Kilbernie + Jesse's First Trip to the Movies! + History Grads Unite

Dear loyal blog readers,

I know what you're thinking. Dave's missed blogging two nights in a row. He's losing his blogging edge. Friends, that is SO NOT TRUE! I present to you tonight a triple feature: the Vance family trip to the prestigious Kilbirnie Park + Jesse's First Trip to the Movies + History Grads Unite!


Part 1: Kilbernie Park

Kilbirnie Park is a really nice spash pad/park combo on the southern side of Barrhaven. Everything about this park is nice - great equipment, great sand, great gazebo. They only downside is that it's PACKED with other people! Note the gazebo - that is one stroller-packed place.

Jesse and Janna trying out the ___________________ (whatever these things are called. Can anyone help me out?) Janna is a little agitated here - she has just noticed that it's a little harder to shake this thing when somebody else is riding on it too.

I love this picture of Chrissy.

I tried to teach Jesse how to bury (and find) his toys. It was a fun game for me, but he thought it would be more fun to throw sand onto (into) my shorts. I think my facial expression adequately conveys my position on the matter.

Janna, looking out onto the wasteland that is currently Barrhaven. At this point, literally the only green to be found is in the trees and the weeds.

Jesse, contemplating the splash pad. He really wants to play in the splash pad, but he REALLY doesn't want to get wet. This is the same conundrum we face with swimming lessons! Ultimately, he contented himself by running around the splash pad.

And so we left Kilbernie Park. It was a good place, but a little packed.... Still, we'll give it a strong 8 out of 10.


Part 2: Jesse's First Trip to the Movies


He's three years old, we reasoned. He sits through most DVD classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Jungle Book. He loves the songs. He plugs his ears during the scary parts. He's ready to see a movie at the Coliseum!

This is what we told ourselves, and we hoped desperately that it was true. So, we had our babysitter look after Janna for the evening, and bravely set out on one of our grandest adventures yet - a big-screen viewing of Madagascar 3!


Jesse had no idea what was happening. Throughout the day, he had kept asking when we were going to go to the movie store, and what movie we were going to rent. Determined to have him understand the true glory of the cinema, I had told him excitedly, "It's like the biggest TV you've ever seen, Jesse! The lion is going to be as big as a building! And the speakers are so big, when he roars, it will sound like a real lion!"

This produced much anxiety and tears, as Jesse begged to be excused from the experience. "There's going to be a big lion, and he's going to roar, and I'm going to be scared," he explained as he sobbed into my shirt. Chrissy was not impressed.

After his nap, we managed to calm him down to the point where he could tell me with trembling voice, "It's ok, Dad. I'm not scared of the lion." As we loaded him into the car, he had the look of a martyr in his eyes.

Thankfully, he became quite a bit more excited once he saw the actually size of the theatre! Plus, the wind started randomly blowing really hard, which fueled the fires of his quickly growing enthusiasm.

Here, Momma is cautiously optimistic. This might just be a great experience!

Inside, Jesse was immediately impressed by the figures on the walls and ceiling. 

Very exciting: this is Jesse's FIRST KERNEL OF MOVIE POPCORN in an actual movie theatre. It was actually pretty anti-climactic. He just popped it in and moved on to something he found much more arresting...

...THE GIANT WATER BOTTLE GARBAGE CAN! He quickly befriended this paradoxical structure, and was only too pleased when he found ANOTHER giant water bottle on the other side of the building!

I fully appreciated the weight of my responsibilities as "snack carrier."

This is Jesse sitting in the actually theatre seat. Although it's hard to make out, the awesome thing about this was that the weight of his legs was not enough to actually keep the seat down - the seat was popping up and literally folding Jesse's legs back up into himself. Not that he minded; he preferred this to sitting on our laps. I guess he's a big boy now!

Proud parents. Slightly confused son, but at least the food was good!

The pictures stop here; it seems that flash photography is discouraged during movies. However, it was quite something for everyone involved. Some highlights:

• I think Jesse had originally thought that the pre-movie show was the actual movie. He would have been happy with this, and watched the giant (significantly quieter) show with some interest.
• When the real previews started, the volume kicked up about 500%, and Jesse stuck his fingers in his ears and yelled, "TOO LOUD!" We desperately tried to convince him that loud noises were fun!
• The previews were very scary and featured cartoons about a boy who sees dead people. Jesse covered his ears.
• When the actual movie started, he really liked it. The lion quickly became his favorite animal, and he laughed at the slap-stick humour. He loudly called many of the characters "SILLY" with a big smile on his face.
• He occasionally tried to discuss the movie with us in an incredibly loud voice, yelling, "WHAT HAPPENED?" after confusing parts, but we convinced him to whisper, which he did...
• ...until the climax of the movie, when the whole theatre became very quiet. Jesse saw this as his cue to sing the alphabet song at the top of his lungs, until we desperately silenced him at about "G."
• Throughout the whole second half of the movie, he ate nearly an entire (large) bag of Skittles, which produced a crazy sugar crash after the movie (see pictures below).

Jesse, post-movie, crashing down from his Skittle-induced sugar high.

We (I) made the mistake of trying to show him the arcade while he was in his altered state of consciousness from the movie/Skittle combination. Obviously, he didn't want to leave, which was especially the case with the motorcycle video game. He cried about wanting to go on the motorcycle for the rest of the way home.

So was this a success? We think so! Despite the rough landing, Jesse sat through the whole movie, laughed at many of the funny parts, and didn't pee his pants from all the Fruitopia he drank. Really, we couldn't have asked for more than this.


Part 3: History Get-Together!


The last part of the evening centered around a small get together with some former graduate students from Carleton University, Tom and Lorna. These were good friends of mine, but I hadn't seen Lorna for about four years!

The occasion was that Tom had been accepted into a PhD program at Penn State University and would be leaving Ottawa within the month. It's awesome for Tom, since this will open up a ton of employment opportunities, plus it'll give him something to do for the next few years.

Lorna is finishing up a fellowship at the Museum of Civilization, and she has graciously invited our family to visit the Children's Museum. Jesse has been there a couple of times, but never when he was old enough to appreciate it. Janna and Chrissy have never been, so this will be cool for them. Stay tuned for a Children's Museum post in the near future!

It was great to see these two people. Good luck to both of them as they move on to their next activities!

That's it for tonight. Until next time...

Intermission

Small group this evening; no time to write a full post. I will say, though, that we did get a chance to get out to the park today, and that Jesse was in a really GOOD mood which meant that Janna was in a really BAD mood.

This makes me wonder how Baby #3 will fit into the mix. Jesse likes the foods that Janna hates, and vice versa. He is the Ying to Janna's Yang. What will Baby #3 be like? Will she be another Ying or a Yang? Or something else entirely.... a Yong?

Ok.... really need to go to sleep.

Until next time!

Two Things Not To Do With Your Children

All of us, in our lives, have had our share of successes and failures. Failures are good, we say, because they teach us what not to do in the future. I'd like to submit two things that I have learned today regarding what NOT to do with your children.

Thing #1: Take Your Eyes Off Your Kids, Even For A Second

Because one second is all it takes for Janna to launch herself onto her head on the walkway. I know I sound like a typical dad when I say this, but she just fell over! One minute she was standing up with a big smile on her face, the next minute she was on her face with tears streaming down the sidewalk. It was pretty tragic. 

She was a good sport about it, though. Here she is, sporting her new band-aid accessory with style! 

Thing #2: Take Your Young Children to Dairy Queen

After supper, Chrissy and I thought to ourselves, “It’s hot outside. Let’s take the kids to Dairy Queen for chocolate dip cones before bed!” What could go wrong? 

I should probably mention that I am a little bit (very) uptight when it comes to sticky messiness. I can handle some clutter on the floor, but if my arm sticks to the table, I have a hard time breathing. 

Well, as it turns out, chocolate dip cones are messy, and although we asked for small cones, it turns out that no cone is small enough to contain a child’s inherent ability to spread grossness to all corners of the immediate vicinity. Allow me to narrate the thoughts of my family throughout this encounter.

 “I am so excited to smear this cone all over my face!”

“Now I will pay Dad back for letting me fall on my head.” 

 “I’m a little tired, and wondering how Dad will react to all of this.
But overall, I think it’s pretty funny and I’m enjoying this experience.”

 “Keep breathing.... in and out....”

“I can’t believe how much ice cream I just dropped onto my shirt!” 

                                        “Where did the top of my ice cream come go? Oh well!”

Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I’m making it sound. It was, I’m willing to admit, a pretty fun experience, even if I did smell a lot like milk by the end of it.

All the same, I think I’ll wait a few years before making our next trip to DQ.

The adventures continue!

Partying With Paul at Andrew Haydon Park

About a week ago, my friend Paul invited me and the kids to visit a magical and exciting place called "Andrew Haydon Park." According to my entirely objective and inerrant source (Wikipedia), Andrew Haydon was the former reeve of Nepean, which meant that he was the highest ranking elected official in that township. When Nepean became a city in 1978, Andrew Haydon became its first mayor, and just recently ran again for the mayor-ship in the 2010 municipal election, losing handily to Jim Watson.

Doesn't history make you excited? Me too!


Andrew Haydon Park has to be one of the coolest parks in Ottawa, because it is a self-described "water playground." How is that different from a splash pad? Well, with a splash pad, the water is there to suprise and soak you, but at this park, though, the water is actually a toy for kids to play with using its awesome water contraptions. You push a button to turn on the water at the top, and it starts a little river flowing. The kids can get the river to stream in whatever way they want, until it hits the sand at the bottom, and then they can make little moats for the water to run into. Pretty cool!

Here's Paul! What a guy. He spent the whole morning and early afternoon with us, working with Jesse to build sand castles and generally ensuring that the kids had a great time.

I spent some quality time with Janna, who was more interested in being cute than building sand castles.

Paul explains to Jesse the mysteries of the water machine. Eventually, this box will fill up with water...

...and Jesse will stand in it! And then ask for somebody to rescue him. And then climb back in. (Repeat.)

Jesse wanted to make sure that Paul built three castles, and one had to be on top. He was very specific with his directions, which was appropriate since these structures had a very important destiny...

...DESTRUCTION!!! 

While Jesse was attacking Paul's sand castles, Janna was attacking Daddy! 

She loved the _______________. I can't remember the name of them: they're in the shape of animals and they have springs on the bottom, and you're supposed to rock back and forth and from side to side.... Anyhow, Janna would sit on this thing, grip the bar as hard as she could, cast a determined look in my direction, and SHAKE the dickens out of it. Here she is pre-shake.

 Post shake. Phew! All that shaking is hard work!

Back at home, Paul played trains with Jesse while I cooked up the "Cheesy Noodles," AKA Kraft Dinner.

Conclusion: Andrew Haydon Park ranks high with a solid 9 out of 10 on the Vance Park Rating System. The parking is even free! If you live in Ottawa and have kids (or an adult who really likes building sand castles!), I'd definitely recommend checking this place out.

Big thanks to Paul Dagenais for making Jesse's day so great!

'Til next time...

Some Time Outside and The Importance of Grass

Hello everyone!

It will be a short update today. We had a quieter day, with Chrissy working and me taking care of the kids. We were all pretty tired, but we were able to spend an hour or so in the INTENSE DESERT that is our front lawn.


The kids each picked a different activity. Jesse decided to create a visual masterpiece with his sidewalk chalk. Here he is, plotting out his artwork.

Janna exercised her hula-hooping skills. She quickly became frustrated, though; apparently hula hooping is hard while sitting down.

Jesse also took some time to explore the latest hat-glasses combination. Below: The classic cool-kid combination of forward-facing hat with sports shades.

The MTV look. Unfortunately, no bling was anywhere to be found.

The next picture is a close-up of the common area in our townhouse complex. Now, it's true that sports are occasionally played here, but not to the extent that our lawn should literally begin disappearing.

Ottawa is now in a level-two drought, a situation that hasn't occurred for more than a decade. According to this news story, many people, including the government agency in charge of parks in the National Capital Area, are reconsidering their practices surrounding the use of grass.

Since grass takes so much water to keep healthy, government officials have decided to let the grass in many parks go "dormant," or turn completely brown. It's not completely dead (although in my picture above, I'd say it's getting there), but it has a similar look and consistency to straw. Many people also seem to be asking the question of whether using grass on lawns is really the way things will go in the future, since grass takes up so much water and has little practical value. Apparently, this debate goes much further than Ottawa; a municipal utility in Denver ran billboards declaring, "Grass is dumb"!


Is this a crazy sign of our times, or what?? I mean, I totally appreciate the water savings that we could achieve by paving over our lawns, but I can't stop thinking of all the post-apocalyptic imagery of societies without greenery, or George Orwell's 1984, where the absence of grass lawns is one of the key elements in his depressing totalitarian society.

Besides, as a parent, I am keenly aware of grass' most important funtion: keeping our kids from killing themselves when they wipe out! 

What do you think?

Jesse's First Train Ride

This morning, it quickly became apparent to us that we needed to divide and conquer our kids. Janna was in a nasty mood, throwing food, screaming, crying, etc. We figured she needed to stay at home and chill with Momma. Jesse was fidgety and antsy; he needed to get out the the house with Dad.



But what could we do without spending money (or much of it)? Well, since Jesse is so in love with the idea of trains, I thought it might be fun to go on a little adventure with him to Ottawa's very own O-Train! Armed with nothing but a camera, snack, water, and some bus tickets, Jesse and I took off to explore the wonders of light-rail transportation.

The first part of the trip consisted of a twenty-minute walk to the transit way. On the way, we saw several wonders that rocked Jesse’s world. The first of these, pictured below, was a statue of two deer; however, Jesse was convinced that they were very real “kangaroos.” This was as close as he dared to approach.

Cutting through the field to the transitway stop. As we began to walk though, Jesse declared that this was “his field,” and claimed it in the name of the Vance family.

We stopped for a quick photo op. This is Jesse’s new “smile” for the camera. Anytime we tell him to smile, this is what he offers us. It’s endearing, in a gremlin-esque sort of way.

On the bus! I asked Jesse to show me his transfer slip, and he gave me a “smile” as well!

Finally! The train tracks! But where’s the train?

Concerned about the whereabouts of the train.

But not too concerned to smile!

Here it comes! Jesse was beside himself with excitement, but he was also overwhelmed by the train’s volume.

Couldn’t stop smiling.

“Bye, train!”

Time for a snack in the University Centre at Carleton. Jesse spoke to anyone and everyone nearby, earning both appreciative smiles and stricken looks from the stressed-out summer students.

Waiting for the train to come back. Again, he was concerned about where it could be, but he cheered himself up by singing some songs.

On the train, Jesse asked to speak to the camera. He wanted to record his thoughts on trains, and share a visual portrayal of different speeds that the train travelled. Here are his musings:

On the return bus (packed full), Jesse thought it might be appropriate to share some of his favorite songs with his fellow commuters. At the time of this picture, Jesse had locked eyes with a nervous-looking fellow across from him and was proceeding to serenade him with a jubilant version of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

And that’s it! We returned home to a very irate Janna and a very tired Momma, and I felt a little bit bad for having such a fun time with Jesse. 

All the same, I'm glad we went. Jesse continues to amaze me with his love of adventures and his comfort in speaking (or singing) to other people. I was one proud dad today!

Signing off. Must see how Jack Bauer saves the world...

Until next time...!