King for a day

I had 1 genuine birthday wish: to have a little party with my buddies at McDonald's. Well, my birthday was Wednesday, I've had 3 other parties and today this one.

IT WAS GREAT!!

Momma & Poppa liked it too because there was no mess to clean up or lingering guests. We had our own area to eat, run around, and yell and scream in. Then after cake and opening cool presents we went to play in the indoor play area. Yeeehaaaa!

Thank you Momma & Poppa! And thank you to all my friends and their parents for the cool gifts.

PS: In case you're counting, I'm 4 now, not 10 like the candles show.

Star Wars episode 7: Vader Returns

The first episode came out in 1977. The last episode in 2005; Mikah was 2.5 years old, Mateo was 5. They didn't see any of these movies until earlier this year! The continuing effect of these movies on their generation is unbelievable. Having seen a few homemade light saber fight sequences online lately, the boys wanted to make their own. Here it is from Omi's backyard:

Hallowe'en

We changed our minds 3 times a day since mid September about what we wanted to dress up as; a dragon, a knight, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, a monster, didn't care because we weren't going out (well, that was Mateo only) but finally decided on ...

Yeah!!

Poppa was going nuts about how to make each costume and then just gave up and waited. Momma decided that whatever they would be, they would be store bought. No fuss - no muss. And so it was!

Here is picture of part of our stash. I think the camera was having a sugar rush and that's why the picture is wonky.

Weekend at Grand-maman & Papou's house

Mama and Poppa went to visit our new cousin Mathew in New York City this past weekend. He's already 2 months old! We stayed at Grand-maman & Papou's house and had a really good time. Sofia came over with Tatiana and we all went to the park and played together. Grand-maman & Papou also took us to McDonald's (we're lovin' it!) and we got Bionicle toys there.

Every night before dodo time Mama & Poppa called us to see how we were doing and to wish us a good night. The first night was OK but then we started to miss them. We were pretty happy and excited when they said they were coming home. We were in bed but Mateo was still awake when they came in. I stayed asleep so they put me in the truck and I slept all the way home and until the next morning.

Now things are back to normal and it feels nice!

Paws for hope

Today we all went and participated in a local walk-a-thon to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. What made this one different is that the focus was not on the people but instead on their dogs. It was a dog walk-a-thon; owners and their pets walked several kms to raise funds from sponsors.

Some of you may be wondering how we did this since we don't have a dog right now! Well, Mateo and I met the president of the event and her dog a few weeks ago and after a long chat she asked if we would like to walk her dog since she would be busy with running the event that day. And so we did. The boys loved being around all those animals. It was a great way to 'window shop' for a future pet!

Here Momma took a picture of the boys, Maya who is a Bouvier des Flandres, and myself, before the walk. I think we have our choice narrowed down pretty well! When the time comes it will be either another Golden Retriever or a Bouvier.

The halfway mark of the walk passed pretty close to our place so Momma and Mikah snuck home because they were getting a little tired. Mateo and I went the distance and he even walked Maya a bit. The lady in front of us had a Scarlet Macaw on her shoulder who kept looking at us and squwaking which Mateo thought was pretty funny. The dog finally got fed up and barked at it and the bird must have got the message.

We had fun, did some charitable good, and got some exercise all at the same time. Next year we'll do it with our own dog.

Calvin's here

Yesterday Calvin came to visit. He had so much fun playing with us that he didn't want to go home and started screaming. Momma asked him if he wanted to stay and do dodos here and he said yes. So he had supper with us and did a camping in Mateo's room.

This morning Poppa took the three of us to see some kids with racing cars. He said they are called "soap boxes". Haha, what a funny name! They didn't look like boxes. They looked like tubes. Some were really cool with nice paintings on them. They rolled really fast down the hill.

Calvin didn't want to stay and watch very long so we went to the park nearby. We played there only a few minutes because now he wanted to go home. He said he was cold. Mateo and me didn't want him to start screaming again so we told Poppa to bring us home.

We had a big lunch and then Calvin's mama and papa came to pick him up.

I got my pickup truck

Poppa showed me a big box that arived for me yesterday. It had the seat and steering wheel for my black pickup truck! Now I can drive my own truck! We still need a big battery but Poppa put small ones for the radio and beeper. It makes noise when you turn the pretend key and push the buttons for the radio, beeper and telephone.

I love it!

Upgrade to a motorbike

Motocross - oh yeah! Poppa took me and Mateo to a boy from Mateo's school's house after school today for a visit and to see his motocycle. It was so cool! We didn't just see it, we got to ride on it too!! We went for rides around the yard and Mateo even went in the woods.

They also had little kittens which we played with and a really cool skateboard too with big wheels. After I played baseball with a big bat and got 2 points.

Poppa forgot to bring the camera but they invited us to come back any time and we will.

Still biking

OK, he likes it. Today is Monday. Friday we biked to school just as it started to rain. Mateo got into school just as it started to come down. I got soaked as I returned home. Later in the afternoon the skies looked ominous again so I picked him up with the car. He wasn't thrilled but it had to be.

This morning it was just 3 degrees outside but he wanted to bike again. He even put on his 'working' gloves! So off we went. We had to take a shortcut through the park and he recognized the signs at the entrance (no bikes allowed) but I explained we were very late, there was no one in the park, and as long as we rode respectfully it would be alright. There is a steep hill exiting the park and he took it without hesitation. Then we continued down the road to the school.

It's still sunny out so we will be biking home also.

Finally ...

Since school started last week Mateo has really wanted me to bike to school with him. So far the weather was uncooperative. The day before yesterday it was nice in the morning but rain was forecast for the afternoon. Yesterday was OK but he hadn't found his bike lock yet - other priorities kept creeping in. Today we listened to the weather forecast together and it is supposed to be sunny all day. On top of that I pulled his bike lock out of his closet where it was being used as a collar for his huge stuffed tiger. Finally we could ride to school; and we did.

We pulled in to the parking lot at the same time as the buses. What luck! As I chained his bike to the fence he called out to his buddies one by one as they got off the bus and proudly showed them his two-wheeler.

That's when I figured out the whole reason for this ride. It wasn't because it was fun to ride with me but actually to be able to show his bike to his friends! Once again Mateo had succeeded in bringing something from home to show everyone.

It's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow also. We'll see if he wants to go by bike again.

Day 1 of Grade 1 for Mateo

The before and after pictures say it all ...


08:00 am

3:30 pm

Madman Mikah

I couldn't stand it any longer. Mateo was racing around on his 2 wheeler and Momma threw out my quad shoes because they had holes in the toes, so I couldn't ride it anymore. Tricycles are for little guys. The only thing left was to get up on the other 2 wheeler. Yesterday evening I asked Poppa to put the training wheels on the red bike and he did.

Ten minutes later I was racing down the driveway with the wind in my hair! Yeeeeehaaaa! I did it! I can ride a big bike. We peddled around for about an hour with Poppa running beside me to make sure I could stop. It was fun! Now we're going to fix it up for me so it looks nice .

"Get your motor runnin'. Head out on the highway. Lookin' for adventure..."

Born to be wild

I finally did it! I grabbed my bike, jumped up on the seat, and rode off into the sunset. Well, around the backyard really. All without any help or suggestion from Momma or Poppa. I guess it did help that my friend Justyn was here. I couldn't let him see that I hadn't yet ridden my cool bike.

Poppa was right. I did know how to do it. I just had to actually go and DO IT! What a great feeling. I love it!

(and he hasn't stopped yet either!)

The zoo in the woods

Wow! We just came back from seeing some wild animals in a big park where they can walk around free with no cages. Just the wolves and bears were behind some fences but all the others like the deer and buffalo came right up and stuck their heads in our truck! Well, not the buffalo. They just looked at us and walked by real slow like some tough guys. But the deer came right up and we could give them carrots right in their mouthes. Way cool!

Check out some of our pictures ...

1 year since 1st posting

Wow, a whole year has gone by already since we started this blog! Did we post everything? No, many more things happened to us in addition to what is written here. Poppa tried his best to get it all in but sometimes there just wasn't enough time. What's nice is we can always add things here in retrospect.

Soon Mateo will be able to fully read & write and hopefully he will start contributing himself here too.

As for today, we are at Dominic's house to play. Gee, we haven't seen him and Charlotte since this past weekend!

Road trip - The ocean again!

We just came back last night from a couple of days camping at the ocean in Maine. It was HOT! Our friends were there with us and we camped and played together. More later ...

Oh no! Now me too.

Now I got them. Chicken spots. Not as many as Mateo had. Momma and Poppa say I'm lucky and it was a good thing I got the vaccine. So far they aren't picking me but I think they are giving me tummy bobos. Or was it all that candy?

The Pox - Days 5 & 6

They're going away, they're going away! Yay! The spots are getting smaller and no new ones have come out. I'm still tired and even napped a bit; yup I haven't done that in a while. Soon I'll be able to play with my friends again.

I hope it's going to be a great summer!

CP - Day 4

Well, Mateo has been rather lucky with The Pox. Although he has a huge amount of spots, the itching has been next to non-existant; phew! Today he is staying here with Momma and I am going to the cottage with Poppa.

To get there we took a quick drive and then had to walk through the woods for a few minutes. When we got there Calvin, Auntie Sue & Uncle Bert were there already. It was a great day. The lake was doing sparkly things and after lunch we went for a canoe ride and swimming; I jumped off the dock as soon as I had my life jacket on!

Then we had to go back home so we could see the fireworks show near our house.

CP - Day 3

Just us guys went out for a quick supper last night and poor Mateo put on a longsleeve shirt and long pants because he didn't want people to see his spots. When we came back he had a good soak in a baking soda bath and then I painted him pink with Calamine Lotion. Poor guy thought it would be buffed off right after, so then out came the long PJs.

Big fever struck again during the night and he needed a good back scratching so he came to our bed. This morning he realised that he didn't itch so much when he was asleep so he has been lazing on the couch all morning and finally fell asleep a half an hour ago.

Picture taking is out of the question. He doesn't want to hear of it.

CP - Day 2

So far so good. The itching hasn't started but the spots are multiplying like crazy. We took Mikah to get a CP vaccination which should apparently still be effective if given within 5 days of exposure. We wanted to play Connect-the-dots on Mateo but he wasn't amused.

Chicken Pox - Day 1

It finally happened. One of the boys caught the Chicken Pox. Lucky Mateo, he gets 3 extra days of summer vacation. The fever came last night and the spots started popping up this morning but weren't defined enough for us to be sure. I took him to school but asked his teacher's opinion since she had far more experience in spotting this. He pulled up his shirt and the immediate reaction was "Yup, that's it. Bye Bye!" His back was covered in little red pimples that weren't there 20 minutes before! So back home we went. Now to find things to do to keep him occupied and away from other kids, including Mikah.

Mateo self portrait

Happy Anniversary Momma & Poppa!

We don't quite know what an anniversary is but it's something to do with getting married ... oooooh! And our Momma & Poppa did today - before we were born.

Happy Anniversary Momma & Poppa!

"I'm a big kid now"!

No more diapers for me! I got boxers now like Mateo. Mine are Spider-Man.

Time really is money

This morning Mikah and I walked Mateo to school and then came back to go to daycare. On the way to school we stopped by the dock at the lake, tossed in a few rocks, and saw some ducks.

While heading back home Mikah asked if we could go by the lake again. I said I wasn't sure if we had enough time. He looked at his Shrek digital watch and said: "Oh no, Poppa, it is only seven dollars."

Well, if that's it, then we have enough time to go by the lake again!

Road trip! Oh no.

Are we there yet?
- Guys, we haven't even left yet!
We know that. We're just practicing. How much is 8 hours Poppa?
- Longer than you think.

But I don't want a big apple ...

No, no guys! We are going to New York city. People also call it the "Big Apple". Why? Hmmm, maybe we'll find out when we get there. We're leaving Thursday after school.

Whose on vacation here?

We are home just with Poppa all this week and Momma went to a place called California. That's not in Canada. She had to go with an airplane. We are having a great time here but we miss her. She's coming home in 3 more dodos. We love you, Momma!

But I'm not sick Poppa

Today was a sick day for me but I wasn't sick. Nathalie, my daycare provider was. So I got to stay home with Poppa. It was still a work day for him but he played with me too, and I got to see people he was talking to in places far far away with Poppa's cool computer thing.

I like to play by myself also, and since Mateo wasn't home I could do that, and I played in his room too. I made a bit of a mess but Poppa helped me clean it up. And I didn't take a nap! Oh Poppa put me in bed and even read me story but then I quietly snuck out and played with my toys. Now I'm watching a movie; The Incredibles, I love when Frozone says: "Honey, where is my super suit?" and at the end when the little boy on his tricycle says: "That was totally wicked!" Ha! I'm kind of tired though. I wonder whhh.... zzzzz

Party time!

Today was my party for my 6th birthday! Momma & Poppa almost didn't take us to the Magic Jungle because there was a big snowstorm, but we ended up going after Poppa called my friend's parents and they said were still going to try to get there; and they all did!

We love that place. All the tubes to climb around in and slide down. Big ball pools to jump in. Yeehaa! Momma had brought a big party snack and we got cake, but I didn't eat it, I just wanted to go play again. There was also a clown who gave us all balloons. My friends gave me great presents! Thank you Justin, Dominic, William, Vincent, Alexandre, Xavier! Then we got to go back into the game room some more.

Leaving is never fun. Mikah and I fell asleep in the truck in two minutes and when we got home I got to check everything out myself because Mikah kept sleeping. Next year I want to go back again.

Thank you Momma and Poppa!

No school today!

Momma and Poppa said I would not be going to school today as I woke up. Something about the bad weather and all the schools being closed. I looked out the window and everything was covered in ice. Lots and lots of ice; and it was pouring rain. I was a little upset because I wanted to go, not stay home and have only my brother to play with. It wasn't too bad after all. Momma and Poppa stayed home too and we all kept our PJs on all day! I played with Mikah and Poppa let me use his computer. We found new games to play like Star Wars and Ninja stuff. I got to level 5!!

Only 3 more dodos to my birthday party!

Ski school

Ski school started last week but I wasn't too photogenic (whatever that means). It was OK but I had to wait a lot while the other kids took their turns sliding down. I want Poppa to take me up on the lift so I can come all the way down. Today was better. I was the first one there. When it was time to line up I got there first too and was the first one to ski down. Yeeeha! It was very cold today so only Poppa had come with me but he stayed outside to watch me the whole time. Next time we will ski together.

This time I was happy so I let him take pictures. Check it out!

I just had to note this.

We all have trouble sleeping every now and then; for various reasons, and Mateo has been having quite a few consecutive nights of interupted sleep. To get back to dodo-land he comes into our room and quietly stands beside my side of the bed until his presence wakes me up. Failing that, he softly calls out "Poppa" a few times. "They" say that to break such a pattern you should coax your child back to their own bed so as not to form a habit of this. Well, I never know who "they" are but I'm certain they haven't gone through this, semi-regularly, between the hours of 1:34am and 4:23am. Personally, I like to sleep during that time and prefer not holding whispered training conferences with my 5 year old. My reflex is usually to lift the covers and let him slide in. Back to sleep in no time ... unless of course he is having a restless night, in which case he tends to thrash around, getting my nose, ears, shins and the like. In frustration, and in search (need) of a decent night's sleep, I often jump out, go to his bed, and curl up under the Hot Wheels sheets with Spider-Man, Teddy, and whomever else happens to be out. We generally discuss the sleeping re-arrangements the next morning at breakfast and he says he will try not to do it again.

Last night is worthy of note because he came over (again; ALWAYS on my side too, never his mother's) woke me up and said "When I woke up I couldn't stop my legs from coming here." Couldn't argue with that at 2:47am!!