Various expressions...

A sign of the times with these "I need's":

"I need hand sanitizer"
"I need sunscreen"
"I need sunglasses"

And lately has been saying the following:

"what makes that noise?"
"I don't want it"
"I don't like it"

(Luckily she is not just saying NO. If I try to give her some food she doesn't like she simply says, "I don't want it/like it")

And her longest sentence to date:

"I got more diapers for you mommy, take a look!"

Other expressions commonly used for the last little while:

"Sorry about that"
"Sorry...that's ok"

And strangest reply to date:

Mike: Did you see daddy fishing?
Paige: Sorry about that!

Everyone loves a cottage girl....

That's what it says on her shirt...

And the summer weather begins....

Since missing out on the Toronto Island splash pad, I was determined to get Paige's bathing suit on and go outside. After her (non) nap, we put on bathing suits and sunscreen and hooked up this Diego sprinkler. She loved it. Other highlights include her just wanting me to spray her with the hose, and sliding down a "water slide" (spraying the hose in front of the slide so she could slide through it). She then went in the sandbox, which I didn't think was a good idea, with all of the water, but she didn't get that dirty. And since she liked the water, she was fine with being hosed off after. This whole week willl be "feels like 30+ degrees". We have the AC turned on now. With the humidity here you rarely hear the real temperature. They always say "29, feels like 38", or something like that. I have a feeling that it won't be very humid in Alaska, or very warm for that matter.

A Father's Day Picnic...

On Father's day we joined a few of Maura's family members (huge family, but not everyone could make it) for a picnic on Toronto island. Toronto Island is just off downtown Toronto and you take a ferry or boat there. There is a huge picnic area, as well as a small amusement park, bike trails, and lots more. There is even an airport.

As we were driving to Mary's (Maura's sister) building to park, I realized that Paige has never even been in Toronto.

When we got there we all had a picnic and the kids kicked around a soccer ball.

Here are all of the dads that were present with their kids.

When we went over to Centreville (the amusement park), we went on a few rides. Mike, Maura and I took Paige on the train ride. Grandpa took Paige on a car ride (pictures below), and I took Paige on a nauseating Merry Go Round.

I had packed Paige's bathing suit in hopes of hitting up the splash pad, but when we were there we realized that the splash pad was too far and we didn't have Paige's stroller. There was also a wading pool that was still closed.

By the time we got in the car at 4:00, Paige had a nice long nap that continued on well into the house on Grandma and Grandpa's bed.

Happy Father's Day!

Summer programs...

All of our spring programs are coming to an end. Friday is our last day of Gymnastics and then we have a 2 week break of nothing. On the 8th we start Socatots, and on the 9th we are resuming gymnastics again. Since Amy and Clara's moms are teachers they will be off for the summer and we have Clara with us in Socatots and Amy with us in Gymnastics. Fun! My plan for the other days in the summer is to hit up as many splash pads as possible to stay cool and have fun. Paige loves water.

Part of me doesn't mind the short break of programs since we are gearing up for our Alaska trip in a little over 3 weeks (not to mention my birthday, then our anniversary, then Paige's birthday all the week before our trip). I tell you there are packing, shopping, and other various lists scattered throughout the house!

Dinner in the backyard with friends....

We've outgrown diaperfit...

We had to skip Diaperfit today. Paige had a huge tantrum at home over the possibility of going to the class. I then decided that we would still go to the pool, but skip the class. I won't try to go back to the class since there are only a few weeks left. And it was a drop in class anyway. So instead we just went in the water for family swim and played with toys, went down the slide, jumped into the pool, etc. She had a ton of fun. Although she patiently endured diaperfit for so long she has become too old for the class.

After the swimming we continued with our weekly routine and sat in the hall for a snack. I bought her a mini milk carton and she held it herself and drank it through a straw. Something about this just seemed so grown up. I had the idea to get her a milk since she is obviously very skilled at drinking a frapuccino all on her own (see below!). She thought this was very exciting, as well as the cookie we shared.

We then went to play in the treehouse, and as we left she started walking away with determination. I asked her where she was going. "Wibrary", she said. We took out some board books with her library card.

This entire morning made me see how quickly she is growing up. Her 2nd birthday is in exactly 1 month today, and I can't even imagine what she will be like by the fall.

Sniff sniff..

Bee-free Natural Wasp Deterrent...

I bought a 2 pack of these things today (Bee-free Natural Wasp Deterrent from Canadian Tire)and hung one under our deck where the wasps always go. We'll see if it works. Apparently wasps are deterred when they see another nest. I am quite excited by this thing. And maybe Mike will no longer feel compelled to spray individual wasps.

I like to start her habits early....

Paige likes frapuccinos (think coffee). This is the 3rd time she's drank around a quarter of my drink. It probably brings her back to times in the womb where she would get a little coffee rush every morning.

Pretty pyjamas...

These pyjamas were sent last year by Great Grandma from Arizona. I just think she looks so cute in them.

Where's Paigey?

This reminds we of Where's Waldo? And you can tell that she has obviously fell out of her chair, but is so engrossed in her Dora watching that she is just lying on the floor.

Paige's Birthday present...

We bought Paige this Kettler Trike for her birthday. We liked that we could lock the handlebars while we are pushing it. That way she can't steer it into the road. And she can rest her feet on the pedals as it moves instead of pedaling. We thought it was a good option for this year since she is small and probably can't ride all the way to the park and back, at least at the beginning of the summer (and we can adjust the seat so she can reach both pedals). But if she is able to ride it a bit, we do have the option of the handle to take control if she gets crazy. It'll be a fun trike to take to the park and around the street. The model down from this one had a big bucket in the back, but not the steering lock, so we chose this one. I'll just have to wear a backpack if bringing any snacks or water on our journeys. Yes we know it's expensive, and that is why she is only getting miniature other items to open for her birthday. Sadly, she was with us when we bought it and not that enthused, but will hopefully like it when she realizes it can get her to the park and back. Grandma Maura had told us about the store (Mastermind Toys) before, but we had never gone in. It makes me never want to go to Toys R Us again! This store was so much cooler.