So, with just 13 days until Christmas, I thought I’d share this year’s list.  It’s an interesting mix of items that includes a few surprises.

crismas list:

1.  3DS™ [Note:  yes, he really wrote in the ™ symbol.  Advertising works, folks]

2.  lego™

3.  atlantis portal

4.  stuffed animal

5.  snivy that transforms into a pokéball

6.  pokémon cards

7.  pokémon black version 3ds game

8.  trasportable beyblade sadyum

9.  beyblade dragoon

10.  beyblade clocwise

11.  venus fly trap

12.  pet shrimp

13.  new baseball bat

14.  NEW PET KITEN!  (I relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly, relly want one!!!!!!

2003 – A is about 10 weeks old and totally freaked out by the whole thing.

2004 – What a difference a year makes.  A is now wandering the course, learning the basics.

2006 – Skip ahead a couple of years.  A enjoys hanging out with Auntie M.

2006 – K makes his debut at the croquet match.  His hair would debut a year later.

2007 – K is two years old and is already showing his mischievous side.

2008 – A discovers the joys of a feather boa and poses for a photo that will inevitably come back to haunt him.

2010 – K is in his “everything can be turned into a gun” phase

2011 – The boys learn that flamingos come from giant pink eggs.

Aside from the closure of the 401 on the way home, which caused a massive traffic jam and led to an unwelcome detour through the darkened back roads of Hastings county, it was a good visit.  Kyle and I got together on Saturday night – a rare brothers-night-out made even more special as it was also the 10th anniversary of our dad passing away.

Desmond’s birthday was a fun family get-together.  As the photos below show, he’s a really cute kid.  Like nearly every first birthday, there was a lot of talk about how quickly the year had gone by – looking at my boys, I still can’t believe they’ll be 8 and 6 in just a few weeks.

The cake was a perfect replica of the Man in the Yellow Hat’s yellow hat (banana cake, of course).

Desmond really liked hearing us sing “Happy Birthday”.

Nothing makes K happier than cupcakes and icing.

A is starting to look more like a teenager than a 7-year-old

Desmond making sure he doesn’t waste a crumb.

I think he likes it.

A was pretty excited about the whole thing, although he was also quite nonchalant about preparing for it.  He seemed confident about his chances, but I had my doubts – he’s a terrific reader, but he’s very much a fonetik speller.  I mean phonetic.

Due to a last second meeting with the corner office, I didn’t leave work until after the bee had started.  I raced (legally) to the school and got to the gym about 20 minutes late.  My heart sank a bit when I saw there were only five students left on stage, and A was nowhere to be found.  I had missed his big moment, a fact he would be sure to remind me of repeatedly for the next three to four years.

Fortunately, it was just the grade ones wrapping up their competition.  It was actually pretty thrilling stuff – spelling bees by their very nature are filled with tension and drama.  I was literally hanging on every letter as these cute little kids completed each round.  When one of the kids would insert a wrong letter, all the parents would let out a collective “awww”, followed by the judge’s bell.

After about 10 minutes of intense back and forth action, a grade one champion was crowned, and A took to the stage with about 20 other grade twos.  He slouched in his chair in the back row and waited his turn.

Round One

A’s first word was “mouth”.  He took a breath, repeated the word, and then spelled it correctly.  Yay.

Rounds Two and Three

His next word was “icing”.  Again, he got it right.  He got the next one right, too, to advance to round four.

Round Four

Having exhausted the words on the practice list, the teachers pulled out new words that the students hadn’t practiced.  A’s word was “seven”, which he spelled correctly.  A few students were eliminated in this round, and A advanced to round five with about seven other kids.

Round Five

A’s next word was “school”.  Oh oh, I thought, this one could be a challenge.  A closed his eyes, repeated the word, and in a quiet voice said, “s…c…h…”

Then he stopped and backed up from the microphone.  He shook his head, shrugged, and then began to walk back to his chair.

“Wait, A”, said the teacher, “you have 2 minutes to complete the word.  You’re doing great.”

A shrugged again and sat down.  The teacher walked over to him and they had a little conference.  There were murmurs throughout the crowd of parents and students – this was the most drama we’d seen in the competition so far, and I wasn’t surprised that my son was at the center of it.

A eventually walked back to the mic, closed his eyes again, and in the quietest, cutest voice, said, “s…c…h…o…o…l”. I was proud of him for sticking with it, and started to think he actually had a chance to win the whole thing.

And then the judge rang the bell, indicating he’d spelled the word incorrectly.  Apparently, at the very end of the word, he added an “e”.  I didn’t hear the final letter at the back of the gym, but the judge’s decision was final.

A slowly walked through the audience, exchanging high-fives with some of his friends.  His slumped shoulders, though, gave away his disappointment.  He finally made his way to me and burst into tears.  “It’s no fair,” he said, “they made me lose.  I was going to win and they ruined it.”  Sigh.

We spent the next fifteen minutes in the hall – he wanted to talk about how wrong the judge was, I wanted to talk about the meaning of sportsmanship and losing with grace.  He eventually ran out of steam and we headed back to the gym just as they were taking a break.  He made a bee line for the judge to state his case, and when I left, he was still huddled with her at the desk, trying in vain to get her to reverse the decision.

I’ll leave you with two of the greatest moments in spelling bee history…

Dear Santa,

My name is A. These are some things I would like for Chrismas.

1. Go Go my walkin’ pup.

2. a ds with pokemon Harte gold.

3. a dec of pokemon cards.

4. con zhu hampster Ribet and accesories.

5. hex bug nano with batl set.

6. any book of pokemon.

7. glow crasy.

8. Diary of a wimpy Kid #1.

9. Mario pawor tenis.

10. a toy pokemon.

11. Worriors book 5 and six.

12. lego star wars, space polies, Batman and lego city.

13. lego Hary Poter Wii.

14. the lego minatorus game.

15. lego Hary Poter Hogworts game.

16. piplup the pokemon turtwig and pikachoo.

17. spy net spy wache.

18. new pejamas.

19. uber stics, ubur bots.

20. remot control car.

21. air hawcs camra and misl helacopter.

22. remot melenieam falcom.

23. pokemon D.V.D.s

This is what I would like for Crismas

It’s actually a pretty simple hike, and the boys were way more into it this time around. A in particular seemed excited about the possibility of exploring some 100 year-old ruins.

Our destination was the old Thomas “Carbide” Willson fertilizer mill. Built around 1911, it was an impressive sight back in the day, with a mill, dam, and a large condensation tower. Just the walls, foundation, and waterfall remain today, and the site is a popular spot for families and photographers. And nudists.

The mill back in 1917.

The mill as it stands today.

B taking a break after a long 1.48 km hike.

B, A, and…Batman.

Me and the boys hanging out in the old condensation tower.

The challenge when planning a daytrip with two young kids is not to get too ambitious.  My ideal itinerary for the day probably would have included a walk up Mont Royal, shopping on Ste-Catherine, a quick visit to Fluevog on St. Denis, a walking tour of the old city, and steak frites at L’express.  Of course that would have been disastrous with kids in tow, so we limited ourselves to a couple of stops.

First up was Outremont for the legendary bagels at St. Viateur.  As is often the case, the bakery was much smaller than I had imagined, but the smell was heavenly.  Outside the store, dozens of Hasidic Jews were making their way to synagogue – it felt like we’d stepped into a Mordecai Richler novel.

We ended up at a Greek restaurant around the corner for a last breakfast / early lunch.  The boys each ordered a chocolate milk and were rewarded with essentially a chocolate milk shake.  Although it’s a little blurry, K’s excitement at his good fortune is evident.

To top that off, K’s waffles tasted like they were made with doughnut batter drenched in table syrup.  He didn’t seem to mind.

After a nice walk through Old Montreal, we made our way to the Centre des sciences for a little educational fun.  The boys really liked the hands-on activities, and the modern layout made me feel sorry for our poor aging Museum of Science and Technology.  The water table was the highlight – I’m tempted to see if we could build something similar in our basement.

A tries to maximize power generation by changing the flow of water.

The science centre currently has a major exhibition on sex, but it’s recommended for children over the age of 12.  I was tempted to take a walk through, but the thought of A & K grilling us for two hours in the car on the way home on the finer points of reproduction was enough to convince me to leave it for another day.

Our final stop was Olive & Gourmondo on rue Saint-Paul.  While the sandwiches and baked goods are terrific, it’s not really the ideal place for kids.  We decided on the $14 mac and cheese for K, and of course he ate about three bites before declaring “I’m full”.  A picked at a green salad before deciding he didn’t like it.  At least they enjoyed the cookie on the walk back to the car.

In the end, the boys had a great time and are eager to return.  As they slept in the car on the way home, I began planning another trip for the winter.  Perhaps we’ll take the train, stay in a hotel, and visit the Biodome and Insectarium.  If we’re lucky, perhaps we can sneak in a trip to Fluevog, too.

In recent years, I’ve gone to Meech Lake many times, and have run into neither politicians nor nudists (nor nude politicians, for that matter). While I prefer the swimming at Lac Philippe and Lac la Peche, the trails at Meech Lake are easily accessible and extremely pretty, especially at this time of year. So, on a cool October morning, I decided to take the boys for a walk on the trail with the hope of making it to the ruins of Thomas Wilson’s carbide mill.

Alas, A and K did not share my enthusiasm for a walk through the woods. Within the first five minutes, concerns were raised about the temperature (too cold), the trail (too steep, too muddy), and potential dangers (wild animals, lava, etc). After considerable negotiation, I convinced them to at least do part of the trail and then we would reassess our plans.

We made it as far as the bridge where Meech Lake empties into Little Meech Lake. The boys were suitably impressed by the clear water and beautiful view, and we spent a bit of time scrambling over the rocks. That was as far as we made it, though – the mill will have to wait for the next hike. On the positive side, the boys did stand still long enough for a few nice photos.

A & K on their own little island. A said “This feels like home to me.”

A admiring the changing leaves across the lake.

It’s so hard to get them to actually stand still and smile together long enough to take a decent picture – this is my new favourite.

K has become pretty photogenic.

K doing his best Jack Benny impersonation.

King Mountain is a pretty good trail for younger kids.  There are a lot of stairs on the way up, but then you’re rewarded with great views of the Ottawa valley at the top.  Interpretative signs along the way also offer an educational element for the scientifically inclined.

One of my many critics has pointed out the scarcity of posts or photos about my wife on the blog.  I shall endeavour to be more inclusive in my posts about family events, and am pleased to offer a number of photos that prove B does, in fact, exist (and in a most beautiful way, I might add).

Enjoying the view from the top of King Mountain

B, A and K.  K is working on his winking – he’s getting there.

Me and B.  A took the photo, and with some cropping it turned out O.K.

Another photo by A.  K is trying to decide whether the stick will fit inside his nose.

K wanted the chance to take a picture too.  If I only had some Photoshop skills we might be able to put together an actual family portrait.

The beginning of the King Mountain trail. Fortunately, the boys were undaunted by the steep ascent.

The reward at the top is a great view of the valley.

The seldom seen, always appreciated moment of brotherly love.

K with his cute pose.

K with his skeptic pose.

A showing off his new smile – the front tooth came out around 6:30 this morning.

DunnD’s Minigolf in Chelsea is a nice little course, complete with a waterfall feature. Not sure what K is doing here – seems like a hip hop kind of pose.

K showing off his nice putting stroke.  Maybe he’ll grow up to be another Tiger (minus the sex addiction and chronic adultery.)

Under my expert tutelage, the boys were both left with tap-ins for birdies.

Of course, no trip to the Gatineaus would be complete without a stop at the Chelsea Bakery for Jamaican patties and brownies, followed by a stop at the IGA for cheap Quebec beer.

If only the boys would have a nap, it would truly be a perfect summer day.