Christmas day 2007. So much to be grateful for.

First on the list would be family.

Jade is a treasure. She is growing into a young woman and a good big sister which is not always an easy task. She is trying so I can't ask for more than that.

Nathan, with his twinkle and mischievous ways is keeping us shaking our heads and smiling.

Darren is truly the love of my life. He has a quiet way of doing what is right and of taking care of those that he loves.

Lot's of gifts and lot's of family and friends over the holiday. I am feeling blessed to have life so good. The people that surround us are all great and the circle is getting bigger.

Who will win the battle. This week it is feeling like us against them. "Us" being Darren and myself and "them" being the kids. Crazy week...maybe it is the excitement over Christmas...I am not sure but the kids are getting into lot's of trouble.

Keeping with the theme of gratitude I can honestly say I am very grateful for Nathan's preschool teachers. When I have a rough day with him they listen, offer advice and reassure me that "Yes, he is a normal little three year old boy". It is great to also meet with other parents at the preschool that are going through similar challenges. I think we quickly forget the issues that occur at every age and then when we are going through them it feels like we are the only ones. Thankfully we are not!

The picture above is of Steph and Shelley...two other preschool Mom's and now good friends.

Thursday December 6th

I am a little late posting about last Thursday but it is definitely worth mentioning. Both kids went to school and Darren took the day off from work. We spend the day together doing some of our favourite things. We started with a long walk exploring in the woods; it was beautiful, snow on the ground and the sun shining. We had lunch at "the Works" and the food was fantastic. Mike and Roberta also had the same lunch plan so we were able to get two tables together. After lunch we headed downtown to do a little shopping and then on to the Nordik spa. Helen and Garry took care of the kids after school so we were able to really have a full day together. Excellent, excellent day!

I went snow shoeing for the first time today. Lot's of fun and a great workout. I ended up going for longer than I planned. I dropped Bear's leash on the trail and did not realize till I was almost home. We had to back track about 15 minutes until I found it.

Nate was a handful today. He came home from school and had an accident in the bathroom. He tried to make it but unfortunately flooded the floor, his socks, his shirt and of course his pants. After I got his clothes off, I sent him upstairs for some clean underwear and I cleaned up the floor. While I was doing that he was busy opening his bedroom closet door and peeing. Of course he announced what he did so I ran upstairs to find another mess. After I cleaned up AGAIN, I sent him for a time out,I needed the 3 minutes more than he did so I could calm down.

Shortly after that he decided to unroll the toilet paper in the bathroom. At this point I was very ready for him to have a nap and when I had him all settled in his bed he said "I love you Mommy". Ok...I admit that made it all better. I am a sucker for the cute little guy even with all the challenges.

Wow....snow day... we are buried in SNOW!

Lot's of fun for kids but not great for those who have to shovel their driveways. Thankfully we had a helper going around shoveling the end of driveways after the snow plow went by. I am very proud to say it was my husband Darren doing something nice in his own quiet way. He made the life of four families easier today when they returned to their homes. Well done!

Wow...this parenting gig is tough! We are trying hard but every day is bringing new challenges.

On the positive side of things:
Nate has improved with his swimming. He has joined the class and is blowing bubbles and kicking his feet. Every week...more progress. Excellent!
Jade is doing well. I have been trying to spend more one on one time with her which has been something that we both need but is not always easy to do. She is growing up fast and I am hoping that we have a strong relationship through the teen years . I got to watch her play basketball yesterday and was really proud of how well she played and thrilled to see her having so much fun. Darren has volunteered to help with the scoring at the games so it has turned into a great family activity for us.

Kids swimming lessons

Nate and Jade are both taking swimming lessons. Jade is doing very well and enjoying it. Nathan...not so much. Last week he refused to go near the teacher and he kept a safe distance out of the pool watching. Today Darren convinced him to go in with the teacher but Nate cried most of the time. Poor little guy. Every time the teacher asked him to join in he would respond "NO...I don't need to!!!!". I am hoping he will slowly adjust and start to enjoy the class.

Winter arrives!

Wow...we have been hit with a lot of snow early this year. Yesterday was the first snow fall, the kids were so excited and out playing in the snow even before breakfast. Nate had his undies and his PJ shirt on under his snowsuit. Today we got hit with tons of snow and the city has turned into a winter wonderland. Very magical and fun for the little ones.

SICK

I was sick yesterday. The nasty kind where nothing stays down and you wonder how you can get out of bed. Not good normally but even worse when you are the only adult in the house and there is a small child. I normally try to fend for myself as much as possible even when I am sick but yesterday I had no choice but to call for help. Thankfully my friend Roberta was off and she dropped everything that she was doing to come over and take care of things for me. She even took Nathan to preschool. Later in the afternoon Helen came over to help and brought supper with her. I am feeling very lucky to have people to call on and that will help. What an amazing blessing.

Out with the boys

When Nate starts running up and down the hallway chasing the dog, you know it is time to get him outside and give him some space to run. Yesterday was one of those days. Darren and I took Nate for a walk in the ravine to burn some of that extra energy. Unfortunately the days are short now and it gets dark early so the walk in the woods time is limited. We had a short walk but loads of fun. Darren turned the last part of our walk into a hide and seek game to keep Nate moving. It was an excellent idea and a great memory that I don't think Nate will soon forget. Nathan was smiling ear to ear and so was I. At the end of the walk Darren carried Nathan on his shoulders. FUN!!

the leaf collection

If you were to go for a ride in our truck you would wonder why we have so many leaves in the back seat. Every time Nathan gets in, he picks up a leaf from the driveway and brings it into the truck and puts it on the floor. We have a big collection going...I think it is pretty neat. Every time he picks up a leaf he shows it to me, feeling proud and tells me how beautiful it is. I am hoping that he will always appreciate the beauty of nature and for now I will enjoy his eyes twinkling as he adds to his leaf collection.

Remembrance Day

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Jade's school for their remembrance day ceremony. Jade was singing in the choir. The music was very well done and I felt very proud of Jade for being a part of it. Remembrance day presentations always make me teary eyed. Today was no different. I felt very moved by "Amazing Grace" which was played on the bagpipes. It brought back memories of a funeral that I went to many, years ago for a teenage friend that died in a car accident. The song is very moving but when it is done on the bag pipes...it sends shivers through me.

I had lunch today with a friend from high school. It was great to get out and spend the time with someone positive. My friend has had many issues and problems thrown her way yet she remains a grateful positive woman! Amazing. I like to think people come into our lives for a reason, perhaps the reason we are now reacquainted is to learn from each other.

My lovely hosts for the garage party:

Cute kids:

October 30th and 36 years young!

Birthdays and PMS don't mix. That I know for sure. I will only highlight the good parts of that day when I was not snapping at someone. (yikes!)

The day started fabulous with a little get together at Joy's house. Gaby, Joy and myself enjoyed champagne with raspberries, homeade raspberry pie with whip cream, homeade scones with jam and whip cream! Fantastic! Thanks girls for spoiling me and making the morning very special.
The afternoon my Mom visited and then Darren came home from a business trip with Lonestar. Excellent supper and great that I did not have to cook.

October 31st. Halloween!

Great day. Lunch at Rangoli's with Roberta and Rupi. Fabulous!

Garage party at Gaby and Eric's Halloween evening. So much fun to hang out with the neighbours. Emma came over to help ,that was an extra bonus. Darren took Nate out trick or treating and the little guy did very well. He came back to Gaby and Eric's house and had even more fun handing out the candies to the other kids that came. Jade had a blast trick or treating with Josh, Noah, Jonathan, Anna, Julia, Niana....
I personally had lot's of fun hanging out in the garage, glass of wine in one hand and swedish berries in the other chatting away to the neighbours. What else could you ask for?

Joy made a birthday cake for Judy and me...she did an excellent job. Very nice surprise! We also created a fun memory by walking down to the haunted house. Annik, Gaby, Joy, Emma and myself. Very fun, lot's of screaming and laughter.

Big thanks to everyone for all the great gifts, kind words and good birthday wishes. I feel extremely lucky to have such great Friends and family.

Birthday supper 36!

Just came home from a fabulous meal at the in-laws. Prime rib that they made to celebrate my 36 birthday! It was excellent and loads of fun as always. I feel very lucky to have an extended family that is so kind and accepting.

Friday

There are days that are great, and today is one of them! I feel very happy and lucky to be where I am in my life. I started the day today with a walk in the woods with my neighbour Gaby. I love the way she sees the world and I really like talking with her. Perfect way to start the day.

When I picked Nate up today his preschool teacher had rave reviews about his behaviour. What a great way for him to end the rocky school week...on a good note. Well done Nate. (He was so exhausted from being good that he came home and fell asleep on his floor even before he ate lunch).

Lunch today was Rangoli's with Darren. A celebration for another week complete..

I had my first volunteer session with "Children at Risk". It is a charity that works with the Autism spectrum. The time was well worth it and I got to meet some interesting people. One couple really stood out as being amazing. I would say that they are both probably in their late 70's and FULL of life. They joked around together and you could tell that they were very much in love. As I got to know about them a little more I heard that they spend lot's of time volunteering wherever they see need. Amazing couple!

The volunteer opportunity taught me more about autism. Lena was there and I learned more about her experience with her son Cameron. He is 7 years old and just learning to sign "I Love my Mom". I can't imagine the joy it must bring to Lena to see him learn that...7 years waiting for her.

One quote that stood out today about autism is "Not being able to speak is NOT the same as having nothing to say!"

After nap Nate and Grandpa had some play time at Grandpa's house. Garry was originally planning on coming over to care for Nate in the afternoon but it worked out that Darren was able to stay with him. Nate was so disappointed about missing time with Grandpa Garry that we arranged for them to have a little time together later in the day. Nate was thrilled.

I spend the Nate free time getting a little work done and decorating outside with Jade for Halloween. Fun!

Nordic Spa

Darren and I spent the evening at the Nordic Spa. One of my favourite places to be. Very relaxing! Food was incredible and the view was amazing. The moon was almost full and it was a clear bright sky. On the way home from the spa we ran out of gas in the truck. Luckily we were very close to a service station so Darren was able to fix the problem fast. Unfortunately a splash of gas spilled out of the gas container into the back of our truck. The smell was very strong so we drove home with the windows down, hoodies up and heat on. Very funny! Good times.

Victory

Life is full of small victories. Sitting up, crawling, walking...
Today Nathan added to his victory list. He took his shirt off for the first time. I know that is such a small thing but really to a parent it is a stepping stone to other victories. Nate had a huge smile on his face and said "See Mom, I did it!"
Well done my little man, I am proud of ya!

I have amazing friends!
I sent an email requesting volunteer help for an organization called "Children at Risk". My super busy neighbour Gaby replied right away and is ready to help. I am amazed by her giving attitude. What an incredible woman! I feel lucky to be her neighbour and even luckier to call her friend.

The kids

Rough day for Nate today. According to his teachers, He appears to be feeding off negative attention and he has been acting rough at school. The teachers are trying to redirect and I am crossing my finger this is just a quick stage. Nathan is a child full of energy and is often very mischievous. It is not unusual to see a twinkle in his eye and wonder what he is up to. I want to curb the rough behaviour but keep the twinkle. I love the little guy like crazy and hope that I can do a good job and raise him right.

Jade and I spent some time shopping this evening. She is growing up SO fast and faster than I think her and I both want. Her life is full of changes. Jade is a thinking, caring child. I am hoping her mind will keep working in a positive way and keep her out of trouble and harms way. My thoughts are often with her and I love her tons.

Perfect weather

What a great day! The weather was amazing! I started the day with the usual hike in the woods but even better. I was joined by a friend that I have not seen since high school. So great to catch up and learn about her life. Lena is a strong positive woman and I am glad that good old FB has given us a chance to get reacquainted.
I picked up Nate and took him to Subway (as promised). We had a quick lunch and headed out for a hike with Joy, Jacob, Steph and Cassie ( I don't think I am spelling that right, sorry). The kids had fun. The boys were full off energy but that seemed to sizzle out of them by the end of the walk. Cassie was her gorgeous, cute self. She watched the boys with interest and probably a little caution. Crazy boys!
It was good to see Steph and catch up as well. We live so close to each other but the days fly by and we don't always connect.
When Jade returned home from school and Darren was finished work, we headed into the ravine for the third walk of the day. Fabulous! I am feeling tired now from all the fresh air but wow, I loved every minute of it. I am feeling very lucky that we have such a beautiful nature area so close by.

I went to Jade's 2nd game of the basketball season today. Awesome to watch how much she has improved from last year. It was a great game and lot's of fun. Well done Ms.Jade. I am proud of ya.

I went for a walk with the boys this morning. Darren, Nathan, Bear and I strolled through the woods. I can breath deeper in the trees, it has a way of washing any frustration out of me and I really enjoyed my time. Nate is so little that he still needs help walking up and down the steep hills. I love the feeling of his little hand in mine.

Missing Pieces

I know two families that have been touched with autism but I don't understand much about the disease. In the last couple of months I have been thinking more about it and how it must be for a parent to have a child that cannot communicate. I have heard parents speak about it saying they know their son is in his body but they don't know how to get him out. The child is trapped. Unbelievable and heart breaking. Today I received a video clip from one of my friends that has an autistic son. The video moved me to tears and woke me up. Approximately 1 in every 150 kids has this and the numbers have been growing. Wow....I plan to learn more so that I can understand better and I plan to contribute to the cause. I started today by making a contribution and I have joined a group that will keep me up to speed on what is going on with the disease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhScvPYXunc&eurl=http://widget-13.slide.com/widgets/sf.swf

Rate of Autism
Twenty years ago... 1 in 10 000
Five years ago... 1 in 500
Today.... 1 in 150
Twenty years from now...... Scared yet?!?!?!

Caught!

We have a comfy reading chair in our room. In the night Bear often jumps up and has a good snore. He usually is smart enough to get down before we wake up because we do have a no dogs on the furniture policy. This morning he did not get down in time. When I took this picture he was awake but it looks like he is closing eyes hoping that I won't see him. "Maybe if I close my eyes she won't spot me".

I brought the camera with me on the run in the ravine this morning. I had to loop back and re run a section of the trail because I got so distracted taking pictures and enjoying the woods.

Rupi's 40th

Spend some time on the weekend with good friends celebrating Rupi's 40th. Good food, good champagne, good chocolate...good laughs. We stayed Friday night at a hotel downtown and Roberta and I had a great laugh trying to get the luggage into the hotel. We got the cart stuck between two doors and could not stop laughing. One of the desk staff came to our rescue. Very funny but one of those "You had to be there" moments.

Rainy beautiful day!

Rainy beautiful day!

Bear and I went for a walk in the woods. The trees act like an umbrella so we stayed fairly dry. I love this time of year when the temperature is a little cooler and the leaves are in full colour. That is one of the great things about having a dog in your life...if Bear did not need a walk, I probably would stay home and miss the beauty of the rain.

Days like today make me think of Cliff. When I look at his pictures I see rain, mist, snow...all beautiful. Cliff has taught me to look at nature in a whole different way. What a great gift.

(Picture above is one of Cliff's)

Shannon and Mike

On Friday we made the trip to North Bay for Shannon and Mike's wedding. We had a fabulous time. Darren has a great family and they are loads of fun! Uncle Richard was there and played the guitar for the kids. Nate really loves that. It was a very musical weekend with lot's of laughs.

Big congrads to Shannon and Mike. They are great couple and I predict they will have many, many great years together.

My brave little man

Today Nathan had to have an ultrasound of his testicles. I think that must rate as the worst for a three year old and pretty difficult for a parent to watch.

When we were called into the room the technician introduced himself and asked Nathan how he was doing. His response was "My Mom's gotta tattoo!".

As soon as the door closed on the room his bottom lip started to tremble and the tears came. He did an excellent job of listening to the technician and the procedure was completed with out any delays. The technician was fantastic and so good with Nathan. He made him as comfortable as possible. Very well handled for an uncomfortable situation.

Parenting.

I am learning to be a good parent.

Everyday is a challenge.

Every day new joys.

The last couple of months have been a wild ride especially with little Nathan. There are days when I am tired, foul and feel like I have failed. Other days I remember something bright about the day and I go to bed with a smile anticipating the next day.

What I want to create:
I want to be a parent that is in tune to her children and available for them.

I want to be a positive force in their lives and create a home that is a safe place for them to enter.

I want to create dialogue that encourages them to share.

I want to parent with Darren as a strong team that is healthy physically and emotionally.

I need to escape my own childhood good and bad and create a new legacy.

"When you know better, you do better".

The magic moment ends at age 10.

The truth shall set you free...how come I am feeling sad?

Today my ten year old daughter asked me for the truth about Santa. I gave my usual reply that "I do believe in the magic of Christmas". This time, that did not cut it. Jade point blank asked for the truth and if Santa is me. I caved and told the truth. I wonder if this will be a day that she remembers for a long time?

The day the magic ended.

The last weekend of September

Tomorrow is October and you can definitely feel the change of weather coming. Luckily we had some warmth for our last September weekend. Saturday we had a walk in the ravine and dinner cooked over the fire. Darren and I sat out in the evening which is one of my favourite summer things to do.
Today the weather was gorgeous and I was able to escape home and go for a walk with Bear. The sun was warm against the colourful leaves. Very peaceful in the woods and a sense of calm. It was a nice way to say farewell to summer.

(Cliff's picture)

Tattoo

"I did it!" I finally decided on my tattoo and went and got it done. It was painful but not as bad as I expected. I am very happy that Darren came with me. Just having him near helps to keep me calm and focused. Dave, the artist did a fabulous job and it turned out great! "I love it!".

The flower that I chose grew wild at the back of our yard near a maple tree in a pile of mulch, with not much soil and very dry conditions. I moved it into the regular garden bed and was so thankful when it survived the move. The flowers start in June and keep on going till the frost. To me it represents beauty, strength and newlife.

Nathan's 3rd birthday

I am a little late on posting about Nate's 3rd birthday but better late than never.

We celebrated on the Sunday before his birthday with family. He was thrilled! Nate got lot's of trains and every time he unwrapped a new one he would disappear upstairs to introduce the new train to the track. He missed most of the meal because he was upstairs focused on the trains. Dream come true for a little man!

He did return back downstairs to blow out the candles on the cake.

On Nate's actual birthday we opened presents before his morning preschool class. More trains! We send birthday cupcakes to school and he celebrated with his class. Lot's of fun!

Wasaga Beach

Yikes..time to post! It has been a while.

We just returned from a family vacation in Horseshoe Valley near Wasaga beach. Long drive but tolerable thanks to Roberta lending us her portable DVD player. The week went fast and we had a great time. Lot's of fun with the kids and very relaxing. No computers or phones to take our focus away from time with each other.

Highlights of the trip:

-Teaching Jade to play crib.

-Swimming with the kids.

-The long beautiful beach.

-Best raspberry pie ever!

-Relaxing evenings with the hubby...wine and HUGE jacuzzi tub.

LIFE is good!

Big congrads to David and Oksana on the news...it is a boy!

Tea party

Jade is turning 10 years old on the 9th of September. Very hard to believe! On labour day we had a tea party birthday with 8 of her friends. Most of the kids were from her old school Queenswood and a few from the neighbourhood. Emma was fabulous and helped out SOOOO much, I definitely could not have done it without her help.

The tea party menu was written as follows and at the table for each of the kids:

Special Tea Menu for Miss Jade Traversy

Very cherry fruity fruit salad

Your choice of:
Chai Tea
Very berry tea
Lemon ice tea
Lemonade
Bottled ice water

A selection of tea sandwiches on FRESH bread (no crusts!)
-Candace’s special egg salad
-Ham and cheese
-turkey and mayo

Bakery scones with whip cream and strawberry or peach/passion fruit preserve.

Cream puffs and chocolate éclairs

Candace’s home baked chocolate chip cookies

“Top of the Hill” bakery cake will be served later during the festivities.

We also played games and had a pinata. Jade had a very happy day! Just what she needed before starting her new school.

One of my favourite things to do in the summer is sit out on the deck with Darren in the evening by the fire. Today was one of those great days! We also had lunch together, takeout Rangoli's...fabulous!!! The simple things in life are very often the best.
I also had results from my biopsy and all is well. No cancer...great news!

Fun day today! Jade and I spent some time together and went to the Chateau Laurier for tea. We dressed nice and ate some fancy food. It was a special time and a good memory maker.

While we were out Darren and Nate went to the car show and to play "Thomas" at the mall. A divide and conquer day that turned out well.

This picture makes me smile. Even though I have felt the loss of losing both of them in the past years...good memories are surfacing.

My mini surgery

Today I was lucky enough to have a biopsy done on a growth from my face. At the same time I had a cyst removed from my shoulder. I do feel lucky...as I was lying on the stretcher waiting for the surgery to begin, I looked around and saw...an incredibly clean room, two competent Doctors who were friendly, well paid and not over worked. I also saw a room with amble supplies, modern equipment and a well trained helpful nurse... Amazing to live in Canada and have this all without the worry of how we will pay for the care. I do feel blessed.

I am slow to post...but I should mention Friday because it was a fantastic day.
I had breakfast with Tammy and then a nice walk in the woods with the dogs. The weather was a little cooler than our typical summer weather, just right for a stroll in the woods.
For lunch Darren suggested we pick up Subway and take the kids to the beach for a bit of a picnic. It was windy at the beach but very nice on the walking paths. The turtles, frogs and snakes were out. The kids love to see them and I find it fascinating as well.
At 3:30pm Helen came over and Darren and I went to the Nordic Spa. We had such a good time. Very, very relaxing. Around 6:00pm we had some fantastic food and wine. The food was very fresh with lot's of healthy choices. We ate and ATE! We continued at the spa for a couple more hours and then finished the evening with truffles and port (warm milk for me). The evening was great! So nice to be out together and focus on each other. Excellent date night!

Undies!!!

One of the reasons I do this blog is to document some of the special times with the kids. It is a way to hold onto the memory. Today was a big day for our son Nathan. It was his first day of wearing underwear! This may seem to be a small thing but trust me, for parents of a two year old boy...it is a light at the end of the diaper aisle. Progress!

What motivates Nate? Thomas trains. For the last couple of days he has been asking for a new train. I told him we could purchase "Edward" when he started wearing undies and keeping them dry. Well Nate decided today was the day. I am very proud of him and he is proud of himself. He went to bed tonight with a big smile on his face feeling very proud of all he had accomplished. Well done little man! I guess I will be soon be shopping for Edward.

The above picture is of Nate on our return trip from Omega park. You can see all his precious trains made the trip as well.

Mystery in the woods.

I went for a walk today in the woods behind the house. I discovered a group of trees with the bark stripped off. The bark was freshly removed almost to the top of the trees. At first I thought it might have been kids that had removed it but then I could not figure out how they got close to the top (40 feet up?). My neighbour came with me back to the area a little later. It looks like the work of an animal but we cannot figure out what. Very strange and a little creepy. One tree had some markings on it but I am not sure if it is related to the stripping or not. Definitely not the work of a beaver because the trees have not been eaten. Any ideas?

We tried to remove the bark ourselves to see how difficult it would be but it was to hard.

Omega Park

I went to Park Omega today with my Mom, Jade, Nathan and our neighbour Niana. Here are a couple of pictures.

Gratitude check

Every once in a while we all need a good gratitude check. Today was one of those days for me. I received the following email from a friend and it did just that. I thought it is worth sharing.

A 92-year-old, small-framed, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "But Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account.You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

I spend the day today in Merickville with Darren and Jade. Darren had a strongman competition at the fair grounds. The weather was very hot but Jade and I found a little shade. Jade spent most of her day reading book four of the Harry Potter series. It is amazing how fast she reads. She has completed book four in three days and it is 500 pages!
Big congrads to my hubby, he placed fourth in the competition. He did excellent! I am so glad Jade and I were able to go and cheer him on.

Four day weekend! Darren took Friday off work and I did the same. We had some friends over in the evening for dinner. It was a beautiful night so we were able to sit out. Nathan stayed up really late, he made it to 10:00pm. He was having fun playing with the other kids and cuddling on the couch with the girls.

Saturday we went to the Farmers market in Cumberland. Home made chocolate truffles was the highlight for me. We also took the kids to the sprinkler park and hung out in the back yard and had supper. After dinner Jade and I took Bear for a hike in the woods. We searched for some marshmallow roasting sticks and had a good talk. We came home to a camp fire and a little family time. A great night!

Sunday was a birthday party for Jade's friend Ameena. Darren, Nathan and myself joined the party around 3:30pm and had a fabulous time. Great food! Lot's of chicken curry and potatoes. Love it! We met lot's of interesting people and really enjoyed ourselves. We had to leave at 5:30pm to go to Helen and Garry's and the time came very quick. "Time flies when you are having fun!".

Monday we went down to the beach for a barbecue with some of the neighbours. The weather was nice. My friend Gaby smuggled us some wine and we sat around and had some good conversation and laughs. We got home and put the kids to bed and then the party continued over at Joy's house. The girls gathered on her deck and had a good talk. I feel very lucky to have such good neighbours!

Cottage picture of my two scientists checking out a spider web.

This morning Nate, Jade and I went down to the mall to run some errands. We stopped at a kids store and Jade got the chance to try on some fancy dresses for a family wedding that is coming up. She felt like a princess and looked beautiful. I was thrilled when we made our choice and brought one home. Not long ago purchasing a dress like that would have been an extra I could not have afforded.

Today I spend a couple of hours at CHEO with my daughter Jade. I was so impressed with the Doctor. She spend an hour with us and left no stone unturned. We also had swabs, blood tests and X-rays done. If there is a problem this Doctor will find it! Jade mentioned to me on the drive home that she was glad that she lived in a country that has a good medical system. My girl is so right. What a blessing and what an amazing thing to have such a great children's hospital in our home town. One of those things I take for granted normally but not today.

Tonight we spend the evening at the beach. Darren was training and Nate played while I kept a watchful eye. It was a fun night!

Today was a tough day. Jade was ill and Nate was very wild. We needed to stay close to home but that did not work well with Nathan. I was very frustrated and overwhelmed by 5:00pm. Thankfully the day ended on a good note. My friend Roberta dropped off a piece of cake to cheer me up. The cake was great but the thought was even nicer. Darren took over with the kids in the evening (thank God).

I was able to go for a walk with Bear in the woods. Our walk was a little late and the ravine was getting dark. We heard some scratching and when we looked up into the trees we saw four raccoons looking back. What an amazing site.

North Bay July 2007

We just returned from our vacation at the family cottage. The weather was fantastic and we had a fabulous time. The cottage is in a remote location without electricity or running water. We do have a a gas fridge, stove and lights and the location is beautiful! The cottage has been recently expanded so now there are three bedrooms, kitchen, family room, deck and soon to be a bathroom...

It was so nice to:

-See the stars every night without any city lights.

-To watch the sunset over the water.

-Celebrate Christmas in July and make home made ornaments for our forest tree.

-To cook over the campfire and play games with the family.

-To go for hikes in the woods.

-To have Bear go of lead for a whole week, running, swimming, playing...

-Make family memories that will last a lifetime.

Big thanks to Darren's parents for sharing the week with us.

Ravine

Started the day with a visit with Tammy and a nice walk with the dogs in the ravine. For once I actually remembered to bring my camera. It was fun and I really enjoyed chit chatting with Tammy and catching up. Hope is turning into a beautiful dog with a sweet personality. Bear had a blast playing in the back yard with her. Poor Bear was exhausted when he got home. I took lot's of pics, trying to use up the battery...I am glad I did though because I got some shots that I love.