How far will we drive for fun?

I don't know what our limit is, but today our destination was Pickering.  We went to Jon and Janelle's house to play.  Emily, Holden and Lauren came too!  We got to meet Owen, and see James and Nigel again.  Today was fun.  The kids did pretty well.  There were ups and downs for all of them really, but we Moms still got to talk and the kids finally figured out how to play by the end of it.  It was a little cold for the wading pool, but all things considered - eight kids 5 and under... it was GREAT!

Next time I need to get a pic of Janelle, myself and Owen!

Oh and I suppose I could mention that after our fun afternoon we drove from Pickering to Vaughan, picked up Ken from work, went to have dinner and play at IKEA and then drove home!  Fun-filled-action-packed day!

A Concert and A Dinner

Concerts.  (Pause to sigh slightly.)  Ken and I used to go to concerts.  I love going to concerts.  I haven't been very good at leaving my kids in the evening, hence we don't go to concerts very often... um wait, we never go to concerts these days.  When I found out about Zorana's Noon-hour concert at Trinity Church downtown, I wanted to go.  I haven't seen Zorana perform in too long and I was so excited about the program - covers of Kate Bush, Radiohead, and Prince.  The thought of taking all three girls downtown by myself was daunting but when the alternative was not going to the concert, there was no decision!

We drove to Downsview station, took the subway to Dundas, then walked down Yonge Street, through the middle of the Eaton Centre and into the church.  We ate lunch during the concert.  The girls were great.  A half peep from Fiona.  An almost cry from Alice and Kate, she was just great.

And the concert... This is what I wrote to Zorana tonight:
LOVELY!!!!!! I hope you're still on a post concert high! I was so thoroughly delighted with the concert. The songs, the choices, the interpretation, the EVERYTHING! I wish I had the program in front of me... it's upstairs somewhere. I loved the third song - the sheep one. I loved the Radiohead stuff. Ken's a huge Radiohead fan, and I'm sad he missed the concert today. I know he would have loved it too.
The cheeky Nothing Compares To You. All of it. I keep trying to capture the sounds in my ear again. It's been a while since I've been to a concert. It is always so fun to go listen to something new, but it's also frustrating. I want to hear the songs again, and again and again please! 

I took a few pictures in the church but I only had my cell phone so they didn't turn out very well. We were sitting two rows behind Ciaran and Jason.  It was so cute watching Ciaran dancing to some of the songs.  Zorana was so great.  She is such an amazing performer.  She goes into character, it's so amazing to watch her change into a different person for each song.

Kate found her Minion hat before we left and insisted on wearing it even though it was a warm-ish day.  It was kind of funny.

and then dinner...  I almost thought my concert plans weren't going to work out because of dinner with these lovely ladies... but it did.  I got to go to a wonderful concert and then come home and have a wonderful dinner with Margaret, Sacha and Cohen!  Margaret and Sacha were two of my beehives in Richmond Hill and now they're both married!  EEK!  What a wonderful day!

Zoo Trip - CANADA

I can't remember exactly how it started.  Was it about the bears first, or Canada first?  Today wasn't supposed to be very hot.  Going to the Canadian Domain at the zoo involves a very large, steep hill.  Ken and I decided that today would be the day that we took the kids to Canada, and so we did!

When you take the zoo-mobile around the zoo there's a stop at the top of the hill.  As you approach the stop, the zoo-mobile guide suggests that you walk all the way down to the bottom of the hill and then stop and look at the animals on your way back up the hill, so that is what we did.  Ken walked the stroller down the hill and our first stop was the grizzly bears.  Kate was very excited to introduce Chloe to the bears.

The rest of the animals were either sleeping or hiding, all except one of the cougars that got up and walked past us, that was cool.  But we definitely won't be going back to Canada any time soon.  Or maybe we will in the fall/winter when the animals might be more active?

This sign killed me!  As we started to head off to Canada and I saw the sign, I thought, what?!  An hour!  That's crazy!  But we were already committed to going so it didn't deter us.  After coming back from Canada we stopped and had pizza not far from the sign.  The sign was indeed successful at deterring a number of others as I listened to a number of people exclaim, what, an hour?!

 

The girls love looking at all the types of penguins and trying to figure out which one is their size!

 Must take advantage of the zoo-mobile during the summer!  It's a nice way to end our visit!

But I suppose the best end to a zoo visit is a hug from a giant panda!  (Fiona had by this point passed out in my arms!)

Ava's 6th Birthday

We have been to Ava's birthday party every year since she was one.  This year the party was while we were away with my family.  I was so sad!  What better way to make up for missing the party, than to spend her actual birthday with her?! 

The girls play together so sweetly, and I love hanging out with Ruth - win win!  It was great being able to share some birthday fun even though we couldn't make it to the party.  I had all the girls wearing butterfly shirts so we could remember Josh too!

Only slight wrinkle today was at the end, poor Kate thought that since it was Ava's birthday there would be treat bags.  Expectations can be such a cruel thing!  Oh and Ruth got me a birthday present! It was fun to get a piggy mug.  I am still Bacon, I still love my pigs, but I don't get piggy stuff very much any more.  I wonder if I'll ever display my pigs?! 

I still marvel that the two of us, born two days apart, growing up a few kilometres apart, never knew each other!  Well, we didn't get to be friends as teenagers, but we can make up for it now!! 

A Bad Face Week

It started with poor Fiona.  We were at a farewell backyard dinner at Ken's sister Jen's in-laws in Barrie.  (Jen and family are off to Morocco for three years, she'll be working in Rabat in the embassy.)  Fiona was being her usual self, walking around everywhere.  Until she wasn't walking around.  She was screaming.  Poor little thing, I didn't even see what happened.  But the cement steps at the back of the house were involved (two steps, from a walk-out kitchen).  After a good cry she perked up, but her poor little face!

It had completely scabbed over by the next morning, shot day.  Her one year vaccinations which I had already rescheduled once... The doctor did not look very impressed.  (But then that's kind of her thing.  She never really looks impressed.)

This was Fiona by Thursday, yuck!

Sunday, some bruising, skin still a little pink, but wow!  Bodies are amazing!

And then Kate.  On Thursday morning we went to Riverdale park in Alliston.  Kate got a mosquito bite under her left eye.  I wondered if she would swell, I know bug bites and eyes are not a good combination!  By Thursday dinner time there was already some swelling.

Friday morning... oh my!  Swelled shut.  Kate was a bit of a mess.  Ken picked up some benadryl before heading out to work.  Kate went back to sleep for two hours.  The swelling did not go down at all.  She was slightly distracted by some friends who came to play, but her eye was bugging her, some itchiness, some pain, and generally irritated, poor thing!

By Friday night she could open her eye a slit.  It seemed like the swelling was spreading though.  I got up in the night to take a picture of her while she was sleeping.  I was slightly worried that both her eyes would swell shut.

Saturday afternoon she had a party.  She was so excited.  She didn't feel awkward one little bit, I felt awkward on her behalf, but I didn't tell her.  What a face!  I didn't hear the kids at the party talk about it, but the Mom's all looked at me with their faces aghast.  However, when I told them bug bite, they all said, yeah, that happens!

By Saturday night there was improvement.

 Sunday, more improvement. 

 And today, Tuesday.  Kate is back!  Hello my Kate.  You look like you again!