A week away...

It is only day 2 and already the quiet is getting to me.

I think it is a wonderful thing, that I have parents who are willing and enthusiastic about having my girls for visits, and also that I have girls who are willing and enthusiastic about visiting their grandparents for a week... but it sure is quieter around here without the constant (seriously--constant) chatter of the girls.

I do think parents having occasional "vacations" from their children is a good thing though... already I sit here and think about everything they add to our lives.
All in all they are fantastic kids; despite how frustrating the in-the-moment power struggles and the less than perfect listening skills they exhibit may be!

I do know that when they do come home, they will get a little bigger of a hug than usual!

(Seems like when they are not home, I also have more time to blog! :)

National Ballet

Another amazing opportunity we had this past week, was a free educational tour of the National Ballet of Canada. We maximized the day by driving in to the "big city" and taking a ferry ride over to the island, enjoying a picnic lunch, and walking the harbour front to the National Ballet.


There we were greeted by our tour guide and with a group of our best friends enjoyed probably one of the best tours we have been on yet!
Our first stop was the "Shoe Room", where the kids (and adults) got an in depth description and look at the intricacies of the male and female ballet shoe.
How each dancer has their shoes specially made by their own "shoemaker", the materials they are constructed with, how often they are replaced (every performance!) and at what cost --- Wow!)

Then we were taken to the model room, where the initial designs are made and stored for the stage props of each performance. The intricate designs totally caught the kids' eyes, and the work and record keeping involved in each ballet is extraordinary.

Moving our way along, we were taken to the costume area where a number of seamstresses were hard at work finishing costumes for a ballet opening in just two weeks. One of the ladies left her duties to come over and show us some of the costumes close up and to answer all our questions.

And finally, we were treated to sitting in on rehearsal, and were able to watch a full 20 min. of the dancers practising a full run with music of a the upcoming opening ballet. We were also seated with many very famous individuals which was lost on the kids, but made the day for the adults! :)
(Of course, no pictures were allowed for the dancing, but I think I may have enjoyed it more than I would have attending an actual ballet... being 10 feet away definitely helped!)

After the Ballet, we continued a little mini-vacation which included an Imax; 3-D movie, dinner out, an overnight with family, a day at the science center, a one night hotel stay where we maximized the pool amenities, and then a drive East to visit with family including the girls great-Grandma and to celebrate my uncle's retirement. Some more swimming, lots of food :) and a long drive home (of which Tara slept 3 1/2 hrs!!!) rounded out our fun filled weekend.
-We all slept well that night... including Tara! :)

Summer weather

It's not officially summer yet, but it sure does feel like it...

The weather has been so beautiful, that most of the girls' days are spent outside, biking, swinging, jumping, sliding, making elaborate "soups" and "cakes", climbing trees, visiting the park, swimming in lakes and pools and too-many-to-count campfires!

It seems early for some of these activities, and I have been asked about their "schooling", but if I was a kid, this is exactly how I would be wanting to spend my days!

(but for those that are concerned :) -- we do sneak in some math and reading practise on the occasional evening!)

Visit to the Farm (Dairy this time!)

One of the girls I work with grew up on a dairy farm and as I am always looking for opportunities for the girls to get hands on, we asked if we could drive out for a "tour".
The girls had a great time and a wonderful personalized visit with the cows, machinery, and whatever barn cat they could get close to. (Even an up close with a dead bird --one of their favorite past times... poking at dead things!)

But back to the tour, the girls got to meet the farm's week old calves, including a set of twins, had a walk though of the milking process and a discussion about the different tractors, machinery and the planting process.
It was great fun, and when the girls got home they drew their favorite parts as thank you cards for C. (I forgot to take pictures, but they were pretty cute cow drawings!)

Earth Day

This spring has been a complete whirlwind for us... all of the balance we had found in the fall has given way to complete chaos! :) Good chaos, but always feeling a step behind has made a lot of my "strewing" ideas fall to the wayside, and a lot of our activities are unplanned, fly by the seat of our pants activities! One day we attempted clay pendants for mother's day necklaces, but the unplanned and untried got the better of us and they fell apart -- :( , but this is one that did work...Tara working on her "Terra" and being her usual goofy self.

After a bit of chatting about the purpose of Earth Day and what we can do everyday to help our precious planet, we made these Earth (or Terra -commence giggles from 4 girls) zipper pulls.
The girls went at it, and after they had figured out the technique, it was all I could do to keep up! Pretty soon I am going to put the girls in charge of these activities, and I am going to be the one at the table!!

Final result