Fall Fun

Well, once I start into school mode it is really hard to slow down and update these posts. As usual life is really busy busy busy. So, here are a few highlights of the recent fun things.

Practicing for all the picture taking that would follow the wedding.

Recently we had the gorgeous and beautiful wedding of Scott and Jillian, I am so happy to have another sister in law! The boys came to the ceremony, but we managed to whisk them away for the reception (thanks to the wonderful wonderful Weenings, we kind of snuck our kids in their home while they weren't looking and they didn't even notice...what's a couple more kids...thanks guys). 

Weddings are exhausting...





Good looking family!

Thanksgiving arrived soon after. We stuck around Barrie (and will be heading to Kingston this weekend, yay!). We made our own little thanksgiving with a beer can chicken and all the fixin's, followed a few days later with a feast at Kurt's parents. All in all a pretty relaxing weekend, oh wait...Kurt spend the majority of the weekend redoing the front walkway. This involved a jackhammer... I think Kurt is just trying to find ways to use equipment. In the end the new walkway looks great thanks to my wonderful and darling husband (and  a brother in law willing to lend a helping hand...thanks Rob).

The boys enjoyed an outdoor Thanksgiving meal, complete with fancy glasses for their milk.

A fall walk was in order after our huge meal. River loves exploring with Pops.

Fall fun isn't over yet though! This past weekend we took the boys to the "Last Blast" steam show at the Simcoe County museum. They fire up all this old equipment and do demonstrations. It is like Richard Scarry book come to life! It was awesome. Jude even invited a friend to come along and they had a blast, pardon the terrible pun...

 

Jude is enjoying school: he can't get there fast enough in the morning. I am adjusting to having him there with me before and after school while I try to get my work done before rushing off to pick up River from daycare. He keeps busy with all the school supplies in my room and really enjoys the chalkboard. Some days we have to leave right away and he gets pretty disappointed to have missed out on play time with my hole puncher and highlighters. I am so glad that he loves school, loves his teacher, loves his friends, loves it all!

River continues to love his daycare and every day he is talk talk talking (if he can get a word in edgewise with Jude). The boys often compete with who gets to tell their stories first. He loves the days when Jude is there with him and has declared Jude his best friend. I love it!!!

I have had a crazy time lately with parent teacher interviews the past few evenings and will be heading out for the Christian Teacher's Convention for a couple of days this week. I will miss Kurt and the boys, thank goodness for Skype! We chatted during my dinner break last night at interviews and they chatted away while eating their pancakes and gave hugs across the screen. Cutest thing ever.

Well, time to get back to that giant mountain of marking that I keep hoping will take care of itself...

Keyhole Trail

 

While the work weeks have been very busy, we found some time for some fun this past weekend. Jude and River made themselves these lovely hats out of an old gingerale case. Jude proudly wore his around the town for the whole day, the ladies at the dutch store were very impressed with them. 

 



Sunday afternoon found us trekking along the Bruce Trail. We made our way to the keyhole trail with the kids and they had a blast. The trail is covered with caves and crevices and was fun to explore. A little nerve-wracking with two mountain goats for children, but fun!

Jude's First Day of School

 

 

Some kids are really nervous about going to school. They cry and carry on, they cling to your leg. And then there is Jude...just watch the video and you will see what his feelings are regarding school. And it didn't stop there. After hanging out in my classroom for awhile, I brought him outside to meet his teacher and line up his backpack. Did he want me to stick around? Did he need last hugs and kisses? Nope, he couldn't get to the playground fast enough! All in all great first day.

The Last Hurrah

 

This past week I was back to work. A week full of meetings, planning, meetings, planning, walking in circles around the school trying to remember what I had left my classroom to do. You know, back to reality. Well almost, there weren't any students yet. But, the week before that is the week I refer to as the last hurrah of summer.

 

 

Peter came to visit from BC. We were thrilled to see him since it had been a year since we last visited. The kids loved the gifts he brought (see the snake and caterpillar below). We had a beach day at Wasaga. Also, they loved visiting with him as he is eager to play on their swingset with them, or build sand castles together.

 

 

Yup, the picture above is Jude taking his snake for a walk. Awesome.

Then we headed to visit friends at their cottage. We swam, bounced on a water trampoline, paddle boated, fished, went tubing, had campfires, in short we had an amazing time and the cottage life blew my kids minds. I hope they don't find camping boring after that! The picture below illustrates River's comfort level with water - ankle deep is just fine for him. I do realize the irony of naming your kid after a body of water and then having that kid fear the water.

 

Jude discovered that there is more to boating than just canoeing, he definitely found it thrilling. Then, he went tubing! I wasn't sure about it, but Nola went and she couldn't get enough of it. Sure enough as soon as Jude got going, he was grinning ear to ear and kept pointed his finger up to show he wanted to go faster. As soon as he was back in the boat he asked when he could go again.

River was happy to stay in the boat. At first he clung to my lap, but slowly he got excited and asked to sit up front. On the water he likes, in the water not so much!

Of course, no summer gathering would be complete without smores. Our kids are fully addicted to them now and expect nothing less at each and every fire.

 

We dragged ourselves away from Six Mile Lake to head home in order to celebrate Kurt's birthday. 

To cap off "The Last Hurrah" we met up with the Weenings at Oro Beach. The kids had a blast, and so did we. River followed Raina everywhere, well except into the water.

The long weekend was a bit of a melancholy one as we said so long to the Bicks who are moving. That makes the second set of friends in a single summer...As if to honour the sadness, it rained on the holiday Monday. Kurt and the boys tried to make the most of it by washing the cars in the rain.

And then...the last hurrah was over, back to work and I hope I am able to keep posting!

Long Weekend that Actually Felt Long

Well, the Civic Long weekend is a great weekend because I am not sure what you are supposed to be doing other than enjoying the summer together. This weekend was wonderful because it felt very long, usually they fly by so quickly. We packed in all kinds of fun things, yet time seemed to slow down and we just enjoyed ourselves. Here is a sampling of what we were up to:

We started with some 'lion' around, sorry for the bad pun but I just couldn't help myself.

 We headed to Kempenfest with some friends. The boys loved the petting zoo area.

 Jude got to ride on the rollercoaster for what he says "I've been waiting my whole life to go on". He loved every minute of it!

 River was too short for the roller coaster, so we headed over to ride on the dinosaur instead.

 We ended with some fun on the merry go round.

 Frog hunting at Wye Marsh, the boys loved it, they did not want to leave!

 Jude managed to catch a frog all by himself.

 Climbing up the observatory tower, great view.

 We went to a special presentation about Hawks. Jude and River got feathers from a Ferruginous Hawk and a Red Tail. Before the show they loved seeing all the owls and hawks, they couldn't get enough of the birds.

 Jude was lucky to get the opportunity to hold the Harris Hawk. He put the glove on, and the presenter put some food on the glove. Then the hawk swooped in for a landing. Jude had no idea what was going to happen but the picture below shows his pure delight!

 

We also were able to squeeze in some kite flying and a trip to get ice cream. All in all, a perfect weekend!