Peter Pan and a taste of royalty

So our fairy hunt has taken a new turn. T has come up with the most brilliant idea to trap Peter Pan and that way Tinkerbell will certainly come to find him. She was telling me the most intricate plans tonight as we were lying in her bed about how she will make Tinkerbell some clothes from paper and if she doesn't like them, then she can just wear a diaper. You can guess what type of toothpaste she chose last week - Tinkerbell. She thought spreading a little of it in her bug catcher may help in her quest. Good luck little T...I'm rooting for you!

Besides our fairy hunts we have started our two week swimming lesson sessions today. I think it will go quite smoothly. The kids are very comfortable in the water, much more then last year and seemed to have a good time. It is a nice place to spend the mornings.

T had the honor of passing the flowers to the 2nd princess at our local festival. She was a little nervous considering "the whole universe would be watching," but did absolutely fantastic! It was such a highlight for her and I'm sure she will remember it for years to come!

Fairy Hunter

Anyone that has been within earshot of my daughter over the last several days will be no stranger to her fairy fantasy! She has become completely obsessed over catching a fairy. I have no idea what she saw or where she came up with the idea. It happened the day we gave her a new book about fairies but before we started reading the story of a little girl who had a chance to befriend some fairies. She only was able to see them because she believed in them. So this is not helping our situation ANY!

The night before we started reading the book she was up until 11:30pm crying because she wanted to catch one and trying to devise a plan. She even thought she should take its wand away to ensure it didn't cause trouble. We were outside at 11:00pm, flashlight in hand because she needed to show us where she thought there may be one.

She has made a home for these fairies in her new bug house (which she saved up her allowance for). She even made a sign for her "fairy house" asking me how to spell yes beside her drawing of a fairy. It is amazing to watch her imagination soar and at the same time sad to see my little girl longing for the impossible. The first of many dreams I wish I could make come true! I love this girl to pieces!

He's 6

I can not believe 6 years have passed. This little guy is growing up right before my eyes. Teaching me so many things and bringing so much joy to our lives. I love that he still loves to cuddle, give hugs and kisses, tell us how much he loves us and is not TOO embarrassed by our craziness (although he does sometimes ask me to stop singing while rolling his eyes). He had his birthday party on Saturday and had chosen a small party with 2 friends and his 4 year old sister (by choice :) ). We went mini golfing and go-kart racing and then out to Dairy Queen for lunch. It was so much fun being able to focus on such a small group. We had a singsong in the van (Barenaked Ladies Popcorn is a favourite in our house right now)!

Tonight we had another little get together. He seemed so excited last night to say "see you when I am 6," but tonight is missing being 5. :(

You are such a blessing little man. I'm looking forward to many more days, months and years with you.

Out of Routine

Summer always comes with a change in routine. All of the activities end and there is an abundance of free time. This I am thankful for because there are also many more things I want to do. Every year I say I am not going to the let the summer pass so quickly and I try to cram as much in as I can. We have been participating in the reading program at the library this summer. It is a bit of a chore to get my kids to sit down for any length of time for stories. They are just too busy but this has given them some motivation! S is reading many of his own and is constantly surprising us with how well he is reading. T is busy crafting away. She loves to paint and I am always getting little pictures from her with little words on them. She is asking more and more how to spell things and is interested in practicing her letters.

Back to this library club...and being out of routine...my kids have been a little off and are having to relearn how to spend 24/7 together. Everyone is staying up later and getting up at the normal time which means too little sleep which of course impacts behaviour. For those who saw us walking home from the library last week my daughter does not typically lie on the sidewalk shouting "No, Mommy..." but yes it does happen and when it happens I feel an urge to flee the scene :) Just keep on walking and hope she decides to catch up. One day it will be a distant memory but some days that parenting thing sure is hard. Managing 2 spirited kids with a baby to tote along can really wear a person out. I love it and am so happy I chose to stay home with them but some days...well let's just leave it at that :) [insert image of S on his bike about a block ahead of me almost colliding with an older kid, baby sitting in stroller on sidewalk and T clinging to me like a monkey as I try to rationalize with her - all the while what feels like 30 cars pass by wondering who this crazy family is].

This summer has started off with some long awaited renovations. I know...bad time of year for it. The drywalling should be complete tomorrow and then we are going to paint. Who wants to stay indoors painting during the summer? That will only happen if we can agree on colours before September hits :)

We had a nice relaxing weekend of sleepovers for the kids at Grandma and Grandpa's. On Saturday we got a wake up call from S asking when we would come for breakfast. When we got there he escorted us to our seats, handed out the menus and then brought activity place mats that he and Grandpa had made. I kept their menus and placemats as souvenirs! The weekend continued by being spoiled senseless! I am so lucky to have such great parents and to have them nearby!

We spent a lot of time chalking Grandma and Grandpa's driveway this weekend.

S went for a bike ride with his dad on Sunday and they made it all the way from town to the golf course and then called for me to come pick them up. S was so proud of himself that he made it all the way. I couldn't believe it either, just more proof that he is not my little guy anymore and is becoming more and more independent!


This little one has a new favourite word - "No." She is trying to follow along with S and T and they are pretty accommodating but at times are frustrated by the pre-two's stage. I had to post this picture because S said it makes him nervous...he is afraid she is going to fall and could I please not take pictures like this of her.

Days of Summer

We made it through the last day of kindergarten last week and had T's preschool program the same day. The day wasn't without tears but S was happy to have the distraction of a classmates birthday party! He got a webkinz for "graduating" and apparently the whole class had to go on a hunt for snuggles a few times throughout the day. LOL!




The days of summer have begun at our house this week. Everything has finished until the fall, except for swimming lessons. So today the kids were busy with crafts as I was getting the Rhubarb Roots forum going! Hooray, it is finally back up! Here is what they made.


We had some friends out visiting from BC. The kids always play VERY well together. They got together and planned a few performances for us. Unfortunately I was taking pictures without the memory card and missed all the good ones, but it was SO cute. Spencer was the narrator and directed the show! Little R and G had a chance to kind of meet. They are old enough now that they could interact. It was so cute when they were playing with the puzzle at the table and she moved in beside him, put her arm around him, started rubbing his back and giving him hugs!

Emotional Day!

S had his kindergarten celebration today. I knew I was feeling a little sad about it being over but thought I'd be able to fight through it...well...the tears started flowing during the first song they sang. By the very end there was not a dry eye in the room. His teacher was such an awesome match for him, she was so understanding of him and his temperment which made things easy on me. She helped him grow so much, encouraged so many positive relationships and taught him many valuable skills in such a fun way (I don't really think he realized he was learning :) ). She ended the program today with a slideshow played to music of pictures throughout the year. It lasted for about 10 minutes and gave us such a great visual of what the year looked like...that alongside some very moving music and most of us were trying to focus through the tears, she even got Preston with it. It was obvious how attached she had become to these kids over the past year. I am so proud of S...what he has accomplished this year...trudging off to school even when things were tough - he got there every single day and received a certificate recognizing his perfect attendance. He has learned to read and write (still need to work on that spelling ;) ). He said his favourite thing about kindergarten was singing and he wants to be a nurse when he grows up, that or a computer worker. We got a fabulous me book with a collection of works from throughout the year. I'm going to miss kindergarten and the innocence we are leaving behind. Thank you to his great teachers and their ability to ensure a positive start to the journey.

Stunning!

We had the opportunity to do some grad pictures recently for an amazing girl and I had to post some of my favourites! We have a bit of a history...I coached her in hockey, and she has spent summers babysitting my children. What a bright future...you are one fabulous individual!