May 22, 2007 by Barbara.

I noticed an advertisement in a local paper last week announcing that Bob the Builder would be appearing at a nearby mall. This is strange for a couple of reasons: first, I never looks at advertisements but I’m trying to change this behaviour because they often have this sort of information and also I try to stay away from the marketing machine that kids’ tv programming generally is. Toopy and Binoo must be Can-con (Canadian content), I figure since the only merchandise I’ve ever seen are French books in the Scholastic brochure. In any case, I asked Reid if she knew who Bob was and she said N (or someone) at daycare had a doll. That was good enough for me because I love live performances. We went early enough to get a picture of Reid standing in front of a giant poster of Bob the Builder and then took up our spot on the floor. We’d bought some M&M cookies and water from Subway and had a little snack while we waited.

Some guy named Marcus was the opening act. I think that he appears on Treehouse but we don’t watch it except for Toopy and Binoo and the occasional Roly Polie Olie. Marcus sang and danced around. He reminded me of a cross between Raffi and Robert Munsch. Reid seemed interested enough but wasn’t willing to dance or do the actions suggested. She is a bit shy at the beginning of each Kindermusik class, too.

Finally, Bob the Builder came out. There was some sort of a call-repeat with the “Can we build it?” - “Yes, we can.” And “Can we fix it?” - “Yes, we can.” Reid didn’t say a word. Many of the other kids, even those with Bob dolls and hard hats, were quiet, too. The parents, me included, called out the appropriate response . Reid watched everything intently but quietly until they were building the new sign and started holding letters up for identification. Reid couldn’t resist letters, she loves them too much and she called out their names. Within half an hour, it was over and we were on our way. Reid had much to say about Bob the Builder on our way home. She processes things and is quiet but she doesn’t miss much.

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May 22, 2007 by Barbara.

On Friday night after swimming lessons, I talked Ken into taking us to Dairy Queen. Well, I thought I was talking him into driving and I would pay but then I didn’t have my purse. We share money freely but I’m forever spending his cash and then he has none. As we drove, we were talking about ice cream cones and Reid said, “like daycare.” I was a bit deflated. I thought that I was offering a special treat but those daycare people seem to have beat me to the punch. Reid managed to eat her ice cream cone in her car seat making very little mess. I got some on my sleeve, though, while tucking a napkin into Reid’s shirt to protect it from drips. As we drove home, I was thinking that the evening boded well for the rest of the weekend. I’m superstitious that way when the portent is positive. When it’s negative, I try to think that things can only get better. :+)

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May 22, 2007 by Barbara.

I started out last weekend a bit melancholy because no one was coming to visit. Last year, Grandma Joyce, Aunt Karin, Shea and Jaycee had planned a visit and then Uncle Roger and Danielle hopped in at the last minute and so we had a houseful. The weather was cold and rainy but we had fun. The year before that, Grandpa Keith and Granny Rhonda came for a day. I guess my brain decided that Victoria Day weekend was a weekend when people visited us. I’m a girl of habit - Easter is with my family because both the weekend and the drive are longer and Thanksgiving is with Ken’s family, we alternate Christmas and then there is Victoria Day … Well, I decided to keep us busy and rely on my own made-in-Ottawa family. On Saturday afternoon, Reid and I met Melissa, Stephen, Sarah and Ben at the swimming pool by our house. We spent an hour and a half floating and splashing, watching the kids do tricks and chatting. Sarah was the best big sister a girl could want - keeping Reid entertained, encouraging her to jump in and that sort of thing. Ben went down the slide over and over and Stephen offered a taste of big brother, benign neglect with a few tricks in the mix. After swimming, we had chicken quesadillas at our house. Once again the kids sat at Reid’s table and ate from the matching plates/glasses/cutlery that Brianna gave for my baby shower. Melissa’s kids really like the novelty of the table and the plates, etc. though they are past all but kids glasses at their house. They all wanted to play in the basement. It’s still exotic for Melissa’s kids to go downstairs and Reid loves to go down whenever she gets a chance. Melissa and I were able to visit until we started to fade, even though the kids were still going fast and strong.

On Sunday morning, Reid and I went to Eddy’s for breakfast, a tradition that has lapsed of late with all of the travelling that we’ve been doing. Didi, “our” waitress wasn’t in and neither was Sara, the busgirl who always stops to visit. The waitress that did come by - I think her name is Cathy - was happy to see us and treated us well. After breakfast, we went to The Farm, “our farm” as Reid calls it. We saw our usual friends - the horses, Bella and Lady, who have pulled us on wagon and sleigh rides and their friends, Ted and King, as well as Goody the Bull (and we talked about daddy cows being called bulls) and all of the other animals. There was a man shearing sheep in one building. We stopped to see him trim the hooves of one and then shear her. We’d already seen a little lamb crying for her mama and so we both hoped that she would be going back to her baby soon. Reid carded wool, felted it (actually she didn’t want to touch it and so the museum staff member did the rolling and squeezing) and then dyed it. Note to self: somewhere in my house or car is a small ball of blue wool that I should probably locate. Reid also made a little sheep from a tracing of her hand on black construction paper and some cotton balls. Reid loves glue and cotton balls are always fun, don’t you think? It would be a good Sunday School craft for a “lamb of God” sort of lesson. Right before we left, we stopped to see a sheep dog working a herd of about 10 sheep. The shepherd used a combination of verbal commands and gesturing with a cane to give directions. It was a neat demonstration. Before we got to the admission booth, Reid had decided not to take a wagon ride this trip and I was glad that she hadn’t changed her mind as we had to walk by the place you get on the wagon in order to get to our car. She waved and watched the wagon go by and got into her car seat without comment.

Daddy had lunch ready for us when we got home. I’d called ahead because Reid had droopy eyes on the drive. Of course, she perked up when we got home but it was still nice to come home to prepared food. We had a most welcome nap - the hardest thing about travelling is missing my nap - and then it was time for Reid and Daddy time while I went for groceries. We had a relaxed supper and evening. Another good day, I thought.

On Monday, after waking up 45 minutes later than usual, which doesn’t happen often in our house, we had a fine, family cuddle in the big bed. Reid and Daddy went to the Science and Technology Museum to see the trains and other exhibits. At first Reid asked about the dinosaur museum (Nature Museum) and so we should be probably be planning a trip there but we don’t have a membership to it and it’s not my favourite. Neither is the Aviation Museum, though, but at least Ken enjoys it. I haven’t been back since the Nature Museum reopened after major renovations, perhaps I’ll like it better. At the Science and Tech museum they saw some trains, including one with wheels BIGGER THAN DADDY and she made a conductors hat. They rode on a snowmobile together although Reid first thought she could handle it alone. While they were in the space exhibit Reid declared her intention to be an astronaut. We’ll see if that works out. If it does, you heard it here first. After lunch and a nap, we tackled the garden and yards. Reid is a born gardener. She loves to dig, use “her rake” (my three-pronged claw tool) and shovel and plant those poor flowers that I bought on Sunday. First I had to convince her that she couldn’t pick the blooms and then I had to talk about how delicate the the roots were. She listened carefully and tried her best to comply. Oh, and watering, well Reid would specialize in watering full time if we allowed it - hose or watering can, it doesn’t matter. Reid started out with jeans on, or almost on, but they kept falling down and finally we put a pair of shorts on her. But not before Ken took a picture of her gardening with her jeans almost to her knees. It’s too bad we couldn’t get a picture of the grin on her face when she noticed how far they had fallen. A bath was definitely required. Fun is dirty, though, isn’t it.

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