A Boy and His Cake Pop

Today's tip: don't bring Oliver into Starbucks with you unless you plan on buying him one of these delicious treats. 

The Open Road

A super early spring means we dusted off the bikes and were able to get them out and on the road way earlier than ever before. Oliver got to test out his brand new push bike and was so proud to be sporting Logan's old helmet. Usually this type of activity is reserved for tulip season and the dog days of summer. With the mercury hitting the mid-20s and even a sign of humidity, there's no way we weren't going to take advantage! We know it won't last but who cares?

Sunshine brings a smile from ear to ear

Tulips already on their way!

Bikers meeting at the Hat Dude

Thumbs up for summer in March!

Is it Really March?

With the mercury rising well above seasonal (and we mean WELL above, today's forecast was for 24 degrees!), we planned a park playdate with Logan and Kayla. I don't believe we have ever had one of these in March, in fact I'm not sure we have even had one in April in the past! In any case, we were thrilled to don short sleeves and hit a dry and snow-free park for some running around and general hijinks. Had we not checked a calendar we would have thought it was June. Happy kids everywhere, zipping down slides and gliding on swings, what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. If that wasn't enough, the forecast for the upcoming week looks even BETTER, if you can believe it. An early dose of Florida temps just makes us even more excited to get there in just a few short weeks! Sunshine and happiness abound, March rocks!

Back in the swing of things

Look out, neighbourhood punks on the loose!

Kayla and god-Mom soak up the rays

Oliver can sure charm the ladies

I will teach you all about Lightning McQueen

Let's hug it out

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

The weather has been unusually mild this winter and this week was no exception, with above-average temperatures. With warm weather making us happy and a fundraiser for our local community centre at the Marble Slab Creamery, we put two and two together and ended up with big smiles from Isabelle and Oliver. Sure, they have had ice cream over the course of the winter, but there's nothing quite like going out to get it, and this place has some of the best ingredients. Oliver opted for Birthday Cake ice cream mixed with Smarties, while Isabelle opted for Strawberry mixed with tiny marshmallows. It goes without saying that they were thrilled with the end result, as the photographic evidence suggests:

Open for Business

With the first round of home renovations underway, the main floor of our home is in a bit of disarray. With Ruben the painter making daily visits to get all the main areas of the house and all the trim painted, everything in our living room has been gathered under plastic. This has made entertaining ourselves (and others!) a little more difficult than normal. It's funny how even though adults find it hard to cope with things turned upside down, kids are completely unfazed. Isabelle and Oliver have walked in every night and have had little reaction to what's going on, taking it all in stride. In fact tonight, perhaps inspired by all the Bank Street businesses that were open all summer during construction, they started up their own store in our living room. They gathered up the hats, mitts and shoes and tried to sell them back to the people who bought them in the first place, Mom and Dad! They were both so excited for their little project, displaying some of that work ethic they get from their parents, diligently building their inventory and setting up their cash register....they insisted on real money! Not surprisingly, they found a willing shopper in their Mom, who is only too happy to support any of their entrepreneurial ventures! Maybe a shop on Bank Street is in their future after all. Dream big!

Oliver, stockboy and top sales clerk!

The best display attracts the most customers

Isabelle serves her first and favourite customer

Grandpa's Here!

Although Grandpa is officially retired, he continues to work hard on contracts with government entitities. This is awesome for all of us because it means he comes to Ottawa on a regular basis. Needless to say all 4 of us are all thrilled to have him visit. Even though Mom and Dad like to give him a hard time about pretty much everything, we appreciate having him here, and the kids just adore goofing off with Grandpa. He was kind enough to extend his stay this time so he was our special guest for Pizza and Movie Night and the final set of skating lessons for the kids. Grandpa was also a huge help around the house, adding to the wave of renos we have underway by pitching in with some electrical work. Dimmers and new receptacles are already making the place look better! After many fun-filled days, he headed off to Toronto but we are already excited to see him again, first on Ottawa, then in sunny Florida! See you soon, Grandpa!

Let's Party! Let's Party!

With lots of friends at both daycare and school, Oliver and Isabelle are sure to be regular partygoers for many years to come, but this weekend was a first for us, two parties in one day! In the morning, while Oliver attended skating lessons, Isabelle was celebrating with her friend Camila at a pyjama party. Her and the girls (and one boy) had a dance party, pancakes and an all-around good time, capped off with ice cream and loot bags. Oliver, a latecomer that was just there to pick up his sister, even managed to snag a loot bag too! We went home to change and recharge some batteries and then it was off to an afternoon at Cosmic Adventures to celebrate Leith's birthday. This time Oliver tagged along and clearly this venue was right up his alley. Loads of room to roam? Nobody telling me to stop? A big sister to show me the ropes? Sign this dude up! They had an awesome time, finishing the whirlwind trip through the amusements with some hot dogs and cake. Tired out from all the activity, they headed home and dozed off in record time. Two parties is a lot to handle, for parents and for kids. Man, it's so difficult being popular!

Let 'er rip, first of 100 times down the slides!

Oliver looks good in Dinoco Blue!

Birthday boy Leith does the candle honours

Best buds play together and slide together

Elliot in the Capital City

We were lucky enough during a busy weekend to have a visit with Elliot, the beautiful 8-month old son of Auntie Alli and Uncle Sean. They were up for a few days from Toronto and we got a chance for a quick get-together to see how they were doing and see how much Elliot has grown. He's just on the verge of crawling now and was only too happy to see how many of Oliver's cars tasted! Such a cute little guy, sure to break many hearts in the future. Much like our visits to see them when we are running around like crazy in Toronto, it was already time to go. If only all of busy parents actually had some free time, we could have a conversation of more than 15 minutes! Alas, we bid goodbye to them and we hope Elliot doesn't change too much by the next time we see him, but we doubt that!

Oliver relishes his birthday present....can't go wrong with Lightning!

Proud papa and his little dude