Day trip

We did get out for one day trip this summer to Toronto to experience the CN Tower -- one of the modern wonders of the world! The girls showed no fear and happily jumped on the glass floor and stood right up against the glass on the elevator ride. They enjoyed seeing the lights of the CNE rides from the observation deck, and braving the wind on the outdoor walking deck! Tara is putting on her "scared" face for fun in the pic above.
My niece Jordan came with us, and we spent a few hours before dusk exploring the streets of downtown TO and taking the ferry over to Center Island. Lots of walking and a picnic dinner set the stage for the main attraction. (Thanks to Jeff's sister and brother-in-law, Jenn and Jay, for the great summer Christmas present!)

Summer adventures...

Cat sitting, and "Little Man" sitting!

Summer adventures

Our summer adventures saw us sticking close to home this year!

Canada Day parade, and Fireworks with friends!

Aislinn's day is mostly spent...

Upside-down!

Salman Khan talk at TED 2011 (from ted.com)

If you haven't seen this yet, I have to say it might be one of the coolest things I have ever seen. An amazing resource for anyone and it is even free!

This is the type of thing that makes me so excited about my girls being self-led learners... just how much is available to them, and when they have the desire to learn these things, there is no limit to how far they can go!

Aislinn turns 8!

She's getting big!

The things she can do; the way her brain can wrap around a concept with lighting speed;

the way she can fire back one liners at us, is all just astounding!

Gotta say I love this kid!

Happy Birthday, Ais!

Teeth!

Teeth have been falling out on a regular basis around here, but for Tara, these are the first -- and they both came out on the same night. (We had to encourage the second one

a bit as her adult tooth was squeezing in behind)

Yet another sign that we are leaving another stage of their lives and entering a new one ... daily the girls mature before our eyes. It is so amazing glimpsing the adult in them approaching,

yet a little bit sad at the same time! :(

Going back a bit...

Valentine's cards and gifts... it is a good thing the girls aren't in classes of 20 -- it would never happen!!!

(Idea and pirate template found here)

Curls

The girls had to have curly ponytails for their cheer leading competition, and so spent the Friday evening getting their hair done up in rag curls. -- I forgot to take pictures of the rags still in, and even forgot to take a picture of the curls right after, so this is Tara's hair 2 days later -- (then I made her shower)
The girls have plans to do it again, so when they do I will be sure to get more pics.


In case you haven't seen the technique, you cut an old t-shirt into strips, and then take small sections of damp hair and roll them around a strip of material, tying them at the top in a double knot. Lightly hairspray them if you want, sleep on it and voila!

Creationary

As most people probably know and have seen, Lego has come out with a series of games, including one called Creationary! The girls got it for Christmas, and we have been loving it. Below are some of our favorite creations. A great game for any kid who likes to build!

The months fly by...

So, I have noticed, that once I get out of the habit of doing something, it's really hard to get back into!

Once again, a look back at the past few months...

Christmas pics - a selection...

2010 Gingerbread house

The Science Center - Mythical creatures displayAnd, because we know Aunt Kristel will appreciate this one...

On display at the Science center as well!

And finally, the girls posing in their "Bears" pose at their competition in Niagara Falls!

Eggnog cookies

A friend from work brought these cookies in, and then shared the recipe with me... They are super Yummy! --the uncooked dough is even better! :)

In case you are an eggnog lover and would like to give it a try...

http://www.northpole.com/kitchen/cookbook/rec0458.asp

Lego Fun

The girls had a huge lego set-up going for a few weeks, complete with a robot room and a dragon assembly line...

December 2010

December is upon us, and with it advent! We've pulled out our advent calendars/containers from last you and are well underway... here are a few of the pics from our activities so far.

Paper Snowflakes

Homemade window clings (instructions found here;http://almostunschoolers.blogspot.com/2010/11/glittery-snowflake-window-clings.html

New christmas books; read by candlelight

"The Festival of Lights" display in Niagara Falls

The winter season is upon us...

As the years go by, I start to see the ebb and flow of our lives, and the times we typically lean toward certain activities. For some reason, we tend to make smoothie's more in the spring, and read the most in the fall and in February/March. And in the winter months, November to January, is the time of year we spend a ton of time playing games. The girls and I spent the afternoon yesterday playing a new to them game - Sequence. Then we pulled Jeff into a game after dinner.

It is so much fun having the girls willing and able to learn and play the games we often play with our friends and family and I can see many more years of family gaming nights in our future.