18
July
2008
We took advantage of Mike being home this past weekend, in between his trips to Las Vegas and Chicago. We started the morning off with a visit to the Art Walk on Whyte Ave. There was lots of good stuff there and had I not been pulled away by the little hand in mine, I would have liked to look at at some more closely. But the boys did a great job and we got to talk a little bit about visual art. Some things they told us just were ‘not art’, but trying to explain subjectivity in art to a 3-year old, is, well, futile. If they don’t like it it doesn’t matter if anyone else does. So along we went. Afterwards I asked Brandon if he liked the pictures that were painted better, or the ones taken with a camera. My son came through for me with a resounding, “the camera ones!” Which makes me think that I have not yet jaded them with all the pictures I’ve taken of them. 
After our long walk back to the car, the boys slept while we ran some errands. We made it back home with just enough time for me to run to the corner and get some groceries before hitting the LRT and heading downtown to see Wall-e. Anna met us at our place (and her new neighborhood beginning in August!) and we walked to the LRT, took it to City Centre Mall and the Cinema for the boys’ first trip to a real movie theater. I was worried because we were running a little behind, but the theatre wasn’t even half full. So that worked out well for us. We have been practicing for the past few months with movie nights every week or so. We pop some popcorn, curl up on the couch, turn down the lights, and play a movie off of the computer. Not exactly the big screen, but the boys have been working on being quiet when the movie is on and not getting up and down. So this was our big test. Would they make it the whole way through? Would we have to leave early? We found an empty row of seats about halfway down, I sat on the end in case someone needed to get out fast. While Anna, the boys and I were getting our popcorn I found seats that the kids could sit on to make them higher. I remember seeing these a long time ago, but forgot all about them. They seemed to work well for the boys and kept them from squishing up in the seat. They had a hard time sitting during the previews and kept asking “where’s Wall-e?” But once it started they did a great job with minimal talking and fidgeting. The middle of the movie was a bit slow and the robot theme was not something they have much experience with ( I know, I know, we’re working on it 
), so about halfway through Bran ended up on Mike’s lap and Drew was having trouble sitting still, alternating between wiggling and laying on my arm. But it picked up again and they were back to watching.
After the movie we walked a block or so to the Spaghetti Factory, where Joel met up with us and we had a great dinner. The boys were telling us all about Wall-e and Eve. Eve was Drew’s favorite and Bran liked Wall-e best. We had trouble keeping them still for dinner and were reminded once again why we don’t go out as a family by ourselves and how glad we are that our friends are willing to take on some responsibility in keeping the boys entertained. Thanks Anna and Joel!
All in all our first trip to the big screen was positive and I think we’ll try again in the fall.
Now we’re off for a weekend of camping in Jasper, which we haven’t done since the boys were a year old. I’m nervous and excited at the same time. They’re way more mobile and they like to run…
Posted: Drew & Bran, Edmonton, Family, Friends
21
June
2008
Mike’s parents were in town this week so we got some babysitting in and went out 2 days early for my birthday. We went out with friends to the Wild Tangerine for dinner and then to O’Byrnes Irish Pub for some music. It was an awesome night out and really yummy food. I highly recommend the Asian Ceasar salad, beef stirfry with sesame mayo sauce, an alchemy to drink, and the Chocolate from the East dessert (crust made with cashews and lychee nuts) dark chocolate on top, and the Italian dessert wine. O’Byrnes of course was fun as usual.
Thanks friends for a great night out!
Posted: Edmonton, Friends, My Stuff
30
December
2007
I’m generally not into writing the Christmas letter thing. But since I put my blog address on all my Christmas cards, I thought maybe I should write something about what’s been happening in the Bowling family. Mostly it’s a review since I’ve written about much of our lives in this blog already.
As with most years, this one has been filled with its ups and downs. Drew and Bran have really grown this year and are turning into little boys. As of last January the boys were out of their cribs. At 18 months this wasn’t our ideal situation, but they were climbing out of their cribs so often and so well that they were starting to do dangerous things and getting hurt. So out went the beds. We tried mattresses on the floor for several months, but we just couldn’t keep them in bed. We got to the point where we were actually laying in between with our arms over each one holding them down! It was taking hours to get them to sleep. It takes Bran a while to settle in bed at night and he had a lot of trouble with this. So we tried putting them in their room and letting them run around until they were ready to sleep. This only resulted in a torn up bedroom with destroyed drawers and wallpaper. So back we went to staying beside them until they fell asleep. Around their 2nd birthday they got toddler beds which actually helped a lot. But we still have to stay in the room with them. Bedtime has gone down to 15-20 minutes most nights and 1 hour on really bad nights. Drew really likes to be patted on his back and it’s often best to leave Bran alone to roll around, chew his soother and settle down. We’re still working on being able to leave them alone and having them not get up and follow us out. But it will come.
In April the boys spent a week in Ohio with their Grandma Scott, and Nana and Papa Bowling while we went on a vacation (a belated trip for our 10th anniversary. We had our 11th one this September!). It was really nice to get away and nice for the boys to have some one-on-one time with their grandparents. We also threw a little early birthday party for them while we were there, which was lots of fun for the family.
Since we were back home in April we decided not to go back over the summer, so Mike’s parents came out in June and my brother and sister-in-law, Jeffery and Holly came out that month as well. My mom came out during her summer vacation in July. We didn’t do a lot of traveling because it was so hard with the boys sleeping. This was really hard on us because we had been so used to taking them everywhere. But we decided to try one weekend away in Calgary in August. We spent one day at the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum, stayed overnight in a hotel in Calgary and spent the next day at the Calgary Zoo. The boys did great! Our hotel had a pool which the boys absolutely loved! There was a waterslide and every time someone went down it splashed water everywhere. I thought this would especially freak Drew out but he just giggled and giggled every time he got splashed. The boys even slept well. So it was a great trip.
This fall the boys started in a playschool. They go every Wednesday from 9:15-11:45. It took Bran a few weeks to get used to it, but now he’s doing great. In January they will move up to the next class and may go 2 days a week. It’s been a big help to me. I’ve been able to get some much needed cleaning done around the house and run some errands. It’s become really difficult to run errands with the boys. Grocery shopping has become a nightmare, unless it’s a quick trip, and you can forget about going anywhere else. So this gives me time to do much of that.
Many Fridays the boys have been going to a drop-in gymnastics program. It’s really great. It’s a big room filled with gymnastics equipment, all at toddler height. And they can run around and use any of the equipment that they want. It really helps them burn off some energy. The boys also had their 2nd set of swimming lessons this fall. They were in the Duck class. They love swimming! By the end they were doing really well floating, blowing bubbles, and even putting their heads under from time to time. The boys really like to try and swim with their arms and legs going. But aren’t so keen on putting their heads under more than once a class. We went to a new facility this time which was great for the boys. Our class was in a shallow teaching pool where the water was up to the boys’ chest. It’s great for them because they can move around without us having to hold on to them. They enjoy having the freedom to move on their own. Our classes have ended and we have decided to wait a bit for the next class (Sea Turtle). We would like to have our Saturday mornings back for a little while.
The boys in general are doing really well. They’re ornery, they’re tiring, they make us angrier than we ever thought we could be. But they also make us laugh, and they’re great snugglers, and it’s so much fun to watch them grow and learn. They say the funniest things which I’ll write more about later. Bran is going through a separation anxiety phase which is really hard for our extroverted child. He always wants to be in the middle of things but he wants one of us to be there with him. He is very creative and often keeps himself entertained with make believe scenarios using dinosaurs, banana peel rockets, styrofoam cups, etc. He’s also talks with authority and likes to tell us what to do, “come here, no talking, no singing, move over…” Drew is more introverted, although he’s quite happy to jump into new activities without much fear. He’s definitely an intense child. One minute he’s smiling and giggling and as cute as can be, the next he’s whining, crying and generally an unhappy boy. We enjoy the giggling Drew better. Drew loves music; listening to it, playing his recorder, guitar, piano or drums. We often also find him dancing to the music we’re listening to.
One of the things that we have started to enjoy doing with the boys is playing games. Finally! Our favorite game until recently has been Carcassonne. Before you think we’ve got geniuses or something…we play a very simple version. Here are our rules. 1. You have to take turns drawing a tile. 2. You have to place a tile on the table next to another tile. 3. You may not pick up any pieces from the table. Very simple. Drew is starting to understand that roads can touch roads and cities are part of bigger cities, so soon we will add another rule which is that the tiles must touch appropriately. The boys are getting several games for Christmas from family members so I’ll have more to write about games later.
Mike decided to do some consulting work this summer. He’ll have to tell you more about what he’s doing. It made his summer a little more busy, but manageable. It really got rough though in September when he started teaching two classes. He dropped his consulting back by half after that. It’s definitely been nice having the extra income (it helps with the cost of bringing us all home ). Mike taught 2 classes this term, a robotics class for graduate students and an undergraduate class on computer game development. I think he really liked both classes, but they’re a lot of work. He’s also been busy writing papers and advising his students. But he does a great job of being home for the boys in the evening and putting them to bed every night. We even spend some time together every night, and then he’s back on the computer doing the work he couldn’t get done at school.
I’ve been playing with a new camera that Mike got for me, it’s the new Canon 40D. I’m really enjoying the better pics I’m getting of the boys. I’ve even been out with some friends and learning from those better than I am. I mostly enjoy taking pictures of kids, especially non-posed shots. If anyone is interested in having me take some photos of their family, it would be a free way to get some pictures and give me some practice. I’ve taken a few courses and am hoping to take another one this Spring.
A friend and I are also hoping to start a mom’s play group at our local community centre, for neighborhood moms. I’m really excited about this and hope we can get it going by mid-January. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m climbing out of hibernation. I have more energy and feel more able to take the lead on some activities. Previously I’ve just been so tired by the time the boys go to bed that I don’t get much done. I’m looking forward to getting some projects done this winter. But we’ll see what happens as the months roll along.
This year I decided to bring the boys back to the States earlier than usual. I have some friends that I haven’t seen in awhile that I wanted to visit and the holidays are just too hectic to fit a trip in. Plus Mike has a week-long conference every December and then there’s the end of the semester, which is always busy. My mother-in-law came up to celebrate Second Thanksgiving with us, a.k.a. American Thanksgiving. She helped us with the boys and getting the food ready, which was such a great help. Then on the 28th of November she boarded a plane with the boys and I and headed back to Ohio. The boys did a great job! It helps now that they have their own seats. It gives us so much more room. A day after getting into Ohio and visiting with their Papa and also Grandma Scott, we went to Pittsburgh and spent part of the day with Jodi Walsh and her 2 kids. Then our friend Toby drove with the boys and I out to central Pennsylvania to see the Groshes in Mount Joy and the Brandts in Manheim. It was so great to connect with old friends again and see how their kids are growing. It’s was good to reminisce about our days in the ‘Burgh when we met 10 years ago!
Mike came in on the 18th and we’ve now been spending our days with family. The boys have been playing in the snow, building snowmen, visiting great-grandparents, aunts and uncles. And the grandparents are getting lots of one-on-one time with the boys. The boys have been changing so much in the time we have been away. They are talking so much more and are becoming very articulate. It’s neat to watch how the boys interact with their extended family and to have all the extra hands around. It will definitely be a hard adjustment getting back to just the four of us and Mike going back to work. But I’m also looking forward to getting back in touch with Edmonton friends and our normal routines, as well spending quality time with puppy again.
That’s about all the non-exciting happenings in our life these days. I’m hoping that in this next year we will be out of church flux and have decided on a place of worship. I also anticipate getting our garden going again and doing some more clean up of the backyard. My other big project is to get our desk cleaned and organized and throw things out! It’s actually a very big job! We’re really thankful for the ability we have to travel home and spend quality time with family and friends. It’s sometimes hard to be so far away, but it’s nice to have the freedom to come home for so long.
We hope that anyone who is reading this has gotten a little glimpse into our crazy lives. We hope that you have a joyful holiday season and blessed 2008.
Posted: Drew & Bran, Edmonton, Family, Friends
16
December
2007
Yesterday my friend Chloe and I were doing a little Christmas shopping, on Walnut street in Pittsburgh. We passed a man playing Christmas music on his clarinet and then we popped into a store. When we came out, more music was being played and it had started to snow. It was so neat to be walking down the street with other holiday shoppers listening to live music and watching the snow fall all around us. It kind of felt like we were in a holiday movie. Which is really corny. But it was really beautiful!
Happy Holidays!
Posted: Friends, Miscellaneous
8
September
2007
Lately the boys have been doing some fun things that have made both Mike and I proud, mostly because they are things that we are interested in!
A few weeks ago when Mike was putting Drew to bed, Bran and I were doing puzzles. Bran gathered up all the puzzles and then started tapping on them. He told me it was his computer. He was working like daddy. So we’ve been sending off pretend emails to grandma, nana and papa. Eventually we’ll get to the real thing, but I’m not quite ready to confuse them over when they’re allowed to touch the computer and when they’re not.
Mike started teaching the boys to play Carcasonne not too long ago. The version of the game is very basic. The boys have to take turns taking tiles out of the bag, they have to lay a tile next to another tile, they may not pick up any of the tiles already on the table! This was been working fairly well, although it’s not a simple as you would think! But it’s music to his ears when his little boys run up to him asking “play a game daddy?”
For my part the boys have taken a real interest in music. They love to listen to music and whenever I have Itunes running on the computer they want to come to the table and just watch the screen and listen to the music (even though the only thing on the screen is a photo album cover). Getting to watch the visualizer is a real treat. They especially like listening to Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring, and Hoe Down. During Fanfare, whenever the trumpets start playing they yell “trumpets, yay!” Bran is always asking where the flutes are so we wait for the next song to hear the flutes. They also like listening for the elbow (aka the oboe, they even point to their elbows!) Sometimes when I’m trying to get them into the kitchen (either from watching a video or just being distracted with play) all I have to do is put on Fanfare for the Common man, and they literally come running! Dan got the boys the CDs, “Classics for Children with Arthur Fiedler” and Peter and the Wolf. They’re awesome and the boys are starting to listen to those as well.
The other day Drew learned how to play a note on his plastic flutaphone. He can put his right finger over the first hole and take it on and off. He gets so excited that he starts jumping up and down and running for a high five. I wish I could get a video of it!
The boys are also starting to really enjoy swimming. Drew is especially taking to it (although Bran did awesome at lessons today). And often doesn’t mind going under when he jumps off the wall. The boys throw their boats out into the water then jump off into our arms and swim to the boat. Drew really gets his legs going and I think he could almost swim without me holding him if he didn’t panic a little bit when his head goes under. We’ve had fun going to the pool in Becky’s building. This Saturday we start another round of swim lessons. I’ve noticed one problem that Bran might have with moving to the next level which is where they really start to put their faces under and that’s that he can never keep his mouth closed! The boy is a mouth breather and I can’t get him to hold his breath, or even keep his lips together to go under. The instructor suggested that we practice humming. I think he’ll get there pretty soon.
Becky if you read this…when we were telling the boys about going to swim lessons Bran kept saying, “going swimming with Becky!” So now they are learning that our Saturday lessons are with other kids in a class so to distinguish in their minds, Bran keeps saying “going swimming with other kids”. Now hear around the house, “going swimming with Becky” and “going swimming with other kids” usually made in the form of a question so we will tell them which one they are doing!
Posted: Drew & Bran, Edmonton, Family, Friends
22
June
2007
I just wanted to say thanks to Mike and our friends (and neighbors) Jon and Connie Lim for giving me an awesome birthday this week! Jon and Connie made me a terrific dinner Tuesday night. Then we played a new game the boys got me, “Hey That’s My Fish!” until the boys fell asleep. Then we went next door and I got to play Guitar Hero for the first time. I have to say it’s VERY addicting and I didn’t do too bad for a first-timer. Hopefully their housemate, Andrew (it’s his game) will be around a while so I can get a chance to play some more. It’s definitely a great “spent the entire day with two, 2-year olds” stress reliever!
Next week, Mike and I will go to the Yardbird during Jazzfest. Oh, if only my friend Maggie could be here for that!
Thanks friends for a great birthday!
PS: Is 33 old? Because I didn’t feel old at 30, 31, or 32, but when my baby sister reminded me that she’s turning 25, I felt REALLY old! It didn’t bother me when she was turning 24, but I felt keenly aware that she’s just now entering her mid-20′s and I’m moving quickly into my mid-30′s! I think I might be entering an age crisis.
Posted: Friends, My Stuff
8
February
2007
Last week our good friends Toby and Chloe came for a visit. It was so great to have them here with us! We took a trip to the Science Centre with the boys, ate at our favorite restaurants (Langano Skies-Ethiopian and Haweli’s-Indian), and I got lots of help around the house with laundry and watching the boys so I could run errands. If only I had that kind of help all the time…I would have to invest in Starbucks though! Part way through their visit we got to take a side trip with Mike’s department to Jasper. They did some skiing, I took the day off, did some hiking and took photos. Sunday we went on a 3-hour hike through Malligne Canyon. Every year I never cease to be amazed by how beautiful that walk on the ice is, and how beautiful the mountains are. We saw lots of long horn sheep this year, an elk, and even a wolf! So beautiful. The boys did really well on the hike and I was glad to share some of the outdoors with them. I was also super thankful for Yaki who carried Brandon for me!
In addition to enjoying the beauty of Alberta outdoors, our friends’ visit also gave us the chance to play lots of games! And you can never play too many games! Our favorites for the week were Power Grid, Fury of Dracula, and an old standby El Grande. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Toby didn’t get to make his freaky voice overs with Mississippi Queen. Maybe next time?
Mike and I had been playing some 2 player games of Power Grid before Toby and Chloe came and were really starting to get into it. The four player game is quite different though and I had trouble keeping up! It must be the cutthroat play of our friends! The premise of the game is to build power plants and power cities, whoever is powering the most cities by a certain point in the game wins. Toby brought up Fury of Dracula and we liked it so much we bought it from him. In this game there are four Hunters who are searching Europe for Dracula, one player is Dracula who secretly records each city he goes through. It’s a cooperative game from the standpoint of the Hunters. Our first game, we were just learning the rules, took about 5 hours and we just quit because it was so late! But we were able to get the second game down to 4 hours and the Hunters beat Dracula. I feel like I’m getting a better sense of the game and having been a hunter twice I’m anxious to try out the role of Dracula. Mike and I are thinking about playing a two player game after paper deadlines. El Grande is well…El Grande, an awesome game that we don’t get to play often enough, mostly because it takes over 2 hours to play and also because we have so many other ones to choose from.
Thanks Chloe and Toby for the fun times, all the help with the boys, and giving us so many opportunities to play games! We really miss our times together and it’s fun to recreate them every so often. Love you guys, you’re the best!
Posted: Friends
