Boo! For Two (Part 2)

As the light fell and our decorations took their toll on the power grid, the costumed hordes began their annual onslaught. Almost everyone on our side of the complex got involved--our once modest little display now spanned the front lawns all the way down to the school and made for quite an eerie spectacle.




The boys' reactions were mixed--Carter seemed a little overwhelmed by the activity but did belt out the "Batman" theme when he saw a man in the classic costume, and someone confused him with a "wookie", not remembering that Chewbacca was part of the "Star Wars" universe, and I was glad in "Star Trek" regalia as Captain Kirk.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, began screaming immediately upon our exit from the house. At first, we thought maybe it was the darkness, until it became obvious that mom's witchy-poo makeup was frightening him, and once removed, he was just fine.


So we took turns on candy detail until the last trick-or-treater half-heartedly lumbered up our walkway. The boys really enjoyed the glow-stick from Mastermind Toys, so I'm thinking next year: Jedi Knights? My hair will probably be grey enough to pull off Obi-Wan, and Carter loves the Weird Al parody "Yoda".



And while taking the decorations down in near-sub-zero temps, I decided I'd leave the spider suspended by the boys' window, just to provoke the condo corporation. I'll be waiting anxiously for a notification, warning me that giant arachnids are in violation of our tenant agreement...

Boo! For Two (Part 1)

A manic day with last-minute scramble of the front yard display, and a romp with the boys--in costume-through a strangely vacant Stanley Park...


It was literally snowing for most of the initial setup of our usual items--the big rat, the vampire bride, the expected severed limbs--but the weathered cleared up in a few hours for a nice, but chilly, afternoon.









There was just enough time to snack and rest up before the invasion once night fell...

Saturday Afternoon At Nona's

Wild N' Crazy Guys!

Carter has mastered his first-ever celebrity impersonation: Steve Martin and his once-famous catchphrase: "Well, excuuuuuse me!". Does Dad offer any songs/impressions later than 1977..?

Manic Monday

Lots of rejoicing after today's visit to Dr. Tesky at Sick Kids Nephrology Clinic revealed that Nathaniel's creatinine levels are beyond normal and even better than last time! So no new check-ups until next year...

New Railroad Set

Nathaniel's New Favorite Book

Eric Carle's "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" is Nathaniel's favorite book from Shelly's--Karen says it's the first thing he goes for, daily--and surprisingly, we didn't have it in our collection (I had convinced myself that we did)! So while out and about on Saturday, I made sure to stop by Chapters to pick up a copy, as well as the sequel "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" too.

Afternoon Hijinx

Party Animals..

Tuckered out after an active morning at their friend Gabby's house, the boyos didn't even last to the front step before conking out for their afternoon nap. Karen had the wise idea to dress them up in their new winter hats (courtesy of Grandma) and as you can imagine, it was a very tough decision to take them off. Plus-one for winter weather...

A Growing Boy--Feet First!

Yesterday afternoon, Carter experienced more discomfort, which we assumed was a replay of his foot problem from just a few weeks back. Once again, removing his shoes seemed to cure his woes, so we arranged a followup appointment with Dr. P to make sure he didn't get struck with another infection.

Arriving bright and early after 8am, Carter was in fine form--although I couldn't get him to say "Dr. Pappa" (which he uttered about a half-dozen times in the ride over) in the doctor's actual presence. The good news was that his toes were fine--other than some minimal redness--but it was clear that his feet had already outgrown his five-and-a-half-size footwear. An easy solution, right?



Almost. Later in the morning, while at Shelly's Drop-In, Carter started crying again, so Karen removed his shoes and he was fine. Could size six be too small as well?

So Mom picked up new shoes for Carter and as of this evening's bed time, size six-and-a-half seems to be comfortable.

We've come a long way from the slip-on Robeez...