my father

Kate says Grandpa George is Mama's father. She's right and it's my father's birthday today. A very happy birthday to you Dad - I hope Mom takes you out for a decadent dinner and dessert. 

This afternoon the kids and I headed downstairs to mix up a special demo for you, in the hopes of conveying how much you're loved. Kate may be the one singing it but we're all feelin' it. 

Love you Grandpa - today and every day.

catchin' up with the cousins

The kids and I headed over to the island for a long-overdue sleepover with the cousins. Best visit ever. I love kids. They rock compared to babies. And boy did these kids rock. Busy running, laughing, climbing, swinging, driving, eating - enjoying each other and the lovely weather. What an incredible spring we are having. As much as I miss Calgary, I certainly do not miss the cool, season-less weather.

The best evidence of cooperation I have ever witnessed from these 2 - Kate ran the pedal, E steered.

The crazy big kids' picnic this afternoon.

I love this - especially the smiles when Lydia kicked the old gator into high gear.

Thanks so much to Grammie and Aunty for taking such good care of us. Oh, sorry Uncle, you too.
We love all you guys so much.
 AKE

our first spring tea

This morning marked the first, of what is sure to be, many teas at Kate's school.

 It was darling.

The kids were to arrive a half hour before their guest. When we guests arrived, the kids were sent down one by one to retrieve us. I believe Kate's words were: "Welcome to Spring tea, may I show you to your seat?" All the kids did perfectly, little ladies and gentlemen. When seated we made small talk with one another: 3 more little ladies, 2 moms and a dad. The girls then all took turns pouring their parents tea and serving snacks. Although she looked like a fine little lady, after one chocolate cupcake, Kate proceeded to eat the tiered-tray clear of sausage sticks. Something new and very classy.

Final activity, the kids took us upstairs to their art show. Each had prepared a lovely painted canvas. Kate's work: A Mermaid Named Joe. Kate's teacher, Mrs. Raybold, explained that they confirmed with Kate 3 times the name, and yup, it was to be, A Mermaid Named Joe. I think it's certainly her finest work to date. There really is a fish and it appears to be in water.

Elliott had a special morning too. He went with Papa to work and apparently had a great time. He was pooped, asleep in the back office by 10:30am. Great for me - this afternoon should certainly be tear-free.

 My happy girl this morning.

FYI - The flowers aren't part of the day, just a thoughtful accessory on her part.

 The table set with tea, lemonade and treats.

 Joe.

Taking a break on the 4 wheeler to reminisce on the morning.

Thank you for the tea Sweetheart and for giving me a peak at the world you are starting to explore on your own.

All my love, Mama

victorious long weekend

Summer seems to have come early to the East this year. We enjoyed the greatest weather this weekend, actually I think it was a stretch of 5 or 6 days of mid 20s. A couple days it was in the high 20s. So we've been living outside. Today it finally cooled down and rained for much of the day so inside we came to clean up the house, pay bills, laundry - all those pesky indoor activities.

I definitely feel the effects of having older kids this summer. It's awesome. Elliott is right in all the activities or dreaming up new, dangerous ones: climbing wood piles, fences, park equipment and wrestling the dog on the trampoline. Kate has graduated to a big girl swing in the back yard and is spending a pile of time learning the tricks of the trade. She has also been reconnecting with her bike, learning to use her brakes. We only have 1 swing and 1 - 2 wheeler so both have lead to a few fist fights between the monsters. That is certainly the downside to their coming of age.

 The kidlets enjoying a snack outside on their new picnic table. Aren't they darling?

This glamour shot (probably the best shot I have ever gotten of Kate) is actually to show off how filthy her legs were. Her feet were black. I guess they matched her double lined black Christmas dress that she wore/sweated through all day.

Elliott got out the other night when he was supposed to be getting in the bath. He went wild - in the rocks, on the swing and on the trampoline with Finnegan.  Funny.

So that's all I've got. Sorry for the tardiness.

Friday is Kate's first Spring Tea at Montessori. I am so excited. I hope to have good stories and pics to share. xoxo CAKE

fizz bomb

Kate and I did a little baking soda and coloured vinegar activity this week. The idea was taken from where all great ideas are taken ... Pinterest. Kate enjoyed the fizz action and was pretty savvy when it came to mixing colours. It held Kate's attention for a long time, but of course, as soon as I left her on her own she took to 3D modelling the baking soda. Thus the end product wasn't as beautiful or colourful as I had hoped.

Today we shall attempt the unthinkable - finger painting. Finger painting goes against all a mother's natural instincts - especially one who recently had our main floor walls painted. Stay tuned.

Happy hump day. aj & kids

look who's finally 30

Today our Aunty Candace or Aunty Candy as I like to refer to her, is finally joining the rest of us in a third decade of life. Happy Birthday Aunty - we hope you find a few minutes between work, kiddies and volunteering to enjoy it.  We love you so much.

And a special shout out to Grammie Donna, who as Aunty's mom also celebrates an important anniversary. Why is it that we stop celebrating the fact that the mom did all the work 30 years ago? And given that it was 1982 it was done without an epidural. You did good Grammie.

All our love.

glass balls

Today Kate helped me with a little decorating activity. She is proving to be like her Mama in her love of decorations and ornaments/ornamentation in general. So, when she saw today's activity she was over the moon. Let me start by giving my friend in Calgary, Monica, credit. I 100% stole this trick from her and knew I would as soon as I saw it on my last trip out west.

So it's gum balls. Or as my kids know them: glass balls, that are very breakable and that you do not eat. Kate is the one who told me that they were glass. They do in fact feel glass-like. She was so funny when helping me separate them, she smelled the bag that they came in and said, "Mmmmm, this bag smells like candy." Elliott's still napping so it should prove interesting talking him in to NOT touching them, rather just enjoy looking at them.

I wish 15 pounds looked this good on me.

This is the combo I came up with but have since received some very good art direction from Carolyn. Thank you my friend, even though it will mean resorting.

The gum balls' new home - my Grandmother's old hutch that I recently refinished. What do you think Dad?

Well that's me for another afternoon. Stay dry out there. aj

a dramatic, yet welcome milestone

I remember clearly the day that Kate received her 18 month vaccinations and what an amazing feeling it was to learn that there would be no more until she turned four. First babies and first shots area awful, but together, Kate and I had completed them. Days later Elliott was born and duh, I realized I had to start all over again. Fast forward 21 months (oops sorry Elliott we didn't stay right on schedule) and we have hit the milestone again. C'est fini. And you know what I think, when four does roll around, it should be Papa's turn. Especially following yesterday's drama.

I wasn't thinking and scheduled the shots for when Kate would be out of school. And though I thought I prepped her, she totally went to battle for her little bro. As soon as that first needle appeared the screaming ensued and continued with Elliott in duet until the shots were complete.  It was awful: I could console neither as I was busy fighting to keep E still. So instead of screaming too, I just laughed.

Bonus for us: after we were out of the clinic we returned to our car only to find out that the remote/key's battery was dead and we couldn't get in. Oh well, we managed to grab a cab in order to get our other key and the kids got an adventure in the form of no car seats.

So to celebrate the last of our baby shots the kids got a chocolate shot care of Papa and a fun chocolate shop in Vegas. Mmmmm.

This week we are gardening like crazy and looking forward to our first parent teacher interview ever! The interview occurs Friday; I will be sure to report on our findings. In the meantime happy Spring lovelies.
Aimee

slacker be gone

I've taken a long break - too long. My apologies to the people that have missed these posts ... Aunts and Grandmothers I would suspect.

So what's there to report? Well Cody and I just got back from a little trip to Las Vegas courtesy of Terra Nova's Kenworth dealer and Grammie Donna who gave up a lot in order to come and stay with the munchkins. Thank you Grammie for the time off and the stories about your adventures.

Cody and I had a fantastic time, with all the Vegas trappings: sun, pools, shopping, margaritas, beer, wine, gambling(ish), fantastic food. And Cody got to race a fancy Ferrari, drive the new Kenworth truck and ride in a Nascar that was professionally driven by a guy that was even able to scare him a bit. Awesome.

 Lounging poolside.

Look Aidan, Aunty finally made it to the Eiffel Tower too.

It likely goes without saying but the best part of being away was coming home. We couldn't wait to see the kids and our reunions were so sweet. In particular, Elliott was very happy to see and play with Papa :

There's a pile to do today so I have to get busy, but I'll post again soon as there's some great stories of Grammie's that I want to share soon.
xoxo AJ and crew