A Self Portrait

Calum's Seat Now Faces Forward!

Horseshoe Bay on the Weekend

Horseshoe Bay 2

Almost June

I can't believe that it is almost June. Not much longer and the kids will be out of school. Calum's daycare closes over the summer so it will be an adjustment for us all. Don and I may have to juggle our work schedules a bit and possibly take some time off. Calum should be able to transition into the toddler section in September - that will be fun because they do more crafts, read books, take longer walks, etc. I guess we'll have to practice more walking this summer so he can keep up with the older kids.

Larry and Tabitha have posted pictures of my dad's latest project on their blog. Take a look at Tabitha and Larry's Blog. Calum is going to love it when we go up for our visit in July. He may think it is his fort. Lots to do today so I'd better get to it.

Cooking for the little (and not so little) ones

Don and I have been trying out some recipes from Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's Dinners". I've always been a fan of his cooking, especially the super easy cooking methods like using foil packets to bake chicken and veggies. So far, we've made lasagna, roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes, penne with a simple tomato sauce, sweet corn, a modified version of his beef stew and South American fishcakes. Don and I have loved them all so far but it's not so with the kids.

Desiree has only been around for a few of the dinners and she seemed to like them but Dakota and Calum are another matter. Calum liked the chicken and pasta dishes but made it clear he didn't like anything else. Dakota has just been picking at her dinner and filling up on bread or dessert. I was watching the cooking channel last night - Jamie's School Lunches - where he tries to introduce good food to the school lunch program. Most kids resisted new dishes too. I'm not giving up though so will look through the cookbook once again before I go out today so I can pick up any necessary ingredients. Besides, it's a lot of fun trying something new and a whole lot better than our usual take out or quick dinners.

Seems like things will be picking up again at work on Monday so I'm working on my proposal again today and getting receipts and invoices in order. Hope you all have a good weekend. I think we may need to start doing some cleaning and sorting so that we can start packing up some of our stuff. Anyone interested in some good fiction? I've got a stack that I'm finished with:

Chronicles of Narnia, Teacher Man, Penelopiad, Just So Stories and Jungle Book, A Complicated Kindness, Kite Runner, Predator, Dogside Story, Reflections of Eden, Through a Window, 'Tis, Angela's Ashes, Jack Whyte - Sorcer, Skystone, Sword, Clothar the Frank, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Dry Lips (play), Can You Keep a Secret, Rosencrantz and Guidenstern are dead (play) and My People, myself

Calum finds the stinky socks

Little to Report

Not much to report. As you can see from the pictures in the previous post, Calum has learned to snap his fingers and do a strange half wing like thing when he dances. Dakota said he does his own version of the sprinkler dance. He holds his arm out and points round in a circle. He also likes to twirl about and bop his head. Every day I marvel at just how funny he is. He loves to make us laugh and very much likes to be the centre of attention.

I'm having some quiet times at work at the moment so I'm working on my new proposal and doing some paperwork today. The day passes so quickly anyway. Before I know it I will be on my way up to see Calum and the gang at daycare. Don and I have started looking for a new home - we have to move at the end of July. We aren't looking forward to the move at all. We've got entirely too much stuff to pack up. Maybe we should go for a minimalist look and turf half of it.

We went grocery shopping last night and I resorted to doing something I never do. Calum was sitting in the cart very nicely till we got to the cookie aisle. He saw his favorite bag of cookies and I picked one up and put it in the cart. As soon as he knew we had it he kept trying to get at it and started whimpering for "this". "This" is his word for anything he wants right now. After trying to distract him I gave in and opened the package and gave him a cookie. I was tempted to go pay for the bag right away but one look at the lines told me to wait. As if that wasn't bad enough, he ate half the cookie then immediately threw it down when Don put a bag of popcorn twists in the cart. We spent the rest of the shopping trip listening to his cries for "This, this". I opened it up for him when we got to the car and he happily shoved handful after handful into his mouth all the way home.

Lesson learned, make absolutely sure the little one is not hungry before going grocery shopping and leave the snack aisles for last. The funny thing is it doesn't get any better as they get older. Dakota is apt to tell us she's starving just as we start shopping. They get more alike every day.

The Boy Can Dance

That's our boy

Forgot to share this - guess who was the only kid at Mother Goose time that wouldn't sit with his Mom and sing the songs? Yup, Calum decided he wanted to be in the middle of the circle and to point and laugh at all his friends. He had a great time though. Silly boy.

We went to the Queen's Park Petting Zoo this weekend, lots of animals like sheep, rabbits, and lots and lots of goats...

and then this goat made Mom and I laugh, he was scratching his itchy ear

and then this goat came back again...

and then we went to the waterpark but the water was turned off...

and then we went to the playground. I wanted to drive but this boy was using my steering wheel!

and then we all went on the teeter-totter, well except Dad who was taking all the pictures AGAIN!

What a long day...

I walk how far?

Found a neat tool at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

Mom was right, I don't need to exercise now that I have Calum. I found out that I walk between 2.8 and 5.6km per day just going back and forth to the daycare. Wonder how much more that would be if I could calculate how far I go running after him when he gets home.

I'm off to Mother Goose this afternoon. Calum's daycare has a new storytime/music session and poor Calum has had to make do without his mom at the last few. I'm told he really likes it. Also, the staff told me today that he is really picking up some sign language. He knows "more" and "eat" and "milk". Yeah!

Another Skateboarder in the Family?

Happy Mother's Day

Well, it took all morning but finally my internet connection is back up. I was about to go through email withdrawal and my work day is shot as I have to go get Calum in just over an hour. Oh well, I managed to do a little yard work.

Just wanted to say a quick "Happy Mother's Day" to all you moms out there. I've been getting packages from Don and the kids for the last couple of days and Don told me there is more to come. I guess that I have been an extra good mom this year. I hope you enjoy your weekend. We are planning a barbecue and I want to try out some recipes in my new Jamie Oliver cookbook.

We've got some pictures of Calum playing with Dakota's skateboard. He really likes watching her and Chris ride. Maybe we have another little skater in the family. We'll post pictures later in the weekend.

Trying on his Wedding Outfit

Enjoying the Sunny Day

Our son, the bully

I'm lucky because I get the chance to visit Calum at daycare almost every day. It allows me to see how he is doing and to see him interacting with other kids. He's a funny boy, he likes to laugh and pretend he is in on the joke, even if he doesn't know what the joke is. Lately, he has been a bit aggressive with some of the other kids. He'll push them away, step on them, pull toys from their hands....all things a parent doesn't like to see. Mind you, he also likes to baby talk with the little ones, speak gibberish with his friend Haris when they see each other first thing in the morning and will dance at the first sound of music. The daycare staff told us that it is just the "Toddler Creed" kicking in - the everything is about me and it is all mine school of thought. I must say I don't like it and don't know what to do besides repeatedly telling him to be nice, to give toys back, to not touch other kids. I think we'll have to make more of an effort to get him out with some older toddlers, the little ones can't complain as loud.

No real plans yet this weekend. I'm actually looking forward to the long weekend coming up. The Da Vinci Code will be coming out and the girls have offered to watch Calum for a few hours so that Don and I can see it. I thought that it would be easier to get out a bit when he got older but it actually seems to be getting harder. He seems to want his Mama by his side. If I even leave the room he'll break down into a crying fit. We do almost everything together - and it is both wonderful and exhausting sometimes.

I have been getting out a bit for a sign language class on Wednesday evenings. It can be a real hassle to arrange everything - Dakota has her paper deliveries to make, Desiree has music lessons, Don has to leave work early and I like to have Calum fed or at least have dinner ready for him. All that for an hour long class!
Oh well, I've got one more sign language class left next week. It's been fun. I really like learning along with the day care staff and our teacher is really funny. Her name is Aileen and she is the grandmother of one of the toddlers. Maybe Don's mom knows her. I must find out her last name next week.

This is one for the parents out there - don't you just hate that Dora show? Calum loves it but it's driving me crazy. He recognizes the song and the characters now and goes crazy anytime he sees or hears anything to do with the show.

Have a good weekend everyone.