A Boy Not Named Sue

Matt here.

Johnny Cash wrote of a man who named his son Sue in order to make him tough.  We, instead, have decided to dress him in one of the old toques that my nan had made for me.  My sister, Trina, found it in her collection and sent it east from Seattle.  Magnus doesn't seem to be all that impressed.  

Our Unhappy Camper

"This is degrading for both of us."

I'm sure once he gets comfortable with it and smiles, he will look super cute. After all, it worked for me...38 years ago.

At The Park

Karen here.

Prior to the cold snap, Magnus and I had been going to the park most evenings. He LOVES to wave to the buses and streetcars!

But he also loves the slide. Many parents have commented on how brave he is sliding by himself, but he just loves it!

It's a really neat park. People have left toys there for other people to use. Magnus's favourite is a kid-sized motorized 4-wheeler that's missing both a seat and a battery. Still, he loves to push it around. And, as always, he makes friends wherever he goes!

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You!

Karen here.

Well, Halloween came and went. And we had quite a great night. We weren't really planning on making a big deal of it... just handing out candy. But that morning Matt got excited about throwing something together. So then I did too (without his knowledge, showing up at the door to greet him after work! Love his laugh!). And Magnus got into the spirit too (thanks again Auntie Jill!).

Hangin' out in the kitchen

Costume kiss!

Smiles!

 

The loot!

Needless to say, we had some candy left over. And that's after Matt tried bargaining with the kids who came to the door. He wanted Kit Kats and I hadn't thought to buy any. He offered the kids 4 of our candies for 1 Kit Kat! Sadly, there were only 2 takers. Most of the kids were too syched to go to the next door; either that or they just didn't want to negotiate with a crazy looking dude in a Mexican wrestling mask, football jersey, and pull-up rugby socks and cleats. Who could blame them?



The next day was Magnus's FIRST BIRTHDAY! I had had a moment or three earlier in the week (you know... dramatic and spontaneous bouts of crying.... sad and elated all at the same time). And we had moved only a few weeks prior AND had hosted a house warming party (what were we thinking?). So we were pooped. And after all that excitement, it was really nice to spend the entire weekend by ourselves in our new house.

Relaxed.

Quiet.

Wonderful.

I did, however, want to capture Magnus having cake for the first time. So the three of us shared a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. It was decadent! And true to form, Magnus had a hay day!

Days later, Nan and Grandpa Raz came for a visit, both to wish the youngest grandchild a Happy Birthday and to 'check out the new digs' according to Peg! Here is Magnus with his Nan.

For his birthday, Peg got Magnus a pair of overalls that she used to dress Matt and Karl in. Here's the mini-me (in this case, Mini-Matt).

We had a lovely dinner one night with UB as well (Uncle Brent, Magnus's godfather). As usual, having your parents around for a few days is always a tremendous help. Not only did they keep Magnus occupied, but Matt, Brent and I were able to go out after dinner. Sigh. It was great! The next day, we went for a walk at a local ravine (checking out the 'hood).

The next day, Oma came for a visit.  She only stayed for the night (she was passing through), but we had a nice night, nonetheless. Here is Magnus with his Oma at the park.

Looking forward to what the next year will bring!

High Fives and Kisses

Karen here.

We are always so proud when Magnus learns a new trick. What parent isn't? :) Late in the summer Magnus learned how to high five, but he chose to leave us hanging more often than not. Here, he readily denies his father.

So we finally managed to get his high fives on camera. And they are auspiciously paired with a big wet one (his other new trick)!

Although, this kiss captured a few days before we moved was epic.

He also fancies his stuffed animals.

He may be a big lump, but he's cute and cuddly like his toy animals!

King West, we hardly knew ya

Matt here.  

As many know, we recently moved.  After 7 years living in the King West / West Queen West area of Toronto (1.5 of those years with Karen), we moved to Queen East, a part of town known as Leslieville (affectionately referred to as Lesbieville by those ladies of the short hair who enjoy holding each others' hands).  As an area, it has really come around in the past 10 years and is in a pretty good location in terms of proximity to the Beaches, Downtown, and major highways like the Gardiner and DVP.

Prior to the move we got together for some drinks with some of our neighbours in our King West condo complex.  It was nice to get together with Maureen, Kent (who plays viola with the TSO...aren't we cool!), and Irene and Harold.  Harold always watched over me from Day 1 on Sudbury Street (even re-directing me to my front door after hanging out at his place during Caribanna my first weekend in 2007.  In my defence, I had just moved in the day before and mistook someone else's front door for my own.  Honest mistake!).

Long story short, we always referred to Harold as my Jamaican father.  So, I guess that makes him Magnus's Jamaican grandfather!  Maybe that's the source of Magnus's big mitts.

Magnus and his Jamaican Grandfather after our May return from Halifax

Anyhoo, two weeks after the move we decided to have a little house party.  As part of the planning, I conferred with my father on the required amounts of beer, wine, and booze.  Clearly, our combined base data (my rate of consumption and his party experiences from the 70s and 80s) was no longer an accurate representation of current party practices.  This left a good deal of drinks in the cooler the next day.  It kept Magnus occupied for hours (honest, hours).  We have other videos of him stopping, staring at his cold, red, numb hands (from the ice water), and then continuing on.  He can really manhandle those Guinness!

Looking forward to future visits from friends and family so that Magnus can show everyone around his new digs and 'hood!

Karen here.

I must add a few things about the move itself. On the much anticipated day, the movers arrived 2 hours early. WE WERE STILL PACKING!!! It was a hectic (and, admittedly, stressful) few hours, but it turned out we needed the extra two hours... all those bloody stairs! 

Our saving grace was my mother. She entertained Magnus the entire move! So we were free to get done what needed to be done. They had QUITE a lot of fun together.

It was obviously an incredibly long day, but we all pulled through. My mum stayed with us for a few days to continue to watch her only grandson while Matt and I got organized. Needless to say, she and Magnus continued to have a lot of fun (my mum even admitted to me that she's enjoying him more than she ever had a chance to do with her own kids! Love it!).

As a small token of appreciation, I took my mum for her first official mani-pedi. She told me she had never had anyone else put nail polish on for her! Check out the hot pink nail polish!

So we have now settled into our new lives at our new house, and it's pretty darn great!