Keeping Watch O'er My Flock By Night

It's been a long week without much sleep, but we had some fun tonight before bed at least.

– Oh hi everyone. It's me Seth. We is about to get a little silly over here.
I'm just getting warmed up and maybe being a shepherd.

– Or maybe Virgin Mary. I'm pretty keen on grils* after all.

– Now I is shepherd again and I is working this look big time.

– Oh hi everyone. It's me Nate. I also work on some kind of look here...

–... at least until Mommy ask me to smile. So I does. Really BIG too!

– Of course there is the unsolicited, but obligatory nose-picking shot.
(No photo session is complete without one!)

– Sometimes though I just like to just goof around when I think no one is looking.

– Like now. You all not looking, right?

– So... you think we take it easy on Mommy tonight?

– Not a chance, 'bro. I think this grin says it all. 

Once again, sleep has been hard to come by over here, and we are full up on almost 3 year old independence and attitude but we still manage to have a good bit of fun here and there and I love nights like these with my boys.

- L.

* "Grils" is not a typo. It's what you call a girl if you are Seth and I can only imagine he means it with the deepest respect since he's fairly gril crazy. I'm a gril and I'm proud to be one. If you're a gril, I hope you are too.

The OP Presents: Canada Day 2012

– Happy Canada Day, everyone!

– I is also wishing you a Happy Canada Day, everyone!
Please overlook upside-down flag. Is not subversive action; I just
not quite have the hang of 'dis yet.

Before the flags came out, I took a few pics of the boys in their Canada Day T-shirts. Nate looked a little bored:

– Mommy say there be big party, but I don't see big party.

Seth, on the other hand appeared prepared to make his own fun, judging from the mischievous look on his face:

– I brings my own party everyone!

– I sure hope someone remembered to invite some cuties.

– I sit here and strike pose just in case.

I, on the other hand, was hoping to get a shot of the three of us so I handed the camera over to M. Unfortunately this is about as good as it got:

So I called it quits on the group shot and went with individual ones instead. Judging from the look on Nate's face, he's not exactly into it here:

But he did get into it eventually:

Seth, on the other hand, was still keeping an eye out for the cuties:

Sorry buddy, I hate to disappoint but this is about as close as you're going to get to a cutie today:

– No offense Mommy, but I keep eye out just in case.

Finally we brought out the flags:

Which turned out to be a pretty big hit, especially with Nate:

And speaking of mischievous looks, Seth doesn't exactly have the market cornered. Check out this face:

– I's about to be up to things, everyone!

The source of that look had to do with making a run for some bushes at the back of the yard that I'm forever pulling someone (mostly Nate) out of: 

– Hey, looks like you drop your flag!

– Well, well... things really be looking up around here now!

Fortunately we had a few spares so Nate didn't have to go without, and a piggy-back ride from Daddy took his mind off the hijinks:

– I think I run into those bushes more often everyone! Whee!!!

After a wardrobe change, it was time to kick off our pool party. Seth wasn't too wild about the pool: 

– Give me a warm bath any day, but 'dis pool business is stinkeroo.
What kind of stunt Mommy trying to pull anyway?

Nate however was sporting about it:

At least until they decided to check out their new water table and toys. The boys pretty much played with this non-stop for the rest of the afternoon:

At least until it was time for more piggy-back rides:

And a short-break to rehydrate and make some sticker art:

– Stickers is fun, but have you checked out my tattoo everyone?
Is like sticker, but is on me instead of paper. Very cool.

Nate before he got derailed by his tattoo. I love this picture:

The boys had a bit more time to run around and then it was time for dinner. BBQ chicken, caesar salad and garlic bread – the last two are always a hit with Nate and Seth, but they did a pretty good job with the chicken too:

Of course, I'm sure the only reason they ate dinner at all was because they hadn't seen the desserts at that point. Grandpa David baked up some amazing Canada Day cupcakes, which were a big hit and tasted as good as they looked:

I made some Canada Day cookies. I prefer them plain, but you know which ones the boys picked:

– Why choose when you can have both?

– I also try both, but I think you can tell where my heart lie on 'dis one. Yum!

Despite the sugar load at the end, the boys actually went to sleep on time last night (or a reasonable approximation anyway). They were pretty tuckered out after our busy, but very fun day.

Probably not as tired as the grown-ups though. I know I slept well last night!

Once again, Happy Canada Day everyone!

- L.

Happy Canada Day Everyone!

We had a great one – complete with a pool party, a BBQ, tattoos, flags and stickers, special desserts and T-shirts, hijinks and piggy-back rides... and a fun surprise for the boys as well. And I took pictures – lots of them.

Too pooped to post any more than this tonight, but watch this space for a whole lot of photos of our fun day coming soon.

And for anyone else celebrating today, I hope you all had a fun time too!

- L.

Our Town

We stayed in our jammies long past breakfast this morning because we were on an important mission.

It required concentration:

Sometimes a lot of concentration: 

But we did it! We used up almost every piece of our "legos" (and some non-Lego bits* too) building a very busy little town:

And that grin that's full of mischief here?

It was just a hint of things to come regarding the rest of our day. It was actually kind of nice to download these pics from my camera tonight and remember that we had some sane times at some point today. 

*About those dice: don't let those (sometimes) innocent faces fool you. My boys will totally shark you at craps. They are rather good with their num-bahs after all.

- L.

PS. Speaking of craps (and other high-stakes gambles when it comes to toddlers), we're now 3 for 3 on the after bedtime poops. I have no idea what's going on there, but it's not helping the late-night party situation any since getting everyone out of bed to change a diaper seems to give my guys a second wind. The lights finally went out a little before 11 tonight if that's any indication.

Mischief indeed!

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

No tricks, just treats*. Please enjoy responsibly**. 

– Happy Hallowe'en everyone. Is me, Nate. I is engineer 'dis year except Mommy forget the train so I is either hitching a ride here or just looking cool and making gesture like the Fonz. 

– I hope you pick the latter everyone since you should know by now I is cool dude when it comes to 'dis Hallowe'en business. I is off now to find new ride. 

– And I find it. 

– I think about saying "All aboard!" but 'dis train only seat one and I think I is OK with that. 

• • • • • • •

– Oh hi everyone, and Happy Hallowe'en! Is me, Seth. I is also engineer this year and I is also at park. Everyone know the cuties hang out at the park so this why I here wearing 'dis getup. At first I just stand here and pose with pumpkin and wait for cuties to show up, but then I start to feel a bit silly. I start to think maybe Mommy bring us to dud park. 

– I look this way, but there is no cuties. 

– Then I look this way, but there is still no cuties. 

– That Mommy! What kind of park is 'dis, everyone? 

– I is just going to pretend cuties is looking anyway before I says farewell, because when it come to the cuties... 

– ..."have pumpkins, will travel" is what I say. Wherever you is cuties, I is going to find you. You has been warned.

• • • • • • •

*Our Hallowe'en photo shoot was generously provided by our very good friend Padrin last weekend for the whopping price of a home-cooked meal. As you may already know Padrin wields a mean camera, but after our day at the park I'd like to add that he is also a pro at helping to wrangle wayward toddlers with very different agendas.

While still taking pictures.

I definitely owe him a few more dinners.

**When I saw these pics for the first time I got more than a little watery about the eyes. Padrin, you captured everything that is physically beautiful about my babies so perfectly.

To everyone else, I realize this is an overload of cute.

It just is.

And if it is too much in one go, it's OK to take a breather.

Of course, if you're still hanging in there somehow there is one more picture and it's a treat that hasn't been seen around these parts since my babies learned how to walk.

The elusive twin pic where everyone is reasonably in focus and in the same frame at the same time: 

That Padrin, he is good.

Happy Hallowe'en, everyone!

- L.