Sunday, October 18, 2009
You make the call
I couldn't be on the ice today because Ann was working and I had to watch DD. However this gave me a chance to actually watch LL play hockey. Here is a clip from his 3 on 3. He's wearing # 12 in the purple and white Tim Horton's sweater. LL has the honour of being the first kid in his group to raise the puck. Unfortunately the dad in the bicycle helmet was up to the task and stopped the shot with his shin.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
my hero
Spiderman and Superman interest appears to be waning, however stock in the Flash is at an all time high.
Noon hour light - end of September
Gotta remind myself to take some video of DD crawling before those days are over...(soon)
Alley cats
Chill is in the air here in Montreal especially this past week- less and less kids playing in the back alley.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
From failing hands...
Taking some time out from his superhero duties for training camp, LL assumes his daytime role as scoring machine.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
LL first day at school
And so begins a new chapter in our lives. LL started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. Here is is on the morning of his first day (basically a whole hour at school).
Friendly neighbourhood kindergartner
Turns out LL wasn't really sleeping through the night all these years.
LL and his work colleague
LL and I went to the market and when I turned around he was talking to some kid on a bike... Apparently they were trading war stories.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BOYS
Mid-August update... the last few weeks have been crazy busy. I basically got slammed with work and babysitting duties. Thankfully Ann and the boys put up with my general grumpiness and last night I managed to get to bed before 3am for a change. In fact, I fell asleep before the boys did! Anyways I thought I'd take the time tonight to catch up with the blog before getting back to the grind again.
1!
Our lil' guy turned 1 on Sunday so we celebrated after dinner (Ann had to go out to the Eastern Townships during the day).
TSAI BOYZ
..and one with dad. LL and I made the cake as Ann designated me official cake maker for family events earlier this year.
HOUSE GUEST #4
We also had other (unwanted) house guests in the roof above our balcony. We hired a guy to get rid of them so he set these traps and would then take them to the South Shore. Our first catch was a skunk. All in all we caught 2 skunks and 4 squirrels. We're crossing our fingers that that was the whole family and we can now seal up the hole through which they were entering.
WAITING HIS TURN
During the 1st couple of weeks in August LL continued with swimming lessons. He was at the same level as last year (Salamanders) but has now graduated to the next level. I had originally signed him up for 9-9:30 lessons with the same teacher as last year but after a couple of days we switched him to an earlier spot with a different teacher so he wouldn't miss activities at garderie. With the new teacher LL immediately started swimming without his life jacket. Yay!
Monday, August 17, 2009
MG
The next weekend (Aug 1 and 2nd) Grant, Michelle and family came for a visit. Spent the better half of Saturday touring through the neighbourhood parks, while Sunday we took in JT market and family day at Roger's cup.
AIR HOCKEY (OLD RINK)
The same weekend J headed back to Toronto we inherited an old air hockey set from our next door neighbours.... more on this later...
HOMECOMING DINNER BY J
Ann's brother J came back to Canada after spending the last year at a cooking school and stage at a restaurant. We were treated (incl. Ali and Mark) to the first demonstration on Canadian soil (J's parents and brother were lucky enough to exerience the full deal in France). Amazing, really. The rest of the week J was working on the production for cross country check-up on CBC (on the controversial swimsuit ban) so we were getting these strange calls from some guy named Mark Tewksbury.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
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I have a photo like this of my siblings and I on a firetruck- I'll have to try and dig it out one day.
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My dad volunteered to take LL out and search for lost golf balls and now LL is wanting to go find balls all the time. Here's the family at the closest hole to my parents.
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Had to run into Banff for some business so LL tagged along for the ride.... I'm pretty sure I've seen this same photo on other blogs before.
and a kickstand to boot
Ann and LL with the most recent craigslist find (just happened that the seller lived around the corner from us). LL still needs the training wheels but maybe we'll start practicing on 2 wheels later this summer.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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Yesterday night was the graduation dinner at the garderie. Many of these kids will end up at Lambert Closse in our old neighbourhood- so I'm kind of sad that LL will not be with his old gang of friends next year. Anyways we're really happy that LL enjoyed his last 3 years at the garderie, made so many friends and adapted to the french environment despite being the only one there handicapped by 2 anglo parents!
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LL opened the show with 3 songs on his violin: Oh Come Little Children, Go Tell Aunt Rhody and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. A few mistakes but he played through it (whew!).
In the mind of DD
I filched this one off of Ali's facebook - because it's a classic and for the benefit of those not on facebook. I think this was taken a couple of months ago.
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Les finissants. Last week the graduating group at the garderie went for the traditional overnight trip to Ferme d'Andre. LL has never wanted to take part in the garderie sleepovers but he agreed when we told him this was his last hurrah with his friends. LL had a great time and said he had too much fun to miss mommy and daddy.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Spring in Montreal
Last few nights have been really nice. Ann and I spent some time pruning the lilac tree that was starting to make its way into our windows. Our neighbour gave us some much needed tips. For the past month or so we've also weeded our backyard. I started at one side because the weeds were choking off our neighbour's plants but after a few weeks the entire backyard ended up being ripped out. It's now a big yard of dirt and rocks. Waiting for a contractor to come over and price out how much to put in some new retaining walls.
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I gave up trying to get both boys to simultaneously look at the camera. Anyways I think this one's a keeper.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
We want the cup, we want the cup, we want the cup...
LL's soccer team has been doing great..... it helps when one of his teammates has been playing in the 5-year old league since he was 3. Anyways, months of practicing hockey goaltending in our basement has finally paid off in this game-saver. We've been working on the "butterfly style" of course but I've also added my own creation "the caterpillar style" to LL's training regime which he pulled out of his bag of tricks today. All the team needs now is an enforcer to prevent liberties with the goalie. The team is now 9-1-1 ..... (their one loss came when the other team produced their own ringer.....a 7 year old!)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Team Mexico off of their Ritalin
LL missed his Saturday soccer because we were in Toronto, but we were back for Monday soccer. Unfortunately we missed notice on Saturday that Monday's match was cancelled due to another soccer tournament. LL and his teammate/friend from garderie ended up having a ball anyways, playing in the park.
Courtyard House
Went to Toronto on the weekend for Ann's cousin's wedding. Before leaving we took in an open house at the Courtyard house near Deann's house which was part of the Open Doors Toronto weekend. Here we are with Greg, T and R in the ground floor courtyard (unfortunately the upstairs was closed off to the public). Ann's parents and Holden and family were there too but I forgot to bring my camera. Thanks Greg/D for the pictures.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
April update
March and April flew by. Ann's parents were here last week for a brief visit. LL has been riding his bike to garderie everyday with Ann and as of today has started his football (soccer) career. Nice weather is here and all the neighbourhood kids are out playing in the back alley again. Yay. Didi is doing great and sleeping really well at nights. He's also on the verge of being able to completely sit up by himself. It's the small victories that count.
soccer warm-up
LL and his friend Lily are signed up for soccer which started today. They started with some intro drills and then a short game which LL's team won 4-1. No goals for LL but he did make a pretty spectacular sliding defensive tackle to prevent a sure goal. I didn't manage to get that one on camera so the legend is already growing with every iteration of LL's account of events.
sandwich to end all sandwiches
Every once in a while the stars align and we have all the right ingredients lying around, everything is ripe at the same time and I don't screw up the egg. The result: THE sandwich. bacon, lettuce (ok I would have preferred arugula), tomatoes, Egg over easy, avocado and mayo on lightly toasted Oats and honey bread. yum.
april 25 parc JFK
the swings are finally up and it was 25 degrees today so I headed off to the park for a little bit this morning with the boys.
kanata concert
LL and Ana. Not that they're playing together, LL is just getting ready for his turn.
matty final game
Caught Matty's final championship game for the season. Unfortunately they lost 4-2 but it was a valiant effort. One disallowed goal and a few amazing saves by the other team's goalie otherwise it could have gone the other way. Photos top to bottom: Matty coming out for the pregame skate, a bit of a slide after clearing the zone, getting back for defense (we won't talk about Matty's stick that 'slipped' out of his hands in the general direction of the puck), being chased down by 4 of the other team's guys and finally (the highlight of the game) Matty coming in with some pressure on his heels and putting it where mamma hides the cookies. Good job Matty!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Still working on the scoreboard
Newest addition to the downstairs rink- just trying to get the boy interested in ...y'know......hockey.
Alberta bound!
Ann took the boys out West to Alberta for a couple of weeks (March 17- 30) while I stayed back home to get some work done. It was a great couple of weeks for all involved. I managed to get lots of work done and around the house... LL and Elliott really bonded during the two weeks and Ann got her dose of small town filled. Thanks Ann and thanks to the grandparents for the help!
Ski bunny
Ann signed LL up for his first ski lessons (she's been looking forward to this for 5 years). LL took to it immediately.... I think it's probably a lot easier than skating for him. After 3 days LL was pretty proficient and taking the Bronze chair up the slopes.
Take note
I have a picture like this of my mom and I when I was this age....I'll have to try and locate it sometime.
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Ann or LL took a series of these but this is the only one where they're all more or less un-blurry.
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Violin lessons continued on - business as usual - even on vacation. Lately Ann has had me playing accompaniment....so it looks like those 12 years of piano lessons won't go to waste after all.
The farm
Ann got her dose of Prairie skies back in the Hat with LL and Elliott. LL loved playing the van der Sloots so it looks like there will be another generation of friendship brewing there. Ann is already looking forward to signing LL up at strings camp this summer.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Last skate?
It's starting to warm up here so this may have been our last skate at the local outdoor hockey rink.
If this video doesn't work you can try going to the flickr site.
If this video doesn't work you can try going to the flickr site.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
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This year we went to Mexico (Nuevo Vallarta) to stay at my parent's timeshare. It was the first time the entire family was together in about 5 years. Thanks for the great trip mom/dad!
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Holden and his extended family were also in Nuevo Vallarta but at an all-inclusive (Dreams Villa Magna). We overlapped our stay by several days so they spent the first couple of days visiting us at our resort and then we hung out with them on the beach of their resort. Final night was capped off by releasing sea turtle babies into the ocean at sunset (sorry no photos).
Ps thanks for the drinks.
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Ann and the boys were all sick with the flu- but LL and I managed to catch a bit of the all-stars. We postponed LL's birthday party for after our trip to Mexico.
Friday, January 09, 2009
First Habs game- LL
After New Years I went with LL to his very first Habs game (vs Florida)- which they won in a shoot-out 6-5. The key to keeping a four year old entertained is apparently chips, juice, pizza and the occasional dance-off. Thanks Ali for the tickets!
In progress
Ann's parents came to town for Xmas. On the night before they left we formed and assembly line (see flickr) and made jiao zi. Yum. Love it.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
preparing the backyard rink
It's been a long time since any updates. Just business as usual around here. DD is sleeping through the nights and just has a cranky period around 9pm. LL is hockey obsessed like every good Montreal kid. Our basement is almost fixed up (since our August plumbing leak)...just waiting for that darn carpet to arrive. I've also been faithfully going to road hockey this year, since DD is sleeping and we've instituted QUIET TIME for LL in the afternoon. It's now officially cold. I'm getting tired of elections. Can't wait for spring.
Monday, December 08, 2008
3 months
Here's DD at 3 months. Recently we've been reminded by Holden of the magic of 5-layer swaddling.
first snow- new house
Frosty lasted a couple of days before melting away. Not to worry I'm sure LL will have plenty more cracks at snowman making.
mr dressup puppets
For the past couple of months we've been borrowing Mr. Dressup DVDs from the library- so LL has almost completely forgotten his toys and has been absorbed by his bricolage. Here he is putting on a play for us.
halloween 2008
For most of the past year LL wanted to be Lightning McQueen for Halloween. Thankfully with a month to go he decided he just wanted to be a hockey player (whew!). Every year he feels a little silly getting dressed up and going to school like this but after he sees all the other kids he feels much less self-conscious. Here's Mr. Happy on the way to school.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
swinger
After coming home from Massachusetts, we had a quick visit from Phil and Hanny and the Grant and his family came for the day. We spent a good part of the day touring the numerous parcs of Outremont. Here's LL hanging around at Parc Beaubien.
atomic wedgie
LL and Kai were trying to determine which baby was bigger using rationale straight out of Monty python.
vermeer and ann's shoe
then stopped at Plimoth plantation museum- to see how the pilgrim's lived. something about this one scene reminded me of a Vermeer painting.
the pose (Mayflower II)
After Boston (thanks to Cathy for letting us stay at her place for a couple of nights!) we made our way to Cape Cod where we rented a cottage with Holden's family... stopped first at Plymouth to see Plymouth rock and the Mayflower II. Thankfully we brought LL's bike which cut down on any whining.
feeding frenzy
Headed to the Children's museum with both sides of the family- great place for kids (obviously)
backseat entertainment centre
LL was great in the back seat - keeping an eye on DD throughout the ride.
sunday driver
Headed down to Boston to see cousin Fred and family and to meet up with Holden and family. Good time of the year to drive down as the leaves were at the height of their colour change.
avast ye scurvy dog
Last week LL came home dressed as a pirate- amazing because he hates face makeup. Anyways his Halloween costume wish has changed from Lightning McQueen to pirate to hockey player. We're hoping it stops at hockey player....is that a cop-out?
Monday, October 06, 2008
Gatineau
We planned on going for lunch in the Byward Market with Ann's cousin, Janet but as per usual found ourselves in Quebec. Our first time at St Hubert chicken establishment. LL's meal came in the paper car and has since demanded that his meals at home be served in the car.
Pas de deux
Ann's parents came in mid-September for a couple of weeks to help out as well. To celebrate here is LL in a pas de deux with popo.
too many candles
While my parents were here Maureen et al came from Ottawa and we celebrated her gazillionth birthday
sleepover
A few weeks after Didi was born, LL's friend Chloe came to stay with us while her baby brother was entering into the world. We made it through the night with a few tears but relatively unscathed.
08
A couple of days after Didi was born my parents came out to help out for a couple of weeks. This shot was taken shortly before taking Yeye and Nainai back to the airport.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Twin Elm Road
Made a quick visit to Ottawa for the final review of the Twin Elm Road farmhouse renovation. The project is now substantially complete in terms of the contractor's responsibilities. The owners will now be taking care of the finishing details- particularly on the inside. Perhaps I will pop in later in the the Fall for some interior shots.
big foot
For the benefit of those who have not succumb to Facebook and seen the photos there- here is a photo of our newest family member, Elliott a.k.a. Sasquatch.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Going down
Went from a score of 87 at our old place on Saint-Urbain to a score of 72 at our new address. What's your score?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
centre court
Headed out to see some Roger's Cup action at Jarry Park. LL stole the show at centre court with his mean backhand.
Ana
While I was watching some of the women practice (Sharapova I think) there was a commotion as Ana Ivanovic was being taxied away.
labourers
Ann's parents were in town last weekend. Ann's cousin Barry and family were also here for dinner on the Friday. As Barry pulled up in his car, Ann ran out to meet them and took a tumble down the stairs wrecking her knee. She's ok but still hobbling a bit a week later. Here's LL and gong gong washing the car in the backyard. Unfortunately we had to bail out on the third set of visitors on the weekend since Ann was laid out.
jumper
Testing out the burst mode on the ol' camera. This is LL's favorite part of each lesson...he usually sneaks in a jump or two extra.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
March 29 concert by request
An oldie by popular request. "5324 Saint Urbain Unplugged- the official bootleg".
.....now queue the band
This encore courses through their veins. LL knows this piece as "Baby Einstein".
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Lighting McQueen
This video is a month or two old now but since I'm in the groove of posting videos I thought I'd post it anyways.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The local pool
LL has started his first swimming lessons and it won't take him long (I give him til the end of the week) before he's surpassed the ol' man in swimming skills.
He's been a little resistant to go to lessons but I've been going with him in the evenings so that we can practice. There's LL and another boy who haven't been swimming before, plus three other kids who are very much at ease in the water.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
artiste
Best purchase of the month- a roll of drawing paper from IKEA. LL has been focusing on his artwork everyday- can easily sit there for an hour drawing!
fraisebec
It's that time of year again, time for the annual return to St. Eustache for strawberry picking! Raspberries in a couple more weeks...
strawberry sweatpants
Even though it was sweltering LL refused to remove his beloved Canadiens' colours sweatpants
Thursday, July 03, 2008
LL meets Bob
Took a break from unpacking to head to Ottawa for business and pleasure. Stopped by the Children's museum where they had a Bob the Builder exhibit. LL was too scared to have his photo taken with 'real' Bob.
House swap
A photo from Ali's house swap before my camera battery died (amazingly still charged from our trip to Japan!)
last night
On our last night at the old place- we stopped for Ice Cream at Plus que Parfait and went for a stroll along St- Laurent
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
End of an Era
Today we closed the deal on our home in the Mile End. Tomorrow we close on our new home. 5 years on Saint Urbain and we will miss this old block but are looking forward to moving in to our new neighbourhood. I plan on sending a change of address message soon but I'm pretty sure my address book is out of date. Anyways, in case you don't get a message in your email- we're no longer here. More from our new home next week.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Cameron Ave Project
Here is a photo of a completed renovation/ addition project on Cameron Ave in Ottawa - taken a couple of months ago.
STAI project underway
One of our recent projects undergoing partial demolition on the outskirts of Ottawa. This shot was taken a few weeks ago. There were some nasty structural surprises revealed during demolition but that seems to be par for the course with renovation jobs. Should be heading back there in the next week or so to have another look.