Lesson Learned

No posts for a while. No excuse really, so I won't try to give one.

The kids have been growing steadily. Kenshin babbles away to himself quite happily, but still is not forming distinct words, except for "ma" for mom or dad and "ba" for ball. He also knows to say "uh-oh" when something seems wrong or is dropped and "wheeee" when he's having fun.

On (Canadian) Thanksgiving Monday, we took the kids to Orchalaw farms near Missisauga in a town called Norval. It was almost magical. I know that's a pretty corny thing to say, and I'm not generally the corny type, but it was really, really nice. Beautiful day, beautiful weather, lovely smells and sights - the wonderful bounty of nature and time with my young family.

I will carry the mental image of Kenshin sitting happily under an apple tree, munching on windfall apples, as one of the mental snapshots of happiest moments of my life.

If you have young children, take them apple picking. It is a lovely experience.

Today, Marli gave me a break from childcare while I played with my monthly wargaming group. She took them to the Ontario Science Centre. At one point, Daigoro wandered away from Marli, just for a moment, but long enough for him to become frightened. Today at supper, I asked him about what he learned at the Science Centre.

He said, "I learned not to run away from mummy."

March "Break" - Day 4, Abridged

Standard Time > Daylight Savings Time has made kids crazy. Schedules all screwed up. Nearly lost it on the boys this morning while juggling late start, incoming phone calls and need to rendezvous with parents at Bruce's Mill Conservation Area for Sugarbush Maple Syrup 40th Anniversary Festival.

Lugged kids around for three hours (with my parents' kind help). Ate pancakes with maple syrup, sampled old-fashioned kettle process maple syrup, ate maple sugar candies, bought maple sugar, mapled the maple maple, then mapled to the maple for maple.

Uhh... where was I? Oh yes. Maple.

Tried out snow shoes, drank cedar tea (surprisingly not terrible), cut out maple leafs in upstairs craft room. Pony ride, then horse-drawn carriage ride. Lots of fun. Really. Just tiring.

Kenshin isn't sleeping well these days - may be teething related. This morning he took a single unsupported step, then immediately sat down. Marli is amused at his "head-shaking game" - his Ray Charles imitation has grown from occasional tic to actual "no" response, but also a game. If you shake your head at him, he will respond in kind, then shake his head to prompt you to imitate him. Very cute. He's climbing up and down stairs like a fiend now.

Some random Daigoro vignettes:

While eating corn and perogies at dinner:

Daigoro: "Mommy, what did we kill?"

Marli: "What? What do you mean?"

Daigoro: "What did we kill to get the corn?"

Another, separate occasion - ordering a shamrock shake (yay!) at McDonald's:

Kozure: "One medium shamrock shake, please."

Take out cashier: "That will be three fourteen, please. Second window."

Kozure: "Thanks!"

Daigoro: (pause) "Daddy, that lady sounds like a robot."

One very heart warming bedtime last week:

Daigoro: "Daddy?"

Kozure: "Yes, Daigoro?"

Daigoro: "You're the best daddy in the whole world."

[I didn't make that one up, I swear!]

My parents kindly purchased a season's pass for our family this past Christmas, so we headed to the Toronto Zoo this past Tuesday as well. FROG-ZIBITZ special March break event in honour of the Chinese Calendar Year of the Frog. Frogatorium. 'Nuff said.

Very, very tired now. Stopping with the blogging.