mommy: Oh. Okay, pick another one from the bin
Tavish: I don't want you to throw it out or give it away though, I might wear it on a weekend or something...
Mommy: I won't, not until you're ready for it to go
Tavish: yeah, I just don't want to wear it to school...
Mommy: Alright, you can wear whichever hat you'd like, but we need to get going
Tavish: so I'll tell you when I'm done with it or it's too small, then you can give it away, okay?

Aw, maybe he's feeling the separation too and is building up the courage to let go, the same way Mommy is trying to...? Either way, this loveable stripey hat won't be donned this winter ... well, unless it's on a weekend...maybe.

Stripey hat circa March 2013

Pumpkin Fun

'Tis the season to purchase pumpkins. We were off to a nearby school in search of a pumpkin patch (welcome to urban living). We found what we needed and carved out some festive faces.

My Lil' Punkins

MOMENT: Scaredy Cat and Snow-kin

On our way

Peeking for pumpkins

Found some! 

Pumpkin bodyguard

Captain carver

Meow!

Snowman pumpkin watches over breakfast

I'd picked up a single pumpkin from a market earlier, but Tavish had grander plans "want to make a snowman from pumpkins?!". Um, oh ... sure, okay. So, more pumpkins were needed. We pulled out the trusty red wagon and went searching for supplies and found what we needed down the street. Mommy drew up a design plan, Daddy ensured the creation had structural integrity, Tavish dug out seeds and Keva provided enthusiastic support - it was a full family project. We also made use of our solo pumpkin to add a feline friend to our family: a scaredy cat. Yes, we like our pumpkins creative and original....

Thanksgiving Cottage

Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays and the fall colours are the highlight of the year, in my humble opinion. Enjoying a long weekend with both of these things and the addition of good people at a cottage - memories are sure to be made...

Thankful. So very, very thankful

MOMENT: Thankful in Cottage Country

We had a great time at a rented cottage near Bancroft with Megan, Paul and Xavier over Thanksgiving complete with sharing celebratory meals, rowing a boat, hiking some trials, plenty of play time and lots of laughs. Leads me to wonder, could this be a new annual tradition?

Ready for the road trip

Peeking around in the forest

Heading out for a hike...

...and lichen what we saw

Row, row, row your boat...

...gently with your family...

...merrily, merrily, merrily, looking at a stream

Boys finding fun inside

Littles sticking together: little guy entertains little gal

Unimpressed that dinner required waiting

Coming to the table turned things around

Food makes waiting worth while---especially corn on the cob

Thankful for feasting with friends

It can be hard (and fun) to say goodbye...

Volleyball

Tavish's gym coach has been teaching the kids volleyball. He excitedly shows me how he holds his hands properly then how he moves his arms to hit the ball forward, backward, or up high. Not sure it's for every 4 year old, but he's loving it. Perhaps it has something to do with our earlier adventure with Grandpa Mike to watch a Ryerson volleyball tournament in early October?

Volleyball watchers

MOMENT: Set, Bump, Spike

We took the streetcar and made an afternoon out of volleyball watching. Tavish observed intently then began asking questions about the rules and about specific players he'd noticed. Then, he was able to tell us things: "player 15 is really strong when he hits the ball", etc. It was a good time and the schedule for other sports has been consulted for future outings...

Lil' Skipper

"Skipping is jumping for joy, step after step."

- Terri Guillements

One of the things Tavish has learned at school is skipping (or at least we think that's where it came from). His technique improves dramatically with every joyous hop. At first, he could really only hop on one foot. He's come pretty far even from this video. His running too is a source of sweetness. He's pretty quick for a kid that hasn't completely lost his toddler running wiggle!

Heart Map

Tavish was moved to a different classroom one last time to one with less students (17) and a great LTO teacher. It was curriculum night after his second day in her class and it was informative and welcoming. We checked out the work that was up displaying drawings that showed "the people, places, and things that are most important" to them. We saw a few drawings of ice cream and other random (and often unidentifiable) illustrations. Then, we stumbled on the best one. No bias, but we think our son is clearly a noble genius...

Monkeying Round

"There are rich counsels in the trees."

- Herbert P. Horne

Turns out, Tavish loves climbing trees. I guess I should have seen it coming with the way he climbed up the escarpment and then the boulders at the beach. Now he's taking on trees and climbing on up...

MOMENT: Tree Top

The 'kindergarten' playground at his school has a few trees and one of them seems to always have a young child climbing up it's small, low branches. In typical Tavish style, he observed this behaviour for a few days then I turned around one day to find his limbs up among the tree limbs. This became his main after school attraction. A friend has a "climbing tree" in their front yard. This treewas more robust and complicated to climb, but he was up for the challenge. All of this was great practice for the apple tree we stumbled on at the Brickworks in September, he scrambled on up and returned with a snack for the whole family! This climbing thing can be fruitful after all. Yum!

Enjoying the fruit of Tavish's labour

Street Party 2013

One of the more exciting events to anticipate with our move to this neighbourhood and street was the annual street party. The street is blocked off to traffic and there is a plethora of activities for adults, kids and families. It sounded like an amazing event. I later found myself recruited onto the Street Party Planning Committee and then knew it was going to be great - there are residents of the street that do an incredible amount of work to make it so.

Here are some of the events that were planned:
- street yard sale; craft tent with bird houses to paint, jewelry to make, and your bike to decorate
- cupcakes to decorate; EMS to visit (police, fire, and ambulance)
- obstacle course; bike parade; kids games; street sports (soccer and hockey)
- street potluck; kids movie outside; dance party; tiki bar; bonfires

To make it even more magical, this year's event was framed around the street's 100th birthday, there was birthday cake and a plaque that was unveiled to commemorate this milestone. September 21st was the much awaited day and it finally came as did the rain...

MOMENT: Can't Rain on our Parade

The rain was relentless. It literally did not stop raining until about 8pm. Constant rain. The event was not for the faint of heart. However, the spirit on this street is alive and well. Shelter was cobbled together, events were cut or modified, children were soaked, but the party went on. The turn out was apparently very poor by contrast to past years, but the people from the street made a real splash anyway. The annual raffle where the prizes are from local businesses was exceptional and despite the lower number of people, we made close to the same amount as past years! The prizes were impressive - you could win some real loot! (sadly, our family did not though) All of the money went to raise money to replace the trees that our street lost in a big storm this past summer. This was a great experience with little digital documentation due to inclement weather, but we are keen to do it again next year - we will keep our rain gear ready!

Tavish  was 1 of only 2 kids in the initial bike parade.
They kept biking, so more kids eventually joined!

Blurry from rain or was it the speed?

The crafting must go on!

Rain won't keep our son inside!

Niagara Bound

With our new proximity to Niagara Falls, we thought we'd take a fall day trip with the family for some apple picking, waterfall watching, and escarpment hiking.

MOMENT: Local Adventures

We discovered a small, organic apple orchard where you could pick your own apples. Tavish climbed up ladders and picked us all a snack in addition to more apples to enjoy throughout the week. We then made our way to the Falls. Neither Tom nor I had been there since we were very young. Still impressive. We then went on a hike where Tom and I had this realization (while huffing a puffing on the way up):

We always figured there'd come a time when Tavish would be faster and stronger than us, but we certainly didn't think it was going to be when we was four...

When we hiked back up to the top, Tavish asks if we can do it again (without any sign of fatigue). Um, no. We're thinking next time, we'll strap Keva onto his back to even the playing field a bit...

An apple a day...

The apples of our eyes

Watching water fall

All geared up...

...with our game face on

What goes down must come up

Tavish and Mommy watching the water

Going back up...

Making it all look so easy...