one and one + two

saunders farm in the fall

2011-11-04T17:23:00.008-04:00

The Sunday before Halloween we finally made it to Saunders Farm to check out all the Fall activities they host each year. I forgot how much fun it is there at Halloween!

Our weekends have been so busy lately I'm happy that we squeeeeeezed this in.

Somehow after R's hockey practice, and before both kids swimming lessons and R and K taking R's buddy B and his dad Rick, to the Sens game...

We managed to drive out to Saunders to meet Karen, Craig & D and take in...

Many many mazes.
Some orange cotton candy and pumpkin spice whoopie pies.
A jump on the bouncy carpets.
The pumpkin patch hayride and the {super scary} haunted hayride.
A verrrry long play in the {super cool} playground/barn.
The petting zoo.
And the discovery barn.

And of course I took the traditional 'How Tall this Fall' photo...

{but it looks like both kids were distracted by something better happening at the Discovery Barn}!

There are so many other fun things to do at the Farm, but we ran out of time! Next year we will make more time and do it all and more again.

spooky

2011-11-03T13:52:00.006-04:00

The boy wanted to be spooky creepy scary this Halloween...
.
When I found a skeleton costume for him he thought it was OK, but it needed a little work.

So he and I found the chains {lovely}. And then the scythe {???} - that is what he calls the thing on the stick {I just call it creepy}. And then I had a very happy boy all ready to go trick or treating with his little sister and his buddy D {that was dressed as a dead zombie hockey goalie}. Spooky...

me hearties

2011-11-01T11:43:00.017-04:00

Ahoy ye landlubbers!

Miss S wanted to be a 'pirate princess' for Halloween...

and I'd say she was the cutest little pirate I've ever seen!
Blow the man down...

Avast! Blimey!

{this is when Miss S thought she put a hole in her skirt with her sword...aye aye}
Aye Aye!

She had a great Halloween night trick-or-treating and gathering all her booty.

Fair Winds! Happy Halloween!

freckleface

2011-09-19T14:23:00.006-04:00

Miss S has the sweetest little sprinkling of freckles on her cheeks...

I just love them.

bonjour mes amis

2011-09-08T15:46:00.002-04:00

Bonjour mes amis

Bonjour,
Bonjour mes amis
Bonjour
Bonjour mes amis,
Bonjour mes amis,
Bonjour mes amis,
Bonjour
Bonne Journee!

Her teacher greets her with a song every day. Miss S loves this french song and sings it over and over and over. {In her Senior Kindergarten class Miss S learns in English one week and in French the next...hopefully some of the French will rub off on me so I can keep up with the kiddies!}

a senior in kindergarten

2011-09-07T16:22:00.003-04:00

Here she is, all ready to go.

That sums up Miss S pretty well...ready to go.

Maybe it is because she is the second child, but I haven't worried about her as much. She is ready for school. Ready for her non-parented activities {skating, swimming, gymnastics and Sparks this year}...

Raring to go in fact.

After a quick {thankfully} trip to CHEO early in the morning to get her cast taken off {and this new half cast/tensor thingy put on}, Miss S made it to Senior Kindergarten to meet her new teacher.

And all her classmates.

I just hope they're ready for Miss S.

Look out Senior Kindergarten Class of 2012!

grade two

2011-09-06T14:30:00.029-04:00

This is what Grade 2 looks like...

Skateboard shoes and skull backpacks. Board shorts and bubblegum.
Baseball caps and hoodies.
Big boy {sometimes stinky} feet.
He's too cool for good-bye kisses {in front of his friends}. So I have to sneak them in before we leave our house.

He has no time to pose for photos. Unless I ~~bribe~~ reward him with a Lego mini fig {he still loves his Lego, and so do I}

He can't smile for the camera until I tell him embarrassing stories about myself that make him laugh...

But he still gets this cute squeaky voice when he is excited and is telling a really,really long story. He still loves his bedtime stories and wants his back scratched before bed. He still wants to play outside every day or walk to the park after dinner. He still wants to make things with his mommy. He still wants to play hockey, or football, or soccer, or ride his bike or scooter all the time. He is still my big helper.

I still look at him and see my little baby.
I love this kid.

Happy first day of Grade 2 big guy!

last week of summer

2011-09-04T17:02:00.014-04:00

To make the most of the last week of summer, I booked a spur of the moment camping trip for the kiddies and I. Our summer has been so much fun, I don't want it to end. I can't believe that soon the kids will be back at school. And hockey try-outs start on the long weekend for R - nothing says end of summer to me like the start of hockey season!

K dropped the kiddies and I off at my favorite campground in the 1000 Islands - the same one the kiddies and I camped at in July - and picked us up a week later.

We pretty much spent the entire week here...

at the pools.This campground is so great for kids. They give you a schedule of activities when you check in, that you can take part in as you like. It's like sleep-away summer camp {but I get to go too}!

You can start every morning with a jumping contest at the pool.

And this week you could tie-dye a t-shirt...

{the kiddies found a cool 'stick bug' by the tie-dye station}

go on the daily 'Water Wars Wagon Rides' around the campground {a huge water fight between the kids on the tractor-pulled wagon and all the other campers - so much fun!}...

make a water yo-yo, get an airbrush tattoo by the pool, have movie nights with popcorn in the main lodge, or outdoor movie nights, etc. Our kids spent hours and hours in the pool daily - they lived in their swimsuits. {Thank goodness for the waterproofing on Miss S's cast - the only downside was having to dry it out each time it got wet!}

A friend of mine and her girls came to spend the week with us in our trailer and the kids had so much fun together. And it was great for me to have someone to have 'margarita happy hour' with at the pool and after the kiddies crashed for the night!

I wish we had more weeks of summer to spend here.

best buddies

2011-07-06T16:32:00.001-04:00

R has been best buddies with C since the beginning of JK {since 'forever' if you are 7 years old}.

These two immediately hit it off in their first year of school together, right after we moved here, and all of R's stories from school have always included C. They have always had so much in common, and they got along so well. They were in JK and SK together and then this past year, in Grade 1 they were in different classrooms, but that did not stop them from playing together at every recess. They were on the same hockey team this year, so there were many play dates after the Saturday and Sunday games.

Sadly at the end of this school year C moved to a new city {his dad's company transferred him} and R will miss his buddy...

smash book

2011-07-04T21:07:00.096-04:00

smash: the act of sticking your cool stuff into this awesome book.

I recently picked up a Smash book from The Scrapbox, right after they came in, which was very lucky of me, as they are selling out crazy fast everywhere. If you haven't heard of Smash, ~~then you have most likely been living under a rock,~~ then check out them out on the K&Company website or watch this video...

After I brought mine home, I was thinking that this is a book that R would love, because ~~he is a bit of a hoarder~~ he likes to 'save' all the random 'stuff' that we accumulate in life, and he likes to document his days in his school agenda.

So I made him his own Smash book using materials I already had on hand...

like some cardboard and 7Gypsies tape for the cover. And fun bits of paper that I had in my scraps basket...

and sheets of Kraft paper that I used fun border punches on...
I stuck in some Kraft envelopes to hold his secret treasures...

and used plenty of lined paper so he can work on his writing skills over the summer.

I just kept adding pages and adding pages until it had that fun, random feeling that the Smash books have. I bound his book using three big binder rings so his book is actually more practical, as he can add pages {or brochures, clippings, or maps, etc} to it, as he goes along.

R loves it! He started using it right away - he journaled what he has been up to so far on his summer break, and he glued in a movie stub he brought home after we saw Cars 2... He and I are sharing all the Smash embellishments that I bought, since each pack came with plenty. He has been using the journaling prompts and tucking things in the little envelopes...

I think it is a great way to document our summer fun, and it's a great 'project' for us to work on together.

{I got into BIG TROUBLE when: I threw a water balloon at my Mom

Best ADVICE I've received: Always wear clean underwear}

{Because really, before I know it he will think he is too cool to scrapbook with Mom}!

best.rapunzel.party.ever

2011-06-29T16:32:00.002-04:00

Miss S loves, loves, loves the movie Tangled. Seriously loves it.

She loves Rapunzel so much, she wanted to invite 'the real Rapunzel' to her birthday party.
Well magically, 'the real Rapunzel' did come to Miss S's party. And she was fabulous!

She read stories...

and danced...

and played games...

glitterized the girls...

and even sang the songs from the movie. She was amazing! The girls loved her. They were in awe of her. They did what ever she told them to do {bonus for me}!

Just in case you were wondering where R was during the party - it was all too girly and princess-y for him, he was not interested at all...

Well, maybe he was a little bit interested!

Miss S became an Official Princess for the day at a very official ceremony. After confirming that she was in fact turning f-i-v-e, not four, but FIVE...

Miss S was sworn in, and would become Princess S until midnight that evening. She took the official oath and everything...

and promised to always be kind to everyone, just like a true Princess. It was so cute at how seriously Princess S took everything.

Rapunzel carried out the birthday girl's cupcake and sang happy birthday with us...

and she posed for photos...

It was the best.party.ever.

{If you want 'the real Rapunzel' to come to your party too, you can invite her here - we did the Fantasy Princess package. I could not recommend this Rapunzel enough - she was perfect}

tangled party decorations part II

2011-06-28T19:15:00.008-04:00

I made a Rapunzel Tower 'cake' because Miss S specially requested one...

but I wasn't sure the kids would really want to eat it, so we had {our favorite} cupcakes too. Purple flowers and green grass inspired by the scene in the movie when Rapunzel finally leaves her tower...

I forgot to take photos of the party food, but along with the cupcakes we had fruit and cheese and crackers {served in frying pans, like the one Rapunzel carried around for most of the movie} and some sweet bread that was braided like Rapunzel hair.

Miss S, R and I made each guest their own pet chameleon Pascal, so they could stick their tongue out at Flynn Rider too...

and we gave them out as a 'thank you' treat, with a canvas and a set of paints so they could paint like Rapunzel did in her tower.

I loved using the details from the movie to decorate for the party! It was a great theme for a little girl party. {And it's kind of ridiculous how excited I get over having a princess party. I know.}

tangled party decorations part I

2011-06-27T15:52:00.057-04:00

Recently we had a 5th birthday party for Miss S. She is absolutely in love with the movie Tangled and all things Rapunzel.

So I made some Rapunzel invites...

and Miss S passed them out on the school playground {totally ignoring my instructions to give them to her teacher to put in mailbags}!

We hung Flynn Rider 'Wanted' posters all over the house {just like the ones in the movie except we totally 'got his nose right'}...

including this super size one that we used to play 'Pin the frying pan on Flynn Rider's nose'...

We hung some outside too...

We also made some banners for inside and out, like the ones in the movie {there were lanterns too but I forgot to take a picture}...

My helpers...

And my favorite decoration, the Rapunzel braid. It is seriously hard to braid 18' of 'hair' without it getting a little tangled {cheesy pun intended}...

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair! The hair hung on the inside of the house too...

We had crayons and Rapunzel coloring pages to keep the girls busy while they were waiting for all the guests, and Rapunzel to arrive. A paint brush vase, inspired by all the painting Rapunzel did in her tower...

And lavender flowers to match Rapunzel's dress, were placed all over the house...

rapunzel, rapunzel

2011-06-13T19:31:00.017-04:00

let down your hair!

It has been forever since I have blogged, so you know it was going to take something special to get me back here! And I know Aunties M & T are going to LOVE to see the photos of the best.birthday.ever. that we just had for Miss S...so I'm promising there will be some photos on here VERY SOON. Seriously.

more may long

2011-05-22T21:59:00.016-04:00

We had so much fun camping at Fitzroy and we were enjoying our new trailer so much, we didn't want to go home at the end of May Long Weekend.

So we didn't.
We headed south to the States, with our trailer in tow. We camped in Watertown,NY for a couple more days so the kids could do some more bike riding...

some more swimming...

and some more of their favorite camping activity, s'more making...

And then finally we had to go home.
Like, for real this time.

beach bum

2011-05-21T21:04:00.001-04:00

{Miss S playing on the beach at Fitzroy Harbour - camping May Long Weekend}

may long weekend 2011

2011-05-20T21:21:00.001-04:00

We bought a new trailer just in time for the May Long Weekend.
Literally.
Just. In. Time.

This is how it happened. We had been wanting to pick up our tent trailer all week and get it ready for our weekend away, but it kept raining so we didn't want to open it up and have the tent get all wet. When K finally picked up the tent trailer to open it up there were a few obvious problems with it that needed to be fixed. When K called the dealership to see about having it repaired they let him bring it in right away. So then, as he was at the dealership having the old trailer repaired, he started looking at new ones.

This was when he concocted his "maybe we should just get a new trailer" theory. So by the time I had arrived at home that evening {and found the nice new trailer brochures all over the kitchen table} K had it all figured out. I wasn't that hard to convince...he had me at the "it has a bathroom" part. And so next day, when I was supposed to be packing for the weekend and picking the kids up early from school, we spent the day at the trailer dealership buying our new trailer. And then somehow still managed to race to the school to get the kiddies and make it to the Fitzroy Harbour camp ground before dark.

Just in time for it to start raining.

But the next day the sun was out and we discovered that a friend of ours and his boys were camping in the site right next to ours. So we spent the weekend camping with them and had a great time. And Lee Ann and her girls drove out to spend the day with us at the campground's beach...

Thankfully Lee Ann brought an extra swimsuit for Miss S because in all the rush to throw things in the new trailer and get going...swimsuits were one of the {many} things we forgot to pack.

the help

2011-04-11T16:47:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and just loved it. I would recommend it to every woman I know, definitely a 'must read'. There are some books that I enjoy so much I don't want them to end, but yet I read them quickly because I don't want to put them down...and that was the case with The Help.

Check out the synopsis and Kathryn Stockett's website, and if you haven't already read it, go get yourself a copy now!

pages

2011-04-07T13:06:00.016-04:00

Some quick & simple pages, put together this morning...

It has been a while since I've done any scrapbooking, and I find a quick & simple page is often just what I need to get me kick-started again!

sledding

2011-01-15T14:37:00.004-05:00

One of the kids' favorite things about our yard is...

the big slope in between our home and our neighbor, that all the kids sled down in the winter!

This year there were more obstacles to get around, as we put up a fence in the summer, but those crafty kids just figured out a way to make a 'track' in the snow that took them away from the fence and towards our neighbors' skating rink...

fall photo shoot

2010-10-07T18:27:00.028-04:00

While waiting for Christine and her boys to meet us at Jack Pine Trail this past weekend, I took the opportunity to have an impromptu 'photo shoot'. The scenery was beautiful, the weather was great, I {of course} had my camera with me. The hard part, was convincing the subject of my photo to cooperate. To simply smile...

or even just look at the camera. I think Miss S is over to the right here, putting on a little show to encourage a laugh. She likes to help like that...

~~Seriously, it's like pulling teeth...~~

And then of course, having two subjects in my photo just doubles my trouble. I'm over HERE Miss S...

Alright, enough already. This is as good a photo I'm going to get, I guess...

Can't you just hear them saying "Are we done yet?"

apple day, part II

2010-10-05T19:23:00.022-04:00

After we finished picking our apples this past Sunday, we wanted to stay outside and enjoy the gorgeous fall weather we were having. So before we went back to her house to meet the others and make our pies, we joined Christine & her boys for a short hike. Christine stopped to pick up some bird seed to feed the chickadees, and we met up on the Jack Pine Trail in the Greenbelt.

Feeding the birds and spending the day outside, is something the kiddies just love to do, any time of the year. We are very lucky to have so much beautiful green space in our city.

abc's and 123's

2010-09-19T17:14:00.019-04:00

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

-Dr Seuss, "Oh, the Places You'll Go"

{more photos of Miss S on the first day of big kid school}

school daze

2010-09-18T16:30:00.001-04:00

miss s goes to big kid school...

2010-09-17T15:46:00.010-04:00

With much excitement and very little fuss, Miss S made her Junior Kindergarten debut... My little girl is SO ready for big kid school. I'm just not sure the big kid school is ready for her...

And there she goes {not looking back once}

pinto valley ranch

2010-09-12T17:42:00.017-04:00

Miss S was invited to celebrate little Miss E's 4th birthday at Pinto Valley Ranch in Fitzroy Harbour. She was so excited, my little animal lover! The kids rode the horses around the Rodeo Ring and then had hot dogs and cake in one of the barns.

{Look at me, Mommy!}

{Miss K }

With five different ponies to ride, and lots of helpers to guide them, Miss S was in the ring the entire time. She would quietly pet the ponies before and after each turn...

The birthday girl, Miss E and her Mommy {my friend Caroline}, ride at Pinto Valley Ranch all the time... and I think Miss S will be asking to come back now too! They had cows and pigs and other animals too... And there was a hay ride, that led us to some cows to feed and a field to play in...

What a great birthday party!

2 cool for school

2010-09-07T16:33:00.001-04:00

This is what Grade One looks like... What do you want to be when you grow up? A hockey player What is your favorite team? The Sens What is your favorite book? Geronimo Stilton What is your favorite color? Blue & Yellow Who is your best friend? Charlie What is your favorite toy? Lego What do you like about school? Lunch and Recess What is your favorite TV show? Cartoons What is your favorite game to play with your friends? Sports What do you like about your teacher? That she is nice. She is the nicest Grade One teacher. What do you like to eat? Fruit and sugar What would you buy if you had a million dollars? Lego, Lego and more Lego What is your favorite season? Summer. Because my birthday is in summer!

cooking with daddy

2010-09-03T17:06:00.002-04:00

letters to juliet

2010-05-19T23:02:00.002-04:00

I was in the mood for a chick flick, so this movie...

and popcorn of course, were just what I needed.

Last night Lee Ann joined me for the movie and a trip to Starbucks and Chapters. Books, coffee, chick flick. And popcorn. Good times.

pages

2010-05-13T23:30:00.008-04:00

mother's day tea

2010-05-09T20:50:00.017-04:00

I had the sweetest tea ever with the sweetest little girl ever, this past Mother's Day.

I was invited to Miss S's nursery school for tea {and a surprise cake that the kiddies made but Miss S told me all about} and the cutest performance {also a surprise, but I got many sneak previews by my girl who obviously cannot keep a secret}.

Miss S was the sun...

with her friend Miss K {my friend Lee Ann's daughter}. She knew all her lines and sang all the songs.

And then she gave me her handcrafted gifts - a sparkly heart-shaped pin and some paper flowers. So sweet.

And equally sweet was this teapot card from the sweetest boy ever...

Happy Mother's Day!

t!m holtz

2010-05-08T19:03:00.019-04:00

Wrapping up my already amazing weekend, was my Sunday spent in Laval, Quebec taking a class taught by the infamous {if you know scrapbooking, you know him and probably love him} Tim Holtz.

Tim was in Laval for the weekend teaching at Scrapbook Quebec, but Renee and I just drove there for the day to take in his last class, a jewellery making class called "Idea-ology Intrigue". Stephanie, Katie, Mellisa, and Tanya had also traveled together to take the Sunday classes, and everyone had a great time.

Tim Holtz is a great teacher and has these crazy creative ideas all the time, so it was very cool to see him in action...

{photo taken from Stephanie's blog}

This is a photo I took from his blog ,of the jewelry projects that we made...

and check out this post of Tim's showing the other projects he was teaching.

After our class I met up with a friend of mine that lives in Laval. I met Justine when we were both living in Calgary, and have only seen her one other time since we both moved, so it was great to catch up! Renee, Steph, Katie, Mel and Tanya got to meet Justine when we all went out for dinner together at Univers {so glad Justine and Steph were there to translate the en francais menu}! And then it was time to drive home.

It was a great weekend.

six

2010-05-07T20:52:00.033-04:00

This past weekend my big boy turned six...

Oh.
There he is...

He is not smiling in any of these photos that I just took off my camera.
He should be smiling.
He had a super fun glow-in-the-dark bowling pizza party with 6 of his friends.
Life must be tough when you are six.
At least someone looks like they are having fun...

Miss S looks so excited because she got to bowl with the big boys.
Well, she was excited...

Until she learned she had to take off her super cute gladiator sandals.

And put on stinky bowling shoes.
She was not happy that they didn't come in pink or purple...

Just kidding.
It is me that is grossed out by bowling shoes.
Miss S was just sad that her balloon floated away...

but then Daddy saved the day.
R declared his team the 'winners' because they got the most strikes.
But I gave bonus points to Miss S's team for having ~~hilarious~~ unique form.
So I think it was a tie.
{Miss S still swears she got a "stripe"}

After the party we stopped at Grandma's to pick up R's gifts from family...

and then we had Grandma & Grandpa over for a BBQ and a birthday cake.

debby schuh

2010-05-04T10:05:00.016-04:00

This past weekend was a busy one for me, full of crafting with girlfriends and partying with a rowdy bunch of 5 and 6 year olds {more on R's 6th birthday soon}.

On Friday night I took a scrapbooking class taught by Debby Schuh, who was in town for The Scrapbox event. Debby was a great teacher and her class was wonderful. I had fun sitting with Katie and getting to know her better...

{Katie and I}

Jenn and Stephanie from The Scrapbox did a fabulous job with this event, right down to the little details. Steph made the prettiest name tags I have ever seen at an event - stamped canvas and pink felt flowers - so sweet. I had fun catching up with Stephanie and meeting her friend Louise...

{Louise & Stephanie}

{photos taken from Debby's blog sidebar}

{Jenn and Debby Schuh}

and I actually finished the entire project in class, which I hardly ever do! We made a mini book called "Pennies from Heaven" using 7gypsies products...

{photos taken from Debby's blog}

and folding all the pages into sweet little pockets. I love the vintage look of this mini, and the meaning behind "Pennies from Heaven" that Debby based the book on...you can read about it here.

crazy hair day

2010-04-30T10:45:00.007-04:00

Recently R's school celebrated Spirit Week and Earth Day with fun activities for the kiddies each day. This...

was "Crazy Hair Day". And just because you aren't big enough for school yet, does not mean you can't have crazy hair too...

Crazy hair.

The Volunteer Appreciation Day also took place that week, so I got to see all the teachers and kiddies at R's school dressed up for "Hippie Day" {and had to explain what a hippie was to R} and I got treated to a lovely breakfast with all the other parent volunteers. Crazy fun.

this little piggie...

2010-04-14T06:38:00.001-04:00

easter weekend

2010-04-13T18:37:00.001-04:00

easter bunny, meet the tooth fairy

2010-04-12T19:04:00.005-04:00

The Saturday night before Easter was a big night for R...

After weeks and weeks of wiggling it, he finally lost his first tooth! We were in the car on our way to pick up his friend C, to take him to see the Harlem Globetrotters with us, and R yanked that tooth out. So by the time we got to C's front door, R was sporting a gap {and a teeny bit of blood} and a big grin because he had finally lost his first tooth. He was looking forward to going back to school after the long weekend so that his teacher could put his name on the tooth chart.

But he was even more excited that not only would the Tooth Fairy be visiting our house that night, but that maybe she would run into the Easter Bunny while he was hiding our eggs!

{It must have been in the very wee hours of the morning if they did meet because after dropping C off at his house we ended up on C's patio drinking wine with his parents and getting to know them better, while R and C played hockey on his driveway until waaaayyyy past their bedtime. And then when we got home, Miss S who had been sound asleep for hours since Grandma put her to bed, woke up and stayed up until 2am. So the Easter Bunny must have had to stay up realllllly late to surprise our kiddies in the morning...yawn...and then those darn excited kids got up soooo early to look for eggs}

1000 games

2010-04-11T15:59:00.009-04:00

Last night I celebrated Alfredsson's 1000th game with all the Sens fans at Scotiabank Place. It is an awesome accomplishment to have played 1000 games in the NHL, and all with the same team. And to be the Sens all time leader in goals, and points, as well as the longest serving current team Captain too. It was great to see all the fans wearing their red Alfie t-shirts and giving him a huge standing ovation {there was a t-shirt for every fan on their seat}.

R is a big Alfie fan, and he loves to watch all the Sens games lately. While I was at the game thinking R was at home snug in bed, he was really convincing Grandma to let him stay up late to watch the game! It was a fun night and it was the last game of the regular season

and now I can't wait to see the Sens in the playoffs!

it was a good friday

2010-04-02T21:02:00.020-04:00

The kiddies and I spent this exceptionally warm Good Friday with friends, exploring the Jack Pine Trail in Stony Swamp. We met up with Christine, Monique, Jen and Jill and their families at the start of the trail in the Greenbelt. Everyone enjoyed the hike that took us just under two hours with just enough stops so that the kiddies could explore every inch of the trail...

We brought bird seed to feed the chickadees, and binoculars so that Miss S could look for "tarantulas"...she swears she saw one "on a flower" from the car window as we were driving to get to the trail.

It was at about this part of the day where I realized that Miss S had her pants on backwards. She has been very excited about getting herself dressed in the mornings lately {and today she did pretty good with the matching} so who notices details like the pants being on backwards...

The kiddies really loved the boardwalk areas...

We discovered the best tree for climbing ever. It was just like a ladder...

After our hike, we all headed over to Christine's for a picnic lunch and some play time in their back yard.

K spent the day at home installing flooring in our basement {we are developing it into a TV/play room}. He finished up in time to play street hockey outside with R before dinner, while Miss S went in the kiddie pool with some of the neighborhood girls. Can you believe swimming outside in April? I cannot get over how hot it was already today - it is going to be a long, hot summer!

he did it again

2010-04-01T15:40:00.006-04:00

I'm allowed to brag, because it's my blog...

and I'm just so proud.

He was awarded the hard hat for 'Hardest Working Player' again {and I think he was the only one on his team to get it twice...he's a rock star}!

When he won the hat, he also won a batch of coupons for fun stuff. Like $5 off at Lone Star, so we took him for our favorite fajitas. And $5 off at Hockey Life, so R used that to buy himself a new pair of hockey skates when he outgrew his old ones {well, K had to put in some of his money too, heehee}. And just this week Grandpa took R for a haircut at First Choice, because they gave him a coupon for a free mini hockey stick - he was so excited about that one!

eggs

2010-03-31T21:12:00.003-04:00

Or 'aggs' as Miss S calls them. Sometimes I think Miss S is really from Boston, she talks with an accent that is hard to place. New York maybe?

Anyway, yesterday she wore her ~~rain boots~~ raan boots and we decorated ~~eggs~~ aggs. We also boiled an extra agg to take to pwe school.

{Note to self: video tape Miss S talking before she learns how to pronounce all these words correctly...she is too cute. I could listen to her talk all day. And sometimes I do}

R decorated eggs too. He just doesn't talk as cute. He talks like he is a teenager already. Mu-ummmm! Whatever. I know how to spell 'poo' {why is spelling potty words so fun for a 5 year old}?

Just take the picture already.

the chicken and the egg

2010-03-30T20:42:00.005-04:00

Today the kiddies and I baked some Easter treats.

Guess which ones came first.

The chickens...

or the eggs?

{And the answer is: Who cares...we are eating them all!}

the first tournament

2010-03-20T12:21:00.012-04:00

R's first ever hockey tournament took place this week during March Break. He has been counting down the days, he was so excited.

His team played three games, with an hour break in between each. For the first game, R was chosen to be the goalie...

and then he was a 'regular player' as he calls it...

I sit in the stands and watch my boy in amazement. I am amazed at how big he has gotten. At how much he loves the game. At what a natural athlete he is. At the way he loves to be part of a team.

I love to watch him play hockey.

I love to watch him do anything, really.

princess classics

2010-03-15T19:12:00.009-04:00

Last week the kiddies, and Grandma and I went to see Disney on Ice Princess Classics. The show was fantastic and fun, just as the show we saw last year was. This one was all princesses, but even R liked it - although he was more interested in all the technical things than the storyline! Miss S was mesmerized by the skating princesses and cowered in her seat every time a 'mean witch' was on the ice.

We sat with Monique, her mom and kiddies and some other friends, and all the girls dressed up like their favorite princess. Miss S was Snow White, her current favorite {too bad none of my photos turned out very great}...

This was Grandma's first time at Scotiabank Place, and her first Disney show in many, many years! She and I had more fun watching Miss S than actually watching the show...seeing her face each time another princess skated out was just priceless.

suite francaise

2010-03-05T22:46:00.013-05:00

I am reading this amazing book right now...

If you haven't heard about it, check out this review. It is a wonderful read and a historical document {the story behind how the novel was discovered by Nemirovsky's daughter long after her death at a concentration camp is fascinating}.

I have always been interested in books related to WWII and the Holocaust, ever since reading Anne Frank, The Diary of Young Girl as a young girl and then visiting the Anne Frank House {back when I was a university student and I had time to travel!}.

Reading this book, has made me want to go back and re-read The Diary of a Young Girl again. So that will be next on my "to read" list.

rock star

2010-03-03T06:10:00.002-05:00

Only Miss S can rock the felt flower...

the polka dots and the fur vest a la Rachel Zoe. I die.

Oh, and don't forget the cherry rain boots.
They make the outfit.

{This is what Miss S came up with when she was looking for an outfit to "be a rock star" this past weekend. Rachel Zoe look out...}

we will, we will...

2010-03-02T07:38:00.006-05:00

Rock. You.
Saturday night found us at our friends' home playing our new favorite game...

Rock Band!

We take turns rocking it out on the different instruments {I like the guitar but can't play the drums to save my life}. This time we were playing the LEGO Rock Band version, as it has more songs that the kiddies recognize.

{If every store I went to, or called, was not sold out of this game for the Wii, we would already own it for ourselves and be practicing every night. Seriously. Let me know if you see it. Or let me know if you own Band Hero and find it just as fun? And if the instruments from it are compatible with the Rock Band ones, so that we can join together with our friends and take our rock band on tour...}

And in case you were wondering...

it's not just the kiddies that think they are rock stars!

skating the pond

2010-03-01T07:49:00.005-05:00

On Friday night we were invited, along with a group of friends, to skate on the pond behind Christine's house. Actually this pond is behind our house too, much to my surprise. Christine's place backs onto another section of the green space that runs behind our house...

If we worked really hard {just as Christine and her boys did to clear this section of the pond} we could make a path to skate from our home to hers...

And I thought the trees behind our home were just pretty. Little did I know the area contained all this!You can see the pond was a little slushy from the spring-like weather that day, but it did not stop R from skating. Miss S skated a bit, and played in the puddles a bit more...

After our skate we enjoyed some chili and hot dogs, and when it got a little darker we roasted marshmallows on the bonfire.

It was a perfect winter day!

go canada go

2010-02-28T14:47:00.006-05:00

We just got home from his hockey...

and then lunch with friends.
And now we're ready to watch the game...

and see Canada go for the gold medal!

Go Canada Go

the day he was the hardest working player

2010-02-24T14:10:00.027-05:00

and he got to bring home the hard hat...

He ♥'s hockey.

He scored 3 goals at his last game {and that wasn't the day he won the hat}.

He tried to wear the hard hat to bed.

He makes Daddy and Grandpa so proud, to see him play.

He talks Grandpa into buying him hockey cards from the machine at the arena.

He shares the quarters for hockey cards with his friends too.

He gets a toonie from Grandpa for every goal he scores.

He earns one for Miss S each time too {because he's fair like that}.

He is saving up his toonies to buy something 'cool'...like new Lego sets.

He just got another new pair of skates {heat molded, even} because...

he is growing like a weed!

He is my boy.

and more pages

2010-02-23T21:55:00.014-05:00

More recent pages. Still going through old photos. Remembering the moments.

Miss S at one month. She was sleeping for about 5-6 hours at night {good baby!}. I could feed her at 10:30 and she would sleep until 4:30am! I would get up with her and feed her in the rocking chair in her room and then we'd go back to sleep. It seems so long ago...

R at two. He had the rosiest cheeks I have ever seen. He was potty trained before he was two. He was full of questions and loved to look at books. He talked on the phone to Grandma. He already loved hockey and played it on the driveway and in the basement all the time. He loved his baby sister. He wanted to name her Baby Elmo. He amazed me...

The Nana, {K's mother} visiting us to meet Miss S for the first time...

pages

2010-02-22T19:37:00.033-05:00

I don't always have a plan when I am scrapbooking. Lately though my plan has been to dig through all the boxes of old photos from when the kiddies were babies, and start getting some of those photos in albums. So the pages I have scrapbooked and scraplifted lately are all from when Miss S was just a teeny little thing.

Thank goodness I have always had so much help and support from my parents with the kiddies...
A trip to Penticton, British Columbia when Miss S was two months old. Neighbors of ours back home, the MacFamily were in Penticton at the same time, so it was great to spend time with them on the beaches...

These photos are from a camping trip, also with the MacFamily, in Banff, Alberta. Miss S has many camping photos in her baby book - she went on 3 camping trips before she was even 8 weeks old...

{This is one of my go-to sketches for pages where I have a lot of photos and have no idea how to get them all on a page. I crop fifteen equal size squares and slap them on there in a grid. It may not be pretty, but I take a lot of photos and sometimes I just want to get them in an album}

So Miss S is not teeny in this photo. She is two. Like I said, I don't always have a plan. This photo was laying on my desk and I liked it. The kiddies love Grandma and Grandpa...

Yawning. Baby stretches. Three months. I just like these photos. It's the small things. {You can't always just scrapbook the trips and big occasions, right?}...

A very simple page to document a very fun day. My mommy friends back home threw me a surprise baby shower shortly after Miss S was born. I had never had a surprise party thrown for me before. It was such a sweet thing for them to do {I miss you girls!}...

And finally, a very simple page of Miss S's four month photos...

{For both of the kiddies I took photos each month for their first year. I have scrapbooked pages for both of them showing twelve photos together - one from each month - so you see them growing. I love those pages}

the day he was goalie

2010-02-20T05:47:00.007-05:00

It was 6am.

Before he is even usually up.

He was so excited he was wide awake.

He was a natural.

He ♥ hockey.

I ♥ my hockey player.

get your girlfriends together

2010-02-19T10:17:00.002-05:00

and go see this...

I saw Valentine's Day on Tuesday with seven girlfriends {after a nice dinner at Baton Rouge with K, and a trip to get my new iPhone} and we give it our eight thumbs up. It is a fun night out chick flick kind of movie {despite the not so great reviews it is getting}. And it has such a great cast. McDreamy and McSteamy, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher and Taylor Lautner all in one movie...how can you go wrong?

I am off to learn how to use my new phone...

This may be a challenge for me, as I am not so technically inclined. But how cool that I can video tape the kiddies, take photos and use all the apps that I know nothing about yet? Auntie M tells me I can even get a Kindle app. So, who can come over and teach me how to use my phone?

family fun day

2010-02-17T20:46:00.008-05:00

{Miss S and R}

On the official Family Day weekend, we had an unofficial family fun day.

We were invited to a BBQ and skating party on the lake at Monique's parents house in Chelsea, Quebec. It is a beautiful area, just a short drive across the river from downtown Ottawa {most of the area consists of Gatineau Park}.

R and Miss S had so much fun, skating and playing hockey for hours with their friends. The only time they stopped skating was to sit by the fire to eat. {Actually Miss S may have been more excited about the hot dogs, hot chocolate and marshmallows part, than she was about the skating part...}Christine brought her three boys along, and Cathy's Dad came too {but Cathy and her family were too sick to make it}. We had such a great time!

Family. Fun. Day.

Very cool.

go sens go?

2010-02-16T08:06:00.001-05:00

Last week at Scotiabank Place.

Sens vs Flames.

The only time the Flames play in Ottawa this season.

{All my photos on this post were turned into 'poloroids' using Poladroid}

Oh, the dilemma.
Who should I cheer for?

I took my Dad and we sat just a few rows from the ice.
K took a few of our friends too.
Uncle VW texted to say the Flames were going to "destroy the Sens".
But they did not.

It was a great game.

I cheered for both teams.
Secretly.

In the end, I was happy the Sens won!

{Although I did really love to see Iginla and Kiprusoff again}
{And I am looking forward to watching Iggy play in the Olympics}

♥ day photo shoot

2010-02-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

{warning: you may overdose on all the super sweet photos of my cutie-pie kids in this post!}

Miss S looked ready for Valentine's Day in the "I love you" printed shirt that Auntie M gave her...

{Miss S is such a fashionista. This is a Stella McCartney top, part of her collection for Gap Kids - Gap stores in Ottawa didn't get this collection, so Auntie M in Calgary shopped there for us!}

{all the photos of Miss S are taken on the window seat in her room. I ♥ this window seat! I always wanted one when I was younger, so I jumped at the chance to put one in her room!}

R is too cool to have mommy pick out his clothes already {I swear he thinks he is a teenager} so I am very glad that he thinks this new shirt from Auntie T & Uncle B is "awesome". We are just coming out of a very long period where all he would wear were super hero t-shirts, so it is nice to see him embracing change...

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥ love day ♥

2010-02-14T11:01:00.013-05:00

We just got home from a Valentine's Day breakfast at our favorite local breakfast spot {the place we usually go with friends after the boys hockey games}!

The kiddies are always so excited to check the mailbox and see if there is anything for them. So they were super do0per happy this week to find a Valentine's package from Auntie T & Uncle B in Winnipeg. Thanks so much for the adorable hat...

and the "cool dude" shirt {I told R it was an X Games shirt and he loves that 'cause he likes to think he is a skater boy}...

And you know we always ♥ the chocolate!

pages

2010-02-09T15:17:00.024-05:00

Some recent layouts...

Old photos from a camping trip along the west coast. In between all these random photo layouts, I have been working on an album of this trip {I will post those pages when I finish them all}. I love these photos of K and R on the beach at Cape Kiwanda, Oregon {we camped right across the street from this gorgeous beach}...
{This photo of R trying to catch a fish with his red plastic fishing rod is one of my favorites. He really believes that the way to catch a fish is to tie a strawberry to the end of his line...he was entertained for hours this way}

Pages for Miss S's baby book...
Miss S's baptism gown was sewn by my grandmother for my mom's baptism, and my mom passed it down to me. The buttons used on these pages were from my grandmother's button jar {the jar that now sits in my scrapbooking room}...

A page I did when I scrapbooked with a neighbor. We have been saying we would get together to do this for so long. She is one of the neighbors that I get together with for coffee mornings and Desperate Housewife nights, and R is currently in love with her daughter {they are in the same grade at school but different classrooms}...

{When R proudly gave his great grandfather one of his hockey photos at Christmas, he was thrilled to find out that he and his "Poppa" wore the same jersey number when he played hockey...how cool is that?!}

A page I made while scrapbooking at Renee's. I did not get very much done that day, as I spent most of the time chatting with her and Mellisa {I always seem to get more done when I scrap alone, but scrapping with friends is more fun!}...

stayfunny designs

2010-02-05T23:36:00.003-05:00

I am happy to share with you...my friend Stephanie's new Etsy shop! I love Etsy and I'm a huge fan of Steph and her scrapbooking, so I was excited when she asked me to link to her new shop on my blog.

{this is me with Stephanie and Renee, old photo from Nov 08 taken when Stephanie was published in Canadian Scrapbooker magazine}

Now go check out Stephanie's scrapbooking and her new Etsy shop!

twenty ten

2010-02-04T20:31:00.019-05:00

I have been reading this
and this

and thisand going to the premier of this

and ordering this because I love her scrapbooking style...

and I've been hanging out with my favorite kiddies and taking them to birthday parties and play dates, hockey and swimming, and school of course...and squeezing in some play time of my own with my girlfriends. There have been girls' nights and breakfasts out after hockey, Sens games and skating in the backyard rink with the kiddies and on the canal at night with girlfriends, homeade pizza parties and Sunday dinners, coffee mornings and scrapbooking nights with new neighbors, crafting get togethers, Rock Band parties...

So far, 2010 has been fun, fun, fun.

There. now. you. are. all. caught. UP!

twinkle toes

2009-12-16T10:51:00.009-05:00

Miss S wowed us with her moves at her final dance class last week. At first I wasn't sure she was actually going to dance...

but then she joined her friends. After fussing with her tutu for a bit, she eventually just ditched it. And her ballet slippers too. Her friend Miss D wanted nothing to do with the show at all...

even when Miss S tried to convince her...

But eventually all the girls found their groove...

and then they had even more fun playing together at the McD's play area after the show, with their big brothers and all parents and grandmas & grandpas and friends that came to watch them.

the official santa photo

2009-12-11T21:28:00.006-05:00

If you recall last year...
I could not get the kiddies anywhere near Santa.
This photo...

makes me happy.

Miss S and I were at the shopping mall, there was no line up, and she actually wanted to go visit with Santa! Happy day.

R is still just enjoying Santa from afar.

bloom mini book: done

2009-12-10T06:30:00.009-05:00

Remember waayyy back when I attended the Donna Downey event in April? Well, I recently finished one of the projects from that weekend! {Please excuse the poor quality photos - they were taken at night, in my haste to actually call this project done}!

I was feeling the need to scrapbook, but was not in the mood to start something new, so I dug deep in my basket of unfinished projects {I really do have a basket labeled that, and it is quite full...}. This mini book was 99% complete, it just needed photos and a few finishing touches. I think that Donna meant for us to use small black & white photos, but that would require printing new photos, so I grabbed recent photos that were laying around {literally laying on the floor of my scraproom}, cropped them to random sizes, fussy-cut them and came up with this...

It was a great class. We used acrylic, cardboard and fabric as well as paper...

made stems out of cardstock...

glimmer mist and masks, stamps, india ink and a calligraphy tip...

lots of Prima flowers, vintage dictionary pages and felt alphabets...
So that's one project down.
Many, many more to go.

where women create

2009-12-09T10:32:00.007-05:00

You must check out the Where Women Create blog right now {or click on the widget in my sidebar}! They are giving away fabulous prizes from the most talented artists, every day from December 1 through December 12. I am crossing my fingers that I win something...

snow white and the seven parties

2009-12-08T09:23:00.008-05:00

It seems like every weekend lately the kiddies have gone to one or more birthday parties. Lots of fun, but keeps us busy. Especially with R playing hockey two times each weekend, Miss S's dancing and then all the other family stuff we try and cram into our weekends!

A couple weekends ago Miss S and I attended a Princess Party at my friend Cathy's house {Miss D, Miss S and the other Miss S all go to pre-school and dancing together, and we have play dates all the time} . It was so sweet - the girls were asked to dress as princesses, and were surprised by a special guest...

Cinderella! Or as Miss S kept telling everyone "a REAL Disney pwincess". Cinderella entertained the girls with magic tricks, balloon animals and face painting...

Here are some more photos taken when we got home...

While Miss S and I were playing princess, K and R were at Jill's place for Baby G's second birthday.

I think the kiddies have better social lives than I do...

daily december

2009-12-01T11:25:00.012-05:00

How did December get here so quickly?

I always think I am going to be more ready than I am for the holiday season. I have finished most of my Christmas shopping {just need a few small things and teacher gifts}, have the outside of the house all decorated, and some of the inside.

I am excited to complete a December Daily album this year, a tradition started by Ali Edwards and copied by scrapbookers all over {you can read more about what it is here, and see her 2009 album here}.

I finished the cover of my album last week...

and filled it with the pages, all ready to go {most made last year and never used!}

I painted a 7gypsies chipboard album from my stash, with teal paint and then painted over it with crackle paint in the 'old paper' color. I distressed it with the distress ink in the same color and sanded away some of the paint. This was my first time using the crackle paint {in scrapbooking anyway - I have crackle painted an armoire}...

I am sure Renee is laughing at me for this, because I bought the distress products ages ago and haven't used them. I always say it is "too much technique for me" - I like to scrapbook the quick and easy way...but this was fun and didn't take long at all {other than waiting for the very thick paint to dry}!

During December I will post my daily photos and album pages. Stay tuned!

inside daily december

2009-12-01T10:14:00.031-05:00

The inside pages of my Daily December album, ready and waiting to be filled with our memories of December 2009...

I actually made most of these pages last year, but then did not have enough time to complete the album {last year was a crazy time - we were selling our house right before Christmas, so not a lot of extra decorating or scrapbooking got done}! So I am attempting this again.

If I had done the pages this year I think I would have used a different style of papers, etc. But because the idea of this album is to make documenting your holidays quick and easy, I am resisting the urge to re-do it!

Now all I have to do, during the busy holiday season, is snap a quick photo, print it out at home {on my handy dandy photo printer, a gift from K last Christmas}, stick the photos in the album and add a few small embellishments.

Happy December!

shout out

2009-11-29T06:31:00.016-05:00

To my boy R.

Who, this past week, accepted an achievement award in front of his entire school for "being a great writer".

I was so proud. And so glad to be there to see him go up on stage.

{photos from a recent class field trip to Saunder's Farm that I went to with R}

I love to see R doing so well. And I love all the little notes and papers that I am finding around the house these days with his writing on them. He is turning into a fabulous writer and artist. He draws constantly and is always asking how to spell things so he can put descriptions with his pictures. I love to nurture this creativity in him by providing him with all the paper and craft supplies I can, to see what he will come up with next...

Go little man Go!

team jacob

2009-11-27T13:57:00.006-05:00

Last night I saw The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie, and it confirmed for me, just as when I read the books, I am very much Team Jacob.

It also confirmed for me, however, that these movies are just not well done. The acting is cheesy and the vampire make-up is just as bad. But somehow it does not seem to matter. I still enjoyed myself. There is just something about this story that I really like.

So despite the over-the-top-soap-opera-ish teen drama, I had a great night out with girlfriends. Christine, Lee Ann {no Kelly this time sadly} and I saw the first movie as a group, so we went back for part two together. Jill & her sister and Jen joined us this time too. We had a nice dinner before the movie at O'Connors Irish Pub.

So, who are you?

Team Edward...

or Team Jacob?

Just curious.

everything i needed to know about being a girl...

2009-11-25T09:12:00.001-05:00

I learned from Judy Blume.

I am reading this...

right now and am reminiscing about my childhood reading list.

Did you grow up reading Judy Blume too?

more from nav can

2009-11-23T21:20:00.025-05:00

nav can weekend

2009-11-19T20:37:00.034-05:00

Since moving to Ottawa, I have heard many scrapbookers refer to Nav Can in a happy place kind of way. I am still not really sure what Nav Can means or is, but I don't care. All you had to tell me was. Girl's weekend. No kids. Scrapbooking 24/7. All your meals and a bed to sleep in...and I was there. {Basically it is a huge conference center/hotel on the water in Cornwall}. I went this past weekend with Christine, Lee Ann, Vicki {who organized the weekend} and twelve other women.

It was a great time, I met some new friends and I went to Auntie Em's Scrapbooking shop. I stayed up late {was not woken up at some ungodly hour by my kiddies} slept in, and did not even have to think about making meals. I enjoyed meals, coffee time and some cocktails with my girlfriends. Happy place!

I now have twenty more pages to tuck into the kiddies books.

Here are a few to peek at...

And here's to my wonderful husband and parents that took care of the kiddies and everything at home while I was off in my happy place! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

radio city christmas spectacular

2009-11-17T11:10:00.005-05:00

{photo taken from here}

I got home from a girl's weekend away {photos coming soon} just in time to catch the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show starring the Rockettes, at Scotiabank Place. I took Jill with me to enjoy the show from our box seats, but it would have been even better if we could have brought our kiddies along. I wish there had been an afternoon show, as it was too late on a Sunday night for my kiddies, even to see Santa dancing with the Rockettes.

What a fabulous show! I loved the hundreds of dancing Santas, the falling toy soliders and the virtual double decker bus tour of New York. I love the history of the Rockettes. You can check out some video of the show here. Ottawa was lucky to be one of the few Canadian cities that made the tour. One day I would love to see the show at Radio City Music Hall...Christmas in New York would be amazing! I think I will have to make that trip happen sometime in my lifetime...

Now that I am in a Christmas kind of mood, I am starting to plan more festive activities for our family. What kind of Christmas are you planning?

i want to live in a pottery barn catalogue

2009-11-11T19:08:00.018-05:00

I miss Pottery Barn.

Why don't we have it in Ottawa?

I am currently lusting after this chandelier...

but K has told me I am at my chandelier limit for this house. {He is also suggesting that hanging paper next to light bulbs is a fire hazard...}

Just think how fabulous this would look in my scrapbooking room. I could alter it all the time with photos and vintage ephemera. {I would have to ask K to move the existing shabby chic chandelier out of my scrapbooking room, and put it in...the guestroom???}

Look how fancy I could make it at Christmas...

So maybe someonelikeAuntieMbackhome could go check this out for me and put it in their suitcase and bring it here at Christmas. I am sure you would have room for it Auntie M, just don't pack your usual amount of shoes this time...

{And don't tell you know who}

(all photos from www.potterybarn.com)

missy mouse

2009-11-09T22:42:00.001-05:00

Renee has always called Miss S

"Missy Mouse"

And now I find myself calling her that sometimes, too.

How fitting that this was the Halloween costume that Miss S picked...

halloween oh nine

2009-11-08T12:49:00.034-05:00

Halloween came and went so quickly at our home. Here is how some of it went down.

We enjoyed all the sweets of the season. Like the ones that came in this box...

all the way from Winnipeg {thanks Auntie T and Uncle B}!
And these Pumpkin Fudge Brownies that Miss S and I made {a new recipe we were trying out}...

R and I made some Candy Kabobs to share with our friends. R's favorite candies were the gooey spiders and gummy worms...

We wrapped them in spiderweb cellophane bags to give them away, but this is how they looked as a candy bouquet...

R dressed in costume to parade around his school on the 30th. Miss S wore a witchy outfit for a play date party at Lee Ann's house with some of her pre-school pals.

Miss S's pre-school did not want the kiddies to dress in costume so they wore black or orange the week before Halloween. Miss S thought that was too boring so she wore a tutu and glittery shoes with her black tee {Fancy Nancy style}. When the tutu got in the way of her playing at the sand table, she just stuffed the humongous thing in her cubby.

Miss S also wore her tutu {a Halloween one that I made for her} to dancing class. I made one for The Other Miss S too. Their dance teachers came dressed as ballerinas for Halloween, appropriately so...

Monique always calls The Other Miss S her tasmanian devil. Here she is, the whirling dervish at dance class...

On the 31st, Miss S went to another Halloween party at a neighbors. R had hockey, and then went to the Sens game with K. We had squeezed in carving our pumpkins in the morning. R wanted his big pumpkin to be eating the littlest pumpkin. He sketched how he wanted it to look on paper, wrote "make this" on the top of the drawing and gave it to K to cut out...

And finally, the kiddies favorite part of Halloween. Dressing up and trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. This is where I said "if you don't stand still for at least one photo there will be no candy for you tonight"...

After hitting up all the houses on our street for candy, the kiddies and K came home to look it over. And line it up on our family room floor apparently...

And that was Halloween 2009.

And now I am going to start on Christmas, just so I can cross everything off my holiday To-Do list. {I am not kidding. Right after trick or treating, Renee called and we planned a shopping trip to the States for the next day. I'm almost done my Christmas shopping thanks to our spree!}

boo to you

2009-10-31T11:57:00.013-04:00

from our house to yours...

Happy Halloween!

the girl with the most cake

2009-10-26T14:29:00.015-04:00

Last week I celebrated my birthday. I was absolutely delighted with this cake...

that my wonderful, thoughtful husband brought home.

He ordered it from the girl with the most cake, after seeing their cupcakes at the Carp Farmer's Market in the summer. It is even more gorgeous in person, and it tastes as good as it looks.

I had a little help blowing out all my birthday candles...

and a lot of help with the eating of the cake!

My wonderful, thoughtful husband had also prepared a fabulous meal and brought me roses...

Grandma & Grandpa came over with gifts and wine...

and watched me open presents from family. Thank you everyone for the thoughtful gifts and the birthday wishes!

one and one + two

2009-10-21T06:47:00.020-04:00

This will make Grandma & Grandpa happy.

Rare photos.
All four of us together.

I am out from behind the camera.

{But unfortunately too dorky to remember to take it off from around my neck}

Monique captured these photos of us on Saturday, just as we were leaving Saunder's Farm and saying good-bye...

And I can't believe I am doing this. I really do not like to post photos of myself.

But I happen to have this ~~not-so-lovely~~ one from the weekend. Because this is what happens when I hand my camera to K, so I can take a phone call...

and Auntie M asked me to send her a picture of my new hair. So there it is.

See Auntie M?

It is darker. Straighter. Redder on the top, dark brown underneath.

And with bangs {except they are swept to the side here because they hang in my face and I am not used to them so they kind of drive me crazy}.

I also find a lot of photos like this...

on my camera after I pass it off to K. Now that is a photo I have no problem posting.

Revenge is sweet!

thanksgiving

2009-10-16T21:00:00.015-04:00

When Auntie M was here for Thanksgiving, we took her to a Sens game.
And pumpkin picking {and then for a Pumpkin Spice Latte}...

We had Thanksgiving dinner at our place with Auntie M and Grandma & Grandpa .

I was thankful for kindergarten art...

Pre-school art too...

I was thankful for my husband. He BBQs a good turkey.

And for my little kitchen helper...

{She wanted to do dishes. But did not want to wear her tutu to do it...?}

Happy Thanksgiving!

auntie m is in the house

2009-10-10T20:12:00.016-04:00

Visiting from Calgary.

Copying Miss S and her new do, it seems...

Playing endless rounds of Sequence {the kiddies new favorite game}...

Bringing me goodies from back home.

Like these pillows I have been wanting from Restoration Hardware {we don't have that store here, so I gave her a shopping list and some $ and she did some shopping for me back home}...

She also brought us pizza from here. Uh huh. She brought pizza on a airplane. Because I love it. And I miss it. And it is soooo yummy {they have a banana bread pizza - 2 pizza rounds with cream cheese icing sandwiched in the middle}.

That is one good Auntie.

new do

2009-10-08T19:15:00.004-04:00

for Miss S...

It is very hard to get photos of the new do.
Because Miss S is not one to sit still.
So this is the best you are getting for now...

And yes.

That is my 3 year old playing the Wii.
{We love Mario Kart}
So what if I said my kids would never watch TV.
That was before I had them.
Get over it.

time out

2009-09-30T17:51:00.001-04:00

at the apple orchard.

apple day

2009-09-29T14:39:00.020-04:00

I am feeling fall today.

Watching the rain.

Drinking a hot cuppa coffee.

Baking apple struesel muffins.

Using locally grown apples and a recipe from this book that Grandma gave me, to make the muffins. This book is great - you use the basic recipe and then add various ingredients to make over 100 kinds of muffins. And the kiddies and I love to make muffins...

Enjoying these photos from the past weekend at an apple orchard...

Christine invited Lee Anne, Jillian, Jen and I, together with our families to celebrate fall with a trip to the apple orchard. So after R's hockey, we met to pick some apples... go for a hay ride and play in the muck...

Then the mommies all gathered in Christine's kitchen to bake our apples into pies, crisps and bread puddings. And drink wine. And make a big mess. {I made an apple crisp using a recipe from Martha. It was a good thing}.

And when we were finished with that, the dads and kiddies {all 11 of them, so we were a group of 21...yikes!} joined us for a wonderful pot luck turkey dinner with all the fixings. And many, many kinds of yummy apple desserts to choose from.

Happy Fall!

richmond fair

2009-09-20T21:08:00.011-04:00

A drive in the country.
Spending a day at the fair...

{the car I am going to win so I can be like Uncle VW...keep your fingers crossed}

Good times.

besties

2009-09-15T21:33:00.005-04:00

Miss S and the other Miss S started pre-school together.
Miss S spotted her bestie as we were just arriving.
"I want to hold hands with the other Miss S"
And she was off.
And didn't look back.
Well, only for a minute, after they first got through the big doors.
And then the two Misses found the dress-up clothes.
And I knew my little Miss would be fine.

I, however, felt a little sad going home without her. I should be used to stuff like this by now. But it is still hard for me every time I leave my kiddies somewhere, when I am not going to be with them.

Note to self: Remember this feeling tomorrow when Miss S and her big brother are fighting and driving you crazy...

{Photo by Monique. Luckily she remembers her camera when I don't}

the many hats she wears

2009-09-12T06:16:00.002-04:00

The scurvy pirate...

the wicked witch...

and the cute 'lil cowgirl...

Miss S and I updated the dress-up chest with some new hats from The Dollar Store. The kiddies love to play dress-up, and I am happy to indulge them. {And at a grand total of about $3 for all these fun hats, why not?}

I love to see the kiddies using their imaginations, so as long as they are having fun, I will encourage them to wear as many hats as they want.

pages

2009-09-11T18:44:00.024-04:00

that have been completed recently and are sitting on my desk...My crafty boy {photos from a few years ago}...
Painting {R at age 2}...
Us in Penticton, BC {Miss S is 2 months old peeking out of the baby sling}...
K's birthday in '06 {R is 2, Miss S 2 months}. The journaling reads "You might think it is R's birthday since he is the one wearing the hat..." But it was K's party. R just loved the Elmo hat so much from his party, he saved it and wore it all the time. Just reminds me of all the cute little quirks he had as a toddler...

Photos of, in R's words, "the horse that bit me"...

The girls and I are starting our weekly scrapbooking sessions up again next week, after a break over the summer. It won't be the same without you Kelly, so I hope you post all your pages on your blog so I can still see them!

the one where I catch you up

2009-09-05T06:16:00.017-04:00

R and I went Walking With Dinosaurs, and took Monique and his buddy E with us. It was an amazing show {go to the official website, click on Watch Footage, and then on the photo of the dinosaur eggs, to get an idea of what the live show was like}. We watched from a suite, which put us a safe distance above the dinosaurs, so it "wasn't scary at all" according to R. Miss S stayed home, but she gave me some carrots to put in my bag "to feed the dinosaurs"...

I convinced Renee, Lee Anne, Christine, Monique and Jill to join me at The Circus Starring Britney Spears concert! Despite the fact that we were too old, and clearly too overdressed {ie...we were actually wearing clothing} we had a good time. We missed the opening act because we were still at D'Arcy McGee's enjoying dinner and drinks on the patio. Luckily we did not miss the start of the circus, because those performers were probably the best part of the show. Brit may not really sing {all the gum chewing makes it hard for her to lip-sync even}, but she puts on an entertaining show. So even though I am not a Britney fan {sorry Uncle VW} I had fun! We took the kiddies to the Canadian Museum of Nature. They loved it. The interactive exhibits are so great for the kids and the The Trading Post is just the kind of thing that R would love. He is a collector {right now there is a pile of acorns and a strip of birch bark on his desk from a recent hike}.

I registered the kiddies for their fall activities. Swimming for both, dancing for Miss S and hockey for R {a "real team with uniforms" this time, and a big time commitment for the whole family I think}. Pre-school for Miss S and Senior Kindergarten for R...

We have been doing lots of bike riding and baseball playing with Grandpa, celebrated the other Miss S's birthday and K's too, and have finally been able to start putting together the kiddies play structure...

There. All caught up.

then and now

2009-09-04T05:57:00.006-04:00

2008

2009

2008

2009

This is what I love about scrapbooking. And now blogging. Our life in pictures. Documenting the big events and the everyday stuff. Looking back at the past. Remembering the moments. I love it.

recovered. and recovered?

2009-09-03T21:29:00.003-04:00

Photos from fried hard drive: recovered.
{Thank you super smart techy-guy that works with my husband. You are my hero}

Me after a looong visit with the outlaws: not quite recovered! Did not even have the time or energy for blogging during this time. But I am back in blogland now. With new photos {and some recovered ones} to share.

Stay tuned blogfriends...

happy birthday uncle vw

2009-08-19T16:08:00.006-04:00

Dear Uncle VW,

Happy Birthday! I sent you a picture when I was in your favorite baseball player's shirt. When are you coming back here? Can you send me a letter and tell me? Thanks. Did you see Mickey Mouse and Captain Hook in Disneyland?

Love R {from Miss S too}

{a letter to Uncle VW as told to Mommy}

the time traveler's wife

2009-08-19T10:37:00.007-04:00

If you are still thinking about the movie the next day, it must have been good right?

Last night I saw The Time Traveler's Wife with some girlfriends, and I am still thinking about it today. Christine, Jen and I had read the book, and Lee Anne hadn't {which made the experience more entertaining because I kept hearing Jen whisper to Lee Anne explaining things that you could have easily missed if you hadn't read the book. I especially loved the part where I heard Lee Anne say "Well how many of him are there then?}.

I think my review would be that the movie was good. But I am always biased to the book, if I have read it first. I love reading more than I love watching movies. I loved this book. And there is just no way they can put all the detail of the novel into the film, without making it ten hours longer. The film did a pretty good job of touching on the most important parts of the story, but it is harder to get into the characters and really understand Claire and Henry's relationship without all the detail of the book. You know what I mean.

So I highly recommend the book. And the movie is good too. Just different. And if you read the book first and then you go to the movie, you can't really just enjoy the movie for itself. Because if you're like me, you will be constantly comparing it to the parts of the book in your head. Or if you are like Lee Anne, you will be sitting in the theater wondering out loud why Henry's hair is suddenly gray. {Just teasing Lee Anne - you know I love you}!

pages

2009-08-18T11:06:00.028-04:00

Since it has been a sweltering 40 degrees or so outside all week, I have been doing some crafting inside with the kiddies, to keep us from melting. The routine this week seems to be: playing outdoors in the morning {baseball and bike riding are the activities of choice lately} and then cooling off in the air conditioning in the afternoon.

Some of my recent pages that I have scrapbooked and scraplifted...

{Miss S and her baby doll "Sophie"}

{K's sister on her visit to meet Miss S for the first time}

I need to add some journaling to this page. I want Miss S to know that the dress she wore for her Baptism was made by my Grandma, over 60 years ago, for my Mom's Baptism. I love that it was handed down, and now it hangs like a work of art, in Miss S's room where we can enjoy it...

Need to add some journaling on this one too...

let's go to st.louis

2009-08-12T12:08:00.007-04:00

How cool is this...

Mary Engelbreit is hosting Home Companion Workshops! And check out the list of amazing instructors...Wendy Addison, Amy Butler, Tinsel Trading, Claudine Hellmuth, Mathew Mead, French General, Charlotte Lyons, just to name a few ~~of my favorite creative celebrity type people~~. Wow, wow, wow.

Oh. My. God. I want to go. Are you in???

I will be waiting ~~not so~~ patiently to hear more of the details.

{Posting from The Grandparents laptop, waiting to hear if anything can be recovered from my hard drive}

i'm mad at my computer

2009-08-09T12:07:00.022-04:00

Immediately after I uploaded all my photos from a recent trip to Boston and Cape Cod, my laptop decided it hated me. And it quit on me {conveniently one month after my warranty expired}. So right now I am very mad at my computer. And I miss it...

So over the next few days while I see if it is possible to recover any of my ten gazillion photos off the fried hard drive, I may not be blogging. I may just be sitting around crying over the loss of all the photos that I have not backed up {I know, I know. I should know better. But it was always on my list of things to do...}

I am also very mad at Dell right now, who instead of telling me how exactly I could recover my priceless photos, just continued to try and sell me a new hard drive. I really don't care if you are going to "waive the cost of shipping" I just want to know how to save the photos of my kiddies. Oh, and thanks for emailing me a quote for the new hard drive - less shipping. I'll respond to that right away. Or maybe not, since your email is sitting on my laptop that I can no longer turn on. Thanks for all your help.

Today, I'm going to check out the new Apple store that is in Ottawa - so there, Dell.

And I'm going to buy an external hard drive. I have learned my lesson, the hard way. I will be backing up my photos in multiple locations, from now on.

just add water

2009-08-01T13:37:00.007-04:00

Take my kiddies.
Add water.

Instant summer fun.

Lots of time spent at various beaches...

running through the sprinkler or splashing in a pool at a friend's...

Swim lessons at the local pool. Summer is so easy.

What are we going to do when summer ends?

pages

2009-07-31T06:08:00.003-04:00

I am having fun scrapping as much as I can these days...

Good times.