Big smiles

Paige's questions...

1. Paige asked me the other day...."Mom do we have a super hero here?"

She has been watching Megamind.

2. And a super deep one......

"Where did we live before we were born"

Grandpa's 60th Birthday!

We went to the cottage for the weekend as it was my dad's 60th birthday. It was Maura's birthday the day after his, as it always is of course, but was not as monumental as the big 6-0. Amanda, James, and Mary Jo were there for the "festivities" as well.
I posted this picture as you can see the small yellow sign on the left. It said "CAUTION: 60 year old having a senior moment". Maura put this on my dad's chair in the morning while he was out fishing. Paige and Rose were having trouble sharing a spot to watch "Megamind" on the iPad, so Mike set it up simultaneously on the iPad and the Macbook at opposite ends of the couch. After a while Rose started banging on the Macbook keyboard, so the girls had to switch...then Paige complained that she only liked the iPad.

Paige helped Maura bake the birthday Blackberry/Raspberry pie that my Dad wanted in lieu of birthday cake.

The problem with birthday pie is that the candles do not stand up in it and have to be kept in original packaging.

Maybe Grandpa wished for better weather on the next birthday. It was cold and rainy...The following day, Maura's birthday, we unfortunately had to go home after lunch and miss the ice cream cake which was was being assembled in this picture. Rose was trying to get in on the action.

Goodnight Gorilla...

Rose's favourite book. There are very few words but she likes when I point and name the animals which are sneaking into the zookeepers house, and when they leave the house we say goodbye to them all. I like that we can make up the story. Any other toddler board books that are similar?

Her other favourite books that we have are "Teeny Tiny Baby", "Sisters", and "I See Me".

Temper Tantrums...

When Rose doesn't get her way or I have to take something away from her she likes to have a little tantrum. She cries and then ends up on the ground on her back...usually, though, she lays herself down very gently on the ground as she stops crying and then looks around. She knows she's being funny. You have to be careful though because she tries to have these mini tantrums anywhere...stone patios, stores, parking lots, etc. Lying herself down seems to calm her and if I can't let her have one due to location she will keep crying for a while. Here's one at the cottage on top of the plastic rake. It had to do with not being allowed to swipe Paige's toys. .

Burlington Beach...

I knew Burlington had a "beach" but didn't know it was so awesome! Soft sand, crystal clear water, and super shallow to wade in! And to local people the answer is, No, we have never been there before. We were missing out big time! And to non-locals...it is on Lake Ontario. Pretend the power lines aren't lining the beach though. That part is unfortunate. Also, not a lot of washrooms. But really fun, and felt like a holiday in a way!

More Springridge...

We met Belle at Springridge. I always spend way too much money there. Admission to the farm yard, lunch, and baked goods!

Last minute cottaging...

Mike had a change of work plans so we went up to the cottage for 2 nights, meeting Grandma and Grandpa who were up there for a week. We left early on a Friday so we had no traffic and arrived mid-afternoon. The weather was fantastic all weekend, the girls were continuously swimming, and we played a few games at night. The water was actually pretty warm, and at one point I think everyone was in the water. Sometimes we'd bring Rose in the water in her bathing suit, sometimes in just a diaper, or sometimes with no clothes on with a life jacket on top--an interesting look with the strap under the bum.

I'm sure our cottage photos are starting to look all the same. I've decided to concentrate mainly on blog books, rather than photo albums...hence why i post SO many photos of everything.

Outdoor Enthusiast

Rose is definitely an outdoor enthusiast. Every day she wants to go outside after breakfast and before dinner. Rain or shine. We don't always go out after breakfast if we have somewhere to go, but usually right before dinner. Both girls usually end up soaking wet and sandy and need to be changed and washed up before eating. It's the best time of day though, when the heat is gone and the backyard is shady, making the need for sunscreen unnecessary. With the backyard all finished, I love going back there. I pull out a chair cushion and bring a drink, raise the umbrella, set up the sandbox and slide and we're good to go! Paige likes it out there too, but not as much as Rose. I suppose Paige has a few years of the slide and sandbox under her belt. And, she's more bothered by wet and sandy legs and hands. They like it when I water the plants though. They follow me around filling up their buckets and bringing them back to the sandbox or mud pie station. I have to watch Rose carefully as she tries to drink the water out of the buckets sometimes.

If we'd had the backyard finished earlier in the year I think we would have bought a cheapy ikea highchair specifically for the backyard, but for now we just carry the usual one outside. The best thing about eating outside is definitely that I can leave all the crumbs on the ground...no sweeping!! Woohoo!

Paige's photos from Jasper