A Garden then A Beach

Kate had to go to school today - even if it was only for a few hours.  She started her new class today and so far everything is just fine.  I picked her up before her lunch and we drove to meet everyone in Scarborough.

Our first stop was the Rosetta Mcclain Gardens.  It is such a beautiful area.  We had a lovely time walking around and looking at all the beautiful flowers.  I think it was Rayna who found a Monarch butterfly with a damaged wing.  Both Kate and Rayna were so fascinated by it, and both held it so gently and sweetly.  Together they moved it to a safer place where it would quietly expire.  I think that the thing I enjoyed the most about our trip was that it was somewhere my Dad and Mom had never been.  

It seemed like it was going to rain, and then it didn't, so off we went down to the Bluffs.  Dad came out a little ways, but then the sand got to deep for him and his walker.  Fiona and I hung back with him for a little bit, but then I felt that I needed to be closer to the bigger girls.  We had fun taking pictures and playing in the sand.  Kate was a monkey. 

She loves playing in the sand.  It was a little chilly today, but that didn't stop her from taking off her boots and socks.  Sadly, not before she walked into the water with her socks on.  Then she took her socks of and flung them.  She made sand angels, and the kicker (or straw) was when she took her boot into the lake and filled it up with lake water.  It's a good thing we were in public, and that I was surrounded by people.  ARGH!  I can laugh now, but at the time I wanted to...

After all the fun we headed back to Mom and Dad's.  Rayna and Andrew picked up their favourite Middle Eastern food and we feasted.  It poured with rain on the drive and while we were at Mom and Dad's.  I'm so glad the weather held, and I'm so enjoying all this time with family!  I love my family!

Sunday Pictures

We had a lovely half day today.  Mom came up without Dad, who is still feeling poorly - yucky cold, to pick up Wendy and Ray.  We snuck in some photos after a brief visit with Mom.  I'm so glad for visits!

Kleinburg and a Sleep-over

Today was art appreciation day!  It was cool and a little rainy, but I was still excited to go to the McMichael Gallery thinking we might enjoy the art inside, and the art outside.  I was excited for the girls to go again - it's been two years, I was excited for the play area, and I was excited about taking a picture of Fiona in the window like her sister's before her. 

I'm not sure why it worked out the way it did, but each time we've gone the "baby" has been about 15 months.  I feel like re-posting the pics of Kate and Alice, so what the heck!  Here they are.

Kate - March 2010

 Alice - May 2012

 Fiona - today

That was fun!  So this was again an entire family affair, Andrew, Rayna, Mom, Dad, Wendy, Ray and us - Ken too this time!  Dad got a wheelchair which was good and off we went.  The group of seven art work, it is home to me.  I love the McMichael Gallery, the layout, the setting, the art.  Today was a lovely trip, until Kate and I rounded the corner to go to the play area... and it was gone.

I chatted to one of the attendants for a while.  It sounds like most people who work on the floor don't understand why the area is gone.  It was an office decision that isn't agreed with.  She encouraged me to leave a comment, and so I did.  I was so sad.  The girls were sad.  We still had a fun day, but with the cool weather and the loss of the play area, I was dampened a little!

I took a few pictures, but not too many.  But the best part of today was that Wendy and Ray came home with us for a sleep over.  They're coming to church with us tomorrow too.  It was so fun listening to Wendy read Paddington Bear to the girls.  Paddington Bear should be read with an English accent.  Wendy brought more books for the girls.  We love books in this house.  I'm so happy that I will be able to read the books she brought after she's gone and feel like part of her is still here.

Skones!

Long live the skones!  Sadly, this was not to be.  When Kate started school last week she started out in Miss Ibscher's SK/1 class.  I was so excited about this for a number of reasons.  There would be less kids, there would be more structure, Kate was away from some kids... and her teacher.  The more I learned about her teacher, the more excited I was for Kate to have her.  Miss Ibscher named her kids "skones", pronounced skuwns.  Kate was very happy to be a skone.

I can't remember when we learned that reorganization was happening, but there it is, reorganization.  I've experienced it before, as a teacher and as a student, but this was the first time I was experiencing it as a parent.  I am sad.  I know Kate will be okay being put back into a JK/SK, but I'm sad.  Reorganization is all about numbers, the classes are put together in the spring based on projected numbers.  There are ministry expectations about numbers, and when you have your real numbers in the fall, sometimes changes need to be made.

She has had a magical first two weeks.  She really has.  I hope that Mrs. Nicholl's class will be magical too.  Kate's favourite memory from Miss Ibscher's class was the monarch butterflies.  They had the butterflies the first week of school and they released them a week ago.  She cried after school today because of the things she'll never get to do in Miss Ibscher's class.  I'm glad we have all weekend to help her be excited about her new class.  Thank you Miss Ibscher for a magical beginning. 

Wendy and Ray are here - Casa Loma

Wendy and Ray had some flight complications on Tuesday.  Their plane was supposed to fly from Calgary, but it never did - SNOW - that's another story, so no plane, meant no flight!  They were put on a different flight altogether and were rerouted through Montreal and after a four hour layover, they arrived in Toronto about 11:30pm Tuesday.  I didn't think we'd see them at all on Wednesday but Mom and Dad brought them up to see us and we had a lovely little afternoon visit.  Wendy brought books and treats and a Santa doll for Fiona. 

Today was Casa Loma day!  It had a been a while since my last visit - I can't honestly remember my last visit.  The grounds are beautiful, and some of the rooms are very beautiful, but it isn't a place that you need to visit very often!  We had a fun time though.  I pulled Kate out of school just before lunch, and Andrew and Rayna were there as well as Mom, Dad, Wendy and Ray.  Alice and Kate really enjoyed being in a castle.  We climbed the east tower (minus Mom and Dad), we explored, we even took the tunnel to the stables (again minus Mom and Dad). 

After we said goodbye the girls and I drove up to Vaughan to go see Ken at work.  The girls had all fallen asleep and they weren't really fit to say hello to anyone, but they did.  We followed up the visit with a trip to the animal mall - pizza in the food court and a walk around Bass Pro.  It was a long, but great day.  

General Conference Thoughts

Oops.  General Conference is around the corner and I still haven't compiled my list of thoughts and inspiration from April.  Double oops.  So in the spirit of better late than never, and preparation, here is the list!

April 2014
Pres. Monson

• The gospel is love
• We need to love all of God's children
• We need to keep the commandment to love one another
• Dale Carnegie quote: each person has within himself or herself the “power to increase the sum total of [the] world’s happiness … by giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged.”

Women's Session

• Keeping covenants protects us
• Everything prepares and leads us to the temple

General Sessions

• Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them.
• The greatest filter in the world, the only one that will ultimately work, is the personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony of our Heavenly Father’s love and our Savior’s atoning sacrifice for each one of us.
• The Book of Mormon carries the power to protect families.
• Let the Lord be the leader of your family and it will work out.
• Are we securely tied back to God or are we tied to something else?
• Learn the doctrine and teachings of the Lord.
• Look over the Martin Harris story
• FHE - do a lesson about hurtful words - let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.
• We can choose to be grateful no matter what.
• Read the story about Deric (Jean A. Stevens) to the girls
• As we are yoked with Him through sacred covenants and receive the enabling power of His Atonement in our lives, we increasingly will seek to understand and live according to His will. We also will pray for the strength to
•  Collect stories - Mom, Nancy, Adriana, record stories to bless the lives of my children and my nephews and neices.
• FHE - before conference - preparation
• Joseph Smith was a prophet
• One should not roam through garbage.