Olympic Torch

Today the olympic torch passed through our area. They had quite a production planned with lots of entertainment, so off we went. We braved the crowds, collected our flags, tambourines, and limited edition Coca Cola bottles, hugged the mascosts, and saw the torch. It was a good experience - and one not likely to be repeated for quite some time.

Christmas IS coming!

But first some parade faces!

Kylie opted to stay WAY back - it was a tough call for her I'm sure - stay back away from all the noise and scary people AND miss out on a lot of candy - or get up close and collect!

Despite the fact that we are probably the LAST family in the world to get and set up a tree, it is up and actually has been for a week already. But BEFORE that . . . . it seemed that every place my children went, walked to, and visited had a tree set up . . . ! But though we may (not likely though) have been the last, it is up and Christmas is definitely on its way - AND I'm kind of getting ready!

Any guesses?

. . . about just what is going on here?

Hint: This happens more often than it should.

Yup. It was the "Duffy". (soother). It makes me laugh how she gets all the way down the stairs and carries on playing with the blanket over her head with this, "what mommy can't see, she'll never know" kind of attitude. You have to love how their minds work!!!

Just because . . .

. . . I love the way five year olds draw. I realize that some five year olds are much more proficient in the arts than others, but there is something just so cute about the way a five year old draws. So I've decided to show off a little bit of Kade's doodling.

And of course you must hear the converstation and explanations that went along with it.

Kade: I did Aunt Mel bigger than Uncle Piet because Aunt Mel is bigger.

So in my thoughts I try to sort that one out, and think to myself, "Well Uncle Piet is about as tall as one can get, so he's not referring to height. . . so then I thought, since it is just a picture of their heads, maybe he means that Aunt Mel is smarter and has a bigger head because she has more brains, but not being sure my five year old would think quite like that, I had to believe that he was referring to the fact that dear Aunt Mel is about 6 months pregnant, so I guess she maybe just is bigger than Uncle Piet." But I thought I'd better seek clarification directly from the source and this is what he said.

Kade: Aunt Mel is biggger because Aunt Mel is OLDER!! Oh the simple thoughts (and drawings) of a five year old. Gotta love em!

Hasn't November been fabulous!?!

We have really been enjoying this weather lately and taking advantage of it to get outside and do the things we very soon won't be able to do so easily. I've finally gotten my yardwork/gardens cleaned up mostly (although I just have to leave those last straggling blooming flowers alone for a little longer). The kids have been spending time outside too - though they have to be motivated by me. They somehow don't quite comprehend that they have three or more months to play lego and farm etc. But once outside, they find lots to keep themselves busy!

Like playing Indians and going hunting . . .

. . . playing tennis . . .. . . enjoying breakfast outside . . .

. . . and lunches outside . . .

. . . golf . . .

. . . swinging . . .

. . . and kite flying!

Reminds me of spring!! And we are LOVING and clinging to these days!

Little Funnies:)

As we drew near the end of our Sunday morning rush to get out of the house on time, I experienced a heartwarming moment. Kevin was trying to get his shoes on, but as is quite common with Kevin, before he can put his shoe on, he has to undo his laces, which invariable results in knots - if there were not already a few there. So as he struggled to undo his knots with a fork, I barged in and grabbed his shoe and in quick order had the knots out. To which he responded,"I'm really glad I have a mom and a dad. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have them . . . " (and then his train of thought led him to thoughts of probably not having to do school if he didn't have a mom) But anyway, I had to have a chuckle about that one. Nothing like a knot in your shoe to get you to realize that you appreciate your mother . . . boy do I feel loved.

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And then one from Kylie who is becoming quite the bossy little sister. She has recently been developing pretty good sentences and they often come out sounding so good that it's quite funny. This morning she was lounging around in the bathtub (something I often do to keep her out of trouble during homeschooling). Kevin was working away on his school, but started singing as he was working. From the bathroom I hear, "BE PWIET (quiet) KEVIN, I WORKING HERE!!!" Uh huh.

Wordless Wednesday

. . . except I have to add a bit of a commentary or else I'm informed that it's hardly worth a post. And here I thought a picture was worth a thousand words!

Anyway . . . I walked inside the door today after working outside for a bit (beautiful weather!) and found Kylie sound asleep right on the floor inside the door. On most days she does not take a nap anymore, but since she is fighting a cold, she is finding it harder to make it through the day without a little sleep - and I am more than willing to let her have one - in fact if she wanted to get back into the habit - it would be fine with me:) All three of my kids have done this at one point or another - mostly at around this age and I always find it so cute.

Kevin These ones are Kade when he was with Mel one time. He was falling asleep right into his icecream. She got it on video too and it is quite funny. You do have to feel a little sorry for them though . . . . So much for my wordlessness . . . hope you are happy _ _ _ _.

I got my hair cut . . .

. . . BIG TIME. I had been pondering (noting the need) to get a serious chop for quite some time. But in my mind, I was still picturing my hair hitting my shoulder, so perhaps cutting six or seven inches off. As time passed, the notion entered my mind that perhaps I would be able to donate my hair to an organization that makes wigs for kids with cancer. I've been following two different blogs or updates that sort of inspired this thought. I've been following the journey of little Kate McRae who is just five years old and fighting a brain tumour. You can read her story by following this link:: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate/journal And, September was pediatric cancer awareness month and this particular post on this blog http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/10/please-help-us-support-children-facing.html

also gave some suggestions different ways you could contribute or help the cause. So I began to be inspired -- but not quite sure I had enough hair to proceed. Most places need between 10 and 12 inches. So I measured and pondered. Should I cut just six or seven inches off and get the haircut I want, or should I add the extra three or four inches and go VERY short, but give the hair to a wonderful cause. I finally decided last week that I would go ahead with it if there would be enough hair left on my head to still cover it and look normal. So I headed to Kate's for the weekend (we have renovations going on here and I needed to get the kids and myself out of the house for a day or two anyway). At Kate's we sat down and looked at some pictures of possibilities and I sat in the chair and we braided and I felt the mm of hair I would have left at my neck and deliberated a second or two more and then I ordered Kate to go ahead with the hack! I think she enjoyed it a little too much and I had to close my eyes. At this point there was no turning back. So we fiddled and she cut and styled and then we were done. Now I have a much lighter head and a braid to mail off. There are many foundations out there (you just have to google "hair donations for wigs for kids" or something to that affect and you'll get a whole list. The one I ended up choosing is in Missisauga and is a part of "A Child's Voice Foundation - Angel Hair for Kids" So now I have a new hairdo that will definitely take time getting used to - but it's kind of fun. And since the favorite questions seems to be,"What does Jonathan think of it?" I'll answer it right away. Jonathan is the one who encouraged me to just go ahead and do it. Change is good he says. I'm not sure he was expecting quite this short, but he likes it.

I'm not real excited about putting this picture on, but I have people asking, so here it is. And I managed to put pigtails in today - so I do have options:) Now I have to try and catch up to Kylie again. I have not had hair this short since I was her age. And that is the story of my haircut.

Thanks Katie-Lou!

Buds!

Open Doors

Today we spent the day touring St.Thomas as part of Doors Open St.Thomas. I didn't intend to go to too many places, but we kind of got going and the boys were having such a great time and even seemed to be excited about learning, so we kept on . . . though for Kylie's sake, we probably should have quit much earlier!!! Our first stop was Jumbo - the statue which is very cool. It's something that is close by, but I think I only saw it once as a kid and thought it was so cool. Jumbo was part of a circus and was hit by a train in St.Thomas while pushing a baby elephant (Tom Thumb) out of the way (I think that's the story anyway . . . ) All of the kids - even Kylie liked the "big elephant!"

Then we headed across the road the the military museum which was a big hit with the boys because of course there were cannons, guns, knives, battleships and other war stuff.

This was a mock submarine that the kids could play in. Since museums are mostly "hands off", this was fun for them. They got to type our their names in morse code and look at ships through the periscope.

We then visited "the church with the purple steeple" because Kevin really wanted too. I didn't take any pictures there, but it was a neat church and the stained glass was beautiful. They also served us with coffee, juice, and cookies before we left.

Then we were off to the railway museum which was also very fun. They got to go inside this steam engine and pull on this lever (which was VERY HARD) which starts the train. (but not for real)

All of them peaking out of the trains window.

It's amazing how huge a train really is!

Inside the caboose - and Kylie is where she really needed to be at this point - BED!!!

And of course model trains and villages which were fun to watch and chase.

This one the boys got to hit the switch to start and stop it and therefore was the spot they just kept coming back too.

And then it was definitely time to go home - but it was a fun day for the boys and I'm glad I went. Doors Open is a really neat opportunity to see your community and visit places you think you'd like to see, but never get around to. We'll definitely keep our eyes open for it again next year!