A busy weekend

Calum loves the outdoors. It's becoming a real challenge to get him in from outside. He's smart too, he knows how to trick me. When we come home from the Old DC, he walks up the walk then stops to show me something. It's usually a rock or a bug. When I stop to look at it, he starts motoring for the back yard. He's fast too. When we get back from running errands and get out of the car, he runs for his car (a battery operated quad - Thank you to Pam and Mickey) and insists on looking for sticks or bugs. Sometimes, I can get away with him just playing on the back deck but we always have to play a game where we draw bugs from his insect book then pretend the bugs are trying to catch us. Our neighbors must think we are nuts.

Dakota and I took Calum to the driving range for the first time this past weekend. He was fascinated with the concept but wanted to start throwing the golf balls onto the range rather than hitting them. He was pretty upset when we finished our buckets. Guess we actually better find a club his size though because it was pretty funny to see him try to use ours.

Desiree got a job. She'll be working at the Whitespot up the street from our house. Dakota still isn't on the work schedule for this week but I suspect with the nicer weather she'll be filling in for other people pretty soon. We've got some new pictures to post soon.

Hope you are all cheering for the Canucks tonight. Even the toddlers at the daycare are talking about it.

Morning meltdown

I made the mistake of agreeing to play Calum's favorite XBox game this morning, Star Wars Lego II. He loves the game, and I have to admit it's a lot of fun. However, when it was time to get ready for daycare he had a meltdown. He wanted to keep playing "Luke!" Then I tried to get him changed and he insisted he wanted to wear his very dirty Luke shirt. I had to frantically search for his other Luke shirt and convince him I'd wash his favorite before I could get him changed. Luckily, the mood didn't last long. As soon as I told him it was raining and we'd need his spidey boots and umbrella he was ready to go. Now, getting him into the daycare and away from the puddles was another matter.....toddlers really remind me of teenagers. Calum's certainly no meek little boy. He knows what he wants and he has me wrapped around his little finger.

More from the Old DC

I generally spend at least 30 minutes a day at the Old DC. Calum, and all his friends, like me to read them stories in the morning. They are each allowed to pick out a book for me to read, which is fine when there are 3 kids but some days there are 7 or 8. They all try to get me to read 2 or more books too. I don't really mind though, it's a great way to start the day and to meet all of the other kids.

They do some funny things though. One girl likes to do somersaults (she's not even 2 yet!), 2 boys like hockey and you have to make a big deal over their hockey jerseys, 1 little guy is quiet but likes to attach himself (limpet fashion) to your leg, 1 likes to jump (as does Calum) and they all spontaneously break out into the "Wheels on the Bus" song. Calum really likes a few of them and they greet each other as soon as they are in sight. He also likes the babies. At the end of the day, when there are just a few kids left, they usually have the infants and toddlers together as they do the end of day chores. Calum loves to show me the babies. He smiles and laughs as though to say "Aren't they strange".

Don, Calum and Dakota will be back soon. Don found another great Craigslist buy. A new zoom lens! Expect more pictures next week. Desiree is out at a Modest Mouse concert (no, that's not a kids concert) and I was finishing some work. Going to go enjoy the last few minutes of quiet before they all get back.

Hope you are all having a good start to your week.

Some Easter pictures (at last)

Where do the days go?

Things have been busy. We've got some easter pictures to post but I haven't managed to download them yet. I'll post them next week. Calum has been doing great. He's really starting to talk and is a real character now. He certainly knows what he wants. Today, he was having fun imagining that he was fishing on a boat. The boat was his little tykes climber and his fishing rod was the broom. We've never been fishing with him so it was pretty neat to see that he is a natural.

After a bit too much attention from us all, he went off to our room today and closed the door. I, of course, opened it and told him he could play in the room but had to keep the door open. He said "OK. Bye". I tried to ask him what he was doing but he just kept saying "Bye." I left him alone for a few minutes then went to check on him. He was eating chocolate, lying on the floor and suddenly started saying "Luke!" Guess he was imagining he was part of the jedi order or something.

He's got quite a sense of humor too. Today he kept trying to get a reaction from me. He put on his shoes and told me he was going to the Old DC. I made a big deal out of it, begging him not to leave his poor mom, but he actually started heading for the door. Guess he was missing all of his friends today. Then he realized he'd get some attention if he had a cough. A few times he put on this pathetic little *cough* for Dakota and I. He may be getting a sore throat but I can tell you that cough was a fake. Funny boy.

Good news for Dakota. She spent her after-school hours doing some training last week at the new Smart Foods store. She's been wanting a job for awhile and is very happy she's now old enough to do things other than babysitting and paper routes. She's trained as a cashier and is currently on call.

Don, Desiree and I are busy too. I am finishing up most of my major projects and thought I might have some rare quiet time for awhile. However, it looks like there will be some wrap up work for the next quarter and more work for my Band. Also good news for me because it looks like I may be making a trip or two up to Merritt over the next few months.

If you haven't looked yet, go to Grandpa Bains blog http://www.radioado.blogspot.com/ to see new pictures of Coy. He's growing so fast.

New pictures - visit with Nanny and Papa and a walk