O, Canada!

(Love the photo of the Hockey Hall of Fame!)



So I can't figure out how in the world to arrange photos on Blogger. Sigh. I was going to do this photo-essay for everyone but it's all jumbled.

So I guess I'm going to have to do some typing, haha.

Friday after Thanksgiving (and try explaining what "Black Friday" means to a Japanese Fellow with a limited knowledge of English...but I digress) we loaded up the minivan, the passports and the pipsqueaks and headed north(east) to Canada.

It's supposedly a four to five hour journey from A2 to Toronto. But we drove through dense fog through much of the Michigan portion of our journey. Then, at the border crossing at Port Huron (see Lake Huron from the bridge pictured) we hit a delay of almost 45 minutes. Then more heavy traffic throughout Ontario. But we finally made it all intact. We stayed at the Cambridge Suites Hotel which, as its name implies, is all suites. It was great; right smack in City Center, very posh, comfortable and modern. We had a living room with a sofa bed, big closets, a bar area with a fridge, microwave and sink, as well as a large bedroom and bath. Plus, the all-important pocket doors so that the kids could go to bed early and we could finish Season Two of "The Wire."

Toronto is the largest city we've ever taken the kids to. At the last minute, I asked our neighbors if we could borrow their double stroller (more on said stroller later). I am so eternally grateful that we did. I honestly don't know what I was thinking that IEM could "walk" around Toronto.

We met one of Zack's Vandy buddies and her husband for dinner Friday evening, then I took the kids home and got them settled down. IEM loved taking his bath then playing cards on our bed after his sister went to sleep. Both kids were so good in the hotel and on the whole trip. They were true troopers.

Saturday we woke up to the view you see of the gorgeous sunshine on the skyscrapers so we decided to walk about 15 minutes to the Harbourfront. The photo you see of the schooner in the dense fog is what encountered when we left our hotel. Fortunately, it cleared by early afternoon but we didn't get to experience the waterfront at its best.

After a brunch near the Harbour, we got brave and boarded the subway for the Royal Ontario Museum or the ROM (pronounced like "Tom"). My kids have never been on a subway before and it's been several years since I've been on one. They did awesome. IEM and EPM both enjoyed it and were very safe and careful. She stayed in the stroller without complaint and he either held my hand or sat strapped in the stroller. IEM really loved it. And they both loved the ROM. There were some great kid-friendly exhibits and a good "discovery" room. We stayed almost 2 1/2 hours which is about 2 hours longer than I thought we would. Another subway ride back to the hotel, then time for EPM's nap. While she napped, IEM played with his play-doh and watched a video. I went out for a walk and Zack read for class.

After Her Shortness awoke and we gave them a snack, it was back on the subways...with a transfer this time!...to Greektown for dinner. Again, they were really great. We ate at a banquette of all things and they did well. The food was amazing. We ate at a place callled Mezes which was loud, comfortable and most important, fast. And cheap. We got the kids a Baskin-Robbins (which we haven't had since we left Memphis) as a treat. It was such a wonderful sight, seeing them both sitting together in the stroller, happy with their dinner and their ice cream.

Sunday, we decided to check out and drive down to Union Station to show IEM some trains. There were no trains in the station but the kids had fun running in the SkyWalk between Union Station and the CN Tower. We weren't ready to leave the city so we decided to go up into the tower. Now if you are unfamiliar, the CN Tower is the tallest freestanding structure in the world. And you can take a high-speed elevator up to the observation platform and get a panoramic view of greater Toronto.

The kids were in good moods so we decided to do it. Once we bought our tickets, we had to go through the most sophisticated scanning device I've seen. It's a chamber you step into where air is shot at you from all different directions. Kind of like a glaucoma test for your entire body. Basically, they are scanning you for explosives and metal.

As I had the kids in the stroller, they took us to the side and used one of those swabbing thingees they have in the airports...they put a piece of fabric in a wand, swab you and the stroller, etc. and place the fabric in the machine. This is where it gets interesting.

All of a sudden, alarms start going off on that thing and I see a red screen with "Explosives! Explosives!" written on it. Apparently, our neighbors stroller tested positive for something. It was a delay that annoyed Zack and really had me concerned for about a second...how to explain to these people that it wasn't really my stroller, that we were only in A2 for a few months, etc. I decided to just keep the story simple. So as far as the security at CN Tower knows, we took a looooonggg road trip from Memphis to Toronto with a borrowed stroller. The views were quite spectacular and IEM enjoyed looking through the binoculars at different things.

After another hour delay at the border which stretched our return trip to six hours, home again to A2 and Sawyer the cat who was happy to see us.

IEM told me today how much fun he had in Canada, riding the trains, going to the museum and staying in the hotel. Our trip Up North and now to Toronto has shown me that we can take trips with them...it's not easy but it is doable. We love to travel and I think that they will as well.

Thanks for stopping by.

More birthday

Here are some pics from IEM's birthday brunch at Wallace House. A great time was had by all. Thanks to Hilary for taking the photos!

Had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at home today. We invited Hilary and Yonette to join us. I informed them (after we had eaten, of course) that this was my first official Thanksgiving dinner. I ordered an Amish-raised turkey breast which was yummy. We also had sweet potato salsa, mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce. And gravy, which IEM referred to as "turkey juice." It was a beautiful day here today. High of 60 and bright blue skies. We spent much of the morning at the park with our neighbors, playing frisbee, soccer and watching the kids play construction.

Off to Toronto tomorrow for the weekend. Time to get the kids' passports stamped after all that we went through in Memphis to get them!

Thanks for stopping by.

Whew.

Whew.

It's tough being four years old, which is what IEM told me this evening. This evening marking the end of his birthday proper.

Or, more to the point, it's tough being the mother of a four-year-old. Whose birthday happens to fall on the same day as, what was being billed as, "the biggest football game in history:" The Michigan-Ohio State showdown.

The Border Battle wore me out. This is why I am no longer an official sportsfan: I become too emotionally involved. But let me tell you: It was as quiet as Christmas Day in our neighborhood starting at kickoff. You couldn't hear a car in the entire area. The only noise I heard (as I had to take the kids outside for some air and exercise) was a neighbor a street away who came outside to ring a huge maize and blue bell each time Michigan scored. Now that all of the leaves are down, I could see into this person's backyard and there it was: a huge bell, similar to a farm's dinner bell or firebell, painted and run when appropriate.

So I'm pooped. It was a busy day and a busier one tomorrow.

Here are some pics from his cupcake party tonight with the Beaubien kids. And no, EPM's hair is not on her head a la "Pebbles Flintstone." It just dried that way tonight...like the curls?

Thanks for stopping by.

State of Denial

Sometimes, I really do believe that I am in denial about how cold it is going to get up here in Michigan. Then I open the paper to headlines like "How to survive winter's misery" or hear A2 in winter described as a "sunless landscape devoid of any joy." How wonderful.

I've also noticed how different the ad circulars are up here. There are lots of snow melting and snow removal products for sale each week. There are also lots of ways to pass the time in the frozen Upper Midwest...ice fishing for one. You can buy a heated inflatable igloo for your ice-fishing camp from Cabela's at the same time you pick up a gigantic hand-grill for the ice. Brrrrrr. Sounds like fun.

On a warmer note (and it really hasn't been that cold up here...yet), I read a funny quote in today's paper. The Royal Shakespeare Company is winding up its 21-performance residency (its only U.S. performance for 2006) today with a matinee of "The Tempest." I saw "The Tempest" two weeks ago and yesterday Zack and I saw the matinee of "Julius Caesar." It was another brilliantly acted and staged production but the audience (and perhaps the exhausted company) seemed to lack the fire of my "Tempest" experience.

Or maybe it was because crowd-favorite Patrick Stewart wasn't in "JC." Which brings me to my quote.

Patrick Stewart was the guest conductor at last week's football game versus Ball State. Here's where I'll quote from the Ann Arbor News:

"At that game's halftime, Stewart conducted the Michigan Marching Band as they played the 'Star Trek' theme, harkening back to his role on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.'

'The public address announcer said, 'Captain, we go to Columbus in two weeks, what are your orders?' And Patrick Stewart, playing Jean-Luc Picard, said 'Go forth and beat the Buckeyes," said Ken Fisher, director of the University Musical Society. 'The crowd went nuts for about half a minute. And then as it got quiet, Stewart said 'Make it so, Number One.'"

And apparently the crowd went bonkers.

On to the photos.

The snowy one was taken on November 1st. The one of IEM was last week at Greenfield Village's roundhouse. That's a real steam engine behind him, one that Henry Ford bought in the early 1900s and refurbished. The one of EPM is in our backyard last week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sure do!

"Sure do" is one of IEM's newest expressions.

It's a common Michigander phrase, similar to the Minnesotan/Dakotan "You Betcha!" Ask him if he wants some more applesauce and you might get a "Sure do!" Eat out at a restaurant and ask if they have, say, something on the menu that they don't and you'll likely get a "Sure don't!"

We've enjoyed a beautiful day here in A2. My mom tends to chuckle when I tell her that "it sure was warm here today, it was in the 50s!!!" But hey: The 50s "sure do" seem warm compared to the low 30s we had last week. I'll take this for as long as it lasts.

We had a very busy weekend. Friday evening, we joined the Fellows in celebration of Anthony's birthday. A late evening but a good one. Anthony and his wife Cindy are delightfully funny and fun to be around. Their daughter is a sports superstar and a sweet kid...IEM adores her. Good people all around.

Saturday, IEM had his first swimming lesson at the Y. He likes to call it "Huh-why" almost like he's trying to say Hawai'i. Very cute. His goggles broke beforehand but Zack said he did fine. IEM seems to like his instructor, a college boy named Jason. And it gives him something to do for the next 10 weeks on Saturday morning.

Saturday evening, Zack and I had a sitter so we decided to go to Hill Auditorium and hear the Michigan Men's Glee Club sing. Hill is a beautiful venue with almost pitch-perfect acoustics. The "opening act" was a boys' choral group from a high school in a nearby town. Zack and I both commented that we thought it was pretty amazing for a high school to be able to find 50 boys willing to sing at such a level. They were very good and many of the boys' families were there.

One such family was seated two rows behind us...parents and three boys. One of the boys looked to be no older than IEM. And he was a talker. Now remember: The Hill has great acoustics so you can imagine how loud his already loud whispers were.

During one song, I did turn my head to see if the parents were trying to shush him when all of the sudden this collective gasp went out in the crowd.

I whipped my head around to see one of the singing boys face first on the stage. Zack said he just fainted, fell face first off the top riser and crashed into a music stand. It took a second or two for the choral director to realize what had happened and he rushed over to the boy. The boy's mom rushed out of the crowd as did several men who were, I presume, the doctors in the house.

It was absolute silence in there for about five minutes. Finally, they walked him off the stage and to the U-M hospital with a broken tooth and cut lip. Ever hear someone tell you to not lock your legs if you're standing for some time? Well, definitely don't.

Other than that, the performances were great and we left at intermission to go get some dessert before heading home.

Sunday, we went to Dearborn to Greenfield Village, part of what is now known as "The Henry Ford." The Henry Ford Museum (www.hfmgv.org) is a complex on the outskirts of Ford's headquarters and main research and manufacturing facilities. IEM and I explored the Village (visit the website for the best idea of what it's all about), rode the carousel twice and took a horse and carriage ride. EPM and her daddy did basically whatever entertained her for 30 seconds. But she did eat a good lunch and take a nap in the car while Zack read his magazine, waiting for me and IEM. I would say IEM's favorite thing was the real steam engine roundhouse where he got to see not only steam locomotives but a tow train. "Oooh, Mommy, just like Harvey!!!" he exclaimed, citing one of his Thomas characters.

Oh and I got my hair cut on Friday. Took it up to my shoulders and shaped it up. I just couldn't take it long anymore. The winter static and flyaways were setting in and it needed some life.

That's it...promise some photos soon. After our downloading disaster last week, I'm just making sure I've got the time to properly download photos and go through all of the steps.

Thanks for stopping by.

Trying again

OK, so these weren't taken on Halloween proper (see my post from yesterday for an explanation). But they are of the kids in their costumes. IEM was, of course, Buzz Lightyear. Her Highness was a chicken. We called her Colonel Cluck because, well, it fits her personality.
Note the "feet" on her suit...hilarious. Good thing she went as a chicken because it was a toasty costume and she needed it...it was actually "mild" here on Halloween: only in the upper 40s that evening.

Today it snowed. I kid you not. I have a photo to post of the house in the snow. It was "only" an inch or so but still...it's early November.

I went today to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "The Tempest" at the Power Center. The University of Michigan residency is the RSC's only U.S. performance venue for this year. Patrick Stewart aka Professor Xavier or Captain Jean-Luc Picard played Prospero. It was a fabulous production with a modern retelling. I'm guessing they staged it in Iceland near the turn of the 20th century. Absolutely marvelous production. You can imagine that seeing the RSC live makes other Shakespeare productions pale in comparison.

Well, off to mop the kitchen floor. Yes, some things never change.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween

Well, it looks as though I'm not destined to post Halloween pics.

First, we accidentally deleted all of the photos from yesterday. The Halloween ones are upsetting but the one I am really lost over is a photo I took of EPM at the park. It looked like a professional candid of her standing amongst these gorgeous leaves. Poof. Gone.

So, I was going to post some photos I took several weeks ago of the kids in their costumes. But now Blogger won't let me.

We'll try again later.

Thanks for stopping by.