Kids... and Food Trucks.

My fondness for food trucks is well known, and documented. I promised Kristin that I wouldn't turn our family blog into a food review forum, so in this post, I will mix two of my passions, family and food trucks ;)

Bear with me.

There's a new truck in the Hamilton area - Curbside Crepes.  The text on the menu is probably too small to read, but they offer some delicious bites with creative names.

Take, for example, the Victor Newman (I'm not a soap guy, but this is arguably the most recognized soap opera character... maybe?)

A perfect blend of ham and cheese (if you don't get the pun here, I can't help you...), with tomatoes, spinach, pesto, dijon cream and parsley. Yum! I decided to forego the V.N. and try the "Crepe Ole" -

 Shredded chicken, feta, tomatoes, black bean salsa with avocado, cilantro and lime zest. It was a light, delicious crepe that was filling, but not overloading. The pastry was thin, which was great, but also peels away easily, requiring a fork (which was not provided). No matter, I'm no stranger to finger food. Keep an eye out for this bright blue truck - they also have sweet crepes, like the Planet of the Ape - bananas, coconut, nutella, and whipped cream. Sounds good!

Okay, if you're still with me....

I was home one evening, down on the floor with the kids, driving cars, building castles and having tea parties (yes, this big tattooed bear still has tea parties with his little girl), when Josh starts up his garbage truck. Normally, the truck is filled with smaller cars, or little people, or ... whatever he can cram in there.

"Dad, look!" vroom vroom vroom, here he comes...

"Dad, look!" he opens the back of the truck, "Food truck, Dad!"

Looks like my obsession fondness for food trucks is being passed along!

The First Stitch

Arriving home with my hands full, I fumbled with my keys, trying to get the door open. The kids evidently heard the deadbolt clacking and ran to the door to see who was there. "Daddy's home!" Emma called; "Dad, Dad, Dad!" Josh exclaimed. Teddy was glued to The Polar Express in the basement. I can't compete with trains, apparently.

Up the stairs I went and into the kitchen, Emma leading the way, whirling and twirling around. I set my work bag down and she looked up at me, her mouth open, a gummy candy inside. I'm not sure if it was the candy, or Daddy returning home - whatever it was, she was fired up! Twirling around the kitchen... I turned to open the freezer to put some parcels away, and out into the hallway she went.

Thud.

"Owwwww......" Emma stumbled back into the kitchen, and then ran back out into the hallway. I looked down. Drops of blood dotted the tile floor. Uh oh.

I whisked Emma back into the kitchen and up on the table to inspect. Blood dotted her white shirt. "Blub," she said, pointing to her pink pants. It took a minute to find the source, hidden under her hair, a nice little slice. As I parted her hair to have a look, "Ow, no touch it Daddy..."

Mommy and I examined the injury. Looks like it needs a stitch. With a quick consult with our personal nurse (thanks Sue!), Emma and I were off to the clinic. A rare trip in Daddy's car offset the injury, and Emma was excited to ride in the infamous Grimace.
"Are we going to the doctor?" I ask while driving,
"Yep."
"Is he going to fix your head?"
"Yup!"
"Do you think he can fix Daddy's head too?"
"Nope."

Thanks Emma. ;)

Emma was patient as we waited for the doctor; sitting on Daddy's lap, snuggling her blanket, she watched the other kids go in and out.

Finally, our turn. Emma stared around the room. "pooter..." she said, seeing the clinic's computer screen. "Papa's pooter." "Yeah," I said, "that looks like Papa's computer doesn't it?" "Paper" she said, feeling the crunchy paper beneath her. "Bathroom..." "No, just a sink" I said. "Sink." "Telephone" "No, Emma, that's to look in your ears""Oh."

The door opens and in comes the doctor. She stares.

"Hi sweetie, how are you?" he says, getting closer to the "blub." She stares.

"What's your name?" I prompt her. "Emma," she says quietly.

The doctor has a look and Emma stays still, skeptical of this new doctor. He turns to gather his equipment. She stares, carefully watching him. He puts on his gloves. She watches, and then turns her eyes up at me.

"mittens...." she says. I can't help but laugh.

Needing only one stitch, the doctor and I decide to reduce the amount of needles by 50%, foregoing the freezing. She held still, bothered more by the hair in her eyes than the stitch. As the stitch went in, a little cry - breaks my heart - but stayed still.

Like a champ.

The doctor left the room after some parting instructions. I thanked him and Emma looked at me, "No doctor." Nope, no more doctor, honey.

We walked back down the short hallway to collect her prize - Emma forgot all about the stitch - helped by a Dora sticker and a lollipop. "I'm all fixed Daddy!" Yes, you are...

Rewarded with chicken nuggets and a chocolate timbit, for bravery, Emma was back at home. Within seconds she was showing off her stitch to her brothers and twirling around. "Did we learn nothing today, Emma?!"

Kids....

The City Harmonic

So distracted by/addicted to this band today...

Also,

Halloween!

The kids (and Mom and Dad) all had a great time last night! The boy's didn't particularly like the mustache's, so they didn't last long, but at least they lasted long enough for a few pictures!

This year: Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach - home-made costumes, beautifully sewn by Grandma and Papa Booth - thanks in-laws! Emma loved twirling in that dress...

Despite the rainy weather, the kids powered through a Burlington neighborhood and hauled home a great stash of treats!

Goodnight kiddos... Mom and Dad will be in the basement.... heh heh.

I Went to Paris for My Birthday!

Paris Ontario, that is. I am very thankful for the wonderful partner that God has blessed me with! Last weekend she treated me to a wonderful day full of family time, relaxation and great food - she knows how to win me over!

It was raining, but that didn't deter Kristin from buying me delicious breakfast tacos from one of my favorite Hamilton food trucks, The Dirty South!

Mmmmm.... these little tacos were amazing - egg, sausage (other other two had bacon), seasoned pieces of tater tots, salsa, sour cream, cheese and arugula. What a way to start the day!

The rest of the day was spent with family and playing with the kids, although I did get some time to put my feet up to watch the Hamilton Tiger-Cats win their last game at Ivor Wynne Stadium before heading out for supper.

To Paris (Ontario) we went, for a delicious BBQ supper at Camp31! This place is a little restaurant for big appetites. It's out of the way, but worth the trip!

It's hard not to like a meal like this! With full tummies and lots of leftovers we enjoyed a movie (a rare treat!) while Grandma and Grandpa Lucas took care of the wee three.

I am very blessed with a wonderful wife who knows how to show a guy a good time, and three kids who are a daily reminder of God's goodness. James Dobson once said, "Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without." I'm glad I did just that. Thanks, honey, for a wonderful birthday!

A Fun Dinner with my Favorite People!!

Teddy has really taken to hamburgers, and he pretty much shoves it right in there!

Edit: just realized that when I post from my iPhone, sometimes the picture doesn't show quite right in an Internet browser. Click on the picture to see the whole thing!

Food Trucks!

I love supporting charities, and it's even better when I can support a local charity by eating at Food Trucks!!

Food trucks have become quite a craze in southern Ontario this year, and Hamilton is home to some of the finest! Today I had the delicious opportunity to sample some food from an out-of-town truck, Hank Daddy's BBQ from Maple, Ontario.

While my coworkers ate from the ever popular, local favorite, Gorilla Cheese, I pondered the menu at Hank Daddy's. Pulled pork sandwiches, smoked chicken wings, pulled pork parfait (pulled pork with layered mashed potatoes), and my choice for lunch - Cowboy Fries!

Yep, sweet, saucy pulled pork and coleslaw, but what the picture doesn't show is the bed of sweet potato fries on the bottom! A delicious lunch, and the portion was perfect - filling, but not stuffing. The only downside was the price - compared to similar local trucks, it was a little more pricey and the taste didn't set it apart. Foodies could get a pulled pork sandwich that was just as good for a cheaper price, if there was competition on the block.

Either way, a delicious lunch, and a portion of the proceeds were donated to the Hamilton/Burlington United Way!

Emma...

...decided she had done enough talking at church on Sunday! Fine by me... The car ride was a little quieter...

Always amusing...

.....annnnnnnd I'm back!

As many of you know, I've returned to school (part-time) to work on a Master's degree. While working on a recent history paper, Kristin encourages me to take some pressure off myself. I hast thought about it in any great detail before, but it turns out that I have high standards for myself. Who knew?

I think the same thing happens with this blog. I'm excited and anticipate a lot, but fall totally off track and then become discouraged.

So I'm giving this thing another kick at the can! This time, putting less pressure on myself, and just letting it be fun!

Time flies and life gets busy, but taking time to document and share life is important, so I'm going to try to do just that!

(... And with my new Blogger app for my phone, it might just be a little easier!)

Look forward to pictures of the kids, stories, things I'm learning and ... Food reviews! My brother might be getting annoyed with my constant text messages about what I'm cooking or eating, so I'll put it on here instead...

Hope you enjoy!