things that go vrrrooomm..

Tobias and his two cousins getting a ride in the minivan, watching cars go by. The cousins have an obvious adult "automotive aficionado" influence. Tobias is clueless to this sub-culture.

INT VAN - daytime - driving

older cousin
(excited. pointing.)
Ooo! Look! I think that's a Ferrari!

younger cousin
(also excited.)
..or maybe a Mazdaspeed!

Tobias
(just as excited. wanting to get in on the action. pointing in the other direction.)
Oooo. A shiny blue van.

Don't talk to strangers! ... unless they have candy...

one early evening right before bed time...

mom
.... don't follow strangers... always stay with mommy and daddy...

kids
ok.

mom
let's practice.

kids
(enthusiastic. climbing into bed)
ok!

mom
ok. Natalie, Tobias is daddy. You stay with daddy. I'm a stranger, ok? You always stay with mommy and daddy and never go with strangers, ok?

Natalie
(wide eyed. smiling. Tobias watching intently from behind)
ok.

mom
(extremely cheery)
Hi little girl! I have a very cute puppy in my car. Do you want to come with me and see my cute puppy?

Natalie
(wide eyed. looking through the top of her eyes up at mommy)
after a quick moment Natalie slowly smiles and nods her head yes.

mom
(surprised. amused) (Tobias quietly cracking up in the background)
No, Natalie. I'm a stranger. You're not supposed to follow strangers, right?

Natalie nods her head in agreement.

mom
You stay with dad. Don't follow me. ok?

Natalie
(enthusiasm renewed reminded of her objective, ready for the challenge)
ok.

mom
(extremely cheery)
Hi little girl! You're very pretty. I have some candy over there. Do you want to come with me?

Natalie wide eyed and motionless

mom
(keeps pushing)
Do you want to come with me? I'll give you some yummy candy! Come give me your hand and we'll get some yummy candy! (mom reaches out her hand in anticipation)

Natalie stares up at mommy. unmoving. after a moment a small smile develops. she then reaches out and takes a hold of mommy's hand.

mom
(surprised.)
Natalie, no! You're not supposed to go with strangers!

Natalie's shoulders droop. She looks depleted. Tobias then springs up..

Tobias
(excited)
Let me try! Let me try!

mom
Ok. Natalie you pretend you're mommy. .... Hi little boy. I have a cool toy over there. Do you want to see it?

Tobias immediately breaks out into full-on bruce lee mode with the karate chop hands and all the kung fu noises he can muster.

mom
(taken aback.. then amused)
What are you doing?

Tobias continues to move his hands around menacingly while still making the noises of "the last dragon"

Natalie
(pouting. softly under her breath)
... i want candy .....

I am blessed to say the least ....

..everyone loves Marineland...

We just got back from Marineland (thx sooj!). I haven't been there for over... 25 years (gulp! I'm getting oolllddd!). I have fond memories of getting swarmed for food at the deer park. This visit did not disappoint either. ... but how could you be disappointed with bears, seals, sealions, walrus,..
dolphins,

beluga whales,

killer whales,

rides for kids..

as well as for adults...

All in all, a lot of fun!

kids say the darndest..

while Tobias is playfully teasing his sister...

Natalie
Tobias! Don't do that. It puts a crack in my heart.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

while Tobias is being put to bed ...

Tobias
Is tomorrow 'no school day'?

Dad
No. Tomorrow is Wednesday.

Tobias
How about after tomorrow?

Dad
No. Then it's Thursday.

Tobias
How about after?

Dad
That's Friday.

Tobias
How about after?

Dad
Then it's Saturday! No school day.

In one quick coordinated move Tobias does a big underhand fist pump while lowering his head and loudly whispering 'yesss!'

waky waky...

if this doesn't wake you up in the morning... i don't know what will.

am i the only one who can't stop from laughing when listening to this?

father and son event: shoveling.

there have been a few big dumps of snow recently. today was the latest.

i was out shoveling when my son came out. all smiles as usual. but instead of immediately jumping in the biggest snow bank to play on he was eager to help out ol'dad. he picked up the extra shovel and started trying to move the heavy wet snow. which he did.. a bit.

after a while his shoveling turned into a small snowball fight with dad and then some fooling around in the snow but it really warmed my heart to see him come out wanting to help me do some work. as i stood there, shovel in hand watching my boy smiling while playing in the white snow my eyes started welling up.. thinking about the next few years.. when my boy is a bit older.. all the things i can make him do.

shoveling, mowing the lawn,.. raking leaves,.. picking up groceries... ...designated driver ... ,.. excuse me.. i think i need to go blow my nose....

father and son

farts from the other end...

Early.. ..too early,.. one sunny morning Dad is laying on the couch trying to get some shut-eye while Natalie sits in front of him watching cartoons when he smells something pungent in the air....

Dad
(while positioning himself up, his face is now very close to natalie' s face)
Natalie, did you fart?

Natalie
(eyes never leaving the television)
no.

Dad
Really?

Natalie
Yes.

Dad
Oh... I smell fart.

Natalie
(pauses a moment. daddy thinks he's caught her but in actuality natalie is earnestly trying to figure out what dad is smelling. then eureka! eyes still not leaving the television. matter of factly.)
You're breath smells like fart, that's why.

I love Natalie.

It's gonna start all over again...

The final countdown has started as I barrel towards another bout of unemployment. My current project will be over by November so stay tuned for more regular posts. 'till then,.. go read this (some of my favorite print magazines):

Road and Track
Evo
Motorcyclist
Sport Rider
Roadracing World
Home Theater
Computer Arts

My kids can sleep anywhere...

Remember when I was talking about how my kids can pretty much fall asleep anywhere and through anything?

A while back I found this in the basement...

A photo is worth a thousand words.

Alarm clocks that WILL get you up in the morning..

I have this dreadful disease.. ,..well,.. it's more like an affliction. Sometimes I just can't get out of bed.

I'm sure there are other people out there like me. Sometimes I can hit the snooze button or even turn off my alarm clock in my sleep without even knowing it. And the times where I do arrive at a primal state of consciousness I end up hitting snooze... sometimes for more than an hour!

I used to put heavy things around and over my alarm clock but my brain.. my sleeping brain adjusted. I even resorted to putting the alarm clock across the room so I would have to get up and go to the clock to turn it off. Again, my resourceful mindless body would adapt.

I heard of one guy who used to lock his alarm clock in a cage and hide the key. I almost tried the extreme method myself... but if you're looking for more of an 'elegant' solution... try one of these:
>> The key flies away.. and you need to re-insert the key to turn off the alarm.
>> A super loud alarm complete with a bed shaker. For boys....
>> ... and for girls.
>> And finally, an alarm clock that knows how angry you are when you're woken up.. and runs away.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking ...

If I drove this, couldn't that be considered running? .. maybe? .. ... a little...?

I'm in my 4% phase..

I spend 80% of my life eating, playing, working, loving, crying, laughing and pooing... and that's pretty much it. 15% of the time I actually start thinking about exercising.. but it doesn't get much further then that. 4% of the time I actually start to exercise. The last 1% is dedicated towards those few times I've actually stuck with that type of self-improvement on a regular basis for a significant amount of time.

Well, I'm in my 4% phase. Just the basics: push-ups, chin-ups (i really didn't have to pluralize that last one), sit-ups (how come they all have to be 'ups',... why can't they ever be 'downs'? I'd imagine a 'down' would be so much easier then an 'up'.) and lastly... running. And it's last for a reason... I hate running.

Have you ever heard of 'runner's high'? Supposedly it's associated with a feeling of euphoria and energy after an extended period of running. Personally I've never had the pleasure. Mind you, I've had my share of long runs (1hr plus..) but I get something different. After an extended period of running I get what I call 'runner's sick'. It's associated with feeling sick, nauseous and achy... achy legs, achy neck, stomach, chest, back, head, ears... i think even my eyes ache a bit.

And like everything else that's good in the world, it's the hardest in the beginning. My only saving grace is that i've been running with Flower.

This is Flower. She's as sweet as the other type of 'flower'... just a LOT louder.

For now it's only a mile at a time .. and keeping Flower from pulling the leash while I'm running takes a lot of energy.. and patience. But it's well worth it, because it's that last 1/4 of a mile or so where that 'holding her back' slowly turns into 'pulling me forward'. And I would have no chance in finishing if it weren't for that.

Truly,.. I run on Flower Power. woof. woof.

Email is slowly changing the way I be..

Because I type fast(ish) and without too much thought, and because I end all my emails with "thanks", and because I send ALOT of email, I find myself now when I end a face-to-face conversation with someone I say 'thanks'... which isn't in itself a bad thing... but it's always in response to some sort of farewell.

for example (this just happened with a work acquaintance)..

me
yada yada yada

other dood
yup,.. mmmhmm.. yup,.. ok, see ya later.

me
ya, ok,.. thanks. .. (flustered) .. ah.. i mean, bye...

(d'oh!)

I close my eyes, lower my chin and slowly shake my head as I type this.....

Swan Lake is probably just around the corner...

Well, I was all smiles again today. A stupid grin from ear to ear perma-pasted on my ugly mug while I watched my little Natalie in her first full ballet class.

She seemed to genuinely like the class as an assistant tried to help her through the complicated routine that amazingly all the other little ballerina's were very confident with. She's a bit smaller then everyone else but it just makes watching her that much more endearing.

She's excited with everything from the ballet slippers to the hairband .. and I must say so am I .. for her. I can't wait until the first recital.

The littlest tutu..

Happy feet..

Just having fun..

Can anyone say 'Pavlova'?

The Stylings of Tobias: Evolution of Dance (..and why it doesn't include a tutu)

I'm sure it's the same with most children,.. they like to dance. It's a very fundamental human expression. And as with most children, Tobias showed his interest early. But unlike most kids there wasn't just a repetitive sequence of bounces, waves and claps. Tobias had a much more.. unique style.

Near the end of the following compilation of classic videos Tobias shows some very interesting hand acrobatics that has me in awe even today...

I know he's my son.. but he's so darn cute I can't take it!

Well, fast forward 3 years and his dance style is as intricate as ever. This free expression of movement has naturally evolved into a very complex mix of syncopation and pattern that materializes as an unexpected yet beautiful composition of physical motion. It conjures images of dance choreographed by Mia Michaels (made famous on the show So You Think You Can Dance)

interesting...

Natalie recently also has shown interest in dance. Her obvious early aptitude for balance and rhythm always pointed to something such as ballet (..or acrobatics?) which she starts training in next week. I'm sure we have a recital to go to in our near future to watch our little swan or bumblebee or what have you, dance away on stage with a big smile and big tutu to match.

With Tobias' evident need of some sort of outlet for artistic expression do I think we have another dance student on our hands? .... Well,.... let's put it this way:

The other day when the topic of Natalie and ballet school came into the conversation

Tobias
(very cheery mood as usual. raising eyebrows while asking the question)
Daddy, did you know boys dance ballet too?

Dad
(matter of factly. nodding head)
ya, i knew that.

Tobias
(eyebrows still raised)
Do you think that's funny?

Dad
(not missing a beat .. trying to sound nonchalant but perhaps thinking otherwise)
No...

Tobias
(still smiling)
I think it's funny.

Dad's all smiles... funny kid. Dad doesn't let it show that he's somewhat relieved. Politically incorrect perhaps,.. but relieved none the less.

I'm not a geek! ...I'm a level 14 Paladin.

About a year ago there were some photos of a very high-tech keyboard that floated through the net. A russian design studio created a mock up of this keyboard where all the symbols on the keys were customizable. how? ..each key was its very own miniture LCD screen. Well, it's finally made and for SALE on a site that i think is a lot of fun (thinkgeek).

Here's a link to the design house Lebedev Studio that created the product and their newest keyboard concept (click around. there's a lot of cool,.. geeky stuff).

This is however not typical fare for thinkgeek as they usually deal with lower costing geeky knick knacks, but it is for sure right up their alley in terms of product type.

If you like small gadgets, funny shirts, useless toys and ESPECIALLY if you're a geek then browse away 'cause this site has all of that stuff plus more!

A short(ish) list of the more... ahem.. geeky things that i particularly favor:
RPG gamer's shirt :::: comp sci/math shirt :::: coder's shirt :::: for star-crossed geeks :::: science shirt :::: sound track shirt :::: mana (yes, you read right, ..mana) :::: customizable straws :::: laser tag with toy tanks :::: this gadget could be actually useful ...this too :::: dueling mini helicopters :::: annoy-a-tron sun/moon jar lights :::: if you're a geek.. chances are you could be a trekkie too :::: how about caffeinated soap? ...or gum? :::: tired of sleeping in? (get it?.. tired? .. sleeping in?.. i kill myself) :::: usb drink cooler :::: retro bluetooth handset :::: R2-D2 trashcan :::: yoda backpack :::: binary clock :::: virtual guitar :::: usb drum kit :::: personal a/c

If you didn't know I was a geek before .. well,.. let's just say... [geek] simply j. [/geek]

These skates were made for walking...

Here Tobias ensures me that he can tie his own laces all by himself.

Tobias had a season of soccer last summer. Well, .. a season if you can call "2 practices and 1 game" a season. After that the whining and refusal made our wills as parents falter. The few times we did attend practice he would run behind everyone else (if anyone has experienced little league soccer you've noticed that wherever the ball is that's where you'll find ALL the players) and would occasionally stop and sit in the grass to play. This worried me as I'm not the most athletically inclined.. and I was hoping that at least in this situation my boy wouldn't necessarily follow in daddy's footsteps.

Then came a year of piano. Well, if you can call "the piano teacher cashing 3 post-dated cheques and tossing 8 more that were cancelled" a year. Again, the whining whittled down our will for a concert pianist.. or at least a kid with some musical chops. Personally I may not always have liked doing things that took patience and practice. As before I worried as this was a trait of mine that maybe my son should be without.

Well, along came skating. When we told our kids that we were going to go skating for the first time they got all excited. I'm not sure exactly why. I'm not sure if they even knew why.. or even if they knew exactly what skating was. On the way home after a 1/2 hour of back-breaking- bending-down-trying-to-pick- and-hold-up what seemed like jellyfish-on-ice I was pleasantly surprised to find out that both kids loved the experience and wanted to go again.

Tobias started parks'n'rec skating lessons a couple of weeks ago and even though he may not be the fastest (by far) and falls quite a bit he still loves it! wow. I'm not sure why he does.. but I'm glad. The whole time we are there I'm by the boards, grining ear to ear like a creepy human version of the chesire cat while cringing slightly every time tobias falls and takes a hard whack on his tush. Proud that he keeps trying and glad that he enjoys doing it. Do I see a Maple Leafs jersey in his future? Maybe not. But I do see how in some things he may be a bit different then me.... and I couldn't be happier.

Parents aren't aloud to take photos/videos (I'm not entirely sure why). So I was trying to be discreet. I didn't want to be the 'jackass dad who knows you're not supposed to take video but he's standing right there sneaking a video and it's obvious he's doing it' even though that's .. exactly.... ahem.. what I was doing...

I've been wanting to post this for a really, really... really long time...

According to this online quiz I'm a perfectionist-dreamer-overdoer procrastinator with defier-worrier-crisismaker tendencies.

I'll elaborate later......... ............ :p

Sleeping arrangements.. or the lack thereof.. & a bed fit for a king..

The sleeping situation at my house is really messed up. For whatever reason,... coughmomcough .. our kids like to be with us when they sleep. whether that be in our bed or theirs. I know, i know, .. a lot of people go through this as well. Dang, some people like and decide to sleep with their kids. That's all fine and dandy,.. but maybe someone could of gave us a small clue when we bought a queen size bed a few years back.

I took this photo almost exactly 2 years ago. I woke up and found myself on the last foot or so at the edge of my bed. And even though it was in the wee hours of the morning it was just too ludicrous for me not to take a photo.

.. they didn't start the night in our bed ..

Fast forward 2 years and you'd think these were all just joyous fleeting memories of now-funny looong-night tired adventures. Alas,.. only if...

The other night I woke up in Tobias' twin bed, I found Tobias asleep in our queen bed and mom and Natalie were sleeping in Natalie's twin bed.

I would've been confused, miserable and just a bit ticked.. if i weren't so tired. So instead I just shook my head and laughed. ... which by the way, turned slowly into sobbing...

When you go to the Eye Doctor .. you want to try and keep your eyes open.

We took the kids to the eye doctor the for the first time a few months ago. The thing is that they are both at that age where they don't necessarily need a nap .. but if they get the opportunity to...
So any time we go anywhere in the car between the time of... let's say noon and 5pm they will probably fall asleep.

Of course, we get to the well planned ahead Optometrist appointment and they are both fast asleep. ..and as i've mentioned before.. they can sleep through almost anything.

After my wife and I have our appointments the Optometrist decides Natalie is too young anyway to have a checkup. But I'm determined not to have wasted this trip and get Tobias up... which was very hard... but finally he's awake.. if only partially.

Tobias is groggy but we manage to get into the chair and start to go through the eye chart. Some letters he gets bang on and some completely, utterly wrong. To make things worse my confidence level on how well he knows the alphabet is questionable. Tobias is obviously groggy.. and because of the very erratic, almost random answers the eye exam is pretty much incomplete.

I didn't really factor in his alertness level until later when the wife overheared him talking to his cousin:
"I went to the eye doctor today but he couldn't do his tests because I was awake but my brain was still sleeping"

ohhhhh.. funny

Ever watch Fast Lane Daily? & Reading on the 'throne'..

Just in case my previous posts have not satiated your search for knowledge in respect to my private life, here's another tidbit: to say it in the most polite way possible... i am the quintessential demographic for books like Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. ...'nuff said.

This brings me to my relatively recent purchase of the very cool and ultimately very practical Apple iPhone as a gift to my wife on her birthday. To the chagrin of my better-half I sometimes smuggle the iPhone to accompany me in my ... 'brain storming' sessions. Which is great since YouTube is one of the built in functionalities of this little gadget.

Which finally brings me to a little find called Fast Lane Daily (well, if you can call a YouTube channel with over 13,000 subscribers a 'find'. Also available on iTunes, Veoh, Tivo, etc.). It's a fast little 5 minute daily take on what's happening in the world of cars. They have great videos with some interesting personalities in a well done, informative, neatly packaged production. Obviously they also have a website which includes a blog.

The production company Next New Networks creates a whole whack of other similar episodic type videos as well, all based on different subject matter. Check out their website to see if they have anything you might be interested in.

Personally I haven't even looked yet. But if i do find more interesting stuff... I may actually have to buy my own iPhone.

(come to think of it... my wife will probably want the new .. un-soiled iPhone)

The new issue of 'Car and Driver' and my magazine addiction..

Hello. My name is simply J. And I'm a magazine addict.
It started loooong ago in my youth working in my parent's corner store I got to read all the magazines for free. My parents don't own a store any more but I still feel the call of those glossy periodicals that have the latest and greatest news on everything from cars to home decor. I know,.. sad.

I recently discovered the cost effectiveness of subscriptions. But really, with news and reading material so readily available especially with the all-encompassing reach of the internet plus the decreasing amount of free time that I have as I grow older, magazines seem to be a luxury I can live without.

I've been clean and sober for the last 4 months. I was at the grocery store earlier today and a magazine cover caught my eye. Alas, the temptation was just too great and I fell off the porverbial wagon. Voila! I'm the proud owner of the current edition of 'Car and Driver'.

"The last E46 M3 we tested [September 2005] hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. The 135i does it in 4.7. That $48,995 M3 chewed through the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 108 mph. This 135i does it in 13.3 seconds at 106 mph, also about identical to the M3’s then-competitors, the Audi RS 4 and Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG."

Of course, on the way home I got that slight remorseful feeling that anyone would get after indulging in an impulse buy that violates a self mandated rule of behavior. What added to that feeling was that the article would probably show up eventually on the 'Car and Driver' website. .. possibly sooner than later...

Voila! I'm an idiot.
websites are a lot more current than i thought :p

Natalie is all grown up!

Natalie just celebrated 3 years old with a bunch of her friends.
We had a great time doing all sorts of things!

Playing Games..


Singing Songs (Olivia wins best prize for being the 'bestest ultimate party dancer by far')..


Watching TV..


TV was fun until that strange light radiated from the television set and froze everyone in the room! .. that was weeeirrd!..


Putting on Make-Up..


Here's an attempt at a group photo (slideshow.. 9 photos. 5 seconds each):


Here's a more... umm.. successful attempt at a group photo (click to enlarge):


All in all a great success!
Thanks again! God Bless! Can't wait until Natalie turns 4!

did you know natalie and tobias can fall asleep anywhere?

our friends who have kids are always amazed that our kids will fall asleep when they are tired no matter where they are. we can move them,.. the lights could be on,.. we can change their clothes,.. even brush their teeth, and still they keep on snoozing away.

well about a month ago after coming home from somewhere this little interesting tidbit was tested to the extreme. i come up to our driveway, park the car and get out and who do i see at the side of our walk in the snow bank? little natalie! she must've been outside playing in the snow and got tired. amazing!

poor thing must be cold. i get closer and start to lean down to pick her up and who do i see out of the corner of my eye but tobias,.. fast asleep in the next snowbank! maybe after a strenuous snowball fight they both decided to nap at the same time?

so, i take a step back.. just to survey this truly unbelievable scenario when get-back-jack-black there's mom too!

dang,.. they just look so comfortable i decide to go to sleep right there as well.

it was a bit uncomfortable... a bit cold.. but in the morning everyone was raring to go! what a fun family.

Diary of a Pack Rat : Day 182

So I cleaned out the garage the other day... finally.. after 2 years of neglect. I couldn't believe how many things that were brand new that I never used because I either forgot about it or never got around to it. The worst part is that some of those things i re-bought.. .... more than once! (I know.. I know.., technically I have a real problem.. but knowing is half the battle!.. whoo hoo! I like the fact that I've already half won.)

The most visually astounding thing was the amount of paint cans I've collected over the almost decade of living at my current address. Sure, we've gone through 2 spells of considerable renos... and there is absolutely not one surface in our whole house that hasn't be repainted at least once, ... but still... i must have hundreds of dollars represented by those cans of paint (which ashamedly some are not even opened)

giant mountain of paint proving my idiocy

I did find a few interesting things in my pack rat archive:

after almost 3 decades i finally threw these away.
... but i still get a kick out of them..
..maybe it's not too late and i can dig'em out of the trash.......
. .... someone help me .. please...

Unlike my wife I still say this spoon-lamp is worth something!
(Shown without the base. It actually hovers horizontally
about 6ft off the ground and shines up and down. cool.)
The bike is included in the photo for size reference.

I did learn a few things about myself.. things that I don't necessarily like. And I am committed to changing those things.

The main thing being that I should not buy anything unless I am going to use it immediately.

Of course, I did end up throwing away all those ruined/once frozen cans of paint (it took me 2 seperate trips to 2 different hazardous waste depots since i surpassed the limit) but don't worry about me too much... I have a new pile of paint from this last fixup that i will keep just in case i need it again one day.... i feel sooo good about that too 'cause some are not even open! .. nice.

My new mountain of paint.
I know it's small.. but I have to start somewhere.......
..... help me pretty please?......

Pack Rat out.

Our house if finally up for sale...

after about a weeks worth of solid work and 51 items either crossed off, amalgamated or abandoned from my to-do list we finally had the real estate agent take photos of our house today. It will be officially on the market tomorrow but we won't start showing until sat so i can get a few last things done.

fixing up the house was an arduous journey that brought about some revelations.

1. i dislike doing home improvements/renos.. but i'm too particular not to change things and too cheap to hire someone.
2. i'm more of a pack-rat then i thought (post to follow shortly).
3. NEVER buy anything that you are not going to use right away. because you'll either forget you had it and then buy it again .. and again.. or you won't get around to using it .. and when you do it's gone bad/animal chewed on it/rotted/etc
   
4. selling a house is a headache.
5. our house has never been cleaner and more complete (in terms of fixing things/odd jobs) then it is now that we are going to sell it. why? ..things that i was meaning to fix.. 10 years ago when we first moved in here.. are fixed now. tsk tsk.

(this is AFTER the garage was cleaned a bit)

i'm a bit OCD so the process of getting ready to list may have taken a tad longer then necessary. it's been such a stretched-out journey that even though the 'fix-up & finish all the half-done jobs' are done.. for some reason i feel like i forgot something...

i'm sure we'll sell in a week for top dollar and won't have to think about it any more... meanwhile i can get my unicorn washed and we'll all go on a trip to the far side of the rainbow for a little R&R with the easter bunny. .... i love the easter bunny.

updates of significance will commence..

'Please.. get out' or 'Get out part 2'

Natalie turned 3 today. I can't believe it's only been 3 years since we we're at the hospital patiently waiting for the big moment. ..incredible.

Tonight like every night after her bedtime story and tuck-in, the lights went out and I said a prayer. She was happy.. content.. and so was I. I stood there in the dark leaned over her bed and gently stroked her hair off her forehead. I slowly and softly continued to stroke her hair in the manner of an un-sung lullabye thinking I would help her blissfully fall into sleep.

A short moment of silence.
natalie: (whispering) Daddy?
daddy: (also whispering) yes natalie?
natalie: can you get out please?
daddy: (slightly taken aback. still whispering) oh. ok. good night. sweet dreams.
natalie: good night. sweet dreams.

My little girl is all grown up ... (sniffle) ...

Natalie celebrating 3 and greatgrandma celebrating 96 (wow)

if you're interested: 'Get out' part 1

'twinkle twinkle' or 'fun with counting..'

Tobias' first year in school has been a very educational one. Letters.., numbers.., he learns more new things in one day then i do in one week... ,..well, ..probably a month.. ......maybe..a year. But I digress.

For awhile he was very into counting things. He would just automatically see things in groups and start counting them. One of the more .. umm.. interesting things he started counting was how many times he could stop and start the... umm... flow.. of his pee at one go. He'd stand there and count.. '1, 2, 3, 4,..' and so on while he'd squirt into the toilet. funny.

Once we were at a friend's house for a kid's birthday party and I went into the washroom with him. It was a little tight so I kept the door ajar. One of the mother's saw me go in and thought it was me pee'ing like that. funny.

Another time we were at a public toilet and because of his size and the fact that he was just learning to go to the washroom if the toilet was filthy I would pick him up by his pants and across the shoulders. I know it's hard to envision but basically I'd be holding him up horizontally over the toilet and he would pee straight in. Well, this one time he started his new counting routine.. by the time he was on '5' I realized he wasn't as light as he used to be. It's an interesting picture. Father struggling to hold up his son horizontally over a toilet while the son counts dollops of pee all the while the father feels his back creeping closer to that moment when there's a quick painful twinge and a week's worth of walking lopsided. funny.

who knew counting.. and/or peeing could be so fun.

it's not IF you're going to get a minivan.. it's WHEN..

I used to dislike minivans... well,.. i guess not dislike.. but dismissed. I didn't really think about them at all. When I thought of automobiles I'd like to own it really wasn't an option.

Born out of necessity I now have a minivan... and surprisingly I really like it. It's quite the cool mode of transportation. Don't get me wrong, I still love all those other faster more sleek, stylish cars, I just have a new found appreciation for the minivan. Like I was told once by a colleague of mine, 'If you have kids it's not if you're going to buy a minivan but when.'

It's rather funny seeing the parking lot of my son's school. I'd say conservatively it's 90+% minivans/suv's/wagons. And out of that I'd say about 75% are minivans.

I thought this commercial was rather funny. There are a lot of glanced over gems of truth in this ad:

But I guess it really can't be a true manvan.. we all know that it's just a way of saving face in the bold reality that minivans are a sign of a man's age,.. his placement in life.. having a family... Which is all good of course, but truly if it were a manvan it would be more like this:

I feel for the jolly rancher guy. ....frickin kids...

And since our minivans ..., excuse me,.. our manvans are never really going to be like that:

(chanting) maan-van, maan-van, maan-van ...

they're magically delicious!

the other day tobias and I dropped in to the supermarket to grab a few things. tobias spotted a box of lucky charms cereal (man, that tv marketing is good). even though we've never really tried sugary cereal tobias' pleading and the fact that breakfast is such a finicky meal i decided to give in. Needless to say the next morning they had 3! bowls each. when natalie finished her first bowl she pretty much sumed it up by saying "another bowl of candy please!"

it might be awhile before buying another box ..... then again they ate,.. they were quiet,.. they were happy,.. ..and after all.. trix are for kids.

ABRA KADABRA!

when we lived downtown i thought it was funny that if i had a few beer empties and i was too lazy to return them i'd leave them on the front porch and sure enough by morning they were gone. i'd get rid of stuff like that once in a while. ... magazines,.. cd cases,... stuff that i knew ppl would take.

you wouldn't think upper north york would be a prime 'garbage picker' location.. but it is.

don't get me wrong. i'm all for it. if you need it then by all means be my guest. i've been known to go through someone else's garbage myself on more then one occassion.

but it's sincerely surprising what ppl will take. one day i threw out some really cheap, really old carpeting. as per garbage pickup rules i cut it into 4ft wide strips and rolled them up into bundles. within hours,.. poof! vanished! i was amazed.

there's this old wardrobe... missing mirror,.. not that nice at all... not solid wood..not even particle board. i was wondering if the garbage guys would actually take it.. and was waiting for garbage day to put it out on the lawn... but then i had an idea. i'll put it out a few days early in hopes someone would take it. i even took the time to put all the drawers back in the right way. i decided to take out a few busted monitors too. those i actually have to take to a refuse depot as garbage collectors won't pick up computer stuff. i figure what could i lose.. i have to take them out to the car anyway.

a couple hours later.. poof! wardrobe was gone. monitors were still there. but i was amazed none the less.

before

after

just in case you're wondering, by the morning... the monitors... ..... well,.. poof!

...amazing...

Get out.

Unlike Tobias, Natalie likes her sleep.
At the best of times she gets all comfy under the blanket with a big smile and goes right to bed. No whining.. no complaining.. no problem.

She also takes her sleep relatively seriously.

The other night mom just put her to bed and I didn't get to say my usual 'good night' so I quietly opened the door to her room. There she was, eyes closed and snug as a bug. Smile and all, awaiting sleep to fall over her like some warm blanket.

I quietly walked over to the side of her bed. She opened her eyes just long enough to give me a smile. I reached over and held her hand.. thinking that this would comfort her.. help her go to sleep.. as it would with her older brother. I hadn't seen her much that day and I didn't mind taking the few minutes to stand in the dark to quietly bond with my daughter as she drifted off to dreamland.

A short pause of calmness passed when she opened her eyes again, still smiling as she turned her head and in a small voice whispered to me, "get out." She then closed her eyes again, laid her head down in the pillow while still smiling .. eagerly awaiting mr.sandman's arrival.

I quickly and quietly excused myself as I was apparently in mr.sandman's way.

with great grandma after a great night of sleep

if you're interested: 'Get out' part 2

That's N-A-T-A-L-I-E.

previously on another day...

rene
hi natalie

natalie
hi

rene
can I call you nat?

natalie
my name is natalie.

rene
but can't I call you nat?

natalie
my name is natalie... and my brother's name is tobias.

fast forward to kingsley's 1st birthday party.

rene
hi natalie, do you want a balloon?

natalie nods her head up and down while a smile slowly emerges.

rene
if I get you a balloon can I call you nat?

natalie just stares at her. any smile in anticipation of receiving the balloon is now gone.

rene
if I give you a balloon will you let me call you nat?

natalie
okay.

rene finishes untying the balloon. all smiles. she triumphantly hands the balloon to natalie.

natalie
my name is natalie.

and in one continuous movement turns and walks away..

if you're mad or sad or angry or fed up or bummed out side step and try to take another, better, God filled perspective.

if you're happy and full or excitement or just having fun,.. let's hook up later and hang.

have a grand week everyone.

what would you look like?

imagine this:

you're young.. maybe around 2 years old. maybe.. maybe your name is .. say... natalie. you're at your cousin's birthday.. let's call him ..xavier. he's getting his birthday cake all lit up with candles and everyone, including yourself belts out a loud rendition of happy birthday. time to blow out the candles. but you like to blow out candles too so you ... 'help'.. juuussst in case xavier doesn't have the lungs to do it himself.


well, it seems like you weren't supposed to do that.. even though you were just trying to help. only xaaavviiieeerr is to blow out the candles

so,.. the candles are re-lit and everyone, in unison, pauses. so in your usual melodic,.. loud voice you start to belt out happy birthday again.... but no one else joins in.

apparently we're not supposed to sing again, .. oops. haha. the yolk's on you. embarrassed?

how would you look?

p.p.art

tobias is becoming quite the artist...
he made this birthday card for caius today.
it's a drawing of tobias and caius. tobias being the shorter one of course.
he wanted to give caius some pants but didn't know how to draw them.. so he improvised.
look closely....

i'm sure michelangelo's david created quite a stir during its day as well....

(..and yes, he told me he was drawing a penis as he was drawing it. drawing clothing is his next big art endeavor.)

"transforming away" and "i'm tobias"

ahh.. holidays are almost over and i must say, personally it has been a very good one. i hope for everyone as well... ,.. now to my .. ahem ...new full time work position.. blogging:

PRINCE TOBIAS

(tobias was bothering his sister and made her cry)

dad:

tobias! come here.

(tobias immediately starts crying with a big 'cry' face but not too convincingly. slowly walks over)

dad:

(sternly)

tobias, were you bothering your sister?

tobias:

(still crying the 'big' cry)

YEESSSS!

dad:

don't bother your sister. you should be nice to her
(tobias still crying)
i'm going to give you a chance...

tobias:

ookkaayyyyy...

dad:

i should give you a time out but i'm going to give you a chance...

tobias:

ookaaayyyy....

dad:

but if you bother your sister again and make her cry you're going to get a time out!

tobias:

ookaaayyy...

dad:
(still stern)

do you understand?

tobias:
(nods head with a big bottom lip and tears just visible in his eyes)

dad:

ok,.. you can go.

(tobias immediately makes the sound a transformer makes while it transforms ("choo-doo-doo-doo") and contorts and crumples and lays down on the ground (car mode) and then after a quick moment (i'm assuming maybe because he realizes he can't really move in that postition) he transforms up to a standing position - robot mode ("choo-doo-doo-doo") and runs away .. turbo fast!)

i guess i didn't scar his self confidence in that little reprimand situtation we just had... ,.. phew.

PRINCESS NATALIE

(mom playing with natalie.. tobias playing near by)

mom:

(to natalie)

what's your name?

natalie:

tobias.

tobias:

(over hearing error. speaking in that typical pre-school extended matter-of-fact just-shy-of-slightly-whiny voice)

noooooo. ii'mmm tobias.

natalie:

(bristles up. loudly)

no! i'm tobias!!

finally, here is a picture of the latest 'great moments in television history' ... but it's more of a 'great picture moment in watching television'.. for your viewing pleasure.

hap-hap-happy new year!!!!