 |
| Gold medal in Somersaults! |
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Up To
What have we been up to lately? Well, introducing G to the Olympics for one.
G was born during the Olympics in Beijing in 08, so here we are four years later and she is enjoying watching the events. Her favourite has been the gymnastics and the swimming.
M got a big boo-boo next to her eye by being her usual adventurous self. This flattering picture made me laugh, so you get to see it too.
And lastly, some fun times with sisters. G and M have really started to play together in recent months. Yesterday they both donned capes and saved all of their stuffed animals from various peril around our home.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Mistakes Made By Tired Parents
Our friend Sam just finished his PhD. He's a few years ahead of Paul and he defended his thesis this Monday and was officially made a Doctor.
I'm tell you this, so that you understand why we were celebrating on a Tuesday. Tuesday evening we had a sitter and spent the time with our friends toasting and celebrating the new Doctor among us. Since we are on a similar journey, it's easy to understand the excitement and need to party when the journey is finally over.
So, we celebrated. Neither of us had to drive home, so we felt free to enjoy some drinks. The next morning, of course, our kids had no sympathy. They were up at their usual time - M even earlier then usual.
At first, M was fairly happy to play on her own while we lay in bed, pulling all the kids books off the shelf and scattering toys. However, she soon wanted breakfast - and was able to provide herself with it by pushing a chair to the shelf and retrieving some graham crackers. In my half asleep state, it took a good ten minutes to understand what the crumpling and "mmm-ing" was about.
So, I gave her a real breakfast of cereal and yogurt. By this time, G was up too, so the two of them sat and ate breakfast together while Paul and I got a bit more rest. Both of them are able to get out of their booster seats, so when I heard G playing, I assumed M was done as well.
Awhile later, I came out to find this:
M had found the 1/4 full yogurt container on the table, opened it, eaten most of it (with her hands) and spread the rest over her face and arms, her pajamas, her chair, the chair her chair is strapped to, the table, the floor and a board book copy of "The Wheels on the Bus" (which may or may not have to get thrown out).
G, who often comes to me saying "M is doing something bad!" when M is doing something as small as holding a pen, was completely ignorant of the reign of yogurt-destruction that was happening 4 feet away from her.
Parents, don't sleep while your child is awake. This is a stupid, stupid thing to do.
I'm tell you this, so that you understand why we were celebrating on a Tuesday. Tuesday evening we had a sitter and spent the time with our friends toasting and celebrating the new Doctor among us. Since we are on a similar journey, it's easy to understand the excitement and need to party when the journey is finally over.
So, we celebrated. Neither of us had to drive home, so we felt free to enjoy some drinks. The next morning, of course, our kids had no sympathy. They were up at their usual time - M even earlier then usual.
At first, M was fairly happy to play on her own while we lay in bed, pulling all the kids books off the shelf and scattering toys. However, she soon wanted breakfast - and was able to provide herself with it by pushing a chair to the shelf and retrieving some graham crackers. In my half asleep state, it took a good ten minutes to understand what the crumpling and "mmm-ing" was about.
So, I gave her a real breakfast of cereal and yogurt. By this time, G was up too, so the two of them sat and ate breakfast together while Paul and I got a bit more rest. Both of them are able to get out of their booster seats, so when I heard G playing, I assumed M was done as well.
Awhile later, I came out to find this:
 | |
| Mom, we're out of yogurt. |
G, who often comes to me saying "M is doing something bad!" when M is doing something as small as holding a pen, was completely ignorant of the reign of yogurt-destruction that was happening 4 feet away from her.
Parents, don't sleep while your child is awake. This is a stupid, stupid thing to do.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Adventures in Saskatchewan
So, I've been living away from Saskatchewan for 12 years now. I have never been a sports person, but I will always cheer for the Riders. You can take the girl out of Saskatchewan, but you can't make her cheer for any other team.
However, upon my return in recent years, there has been a bit of a trend in Riders fans, a trend that was definitely not around when I was a kid. The stuff. It used to be t-shirts and hats, maybe the odd toque or scarf. Now, there is a Riders logo on everything. I walked into the Co-op grocery store near my parents house and laughed to myself and snapped cell-phone pics of all the Riders merch.
Wall of Merch.
Riders Baby Bottles.
Riders All Dressed Chips.
And finally, Riders fishing lures. Because fish who are Bomber fans are poison.
However, upon my return in recent years, there has been a bit of a trend in Riders fans, a trend that was definitely not around when I was a kid. The stuff. It used to be t-shirts and hats, maybe the odd toque or scarf. Now, there is a Riders logo on everything. I walked into the Co-op grocery store near my parents house and laughed to myself and snapped cell-phone pics of all the Riders merch.
Riders Baby Bottles.
Riders Kleenex.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Over Breakfast...
"I don't think they're kids. They're...dwarves or elves or something. Look, they have pointy ears, kinda."
"But why do they all have to share one bowl?"
"Because they're small? I guess. Look at how big the bowl is in comparison."
"Who are they?"
"Uhm... they have names. This one is Snap, this one is Crackle, this one is Pop."
"Snack?"
"Snap."
"Snack?"
"Snnapppp."
"Pop is a boy. The other two are girls"
"Okay."
"But why do they have to share one bowl of cereal?"
Friday, July 13, 2012
Snapshots from Life
Sometimes I wish I had a camera, or a video camera and certain points in my life, just so I could have a snapshot of the memorable yet mundane things that happen. But all I can do is remember them in words, so here are some of those words.
~~
G and M are in the bath. I call out "Paul!" so he can help me with the getting-them-out drying-them-off ritual. G thinks it's hilarious when we call each other by our first names. "Paul!" she yells. "Paul!" Giggle, giggle.
Then. "Paul! Can you take out the garbage?" she kinda whispers the last part. Like it's his last name.
Paul S. CanYouTakeOutTheGarbage.
~~
G has new shorts (a gift from her aunt). They're bicycle-type shorts, made of lycra. I offer them to her to wear.
She looks at them "Is this a bathing suit?"
"No," I reply "they are just shorts."
"Are you sure they are not a bathing suit?"
"Nope."
"But they are all slippery."
"G, some shorts are made of slippery material, that doesn't mean they are a bathing suit."
"O...kay..." She still looks skeptical, but wears them anyway.
~~
We are out at Cape Spear, just the four of us. We brought a picnic supper, so we can stay later then we usually would. There are whales. There are so many humpback whales. They flip, they show their tails, they spray. It's amazing, and we all sit on one side of a picnic table to eat, so none of us has to have their back to the ocean.
~~
G has found an old 70's Fisher Price toy camera at the church in Saskatoon. She plays with it for awhile, clicking the button and trying to look through the tiny hole at the viewfinder-style pictures. She clicks it for awhile, looks at it and hands it to me.
"How do I make it do video?"
~~
G and M are in the bath. I call out "Paul!" so he can help me with the getting-them-out drying-them-off ritual. G thinks it's hilarious when we call each other by our first names. "Paul!" she yells. "Paul!" Giggle, giggle.
Then. "Paul! Can you take out the garbage?" she kinda whispers the last part. Like it's his last name.
Paul S. CanYouTakeOutTheGarbage.
~~
G has new shorts (a gift from her aunt). They're bicycle-type shorts, made of lycra. I offer them to her to wear.
She looks at them "Is this a bathing suit?"
"No," I reply "they are just shorts."
"Are you sure they are not a bathing suit?"
"Nope."
"But they are all slippery."
"G, some shorts are made of slippery material, that doesn't mean they are a bathing suit."
"O...kay..." She still looks skeptical, but wears them anyway.
~~
We are out at Cape Spear, just the four of us. We brought a picnic supper, so we can stay later then we usually would. There are whales. There are so many humpback whales. They flip, they show their tails, they spray. It's amazing, and we all sit on one side of a picnic table to eat, so none of us has to have their back to the ocean.
~~
G has found an old 70's Fisher Price toy camera at the church in Saskatoon. She plays with it for awhile, clicking the button and trying to look through the tiny hole at the viewfinder-style pictures. She clicks it for awhile, looks at it and hands it to me.
"How do I make it do video?"
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Two Weeks Away, some photos and reflections.
So we went to Saskatoon.
The oldest of the grandkids (on the left) lives in Australia, so he has a very awesome Australian accent, and some fun new slang for us. Instead of Tag, they play Tips, where you are not the one who is It, you're In, a garbage can is called the bin, and what you put in it is rubbish, and all candy is called lollies. I witnessed a few moments of confusion between him and the other kids, but mostly playing translates into any dialect.
It was hard to leave at the end of two weeks and I shed some tears over separating again, especially from the kids. G keeps asking about her cousins in the week since we got back ("Why do my cousins all live far away?") and I wish she could live near relatives. But mostly, I miss my sisters and my parents. With one of us in Australia, one in Saskatoon and me in Newfoundland, it tends to be years between visits and sometimes the pain of separation is overwhelming. That being said, I am so happy I live in an era of Skype and email and cheap long-distance phone calls. I can't imagine doing this by handwritten letter.
For my parents 40th Anniversary (last December), my sisters and I went together to get them a hot air balloon ride, and they took it while we were all there. This is one of the beautiful shots my dad got while they were soaring above Saskatoon at 5am.
I was reminded again on this trip what a beautiful city I grew up in. I love all the places I've lived and Newfoundland has the amazing ocean and all that goes with it, but my heart will always be in the prairies. Summer there is just gorgeous.
 |
| Photos taken by my brother-in-law, because he has a better camera and is a far superior photographer |
G and M had so much fun with their cousins. My 3 nephews are energetic and fun and they gave my girls a run for their money. G did her best to keep up with the two five-year-olds, but there were times when the age difference was pretty obvious. I love that they're all so close in age, though. My sister Sue is having her third baby in October, and that will make 6 grandkids in 5 years for my parents.
The oldest of the grandkids (on the left) lives in Australia, so he has a very awesome Australian accent, and some fun new slang for us. Instead of Tag, they play Tips, where you are not the one who is It, you're In, a garbage can is called the bin, and what you put in it is rubbish, and all candy is called lollies. I witnessed a few moments of confusion between him and the other kids, but mostly playing translates into any dialect.
It was hard to leave at the end of two weeks and I shed some tears over separating again, especially from the kids. G keeps asking about her cousins in the week since we got back ("Why do my cousins all live far away?") and I wish she could live near relatives. But mostly, I miss my sisters and my parents. With one of us in Australia, one in Saskatoon and me in Newfoundland, it tends to be years between visits and sometimes the pain of separation is overwhelming. That being said, I am so happy I live in an era of Skype and email and cheap long-distance phone calls. I can't imagine doing this by handwritten letter.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
There and Back Again
We spent the past two weeks in Saskatoon visiting my entire family. It was an awesome trip and I have returned home happy, but exhausted.
Post with pictures to come, but for now - a few numbers to sum up our time.
Three sisters, Three Brothers-in-law, Two parents and Five grandkids
Aged 1,2,3,4 and 5.
(then we had a big birthday party and had two five year olds instead)
One trip to the zoo with 2 monkeys, 4 lions, 5 caribou and countless geese (among other things).
12 taxidermy animals in our cabin at Smoothstone Lake in Northern Saskatchewan
4 fish caught and eaten.
Two road trips (there and back) with 0 carsickness.
600 mosquito bites (approx)
6 sunburns (2 of them mine)
And an uncountable amount of fun had by the kids (and the grownups too).
Post with pictures to come, but for now - a few numbers to sum up our time.
Three sisters, Three Brothers-in-law, Two parents and Five grandkids
Aged 1,2,3,4 and 5.
(then we had a big birthday party and had two five year olds instead)
One trip to the zoo with 2 monkeys, 4 lions, 5 caribou and countless geese (among other things).
12 taxidermy animals in our cabin at Smoothstone Lake in Northern Saskatchewan
4 fish caught and eaten.
Two road trips (there and back) with 0 carsickness.
600 mosquito bites (approx)
6 sunburns (2 of them mine)
And an uncountable amount of fun had by the kids (and the grownups too).
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