end of summer bonfire

There have been summers when I have missed going to the beach to watch a sunset or enjoy one last daytrip as a family. It isn't a mental list that I check off for the summer, just a feeling that I have missed an opportunity that won't come along again for a whole year. It's kind of like it won't feel like a complete summer without it. This weekend felt like an experience that just added to our overall summer. I might not have felt like it was missing, but it certainly added to our memories of a wonderful summer. We visited Andrew's brother and sister-in-law and got the opportunity to join their spiritual community for their end of summer bonfire. We arrived at a friend's farm and travelled through the neat rows of grapes to the bonfire site. Some of us walked, while others got a ride on the tractor.

The weather had been beautiful all day despite earlier reports of rain all day. When we walked out to the bonfire, a dark cloud sprinkled down rain, but quickly moved past us.

We arrived at a circle of trees with a campfire blazing in the centre. People started roasting hot dogs and the kids enjoyed the swing and tire swing.

Andrew took Jesse on a swing ride.

After his hot dog supper, Jesse was quick to find the tiny sandbox and tractors. Here is pointing out the moon to Oma. Before we arrived we told Jesse that we were visiting a farm with chickens. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any chickens. The best he got were the farm dogs and a few barn cats.

After supper we had a hay ride into the forest and between the grape plants. I love this shot of Abigail and Selah with the sun setting behind them.

Aunt Heidi was teaching Jesse how to be a real farmer with a piece of straw between his teeth. This was a tricky shot to get as we were travelling on the tractor over bumpy ground.

Before we left there was time to roast a few marshmallows and for Abigail to have one last swing. We left just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

santa's village

During our week at the cottage we went on one day trip and visited Santa's Village. The last time we visited Nathaniel was 18 months old. The kids had a great time then and had another wonderful visit this year. The one memory that sticks out in my head from our last trip was me spotting Toronto Maple Leaf player Darcy Tucker with his family. Can you believe that I spotted him before Andrew? Andrew was so impressed that I knew who he was. Well, Andrew actually approached him and got his autograph on Nathaniel's shoe. And how perfect that his shoe was a Toronto Maple Leaf shoe no less!

Well, no celebrity spottings this year, except for Santa that is. My kids shied away from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Abigail stood in a picture with her cousins and Santa, but none of my kids wanted to sit on his knee. No prob. I have never been a parent that has wanted the annual picture of Santa. I cringe when I see pictures of wailing children sitting on Santa's knee. I don't get it.

When we entered the village everyone got an elf hat. Jesse felt an instant connection with his role as Santa's helper and insisted on wearing his hat despite the sun and warming temperatures. At around lunch I made the executive decision to retire the hat for another day. Thankfully there was not a protesting elf.

Our first ride was the roller coaster. Jesse opted out deciding it was "Scary" and watched with Andrew. I jumped at the chance. I am much more of a roller coaster fan than Andrew. It was pretty tame compared to the crazy roller coasters we saw at Canada's Wonderland when we drove north to the cottage. Of course at that time Jesse screamed for the roller coasters and kept saying "Me bigger!" Yes, he will visit those coasters when he is bigger. When we were leaving Santa's Village Jesse agreed to try the roller coaster. He made it through, but once was enough for him.

We made our way around the village, stopping at the train, the reptile exhibit and then to the Christmas ornament ride.

Andrew, the boys and I were in one ornament. My sister Christine and the rest of the kids were in another ornament.

I was looking forward to the animals. For Jesse's sake that is. He quickly was drawn to the horses (he is so into horses right now). Here he is saying "Horsey, no bite me!"

Have you ever seen a Zedonk before? Yes, that is a cross between a zebra and a donkey.

Love this picture. Andre and Nathaniel are waiting for their ride on the airplane.

Here are my three guys ready to take a spin on the airplanes.

Jesse got his wish and was able to ride a horse. Probably not what he was expecting. This was a VERY tame carousel.

Abigail was loving this ride. This is the kind of ride that I do not like. Lifts you up then drops you. I'd take a roller coaster any day.

We played on Elf Island for a bit. Lots of slides and tunnels to climb through.

There was also a huge web that the kids could climb on. Nathaniel just loved this. The challenge of it. Figuring out where to go next. Going through the rope tunnel. I didn't expect him to like it this much.

We also played a quick game of mini golf. Got a quick picture of my three elves before the line behind us got too long.

And someone was a naughty boy this year.

weeks 27 to 31

Most of my down time at the cottage was spent reading. I finished a book about a family of five that travels around the world together - 12 000 Miles in the Nick of Time. It got me dreaming about future excursions as a family. When I wasn't reading, I tried to work on a few of the projects I brought along. One was updating the journalling of my photo a day album. I was happy to get this done. Here are the pages for July.

Week 27...

Week 28...

Week 29....

Week 30...

Week 31...

fishing

Nathaniel was most excited to fish when we were at the cottage. He loved fishing on the dock last year and asked to fish as soon as we arrived last Saturday afternoon. After supper all the kids went down to the dock to fish. Jesse was also interested in trying it. Abigail is happy to watch. Here are a few photos of some fishing during our cottage week.

My dad was on hand to help the kids with their rods and the worms. Jesse's interest lasted a few minutes.

The sun was setting quickly so I needed to get a good shot of Nathaniel and his favorite cottage past time.

Here's a shot when Andrew, the boys and I went out on the boat to fish. Jesse was very excited about this one. Most of the fish were this size.

Nathaniel could have spent more time out on the water, but Jesse was getting bored.

Not a fishing shot, but we got out in the paddle boat at least once a day. Great memories.

water

It has been quite a task going through all the cottage pictures from last week and editing down the ones I want to post. Frankly there are too many to choose from so I thought I would begin by focusing on our favorite activity - beach time. We had lovely weather last week which allowed us plenty of time to play at the water. We often spent time before lunch and then headed down for most of the afternoon. As I look through my photos I realize that I didn't capture some memories (like Andrew kicking back and reading a book) because we had forgotten our battery charger and I wanted to make sure I got through the week on the one battery that we had. Now I realize that I could have taken more photos. Can you believe I'm saying this - I could have taken more pictures!

The kids all had fun at the water. There was swimming to the floating dock, paddling in the kayak, digging in the sand and enjoying lots of snacks in the shade. We always needed to come well stocked in the snack department because Nathaniel would inevitably say he was starving despite having just eaten lunch.

Here are some water photos from last week.

The girls all swam out to the floating dock together.

1..2..3..JUMP!

Of course Jesse loved digging in the sand.

His cousin Marlana buried him in the sand this particular afternoon.

I love that there are kayaks for the kids to use. Nathaniel could freely go around the roped in swimming area. He only drifted away a few times.

Our happy beach boy!

The girls had the most fun out of all the kids. They stayed in the water the longest, splashing and swimming together.

She's a fish!

They got along great the entire week.

I love this shot of Andre. Great photo Andrew!

On the last day Andrew got some water skiing in. The water was perfect and he only wiped out a few times. Way to go Andrew!

too soon

I really don't want to think about my baby as a teenager on a motorbike...it is just too soon for that. Actually, it will always be too soon to envision my kids peeling off down the street on motorcycles. I am happy to let them sit on their uncle's bike and pretend to ride. Both my boys got the opportunity last week when we were up at a cottage with my parents and my sister's family. Jesse was very intrigued with Uncle Dwayne's "mo mo cuh cuh". I do wish we had the camera when Nathaniel not only got the chance to sit on the bike but he even got to start it. The look on his face...pure joy. Both Andrew and I watched and envisioned our lives as parents of teens. It's too scary to talk about.

I am busy going through LOTS of photos from last week's vacation. I'll be posting our cottage pictures soon.

11 years ago

It was 11 years ago today that we were married. It was a perfect day...lots of sun and not too hot. When I think back to the day, I am still happy with the decisions we made about our wedding. The day reflected who we were. We celebrated in nature with our family and best friends supporting us. In our eyes, it was perfect.

perks

The boys and I have spent lots of time hanging out and watching the trucks at the end of the street. Lots of excavators, front loaders, dump trucks and even the odd cement truck have been spotted. It has provided many hours of entertainment since construction started in the spring. Last year we also spent lots of time watching as another nearby street was being dug up. Definitely much easier this time round with Jesse being one year older. He will watch attentively as the workers go about their business digging and scooping. When he gets bored, he starts looking for rocks and throwing them into the big holes. Last summer was much more stressful with Jesse wanting to get out of the stroller and toddle around the sidewalk, too close to the digging. We always seem to make some friends at the construction site. Some of the men have grandsons that are equally intrigued by the world of trucks. They'll always give my boys a wave when they spot us watching all the action.

Two years ago I was out with Nathaniel and Jesse (then a baby) watching at the hydro station as two men were moving long posts. We were across the street and had only been there for 10-15 minutes. One of the men ran inside and returned carrying a blue Kitchener Hydro baseball hat. He crossed the street and presented it to Nathaniel. That has been Nathaniel's hat since that day. He wears it every moment he is outside. I never have to remind him to put on his hat when we go outside. The hat is faded and frayed, but it is his beloved hat. So thoughtful of this man to give a hat to a little boy watching him work.

Yesterday as we watched an excavator digging the sidewalk across the street, a dumptruck came towards us, ready to turn and drive down our street. The man stopped his truck, got out and approached us with a small boxed grader truck. He gave it to my boys saying that it was from all the guys at the Region. Now, he also mentioned that he knew they didn't have this truck. How he knew this I have no idea. I am racking my brain trying to recall whether I had mentioned this in one of my conversations with the workers. I can't remember. I do know that I have thought that this is one truck that my boys do not have. Well, I sat there on the spot, took it out of the packaging and presented it to my boys. They were pretty impressed. After figuring out who would get the first turn with the new truck we returned home. Jesse kept repeating "Nice." Yes, it was very nice of the man.

try something different

Are you in a bit of a food rut? Bored with what is greeting you on the plate every night at supper? You may look at recipes that highlight exotic ingredients and get nervous about how it will turn out or if your family will like it. If the thought of going out on a limb and trying something different scares you, then just try changing up one of your ingredients in a favorite recipe. I have seen many recipes with quinoa but had never tried it. It's not even that easy to find in the grocery store. But I found a package in the natural food section of my grocery store and brought it home (paid for it first of course). I have had fun substituting this ancient grain (it is actually a seed, gluten free and contains a complete protein) in some tried and true recipes. I've swapped it for bulgur in my taboulli recipe and substituted it for wheat berries in this yummy bean salad. Another thing I just tried last night, somen noodles. I love Japanese food but have shied away from making it at home. So, instead of serving my stirfry with rice last night, I stirred in cooked somen noodles. It was delicious. The boys even ate the leftover somen noodles (minus the stir fry) with tomato sauce for lunch today. So, pick up something new when you're at the grocery store. Better yet, if you are feeling really adventurous, check out a local ethnic store. My boys are very entertained at our Chinese supermarket. Lots of fresh fish to check out.

Bean and Quinoa Salad with Coriander Chili Dressing - adapted from Canadian Living
If you want, double the amount of quinoa and increase the amount of dressing

1/2 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1 each sweet red and yellow pepper, diced (I didn't have yellow, so used two red)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Coriander Chili Dressing
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced hot pepper (I used jalapeno)
pinch salt and pepper

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Once cooled slightly, but still warm, add black beans, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, onions, avocado and feta cheese.

Coriander Chili Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together coriander, olive oil vinegar, garlic, hot pepper, salt and pepper. Pour over salad while still warm. Toss to coat. Cool before serving.

hitting the water park

We're spending the day with my niece Marlana. To change things up a bit we took a trip to the water park this morning. We got there early to play on the playground, then watched as the water was turned on and the water slowly filled up. As soon as there was the slightest puddle in sight, kids started appearing, ready to splash and play. I wish it had been a bit warmer, but at 10:30, the sun was behind clouds and the air hadn't warmed up enough. My kids might have been more motivated to get wet and splash around.

As we waited for the lifeguard to come on duty, the kids enjoyed a snack.

They all ventured in when there were puddles big enough to actually make it worth while. Jesse started out interested. The older, rambunctious boys hadn't arrived to scare him off yet.

Just testing the water. He was pretty timid and did not enjoy getting wet.

So, while the older three actually splashed and played...

Jesse took it easy and enjoyed a drink.

Marlana having fun with the sprinkler. I had expected them to want to play much longer, but the bigger boys with their buckets of water turned them off. They wanted to play where it was a bit calmer.

So, while the girls were swinging, the boys discovered some trucks in the sand. We soon called it quits and returned home.