Clip-ons

A little cumbersome, but worth it if they actually work. The real test will be this weekend.

Clumsy

Just wouldn't be summer without a twisted ankle. :P  It happened yesterday (just stepped wrong and rolled off the side of my sandal) and I didn't think it was too bad, but today it's been hurting quite a bit.

Stripes

I think this cool and comfy dress will be in heavy rotation this summer, especially if there are a lot more hot days like today!

Cupcakes

Sometimes the best reason to make cupcakes is because the first words from a little boy this morning (out of the blue) were "mommy, make tuptates (cupcakes) today??"  So we did.  It was actually a lot of fun and the kids loved it that I let them decorate the cupcakes however they liked (which doesn't happen when I'm making cupcakes for a birthday or other event!).

Sleepy

Both kids fell asleep today on the way home from our rained-out church picnic (it looks like Annika might be faking it, but she really was asleep). Which meant no nap for Emmett when we got home. :(

Friends

:)

Supper

Carey is off fishing with his friends, so I decided to take the kids out for supper tonight, for something different. It was perhaps not the best decision (not a lot was eaten, except dessert), but I think they had fun.

Shopping spree

Went on a bit of a shopping spree today at one of my favourite stores - Rocky Mountain Soap Company. Unfortunately I had my dates mixed up, and I wasn't able to take part in their "sunscreen swap" (it's tomorrow and Saturday - bring in any sunscreen and get a free trial size bottle of their new all-natural sunscreen). However, I did pick up a stick of their "breakout buster" which the salesgirl said worked really well on bug bites. I think I'll have ample places to test it out...

Mosquito spray

Can anyone recommend a bug spray that's safe for kids and actually works???  Clearly what we've been using (Off Family) is not making the cut.

Potty training

We started potty training with Emmett last week, and (knock on wood) it's been going pretty well.  It's been different in many ways from when Annika was potty trained, but it works for Emmett, so we'll go with it!  Emmett was very reluctant to give up wearing his diapers, and he's still not wearing underwear.  He's wearing Pull-Ups during the day (and keeping them dry all day for the past few days) and disposable diapers for nap time/bed time (he's still wet every nap time and every night, but that will come eventually).  So we still have another transition to make, but I'm okay with it at this point.  With Annika I had more time and attention to give to her and I was okay with cleaning up more accidents, but this time around, I'm actually glad he wants to wear the Pull-Ups - easier clean-up for me! 

I decided to put away the cloth diapers yesterday, an almost bittersweet moment.  I decided that it wasn't worth it to use just one cloth diaper a day (at nap time; he's always worn a disposable for night) and I had a bunch of disposables that I needed to use up anyway.  I figured it would be easier for Emmett to make the switch if the diapers were all put away.  And I told him that he had to stop wearing diapers because we needed to give them to another baby (which is mostly true - I'll probably pass along most of my stash to my sister-in-law for their baby, due in July.  The baby won't need most of the diapers for a good 6-9 months, but Emmett doesn't know that!! ;) ).

So, fingers crossed, hopefully everything continues to go well.  The next steps are getting him to actually wear underwear and weaning him off the potty treats!!

Soccer wind-up

This evening was Annika's soccer wind-up. There was food and games and treats (a few too many for one night, if you ask me, but I guess it's okay for one night) and lots of fun. She even got a medal (everyone did :P). It was a great evening and now we have officially survived one season of soccer!

Happy Father's Day

For Father's Day the kids painted picture frames for Carey and I bought him the new Dan Brown novel. Happy Father's Day to an awesome dad!

Slurpees

This afternoon we were going to go to the new frozen yogurt place in our neighbourhood for their grand opening (and free yogurt), but after seeing the line-up out the door, we decided to just get Slurpees instead.

Has anyone...

...seen my shorts?

Three cheers for...

...spending the afternoon in a friend's pool...

...and the last night of soccer.

Brave

Playing on the playground at Annika's new school. The first time across these swinging platforms she was terrified and didn't want me to let go of her. Then she did it over and over, all on her own, no problem.

Rain rain go away

Despite some menacing-looking clouds this afternoon, it turned out to be a really nice night for soccer.

Soon...

I don't have a picture for today, but the big news around here is that Emmett used the potty three times today!!  I think it's soon time to get serious about potty training, something I'm looking forward to and dreading in equal amounts.

Saturday

Finally able to do some work around the yard! Planted the garden and the flower pots and burned a bunch of old branches. After supper Carey took the kids out for ice cream, for a "daddy date."

Gum

Annika was so excited to buy her very own pack of gum today, with money she got from going to bed nicely.  While Carey was away we made a chart and she got a sticker for each night she went to bed and stayed in bed without any complaining or fussing. Once the chart was full she got a dollar (I covered the difference in the cost of the gum).  It seems to have really improved bed time, so we made another chart today. I think a few packs of gum is worth it, if it means avoiding the nightly drama.

She passed!!!!

Tonight was the last night of swimming lessons, and Annika finally passed Sea Otter (this was her fifth time in the level)!!  Yay, so proud of her, especially since we had so many troubles this session. Now we will take a break from swimming lessons and just have fun in the water over the summer.

Emmett also "passed" his level and now once he turns 3 he can start real swimming lessons. That means no more singing "the grand ol' duke of York" for me!  Hurray!!!

Definitely needed a treat to celebrate!!

Kindergarten here we come!

This morning was Annika's "kindergarten orientation" morning.  She was very excited about going, but I think she was quite overwhelmed while we were there.  She had a bit of trouble focusing on the activities that she was supposed to be doing.  I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in the morning.  The letter we received said there would be classroom activities, a time for parents to ask questions and a school tour.  Well, the whole time was just the classroom activities (which the kids were evaluated on - kind of reminds me of this post by my friend Melissa).  There was no tour, there was no time for questions.  We had to drop off a few forms in the office, so I did manage to ask a few questions there, but didn't get much for answers.  I was hoping to find out whether Annika would be in the morning or afternoon class, but they said they didn't have the classes finalized yet.  I also found out that one of the classes may be a kindergarten/grade 1 split, which I'm not crazy about.  Now, I have nothing against split classes (I was in split classes from grade 1 to 6), but I think that there's a big difference between kids just starting kindergarten and kids in grade 1 (maybe I'm wrong???).  I asked the school secretary if I could request the "just kindergarten" class and she said she would note our preference on Annika's file.  I also switched our preference from "afternoons" to "mornings".  It will be a challenge for us to get up and out the door on time, but for a variety of other reasons, I think it will work better for us.

Oh, and if it looks like she's got a shiner in these pictures, it's not because she got in a fight!  She got a bug bite right by her eye, and it's really swollen up.  Poor girl reacts like crazy to bug bites, especially the first ones of the season.

They sent us home with a bag full of all the activities that the kids did there to practice over the summer - it even included a pair of scissors and some crayons!  We'll go through the stuff a few times, but I think her time in preschool has prepared her well for kindergarten.  She may not have demonstrated the full extent of her skills today (a combination of shyness and too much other stuff to look at!), but she's definitely ready.  Now... am I??

How beautiful it is...

...to do nothing and then rest afterwards.
~Spanish proverb

That was my motto for yesterday evening and this morning.  I have been sick for a week, and Carey's working out of town, so it's been a rough few days.  So last night my in-laws took the kids for a sleepover and I was able to get some much-needed R&R.  And I really did nothing!  Last night I watched TV, knitted and played Scrabble on my phone.  This morning I "slept in" (only until 7:30, but I stayed in bed until 8, which is still considered a sleep-in!) and had a lazy morning.  I painted my toenails, went for a short walk (my energy levels are still pretty low), and did more knitting and Scrabble.  I felt almost a little guilty about being so unproductive with so much time to myself, but I got over it pretty quickly.  I needed the rest and the quiet, and it was wonderful.

Snack time

Enjoying a snack at the preschool year-end party this morning (you'd never guess that I actually fed them breakfast beforehand!!).

Bed time yoga

The kids are really getting into our "bed time yoga" (well, mostly Annika - Emmett mostly does his own thing, but he still thinks it's fun).  This is one of their favorite poses - we call it "feet up on the wall" (cuz we're super-creative like that).

Attack of the 50 foot woman

These mini cones make me feel like a giant! ;)

A little taste of heaven

I haven't had a chance to plant my garden yet, but my rhubarb is already coming in strong.  This afternoon I "harvested" enough to make a rhubarb crisp, which was delicious (see recipe here).  Annika even ate a stalk of rhubarb plain out of the garden, no sugar or anything.  That girl has a crazy taste for sour things.