Balmy Toronto Summer

The kids and I spent the entire summer in Toronto and vicinity (including Montreal/Ottawa/Burlington/London) and coming home to an evening of 37C this first week of September was a bit of a shock.  However, after a midnight drive with jet-lagged Magnus, taking in the sights of hustle and bustle by the beach, listening to Magnus shout out the names of all the passing cars and taxis while I worked the ATM, and carrying him back home through our sweltering garage while he slept, everything seems rather normal again.

Before too many memories of our summer in Toronto melt away, I just wanted to put down some of moments that stood out.  Goodness knows when I will get the chance to blog again, what with the start of school, rebooting the job, managing the move, and friends with new babies!

So back to the non-exhaustive list of delightful moments this past summer, in no particular order:
- Magnus' interest in nothing but the zoomobile on his many trips to the zoo.  His ideal zoo visit: get in, ride the zoomobile, leave the zoo and get a snack with gong gong, preferably costco.
- Magnus making sand ice cream cones and cakes, Maya destroying them
- Maya's vocabulary explosion, in particular: fruits, animals and animal sounds, and bugs
- Maya asking her aunts for "breet" as a midnight snack
- Maya gleefully copying Uncle Jenning's moves (no, not the running man) and telling us it's "Nenning"
- Maya falling in love with Thomas the train when we were focused on getting Magnus enthused about about the ride
- The family "roughing it" in Montreal
- Maya's bug obsession: butterflies, ants, ladybugs, spiders, and dragonflies - spotting a spider in the sandbox all by herself and then reporting it to us
- Magnus teaching Jessica/Amanda/Brianna how to sing 100 bottles of pop on the wall his way
- Magnus playing with Michael's trains in ottawa
- Magnus playing with Aunt Lisa's neighbour's trains in ottawa
- Magnus going to French Summer Camp
- Magnus driving Maya around in the trunk of his truck
- Magnus and Lucas horsing around in a tent
- Maya stealing Lucas' scooter and scaring Jada away
- Lucas picking up Magnus and carrying him a couple of steps (at my request) before they both came tumbling down
- Maya going bananas at the splash pad with her Aunts
- Maya vomiting on Auntie "Ninini"
- Magnus falling asleep on the way to ice cream, thereby denying his uncle Alex the pleasure of partaking
- Maya demanding sticky rice at dimsum
- Riding the double decker bus with Naomi
- Magnus and Maya playing hide and seek
- Magnus and Maya sharing the armchair to watch Treehouse
- Maya learning all the letters of the alphabet from the mats

Here are some things that were said and overheard:

Magnus: I have to go potty!

Gong gong: Can you hold it until we get home?

Magnus: No, It's coming out!
Magnus: Mommy look my truck is a garbage AND recycle truck!  Come look!!  <points to a recycling sign on the wheel>
Maya: Bee!  bee!
Gina: A bee?  Where?Maya: aaaaare you?
Magnus: Yes sir, mommy!  Shur!
Magnus: I am so not buying you dinner.
Magnus: But no buts!  butts on chair!  That's uncle Reginald's trick!

Gina: One, two, three..Maya: Eight nine ten!
Magnus: If you leave mangos outside in the rain, they will be wet mangos.  If you leave mangoes outside in the sun, they will be dried mangos.  
Magnus: This is a stair handle!

Gina: Actually it's called a bannister.

Magnus: Yeah, but I call it a stair handle.

Clem: Did you know that Auntie Clemmie has been on a search and rescue helicoptor?  In a very very cold place.

Magnus: Was it neptune?

Magnus: Auntie Goldie is that as high as you can push me?

Magnus: Mommy why can't I have a window seat?

Gina: Because we came too late to the airport.

Magnus: I wonder what caused that.

Magnus: My tummy hurts, I think I ate too much food. 

Yee Ma: Are you too full for cheesecake then?

Magnus: If I poo, then I will have more room for cheesecake!

Gina: Are you sure? 

Maya: Sure!

Maya: <whenever mad at Magnus> MANUS!!!!

What Magnus and Maya Said...

Magnus' first musical:
Gina: Magnus, did you like watching TV with Daddy?  What was it about?
Magnus: It was about poor people, and they had no shoes, and no money
Gina: Anything else?
Magnus: No
Gina: Did they sing?
Magnus: Yes
Gina: Did you like the songs?
Magnus: Yes

Magnus tries to delegate
Gina: OK Magnus, take off your shoes and put them away please
<Magnus takes off shoes and stands up, and sees Grandma bending over to pick up shoes>
Magnus: Put my shoes away Grandma
Gina: No Magnus, you take off your own shoes and you put away your own shoes!

After singing 'On Top of Spaghetti

Magnus: Mom what happened to the meatball? <repeat ad nauseum>

Magnus the fruit snob
Magnus: I don't want to eat those bananas!  They have holes!
Magnus: No I don't want to eat Auntie Goldie's plums, they're too bumpy

Risk taker:

Magnus: You see Mommy, I don't have to hold my weewee to pee!

It's about the rules:

Magnus: <whispering> Shhh.. Maya is Sleeping
Gina: <quietly, but not whispering> She's sleeping is she?
Magnus: <loudly> Mom!  You have to be quiet!
Gina: <whispering> Oh… you mean like this?
Magnus: <whispering> Yeah!

Geography vs pop culture
Gina: Popo is going to Hong Kong.
Magnus: Is it going to climb a lot buildings?
Gina: No... that's King Kong.  King Kong is a giant gorilla.  Hong Kong is a city, just like Dubai, or Toronto!

It's a deal

Magnus: Deal Mommy?  Deal Mommy?  Deal mommy?
Gina: Do I what Magnus?  
Magnus: Deal Mommy?  Deal Mommy?
Gina: Ohhhh, you mean deal?  What deal, sweetie?
Magnus: Deal Mommy?  It means that you understand!
Gina: Um.. OK, deal!

Anytime I speak firmly to Magnus:

Magnus: Moooommmyyyy… I don't like it when you say bad things

Control freak:
Magnus: What Mommy what?
Gina: Mommy is talking to grandma right now Magnus, It's not for little boys and girls to understand.  You can't know everything, Magnus
Magnus: But I want to know everything!!

Friendly correction
Kendrick: OK get off that thing
Magnus: It's a chair, ok?

Control freak 2:
Magnus: Mommy, I don't want to have dinner, I want to have lunch!
Gina: It's not lunch time, it's dinner time Magnus
Magnus: No!  I want to have lunch!

Maya has two cents: 
Gina: Magnus, 10 minutes is up, it's time for bed.
Magnus: Nnnno!
Maya: Nnnno!
Gina: C'mon, time to go up!
Maya: Up!

I get the strangest stories from school:
Gina: Magnus, what happened to your knees?
Magnus: I fell down.  All my friends did this to me.  Except S, he was my daddy.
Gina: He was your daddy?
Magnus: He was just pretending

Big brother: 
Magnus: Ope!!  Eeep!!!
Maya: <giggle>
Magnus: Oooooh, so you liiike my funny faces!

Magnus likes to find new snappy comebacks:

Gina: Magnus, why do you never sit properly?
Magnus: That's the problem…

Snappy comeback rut:

Thor: Want to play with McQueen Magnus?
Magnus: No…
Thor: Why?
Magnus: That's the problem…
Thor: Why not?
Magnus: That's the problem…
Thor: Why not?!
Magnus: That's the problem…

After catching Magnus climbing all over his chair
Magnus: Mommy why do you always say no thank you no thank you NO THANK YOU?
Gina: Magnus why do you always do things you're not supposed to?

A simple card game degenerates into messy messy play
Thor: Made a pancakes! <throws card>
Magnus: <giggle> Made a pancakes! <throws card>
Thor: <laugh> Made a pancakes! <throws card>
Magnus: <uncontrollable laughter>  Made a pancakes!  <cough> <cough> <vomit> <vomit> <vomit> <vomit>

But with positive reviews

Gina: Did you have fun with Thor yesterday?

Magnus: Yeah!  We were pancake chefs!

Career talk:

Kendrick: What do you want to be when you grow up, Magnus?
Magnus: <undecipherable>
Kendrick: What? A mechanic?
Gina: Instruction?
Magnus: Yeah! A <undecipherable>
Gina: A construction worker?  Really?  Why is that, sweetie?
Magnus: Because I want to build a house!

Magnus tries to apply a phrase he often hears from me: "are you kidding me?" 
Magnus: I have to use this spoon to eat my yogurt.  Am I kidding, mommy?

When Magnus wants to "come with":

Gina: I have to go upstairs and get Maya.
Magnus: I want to be the assistant!

or...

Gina: I just have to move the car a little

Magnus: Can I be the co-pilot?

His little friends have recently moved, so...

Magnus: This apartment sure is getting smaller
Gina: Haha it might seem that way
Magnus: We better move to a bigger house

Maya's first words:
Uh oh
No
Up

Appo (Apple)
Na-na (Banana)
Dar (Star)
Ball
A-mah
Daddy
An-mah
An-pa

Happy Birthday Maya!

One year ago, our little girl was born.  She still amazes us to this day. :)

Here is Maya munching on some appetizers as she waits for her party guests:

A hastily wrapped present from mom and dad:

A balloon for each child:

The guests arrive in time for lunch:

After a few (rigged) games… birthday hats and cupcakes!

Some nice collaborative play to round out the afternoon:

What Magnus Said

We've been pushing Magnus to share a lot this month, and he will often invoke the word "share" for his own devices:
Magnus: Maya, you have to share, or else you will lose friends!!
Magnus: Alexander, it's called sharing!  It's called SHARING!

With a little help, starting to spell
Gina: Magnus, how do you spell "soon"?
Magnus: <sounding out> s… uh… oo… oo… ss… o… ooo…
Magnus: 'S' 'O' 'O'
Magnus: <pause>
Magnus: Mom, what was the word again?
Gina: "Soon"
Magnus: 'N'!!!

Going to a new shopping mall:
Gina: We are going to the Gold and Diamond Park today
Magnus: Do they have gold coins?  Mom, do they have golden coins?
Gina: No they don't, sorry Magnus

Magnus: Do they have chocolate coins?

Teaching mum:
Magnus: Mom, I'm sighing, do you know what that means?

Gina: What does it mean Magnus?
Magnus: It means I'm tiiired.

Magnus loves sharing his phonics lessons from school:
Magnus: Ch says "ch!" as in January!
Magnus: TRAINS GO CHUGGING UP THE HILL!  CH-CH-CH!  CH-CH-CH!

Stubbornly anti-social

Magnus: I don't want <a> and <b> to come visit.  It's NEVER going to be fun.
Gina: You had fun with them in Toronto, it'll be fun when they come to Dubai!
Magnus: NO WAY!

Magnus has many sad moments
Magnus: That makes me sad
Gina: So many things make you sad
Magnus: Yes, all the things that you do

Reading a title from his Dad's bookshelf

Magnus: U-2 that spells youtube!!

Clueing in on the five minute rule:
Gina: Magnus, would you like to brush your teeth now or play for 5 more minutes?
Magnus: No, I want to play five 5 minutes!
Gina: How much is that?
Magnus: A long, long, time!
(in the end we agreed on two 5 minutes, which Magnus understood to be 10 minutes)

When we scold:
Gina: Magnus, don't ride your bicycle near Maya again!
Kendrick: Magnus, if you don't listen to Mommy, I will take your bike away!
Magnus: <scrunches up face, sits down dejectedly, talks in a low voice> Dad always takes things away
Gina: No, it's not just Daddy, I will take your bicycle away if you ride it near Maya  <long explanation ensues>

Cheerfully defiant:
Kendrick: You know what would be really nice, Magnus?  Some peace and quiet!
Magnus: No, peace and LOUD!

Your dad, actually:

Gina: <Housekeeper> is from the philippines, did you know that?
Magnus: Oh! who else is from two Ps mom?

Sad and grammatically stagnant
Magnus: You see, I always be sad when I cry mom.
Gina: "I am always sad when I cry"

Magnus: No, I don't want to say it that way!

If I am even slightly distracted:
Magnus: Mom, I don't like it when you say mm-hmm!

Bedtime story:
Gina: "… And a helicopter just for me!"
Magnus: No, "just for me!"
Gina: <pause>  That what I said, "just for me"
Magnus: No, "just for me!"
Gina: You mean, "just for you?"
Magnus: Yeah!

School Assessment 2

Hooray, Magnus was accepted at another school!!!  This school is our second choice, but a very good second choice, so we are quite happy.

I was actually very surprised about this acceptance because I was convinced the assessment did not go well.

I was not allowed to observe the assessment; all the children were corralled into a classroom to listen to a story, play with the toys, and to be observed interacting with other children.

I was left to try to piece together a picture of the assessment the best I could.  I quizzed Magnus after the assessment.  He insisted there was no story.  He said he did nothing, and that nobody talked to him.  He said he didn't like the school and he was cranky because it was late in the afternoon.  OK - bad picture.

Then, the next day when I went to pick up Magnus, I saw pictures of a wonderful boat the teacher had made in the playground.  In all the pictures, every single child was inside the boat, playing, laughing, and listening to the teacher.  Every child, that is, except for Magnus!!  I was so convinced of his anti-social ways that I thought for certain he would have done the same sort of thing at the assessment.

Now that we know he has been accepted, maybe I was wrong.  Or better yet, I was right and they simply understood that not wanting to participate can be a very normal thing for a 3 year old.  

Maya's Adventure

Depending on the angle and Maya's mood, she reminds me of one of her aunts; usually one of the two eldest aunts.  Today she did something that made me think of her youngest aunt.  

It was an unremarkable weekend evening.  As usual, I took the two kids up to Magnus' room to wash up for bed, and as usual, Kendrick was available to spirit Maya away so that I could give Magnus a bedtime story and tuck him in.  And so that I could keep him company until he fell asleep (sigh.)

In the darkness, I could hear Magnus tossing and turning, and I could Maya being entertained with a video downstairs.  After awhile, she tired of her show, and started complaining.  Her father let her leave the video and climb the stairs (we often follow her up the stairs to give her a little workout).  She climbed, complained, and climbed again.  At the top, her dad was not able to entertain her very long in front of the mirror as he usually does, and I heard her come closer and closer to Magnus' bedroom, all the while complaining.  In my mind, I tried to send Kendrick a telepathic message: "Don't let her in yet, just a few more minutes and Magnus will be fast asleep!!"

To no avail: I saw the bedroom door slowly swing open.  My little baby girl peeked inside and when she saw me coming to get her, she started to bawl.  I picked her up and opened the door all the way to talk to her daddy... who was nowhere to be seen.  In an instant, with the strains of the abandoned video in the background, I realized that she had crawled up the stairs all by herself.   She had passed the open doors of the office, the master bedroom, and the visitor room, and pushed her way into darkness - the last place she remembered seeing her mother and brother.

I cuddled her, nursed her, and watched Magnus toss about some more until I heard Kendrick (who was exhausted from a hard week and a full day of physical activity) wake up downstairs.  I called to him and he rushed up to give his little girl some apologetic hugs and kisses.  By the time that was all done, Magnus was finally asleep.  So we took our bright eyed daughter downstairs and spoiled her with attention and affection, until at last it was time for her to sleep too. 

Goodnight everybody, may you all find what you are looking for even in the face of a little adversity.

Video Roundup

I catch so many great moments on video by simply storing our camera in the living room on top of the bookshelf with the lens cap off.  This makes it easily to whip it out when the kids are being extra cute.

Enjoy!


One day I asked Magnus if he wanted to feed Maya.  He was more than happy to do so!

Daniel stayed at our place for a few nights.  In return we asked only for a performance.  At first, Magnus declared Daniel's playing to be "bad."  In the end, Daniel won him over:

Magnus loves substitution jokes.  This joke ran for a couple of weeks.

It's amazing to watch kids develop.

Maya likes to stow things under the TV stand so that she can skootch down and look at it.  I didn't quite capture this on video but it's pretty close:

Ditto for putting stuff into bags.  I lost my keys once this way.

Magnus' game amused Maya.  He was making a pig spin.

I let Magnus drive Maya around on the strict order that he was to be gentle and to report to me the second Maya would try to climb out.  This happened quite often.  Magnus was very diligent about reporting, too.

She does this all the time, but it's cuter with the dots. :)