Friday, October 30, 2009

More new friends




I was glad to be able to get together with family friends Clara and Marta, who are here visiting all the way from Slovenia! Believe it or not, Marta is Clara's aunt. They've been enjoying the sights in T.O. this past week, and this weekend - on Halloween no less - they'll be celebrating their great (and great-great) aunt Louisa's 90th birthday.






So of course a visit to our fair shores just had to include some time with Carter and Nathaniel, who, as usual, charmed the pants off our visitors, who were very impressed at how well-behaved they were. Nate even let Clara feed him dinner!










And to top it off, they tried something new when the grown-ups were having dinner... Mum had Carter and handed him a rib bone, which he promptly started gnawing on. I had Nathaniel and gave one to him to try and, after some inspection, he also turned into a little carnivore. In fact, Carter got totally upset when we tried to take the bone away and go home.












So the coming week will see Clara and Marta heading up to Ottawa, and then back home. Have a safe trip and hope you enjoyed Canada!!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Secret Identities...







Halloween Pt. 1: Caped Crusaders

If our first Halloween had a theme, it could best be described as "Stuff Our Dad Is Obsessed With": Nathaniel suited up in blue and red tights as Superman, and Carter donned caped and cowl (well, for about two seconds) as Batman (we'll consider runners-up Wolverine and Daredevil for another year--especially if Marvel ends up giving me a job). Lidia and I opted for Starfleet uniforms as Yeoman Rand and Captain Kirk from the original 60s series (and unlike William Shatner, I didn't need a girdle to fit into mine).




The first of the season's two Halloween parties was hosted this morning at Surrey Place, where the boys certainly enjoyed the limelight. The bigger room allowed for more epic play time (and more comfortable temperatures), Barbara stopped by with some favorite songs (Nathaniel loves the shakers), and there were free eats for the adults (two hours of chasing twin boys while clad in rayon works up a hearty appetite)...

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Exercise, And Then--The Lockdown







This House Is A Prison!

With Carter having graduated from cruising to standing to navigating the stairs in mere weeks, and Nathaniel catching up, it became evident that we had to invest in some serious kid-proofing devices pronto! Slowly, our place will be refitted to become a toddler San Quentin, starting with the kitchen. Carter wasn't exactly thrilled to find his favourite route to the living room now a secured zone--but if he continues his good behavior, I might be able to talk the warden into a few favours...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Nathaniel Unleashed!

We knew he could do it--all this time he was just messin' with us. Tonight, Nathaniel made his first continuous crawl from one end of the house to the other--from the patio doors right through to the sofa in the front room (okay, with a few brief stops along the way...there's lots of cool stuff to be found on the floor!).



< So with two on the go (Carter's been making so solo trips for a few weeks now) it's officially time to invest in some security gates and to ensure that every nook and cranny of our humble abode is baby-proof...although beanbag furniture might be the only realistic option...

Good Citizens

Found this photo on the Friends Of Stanley Park website: from August's "Kids Community Picnic", where Carter and Nathaniel got to meet some local firefighters.

Fun With Someone Else's Pacifier!






Traffic? What Traffic?

Rest up boys--the realities of trying to get around this miserable city will be upon you soon enough--I think it goes something like: "Are we there yet?"

Maggie's Got A Brand New Playmate







Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Amanda Visits...

...and Carter flees, fearing he'll be put through his paces next. Amanda hadn't seen Nathaniel in a few weeks, and was super-impressed with his sitting, crawling, standing, and overall excellence in every respect. She prescribed a few new exercise challenges, and promises to bring some new toys next week. Stay tuned to find out what will replace Mr. Turtle and the bongo drum...

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Autumn...Ho Hum...

With temps dropping, we've got to seize every opportunity to get out n' about while the proverbial gettin's good. After a morning visit from our friend (and real estate guru) Laura, who brought the boys each a lovely new set of jammies, we bundled up and embarked on neighbourhood stroll on Saturday, and followed up with a quickie trip to Sherway on Sunday.... just to get in a few last looks at the big bad world before The Big Chill...






Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Doctor P Again?

Dr. P today--as per the usual drill, the boys were weighed and as the recent popularity of my shoulder rides already made perfectly clear, they're steadily growing: Nathaniel's now 17 lbs, 6 oz, with Carter catching up at 16 lbs, 10 oz. Everything's otherwise fine, according to the doc--Nathaniel even took his first (of three) testosterone injections (to prep for his minor surgery in January) with a minimum of fuss (and no deepening of his voice--which was a pretty funny joke she cracked). Both were giggly and clapping hands as we left--perfect, as Lidia was off to the music group at Surrey while I trudged back to work (where's there's no singing or clapping hands, but lots of screaming). Since I forgot to bring the new snap n' go camera and my cellphone battery was dead, we have no photos of the visit, so instead, here's a cute recent pic.

First Thanksgiving!

The boys enjoyed their first Thanksgiving this weekend in Bowmanville with Wendy, Steve, Stepheny and Thomas (who just turned 15!) --but of course, the main attraction was the chance to charm Grandpa and Grandma again, who came all the way from Pembroke to see how the dynamic duo have grown (pics just don't do it). Carter and Nathaniel overcame their initial suspicions quickly enough to find plenty of adventure and fun roaming around the spacious house, and enjoying their new gifts of a xylophone and electronic drum set (I'm sure our cats will be equally thrilled!)