Goodbye and Good luck Miss Sophie (Wednesday, August 25, 2010)

Sophie is moving on and up in the world, going off to preschool before she turns 3!

We celebrated her special last day with dancing and cupcakes and lots and lots of hugs.

Sophie you're a funny girl who kept us on our toes, and it seems a little quieter without you! Thank you for my beautiful book and music, we think of you every time we share them.

Hi Ho It's off to the park we go! (Wednesday, August 18, 2010)

There is a great splash pad and playground at Gibbons Park that is just perfect for toddlers, and fun for bigger kids too! My mom accompanied us on our little feild trip, and we all had a really good time. Even though it was a little chilly, Hailey and Broday loved playing in the water, and Sophie and Daniel were having a fantastic time on the slides, and the "up-down" teeter-totter. We packed a picnic snack of muffins and watermelon and played the morning away. What a great day!

Happy Birthday Alecia! (Friday, August 6, 2010)

OOO Alecia! We can't beleive you are already 2! What a big girl you have turned into.

Amelia and I baked a chocolate zucchini cake to share for snack to celebrate the special occasion. I think Brody really liked it. He looks worried I'm going to take it back before he's done!

We are having so much fun I forget to post!

Some pictures of our summer fun!

• Sophie, looking so glam in her "polka-dot bikini"
• All uf us playing outside in the pool on a warm morning.
• Some lego fun indoors. (I am trying to encourage small bouts of group play, to work on sharing, taking turns and such)
• And one picture I got at Gibbons Park--I will take more next time we go out!

I realized we never shared Sophie's big news--she became a big sister in May! How exciting. She is very humble, and doesn't talk about it much, but we know she is very proud of her little brother Gabe. :D

We are also on the count-down to Alecia's big day! Happy 2nd Birthday Alecia! We will share a special snack for her special day!

Stinky Feet!

Working on a group picture. We took turns tracing our hands and feet, then comparing them! Hailey has the longest feet. Daniel has the widest feet. Alecia has the shortest feet. Brody has the most ticklish feet!

Backyard Fun

Hailey practising her bubble blowing. Getting one off into the air is very exciting! Daniel is (not so) patiently waiting for his turn to blow a bubble too!

Wow, we have really had a taste of summer this week! Everyone has been really great about putting on their sunscreen and wearing their hats, I am so glad that we can all be safe in the sun.
I am trying to get all the kids to have at least one cup of water (in addition to their usual juice and milk) while they are here on hot days. Not everyone is such a fan, but it sure is easier when they are thirsty!

I am planning a succession of animal themes throughout the summer: backyard animals, bugs and insects, zoo and jungle animals as well as farm animals, which will lead nicely into the end of summer harvest.

We have planted some yummy veggies in our garden and it will be fun to watch them grow and taste them as the summer goes on. We put in some yellow squash, spinach, two different types of tomatoes, lots of carrots and some green onions--I wonder what we will get to try first?

What's Cookin'?

This is a picture I took a couple weeks ago. Alyssa and Amelia have been exploring their culinary sides. They made oatmeal chocolate chip muffins (that were so delicious!) and later on in the month they made some oatmeal raisin cookies that were probably the best oatmeal cookies I have ever had! (Their secret? Substituting cinnamon for the vanilla! We were all out of vanilla, and the cinnamon was sooo yummy with the raisins!) Even Hailey (our resident 'avoider of sweets') ate a cookie.

Flutter by, Butterfly

Amelia and Alyssa are growing a Butterfly Garden in a corner of our backyard! We can't wait to see how the flowers look, and count the butterflies that come to visit us over the summer.

And we finally have grass to play on in the backyard, and sand in the sandbox! When the weather warms up we will pull out the little pool and have some great water fun too.

Happy Mother's Day

Just a quick pic of our latest creations. I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Mother's Day. You all deserve it! (Thank you to Hailey, Lisa and Tom for my "Best Second Mom" Flowers!)

The Middlesex-London Health Unit has been out at our playgroups lately promoting the "Nipissing Screening" checklists. The checklists highlight milestones that are generally accomplished three months earlier, so if there are any acheivements that your child hasn't made yet, it could be an indication of some developmental delays. I think the checklist are great at highlighting a child's accomplishments too. There may be milestones your child has reached without us even noticing!

Summer is on it's way! I have had my 2010 vacation dates posted for quite some time now, but just in case you didn't write them down I will be off from July 5 - 9, and from August 30 - September 3. We are really looking forward to spending some time at the beach and going camping this year!

Ring Around the Rosie

It's funny that the little boys get a kick out of dressing up like a princess, just as much as the little girls do. We put on party dresses, necklaces and carry our favourite things in a pretty purse. Then we top it off with a tea party or a game of 'ring around the rosie'!