It's Like a Giant Sand & Water Table!

This weekend is all sun, so we took advantage of it at the beach in Port Stanley! We got there early enough that there was hardly anyone there. The water was calm, and it was warm with a breeze...perfect beach day!

I had forgotten to bring her pail and shovel (and realized too late), so a quick stop at Walmart got us a really cool (and on sale!) boat, pail, shovel, rake and some other little doodads for fun sand play!

With the waves being so tiny, and the water so calm, we actually managed to get Maisie into the water! Little boat came too. Maisie's commentary on the beach was that "it's like a giant sand and water table!". Yes, Maisie...it sure is!

We even found a cool snail shell!

In an attempt to put a little stain on our fun beach day, these people set up camp in the form of a gigantic wall of chairs and bums RIGHT IN FRONT of where we were already sitting. And the beach was empty. Why do people do this? Do you want to snuggle? Share towels and snacks?

But stupid people aside, it was not to ruin our fun day!

Woman on a mission!

It was a great morning...and may very well be our last beach trip this year!

Tornados and Treats

Well, we just dodged a bullet...or a tornado, as the case may be! We were under a warning for several hours, and the sky got dark and gloomy. I didn't get any pictures of it because, quite honestly, I didn't think it would turn into anything. And it didn't (besides a lot of thunder, lightning, and WIND!). But not before we all took shelter in the basement with the cats, listening to the radio and trying to remain calm. Maisie made pretend soup...blissfully unaware!! She just got to bed a few minutes ago. And I have bitten off my finger nails. I wanted a storm...but not a bloody tornado, thanks!

This morning Maisie and I went to Nana's school where she was doing some prep work for the upcoming school year. And we didn't leave empty handed! A bag of books, my old Winnie the Pooh bear and a pink bean bag chair later, we were on our way! It has all been a big hit!

It's always great to have new books...kinda gives you a new lease on life (and to be honest, I get really sick of the regular rotation of stories!!), and Maisie has been lounging on the bean bag chair all day. She also uses it as a wrestling pal, which saves me from being her victim of choice! She will throw it onto the ground and then drop kick it.

Hope the tornado left you alone, wherever you are!

Old Friends, New Friends

It's amazing to me how some friendships just stick, and stand the test of time when others don't. They start as simply as a couple of co-workers at a bank in 1976, and somehow expand to include spouses, kids...and now grandkids! That's what they have to show for a 35 year friendship!

Yesterday was a 60th birthday/40th anniversary/happy retirement party for my parents' closest friends, John and Mary. My dad and John are the co-workers above, and this friendship has withstood the test of time, as well as all the lovely and not-so-lovely things that life has to offer. Their daughters Julie and Kathryn threw a party for them at Julie's house, and everyone had a blast! We were all asked to bring pictures from over the years. There were their wedding albums, baby and teenage pictures of both of them...but my mom and I made a scrapbook of pictures from the past 35 years of the two families trips, weekends at each other's houses, dinners, camping and just hanging around the back yard. It was a hit.

Mary and John with their granddaughter, Ella

On another note, Maisie made some new friends. She had a fantastic time playing with Julie's kids Ella and especially Ewan, who's 4.

This was like, the most awkward first date ever. Partly because the guy was wearing a bear costume. Awwwwkward.

It was a super fun time, and Miss Maisie who had neglected to nap, ended up falling asleep in the car before we even made it to the highway!!

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold. Hope you had a great weekend, and if tomorrow is back to school for you, best of luck!!

Fly on, Butterfly

You may remember waaayyy back in March, when we were still in the grips of winter's icy claws, that we flew a little butterfly kite out in front of the house.

Brrr...

Well, last Thursday was a windy day, and what better day for a kite! Maisie and I pulled the butterfly out of its tangled rest from atop the fridge and flew her like she's never been flown before!

Well, actually before she could be flown, she had to be untangled. She was ridiculously twisted up...not unlike Christmas lights that have been in their box all year, only to be knotted up when it comes time to put them up. Also not fun when you have a toddler pacing up and down the sidewalk in front of you, dying to get her hands on the darn thing!

But after much twisting, picking and maybe a teeny bit of swearing under my breath, she was off the ground!

Sometimes flying the kite was more of a walking the dog sort of situation. But Maisie didn't care. She had a blast. Much more fun than flying a kite with snow remnants hanging around! We even had a rather large yellow butterfly fluttering around the kite at one point. Perhaps looking for a beautifully coloured girlfriend?

Had a fun weekend...yesterday was a lazy day with a trip to the grocery store and strawberry farm for more berries! Today the little had a Daddy/Maisie day while I scrapbooked with Nana! And here we are at Sunday night again. Last night was a tad rough getting Maisie to sleep...she didn't go down till almost 11...very upset. Tonight she went like the perfect little sleeper she is!

Hope you had a great weekend as well!

Late Summer Ramblings

All of a sudden it's late summer. It gets dark at 8:30. The days are warm, but the evenings are chilly. Shadows are changing, and the sun feels different. The cicadas are buzzing in the trees. Summer is winding down. I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to it yet. Although I do like the prospect of fall...I don't like impending winter.
It's been a hot one. I feel like it's gone quickly, yet it's not quite mid-August yet. Funny how summer flies by, and winter drags. Cruel Winter should be the name of the song.

I realized today that I forgot to post a few of the pictures we took a few weekends ago. We went to a baby shower for Mike's cousin Morgan. Her baby boy is due at the beginning of September, so we had a family potluck shower for her.

Signing her card for Morgan & Baby Lincoln

Reading Frosty the Snowman with Gramma

Maisie was very overwhelmed this day by all the guests. She insisted on resting in Gramma's room and watching TV. She hadn't napped, so the trip home looked like this:

My mom is in Alberta visiting my sister and nephew until Saturday, so that has afforded us the freedom of using her car while she's away! It's nice to not have to drive Mike to work, but still be able to have a car to do what we please.

We have the windows open, and I'm wearing shorts, but I'm freezing. It's going down to 12 tonight (53F), so that is bloody chilly for August. But we have to keep moving. You can't hold onto the past, in order to make room for the future. We may be saying goodbye to warm sun, beaches, swimming, fresh strawberries and long days, Fall brings apples, hot cider, pumpkins, cozy blankets and pretty scarves. All good things.

Flashback 1990

Let me paint you a little picture of my 1990. I'm in grade 6. I make friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss, by pinning the bracelet in progress to my pant leg. I still play with Barbies. I wish I had a Nintendo. I tease my little sister relentlessly. I can eat whatever I want, and never gain a pound. My nickname at school is Cabbage Patch Kid, because I still sometimes wear my hair in pigtails. My clothes always match perfectly. I dot my i's with hearts. I read and spell above my grade level. My best friend is Joelle. I'm the youngest person in my class. And I love the New Kids on the Block.

Aaaannnnddd, I look like this...

Please don't hold it against me.

So, around this time I decided I wanted a New Kids T-shirt, to help show my undying love for the boys. I had saved up some money, and went to Westmount Mall with my mom to get my shirt. I had the perfect shirt in mind...it had pictures of all the boys...Jon, Danny, Donnie, Jordan and Joey...in boxes down each side. I pictured wearing it with my jeans, slouchy socks, my LA Gear sneakers and a matching scrunchie. And in the winter, wearing a long sleeved shirt underneath so I could wear it all year. I had plans, man. But, when we got to the mall, my mom dragged me into Cotton Ginny and somehow convinced me to get a turquoise and red T-shirt with a cow on it. Seriously. She told me I would get more wear out of the cow shirt than I would out of the New Kids one, because I probably wouldn't still like the New Kids in about 5 minutes, whereas, who DOESN'T love cows?! That, and I had a pair of earrings where one was a cookie and the other was a carton of milk, and they just happened to match PERFECTLY with the turquoise and red shirt. Sold. I was wooed by the prospect of colour coordination. I only wore the cow shirt for a short time, because kids in my class started mooing at me. No one would have mooed at me in the New Kids shirt.

Fast forward 21 years, and I'm 32. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter. I stay home with her. I colour in a Hello Kitty colouring book. I walk to the park and the library. I sing. I watch cartoons. I read stories. I cuddle with my girl in bed. I have imaginary tea parties. Mike is my best friend. I'm teaching Maisie to use the potty. And I still love the New Kids.

Last night, I was lucky enough to FINALLY get to go to their concert!! Mashed up with the Backstreet Boys, and it was a 90's teenage girl's dream. And I felt like one for the night!

We sang and danced to all the songs. It was a fantastic concert. But there was just one thing missing. You know what a coulda used? A New Kids T-shirt.