Mug Shots

Where The (Real) Wild Things Are!!!

Once Around The Yard...

The nightly neighbourhood inspection before bedtime (theirs, not mine!). No shortage of passersbys slowing down to admire the boyos. Merlin, of course, had to stop by to steal the show, and I'm probaby just encouraging him by giving him treats (while Maggie watches jealously)....

Hi-Diddle-Dee...(A Baby's Life For Me)...

The boys were restless so we embarked on an impromptu tour of the 'hood, which brought us to Valhalla to pick up a new "Wild Thing", then across Queen St. West to Kohl Kids to check out the latest toddler fashions (sorry boys--your closet is full!), and finally, a stop at The Foggy Dew on King St. West, where Mom and Dad inhaled a quickie snack as the staff fawned over the sleepy heartbreakers...

Patio Happenings...

What constitutes our "front yard" is scarcely larger than a bath mat, but it's seen a lot of action lately. First, our A/C unit decided to exhale its final, wheezing death rattle on the first brutally/insanely/cruelly hot day of the summer, but we were able to secure a new(environmentally-sound, for those who care about this sort of thing) unit within a relatively short period of time (under a week!), and at a price slightly more affordable than we were originally quoted. Hey, any day the repairmen show up on time and leave you with a working product is a day worth enshrining in the blogosphere. So there you go...

Also this past week. I returned home from the indignities of the work place to encounter another: a letter had inserted into our front door frame, bearing the insidious logo of our condo corporation. Which meant we'd either have to move our car out of the parking garage again for yet more repairs, or we'd done something that upset Big Brother.

It was the latter: apparently, the new condo manager (a real busybody, to whom I'd taken an instant dislike) conducted an inspection of our patio (!) and found that we'd allowed weeds to proliferate, making for an unsightly facade to the complex, in violation of agreement blah-blah-blah.

A quick fix, but for me this is an official throwing down of the gauntlet for an act of war. Attached you will find a photo of the offending vegetation.

Mind you, with the weather being so hospitable, we've taken to touring the boys around the front yard and our street following their bed time snack. Ordinarly, I don't like to post too many photos of the front of our home--I prefer to make stalkers and serial killers work harder--but the boys are fast becoming celebs to the neighbours and casual passersby...

Seven Months!

That's THIRTY pounds of infant you're looking at folks...

Seven Months Today!!!

Canada Day At Trinity Bellwoods

Our first Canada Day spent in Toronto in years, and of course, there were no celebratory festivities on our nation's 142nd, thanks to the city-wide strike (thanks for nothing, you pampered, overpaid morons), and we fully expected to find our beloved local park a festering dump.

To our amazement, someone's been picking it up and changing the trash bins! So the boys got a decent stroll amidst panting mutts and whirling frisbees, checked out the new playground that will become one of their key destinations soon enough, and even got to frolic on the grass all Walt Whitman-like.

Carter and Nathaniel eventually passed out--but at least it was from exhaustion and overstimulation, as opposed to what some of the other neighbourhoods are dealing with...

Patio Dining

Yes--They DO Sleep!

Stand Up Act

Most of us of a certain age would welcome settling into life in which you'd be require to simply lie on your back all day and idle about until people to feed you, dress you, sing you songs, and bring you things--with your only obligation to act adorable. But for Carter and Nathaniel, the shelf life on that fantasy expired at approximately the six month mark.

In the past few weeks, the boys have steadily gained strength and awareness to the point where they spend most of their awake time flipping over onto their tummies, trying to sit up, stand up--anything, really, but what they're doing at the immediate moment!

During the visit to Pembroke, Carter took immediately to the freedom afforded by the Graco Easy Glider, and Nathaniel suddenly became adept at--and obsessed with--grabbing my fingers and pulling himself effortlessly up into standing position (again and again and again...). When we got back to Toronto, we immediately invested in a Jolly Jumper, which is a hit with both boys, even if it is mounted at the entrance to the downstairs bathroom--not the classiest location to be sure--but for reasons known only to Brookfield Properties, the only one on the main floor that offers a standard secure door frame.

Improvisation has the name of the game in this scenario so far (and for the foreseeable future), and to date, all of our decisions seem to be the right ones with our doctors, therapists, and most importantly, the boys. Now when they get to the crawling stage (which might be sooner than we think), we may have to throw ourselves at the mercy of the public. I hear that there's a property in the U.S. that used to house eight kids, newly vacant...

Chillaxin'

While the world reels from today's one-two punch of the passings of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, Lidia and I had to contend with the death of something less iconic but far more immediately essential to our lives: our central air conditioning unit--which gave its life in the line of duty after nearly nine years of reliable service. The timing couldn't be worse--the days have been unseasonably hot of late (don't get me started on the city-wide trash strike) and the boys have been exhibiting some irritation with the mid-afternoon swelter (the heat doesn't bother me, but then again, I don't weigh all of 15 pounds!). Thankfully, we've got a sturdy ceiling fan and a nice steady breeze from Lake Ontario to take some of the heat off--here are a few shots of the boys chillin' out at ground level...

Mushy Carrots: The Reaction

Lidia And The Boys

Happy Birthday, Nanny

I was the first grandchild on my mother's side, but near the last of them to have kids of my own (there a few more who followed me waiting the wings). The wait was well-timed, though--today my grandmother turns an incredible 86 years of age, and she got a pretty good birthday present last week in having finally had the opportunity to spend some extended time with the boys.
Don't know how I can possibly beat this for her 87th...

Happy Father's Day!!

I know it's an old picture, but it's the only one on my hard drive with Robert and Carter and Nathaniel. Besides, it clearly shows the kind of paternal influence he's having on the little guys, given their wardrobe.

I love ya honey, and thanks for all the help and support you've given this harried, stressed out mummy over the past six and a half months!

First Pembroke Visit (Pt. 2)