B and the Hot Wheels Color Shifters Tour

We took B to see the Hot Wheels Color Shifters tour the other day.  We drove down to Kildonan Place early in the morning. When we got there, there were tents and tables set up with playsets. Inside the tent was the main attraction, the color changing Mustang. B went crazy for it all, it was awesome. He is still talking about how it changed colors when he touched it. They gave him a little book with all of the current Hot Wheels in it, and he keeps going through it and showing me all the cars he has. He loves cars. He is getting to a point where he recognizes and differentiates between different brands and models well. 

Little O is doing great. He is starting to pick foods up and eat them. And he is hilarious. He has such a big personality for such a little guy. And he is always giggling. 

I have promised myself that if I get one project off the needles today I will dye some wool and roving to make some thrummed mittens. I hope it motivates me! I have a few things on the go, and I think there is one for sure I can get done.  I need more fingering weight yarn! Everything I have seems to be worsted. I keep drooling over yarn online. Make me stop!

Road Trip: Kenora

It being the August Long Weekend, we decided to spend our Saturday in Kenora (or Nora as B calls it). If we drive a couple of hours north, east, or south of here it's all blah and fields (and Target if you go south). I can only tolerate so many fields of corn and canola. But if we drive east just a bit, you hit the Canadian Shield where the road winds through blasted rocks and we wonder if our tiny car can actually go up hills (it can).

We set out early (but later than we had meant because we slept though the alarm). The boys took it easy the whole way there, B in the back watching Cars and O sleeping while I worked on a shawl project I just started. B got really excited when we started seeing all the rocks and water and stuff. And the flipped over car on the highway. Eeek.

We got there before noon and had a picnic lunch in the park by the lake (of the woods?) B thought that the boats were cars on the water and asked how we would get there. That is what happens when you live in the middle of a continent in a city with gross rivers. He was really amused by he boats and the tiny water airplanes. O was really amused grabbing grass. Oh how simple it is to be a little baby. We walked around a bit, as it was Harbourfest, We took B to the kids area that was set up. He was so excited to go on the bouncy houses, but changed his mind when we got closer. They had horses though, and B went on his first horse ride (just like Woody from Toy Story as he put it)  and fed a baby cow (it was really a black and white sheep) some hay. They also had lots of little games set up and B loved winning prizes and having an excuse to throw things. We walked around a bit, and ultimately decided to head back a bit earlier because the boys were cranky and needed a nap. Hottest ride home ever. Eesh. We seem to have great luck picking the hottest days to day trip. And of course, I have a sunburn now. Pout.

And this might be one of the strangest things I have ever seen. It had a rapper costume and a suit too.

Friday.

For some reason I am in a funk today. I don't know why. I am attempting to cheer myself up with Easter chocolate (little solid eggs), a documentary (The September Issue), and the cutest little baby smiles which just fell back asleep. Even when he is sad, little O tries to smile.

Today he had his 2 month checkup. All is good. I think he's something like fourteen-and-a-half pounds and just over twenty-four inches now. Growing well. B went to Ryan's sister's for the day, so I cleaned the storage room. Fun. I did find lots of old photographs, drawings, and art supplies which just further propels my sudden inspiration. I tried to relax by knitting O some booties out of this really pretty yarn I bought in the States about five years ago (the colour is Country Sunset, but really, it feels more Underwater Menagerie to me), but as I got to the cuff of the last one, I ran out of yarn. Pout!! I had forgotten that I had used some of the ball to make a very large and very fluffy pom-pom. And I was so excited to have finally found a way to use this yarn to. I just love the colours. I will just have to pick up more next time we go. But I learned some more about bootie construction, and have some good ideas.

Yesterday the four of us all went out to dinner, at Moxies, almost an hour past our regular "supper hour" with great success. Is there a Parent Scout badge for that? I should embroider myself one. Then we walked around the mall and I wanted to buy everything. Mostly these nail files (not like I need anymore). And the diaper bag I have been dreaming of. And then today I saw this post on taking good family photos which really just made me spend too much time looking at nice children's clothes on the internet. I think he needs a good summer cardigan. Like this one. I need to get dressing him like this out of me before he cares enough to not wear the things I pick out! (Ooh, and this shirt!)

We spent some time this evening finally building B a gas pump for his Cozy Coupe. It has a gas cap and spot for a nozzle, and it always makes him disappointed that he can't fill it up. he even tries to use the teeny-tiny nozzle on his Little People garage sometimes. So I cut and taped something together on the fly out of a diaper box. Ryan did a great job with the nozzle. I plan to make it prettier at some point, I just wanted to get it finished tonight before he went to bed since he was watching us make it. He was sooo excited when he realized what it was and made lots of glug noises while he filled up his car.

This weekend is busier than it feels. Tomorrow AM I think we are going to the library to run around and look at books. Then Ryan has to do some work in the afternoon, mostly while the boys nap. And I need to go grocery shopping at some point. Sunday my sister gets home from Montreal so we are going to see her in the evening. I started thinking about gardening, but I am wary with all of the deer around here. I had bad luck on our second floor apartment balcony (even my jalapeños got eaten!) so I don't know if I want to risk it. Maybe I'll just try a couple of small plants and look into deer repelling techniques. It makes me a little sad that we are so far away from the Farmer's Market this year. Instead of a 5 minute drive, it's probably a 45 minute drive. Maybe there is something around here. We also talked about maybe checking out the one in Portage la Prairie this year. I love car rides. 

Time to get this party started.

The spring cleaning's coming

As we lose the cold weather, so

Put away your long johns

All your thick sweaters

And we'll cut off all our winter hair

Sit out on the lawn chairs

And the sun forgets that we're here

Forget our careers

I figured it's time to get back into blogging. I'll probably write about a lot of different things: the boys, who take up most of my time; things I am up to, such as knitting and sewing projects; food we eat, which has been mostly unexciting these days, but I really want to change that; and other things, like shopping, neat links, and various colours that end up on my nails. I paint them to de-stress, it works pretty good.

So in that vein, I will gloss over those topics.

• The boys are good, B is about 2 years and a couple of months and is doing very well. I am trying to get him over his juice addiction, into his Thomas bed, into real underpants, and all without his soother. It's good times. He lives and breathes Cars. Yes. Cars with a capital C, as in the movie. "Watcha McQueen," he runs around the house saying. What did parents do without pixar movies??? He has a healthy collection of toy cars and trucks of all sorts that he loves parking and putting in houses. It's pretty cute. O is about 6 weeks now, and a smiley little guy. He's pretty darn cute. And huge! He seems a lot more aware of his surroundings than I remember B being, and he is one tough little guy.
• I am knitting a sweater for O, a hooded cardigan based on the pattern in Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby (It's the one on the top left, but I am making a fair bit of changes). I just finished the ribbing and am now on the striping. I have not knitted in a while, and I forgot how fun it is. My ravelry ID is ohdessa if anyone is interested. Sewing not so much these days, as it's not something you can do while holding a baby, but I do plan to maybe sew up some quick sheets for B this weekend.
• Food is boring. I really hope to change that. We've been eating a fair bit of crap these days out of convenience. Ryan is working a lot, and I am busy with the two boys, so it just seems easier to throw in a pizza. On top of that, B is fairly picky, which makes things even harder. But sometime in the next couple of weeks I plan to go through cookbooks and come up with a plan.
• Other stuff is other stuff. Yup. I am pretty pleased with my nails right now. I painted them Revlon Grey Suede (such a nice colour, more of a nude-y pink with a bit of grey) and used a Kiss Beach Purple nail art polish to paint on zebra stripes. I've been trying to organize the apartment like crazy and it feels like it will never be done. And I could use a vacation! Ha.
• Now, I just need to pretty up this thing.