Category Archives: Family

Sep 7 2010

King Mountain

For the last day of summer vacation, we headed up to Gatineau Park.  I had hoped to spend the day on the beach, savouring every last second of summer before grabbing some ice cream at La Cigale, but Mother Nature decided not to cooperate.  Instead, we put on our jackets and headed out for a hike.

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.

K the Sceptic
Jun 30 2010

King Mountain & Mini Golf

For day 3 of summer vacation, I decided to take the boys up to the Gatineaus. The dark clouds and strong winds had me a little worried, but it ended up being a perfect morning.

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.

May 28 2010

The Best of Ottawa – Kids and Teens Dentistry

Like many people, I developed strongly negative feelings about my dentist when I was a kid. Perhaps it was the time I had four teeth pulled and then went back to school with bloody gauze stuffed in my mouth, or the numerous fillings, or the 36 months I spent wearing braces. Whatever it was, visits to the dentist were always met with fear and apprehension.

So, I was particularly sensitive to A’s situation over the past couple of months. When his cheek ballooned back in March, I thought he might have the mumps. It turned out he had a badly abscessed molar, and on further inspection, he had a number of cavities.

I sat with him at our regular dentist and watched helplessly as this large man spent 45 minutes trying to save the tooth before finally deciding it had to come out. After several needles and having his mouth pried open by multiple fingers, pliers, and suction tubes, A decided he had had enough and refused to open his mouth again. The dentist threw up his hands and said he couldn’t continue.

Fortunately, we were referred to Kids and Teens Dentistry, and we couldn’t be happier. The dentists and staff are completely focused on making the experience as kid-friendly as possible, and I only wish we had something like this when I was younger.

The mood is set as soon as you walk in the door of the funky, modular office. The décor is whimsical, there are Xbox games to play, and a movie room where kids can hang out. The dental suites have themes, and kids can watch movies on the ceiling and listen through headphones while work is getting done. When the visit is over, they get a token to put in the Treasure Tree and get a little knick-knack to take home.

For the extraction of A’s molar, they used conscious sedation, a combination of oral sedative and nitrous oxide. He was awake for the procedure, but completely zoned out, and he didn’t feel a thing. We’ve been back a couple of times, and despite the extensive work that has to be done, he genuinely gets excited about it.

If you’re looking for a dentist for your kids, or if your current dentist isn’t that great with children, I highly recommend you give Kids and Teens Dentistry a call. I know they have a long waiting list so you’ll probably have to wait a few months for an appointment, but it’s totally worthwhile.

May 15 2010

April 2010 Photos

This post is long overdue, but I thought I’d post a few photos from our Easter weekend.

The trip got off to a rough start.  We were creeping along in rush-hour traffic on the way out of town when a dashboard warning light came on.  Our power steering had failed, and despite my herculean efforts (turn the car off, turn it back on, curse, repeat), it wouldn’t work.  Fortunately our local garage agreed to stay open until we could get back there, and of course it worked perfectly when we got there.  In any case, nearly four hours after I left work we were finally on the road, which is not the ideal way to start a 540 km drive.

The rest of the weekend was great.  The boys met their new cousin Desmond, completed an epic Easter-egg hunt, and had a fun play-date with cousin Ian.  We stopped in Kingston on the way home and took a walk down memory lane.  We took a trip on the Wolfe Island ferry and gave the boys their first taste of Indian food at Darbar.  Overall, a very enjoyable 72 hours.

A, K, and new cousin Desmond (approx. 1 month old)

A at Tiffany Falls in Ancaster

K enjoying the Tim Hortons Canada doughnut.

Attention Tim Hortons:  This image is available for future promotional campaigns.  Please contact me directly to discuss pricing.

Me and the boys sticking close to the flotation devices…just in case.

Dec 28 2009

School Photos 2009

One of my favourite days of the school year is picture day. The usual rag-tag group of kids suddenly shows up at school with shirts tucked in, hair combed, and a noticeable absence of milk mustaches. A has taken it pretty seriously for the past couple of years, going shopping weeks in advance for a nice shirt and sweater to wear.

One frustrating thing about getting the school photos is the weird sizes you end up receiving. I spent a fair amount of time trying to find a nice hinged 4 x 6 photo frame, and nearly lost it on Christmas Eve when I found out the actual photo size is 3.5 x 5. What the hell is that?

Last year’s school photos were a little disappointing. There was something odd about A’s photo – I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but it just didn’t look like him. They also had him pose with his chin resting on his hand, and that became his default photo pose for the next six months.

I think this year’s photos are much better. A & K look like little Alex P. Keatons in their sweater vests, but that’s O.K. – I totally wanted to be Alex when I was in grade 9. Enjoy.

K, Junior Kindergarten

A, Grade 1