Visitors make for Never a Dull Moment at The Zoo

Warning: Picture Overload

On Monday we went to the Five Star for lunch.



Both kids are signing for "Please" and "Thank You" (most of the time). Although they’re both using the sign "Thank You" even for "Please". Regardless, they are starting to understand that you have to need to do something to get something.

Artemis has been doing (learning) a new puzzle almost every day. She is very patient and when we mix the pieces of three puzzles together, she recognizes that they are from different ones. Max isn't really interested in the puzzles and gets frustrated when they don't fit (anywhere and everywhere). Instead, he spends his days throwing and kicking balls.

On Tuesday, we went to playgroup. The kids are so excited for their summer vacation that they've taken to wearing lifejackets around the house (note that the one that Artemis is wearing is too big for her and is not the one she will actually wear).


The garden is really coming along. We have radishes, lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, spinach, green beans, and beets. Unfortunately, the spinach has gone to seed (frown). I need to take a picture.

On Wednesday, Ed installed the kids Growth Chart. Max is 31" and Artemis is 30". I am looking forward to their 18 month check-up next Friday (even though they will be over 19 months old).

On Thursday, we headed into Ottawa for dinner (at a Chinese Restaurant) with the Abuelo's, Tia Ilka and Marcella. Ilka and Abuela bought the kids tons of new dressy and casual clothes. I can't wait to get Max into his new pin striped suit (with adorable tie) and Artemis into one of her two dresses with crinoline. She'll make a beautiful princess.

On Friday, we headed to "Playgroup in the Park" where the kids enjoyed playing in the sand box and water table. Afterwards, we went to Broadway's for lunch. The kids were exhausted and they missed their morning nap but were still in great moods. They slept for three hours in the afternoon.

Max got a helium balloon at the park and you couldn't take it away from him. We tied it to his shorts and it stayed there until he went to bed. They ran out of Helium so Artemis just had one filled with air. Within two minutes she had bitten it and that was that. We spent the entire day taking Max's away from her (as she was also trying to "eat" read: ruin his).

When they woke up, we went outside to swing, play in the water table and sliding on their jungle gym (which they haven't paid much attention to until today).

  Besos, The Zoo

Child Psychology 101

For Students of Child Psychology 101 this weeks assignment is "How much longer will these two be able to play together without one of them getting injured (specifically Max getting bitten, oops, too late)?"



On Saturday morning, we went to "AnimalFest" (a BBQ, petting zoo, rides, and music with all donations going to a local charity "Big Sky Ranch").





In the afternoon we played outside.





For the past few days, both of the kids have been sick (with a head cold). Ed and I have since caught the bug.

Marcella's Long Awaited Visit From South Korea.

For those of you that don't remember, Marcella has been teaching English in South Korea (Suwon) for the past two years. On July 1, she came back to Canada for good (well until she leaves for Spain in 6 weeks to teach English for another year but that's another story).

On Tuesday, Marcella came out to camp for a two-day visit (I say "camp" because Marcella considers where we live to be similar to camping, that girl cracks me up).

It's been 340 days since we last saw her (but who's counting, smile) so we had some catching up to do. "Miss Story Teller Extraordinaire" did not disappoint (she always has us "in stitches", by the way, anyone know the etymology of that saying?). Marcella is amazing with children (and some day may work in the field) and it shows. The kids loved her! Not only that, she loves animals so all of The Zoo got spoiled.

Ed and I love it when people come to visit (and Marcella is no exception) as we enjoy cooking and eating great grub. For her visit, we had a BBQ meat smorgasbord, homemade potato salad (first time ever, see, I'm "Martha" worthy), corn on the cob, oyster appetizers (Artemis ate a whole container of oysters to herself), watermelon, homemade burgers, fries with Swiss Chalet gravy (we were out of Swiss Chalet Sauce, yum!). For breakfast, Marcella made us pancakes (and she didn't even have any herself!? What an amazing guest!). We ate even more but that was some of the highlights. We watched several movies (also Marcella's specialty) and played (inside and out) with the kids. We look forward to having MID visit often (and soon, as next time she's cooking homemade Chinese food, yum!).

Here are some pictures of her visit.

We Missed You Marcella!

Besos, The Zoo

What a Busy and Beautiful Weekend!

We spent Friday afternoon playing in the kids new water table (courtesy of Aunt Ingrid). The kids loved it and were absolutely soaked. Afterwards, they rolled around in the dirt.






On Saturday we spent the day at Chuck and Michelle’s annual Canada Day weekend celebration (and Chuck’s birthday). Everyone brings tents/trailers and stays for the weekend. They had a live band, above ground pool (both of the kids went swimming and loved it), sprinklers, fireworks and tons of food. There were around 50 people there so lots of willing hands to look after the kids.




On Sunday it was hot, very hot. Like 83 degrees inside the house (with fans and the furnace fan running) hot, so we decided to have a BBQ at the St. Lawrence River (Cardinal, Ontario, 25 km from our place). We ate homemade sausages, corn on the cob, salads and watermelon. We watched people fish, scuba dive (at the wreck, Conestoga Ship, boats go by and enjoyed the lovely weather, minus the heat (the breeze off the water was amazing).




Update on Aries. As suspected, Aries has an eye infection. We have to apply topical anitbiotics for two weeks. She also scratched her cornea but that should heal on itself. After three days it is looking almost as good as new. If this healing continues, she will not need another vet visit.

Reason #325 Why I Don't Bake Cookies [Humor]

As you're well aware, I don't cook or bake. Partly because I don't like to and partly because I don't have any time.

Well, apparently, I DO have time on my hands because I was looking through my pictures and saw that I'd baked cookies this week. (I'd forgotten, there's a first time for everything, the baking cookies part, not the forgetting...).

As you can see, they didn't turn out so well. I'm being generous.

The good news, they tasted amazing!

This was the mix that Carrie gave us ladies as a Baby Shower gift. Thanks to The Sheriff for the vanilla and baking sheets.

Because a National Holiday is not complete without a Vet visit (seriously, it isn't), Ed will be heading to Ogdensburg this afternoon to get Aries eye checked out.

I know that you're not supposed to start a sentence with "because" but it just sounded so right and better than "since".

She had a little "altercation" with the dogs on the front porch last week. And while she was holding her own from behind the BBQ, I think she scratched her eyelid on something. Anyways, it's been pussing (sorry for the details) for a couple of days so we decided to get it checked out.

Sorry for being totally negligent in my posting obligations (seriously, how many times have I said that in the past few months, in addition, how many times have I said seriously). It's just that the kids keep me so busy. I hardly ever get any time to go on my computer. After they're in bed, we eat dinner (sometimes as late as 9-9:30pm), then I check out some blogs, read emails and I just don't have the energy to write anything that might make sense and post non-existent pictures that I didn't have any time to take. How did I do it for the past 13-months?

Tomorrow we're going to our Newfie friends "Canada Day shin-dig". It should be a blast and they know how to have a good time. Rumour has it there will be a live band, swimming in their pool and tons of kid activities (there will be alot of kids). I'll try to take some pictures and post.

We've started to let the kids into the bathroom (while accompanied) and they've taken an interest in the potty. They both want to STAND in it but we'll take it. After I posted this, I remembered that Max started to whimper after I took the picture. Note his hand...

Hope that it's a lovely day where you are. It sure is here.

After two years teaching English in South Korea, Marcella comes home tonight at 11pm. We are SO excited to see her. Unfortunately (for us), she will only be staying for eight weeks (or less) and then will be heading to Spain to teach (once again) for one year. Welcome Home MID!

Have Plans for Canada Day?