sledding at the park

It was such a beautiful day when Janet and I skied that I felt bad knowing the kids were at home playing the wii inside- so Janet suggested a playtime in the park. We grabbed the kids and off we went.

It was relatively warm, the sun was shinning and the kids had a blast exploring and sliding.

Some of our favorite things?

The boys in the house are totally absorbed with our new wii game. Ivan bought himself a lego star wars game and it's been all the rage- sometimes literally. The kids have had to figure out cooperation so that was a challenge and there aren't many instructions on how to play it, they just have to try things out and figure it out as they go along.


I was so thankful for the pre-school program that is now being offered at the library Saturdays. We've only been able to go once so far, but it was amazing how different Emora is without the big kids there for her to follow. She LOVED that it was just for her and was actually all quiet for the facilitator and not answering questions, which I thought strange, but maybe she will become less shy as we keep going. She did participate lots though and talked up a storm for the hands on activities.

I've seen these magazines up at the library with Emora's middle name on them and just had to get her pic with one! Emora Worth- what a delight! Except that we are still struggling through the nap/no nap. I've been keeping her up since she was fighting the nap so bad and the other night she fell asleep 2 hours before bed time as I read books on the couch! Then she woke up at about 3am and was wide awake- I told her to read, color or play quietly in her room and let us sleep. The next morning, she had put pants on all by herself and I later discovered she had colored her legs, back of legs and bottom of feet green with marker! That's why she got pants on so quick!




Janet was so gracious to take me skiing with her. It was really fun and I'm wondering if it could be my swimming replacement. It was super challenging since I am not in half as good shape as Janet, or used to it, but she didn't have to drag me out of the forest, so that was great!

more pics from the blizzard bash

Having a bit of girl drama today. We are having a long play day with Dominique's best friend, but Dominique was being weird when Sierra was playing with Emora.

We started the play time with skating and Emora wanted to quit after 10 min. Dominique wanted to quit after 30 min. and her friend wanted to skate the full hour.

Now Emora doesn't want to nap! ahh- but it's been fun anyways- watching Emora play with the "big" friend, playing "sorry", reading stories and making up our own.
Now that it is March, it looks like winter. We've gotten a fair amount of snow in the last few days, which is weird since it keeps trying to melt in the day and is supposed to get to +9 or more over the weekend.
We are getting excited that spring is on it's way. I had 17 geese fly over my head the other day and it was so gorgeous and made me happy to see them again. I love the geese, but the pelicans are really fun too. I've been thinking of beach visits and planting the garden, hoping we can get the play structure built this summer too. So much to anticipate, but in the meantime, the trees are sparkling with frost and the hills are blanketed in white, the yards shimmer with snow and our steps are cushioned in a thick padding of softness.

Just a wee bit sore

OK, so I really hope I can move in the morning. I was so excited to get to go cross-country skiing with Janet. She goes often and has the body of a triathlete, so it was super nice for her to #1- take me, #2- let me use their equipment #3-wait for me at points along the trail as I panted and weezed to catch up! She even told me that she likes to ski and then take breaks to look and listen (we looked and listened and I caught my breath).

I am still trying to find my go to for fitness. I used to be a water nut, but until they build a pool here, that is a bit limited in winter, so I'm doing some exploring and trying some different activities to see if I can find my fit.


This was definitely a possibility, although I'd like to try it a time or two again to be sure I'd really get into it before making a serious investment in equipment.

I also have a goal of trying snowboarding before the season ends to see if that would be a possibility. There I said it publicly, so maybe now I'll follow through!




These pics were from a school fundraiser "Blizzard Bash". The kids played games, saw some cousins and got candy.


Today was so incredibly gorgeous. The temps are awesome. We'd just gotten a fresh snow and the sky turned a lovely blue this afternoon. Our ski time was so beautiful, whenever I looked up from my frantic panting, I could see that it really was very lovely in the valley. So while we drove back into town, I felt particularly bad that the kids were inside playing the wii. Janet and I decided then and there to take them to the park. Tons more fun and pics to follow in the days/weeks ahead! Then, just to really do myself in, I continued with my original plan today which was to take the big kids skating. They had done so good in Saskatoon that I didn't want them to lose momentum and there may only be a few more public skate times left in the season. We nearly had the rink to ourselves. I guess people didn't show because it was supper time. We ate some quick p&j sandwiches and skated with 3 other kids. One of them told me he was Ivan's reading buddy at school. I love it when they do inter class activities. Then when we show up at the rink for example, there were already big kids who knew who Ivan was, called out his name and played with him, even though he couldn't skate nearly as good as them, they were super sweet and considerate. It was so great seeing Ivan and Dominique getting better and better at skating. Dominique went about the whole time without the bar. Ivan still liked the security of the bar, but can totally do it without.

kid programs!!!

sorry- no pictures again. The kids enjoyed another school fundraiser. They really do a pretty good job, except that it seems to be getting more expensive! There is a family entrance fee and then we buy tickets for the kids to play games. It seems the games all used to be 1 ticket, only now they are 2 and it's a bit ridiculous, but then the kids love it, we get to see people we live with and all the proceeds go to the great things the kids get to do through the school, so I guess it all comes around and that's the way the world spins ;)

Maybe I'm just spoiled with free library services. A lady in town just started up another kid program with resources from every child ready to read. It's Saturdays, so I left the big kids with Brian to do a little grocery run (we get sale items in town) and took Emora all on her own. It was so cute to see a bunch of 2/3 year olds together and Amber had some fun activities for them. I was a bit surprised to notice that Emora wasn't wanting to talk, answer or really participate much when the adult was asking questions. Maybe she'll warm up with time and some at home coaching ;) Yes, I may terrorize her just a bit ;)

We have some fresh snow falling again, making the town beautiful. We are hoping for some big kid skating tomorrow.

Busted!

Ivan had a goal made some time ago to practice his guitar 5 days a week. We write it on the calendar, but since he was having problems reaching it, I told him that I would also join his goal by adding 5 days a week of exercise. That was some time back and I have done way worse than him- like never!

So last night, when I was telling him how proud I was that he has been so good at practicing and already has 2 nights in a row and didn't that feel good, he asked me if I had exercised. ACK I was so BUSTED!

So this morning I made it my goal to exercise. Then I added to the incentive by making a deal with Ivan. If he practices more times than I exercise this week, I will owe him 50cents. He also told me he doesn't need me to remind him- which would be amazing because that would mean he wouldn't be arguing with me to not practice. But if I exercise more than he practices, he will owe me 50 cents.

My legs feel great and I got out in the beautiful fresh air too! Yippee, maybe our little competition will help me more than I thought! Also, I went for coffee and ended up at a free clinic, so I thought I should be a good sport and let them test me. Despite my total lack of consistent exercise and the fact that my mind, body and emotions are suffering for it, I haven't too adversely affected my heart, cholesterol or blood sugars which are all stellar ;) Big smile. So thankful to be healthy despite my meager efforts.

a weekend in Kenosee

Aunt Mary and Aunt Betty (my dad's first cousins).

It's great to be closer to Lin. Lin and I pretty much grew up together. We are second cousins, but closer to each other than our first cousins. After we graduated, I wound up in Texas and she in Yellowknife, so we were about 4 or 5 days drive from each other and saw each other only a couple of times in all these years. What do you know, we both moved (her South 2 days and me North 2 days), so that now we are only 3 hours from each other!




It was nice to have a weekend away sans kids. I got to see my sister and cousins without kids hanging all over us too. Conversations are just a bit easier without them some times! I wish I hadn't been battling a cold and that we had more time because Janet had invited me to do some cross country skiing with her and came with 2 sets of skis and it was so beautiful, but I didn't even go outside the whole time! I did admire the deer in the yard at night and an amazing foot or so of fresh snowfall the next day. My cousin Roberta spoke on the topic of "This is my story". She is Aunt Betty's daughter between Lin and my sister Jenn in the group picture. I haven't seen her in so many years I can't figure it out, but it was before either of us had kids. We giggle that we have nearly parallel lives. We both have a boy age 7, a girl age 5 and a girl age 3, so that sometimes she'll post on her blog the exact thing we are living! So funny. Maybe we'll get to spend some time with her and her lovely family in the future. They now live only about 9 hours away!

Western Development Museum

Jenn has passes to the WDM so we often go there when we go to Saskatoon. We had just missed the sleigh ride, so that was a little disappointing, but at the same time, there is so much to see there and never enough time to take it all in, plus the kids don't want to read all the info, of course, so I usually get to read just one or two panels per visit. At this rate, it will take me years to read it all! Plus they are always adding new sections.

What used to be the main part is Boomtown- a recreation of Saskatoon in it's early 1900s when it was first being populated. There is an old house, laundry, mercantile, doctor office, dentist, RCMP, train station, butcher, Newspaper, bank, school, church, firehouse, barber... There were some guys working with metal and hammers in the blacksmith shop.

One thing Ivan and I found interesting was to compare the jobs then and now in the school classroom. They had kid's names beside jobs like: brushes, water, wood, ink... I asked him what jobs they had today in class. Brushes was the same, but others now included recycling & white board...











The kids liked everything they could steer! From the old cars, to a modern tractor. They liked the trains and running around with us trying to track them down!!



This was an old trolley car actually used in Saskatoon. It has yet to be restored, but then it's fun to see too the ruggedness of age.

Baking with auntie

We had a fun night at Uncle Andrew and Auntie Andrea's house. She loves to bake and let the kids help her create a german style cheesecake. It was so yummy, although it could have cooled longer. We were a bit impatient to taste it! She even let them crack the eggs and didn't freak out when she had to clean up egg shells and spilled egg all over the counter!






Of course had to taste as they went along. She also made pudding from scratch and it was so good! I bought cornstarch so that we could make it too and will get her recipe off her blog. Umm- what's the link again Andrea?



Here's my brother!

The kids loved playing with their cousins. Isaac is growing up so fast! He runs all over, loves to climb and says some words, understands a lot.

We went to the fun factory in Saskatoon, where it was fun!

skating outside

We had such a fun time skating in Saskatoon. Every year, the city makes an ice rink beside the Besborough hotel downtown, facing the river.




The scenery is pretty. There are some big trees in the middle of the rink and they have skates available for free for people to use.









The fun thing is that a lot of immigrants and families are out there, first time and beginning skaters. Somehow, the ice was super easy for beginner skaters.


I think since it was so warm, the ice was soft and also there was a fair amount of snow on it, which made it easy for the kids to skate. Ivan and Dominique could go around easily without support and Emora even skated for a full hour! Usually she only lasts about 10 min.




And here for your gruesome pic of the day. Ivan's new toothless smile!

It was so funny. Dad really yanked on it. He screamed, got a bloody mouth and was running up and down the hallway dancing and yelling with delight! He was so excited to have it gone. I'd made him a letter with pics of him growing up and telling him how much we have loved watch him learn and grow, with a coupon saying that we could go to DQ or for donuts and look at his album. He gave me a huge hug and said thanks. He loved looking at his album with us all and picked DQ for the family treat. Another milestone passed!