week one - summer

Cody remarked at dinner tonight that we have done more in this first week of the kids' summer vacation as a family than in the previous 5 years combined: Cape Enrage, pools, camping, beach days, cottage days and barbecues. Having Papa home for the summer is unreal. We are very, very fortunate.

 Two very excited campers in Miramichi's bird nest cottage.

Papa chillin' on the raised patio.

My turn. Pre-mosquito infestation.

A triple deck bunk bed - can you imagine anything.

 The cottage. A great outing especially if you are a good camper. Cody and I may not be.

The ocean side cottage may be more our style. This is our old married couple Pippa and Elliott. Pippa literally follows Elliott around barking orders one minute and holding hands the next.

This upcoming week includes a trip to the island to ring in Canada's birthday with Grammie and the cousins. And the count down is now on for our trip out west. Six sleeps and then we're really going to get busy. We are fully scheduled out there - I hope the kids are up for it but more importantly I hope Cody is up for it!

I hope everyone out there is enjoying the summerish days.
xoxo CAKE

sixty - what the heck

I miss a lot back home: concerts, weddings, funerals, birthdays. This weekend marked a big miss, my Mom's 60th birthday party and her true birthday which landed today on the same day as Father's day.  Happy birthday Mama! We four wish we could have been there but promise to make it up to you in two weeks when we actually invade. 

In the meantime here's a raucous, most genuine Jorgensen serenade for you!

And here's a pic Rhonda sent us of your big family party. I'm feeling a little sorry for myself.
:(

Kisses and hugs Gramdma Sherri! We love you so much.
Cody, Aimee, Kate, Elliott and Boo

our fraggles

An hour to go until the official start of summer. It's an early pick up at school - noon - then it's go time. Two and a half months of kids, activities and I imagine, snacks. Unfortunately it's pouring rain so not really the tone we were hoping for. Nonetheless, I'm very excited to sleep in, laze a bit longer in jammies and hopefully hit the beach with our two shorties!

It turns out both of our kids were stricken with the flu the night of their final graduation from Montessori Casa Pre-K and K program. I was super bummed, but other parents assured me we got off easy as it was a loooong night. There just could be nothing cuter than seeing a six year old toothless Kate walk across the stage in cap and gown. On the bright side, her teacher did send me photos taken a couple days before the contamination - and they are as darling as I imagined.

Speaking of activities, I have started an emergency cheat sheet for when mine and their imaginations start to wane. I tried one out this weekend and it had them busy for hours. Provide them with craft supplies when playing with Play Doh. If any moms are in need of more, text me, I've got lists and sites bookmarked.

 It's a bug.

Now it's a mosquito. Hours of fun.

 It's a bejewelled Kate.

A few weeks ago the kids were in a Fraggle phase.  I have collected a few Fraggle puppets for them over the year, because I was a big fan of them and all Jim Henson's inventions. It turns out they love them too (certainly more than Jem and the Holograms). Anyway, I wanted to share a few of the portraits they have done.

 Kate's two.

And Elliott's.

Not bad hey?

So in closing, if you have a pool or a cottage and you want some company this summer, please let us know, we can be there in a moment's notice.

Happy Summer everyone!
CAKE

a sister and a brother

We are lucky, I mean truly fortunate. It hits us often but did so again last night while in the thick of Kate's flu. Just before midnight, Cody and I were again cleaning up our completely drained, weak, beautiful and vomiting Kate, when she remarked out of nowhere "I sure hope Elliott doesn't get this." I mean what love. Break our hearts - our kids love each other - they truly are best friends.

Kate initially came down with this bug on Sunday and kept a very low profile. It was a little bit sad to see how lost Elliott was, without her.  He certainly survived but you could sense he too wasn't himself.

When they're home they are in each others back pockets. And when we asked who they played with at recces, it almost invariably comes out that they were again one of the others playmates at school.

If one goes to a birthday, they come home ready and willing to share in the party loot.

I just wanted to take a moment and record these thoughts as I realize this love and friendship is bound to change we just hope that it will never end.

I took the kids to see a local theatre production of the Beauty and the Beast last weekend. When we got home, Kate as always got busy drawing the characters.
 

Elliott followed suit but was skeptical of his ability to capture Belle, so Kate jumped right in to help with the drawing and let him colour her in.

After going for his nightly pee Cody sends Elliott back to bed and half the time he land up in her room. He literally climbed right over her the other night and cuddled in already fast asleep.

In other news, our baby FINALLY lost her first tooth - a milestone she has been dreaming about for two years.  Unfortunately the Tooth Fairy decided to delay a night (possibly two) until Kate is healed. Let's see if she's willing and ready to share these spoils with her brother?

So with all that shared, let me just rejoice for a bit:
Here's to seven more days of school!
Here's to 14 more nut-free packed lunches!
Here's to dirty summer feet!
Here's to pajamas until ten!
Here's to collecting seashells on the seashore!
Here's to barbequed hotdogs (bun-less of course)!
Here's to healthy, happy kids!
Here's to a summer of session drinks (look it up it's the latest thing)!
Here's to heading West in 24 days with all four of the members of my beautiful family!
Here's to my Mom turning the big 6-0 in 11 days - on the first day of summer!

Here's to us all - may our summer dreams come true!

wrapping up

It's June and we are officially on the count down to Summer and all the wonderful times that it will bring.  The kids have been practicing their Montessori graduation songs for some time and with this grad comes the end of time with Montessori. In many ways it will be very difficult to say good bye. The kids, Cody and I have made wonderful friends there. It will on the flip side be grand to be within our community (including a bunch of kids on our street) and walk together every day down and then back up the hill rather than our current long drive.

This morning we took both of them by their elementary school in order to go on a bus ride.  Really we're just trying to give them every chance we can to familiarize themselves with the faces and place.  Kate talks a good game, purporting that she cannot wait, I think, in fact, both of them are going to have very shy first days. This Friday, will mark Elliott's first actual day (hour) in his Kindergarten class.  Unfortunately we have been away for his previous two opportunities. I think it's safe to say that I'm much more excited than he is.

I constantly find myself thinking of our two kiddos as much older than they truly are. Seeing them seated together on the bus this morning, taking up less than half the seat, was another reminder that these babies of ours are just starting their journey. They were darling. Cody and I couldn't prouder. Well, maybe if they could wipe their bums a little better and remember their present task for longer than 3.5 seconds we could in fact be a little prouder. 

Kisses to all three of my babies and a pat to Boo. AJ