iTasha

So Natasha is enjoying life as the new spokesperson for the new infant ipod.

It was a natural fit really. She hasn't stopped playing with Sarah's MP3 phone since she got it.

When she's in her room, she's always turning on the boom box and cranking the tunes.

She bops up and down to videos being played on Much Music. It doesn't matter what type of music it is either. From Sharon, Lois & Bram to Snoop Dogg. Let's face it.

This kid is livin in a Funk Box.

More Tasha highlights!

List of things Tasha has started doing within the last couple weeks:

She says Thank You by saying a gentle "Tha Tha" whenever you give her something.

She went pee pee on the potty!!

She walks everywhere!! Even runs!

It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep everyone posted on what new things she is doing because she literally does something different every single day!

If you haven't seen Natasha since before she learned how to walk, I think it's about damn time you pay us a visit! See you at our place!

Tasha's 2nd Halloween

Well I finally got around to posting some pics of Tasha all dressed up in her mystical unicorn costume that Diane got her.

There are also a few pictures of some real tall dude wearing a Chewbacca costume. Not sure who that goof was, but he took a lot of random pictures of himself and Tasha.

Check out the pics by clicking here.

Tasha's Got New Tricks

I can't believe how much Tasha has been surprising us lately...

Yes she says her last name when asked to identify herself "Ahh-broo". She will pant like a dog, make a monkey face, or crinkle her nose to sniff flowers upon request. She's even brought back an oldie but a goodie ... "How big is Natasha?".

Yes, she's a crowd pleaser indeed.

Did I mention her walking is unbelievable now? She's walks forever - turns, stops, keeps on going. Ha - so much for getting a late start. Now we can't keep her in one place!

The other thing I have to mention is - just this morning, Tasha drank a full sippy cup of actual milk. That may seem like no big deal - but Tasha has spit out and pushed away cow's milk every single time it's been offered to her. Soy too. Sarah has been trying to ween her, and finally this morning, after Sarah left for work, I got her to drink a ton of milk... and guess what? SHE LIKED IT. "Yaaaaaaa" (that's another Tasha-ism).

We took some cute pics at Pumpkinville on the weekend (very Anne Gedes) and I'll try to post them tonight. I have a little more free time since this is my reading week for university. yay.

New pics & More

There are a few new pics posted on Shutterfly... We will have more up in a couple days after we finish downloading everything on the new camera.

This past week Dan-e-o had another audition for a TV commercial. This one was for Sirius satellite radio. His contact person told him to bring down anyone he knew that was "really tall". I qualify. So I went down, as a goof, and auditioned.

I haven't auditioned for anything in about 10 years. I was shocked and thrilled when I found out the next day I actually got a call back!

I had the call back audition on saturday morning - before Geoff's wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't get to read as much as they wanted, or at all for a second commercial the director thought of me for... If I had stayed to read, I would have missed the wedding altogether.

I don't expect to hear back from them, but this had definately renewed my interest in doing some commercial work - TV or radio. Maybe i'll start lookin for an agent.

Can I convince you all to convert to a 36 hour day?

Honestly, if days were longer... I'd be a lot better off right now. Between the house, and Natasha and all of those domestic duties, I'm balancing two subjects at work - one of which is a brand new curriculum - enrichment programs at work, two courses at Trent (approx 9 hours / week of reading / assignments in addition to the 6 hours a week of lecture), my little web business w/ Dan ... I mean hell... I'm going to explode!

Ok, I'm being a little over dramatic.

My friend from high school, Hilary contacted me last week asking for advice. She was looking to expand her horizons professionally and wanted to try working with kids. 24 hours later, I had her working at my school as a member of the support staff. She's been great so far too.

That same day (my birthday actually), Sarah showed up at work with a massive bunch of balloons.... Prompting dozens of jealous six year olds to swarm me at the knees. I felt like the Pied Piper.

Friday night we went to 'Flow' - a really nice restaurant in Yorkville. The dad od one of my former students owns the place, and last year they graciously gave us a $100 gift certificate to check it out. We loved it and will definately be returning.

Anybody else find the hold Domi - Belinda story hilarious??

Lunch break's over ... off to work I go..

Happy Birthday to Amy ... (and me too)

My good friend Amy, who I used to work with is celebrating her birthday today! Happy B-Day my Calgarian friend. That was one of the first things we learned about each other -- that we had the same birthday. Kinda cool.

Anyway, today I am XXXI - or 31 to those of you who don't know Roman numerals and don't follow the Superbowl.

I must say, it's pretty cool. I feel like a real honest to goodness grown up.

I'm firmly out of my 20's. Got past my introductory to a new decade year. Have a beautiful whife and a gorgeous 13 month old girl. Have a mortgage. Need a second car. I'm broke. Yup, sounds ground up to me!

Thanks to friends and family for calling today, sending emails, or coming to say hello. I like to brush off the importance of my own birthday, but it is kind of nice when other people remember. I feel truly blessed.

Look Mom, No Hands

Donnie has finally permitted me to post on the blog. Actually he suggested it.

Natasha has been on her feet for months, cruising the furniture and using her walker or stroller.

We have been eagerly awaiting her first unassisted steps. But, she insists on holding at least one of our fingers to walk and if we let go, she sits down to crawl or reaches for something to hold on to. She is so funny to watch when she is standing by herself without realizing it, because as soon as she notices she looks at her feet and quickly sits down.

Well today was different.

Natasha walked today at our friend's house for the first time. It was Andrea's daughter Veronika's 1st birthday and Tasha was really motivated by seeing her buddy Nika walking and by Andrea cheering her on. Natasha took about 4 steps and then did it for a second time.

She was very tired when she got home and wasn't interested in showing us anymore. Well we all knew it was coming. Watch out Babas, Vava, Granpy, Pops and Uncle Joe. Today a few steps...tomorrow a marathon and you all need to chase her. I'm going to catch you..I'm going to catch you...

New camera! Yay!

Yesterday Sarah and I decided enough was enough and it was time to get a new digital camera. Ours died a few weeks ago, and we've been sitting by watching all these 'kodak moments' go uncaptured.

So, we decided to invest in the Sony Cybershot H5. 7.2 Megapixels, 12X optical zoom, a Carl Zeiss lense and a gigantic 3" screen! We've already been snapping pix like crazy. Once we download them all, I'll upload them for you all to see.

My sister also made a picture CD with tons of Tasha pics over the last year. I'll add those to the photo album tomorrow as well!

First week of school down - lots more to go.

Going back to work this week was great. This is actually the most excited I've been to return to work since I started teaching. I think the reason is because this year I'm teaching Dramatic Arts for the first time. I had to give up my Phys. Ed. program in order to take this on, but I think it's for the best.

By the end of a full day of gym class I was generally pretty exhausted. Teaching drama seems to keep my energy levels high. It's only been a week, but it's been sweet. Of course, I'm still teaching the computer classes for the whole school - grades 1-8. I just revamped my work blog for students and parents. http://misterabreu.blogspot.com


I plan on making this my best year ever.

What a party!

The rains could not spoil Natasha's first birthday party. Sure, we had planned an outdoor barbeque, and I had spent a couple hours setting up the tent and decorations in the backyard - but everything still came off beautifully!

We were joined by 30 or so family and friends, who helped our little angel celebrate her first 365 days. The gifts people brought were very generous. Toys, cute clothes, books, and cash --- Tasha loves the cash!

Unfortunately, our camera died last week, so we didn't get many pictures. We did get some - and I know other people took a few. If you DO have any pics from yesterday, PLEASE email them to me - canadastallestcoach@gmail.com.

Tasha loved this fabulous cake that Sarah made, and entertained the crowd by digging right into it - hands and face first.

Thank you everyone for being so thoughtful, and being such an important part of Tasha's life. It takes a village to raise a child, and you're all contributing. Me? I'm just the village idiot. (Take that Diane! I said it before you could)

Happy Birthday Natasha!

One year ago at the time of this writing, I was standing next to Sarah, while she was in labour. Apprehension was at an all time high - as was my levels of excitement and andrenaline. It was a 24 hour span I'll always remember like it was yesterday.

Reading the story I wrote on this blog the day she was born, and it really feels strange to think that was an entire year ago. It doesn't seem like a full year ago that I walked down that hospital corridor following Sarah's surgery, proudly presenting the new grandparents with 7 pounds, 10 ounces of pure bliss.

Today, she's closer to 25 pounds. She's over two and a half feet tall and she is just brimming with energy, curiosity, and love. She crawls faster than a speeding bullet. She climbs up and down the stairs of our house (always supervised!) with ease. She's learning sign language. She loves to sing along with her mom or dad and do little hand actions that go with the song. Her favourite book is Pat The Bunny. She is an amazing little girl.

Natasha, before you were born, I thought I was prepared for what fatherhood would be like. I was wrong. It is so much more. A friend of mine, and our family dentist, Gerry Filgiano said to me a few months before you were born, "You have no idea how hard you are going to fall in love with that baby". Truer words have never been spoken by a dentist.

Your mother and I adore you. You are everything to us.

Later today, some of our friends and family will be joining us for your first birthday party. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun, and you'll be flashing that $100,000,000 smile and giggling all day long.

I love you Natasha Alexis Venusina Abreu. God bless you.

Happy Birthday baby girl.

Hey, where'd my summer go?

I haven't blogged for a while and when I looked at today's date I realized, WHOAH - I've gotta go back to work soon!

I'm actually looking forward to this school year, but I'm not looking forward to leaving Tasha for entire days again. This summer has definately spoiled me. I'm sure it's much harder for Sarah who's been home a whole year now. Can you believe it? Tasha's ALMOST A YEAR!

The other thing that sucks is my best buddy at work, Amy won't be back. She and her boyfriend have moved to Calgary. She was a great teacher, an awesome asset to the school and really good friend. We went out a few weeks ago for a little going-away party. That night I got MORE crappy news. My friend Sam who also works with us is moving to Calgary as well! What the hell? Did Calgary suddenly become cool? Did I miss a memo? The picture you see was taken at Amy's going away party. It's Amy, myself and Sammy.

This weekend the Johnsons are up visiting us. Lina, Mike, Sean and Justin have been staying at my parents house. Weird to think that Justin is going to be a high school senior and Sean is going into the 8th grade. We went downtown yesterday and did all the touristy stuff. Today we're going to Christie Pitts to see the Intercounty Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team. I'm pretty sure a strong majority of Toronto doesn't even realize we HAVE an intercounty baseball team.

Yesterday was Dad's birthday. For those of you have emailed asking, he's doing much better after his accident and is back to same sold self. Corny jokes, loud and the center of attention! We wouldn't want it any other way. We all chipped in and got him a really sweet BBQ for his bday.

My father-in-law actually gave us his barbeque last weekend so I've been grilling like a fiend at home.

Last weekend was also Caribana. I went down with Dan-e-o and Jamie and met up with Lancescape, Grimace Love and Charisma. They put together a new Monolith CD and we were sellin them on the streets. Good fun!

Oh ya, one more thing.
I downloaded one of my fav games EVER on my 360. STREET FIGHTER 2 BABY!! YAAAA!
:)

A new week, a new post

Man it's hard to stay on top of this blogging thing with so much else going on in the summer months.

I've been having a lot of fun though building my audience for my other blog, Tha O Show. We are now averaging between 3000 and 4000 hits per day. Yay us.

I picked up Blogging for Dummies and Podcasting for Dummies at Chapters last week. I've been readin both books and learning a lot. Ya, I thought I knew all there was to know about blogging, but clearly - i did not. RSS Feeds were just initials that nerds would say. I had no idea I could use them to increase my traffic and make some money.

Tomorrow is July 25th. Tasha will be ELEVEN MONTHS OLD! I can't even believe it. Where has the time gone??

Speaking of time flying... Sarah went to Lisa's wedding shower yesterday with Tasha, mom and Diane. Lisa is my cousin Geoff's bride to be. I can't belive Geoff (who I still have vivid memories of as a newborn) is actually getting married. Unreal.

We saw Kristine and Falynn today. Falynn is four months older than Tasha and really active! Running around everyway, laughing, and being really cute. Kristine has done a great job teaching her baby sign language - something Sarah and I have started and are more involved in now.

Tasha does signs for "up" (when she wants to be picked up) and "bye bye" and "finished" (when she's done eating) and a few others. At this age her mind is like a sponge and she should be signing whole conversations in no time.

New photos

I uploaded an entire album on Shutterfly. Everything in the July 2006 album is brand new! Go check it out.

Yesterday, Sarah's Aunt Patty and Granny came to visit. We got some cute pics of them with Tasha, and of the little munchkin playing in her baby pool out back. It's so hot out, I wish I fit in that darn thing!

Tasha was all decked out in her brand new pink sunsuit. More specifically, it's a Supergirl wetsuit. It's tres cool.

Anyway, go check all the new pics on Shutterfly.

A big update!

Wow I'm getting really bad at updating my blog.

I keep getting family hate-mail telling me to keep this thing up to date, so I will try to be better about it. I'll give you all a quick recap as to what is / has been going on.

First and foremost, you pretty much all heard about Dad's accident. I'm happy to tell you that he's doing much, much better. He actually went back to work this week (light duty only) and is a lot more mobile. I really think that the same accident would have killed me, or most people. I think the only way this man is ever going to break is if someone finds a huge supply of kryptonite.

I'm home for the summer. The camp I usually work for in the summer has been hit hard by low attendance. I was originally going to look into picking up another summer gig, but Sarah and I talked about it and I think this is a sign that I'm just meant to stay home and spend more time with Natasha.

Speaking of which, I can't tell you how quickly she's growing up. She's saying Mamma, Dadda and Babba all the time. She waves hello and bye bye at the appropriate times and she loves to clap (especially if you sing, "If You're Happy and You Know It..."). She truly is amazing.

Last week the Weitings moved to Kingston from Salem Mass. This move has been planned for at least a year and has finally happened. Everyone is very excited about our families living much closer to each other. Last week Khira came to stay with us for a week while her parents got things set up at the house. Khira did a great job looking after Tasha, entertaining her and being a good big cousin.

Last weekend was Mikael's birthday party at my parents house. It was actually a pretty big event with golf during the day and an all day BBQ. Good times, good times.

Weddings, weddings, weddings. Two weeks ago we went to Sheryl's wedding (one of Sarah's high school friends) at Casa Loma. This weekend is Wendy's wedding. Wendy is a long time mutual friend of Sarah's and Diane's. Coming up soon, my little baby cousin Geoff will be tying the knot. Unreal. I actually still remember the day he was born quite vividly.

In sports news:

I was really proud of the Portuguese soccer team - though I wish they could have overcome Headbuttin' Zidane's penalty kick to get a crack at those Italians in the final. They were emotionally drained in the 3rd place game against the home town Germans. They had a great run.

Five Toronto Blue Jays in the all star game! Wells with one of the precious FEW hits that were allowed, Glaus with a key double that lead to the win in the ninth, and BJ Ryan picking up the save. Hopefully Alex Rios will be back soon from that Staph infection. No truth to the rumor that Dan-e-o started that it was actually Erik Hinske that injected Rios with something!

Bryan Colangelo is determined to make his mark on the Raptors. Good or bad, this guy is makin' moves! At this point, there are only 4 guys on the roster that were on it in at the end of May! That's a quick turn around! He also made it very clear he still has money to spend and isn't done. The Raps seem to be sitting with an over abundance of swingmen ... so a trade could be a brewing...

Tha O Show has exploded. The little wrestling blog Dan-e-o and I started in February has now reached 4,000 members a day and is growing. MySpace has turned out to be an unbelievable promotional tool.

My computer DIED on me this week. Actually just the harddrive. Future Shop wanted 250 bucks to take it in, format it and then another 60 for a new drive. They also said it would take at least a week. I took it to The Computer Mechanics instead. They've had a show on Rogers for years which I've enjoyed and have a store in Oshawa. The people there are awesome. They charged me 100 bucks to clean the whole thing, give it a great tune up and have it running faster than it was when I first got it!

That's it for now... time to do some chores 'round the house. I'll be writing MUCH more frequently, so keep checking! New Tasha pictures should be uploaded by tonight or tomorrow morning!

Sing it Alice...

"Schooooooooooool's out for SUMMMER! Schoooooooooooool's out for EVA!"

Ok, maybe not forever, but the immortal words of Alice Cooper have certainly been running through my mind since 3:31 on Friday afternoon. I don't know why exactly, but it seems as though this school year was just a little bit longer than most.

I think in part it's because I've been anticipating my vacation the way a kid anticipates a shiny red bike under the tree on Christmas morning.

I've been dying to have a little down time to rest and recharge and spend with my unbelievable daughter.

Keep in mind - Tasha was born on the 25th of August. Sarah was in the hospital for almost a week, and we only had a couple days at home together before I had to go back to work. Since then it's been a bit of a grind. Christmas was nice, but I worked through the March Break and even now will be going to work basketball camp in another week.

These moments are so precious. I can't believe how tall she is already. I can't believe that she laughs at the appropriate time. She takes her pacifier out of her mouth, shoves it in mine and starts laughing uncontrollably.

She crawls - not the slithery type snakey crawling she's been doing - but 'big girl crawling! Up on her knees moving really fast! Thank goodness we put baby gates up because you can't take your eyes off her for a second!

Just over 10 months old already. Where has the time gone? I plan on savouring the last two months of her first year.

My first father's day...

Well my first father's day has come and gone.

I realize that Natasha has changed my life, and more specifically changed me more than I ever could have dreamed before she was born.

Sure, some people think I'm over protective and neurotic - but that's MY LITTLE GIRL there. She depends on Sarah and I to take care of her. I'd rather fail on the side of caution right now.

Not that I'm totally uptight, but I have been hearing some of the things coming out of my mouth and wondering who said them.

I would literally do anything for you Natasha. I love you so much. You've made this the best father's day ever.

The sickness from hell

Some of you heard this story first hand.... I wasn't going to blog it, but since my buddy Darkside gave his own account on his site, I figured i'd entertain you with my misfortune.

Go to Chronicology to read the story of how I got everybody sicker than a dog at the start of the month.

Video: How big is Natasha?

Sarah has been playing this game with Tasha for months and now she is responding. "How big is Natasha?" (The correct answer is hands in the air accompanied by "Soooooo Big!"). Well, Tasha now responds on her own - and she seems to think it's hilarious!

Video: Tasha playing catch with Mommy

Introducing Coca-Cola's newest spokesmodel

So Tasha has this new thing... anything Mommy or Daddy are drinking is the coolest thing in the world, and she MUST have it. Glass of milk, Gatorade, water ... whatever. On this occassion, it was my 2L bottle of Coke Zero. I put the bottle down and watched Tash crawl across the room, laughin her butt off and giggling when she finally got her hands on it. Don't worry grandmoms, I capped that top so hard, you'd need the Jaws Of Life to get it off.

There are also a ton of new pics on the Shutterfly gallery. Check the May 2006 folder for updates and the new June 2006 section.

Happy Birthday Di

So today is my little sister's birthday. 28 years old. Close to 30..... very close. 30 Diane. Thirty! Sure, I already hit 30, but men age more gracefully than women. I'm sure you'll be fine though. Better enjoy the next two years just in case though.

Ok, so even though you can annoy the hell out of me - and even though we can piss each other off better than anyone else, I have still appreciate having you around for 28 years. Thanks for being a great aunt and a supporting member of my new family.

Just quit acting like you know it all - booger face.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Happy birthday to the love of my life. It's my wonderful wife's birthday today! Everyone who reads this should call the house and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!

I love you so much. We've had quite a ride together over the last eight years. We've both grown, learned, and matured (well I did anyway - you were already mature. Hmm, maybe I haven't matured all that much! A little anyway...).

I'm thrilled to have you as my partner and the mother of my beautiful baby girl. Thank you for giving meaning and purpose to everythind I do.

Love Donnie

What's that in your mouth Tasha?

It's a tooth!

My baby girl has a tooth! No i don't have any pics of the pearly white nub yet, because she barely lets us see it at all. It's on the bottom, near the front. Sarah seems to think there may actually be two, but I haven't seen two - so consider this an uncomfirmed report.

New pics posted!

Ok Baba Lex... get off my back! New pics have been posted on shutterfly. Just click on the May 2006 album. There are some great shots of Tasha in Salem, hanging out with cousin Andre. Also pics of her with her best bud Kaylen, and a couple snaps I grabbed tonight of her playing with a toy that Charlie and Alex gave her for her baptism.
She's been crawling, rolling and working to stand a lot lately. This toy is great! It gives her something to hold onto, and lets her pull herself up, then plays music and flashes lights when she succeeds. She loves it.

Another Tasha video! In the car...

Just a cute little video of Tasha in the backseat of the car playing with her teether. Sarah picked up the camera because at one point, Tasha was just staring out the window and casually twirling the spinner on her toy with one finger. It looked pretty grown up. Of course, once the cam comes out all natural behaviour stops and she hams it up. Just like her daddy.

Happy Birthday Mom

Just a quick note to say Happy Birthday to that fine human being that brought me into the world. My mommy.

I love you mom.

Happy 94th!

Mmmmm Cheerios!

Apparently, while she was in Salem, Natasha developed a taste for whole grain Cheerios! Now she's going nuts for the things! Sarah shot a video for me of my little angel enjoyin' those little o's.

My girls are gone!

This morning, at about 6:30 my girls left for Salem, Mass.

Sarah and Natasha (along with Carolynn and Baba Lex) have gone down (by car) to spend some time with the Loretta, Randy, Andre and Khira. This will be Sarah's last and Tasha's only chance to see the house on Salem, before the whole clam moves to Kingston this summer. I know Sarah was looking forward to the trip and I really want them to have a good time. They're going to be gone until the 7th of May. Eight days.

Eight days.

Eight days?

EIGHT DAYS!


I've never been apart from Tasha more than twelve hours. This is going to be very, very challenging.

Before they left this morning, Sarah put Tasha in bed with me. She immediately snuggled up and stared at me with a very calm face. She took her hand and started gently stroking my forehead and cheeks, in a very soothing fashion. "Don't worry Daddy", is what I imagine she was saying.

So my eight month old princess and my queen are off on an adventure. Have fun girls. I'll be thinking about you - constantly.

Video of Talkin' Tasha

Here is some video that Sarah shot this month during one of her trips to the Zoo with Natasha. You can see and hear that she just loves to babble.

For those of you trying to keep track, Natasha did in fact turn EIGHT MONTHS OLD on Tuesday April 25th. Unbelievable how fast the past eight months have just flown by.

Not a day goes by that Sarah and I don't ask "How did we get so lucky?"

Marsden dead at 69

Earlier today, one of my former colleagues at the FAN 590, and a Canadian broadcasting legend Pat Marsden lost his long battle with cancer.

Marsden, best known on the national scale for being the voice of the CFL for so many years was a guy who could tell a terrible story and make it compelling.

I interacted with Pat a lot during my days at The Fan when I was working overnights and Pat was co-hosting the morning show with John Davidson.

He'd look at me and say in his snarly voice, "You still work here? I thought I told Millman [program director] to fire your ass". The first time he said that I panicked a little. 'What did I do to piss off Marsden?'

When he used that same line for the next couple months in lieu of "hello" I realized that this man was all about getting in a good rib.

One story I'll never forget.... in the early 80's, Marsden was out in Edmonton for a CFL game. Pat was never one for political correctness, and got himself thrown in jail for comments he made on the air. This was on a Friday night. He was bailed out by Ron Lancaster. Three days later he was working an Ottawa Roughrider game, and got thrown in jail again! This time he was bailed out by Brian Mulroney.

He was a one of a kind, and a true original in an industry that fosters so many imitators. Thank you Pat.

Marsden was 69. He is survived by his wife T.A., daughter Taylor, Connor, and children Mike, Patti-Lee, and Ruth Mary, from his first marriage.

School's done!

I did it - I wrote my English Lit exam tonight, ending my first year back at school. I was terrified going into the exam, but I think I did pretty damn well.

I got my essays back that I handed in and got A- on all of them.

I told Sarah tonight how grateful I am to her for basically forcing me to go back to school. I knew I wanted to, but didn't have the confidence to think I could succeed. I feel so much better about myself and my future plans in education.

Thank you sweetheart.

Ding Dong Quinn is Gone!

What a great day! I wake up this morning and tune into the radio to hear that Pat Quinn has finally been fired. The highest paid coach in the NHL who has never won a damn thing (other than that gold at the Olympics four years ago) has finally been let go. Unfortunately, the man who canned him, Leaf GM John Ferguson Jr, still has a gig - but one step at a time.

I've heard fans defend Quinn for years - and never understood it. Tell me, what sort of systems do Quinn teams employ? What young player has he ever developed into a star? Do you know that Quinn's practices NEVER consist of special teams work, power play options or anything else that most teams have had success doing?


Quinn is a 63 year old dinosaur. He's one of the good ol' boys of the NHL who refuses to adapt and grow with the game. The game changed this year. Quinn did not.

Did you know Matts Sundin, one of the top players on Earth, has been saddled with the same amount of ice time as many 3rd and 4th line players on other decent teams. WHY? Quinn believes in rolling four lines and playing everyone equally. How the hell would that have worked 13 years ago if Pat Burns had played Gilmour the same amount he was playing Eastwood. I'll tell you one thing, we wouldn't have gone to the final four twice.

This now opens the door for Paul Maurice, who has been coaching the Toronto Marlies this season. Maurice took the Hurricanes to the Cup Finals a few seasons ago and has a great eye for the new NHL. He understands how to develop talent, he's media friendly and a tactitican in the mold of a Scotty Bowman or Ken Hitchcock.

See ya Patty, it's been real and it's been fun, but it ain't been real fun!

Talkin up a storm...

So apparently Natasha's new favourite things to do are to show off her lungs and yelling out insightful bits of baby musings like, "baa baa", "bla bla", "da da" or just "yaaaaaaaah!".

I won't lie, i'm partial to "Da Da". I have a video on the computer that Sarah shot last week. I'll upload it in the next day or so for you all to enjoy.

She's growing up so fast. She tried pulling herself up the other day in her crib by hanging onto the side.

I updated the April 2006 folder on Shutterfly, so go check out the new pictures!

Thanks to everyone who gave Tasha an Easter gift. It REALLY wasn't necessary but it is appreciated.

Well, I should get back to studying...

Tasha's first Jays Game

On Saturday, Natasha got to see her favourite baseball team up close in personal. My dad, Humberto, Serene and Lucas and came with Sarah, Natasha and myself to the Rogers Centre to take in the fun.

We got great seats too. Fourth row, section 114 on the first base side. Awesome seats. How close were we? I heard parts of the conversation between the guys standing at first base!

How close were we? Kids at my school came up to me today saying they saw me on TV holding my baby.

We had an awesome time... The only down sides were when the Jays were scored on after a misplayed ball, and when Zaun knocked a homerun out of the park ... At those points the park got a little too loud all at once and Tasha yelled right back. Not a 'i'm chipping in' yell - but more of a "everyone shutup now" noise.

I think it'll be a while before she heads back down to the dome... but in the meantime, she has her little Jays cap that matches daddy's, and she can park right next to me on the couch and take in as many games as she likes.

It's baseball season...

With my best Jerry Howarth voice, "The Blue Jays are in flight" having opened their season on Tuesday and taking two out of three from the Twins.

Natasha is getting into the spirit of baseball season, as you can see here rockin' her pink Blue Jays merchandise that was a gift from her Uncle Dan-e-o when she was just a couple weeks old!

Upon donning the pink pin stripes, my future athlete grabbed the nearest pink hardball and showed daddy her split-finger and circle-change grips. I was pretty impressed but told her to stick to fastballs until she's a little older to avoid injury.

You'll also be happy to know that there are more pics of Tasha in her baseball gear, and pics of her with Uncle Dan-e-o on the ShutterFly site.

Walking for Wendy

My sister Diane will be participating in a very special event called The Weekend to End Breast Cancer.

As was posted here on this blog, we lost a friend in Wendy Parent in January to cancer. Diane was very close to Wendy, and the entire Parent family and plans to help out with more than just thoughts and words.

She plans to walk 60 kilometres over the course of one weekend with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, treatment, and services through the Princess Margaret Hospital.

She has agreed to raise at least $2,000, and she will need your help. Would you please consider making a donation? Any amount that you can give will help her get closer to her goal. Please keep in mind how far she's walking - and how hard she will have to train.

According to the National Cancer Institute of Canada, approximately 20,500 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and about 5,400 will die from the disease.

Click here to visit Diane's personal sponsorship page...

Click here t see the page dedicated to Wendy's Walkers...

Tasha's first words!?

THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S PRANK!

This may be the last picture you see of my little angel with a soother in her mouth. After today, she may never want to be baby-muzzled again!

You are all going to think we're nuts, but Sarah and I are pretty sure that our baby genius has spoken her first coherent english-language words!

At about 9:30 this morning we were all giggling and playing when Tasha unmistakebly said "OH YEAAAH". Sarah and I both started laughing and couldn't even believe our ears. After a few more minutes of cooing and giggling, Tasha let out another "Yeaaah". I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

15 minutes later while sitting on my lap looking at her mom, Tasha said "Heeeeey". This was not a grunt that 'sounded' like "hey" this was CLEARLY and unmistakebly "Heeeey".

7 months old and she's already said more than baby Maggie Simpson has in 17 years!
1
My verbal little girl has officially uttered her first words - purposely or accidentally, I'm counting it.

Awesome.

Photo Update...

At long last, I have finally posted new pics over at Shutterfly. The entire album labelled 'March 2006' is brand new. There are pictures there from Tasha's baptism, and just random shots around the house.

This shot is of Natasha and her Godfather, Adam back on March 3rd.

We've got to get some shots of our little angel modelling her new denim overalls. Wow they are adorable or what!

If you have any pics Aof from the Baptism that you want to share, email them to me! Hint hint Di.

What March Break?

I've been a very, very bad blogger. I've let my site collect dust while i've been off bustin my butt. I had been looking forward to the March Break since the Christmas Break... as another opportunity to spend some uninterrupted quality time with my girls. Instead, I ended up working for George at the Conquest Basketball Camp.

I enjoy working camps, and I have missed coaching - but it is so hard to focus on drills when I notice that it's almost 11:00 AM and Tasha's probably going down for her nap. It's hard spending so much time with other's people's kids while my wife is home with mine. I'm hoping that this summer I will work 5 or 6 weeks of camp and then have a couple weeks to spend with them.

I am glad though that I got to spend some time with the staff. Adam, Matt and Hailey were there all week. Tuck came in on Monday before heading back to finish the school year at Loyola, and he put on a little dunk show for the kids.

Andrew and George were there on Thursday and Friday. Wow has Andrew changed. His tatoo, his conditioning, his attitude. He seems to really be headed in the right direction. There are a couple NCAA schools looking at him now and I hope he signs early.

Sarah and I have discussed the possibility of a U.S. road trip this summer - to visit family in PA. That would be pretty terrific. The last time we made that journey was in July of 2000. Things have certainly changed a lot since then.

This past weekend was pretty relaxing... Saturday night was unbelievable. Sarah made a gourmet pasta dish, along with some fantastic grilled chicken, while I sat around with my in-laws, my dad and Dan-e-o. The parents left fairly early while Dan and I settled in for about 7 hours of sporting tv. Both semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic, WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, March Madness NCAA Basketball, Maple Leaf Hockey.... holy crap. There was just too much TV to watch!

Dan made comments all night about Sarah's unbelievable cooking and how cool it was that she just let us sit there and watch TV till 2AM. I'm not going to lie - I've got a really sweet set up.

Tasha's Baptismal-fun crazy weekend recap

Wow. What a weekend. On Friday Sarah and I were thrilled to welcome Adam (Tasha's godfather) and his parents (Is and Brian) to stay at our place. They had travelled from deep in PA to be with us for our special day.

We had a great time just catching up, and watching them finally introduce themselves face to face to my little angel.

On Saturday morning we went out to breakfast at one of our favorite local spots and then did a ton of running around before having to head down to the church. Yes, we were late. I'll take full blame. When we got there, we had a ton of work to do.

Setting up the church basement / hall for Sunday's reception, making a run to the local beer store to pick up enough suds for a small army, and the actual rehearsal with the priest.

That's when I got to see a whole bunch of people who came up from the U.S. - my godparents, my uncle and aunt, charlie, alex and the girls, Lina J and more. I really wish that we weren't all so distant. We really should see each other more often.

By the way - We'll never again do seating arrangements. That was WAY too complicated. Sorry to those who were inconvenienced by my oversights and by the fact that I printed out a draft copy and now the final revised edition. Doh.

I neglected to properly thank Tia Lourdes publically on Sunday. She invested so much of her own time and money into making Sunday a spectacular event. Sometimes we (meaning me) take for granted those who have ALWAYS done so much and have ALWAYS been there. I meant no offence. I love you Tia - thanks for all your help.

Anyway - I know what everyone wants - pictures and videos from the Baptism... They're coming soon! I promise.

Video - Tasha eating a frog and babbling

Here's another little video clip that Sarah shot earlier this week when I was at work. Enjoy.

New pictures posted

Yes there are a bunch of new pics over on Tasha's photo gallery site. There are pics of her lounging around, chewing on everything in site and even modeling her fancy white dress that she'll be wearing to her baptism on March 5th. When you get to the site, just click on the February 2006 folder to see the newest additions.

The address to the site is http://bigbrew.shutterfly.com - be sure to bookmark it if you haven't already, because it changes regularly!

Video of Tasha eating ACTUAL FOOD for the first time!

Well it finally happened. Early on Saturday morning, Natasha decided to celebrate her 6 month birthday by eating something that didn't come from a breast. She had so-called rice "cereal", which Charlene more appropriately refers to as 'mush'. Tasha actually seemed to enjoy the mush that made it into her mouth. Alot of ended up on her chin, but hey - she's a baby.

A couple hours later she actually had a lot more than she did in this inital meal, but that one didn't get recorded. Sorry folks, I can only do so much!

Say "O"!

As if there wasn't enough crap on the internet about pro wrestling, Dan-e-o and I decided to start our own little blog dedicated to that mind numbing past time that has consumed much of the last 25 years of our lives.

The site's only been up a week or so, but is actually growing quite nicely. It's been a lot of fun venting on the industry - something I haven't had a chance to do since my days with the radio show or when I was writing for both TSN and Slam!

We decided to call it 'Tha O Show' - in hommage to those special moments that make you jump up and yell "Ooooooo!" Our plans for the "show" portion are long term, but we plan on having our own online audio program. Hell it's all the stuff we talk about now anyway - the only difference is we're going to share it with the whole bloggin' galaxy.


If you're not into wrestling in the least - this isn't for you. If you are, even on a casual level - then bookmark it and check it out often.

The site can be found at www.ThaOshow.com

Pictures of Tasha & Falynn

Many of you remember Kristine - maid of honour from our wedding. Well, Kristine happens to have a beautiful baby girl who is now about ten months old, named Falynn. Earlier today Sarah, Kristine and the babies hung out together. This isn't the first time Tasha and Falynn have played together by any means, but I do believe it's the first time we got any decent pics of it!

It's amazing to see all the things that Falynn can do! Crawl at the speed of sound, lift herself to a standing position, steal Tasha's nuk.... it's hilarious. I've posted a few of these shots in the February 2006 album over on Shutterfly.

Valentine's Day Menu - how spoiled am I?

Ok so, I have heard for years from friends that have been married awhile that after 6 months or a year (AT MOST) I would stop seeing those fabulous gourmet meals that Sarah has always made for me. Friends swore up and down - that's what women to do to land the man - once he's there, it's Kraft Dinner and "heat something up your damn self". Well.... I was home on Valentine's Day (my school gives us a day off to work on our report cards) and I was treated to an unbelievable lunch and a spectacular dinner.

For Breakfast:
Banana crunch muffins
Yogurt with fresh blueberries and huge strawberries
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Frittata
and hazelnut coffee

Like DAMN!

Check out dinner......
Ginger Garlic Dijon Salmon (best salmon EVER)
Butternut squash, watercress & pinenut salad (best salad EVER)
Blackbean & roasted red pepper soup
and Lime Margaritas

Yes, that's right. Her time at home with Natasha has turned Sarah into an even BETTER chef! Ha! Take that you bitter old poops who are stuck with your Chef Boyardee and your Hamburger Helper!

God it's so nice to be so loved ;)

Baby, you've got lungs!

Just listen to my girl sing.... i had just been playing some music. When I turned it off, she kept singing and banging her teething rings. Ah raw talent.

Video of Tasha playing with her toys

New pics!

We took a bunch of pics today of Tasha modelling this new t-shirt. Sure it would have been more appropriate at St. Patty's Day, but the way she's growing, it might not fit her by morning!

There are other new pics in the February 2006 folder including shots of her playing with some of her toys, and sittin in her new Peg high chair.

Diane, if you see this - please send me the pics you guys got on the weekend of Tasha sportin her new shades! Oh ya..... coolest baby in town!

University Update

A lot of people have been asking lately how my university english course has been going. Well...

I got a letter in the mail on friday saying that I have shown outstanding effort and have managed to maintain a very high average despite the stresses of juggling a full time job and home life. They even asked me to come out and tutor others who aren't nearly as smart as me. Maybe that's not quite how it was worded but the bottom line is, I fooled someone else into thinking I'm a genius.

The letter was signed by the Dean and my prof... which kinda surprised me, cuz I didn't think the prof liked me. He's a sarcastic, sometimes surly type, and I verbally spar with him all the time. I guess he appreciates a good 'battle of wits' - even if he is unarmed.

Welcome Tyler!

Congratulations to our friends Greg and Allison on the birth of their second baby boy, Tyler Lee. Tyler was born February 2nd and weighed in at a very healthy 7lbs, 13ozs. Apparently his older brother Ryan is thrilled and just can't stop kissing him.

He's a beautiful little boy. You two really lucked out again! Looks like Tasha will have yet another playmate for years to come. We're very happy for all four of you! All the best.

I'm a big girl now!

Thanks to a gift from Tasha's great grandmother, (Sarah's Baba), Natasha now gets to sit at the grown ups table like a big girl. She now has a Peg Perego (the Mercedes of baby products for you non-baby types) Primma Pappa Diner chair - complete with "oatmeal" coloured leatherette apoholstery! This girl has been hooked up!

As soon as she got into her new chair she started bangin on the tray like a drum and laughing hysterically. She is SUCH a happy little thing.

The Jays are NOT playin' around!

Yesterday the Toronto Blue Jays continued their insane off season by signing two time gold glover catcher Bengie Molina. At 31 years of age, Molina is a former World Series Champion, a solid hitter with power, awesome base stealing ability for a catcher and a terrific arm behind the plate.

The Blue Jays line up now looks tough with some serious weapons on the bench... High average hitters, power, speed, gold glovers all around and don't forget that pitching staff!

Here's what I'm thinking the batting order might look like.

LF Catalanotto
2B Hill
DH Hillenbrand
3B Glaus
CF Wells
1B Overbay
C Molina
RF Rios
SS Adams

That's a very tough contact hitting line up with some solid power in the 3,4 and 5 holes. If Overbay returns to his form of two seasons ago when he led the majors in doubles, this could be wild.

Then check out the bench...

Left handed hitting Hinkse ... who as much as he's been maligned has had decent numbers the last couple seasons and can play first or third.

Zaun - a switch hitting catcher who is solid behind the plate.

Reid Johnson is my favorite player without a doubt. All guts, and will scratch and fight for ever inch. He'll likely platoon once again with Rios and the Cat.

John McDonald returns to the Jays this season after being dealt away last year to the Tigers for cash. He's a slick fielding utility guy who will more than make up for the departure of Mennechino.

I really like the arms on the staff this season.

Halladay (best pitcher in all of baseball), Burnett (potential Cy Young stuff), Chacin (super rookie last season), Lilly (Lefty vet), and Towers who started putting it all together a year ago, and really stepped up in the second half when Roy was hurt.

In the bully, you've got dependable righties like Frasor and Chulk - potential set up men in Spier and League and then three lefties. THREE talented lefties in a bullpen! Wow....

Schoeneweis is a specialist but Gibbens must avoid the temptation to run Scho out there against righties when he's cruisin along. Scott Downs showed last season he can pitch out of tough spots at he Major League level, and then of course - our first free agent aquisition of this off season - left handed closer B.J. Ryan.

When I look at what the BoSox and Yankees have done (or not done this year), and the fact that their teams are getting old in a hurry, I am very cautiously optimistic about the Jays snagging the wild card, or - dare to dream, the pennant.

It's nice to see that Rogers is taking my huge monthly bills and turning them into ball players that will entertain me for 6 months in 06.

This should be a great season!

Thanks for the Exer-saucer Grandma!

Before she left for Texas, mom left a special little present for Natasha - a really sweet, fully loaded Exer-saucer. This thing has a ton of little toys built in, crazy shocks, a great sound system, massive rims ... wait no. No rims. Saucer, not low-rider. Anyways, it's pretty awesome, and as you can imagine Tasha loves it! Click the little play button in the video window to see for yourself.

Make sure you turn up the sound on your computer because you don't want to miss that sweet little laugh.

More video of Tasha and her ball

By popular demand, I'm publishing another video taken on the weekend of Natasha playing with her funky little ball. I love the fact that she figured out on her own that pushing the various buttons makes stuff happen. Eventually she'll figure out she doesn't have to use her mouth to push those buttons. Baby steps!

My fav part of this clip is when I offer a hand and she keeps pushing it away. Possesive isn't she? Hmmm, where does she get that from????

Hey Lina - Tasha loves your Christmas present!

Earlier today Natasha was playing with her funky little ball that Lina, Humberto and the kids got her for X-Mas. As you can tell by this video, she absolutely loves it. Apparently it tastes good too.

Have a safe trip Mommy....

Well my mom decided to head off to Houston Texas today to become a full fledged redneck. Actually, I think the real reason she's going is to visit Mario and Isabele, but I suspect she'll come back a redneck.

Have a safe trip mom. Don't forget I want a big 10-gallon cowboy hat!!

Squeeze that bunny

Check out this video of Tasha taken Christmas eve! She loves her bunny! By the way, there are lots of new pics in the January folder of Natasha's Photo Album. Click here to check them out.

Video on the way!

Last night I signed up with VideoAddOn.Com so that I could post videos on my blog. The one below, from Dan-e-o's commerical is being hosted by VideoAddOn.Com.

Over the next few days and in the weeks and months (and dare I say years) to follow, I'll be uploading more videos of Tasha and general little bits of nonsense and entertainment!

Yay video.

Dan loves the Pizza Pops...

So - quick show of hands... how many out there have seen Dan-e-o's new commercial for Pillsbury Pizza Pops? I swear when I watch TSN or Comedy, it's on every 10 minutes! Anyway, I grabbed a lousy quality recording of it, and if you haven't seen it - you can watch it here by clicking the play button in the little window above. Dan and two other dudes are rapping inside some guys brain... they actually represent the music he's listening to on his headphones. The "stomach" walks in and kicks everyone out of the brain because it's time for the kid to focus on his hunger.

Is it just me or does the brain-backdrop look a lot like the same set they use for Maestro's Drop The Needle video??? Jus sayin!

Since I'm pluggin for Dan, make sure you visit Dan-e-o.com! Take a listen to some of his recent tracks, watch videos and buy his damn CD's!

The song 'It's Over' from the Jackhammer Vol.2 CD has honestly made it to the top of my list of all-time fav songs. You can also add a whole bunch of other Dan-e-o tracks to that list. What can I say? The man makes good tune.

P.S. Dan...... I'm still whoopin you in the WWE game.... SUCKKKKA!

Random good news ......

My friend Gina told me last week that she is expecting her first child in August! I couldn't be happier for her. She was married mid 2005 and is looking now to start her own family. Now I get to share with her all the stuff I learned at this time last year! Should be fun!

Tasha has graduated from rolling and is now scooting around the room. She lies on her back and uses her legs to push - a reverse crawl! She actually covers a lot of ground very quickly. Kinda like the world's cutest inch worm.

Adam Folker scored 47 points in a 30 point beating of CW Jeffries on Sunday.

At Wendy's funeral on Friday I saw an old high school friend, Meghan. Meghan was married last year and is living out in the west end. I love getting a chance to bump into old friends and catch up - even if only for a minute.

At Mary's funeral on Saturday I saw Sarah's Uncle and Aunt The Wombacks, (Joe and Lozanne) parents of Johnathan. You may remember several years ago when his story made headlines. He was beaten nearly to death by a group of high school kids in his second year. John was in a comma for months and was said to be brain dead. I'm happy to tell you that today, he's preparing to graduate from Seneca College! He's now looking at the possibility of enrolling at York university or some other school to continue his education. Joe and Lozanne also recently discovered that despite his disability and despite never having had any musical training, Johnny appears to be a musical prodigy. He has picked up the piano and has apparently taught himself how to play and sounds like a seasoned veteran of the keys.

It warms my heart when I think what this kid went through and how well he's doing for himself now. Way to go John.

Adam Folker - athlete of the week

Adam Folker, a 6'7" point guard who I had the pleasure of coaching the last two seasons was named the Toronto Star's Athlete Of The Week yesterday. Adam is an outstanding young player who has had a ton of experience for his age including AAU, an invite to the Nike All Canada camp and two trips to the provincial championships.

As a side note... Adam is also Tasha's favorite player, and she's decided that she too wants to be a 6'7" point guard!

The following was taken directly from the newspaper...


Jan. 24, 2006

SCHOOL: Markham District

LEAGUE/CITY: York/Markham

GRADE: 11

AGE: 16 ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Folker, who has led his team in scoring in 17 of 23 games this year, powered the Marauders to three league wins last week. He had a 30-point game in an 81-54 win over Father McGivney, poured in 22 in a 75-65 win over Middlefield and had 25 in a 75-64 victory over St. Augustine. A 6-foot-7 shooting guard, Folker has been on the senior team since grade 9 and last year was chosen to an all-Canada talent camp.

PLANS: A former athlete of the year at Richard W. Scott elementary school, Folker has been on the Markham academic honor roll the past two years. He volunteers as a referee for games with younger players, wants to pursue a business career and is being recruited by Cornell and Central Michigan.

Happy Birthday baby girl

Today Natasha turns five months old. It's amazing to think that five months have passed since I watched her enter this world, and at the same time it's hard to imagine it's ONLY been five months.

Some days I find it very, very difficult to remember what life was like before her. I know one thing, she and my wife are the greatest things to ever happen to me.

Today, Sarah drove me to work, so Tash came inside for 15 minutes to say hello to staff and students that have been dying to see her. Needless to say, they were all shocked (most haven't seen her since Halloween) at how big she's gotten and how smiley and giggly she was.

I was reading the "What to expect in the first year" parents bible last night and literally checked off every point from the 'Fith Month Chapter' on "What baby should be able to do" and "What baby might be able to do".

Happy birthday baby.

The loss of a family friend...

Tonight Diane called to tell me that Wendy Parent, age 61, passed away at approximately 6:00 PM after a lengthy bout with cancer.

Wendy became close to my family many years ago when introduced as Tracy's mom. Tracy was one of Diane's bridesmaids and closest friends. Her mom and dad, Ron and Wendy, got to know my folks and forged a friendship. Last summer they all took a trip, along with the Willocks to Portugal - something Wendy apparently had always wanted to do.

I won't pretend to know her well. She was at my wedding, but we never really did get to know each other. Even still I am saddened by her passing as I do her children and I'm all to aware of what she meant to my family.

Wendy Parent is survived by he husband Ron, 3 children (Greg, Tracy and Leanne), grandson Ryan and second grandchild, expected to be born any day now.

Rest peacefully Wendy...

Good luck Soph & James!

And they're off! Those crazy kids Sophia and James are off on yet another global adventure. Yesterday their plane took off for Taipei where they will be stopped over briefly before begining a new chapter of their lives in Taiwan teaching English.

You may remember Soph as one of Sarah's maids of honor from our wedding - or from her many witty comments she's left on this little blog. Sophie and Sarah have a great friendship that was forged in high school and lasted some 13 or 14 years. When I first met her, I knew that all the stories Sarah had told me were true, and that this was a very special person.

James (who just recently completed his Masters) is great guy who is a lot like Sophie, but in many ways is the Ying to her Yang. Like chocolate and peanut butter - it just works baby! (unless you're alergic to peanuts - in which case, have an epi-pen standing by).

They have both been very generous with their time over the last few months when it came to Natasha. Doing things for her, spending time with her... I know it's much appreciated. That big smile on Tasha's face when she sees her Aunt Sophie is priceless. Unfortunately it'll be at LEAST a year (maybe longer) before they are re-united - well face to face at least

Thanks to the magic of Skype, MSN and webcams - the world seems just a little bit smaller, and it's going to be easier to stay in touch.

I hope you guys have a great time, and an amazing experience.... Soph: start another blog! And try updating it!! I'm dying to know if every nik-nak you pick up there says "Made in ..... ummm here" on the bottom.

Roll baby roll!!

Six days before she turns 5 months old, she did it! Sarah JUST sent me a text message while I was at work with this picture attached telling me that Tasha rolled over all by herself this morning. Get this - she didn't do it just once ... no no no - that could be chalked up as a fluke. No ladies and gents, she rolled an impressive three times from back to belly.

When I got the message I started beaming and glowing with pride. I can only imagine how proud I'll be when she is named Prime Minister of Canada or wins her first Olympic Gold Medal or breaks the single season scoring record in the WNBA!

Oh Natasha... I love you so much, and I'm so proud of you. What's the next major milestone? Crawling? Running? Don't grow up too fast babygirl.....

Oh Dilbert.

Random basketball news

The Raptors have officially proven to me that they are headed in the right direction. Their destruction of the red-hot New York Knicks yesterday afternoon as well as their overall record in January and December shows that the BRUTAL month of November had more to do with a team filled with young players and lacking any kind of true identity.

If they can keep their core group of young players together, that list is headed up by Chris Bosh, and manage their cap they will be contending for a legit playoff spot next season and possibly even more. I hope they can re-sign Mike James, but I'm not overly optimistic.

Despite his huge showcasing effort yesterday, I still think the Raps should try to swing a trade for Jalen Rose (not because he can't play, but because they need the cap room) and throw Eric Williams in there too. Eric Williams has stated publicly yet again (i've heard this before) that he wants to be moved. This is a guy who's only appeared in seven games this season and has proven to be inconsistent in minutes played and horribly injury prone. He believes he's still good enough to start for a CONTENDING team. He feels being on a young rebuilding team isn't right for him because "less worthy" guys are getting time ahead of him. Note to E-Will..... Charlie V, Matt Bonner and Joey Graham are BETTER THAN YOU!

Away from the NBA, my buddy Ron Burrows and co-coach Richard Gallagher and their squad at Mother Teresa had a terrific run this weekend winning the very prestigious Nike Silver Fox Tournament in Hamilton. The Fox is the biggest highschool basketball tourney of the year aside from the provincial championships themselves.

Mother Teresa (a provincial silver medalist last season) has been riddled with injuries for the first half of this season. Despite only having 4 losses against almost 20 wins, they had been dropped from the GTA top 10 by virtually every media outlet in favour of trendier pics. Winning the Fox by beating St. Thomas Moore (after Moore upset 4 time provincial gold medalists Eastern Commerce) proves they are still in the medal hunt. Congrats guys.

Finally.... my old team the Markham High senior boys continue their rebuilding year, but are having a tremendous amount of success. They are currently 8-1 in their league and won a tournament last week as well. Tonight they host Father McGivney.

She's right.! Baby socks suck.

The following is a complete and utter rip off. This text was completely lifted from Char's blog, I heart baby toes. I enjoyed it soooo much, I had to republish, and throw a link her way. Read her brilliant letter, and check out some great Kaylin pics in the process!

An open letter to the baby sock people

Dear people who make baby socks,

Are you kidding me? Do you people actually sleep at night knowing that the little pink socks you manufacture each day never really serve their purpose? How can you look in the mirror when you know full well that the tiny toe covers you produce never really stay on said toes?

On behalf of all mothers everywhere, let me say that I am quite disappointed in all of you. Baby socks do not stay on!

You should be paying me to be searching the floor every half hour for those little tubes of stretchy cotton! I should send you an invoice for all the time I spend putting those socks back on my baby's adorable feet. And what about all the time I waste smooching those little exposed piggly-wigglies when your stinky socks fall off? You owe me big time!

I hope that this letter makes you stop and think about yourselves and the injustice you create in this world on a daily basis. You should be ashamed.

Yours truly,

Charlene

PS - And why do newborn socks have treads on them? Where exactly is my baby going in those treads that I don't know about?

Who you gonna call? HOAX BUSTERS!

Have you ever received a forwarded email that spoke of impending doom if you were to use some over-the-counter commercially available product? How about the "forward this email to 100 people and Bill Gates will pay you $100 for each person" ... or "this little girl is missing and needs your help. Please forward this to everyone you know so we can try to find her".

These are nothing more than old school chain letters with a cyber twist.

The following is the email I received yesterday. Compare it to the relevant hoax page

Subject: Medical Alert
Subject: Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)

I would like to thank those of you who expressed condolences on the recent passing of my mother. She suffered a hemorrhagic stroke while she was driving home from my house on 9/30 and passed away on 10/3. My mother's stroke and passing was an enormous shock to my family because she did not have any symptoms or risk factors for a stroke. Just the week before she had gone to her doctor for a check up and received a clean bill of health.

She did, however, develop a cold while she was visiting me and had taken Alka Seltzer Cold Plus for 3 days. Since her passing, we have learned that Alka Seltzer is one of the many cold medicines that contains Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which can cause hemorrhagic stokes or cerebral bleeding even with the first use.

I am forwarding a list of other medications that currently use PPA. These medicines are supposedly being recalled but my mother just purchased this medication less than two weeks ago. Pharmaceutical companies have known about this danger for years, we unfortunately, did not. I urge you to review the list of medicines with PPA and avoid these medications.Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. Sincerely,Nancy Moran-Rice

DRUG RECALL INFORMATION:

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient.It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine. The following medications contain propanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant

Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements

Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control

Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or or ange)

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent

Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine

BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder

BC Sinus Cold Powder

Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief

Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules

Contac 12 Hour Caplets

Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus

Dexatrim Caffeine Free

Dexatrim Extended Duration

Dexatrim Gelcaps

Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free

Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets

Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels

Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir

Dimetapp Elixir

Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels

Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets

Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets

Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops

Permathene Mega-16

Robitussin CF

Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal

Congestion

Triaminic DM Cough Rel! ief

Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head

Triaminic Syrup ! ! Cold & amp;am p; Allergy

Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough .

I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:

Orange 3D Cold & Aller! gy Cherry (Pink)

3D Cold & Cough Berry

3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant

They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children, PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF! DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are informed. They can then pass it along to their families.


To confirm these findings please take time to check the following: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/

Crap like this is designed to scare people and make the author think they've really accomplished something. Next time you receive something scary like this, go to hoaxbusters, do a search on a relative key term, then consider the source.

Tasha's bag of tricks...

Friends and family members have recently said "everytime I see Natasha she's doing some new trick"... and it's so true.

Right before Christmas she started 'singing' along whenever Sarah or I sang Jingle Bells or some other happy carol. It was unbelievable. Then she started doing this thing that apparently Sarah also did as a baby. Whenever someone would hold her, she'd throw her head backwards to try and see whatever is behind her. A few people were startled and a little confused. Get a grip their granny, Tasha's takin you for a ride.

Recently she adapted that move into what can only be described as her own little pony ride. She'll sit on someone's lap or knee and throw all her weight back and forth and rock herself while you support / steady her. The best part is, she starts laughing uncontrollably.

Of course she also blows raspberries constantly and is our own little bubble machine. Those cute little razzing sounds never get old.

She seems to be close to rolling all the way over to her tummy. She gets to a side, then rolls right back. That is apparently a 5 month thing, so we won't pressure her too much!

Stop nagging me - here's your update! Sheesh

So between my father telling me that the blog has been slacking and my mother-in-law impersonating my daughter in the comments section begging for new stuff, I guess I'll stop playing Grand Theft Auto for a while (which by the way is more addictive than crack) and update the ol' blog.

Oh, before you read anything else - i know 90% of you are here for the pics... so new pics have just been added to the photoblog.


New Years was cool... kinda laid back. We went over to Darkside's to hang with him, Char, Kaylin, another couple and their two year old. Everyone was pretty much chilled out, and I really have firmly convinced myself that New Years is one of the best scams on our calendar (followed closely by Valentine's and Simcoe Day).

Yesterday we were at my in-laws for David's birthday. It's always great hanging out with them, but the drive home was a damn nightmare. I've never seen fog so thick. I literally couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of my car at any point. Some spots were even worse. For some reason the drive made Sarah and I really nauseus. I wonder if there's something about fog that would do that? I don't know.

Oh, and for the jerks drivin behind me on highway 7 with their highbeams on --- ohhhh i don't like you at all.

Well I've got an essay that needs my attention so catch ya later blog-heads.