Sunday 26 April 2009

A Hot Weekend and the Return of Angela

Tina's friend, Angela, visited us this weekend. Tina and Corbin picked her up in London, which worked out well for everyone.

Angela brought the kids a present. Thanks for the Nerf guns, Ang. I'll be finding Nerf balls for the next 20 years.

On Friday, Angela helped Tina and Pam get Pam's house ready for Chelsea's Sweet 16 birthday party. Yes, Chelsea is 16-years old. Time really does fly by.

Jeremy and Corbin loved having Angela over as she spent lots of time with them. That gave Tina and myself some time to do some chores and errands.

Posted by Adam

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Wayne Landed On His Feet

The dealership - Jerome Taylor Pontiac GMC - where we just purchased the Montana SV6 from shut down for good. Mr. Taylor was unable to secure mortgage financing and had to close down his 16-year old dealership. Tina and I were kind of bummed because we really didn't want to start a new relationship with another dealer. But it was what it was.

Toady, out of the blue, Wayne Sanford, our go-to guy at Jerome Taylor, called and left a message that he was at the Gus Revenberg, a GM dealership about 10 minutes east of us. Tina called back and he just wanted us to know that he was alive and kicking and that we could still rely on him for top-notch service and assistance.

We felt good that Wayne landed on his feet and that he took the time to let us know. If you are looking to purchase a vehicle, we highly recommend you speak with Wayne Sanford at Gus Revenberg. Let him know that Tina and Adam sent you.

Posted by Adam

Saturday 18 April 2009

Feels Nice To Do Some Outdoor Work

With Corbin's help I unloaded the van and had him help me with a few chores. I had him bring out the indoor plants into the garage.

In the garage, I asked Corbin to sit on a milk crate and hang out with me for a few minutes. He turned on the radio and I emptied a bag of potting soil into the new wheelbarrow. Took it over to the hose and with Corbin's help, I moistened the soil.

I then began re-potting the plants with Corbin's help. Even got him to shove his hands into the new soil. No complaints. After a little while Corbin got bored, and asked if he could water his tree (a Rose of Sharon). I said sure, after which is hung out in the backyard for a while. I continued my re-potting.

I decided that a Coffee Tree plant would not come back inside and planted it outdoors. I still have to re-pot my Yucca Tree plant but that requires some hacking - maybe next weekend. I washed the old pots and let them dry in the warm sun. I also hosed down the easel so Tina could use it with Jeremy.

Back in the house, I worked on replacing the old thermostat with the new one I purchased. Installation was simple and straightforward. The packaging says 15 minutes or less for installation and it took less than 15 minutes. There is an error on the packaging in that it says you need two AAA batteries. You need three.

With that work done, I relaxed and enjoyed the warm and sunny weather.

Posted by Adam

A Baseball Glove, A Wheelbarrow and A Sub

Taking advantage of the warm weather, I spent late morning and early afternoon running some errands with Corbin in tow.

At first, he didn't want to come, but like everything with Corbin, you have to tell him upfront what you intend to do. I said "don't you need a new baseball glove". He said "Yes" and reluctantly put on his shoes.


At Canadian Tire I looked at some BBQ accessories. Need to get a new ignition for the BBQ - ours lasted almost nine years. I also purchased a new Honeywell thermostat with touch screen and 7-day programming to place the existing Honeywell thermostat with 5-2 day programming. And Corbin did find a new baseball glove. He also tried out the riding mowers.

Next it was off to Lowes. There, I purchased a new 6 cubic feet steel wheelbarrow, some potting soil and some new plastic pots for the indoor plants. I pushed Corbin around while he sat on the flatbed cart. We had subs at Subway before heading back home.

I spent quality time with my Corbin, who seemed to handle himself with no problems. Arriving home, I realized that there were a few things I forgot to look at. Naturally.

Posted by Adam

Sunday 12 April 2009

Easter In Brantford 2009 Edition

Travelled to Brantford for the Easter weekend.

Headed up on Friday in the new Montana SV6 aka Tina's van. Plenty of cops along the way but travelling at under 120 kph seemed to be okay. The boys watched movies on their DVD players, I played games on my Nintendo DS and Tina drove the whole way.

The next two and a half days were okay for the most part. The boys got their Babcia time. Tina and I managed some time alone, but not as much as we planned for.

Saturday morning we headed to church for the blessing of Easter basket. Jeremy was grumpy but managed to make it through the 15-minute ceremony. Next it was to the cemetery where my mom planted a flower at my father's grave.

While my mom was praying, Jeremy asked some questions about my dad. Yes, he is dead and this is where his buried. Then, with a straight face, Jeremy asked if the purse and plastic bag hanging off the cross were my dad's. We tried to contain our laughter. My mom had to walk away to avoid bursting out loud. I explained to Jeremy that that was Babcia's purse. "Oh" he said. I'm sure my dad was chuckling too.

Next, we did some quick shopping at Sears - seems that the whole Szymczak family needed new socks - "Sock Crisis 2009" - followed by a very short trip to Future Shop.

Tina and I went out later to get some things from Shopper's Drug Mart for my mom and took a drive around Brantford. Supper was excellent as usual - not many leftovers. The boys played and played and played.

Sunday was much the same. We headed back to Windsor after dinner. I drove back. Traffic was usual and no police this time. A good time had by all.

Posted by Adam

Saturday 4 April 2009

Karate Update

Corbin has been in the intermediate class for a couple of months. Fewer kids but more demanding.

Sensei finally gave Corbin his certificate and removed a yellow band from his belt. Woo hoo.

Corbin needs to concentrate on improving and moving up in class rather than tangling with another boy. Mom and I know you can do it Corb.

Jeremy is excited about beginning karate classes. We may sign him up in September.

Posted by Adam