Dudes

I witnessed what might possibly be the best dude moment ever in Fredericton the other day. As we were all acutely aware of, it has been a bit chilly here lately. I personally have no recollection of it ever being -42 degrees out. During this cold snap, Iain and I were risking our lives by venturing out of our house and scurrying into the Superstore on Smythe. As we were making our way across the parking lot, trying not to breathe because the air hurt, Iain pointed to a guy getting out of a car. This guy is THE Dude Of Winter.

Why? Because as he lifts his daughter out of the car while precariously balancing a smoke hands free in his lips, he has on as a winter jacket a vest. Over what you ask? Over a wife beater. As in, no sleeves and it isn't even zipped up. I was so amazed, that I almost felt admiration for him. He was sporting some pretty cool tats (sarcasm) that I guess must be displayed under any circumstances. And, he wasn't even in a rush. Who would do that? A dude would, of course.

He then reminded me of this gang of men in their late thirties who win the title for Dudes Of The Summer. I see this gang all the time and it kills me. Here is how you know if you saw one - they all have longish hair in various states of dirty but what distinguishes them from others are these three things: light blue, skin tight, tapered leg, Levis orange tabs, 10 speed bicycles and the complete absence of a shirt.

All summer, preferably on the hottest days, these men zip around Fredericton on their ten speeds with no shirts on and their jeans. I have seen them drive with only one hand as they balance a case of Alpine or even hands free as they light a smoke. There is some talent there.

Keep your eyes open once the snow melts, they are everywhere.

Hockey Mania

Nathaniel is currently obsessed with hockey. He loves watching it on TV, playing with his hockey sticks, looking at pictures, etc. Last summer, we were at a yard sale and I saw this net for $10. It is metal and had a new net and I figured if it sat in our garage until he was 10, I still came out ahead.

We took him to a UNB game last week, which he thoroughly enjoyed. As we pulled into the garage the next day, he finally figured out what the net was for and had a fit. We pulled it out yesterday and he had lots of fun hitting a ball into it and cheering for himself.

When we were at the UNB game, we were sitting by the bench and the goalie gave Nathaniel a puck. Saying he was pleased would be an understatement.

Le Artiste

Nathaniel enjoying his paints in the only spot he is allowed to play with them. He is really into expressing himself through body art. If you would like to purchase one of his original works of art, feel free to offer me a price.

Nate The Builder

Nathaniel built this tower out of dominoes the other day and was so sad when he knocked it over by a mistake.

Whatever.

Iain built this tower and Nathaniel takes great glee out of destroying anything he can get his grubby mitts on. Iain taught him this trick when he was about 6 months old which means anything that looks like it might be more interesting smashed is fair game in his mind. Good thing we are not knick knacky people.

Oops, I see I put them in the wrong order. It's a puzzle, see if you can figure it out. Hahaha!

Mr. Fleecy Suit

I bought this last year on sale and it is great for the days that aren't too cold or putting over jammies when he falls asleep in the car after a late night out somewhere. He looks so funny in it, Iain and I kill ourselves laughing everytime he wears it.

Just for the record, we have successfully weaned Nathaniel from "noonie" as he affectionately calls his soother. He hasn't had it for a week and hardly misses it at all which is surprising since he had a pretty powerful addiction going on there for awhile. Next challenge is moving him into his new bedroom and hopefully making it through most nights in his own bed, not ours. Four will be a bit squishy in a couple of months.

Christmas Pics

Iain and I attempted to get a few nice shots of the boys the week before Christmas. Now I know why you pay people to do these things. There were a few better ones than these but I can't seem to find them. You get the point.

I also seem to have no pictures from Christmas Eve or Christmas Day-we apparently taped everything and I do not have the patience to edit and post it, so just use your imagination.

We had lots of fun - family over on Christmas Eve, opening of presents the next morning and out to Mom and Dad's for more prezzies and Christmas dinner. Nathaniel was suitably impressed by his Christmas swag but continues to enjoy his plastic hockey sticks from the Dollar Store more than anything else.

He opened his stocking upstairs in our bedroom and he was so impressed by his gifts that Iain and I felt bad because we tend to not buy him a lot of toys. He kept saying, "Wow!!" over his $3.99 trucks - I don't think one thing in there cost more than ten bucks. Maybe we should indulge him a bit more but he still loves simple things, so I figure we have plenty of expensive Christmases ahead so I better enjoy this while it lasts. One of the girls I work with said all her two little girls wanted for Christmas as their big present was a lollipop one year. Nice!

Nathaniel vs Boo

Poor Boo! She is so fat, lazy and sweet that it makes it difficult for her to escape Nathaniel's clutches. He alternates between giving her kisses and clubbing her with a piece of kindling. I wish she would just give him a little swipe to put him in his place. The other day she had her paws around his head and was gnawing at him but he just laughed hysterically. I don't know which one is the bigger freak.