Our Sesame Seed

Katie Turns Two - Part II

2012-01-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

[From Jan 20, 2012]

For Katie's actual birthday we went out bowling -- just our family plus auntie Karla. We now save on shoe rentals for R every time, thanks to the shoe mix-up last time we went. Just like last time, Katie was super-enthusiastic about playing with the bowling balls, but she found it difficult to wait for her turn. For the first half of the game we battle to keep her from bowling everybody else's turn, trying to find ways to occupy her while she waited for her next ball. We were so successful at our diversions that we spent the second half of the game campaigning for her to come back and bowl her balls. In the end, we just let her do her thing and Scott bowled for her. He could bowl all night if he had the chance.

Katie

Katie Bowling

Ball Retrievers

Karla

Katie Watching for Bowling Balls

The Scores

In the end, the award for highest score goes to auntie K, while the prize for cutest baby goes to Katie. Moments like this give me waves of anticipatory nostalgia -- I think about how I will miss having my little kids once they are all big and grown. Babies, please don't grow up.

Katie & Dad

The Hockey Experience

2012-01-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

[From Jan 15, 2012]

We signed up Scott for community soccer this week, and I have the autumn registration dates for community basketball in my calendar (in fact, I plan to be his coach). We held off on t-ball this year, but he'll probably play next year. People at work ask me if I'm putting him in hockey and I just shrug my shoulders. I don't know much about playing ice hockey. I can hardly skate. However, I can't deny that I enjoy a good brawl -- and that's exactly what we got when I took the kids to see the SAIT Trojans play the Clippers of Briercrest College and Seminary on Saturday afternoon.

We were only there for the 3rd period, but we saw 3 goals and 3 fights. There was such a steady stream of misconducts being handed out, there were four or five SAIT players in the penalty box at once (in addition to the 2-3 others who were booted altogether). I warned Scott prior to the game that the players might get into a fight. He originally misunderstood that they were REAL FIGHTS, as our "fights" at home are essentially play-wrestling. I think he was a bit shocked (and delighted) at the savagery of a real-life hockey brawl.

Scott locks onto any sports contest with absolute focus. Katie thought it was interesting, but she mostly focused on operating the folding seats. She gave the most alarmed looks every time they blew the horn. It was good that we only went for one period, because she was probably not going to last much longer.

In the end SAIT totally dominated, which was good for Scott, since he always cheers for the red team.

For the sake of balance, we are going to sign Scott up for an afternoon floor hockey class. That's my kind of hockey -- all of the fighting with none of the skating.

Katie Turns Two - Part I

2012-01-23T07:27:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Katie's 2nd birthday with the family in Calagary a few days early at the usual Sunday evening gathering, since several would be unavailable on the actual day. With Christmas memories only a few weeks old, Katie knows exactly what is meant by "presents", although she still gives a bit of blank look when you mention "birthday".

Sadly, my camera battery died just as we were lighting the candles, but uncle Ross came through with a shot from his phone of the big moment. Gluten-free brownies & ice cream!

Fun with Cousins

Katie & Alli

Katie and Adalia

Guess Who's Almost Two!

2012-01-19T01:40:00.001-07:00

Katie

2012-01-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

She loves to sit quietly and examine things.

First Family Photo of 2012

2012-01-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

[From Jan 1, 2012]

The first day of 2012 couldn't be any better, as we attended the missionary farewell of one of R's Ottawa girls whose family recently transplanted to the Calgary area (she's heading Boise Idaho), and then lounged around at their house for a while eating fabulous food.

Our thanks to Grandma Christensen for the photo. Too bad I am sitting so close to the camera. Perhaps I will go back with photoshop and try to make myself a few sizes smaller.

Is it just my imagination, or am I slowly morphing into my father?

Christmas Card Catastrophe

2012-01-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we received a Christmas card from my aunt and uncle in Illinois, and while they are known for their lively family photos, this card was remarkable for another reason -- because nearly a quarter of it had been bitten off by a mail-sorting machine. Poor Jennika took the brunt of the damage. Fortunately, we were at the wedding last December so we have some less-mangled pictures of the newlyweds.

The USPS put the remains of the card into a "We're Sorry" envelope and sent it along to us. I checked for the postmark date and realized that it didn't make it quite that far. So, if anyone wants two US stamps, let me know. I can steam them off and send them to you. Just send me a self-addressed envelope, postage paid.

Big Boy Bedlam

2012-01-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

We were given a free Big Boy Bed, but we weren't sure when to put it in service. Since we are moving at the end of the month, the most practical thing to do would be to switch beds during the move, upgrading Katie from crib to bed in the deal. However, it seemed to us that moving to a new house and new room would be a big enough change that it might be nice for the kids to have a familiar bed, so we might hold off.

Well, R was out for the evening when our friends dropped the bed off, so I just went with the flow and set up the new bed in Scott's room, since it was obvious that's what he really wanted. My job as Dad is to be predictably unpredictable.

Of course, Katie was just as enthusiastic as Scott about the new bed... and the flashlight that somehow made it into the proceedings (I think I mentioned something about about getting a mattress from the attic and Scott rushed off to get a flashlight, but I found the mattress in the basement instead). Of course, when someone has a flashlight, the lights HAVE to get switched off, regardless what kind of photos Dad is trying to take.

With the ensuing bedlam that alternated in darkness and light I eventually gave up trying to get a staged photo of the two kids snuggled up in bed and captured them as they truly are:

This last photo was actually taken in the dark with a flash. Apparently, that's what Scott looks like when the lights go out.

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-06T09:53:00.002-07:00

After a week of late nights and disrupted sleep schedules from Christmas (Katie didn't seem to want to go to bed anymore), we decided that our New Year's celebration was going to coincide with the festivities in Nuuk, Greenland.

The kids watched Wall-E and ate popcorn until 8pm

We gathered them around the computer to watch YouTube footage of last year's ball dropping in Times Square, since most countdowns look the same.

We broke out some sparkling grape juice

A toast to the New Year!

Christmas Day Sunday Best

2012-01-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Smooches

The Kids

Scott

Katie

R

Hayden

Uncle Brad and Adalia

Dean

Adalia Learning to Walk

Christmas Dinner

Katie

Books I Have Read in 2011

2011-12-31T21:22:00.004-07:00

JANUARY - JUNE
CFA Level 3 Curriculum Volumes 1-7
(Quite a thrilling series. I am glad to be finished with that.)

JULY - DECEMBER
The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813; Pierre Berton
(I picked this up on a whim. Who knew the war of 1812 was so interesting? Given that 2012 is a bicentennial year, you should do yourself a favour and read this book.)

Flames Across the Border: 1813-1814; Pierre Berton
(Part II of my war of 1812 experience. We have come a long way in 200 years. Gruesome naval battles, a lot of tomahawking, and an amusing chapter about the attack on Washington DC)

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine; Michael Lewis
(A fun and shocking read)

A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers; Lawrence G. McDonald
(I got 2/3 of the way through and got tired of all the ranting and raving from someone who didn't have much of an inside view.)

Crash of the Titans: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America; Greg Farrell
(I have heard there are even better books about the financial crisis, but it's hard to imagine one better researched than this one. The Lehman book I was reading seems pretty silly compared to this one.)

Chasing Goldman Sachs: How the Masters of the Universe Melted Wall Street Down...And Why They'll Take Us to the Brink Again; Suzanne McGee
(My library loan period ran out before I finished and I didn't really mind. It was just OK.)

Liar's Poker - Rising Through the Wreckage of Wall Street; Michael Lewis
(This book is a classic for good reason. What a bizarre world.)

This Time It's Different - Eight Centuries of Financial Folly; Carmen M. Reinhart
(My library loan period ran out before I got to the best part, but I still loved it. Those Europeans have been defaulting for centuries!)

A Thousand Barrels per Second - The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World ; Peter Tertzakian
(A few years old but still a great discourse on the history of energy and how it changes.)

The Courage of the Early Morning - A Biography of the Great Ace of World War I; William Arthur Bishop
(World War I fighter pilots were insane, and Billy Bishop was their king. Dogfights in the days before ejection seats and parachutes!)

Boomerang - Travels in the New Third World; Michael Lewis
(The chapter with the Greek monastery rags-to-riches story was hilarious.)

The Hunger Games; Suzanne Collins
(I am a big fan of the dystopian genre, so I liked this one. It has a very engrossing plot, but is more emotional and less political than most -- which is fine. It essentially takes Shirley Jackson to the next level.)

Christmas Morning Gifts

2011-12-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Santa Has Been Here

Stocking

The Morning Melee

The Hot Wheels Track

Tearing it open

The Tiara

The Dress

The Princess & Her Baby

Iron Man

Boys & Toys

H's Candy Cane

(If it isn't obvious already, I got a new camera for Christmas. These photos are only the tip of the iceberg.)

Christmas Eve Bedtime

2011-12-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

New Jammies

After a few weeks of just looking at gifts under the tree, Katie was absolutely thrilled to open a present and find new jammies inside. Scott really took to the idea of giving presents to everyone he knows, so he sat down one afternoon and made presents for three of his cousins out of his favourite craft materials: egg cartons and paper towel tubes. He made a gun, a "flying sailboat" and a "flying man".

Homemade Presents

Katie couldn't resist all the big-kid beds that were laid out in the basement, and tried them all out. She was pretty devasted when R finally scooped her up and took her to the office to sleep in a playpen.

Stealing A Big-Kid Bed

Storytime

Grandma M helped settle everyone down by reading the Grinch with the older kids, and then everyone snuggled into their beds for the night.

Christmas Eve Handbells & Hugs

2011-12-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Handbells

Katie had the orange bell, and I helped her ring it at the right time. Eventually, she got tired of my meddling and just rang it when she wanted -- a handbell jam session of sorts.

12 Days of Christmas

Last year R made a Christmas CD to play in the car and the kids just love it. Scott's favourite song is The 12 Days of Christmas, and he likes to hold up his fingers to show the number as he sings. He's a fan of Rudolph as well, but don't try to sing it any differently than the CD or you will get a scolding.

Nativity Story

Auntie N led the kids in a flannel-board retelling of the nativity story. When she told the kids that the wisemen brought gifts to baby Jesus, Scott piped up, "And so did the drummer boy". Scott knows his Christmas carols, so don't try to trick him.

Hugs

Christmas Eve Crafts

2011-12-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T08:44:00.003-07:00

Sledding at Sundown

2011-12-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Scott was freaked out by his first run down the hill, but he eventually warmed up to it and had a great time.

Katie took a few runs down the hill with me and then said she'd had enough. She mostly liked to watch.

Nativity at Heritage Park 2011

2011-12-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brad rode in our car to Heritage Park and Scott talked non-stop to him, giving him a thorough commentary on the Christmas CD that we've been listening to all month. Katie was still very wary of Brad and didn't make a peep. At the actual pageant Scott suddenly disappeared. He was right on the edge of the bench and tried to lean on the tarp next to him and suddenly he was gone.

On the way home, Scott wanted to know the names of the angels. He thought that we should learn all their names. He might be confusing the historical angels with the people playing the parts. Many of R's cousins were playing roles in the pageant this year.

Zoo Lights 2011

2011-12-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our trip to see the lights at the Calgary Zoo was nearly perfect -- the weather was much warmer than previous years (it actually drizzled rain a bit while we were there). Katie loved strolling along with Grandpa and Scott mostly wanted to wrestle with his cousins every second. This was her first time being fully decked out in her snowpants, and she was loving it. She kept pointing her pants out to everyone she saw. The only real disappointments for Scott were that we couldn't stay and watch the ice sculptor carving with a chainsaw all evening, and that we didn't let him stay and dance to the music for the music & lights display. Right next to us at the diplay we spotted Canadian speed skating star / TV sports commentator Catriona Lemay Doan with her kids.

Katie and the Dinosaur

Grandpa & the kiddies

Gold, Silver and Bronze

Video - Katie's Snowball Fight

Awesome Dream

2011-12-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Scott:
"I had a dream last night that was awesome.
I was hitting gorillas that were trying to get me.
And I was riding down a waterfall... on a horse.
I kept punching the gorillas.
It made me giggle in my sleep, because I was winning."

Olympic Plaza Christmas Lights

2011-12-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

R needed to get out shopping so I took the kids out to Olympic Plaza to see the Christmas lights. They absolutely love looking at Christmas lights from the car, so I figured they would be thrilled to see all the lights downtown. I was partially right. They were thrilled, but they were also cold. So we hopped on the train and rode down the Free Fare Zone for a few stops and came back. When we got off to go back home I pointed out some transit officers who were handcuffing someone. As we walked away I said, "Did you see those police? They caught a bad guy."

Scott's eyes went wide and he looked all around. He said, "Was there only one?" It was clear he was worried that there were more bad guys around, and that they could spring on us from anywhere. I assured him that there was only one bad guy and that they caught the bad guy and put "locks" on the bad guy's hands. That relieved his immediate concern, but then he began rattling off interesting scenarios that could also be dangerous.

Meanwhile, Katie was mostly interested in the lights. Whenever she see them she says, "Oooh! Nights!"

My Papercut Fell Off

2011-12-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Scott to stop messing around and just eat his dinner--
S: Dad, would you like it if you fell off a mountain onto your eyes?
D: No.
S: ... onto your nose?
D: No.
S: ... onto your chin?
D: Yes. Wait, no.
S: I got a papercut before.
D: Really? Where?
S: It was on my hand but I think it fell off in my room.
D: Oh? It fell off?
S: Yes, it's in my room somewhere now, but I don't know where.

In the car driving somewhere--
S: [Somber tone] Dad, I only want to stay in my family, with you and Mom and my sister. I don't want to go to any other family.
D: Like who?
S: Bad guys.

Before bedtime--
S: Dad, let's have a race downstairs and then a big fight!
D: Actually, it's time for bed, so you need to put your PJs on and go brush your teeth.
S: But Dad, my legs REALLY hurt. I don't think I can walk. [holds leg and starts limping]

About Christmas--
D: Why do we celebrate Christmas?
S: Because it's Jesus' birthday!
D: Do we give him presents on his birthday?
S: No. Only we get the presents.
D: Right. So what else can you do to help make Jesus happy instead?
S: When I die I can bring him a present.

Babysitter

2011-12-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

We babysat for some friends on the weekend so they could go to their company Christmas party. It was the easiest babysitting gig ever. Both of their kids hardly made a peep the whole time. In fact, the only time baby Lily ever cried was when Katie was crying. And Katie was crying because she wanted to hold baby Lily. Katie sat with Lily on her lap almost the whole evening.

She also wore her new toque almost the whole evening. The kids got toques, mittens, pencils and books from their weekly preschool class.

Meeting Santa

2011-12-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

[From Nov 26, 2011]

Scott met Santa this year. This is different from previous years, where he observed Santa from a safe distance.

We planned to go to the Christmas party at Great Grandma & Grandpa M's retirment home, but first Scott and I needed to go shopping for a toy to donate to kids in need. The experience dragged on a bit because Scott wanted to linger in every aisle, pointing out all the $30 items that we should buy (our budget was more like $10). Finally we settled on two die-cast muscle cars about 6 inches long -- a red Ford GT with white racing stripes and a yellow Chev Camaro with black racing stripes (similar to Bumblebee in the Transformers movies).

After we checked out at the cashier, Scott didn't want to part with the red GT. I told him that giving away something that he really liked would be a good thing, and Santa would know he was a good boy and would get him a toy. You could see the tears just below the surface. This was a hard thing for him. It was also hard for me. I was tempted to keep the red Ford GT for his Christmas present and only donate the Camaro.

Driving home in the car, I told him that he should ask for a present like that for Christmas, and maybe he could get one. He asked how you tell Santa what things you want for Chrismas. We said you could make a list and send it to Santa. But instead, he saw Santa in the flesh that same afternoon at the Christmas party.

Normally, Scott would be hesitant to go sit on anyone's knee, let alone a man with an enormous white beard, but in this particular instance there was no line-up so he was on Santa's lap before he could think it over. When Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas, Scott said he wanted a red car. No surprise there.

Scott's cousin L (who is generally fearless) hopped up on Santa's lap next and both kids came away with two candy canes each. Then they jumped on a horse-drawn carriage for a ride around the neighbourhood.

Sadly, I missed the Santa part because of some work I had to finish, but I arrived just as the carriage ride ended and Scott told me all about it. He was particularly thrilled that he got two candy canes. He told me that part over and over. He showed me the Christmas tree and he brought his cousin L down to show her the cars that we had donated. The sadness seemed to be gone. I think Scott had a good experience with giving, but I think we may need to make sure he gets a red die-cast car under the tree this year.

And two candy canes.

Liquidating the Buzz Lightyear Fund

2011-12-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

[From Nov 28, 2011]

Last year we spent Christmas at my sister's house in St. George, where two of her young sons received Buzz Lightyear toys that stood about 12" high and had cool pop-out wings and lasers and everything you could ever want in a toy. Scott was so inspired by this toy that he decided to save up his money to buy one for himself. He and R hammered out a pay scale for various chores (clearing dishes, sweeping, making his bed, cleaning up toys) and taped the illustrated document to the kitchen fridge, so that Scott could start working his way to his goal.

Looking at the box

He supplemented his earnings with money from recycling. His job was to take the bottles and tetrapaks down to the basement to the big orange garbage bag, and then he shared in the deposit refunds from the bottle depot. The target was $30, which seemed like a lot of money when we started. But finally the big day came, and R took Scott to a machine that would convert his wristband full of coins into paper currency (she picked up the processing fee), which we took to the Disney Store to make the big purchase.

Standing outside the store

In the store he wavered a little bit, looking at all the amazing Cars 2 merchandise that was available, but he finally settled on his coveted Buzz Lightyear figure knowing that he could always save up some more money to buy all the other amazing stuff they had on offer. He paid the clerk his $30 (we picked up the tax) and then the only thing standing between him and his new best friend was a box and a bunch of plastic fasteners.

At home with Buzz

For the next few days he announced to everyone that he saw that he had purchased a Buzz Lightyear toy WITH HIS OWN MONEY. He wanted to show it to all his cousins, but they wanted him to share it, while he mostly wanted them to watch him play with it. He learned to share it with them a bit, but he's still not to sure about letting Katie play with it (she learned the word "Buzz" very quickly).

Playing with Buzz

Most of all, Scott loves to play with Buzz. He makes little boy sound effects and flies him around the house and just enjoys it. Sure, some of the novelty has worn off now, but it was so refreshing to see him play with a toy and just LOVE it. We haven't seen that from him since his birthday or Christmas, and it showed how he's growing up in to a little boy, and is no longer just a little toddler.

But really, what toddler has $30 in the bank?