Look Out Below!!!

A friend organized an egg drop through our homeschool group. We have been enjoying the 'family night' activities, giving a chance for the whole family to participate but also for us to get to know the other dad's a little better.

The kids spent the afternoon constructing contraptions that would keep allow their egg to fall (about 2 storeys) and land without breaking. They kids wee all very creative using materials from the house; determined for it to be only recycled materials.

Elias used newspaper, a berry crate, stale marshmallows and a plastic bag parachute...success! Aria used 1/2 if a plastic bottle to hold the egg, surrounded by deflating balloons in a berry crate with a parachute...success! Ben used a wet wipe box with the egg in a napkin, surround by marshmallows, then put in another box and a parachute....success!!! I was really amazed with the creative ideas the kids came up with, totally on their own. They spent quite awhile brainstorms ideas and collecting materials, I was only in charge of tape dispensing and knot tying.

There was a great diversity in the different types of contraptions, ranging from balloons to multi-parachutes to foam to steel bowls. With only a few breaks, the night was a lot of fun. Throw in snack and running around with friends it can't be beat.

I just love this bottom picture. She is growing so fast, her passion, determination, strong opinions and beauty awe me.

Curls with Dad

During a brainstorm of ideas, Aria and Dad came up with lots of great ideas of how to spend the time over the weekend. The possible favorite was Dad taking her to have her haircut, then curled! There is nothing like the special treatment from Dad.

All about time

My two oldest boys went away this weekend with Chris' parents. This was a big deal, as they don't get to see them as often as they would like, combined with sleeping away for the weekend. They were excited. They have been dreaming of fishing, boating, campfires, fishing, swimming and more fishing all week.

Their dreams of spending lots of time in the boat, on the dock and in the water with rod in hand were met (thankfully :). The came home with buckets of rubber lures and stories to share. I think fishing may take up a little more of our spare time (translated into daddies spare time) .

Aria was a little upset that she was invited to join in the fishing fun, even though the thought of leaving for the weekend didn't appeal to her. She so enjoys being with her brothers and them with her, it was difficult for them to be apart.

Plans were made for her to have her nails done with her Grandma and then out to lunch (which she very much enjoyed). We also got to focus a lot of attention on her, which is something I think she has been craving. She really does thrive on social interaction. In the five love languages she very much is fueled by time spent together; having someone listen to her stories, play with her, sit and read. Its the being together part that is important. So this weekend there was nothing but. We had breakfast at the airport, soccer, paddle boats and rides at the park, a visit to a new park, out to listen to music, ice cream, a movie of her choice, cuddles in the big bed. She was in heaven and we loved it too!

A Talented Friend

We attended an event organized in part by a good friend whom I met a lifetime ago, on a cross cultural exchange to the Dominican Republic. I met her during one of those life altering experiences. Her and I totally meshed on so many levels from the beginning. We have remained friends over the past 15years continuing to be kindred spirits throughout different parts of the world, getting married and the addition of our children. Although we only see each other occassionally it always feels like yesterday we last saw each other. One of the things I love about her is her attentiveness (or attempt to be :) to her own needs and growth. Being a mother often means those needs come in last. One of the things she does for her is be a member of a very active group drumming group.

It was great to finally get to watch her perform. She is part of a taiko drumming group; RAW (Raging Asian Women). They made their own drums out of oak barrels, music aside these instruments are a piece of art. This type of drumming involves lots of movement of the individuals body but also of the whole group. Sometimes more than one woman played a drum, at other times they were moving and drumming, there was story telling and dancing, a spiritual and celebratory components. It was so much more than music or drumming.
The evening was a fund raiser for the Stephen Lewis foundation. There was a dinner of fabulous locally grown food including corn steamed on site, a juggler, magician, a pool and a band. It was a wonderful night.

Hey C who knew you had such great rhythm and talent???you were great :)

Soccer Star

Aria loved playing soccer. It was perfect for her. She could chat with other players, try out her special tricks, have everyone watch her, eat a special snack, have a fancy new outfit and try something new. She has not only enjoyed it, but she has been extremely coordinated and even determined most days to get the ball. It is something she is asking to play again.
With the boys being gone this weekend its was perfect to have Grammy and Grampy come and watch, to be followed by medals being given out.

This year some good friends gave us a gift for Shai's welcoming of a pass to our local splash pads and the rides at a nearby park. We also have a pass for the local conservation areas. This has meant a lots of trips to cool down and fun. The best part has been the four of the five nights a week we have dinner 'out'. We have been feasting on egg salad, bagels, pitas, pickle trays, pizza, dips and sticks, while splashing at the splash pad, in between train rides, after laps along the beach. It means getting pj's on a the beach because the kids are falling asleep on the ride home. It means no dinner dishes to wash, no scuffles with hungry kids and the pure enjoyment of bite and go or snuggling on a blanket. I am so glad our summer schedule allows us to enjoy this relaxing end to our day. It is the perfect speed, the perfect connecting time. It so feels like summer these nights.

There is a Season.

Each of our kids have taken swimming lessons since they were babies. They have all enjoyed the water and playing around in it. It is important to me that the kids become proficient swimmers for safety reasons, therefore its something I try to make sure they participate in on a regular basis. Unfortunately our pools will only allow two non swimmers in with an adult which puts public swims for me out of the options. The lessons themselves have been met with differing degrees of enjoyment. Elias has had a hard time with the idea that his class and teacher watch him as he tries to progress, that he is the centre of attention. He therefore, hasn't had great success meeting their requirements to pass the levels. Ben on the other hand doesn't want to advance without his brother even though he has been given the okay quite a few times. (very sweet).

Like with most things, there is a season. Also, as with most people they excel when things click and feel right. This summer has been the season and it has also been the time its felt right. All three of the kids are really excelling at swimming, especially Elias. He has been jumping in, diving, laying on the bottom of the pool floor, going head first down the slide. I am amazed at the difference I see every time they jump in. As a mum, its a great reminder of patience and confidence in their abilities.

While I am typing at the computer working on this blog
Aria says "Mama, I am so proud of you. You are so good at logging, you log the best! "

Happy Half Birthday

Shai is 6 months old. How can that be? Life is moving along, despite my attempts to slow it down (I think I have mentioned that before). While wanting to savour every moment, I am also so enjoying seeing him grow and explore. He is crawling, for about two weeks now. This means a new level of independence and that I need to keep on top of the floors. The kids are thrilled to see him moving around. It doesn't surprise me that he has chosen to crawl before sitting. He loves engaging in the world, being a part of the action as opposed to observing it. His eyes sparkle and his disposition forever happy, he truly is a joy. I know the next 6 months will bring about even more growth and change....lets just not go to quickly.

I never get it right!

The kids were dressed in all black today, hooded sweatshirts, pants, shoes, sunglasses
(despite the 30 plus temp). They were sneaking around in a way that lead me to think they were playing spies. I mentioned this to Chris while on the phone. The kids heard me and said "No we aren't playing spies, we are playing teenagers". (rofl)
Apparently, teenagers are a novelty at the moment, one with an interesting interpretation.

Camping...or at least our attempt

We went camping this past weekend. Our first time as a family of 6, our first time with Shai, and its been a long time since we went camping with a baby. I was originally going to go camping with some friends during the week without Dads, but the weather didn't cooperate. The kids were feeling disappointed so we decided to take advantage of camping at a conservation area we know inside and out, and is conveniently only 5 mins away should we need.

Well, we needed. Although we managed to problem solve in ways that didn't actually require going home, but the thought did cross our minds. After a slow day of packing, nursing, and some more nursing the van and trailer were loaded up. We arrived both hungry and excited. We opened the tent bag to find some mice had decided to to nest in the bag, nibbling a hole in the bottom. This didn't discourage us, there was no rain forecast :) The first pole we took out fell to pieces as the rope holding it together had been nibbled. A small bump in the road. I sat for twenty minutes trying to re-thread and join threads together. Chris pulled the rest of the poles which had no string at all, just dust and mice poop. Big bump. We brainstormed; sleep outside, string the tent from the trees, buy a new one, sleep at home, cry, call some friends. We are so thankful a friend was home, able and willing to not only deliver us a tent but help put it up and join us for a nice chat around the fire.

The rest of the weekend was great, not bump free, but we were away and together.

We enjoyed camp songs, pop can bowling, fireflies and an amazing assortment of butterflies, uno and Dad's storytelling, Frisbee and the beach. We were awed by an animal at 3 am who sounded like a didgeridoo, that three of the kids fell off the bed the second night and slept in a pile around the mattresses, that we packed up in threatening rain and eventually rain in under 30 minutes, that Aria asked to go to sleep each night and that we left wanting to return.

Ahh there is nothing like camping.

A New Discovery

Chris called us all outside to have a look at something last night. On Aria's soccer shoe looked like a big piece of bark at first, with a closer glance we could make out some wings, large antenna and a very long body. Chris is not a huge insect fan, although he has come a very long way, so we were all thrilled that he shared it with us. It was about 4 inches long and about 5 inches wide when its wings were opened. I put it in one of our bug holders so that we could have it on hand to identify. After looking in our trusty bug books we came to the conclusion it was a dobson fly.

We learnt that they are actually quite common, although this is the first time in my 34 years ever seeing one (how does that happen?). When they are adults they don't actually eat anything, they spend their time mating and laying approx. 2000 eggs. While it was in our bug carrier it left small sand grain sized green balls which we are guessing are eggs. When it is in larva stage it is called a hellgrammite. They stay in this stage for up to three years, living in the bottom of river beds. They are commonly used as trout bait, and can have a painful bite. We shared this dobson fly with some friends we saw to day and released it together. Elias thought it was amusing to try and get it close to the mums faces! I never cease to be amazed at the wonderful insects out there that I know nothing about, the search and identification is almost as exciting as the find.

A Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day. Chris was home. We decided to have a leisurely stroll along the river. At one spot along the way we saw the ground hopping. Grasshoppers? too big. leaf jumpers? too small. Upon closer

look there were literally hundreds of toads. We have stumbled upon this beautiful scene a few times this year, only in different places. We also found the most beautiful lilies; fairy lilies named by the kids for their beautiful curled shape.

Lilies at the River's Edge