Shiny New Family Photos

These were taken by our good friend Pam Retzer at the end of June. Fabulous work, no?

Cottage 2009: weeks two and three

Well, things have been a little less than perfect these last couple of weeks. We have had a lot of rainy, coolish, very windy days. Days like that make for squirrelly toddlers. Jacob didn't care so much as he spends most of his days "crawling" around the floor, exploring all the things that surround him, and basically entertaining himself. Sophia was getting a little bored. We did lots of stuff in the house: crafty things, building things, tv things, and occasionally outdoor things. It's been a bit of a struggle as we have finally taken away her sloothers (that's a Sophie-ism) which has brought upon us and all in the house the dreaded full on, crying until she's red ini the face freak outs. It has not been fun. Bedtimes have become a time of negotiation, tears, and trying anything that might just prolong the going to sleep time. Oy, it has not been fun. But she doesn't have the soothers any more. That we are thankful for, but the temper tantrums are frustrating.

Anyway, we did get some fun outside things done. We spent one day on Shadowfax. Sophia loved it, Jacob was okay with it, Haley hated it! She shook the whole time. Funny little thing. Two rainy-ish days were spent in Kenora. Ma, David, Sophia, Jacob and I went to visit the Lake of the Woods Museum. Sophia loved the ramp! Too funny. Then we got to have dinner out. David, Sophia, Jacob, Haley and I visited one afternoon to do some shopping and be distracted from the bad weather. We went out on Ed (the motor boat). We "swam" --rather we played in the water.

We've had some good fun.

Sophia and Jacob playing together so nicely.

nom, nom, nom. Jacob had six teeth as of last week. Now he is working on the bottom teeth!


Jacob was decidedly against the lake so I decided to fill the little pool and leave it in the sun for a little while. He really did enjoy playing in his own space with warmer water.

Sophia, cottage fairy of rainy days.

Sophia has discovered the joy of scissors and glue. Unfortunately, Jacob usually wants to "help out" by chewing on the paper. The solution: give Sophia a cage. It worked out well.

Some photos taken on a peaceful evening. I enjoy spending time on the lake in the Kayak. Haley has gotten more adventurous in her old age. She paces back and forth while I Kayak and looks cute.




One peaceful morning, Daddy and Sophia took Pegasus (the rowboat) across to the island. The main goal was to check out the blueberries. Sophia proudly came home proclaiming that they found a few ripe ones. When asked where they were, she exclaimed "In my tummy!"



Jacob finally decided that the Lake wasn't so bad. He happily sat in the water and played in the sand.

Jacob loves plain yoghurt!


Auntie Kristine and Sophia

Daddy as stuffed animal doctor. These are vintage animals, once belonging to Uncle Adam and made by Great Grandma Gerhard.



Sophia has been experimenting with not napping...it doesn't go well. This particular day, a big boat trip was happening and the movement of the boat lulled Sophia to sleep both on the way out and on the way home. Here she was sitting up and fell asleep, just minutes after taking off. Much too cute.

Cottage 2009: Week One

Well, our annual month at the cottage has commenced, with much joy and anticipation! This year, we have chosen again to alight at the cottage during July as opposed to our usual August timing. The weather has been about the same as last year, in that this first week has held beautiful sunny and warm summer weather, and icky and cloudy fall weather. We can't seem to win, as more of the first week has held cool temperatures and lots and lots of strong wind.

The bonus of the first week is that we got to spend it with our dear friends, the Bears. There is nothing better than a lakeside cottage full of life, as we had six adults, two three year olds, a 9 month old and two dogs. Whew, it was a house full. But we survived. Sophia and William played well together, having their moments of cooperation and consternation. There were some fights over toys and some tired tears but all in all, they did spectacularly.

We boated, swam, sunbathed, read, played, walked, ate, drank, played, watched a bunkie in development, ate more, made cookies, listened to music, watched the Backyardigans, Cars, Shrek and Pride and Prejudice. Yup, we tried to do it all, despite the weather. I even got the joy of celebrating my birthday at the cottage again. Nothing better than being with good friends and wonderful family to really celebrate. Marie-Eve even presented me with an afternoon tea on the deck...just for me and her. Lovely! Marie-Eve cooked a fabulous dinner of Jerk Chicken and salad, and David surprised me with a homemade ice cream cake! Whoo hoo! It was the perfect celebration dinner, topped off with presents and fireworks, Yup, I said FIREWORKS. Kelvin revels in the opportunity to light things on fire and watch them explode! Actually it;s kind of really fun to have your own private fireworks display!

The Bears left on Sunday and we miss them lots. Sophia has woken up the last two mornings looking for William. It was a great week and we look forward to it next year!

We have fish for children. Both Sophia and William loved being in the water, despite the chilliness. Jacob on the other hand, was less than impressed. Merely placing his feet in the waves elicited woeful cries. Sigh.

Chasing each other through the daisies, giggling the whole time. No wonder they slept so good.

Tracking a red squirrel through the underbrush.

Playing side-by-side in true three year old style.

Practicing proper posture. Or else making a fashion statement.

Supervising the building of the new Bunkie

Jacob decided he wanted to play with the big kids. He spent a lot of time chasing the train William was playing with, much to William's chagrin.

A rare moment of three year old cooperative play. It was fun watching them work together. I think it lasted a whole 8 minutes.

Jacob showing his admiration and affection for the retro train.

Reading with Grandpa. William took to calling Arthur and Diane grandpa and grandma....I think it was just easier. And heck, it was cute.

Jacob's favorite position: standing. He can pull himself up on pretty much everything. He can even pull himself up in the bathtub...now if that isn't a nightmare for whoever is watching him in the bath I don't know what is.

My birthday cake --better than Dairy Queen!

My most excellent and beautiful family --taking a walk with the Bears and giving Mom a bit of peace.

Tea for Two. What a treat!

Haley is a sensitive dog. Fireworks and thunder cause our little Bichon to become the amazing vibrating dog. She paces, pants, and looks for a place to hide. The birthday fireworks drove her crazy and she ended up seeking refuge in Diane and Arthur's bathtub. Yup, she got herself in there.

Our handsome little man.

A happy, glowing William.

Things to take to the cottage

The kids decided that they needed to remind me that they too needed to be included on my packing list!


Actually, Jacob discovered that he could not only knock over the empty Rubbermaid container, but also that he could climb into it. And, best of all, he could pull himself up the side. Not to be outdone, Sophia joined in the standing up fun!


The only downfall of this whole arrangement? Jacob kept knocking the darned container over (he's too heavy! Who'd ever imagined I would be saying that!). So a parental unit needed to be around to thwart any potential harm.

More Birthday Bliss

Here are just a few more pictures of Sophia's most excellent third birthday!

A close up of Abby Cadabby

The birthday girl herself!

Enjoying cake kiddie style

And cake --parent style!

She's Three!!!

Can you believe it!? Little Sophia is three years old. She's an amazing little preschooler (!) who is precocious, outgoing, extroverted, beautiful, and fun. All of these things warranted a fun party. When asked what kind of cake she wanted she decided first on a Curious George cake. well, that offered a challenge as there is no such pan. Then, after looking through one of my cake pans, she discovered that there was an Abby Cadabby cake pan (check out Abby Cadabby). So after checking out that is what she wanted for several more weeks, that is the theme we went with.

We had four of Sophia's friends (Dylan, Owen, Claire, and William) along with their parents and Nana and Papa, at our house for an outdoor play date. We had a sand box, sidewalk chalk, swings, tents and tubes, cranberry raspberry lemonade, fruit, chips and cake. The morning was cooler than it had been and overcast, but it was still nice enough to play outside. Presents were opened and goodie bags were given out.

All in all, I think everyone had a good time. Having the party before naptimes seemed to work out really well for everyone involved! Many thanks to everyone who joined us.