Summer - Day 4

Summer - Day 4
Originally uploaded by JenJeff

Being at home has really taught me to see the relationship between our kids in a more close manner. Usually when I get home from work they are tired and grouchy.

I can't believe the circus we had today in the Mall. A simple walk in the mall which would normally take about 5 minutes turns into a 2 hour jamboree. We stop at every little ride on toy (which we don't $$ for) and climb over them as if they are a really expensive jungle gym. I thought we were through this stage already!

Sam decided that he wanted to join his sister on this 2 person train contraption (it doesn't look like a train). It is about 2-3 feet off the ground and he decided that he would test my heart's reflexes by fake falling off the edge while laughing as if he didn't notice that his life was in my hands (how naive). Amanda then decided to proceed across the train by scaling the side like she's Marty from "Back To The Future" to join her brother. All of this mayhem and we still manage to make it out of the mall alive!

On to our next adventure!

First Day of Summer

First Day of Summer
Originally uploaded by JenJeff

Mmmm $1.00 breakfast! Well actually more like $21 after all of the upgrades. Not the healthiest breakfast but sure is convenient! Not only do we get fed but we get to spend hundreds of dollars at Ikea!

So the first "official" day of summer for us begins. This is "Dad" reporting. We have an extremely long list of things that need to get done in the house and the summer is already filled with activities (which include 1 week of school where I'm doing some administrative work... at least it will help fund the home reno projects!)

Amanda and Sam seem to be quite a handful these days. Sam's new tooth has caused him to walk around with a portable version of the Niagara falls. It just sits below his chin. I think we'll go shopping for some super absorbent clothes for him later today. Kinda like the ones that that guy in the paper towel commercial. Amanda asks about 1 million questions per minute. I think that we should have a new game show called, "Can You Survive 5 Minutes with a Curious 5 Year Old?" It will be a hit amongst parents. Or not...

Day 1 seems to be going well. Not much is getting accomplished but that is what summer is all about! Enjoy.

Remembering 2008

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Originally uploaded by JenJeff

Wet, Rainy.. and a day off... Sometimes we forget to thank those who gave their lives so that we can live the way that we do.

Amanda and I were able to head down to the local cenotaph and place a poppy onto a wreath. There was a pipe band and a marching band as well. The highlight of the day was the WWI cannon.

I think that the day is special to us as Amanda and Sam's great grandparents were both in WWII and their great grandad on the other side was also in the war. It was also a great chance to remember and honor them as well!

Enjoy the day off.. but remember why we have it.

Daddy is home!

Daddy is home!
Originally uploaded by JenJeff.

I was away on a trip with 43 students that took us through London, Paris, Lucern, Florence, Venice and Rome. The two week trip was grueling and not exactly a vacation. Although it was fun going through these cities being responsible for 43 students and their safety is a big responsibility. In the end we did have a good time.

This was my 2nd time through Europe with a group of students and Amanda was only about 3 months old the first time. This time through I knew that Amanda would likely have trouble understanding why I was away and when I got back. To make things a little easier I decided to take a foam board and make 15 spots on the board. Each spot would have a photo of me hold up a number that corresponded to that spot. Each night Jen and Amanda would put up one photo on the board and we would slowly get closer to the day I got home! The 15th photo was me holding up a sign saying HOME! and we would put up the picture together once I got home.

We weren't sure if Amanda would understand but after about the 3rd night she wanted to put up all of the photos up so I would be home. When Jen told me this I felt like crying. Amanda was used to it after a few days. In fact the anticipation of putting the last photo up really got Amanda worked up and was so excited to meet me at the airport.

For those Dads or Moms that go away for extended periods of time this is a great idea for younger kids! Worked for us!

i got pwned by a 2 year old

i got pwned by a 2 year old
Originally uploaded by JenJeff.

Maybe a little bit of explaining is in order. "PWNED" is a gamer term that is pronounced "OWNED". It is derived from a common typo since the O and the P on the keyboard are located next to each other. Amanda has taken a liking to my Xbox 360 controller and likes to turn on my console by pushing the big button on the controller.

Amanda has become quite the tech savvy 2 year old. She knows that when we're in the car all of her songs are stored on our iPOD. (I'm just waiting for her to ask for one for herself). She knows how to put a DVD into the DVD player properly without jamming the tray. Fingerprints are still not high on her priority list.

I may try and store her videos on our media PC so she can access them with my original XBOX (modded of course). That way she doesn't have to fiddle with the original DVDs.

Maybe we'll start a podcast for two year olds and just have her rambling on about words that rhyme. (which seemed to be today's favourite topic). I'm not sure what she is thinking but apparently "DOG" and "POO" rhyme. Watch for the next episode of "Parents just don't understand - two year old "l33t speak". Hmm Mommy and Daddy just got PWNED!

Little Helper?

Well we decided to make cookies today. Shopping for the stuff we needed turned out to be an adventure in itself but that's for another blog post.

I think Amanda is fulfilling the duty of all little kids by being the royal taste tester of the chocolate chips. She was a big help by pointing out that the little pieces of chocolate are NOT CHIPS! because they don't look like the potato variety (which she isn't really allowed to eat).

We compromised and called them chocolate bits. Gotta go! It's time to test the finished product.

Ice Cream Fun

Well the Amanda and Daddy show continues... Today's episode begins with a frolic at the Blue Mountain spray pool and finishes with a trip to McDonald's for some ice cream.

I'm poor so I decided I'd try and steal from my daughter. We get to the McDonald's and I only have $2.00 for 2 ice cream cones. Unfortunately a cone costs $1.05 each. Instead of teaching my daughter that her father searching for pennies on the ground in the parking lot was a game I decided to be the "adult" here and give her the ice cream.

Fortunately as we walked out she got distracted by the playroom! I was able to get about 4 or 5 licks in until she emerged from the coloured tube screaming "MINE! MINE! MINE". I calmly explained to her that there was to be no eating on the jungle apparatus. Needless to say ... she chose the ice cream. FOILED AGAIN!

Just Monkeying Around

I need to get new brakes on our van! Every time Amanda even catches a glimpse of something brightly coloured she yells "PLAYGROUND"! I immediately slow down because I get startled and anything that can take me away from housework is always a welcome distraction.

Today we spent some time in a suburb of Vancouver called Cloverdale. We found this tot lot just behind a private school. It was obviously made for for kids a little older than 2 because there were no stairs to go up to the slides. This does not stop any 2 year olds of course and their likely excuse is that they can't read.

We also had a meal at Wendy's today and as we drove past she pointed and said "WENDY'S"! This made me feel like we go there waaay to much. At least you can substitute oranges for fries and milk for pop. Much better than most other fast food places.

We're continuing to enjoy our summer reviews of splash parks and playgrounds. Maybe when the weather is warmer we'll head to a different splashpark. Stay tuned!

The Devil Lives in Our Toilet

I'm convinced that the Devil lives in our toilet. Every time I try and get Amanda to use it she is temporarily posessed and likes to roll around on the pee covered floor as if she is an artistically frustrated break dancer. I've never had so much pee in our house. We don't even have a dog! I often think about the experiment that our biology 11 students do and try and grow different bacteria from samples around the school.

A few months ago Amanda was really interested in the potty and wanted to sit on it and even was able to pee. The problem we're having now is that we try and get her on the potty before she uses her "pull-ups" (which are incidentally more expensive than gold and must be traded on the commodity market). She always says that her diaper is OK even though they are often pee soaked. We will put her on the potty after she fills her diaper and she pees again.

Yesterday I had the bright idea of just putting her in underwear. I explained to her that she needed to tell me if she wanted to pee so we could go and use the potty. So now we have pee on our kitchen floor, pee in her booster seat, pee on our bathroom floor, pee in her hamper, pee on the dining room carpet, and pee all over my hands and clothes. She doesn't even find it uncomfortable or even concerend that I run around like a crazy person when she starts to do it.

Safe to say. Today is a laundry day.

Playground Fun (Part 1 of 1,312,452)

Today we spent about an hour at a local playground. I can't believe that I would reach a point in my life where I would be rating the level of quality of a particular kiddie park. This one would rate about a 6/10 for size, 7/10 for level of fun, and 8/10 for parent seating. I'm not sure if Amanda really cares about my scientific analysis of kiddie parks but we're having fun testing my theories.

She's really into ladders even though she still gives me a mild heart attack when she climbs. I'm always trying to play the "tough guy Dad" and try to look like I trust my super baby's abilities. Like I'm trying to say... " hey soccer Moms! Check out my genetically superior 2 year old climber!". Yes, it's pretty much me, Amanda, other kids, and soccer Moms at the playgrounds during the week. It's time to get more Dads out there!

Until our next adventure ...

Summer with Dad!

Being a teacher gives me the chance to hang out more with Amanda. We're able to go on bike rides, go to splash parks (which is her current favourite activity), go to the aquarium, and just generally goof off.

The only downside of being off this summer is that I've been professor of potty training. It seems like a constant daily hourly battle.

More "Adventures of Dad & Amanda" to come soon!