A few people have told me that they have had trouble in the past with adding a comment to our blog, so for now I've turned off the word verification for comments. As long as I don't start receiving a whole bunch of spam on the blog, I'll leave it off. Hopefully this will mean we get more comments than we have lately (and, come on, just one or two more than 0 would be nice).
On Thursday of this week DoT was driving the minivan with the girls asleep in their car seats. They'd only been asleep about 30 minutes when he pulled up at a red light at an intersection near our house. He said that a few seconds after he'd stopped, a car went through the red light in the lane next to him. There was a police car sitting at the lights in the opposite direction. And what do you think happened next? Well the light turned green, DoT started to continue on his way and the cop pulled
him over. For having a dirty licence plate. $110 ticket. He didn't end up having to pay it, but he did have to get the van (or at least the licence plate) washed and present it at the police station within 24hrs. Which he did. Probably the worst part was that dealing with the cop had woken the girls and that was it - no more nap for them that day.
I find this incident a bit frustrating particularly because a few years ago (okay, about 10 years ago) my car was hit by a hit-and-run driver while it was parked near the building where I worked at the time. When the cops came out to the scene of the accident all they did was write it up. And just looking at the damage to my car it was clear that the car that hit me had come out of the driveway across the street. Do you think the cop could bother going up to the door and asking the homeowner if he/she knew anything about it? No. Apparently Ottawa City Police are too busy for that... what with chasing down people who are driving around with a bit of road spray on their licence plates. Sheesh.
This week was not a good week for DoT and the girls. Aside from the traffic incident, both girls were sick this week. I think we got away lucky since E only threw up a couple of times over the span of three days, and A didn't throw up at all... she was just listless and a bit cranky for a day or so. Both seemed to be back to normal today.
Lately, we've been dealing with a lot more slapping between the girls. It seems like this weekend that's been most of their interactions with each other. It never fails that as soon as one of them starts having fun with a toy, the other one decides that looks like something she'd like to do. Which generally ends with both of them throwing a bunch of slaps and crying. And I'm getting tired of breaking it up. I wonder how small hockey helmuts come. Maybe I can just put a helmet and face mask on each of them and, hey, why note throw in some shoulder pads, and let them go at it. I've been told that kids don't really get the concept of sharing until closer to age three, and that just seems like a long way away right now.
Sorry, I don't have any pictures for you today. But, who knows, maybe DoT will post another message soon and he'll have some shots for you.
Have a great week.
E decides to absorb some knowledge by osmosis.... 
... and A has decided she doesn't need her parents to leaf through these books.
When we went to southern Ontario DoT packed the two-seater sled we now own thanks to our wonderful friends (M&M). And the weather in Shakespeare was warm enough to get out with them. Up until now the only winter weather the girls had experienced was the little bit they got going from the vehicle to the house, mall, grocery store, whatever, and back again. Now they've spent some time in the sled, 
and a bit of time in the snow when DoT tipped the sled a couple of times. They seemed to like it quite a bit. DoT is going to try to get them out a few more times before the snow melts (which incidentally the lady at the local pizza place told me was going to be soon -- she says spring is going to arrive by March 15th. I doubt she's right, but I hope she is!).
