Manitoulin Trip - Sudbury - Day One

We left by what?  Nine ish?  We were at Science North around 1pm.  We stopped once to get gas and that was it.  The weather was beautiful, the driving awesome, and Science North - so great!  I think we saw everything.  We explored almost every corner of every floor.  I should have asked the girls their favourite things.

Our first stop inside was an Ice Age display.  How can you go wrong with animatronic animals?!  The Ice Age display was the first floor changing exhibit, and to exit you needed to walk through the gift shop.  After promising Kate a friend for Freida, we made our to the cafeteria for a late lunch.  Ken, Alice and Kate explored the rocks outside and met a professor with a monarch caterpillar, while Fiona and I were getting lunch.   

Then it was into the main building, and it was go, go go!  We looked, touched, played, watched a show about liquid nitrogen, raced cars, raced each other, and learned and played until the place closed!

 

One of the funny stand out moments for me was the height prediction.  Enter their age and height and a prediction is made... Kate 5'3, Alice 5'3 and Fiona 4'11?!  Time will tell!  I don't think it can be right, be who knows!  We all had such a great time!  Oh and as promised, Kate got a second wooly mammoth and named her Abby.  She can't wait to introduce her Freida when she gets home!  (Alice got a turtle, and Fiona an elephant, the stuffed animal obsession continues!)

After our science fun, we went to Swiss Chalet for dinner, and then we checked into the hotel.  We went swimming and had the pool to ourselves.  Yay for traveling on a Thursday!  Then it was bath time and bed time.  We had an awesome first day!

July So Far

I find transitions hard.  The transition of going back to work was what?  I don't know even know now.  It was six weeks of fun, sort of?  There are so many interruptions to programing the last six weeks of school - field trips, assemblies, different presentations and play days.  Add to that job action - not having to do report cards or any kind of staff meetings, and the fact that I was exhausted, the six weeks flew by as I knew it would.  Then comes the summer.  Ten whole weeks looming large and wonderful, but what do I spend the first week doing?  Being sad.

Going back to being a stay-at-home mom for the summer wasn't a transition, it was getting back to normal.  Normal, but only for ten weeks, and then at the end of that, ten months of school, and on and on forever.  I really thought I'd be able to find a part time position for the fall, but it was not meant to be.  I want there to be some reason, but there might not be one.  I don't know.

So, the highlight reel so far!

Friday June 26 - Finished up at school - brought Fiona with me.  Ken came for lunch with the two bigger girls, took all the girls home.  We met in Schomberg after school and went to Newmarket for my eye appointment and dinner!  Summer has begun!

Saturday June 27 - Farm Day/Visit G & G - see blog post

Sunday June 28 - Church

Monday June 29 - Supposedly quiet day at home of cleaning - hmm, not so much

Tuesday June 30 - Was supposed to have a play date with Madison, but Madison got sick

Wednesday July 1 - Canada Day - see blog post

Thursday July 2 - Was supposed to have play date with Ava, but Ruth was sick - did Community Stuff in the evening

Friday July 3 - Play date with Michelle, Marisol and Amelie - then Beitz Birthday Bash, then Nolen Garcia's baptism

Saturday July 4 - Tottenham Street Festival and then dinner at G & G

Sunday July 5 - Church

Monday July 6 - Whole family up to Carriage Hills Resort to visit G & G and swim and then T-ball pictures in Beeton

Tuesday July 7 - Play date with Heather, Calvin, Ben and Sydney

Wednesday July 8 - Earl Rowe Provincial Park with Erin and Terri-Ann - and MANY children, T-ball in the evening - Kate had a turn as back-catcher

Thursday July 9 - Ontario Early Years Program in Tottenham

Friday July 10 - The girls and I back up to Carriage Hills

Saturday July 11 - Lunch time visit BBQ with Eric, Konrad, Anders and Ezra - Kate at Macayla's birthday party, then quick shopping trip to Newmarket, then Ken to write a talk

Sunday July 12 - Ken spoke, Wendy played organ at church

Monday July 13 - Play date - morning Beitz, afternoon Melissa and Madison

Tomorrow Marisol and Amelie are coming over, and on Wednesday we're having a pool party at Gayla's Mom's house, and then Thursday morning we're off to Sudbury!  GO GO GO!  I love it!

Pictures of the summer so far.

June 29

June 30

July 2

July 3

 July 4

July 6

July 8

 

July 11

Okay, two goals for the next little while.  Number one, after FHE tonight, use a gentle voice - we are all struggling with this in our house!  Number two - TAKE MORE PICTURES!  (Okay, maybe the all caps contradicted number one, but in my head it was happy yelling!)

The Longest Canada Day EVER!

Up until last night (or if because it's two o'clock in the morning, two nights ago?) I thought the plan was to find some Canada Day festivities close to home, enjoy, have a rest, eat dinner, then see the fireworks in Tottenham.  Then Ken suggested we go to Niagara Falls, and everyone thought - YES!

I spoke with Laura, they had no definite plans, so off we went to Beamsville, except that we didn't move fast enough and traffic was poopy, so we didn't get there until after two in the afternoon.  We had a BBQ lunch and then hung out.  Dexter got friendly with Kate's leg a couple of times - Kate thought Dexter very silly, Alice got a scratch, Fiona got knocked over, and poor Laura kept trying to keep the dog in one location only to have three crazy girls follow him around!  We decided it was time to do something else, and so since the girls were still really keen, we drove the rest of the way to the falls.  The boys - Ken, Joaquin, and Will in one car, and the girls - Wendy, Laura, Kate, Alice and Fiona in the other.

We parked, and then we walked down to the falls.  The girls had never been this close to the Canadian Falls before.  The loved it.  Eventually Kate mentioned she was hungry so instead of heading off to see the rapids, we turned around towards Cliffton Hill.  After a stop at a fountain - to nurse, and give time for Joaquin and Will to get some things from their car, we kept going.  I don't think we'd ever taken the BOB on such a perilous journey before.  There were so many people.

I had this totally teary moment by the falls.  I was standing there, surrounded by people from all parts of the globe; smiling, happy Canada shirt wearing people, and I just felt love.  I love living in Canada. I love that I'm raising my girls in Canada.  I'm blessed to call this country my home and native land.

Back to Cliffton Hill.  Somehow we made it to Wendy's, somehow we found a table, and after much waiting Ken and Laura returned with food.  I think it was 9:40 when we headed back down by the falls to find a spot and watch the fireworks.  There were so many people.

The fireworks were awesome.  I sat with Fiona on my lap with my hands over her ears.  Although she looked a little concerned, she sat on my lap and watched the display.  Beside me Kate and Alice were sprawled out on our blanket.  Kate had her fingers in her ears.  Alice did not.  After each burst of light, and ear splitting, chest rattling bang, Alice declared that was her favourite firework.  I felt that same bursting love and happiness I'd felt a few hours earlier.

Then just like that it was 10:10, the display was over and we joined the throngs in search of home - or the next stage of their celebrations?!  We made it to the car quite quickly, got the girls changed and then off we went.  Except we didn't.  I told Ken not to take the first left.  I told Ken not to follow Joaquin's directions, because I thought I'd understood them properly.  I landed us in the single worst parking lot nightmare disaster traffic jam I've ever had the misfortune to witness.

Thankfully Alice was asleep instantly - or almost, and Fiona followed suit soon afterward, but poor Kate and Ken.  Kate was sobbing on and off for a while.  "I just want my bed, I just want to go home."  Ken declared that this was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.  Kate and I said a prayer, and she did calm down.  I suggested Ken get out and walk to make sense of which way we should go, and he did.  AND, two hours after the fireworks finished, and about one hour and forty-five minutes after getting stuck, we were finally unstuck and on the road towards home.

I am so, so thankful that I was born in Canada.  I am so thankful for my rights and freedoms.  I am so thankful to live in this great country.  I am also so thankful that at three o'clock in the morning, this day is finally done.  Happy Canada Day!