Cottage bliss

Well, it's our annual trek to the cottage at Sioux Narrows, Lake of the Woods. We always look forward to this time at David's childhood stomping/sailing grounds and the time with Grandparents is a treat. Each year we go, loaded to the top of the van, not quite sure what we will get for weather when we are there. We have had months were it never got to 20 degrees (in August) and we didn't have enough warm clothes and hardly got into the water, and other times the weather was so variable we never knew what we would get from day to day. This time, we have had HOT days (30+)
most of the time we have been here. There has been wind and two or three days of rain. Sophia's been in the water as much as she can, two or three times a day. She's swimming like a pro and even LOVES jumping off the dock. She's even had the chance to tube and jump into the water from the speed boat! No fear that one! Jacob enjoys playing on the beach and loves wandering into the water to dig and play. He will come out to swim, but he is not as confident as his sister...at least not in a life jacket. It keeps him on his back too much and then he can't move around. His favorite thing to be in is his baby cousin's swim ring --a inflatable ring which has a seat so he can sit in it and his legs are free for kicking and moving. Boy can he get around in that! We've been in the speed boat, and had a day on Shadowfax (a beautiful sailing day --a treat for sure), played mini golf, hiked, visited two favorite places, caught crayfish, visited friends, had a birthday party, cooked hotdogs and smores on the beach fire and played in the bunkie. We've had a marvellous time and are sad that our time is coming to a close....








It is nearly impossible to get these two kids to sit still enough to get a nice picture of them together. This is as close as we got. It's still pretty darned cute.


Cousins!! Jacob (3.5) and Matthew (2.5)



Making Sophia into a sand mermaid.


The mermaid, playing with her very loose tooth. Yup, she finally lost it and the tooth fairy managed to find her here. Now she has a very gappy smile.






Pure joy. Jacob loves to be thrown around. Thankfully he is light enough to do it still.



Daddy and Sophia wake boarding out to Blueberry island (where there are no blueberries this year. Booo)



G'ma and her g'kids at Nestor Falls. Goofy kids.



Snapping turtle.


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She's 6!!

Six! It is incredible to both David and me that Sophia is now 6. There is a strange shift for us, somehow 6 is just that much more grown up. Somehow we have lost our little preschooler and now have a bone fide kid. She's not a baby any more. One way to know is her attitude...but that's another story entirely. But Sophia is growing into a lively, intelligent, loving and energetic young girl, and we are enjoying this stage in her development. She wants to help more, do more and be responsible for more. She is super excited about starting Grade 1 (yikes, and yikes!) and is eager to take on the challenges that are coming.

This year we celebrated her birthday at the Saskatchewan Science Center. It's a great way to party. They covered the entertainment (science experiments) with a science center employee (who was great!), provided the cake and all that is needed with that --including making ice cream with liquid nitrogen --, and they even made science themed goodie bags. all I had to do is pay and show up. This made my life easier as we were packing up for our month that cottage at this time as well.

If you ask Sophia was the best part of the party was she will easily answer that it was her Grandma and Grandpa surprising her at the party. She had NO idea that they were coming from Winnipeg just for her. She was so happy.

Sophia and her pals had a great time. They decorated a lab coat for her...












An experiment with alkaseltzer tablets and either water or vinegar (can't remember) under a film canister. The combination of the tablet and the liquid caused a build up of gas which then made the canister explode into the air. You can just see the canister off to the left of the lady in the second picture. The funniest moment is when the staff member asked the kids if the knew what the canister was....not one of them knew it to be a film canister. Speaks to the generational gap...no one uses film any more.







making lava laps with water (coloured), oil and salt. Very cool.




Feeling dry ice smoke.







Bubbles full of dry ice smoke. Very cool too!




Making goo or slime. Messy but the kids had a blast.



Sophia pouring in the ingredients for liquid nitrogen ice cream.







Adding the liquid nitrogen and then stirring like crazy.



Cake and ice cream


Presents! We ended up with five barbies.....sigh. What can you do! It was a great day! Thank you to everyone!



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Feeding the Geese

One of Sophia's final kindergarten field trips (yikes, I can not believe that the year is already over!) was to the Wascana Display ponds, where water of fowl of many varieties are kept so that people can enjoy them, and feed them. Most of the kids enjoyed the opportunity to feed the ducks, geese (many, many geese), and swans. There are a few who were a bit wary and scared of the geese (for which I can not blame them, nasty beasts) so wouldn't go near them. But not my children, not even the one who is basically the same size as some of those geese.







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A telling exchange

Jacob: "your eyes are blue?"

Daddy: "yes. your eyes are blue too."

J: "Boys eyes are blue?"

D: "No, anyone can have blue eyes. Sophia has blue eyes."

J: "Oh."

D: "Momma's eyes are hazel."

J: "Why?"

D: "That's how she was born."

J: "Momma was born?"

D: "Yes. Daddy was born too."

J: "Really?"

D: "Yes."

J: "Oh."

Things we NEVER thought we'd say:

These statements took place in the course of the afternoon and dinner time at our house. These are the things the "Parents" said to their children:

"Jacob, stop hitting yourself in the face with the knife"


"Give me back my eardrum."


"Do not play baseball with the hairbrush and bun"


"My fingers are sparkly now"


"This is the life we chose"


"The children tell me I have two card tricks: fart and spray"

(I am thinking that needs a little unpacking....S, J and David were playing cards. Apparently, David's card tricks weren't amusing enough for them. They truly enjoyed the sound of the cards shuffling together when a using the bridge technique (farting) and when David fountained the cards in a 52 pick up (spray). These two activities produced gales of laughter from the two youngest in the group. David was laughing at the laughing. I stayed in the kitchen. It was safer there. Sorry Grandma for the gratuitous use of "fart")

Next edition: strange things my children stay. Until then!