Dad with 4 kids

Hopscotch - Snakes and Ladders

2008-05-17T08:40:00.001-04:00

Hopscotch - Snakes and Ladders
Originally uploaded by reflex6002

This is a game of Hopscotch - Snakes and Ladders, my son invented where you play against each other.

He's in the background on the skateboard.

Skater Boy - My Youngest Son Skateboarding in Front Of Our House

2008-05-09T19:50:00.001-04:00

Skater Boy - My Youngest Son Skateboarding in Front Of Our House
Originally uploaded by reflex6002

Skater Boy - My Youngest Son Skateboarding in Front Of Our House.

Is that an expression of worry, concentration or both?

Daughter in her Red Hat on the Subway

2008-05-08T11:10:00.001-04:00

Daughter in her Red Hat on the Subway
Originally uploaded by reflex6002

The focus wasn't great on this picture. The subway was really turbulent so I had problems bracing myself. Nevertheless I like the composition. I had to get her to move to the other side of the train because the lighting was better there.

Sitting With My Daughter in a Coffee Shop 3

2008-05-03T11:33:00.001-04:00

Sitting With My Daughter in a Coffee Shop 3
Originally uploaded by reflex6002

I will be participating in the exhibit, Contacting Toronto, Memories of the City, 2008. My entry is called Sitting With My Daughter in a Coffee Shop and will be displayed on TTC screens on May 11th with an another participant. I'll be posting the pictures over the next few days. The pictures were originally taken 1-2 years ago

Boys Asleep on the Bus

2007-05-25T17:10:00.001-04:00

Boys Asleep on the Bus
Originally uploaded by reflex6002

The boys fell asleep in their sister's arms on the bus after picking dandelions for Mother's Day.

Brother's Mud

2007-05-23T06:09:00.001-04:00

Brother's Mud
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

have a section in the backyard where they can play in the mud. The key is to have lots of clothes.

Fourth Dandelion Bus

2007-05-20T08:30:00.001-04:00

Fourth Dandelion Bus
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

The kids on the bus last weekend coming back from the amusement park. My youngest son picked a bouquet of dandelions for Mother's Day.

Third Bus

2007-05-14T15:08:00.001-04:00

Third Bus
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My son on the bus yesterday coming back from Ontario Place.

Dandelions for Mother's Day

2007-05-12T19:24:00.001-04:00

Dandelions for Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

Picking dandelions for Mother's Day.

The Boys Playing Ball

2007-05-09T13:51:00.001-04:00

The Boys Playing Ball
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

The boys playing ball in the backyard.

Bottle Cap

2007-05-09T13:50:00.001-04:00

Bottle Cap
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My son playing around during breakfast at the diner yesterday.

Throwing Stones 1

2007-04-28T00:56:00.003-04:00

Throwing Stones 1
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

It was beautiful today in Toronto so I took the kids down to the beach. Here my youngest son is throwing stones in the water.

Throwing Stones 6

2007-04-28T00:56:00.001-04:00

Throwing Stones 6
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

It was beautiful today in Toronto so I took the kids down to the beach. Here my youngest son is throwing stones in the water.

Watching "Its The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown"

2007-04-28T00:55:00.001-04:00

Watching "Its The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown"
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

Easter pictures.

Second Kiss

2007-04-28T00:54:00.003-04:00

Second Kiss
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My youngest daughter kisses my youngest son. My kids all get along extremely well, most of the time.

Subway Second

2007-04-28T00:54:00.001-04:00

Subway Second
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

Going Christmas shopping with my daughter.

Reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace

2007-04-28T00:53:00.003-04:00

Reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My 14-year-old daughter reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace with my 4-year-old son and my other daughter in the background.

Winner

2007-04-28T00:53:00.001-04:00

Winner
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

I've tied a balloon to his jacket, another to his wrist and he's holding some candy.

Umbrella Bench

2007-04-28T00:52:00.001-04:00

Umbrella Bench
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My son waiting for kindergarten class.

Ship

2007-04-28T00:51:00.001-04:00

Ship
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

Went to the beach (Ashbridges Bay) in Toronto with my daughter this holiday weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving).

Welcome

2007-04-28T00:50:00.001-04:00

Welcome
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

This is one of my favourite pictures.

Two Tree

2006-06-20T13:02:00.000-04:00

Two Tree
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My daughter in the tree in front of our house.

Raspberry

2006-06-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

Raspberry
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My youngest daughter and youngest son each love raspberry sorbet ice cream. My kids have been eating a lot of ice cream recently as Toronto goes through a heat wave.

First Beach

2006-06-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

First Beach
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

This is a portrait of my oldest daughter while we staying at a cottage on Wasaga Beach.

Baby''s Back

2006-06-05T12:35:00.000-04:00

Babys Back
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My baby's back from her friend's cottage.

Curly

2006-06-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

Curly
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My oldest daughter used to have curly hair when she was younger and I regret not taking more pictures.

Here's a picture of her in a new wagon. We still have this wagon ten years later. Since we don't have a car I often use it to pick up stuff I buy at garage sales.

On The Phone

2006-06-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

On The Phone
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

This is my daughter on the phone. Chances are better than average if the phone rings, if there is a message or someone is on the phone it is for her.

Here she is making arrangements to spend the weekend at her friend's cottage on Wasaga Beach.

The Four Kids in a Hotel Room

2006-06-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

FourCrop
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

It can be great fun to have four kids. It's like being at a party that never ends.

When we travel we still book a single room with two queen beds. Now we also need a pull-out couch or cot.

We love to be all together.

Head Above The Water

2006-06-02T23:31:00.000-04:00

Head Above The Water
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

On the beach in Toronto today.

Brotherly Love

2006-06-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

Brotherly Love
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My son really loves his younger brother. He is incredibly patient and kind to him. He always sticks up for him. They are almost exactly four years apart.

They are now 3 and 7 and I will try and get an updated picture shortly. Currently the 3 year-old has gotten into the habit of grabbing my camera so I need to think of some new strategy to take his picture.

HowToSayNo

2006-05-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

HowToSayNo
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

How do you say no to this kid? If I even raise my voice to him my three other kids will come to his defense. They say the youngest is spoiled. Well, this guy has got it made. Just look at him. He has the best defense, those eyes.

GoingOnATrip

2006-05-29T12:59:00.000-04:00

GoingOnATrip
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My 13 year-old has gone on a field trip with her school this week. I lent her my old camera and she took pictures of all of us to remember. This is the picture I took of her last night.

She woke me up at 6am this morning to say good-bye. I said, "I love you. Have a wonderful trip" and fell back asleep.

Sisters

2006-05-29T07:39:00.000-04:00

Sisters
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My daughters. My older daughter, who is now 13, went on a class trip for the week. My younger daughter was sad until they agreed that every night at 8pm they would each stop whatever they were doing and spend a few moments thinking and saying goodnight to each other.

BreakfastNook

2006-05-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

BreakfastNook
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My 3 year-old found a little corner to have breakfast while waiting for the bus.

I hope cheerios are good for you because he eats an awful lot of them. He also has remnants of chocolate chip muffins on his face.

Unnatural

2006-05-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

Unnatural
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

These folks have found a way to keep nature out of their nice and tidy lives.
I'm always walking with my kids because I don't have a car. They're the kind of kids who play on other people's lawns, roll down the hills, walk on garden rocks and hide behind trees. It seems on every street there is one nieghbour who will come out and get mad at us or our kids. I try to teach my kids to understand how people are different.

LastSad

2006-05-24T13:59:00.000-04:00

LastSad
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

This is my 3 year old. He is sad because he had to come inside while I made lunch for my 7 and 11 year olds. He choose a good location for me as a phtotgrapher but if he knew this would be a good shot for me he would not have co-operated.

He was sad like this for about 2 minutes. If this was my first child it would have devastated me the whole day. As he is the fourth, I got over it in about five minutes.

Our Oldest Angel

2006-05-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

fort
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

My oldest daughter looks like an angel here and she is. She's 13 now and she babysat her three younger siblings last night while my wife and I went out.

My Boss

2006-05-17T10:47:00.000-04:00

Face
Originally uploaded by reflex6002.

This is my boss right now. He is much more patient and tolerant of my faults than my previous bosses. When he takes a nap he does not expect me to have accomplished anything because he hasn't figured out the concept of time yet. He says "I love you" or kisses me when we are doing something he likes, which is just about the greatest bonus I have ever received. Unfortunately, the pay is not good.

Birthdays. Our 10 year-old turns 11 today.

2006-05-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

My 10 year old is turning 11 today. This will be our family's 34th kid's birthday. We have developed the following birthday routine for all the birthdays. This is pretty standard stuff that I suspect is done by most families in Canada and the U.S.

1. Shop for presents with dad one week before and come up with a list with priorities. Dad will later go out and buy approx. $150 Canadian (we consider ourselves fortunate that we can spend that much) worth of presents.

2. We try to be nice to the birthday child on his or her birthday. It is impossible for everyone to be nice for the whole day so the birthday child needs to live that.

3. Dinner of the birthday child's choice. When we had more money, we used to go our favourite local local restaurant.

4. Family presents are given on the birthday not the birthday party to prevent birthday overload.

5. The birthday cake is usually a McCain's frozen cake of the child's choice. The expensive ordered cake is saved for the birthday party. We put candles on the cake and sing "Happy Birthday" with the lights out. The child makes a wish and blows out the candles.

Objectives of the Blog

2006-05-04T14:28:00.000-04:00

These are the overall objectives of this blog:

1. Improve my writing. I've been wanting to write for a long time but I haven't been able to motivate myself. I thought if I had a blog, the blog would force me to write more often and more carefully knowing someone may read it. I am the third best writer in the family after my wife and 13-year-old daughter. The 10, 7 and 3 year old are catching up to me so I need to start working at it before I fall into last place. My 13 year old actually told me today I should write more. I must admit that she has also told me my blog is boring.

2. Provide a record of this time in my life for my family and myself. I think it would be cool if I could read a diary my dad had of me when I was 3, 7, 10 or 13.

3. Show how I'm happy to be home and watching my kids. That is something of a unique perspective. I usually hear that raising kids is a difficult, worthless and thankless task. I am a minority voice in the world saying it is amazing to be home and I am having a wonderful time.

Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Jane Jacobs

2006-05-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

I was reading in the newspaper yesterday that Bob Dylan was DJing on the radio. I'm a big Bob Dylan fan. The article claimed that only Bob Dylan and John Lennon would have carte blanche on their own radio programs. My 13 year old daughter loves John Lennon.

I was at a coffee shop this morning with her and the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane" played on the radio. I told her a bit about how Ruben Carter was falsely jailed and how Bob Dylan's song helped to get him freed. Ruben Carter came to live in Toronto and helped speak out against human rights. I also told her the story about how a historian looked at all the events and tried to measure their influence and said that Bob Dylan was the biggest factor in stopping the Vietnam war. I asked her to imagine what it would be like to stop a war. She said "Neat". She may have just been polite. I Think I told her this story before.

When Jane Jacobs died I laid out all the newspaper items (we subscribe to the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and the New York Times) about her on her chair. I'm not sure if she read it.

I am a broken record when it comes to talking to my kids about this stuff but I can't help it. If I was just trying to be friends with my daughter or have her like me I wouldn't mention this but I am her dad and I think it is my responsibility to push her. There comes a time when you realize that the things you wish you could do you hand off to your kids. I wanted to make the world a better place but I failed so maybe my kids can do it. I don't think I can start a rock band at my age and tour the world and sell a million records. I don't know the language of the times. No one listens to me anymore.

It's always a balancing act of encouraging your kids and allowing them to relax. I may sometimes be on the wrong side of that balance. My wife is on the other side of this balance and I'm glad she is. The most important thing is my kids know I love them regardless.

Concert Tonight

2006-05-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in one of the slice of life posts we just had a concert by the 10 and 7 year old. It began with an invitation and posters announcing that there would be a concert in the living room at 9pm. At 9pm my 13 year old and myself sat in the living room (my wife was at a book reading tonight). The 7 year old had prepared a plate of sliced carrots and cucumbers (he's quite a cook and can make a very good batch of scrambled eggs). We have a microphone connected to an amplifier in the living room in addition to our MP3. The performance began with a song sung by the two kids. This was followed by songs by Sarah Harmer, Joni Mitchell and Carol King which were joined in with singing and dancing by the kids. The 3 year old came in near the end and the other kids adapted very well to this interruption by letting him imitate them.

Baseball

2006-05-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

As a kid I loved baseball. In the spring I would go to the park with a shovel and shovel the snow to the sunny side of the park so it would melt faster. I would knock on my friend's houses asking if they could come out and play. When I had kids I figured I could take them to the baseball game.

With my first daughter I took her to a game with high hopes which were quickly dashed. It was torture to get her to sit through half an inning. When we left she said, "It's so loud my stomach hurts."

Daughter number two turned out to be the best. Although it was raining, I got there early and we had to walk almost a mile (I forgot the stroller) to get to the park she loved the game. She was up and cheering and had a great time. I bribed her with so much candy I thought she might throw up. She soldiered on for all nine innings. She didn't know the rules of the game so I would occasionally let her know what the score was. She loved the crowd and the candy, although probably not in that order.

With my first son he was most interested in the baseball cards, hat, shirt and the candy. He somewhat interested in the game. I'll have to try him again this year now that he's 7.

3 Year Old Nearly Crossed the Creek

2006-05-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

The girls (13 and 10) went to the ballet yesterday with their grandmother. My wife and I took the boys (7 and 3) to a creek for a picnic. Great weather but the begininning of sunscreen time. I asked my 7 year old to pretend he enjoys putting sunscreen on, which he surprisingly did, and the 3 year old asked for sunscreen for himself. I doubt this will work for more than a day or two. My 7 year old was so happy in the ravine. He found a leech and a worm and brought them home. The 3 year old tried to cross the creek in his sneakers but started sinking in the mud and came back before he got across. You don't worry too much about this stuff and can just enjoy and laugh about it with the fourth kid. He gets to learn a lot of this stuff on his own without our interference.

I went to a movie by myself afterwards. Another good day but I am falling behind in the the day to day chores which quickly pile up when you have four kids.

All Together Now!

2006-04-28T11:27:00.000-04:00

The sun is shining and although it is still cold I'm looking forward to warmer weather and swimming with the kids. All the kids, if possible. With four kids aged 3, 7, 10 and 13 that happens a lot more than you would think. Probably because my wife and I removed our cable connection. Another reason is that we all have a great time when we are all together. I'll have to get the kids in here and ask them their opinion. Some would agree, some won't depending on the amount of food in their stomachs and the sleep they had. What the kids do and say has nothing to do with anything we (i.e., parents) do. It's all based on genetics, food and sleep. I'm starting to believe that all those quirky characteristics that I have, and that my wife either hates or loves, are based mostly on genetics because my kids do exactly the same things except in a kid kind of way. Although much of what I do is in a kid kind of way and my kids are starting to get a lot more mature than me. Yes, the oldest is only 13.