Holy cow! Where did this amazing weather come from?

Just when I was sure that winter was never going to end we are finally getting hit with some amazing weather. It was 25 degrees out today and absolutely gorgeous! Amy called me up first thing this morning and invited the girls and I for a picnic at Riverside Park in Cambridge. We jumped at the opportunity and had a absolute blast playing at the playground and exploring the local trails. I took about 665 photos and during my first edit I only deleted 104 of them. That is crazy! I can't believe how crystal clear all the photos turned out.

After playing at the park for a few hours we took off to Amy's for some freezies and trampoline time. I will post pics of the kids on the trampoline later. All in all it was a fabulous day and I now have 2 very exhausted and dirty little girls.

What a fun, fun day!

Here's the photos.





PS In case you're wondering. The last photo is of Madison. I cannot believe how old she is getting! She is already 9 years old!

Not too much new

There isn't really anything too exciting going on in our household lately. The bathroom is the basement is completely gutted and we are working slowly towards replacing it. The water damage was really bad in it because there was a leak behind one of the walls. But we are now on our way to an entirely new bathroom for our quests when they come.

We also went to priceclub and bought the girls the giant wooden playset. We have been eyeing it up for years but either couldn't afford it or we weren't sure we were staying in our current home. Now that the home is ours and we know we are staying we bought it! Emma is so excited to have it put up but unfortunetly it came in a few million pieces so it's going to take us a few weeks to get it up. I can't wait to get pictures of the girls playing in it.

School is going very good for Emma. The teacher is doing the best she can to keep her interested. She is getting different work than the other kids in her class but atleast this new work provides some challenge and keeps her from becoming bored. She was tested at her reading again and she read a level E with a 99% accuracy and comprehension so she is now moving up to an F. This basically means that her reading is around the same as an "average" student that is approximately 1/2 way through grade one. Emma loves to do any sort of reading or learning activity and lately she likes to come and help us read Natalia's bedtime stories. It's really cute.

My Poor Little Critter

I feel so bad for Natalia. She came crying into our room really early this morning telling us that she was scared of the monster. I have no idea where this has come from but it's becoming a regular thing. Anyways, after I got her pretty much settled, Emma showed up in our room complaining she was hungry. I took the 2 kids downstairs but Natalia really wasn't herself. She kept crying and whining and wouldn't let me put her down. She kept asking for stuff for breakfast but then wouldn't touch anything I gave her. After a while, she crawled up on the couch and snuggled into my shoulder with her thumb in her mouth. Next thing I knew, she sat up and looked at me and proceeded to puke all over me! Yuck! The poor kid. We were both soaked. No wonder she wouldn't eat. As the morning progressed she puked 2more times until her poor little tummy was empty! Finally around noon she decided to eat and next thing I knew she perked right up and was back to her old self! I'm not sure what was the matter with her but I have a suspicion that it was something to do with her cold. She has a very, watery, runny nose right now. I'm thinking she probably swallowed a lot of mucous in the night and by morning she had an upset tummy from it.

I hope tomorrow's a better day.

Here's a few pics of the critter.




I also wanted to let everyone know that I have started a new blog dedicated totally to my digital scrapbooking. If you want to check it out the web address is

www.scrappinitdigitally.blogspot.com

At the park!

Finally, after months and months of being cooped up in the house because of the snow, we manage to escape to Mohawk Park today. We went with Kelly and the kids and we all had a blast. I got to play with my camera and the kids got to run around and burn off some energy in the beautiful sunny weather. I can't begin to explain how nice it felt to get out for a while.

This is really the first time that Natalia has been able to run around and do just about anything the bigger kids did. She has always been so little that you had to keep your eye on her constantly. Today she was going up and down the ramp and stairs all by herself and she couldn't get enough of the yellow slide.

She was so excited when we pulled into the parking lot at the park, she began yelling and squealling saying "Park! Park! Yeah!" It was so funny to see the pure delight on her little face.

Here's a few photos from our adventures.

A Conversation with Emma...

Mommy, "How was school today?"

Emma, "BORING!"

Mommy, "Why was school boring?"

Emma, "Because."

Mommy, "Because why?"

Emma, "Because it's too easy!!"


Hmmm! Not something I enjoyed hearing!!

Needless to say, we decided to call her teacher and inquire about what can be done. I have noticed that Emma seems more and more bored with school as the months go on. This is not something I want to start with her at such a young age.

It was actually quite surprising that when I called Mrs. Cherewka today she mentioned that she also noticed it. I guess they were learning the letter "z" and Emma was sitting in the group with her legs crossed and her chin in her hands. Every once and a while she would even roll her eyes. Mrs. Cherewka and the university student both noticed this today as well, so we have decided that it's time to step in a make a plan for Emma. Starting on Friday, she is going to go into the library with the co-op student and work on a mini-project about Iceland and Holland. We are hoping this will capture her attention a bit and help curb the bordom in the short term. We are also meeting with Mrs Cherewka and possible the principal on Friday to see what can be done over the long term. Most enrichment programs and gifted classes don't begin until grade 2 or 3 and unfortunetly for Emma that is a long way off. I have also sent an email to the French Immersion school in our district to see if she would be able to register for SK there in the fall. It's not my first choice but if that is what I have to do to keep her challenged then so be it! As per usual with Emma she flipped out when I mentioned the idea! She loves Cedarland and she hates change so the idea did not sit well with her.

So, that's the latest and greatest around here. I will keep you all posted!

The massive Brantford Snowfall!

I totally promised to post these pictures ages ago and unfortunetly I have been a horrible blog poster and just didn't do it. Well, it's almost 2 weeks later and the snow is melting slowly but here are the pics.

Take particular note of how far up the magnolia tree the snow goes. You could literally just stand on the branches. At the end of the driveway near the sidewalk we had piled the snow up so high it was taller than me and about the same hieght as Gerben. It's nuts! I am so glad to see it leaving.

Have you met my new nephews?

I have, and they are adorable little boys. Ethan and Owen were born on Valentine's Day and we couldn't be happier to have had them join our family. Emma is so Thrilled to have two little cousins. She thinks that Mommy needs to have two babies too. She keeps asking for it. But I am pretty certain that isn't going to happen!

This has just been a horrible week around this house. Each and every one of us has caught a nasty stomach bug! Nobody has been spared. Usually, I am lucky enough to boast that I have a stomach of steal and never puke but unfortunetly I didn't get so lucky this time. It all started with Gerben on Tuesday and we have each taken a turn since. I don't think I have ever done so much laundry in a week (especially in the middle of the night.) I feel like every time I turn around I need to wash someones bedding because it got puked on. It's just gross! I think we are finally on the mend. Emma had it most recently and as of today she is finally improving a bit although the fever is still bugging her. I am hoping by tomorrow she will be fine. I am dying to take the kids outside in the snow.

Since Friday we have been hammered with snow. In the seven years that I have lived in the Brantford area I have never seen so much of the white stuff. The snow banks on the side of our driveway are taller than me! It's crazy! Emma has been dying to go out in and play in but we just risk it with her cold and stomach bug. I promise to go outside tomorrow with the kids and take some photos. It's just amazing! I hope you guys in Australia are enjoying your balmy, summer, weather. Feel free to push some of it up our way.

Check in again tomorrow and I will be sure to post some photos for you all to see.