Author: Heather

Elspeth’s Reunion

Can you believe that this time last year we were collecting the last of our paperwork and packing our suitcases for China?  In honour of that event, we spent the past weekend with some of Elspeth’s China family bounding.  We were blessed with great weather, ample food, a whole farm full of activities and wonderful company.  Our family has truly been blessed.  Not only has China given us two precious daughter’s but also two more branches for our family tree full of caring and warm families.  It is a delight to spend time with them.

Highlights of the weekend?  On Saturday morning the group went to a local zoo/playground/minature village.  The kids spent a lot of time in the playground section and had an absolute blast!  Along with traditional playground equipment there were also trampolines and a splash zone.  Peer pressure is a wonderful thing when it encourages your nervous child to actually venture into the water at the splash park.  That’s right, Elspeth actually went into the water at a splashpark!!!  We have not had a chance to visit another one since then so it might just be a one time thing but still a step in the right direction.  As you can see from the photos, both girls had quite a bit of fun bouncing on the trampolines.  Can you believe that in April Elspeth couldn’t jump?

 

Once we were back at the farm the fun continued.  The kids played on the swings, splashed in the wading pool and mixed up “cement” under the direction of Katrine (mud, water, stones and a toy dump truck – in case you want to make your own).  The parents managed to secure a few minutes for our own refreshments and relaxation.

After a scrumptious dinner, it was time to give the kids pony rides.  They were thrilled.  I think that if they had not been promised dessert and loot bags we may not have been able to get them away from the ponies quite as easily.

We are already looking forward to more reunions.  It is always great to see how the kids are growing and to share the successes and challenges of the previous year. Soon we will be able to wish each other a happy one year anniversary…about two more weeks.

First weekend in July

Not a very interesting title but it has been a long and fun weekend so that is the best I can do!

My two girls chilling on our boat ride with friends around the harbour in Midland.  I thought that they may not enjoy themselves but I was surprised that both had fun.

Afterwards we went fishing.  Katrine caught the fish while Elspeth caught only worms and weeds.  She was disappointed but she will never catch anything if she keeps reeling in her line 20 miles an hour while singing Baa baa black sheep at the top of her lungs.

Then it was off to Saint Marie among the Hurons.  Here is Katrine pretending to be the doctor whipping up herbal medicine.

Don’t you just love the pure joy on this face?  All because Grandma was emptying the sand from her shoes.  Absolutely love this photo.

Here is a photo that Katrine took of me.  Don’t usually get that many flattering photos of me so I simply had to post this exception to the rule.


Happy Canada Day

It was Elspeth’s first Canada Day yesterday and we tried to make the most of it.  She had some fun decorating the front garden with Katrine.  I was able to get lots of little flags and they poked them into the garden randomly.  I had wanted to get red and white foil garlands for the tress but the only ones I could find were horribly overpriced so none this year.  That said, once Katrine is at dance camp tomorrow morning, little miss and I will be stopping to see what is on sale.

 

After breakfast, we headed off to the zoo to see the one section which we rarely visit – the Canada section.  Now, we rarely visit this section as it is off the beaten track at the bottom of a large hill.  Imagine if you will, a large hill and small child.  Can you see where this is going?  Yep, hill one. Elspeth’s knees zero.  (We are considering getting her tiny knee pads because her knees are perpetually scrapped or in some stage of healing)  Aside from that it was fun.  The highlight for Elspeth was seeing a real live moose while Katrine was excited to fine a black smooth pebble (Did I ever mention that the older one likes to collect things?).  After a visit to Africa so that Glenn could finally see the white lions, a zoomobile ride and picnic lunch it was off to the splashzone.  This meant lots of cool water play for Katrine and standing in a luke warm puddle off to the side for Elspeth and one of us.  Once everyone, aside from Katrine, was over heated it was time to head home to cool off and enjoy a delicious dinner.

As an aside, our garden is going like crazy.  We harvested our first two cucumbers this weekend and they are pretty darn yummy.  Anxiously waiting for the tomatoes.  I feel some salsa coming on.

Okay, back to Canada Day.  After dinner, we headed over to our town’s Canada Day celebrations.  Good thing that we went with friends and that it was held at a place with a park because otherwise we would not have lasted until the fireworks. And what a show.  Katrine has seen these before so knew what to expect, as did we, but we were blown away.  It was a fabulous show.  Elspeth has never seen fireworks before so she was nervous and unsure which meant that she needed her Baba.  Once she was in Glenn’s arms it was all good and she enjoyed the “firetrucks” until they “went to sleep”!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

Just some photos

Random cuteness:

Looking cute after having their animals checked out at the zoo yesterday.

Ever wondered how small Elspeth is?  Fits into a bankers box along with a shoe box, play food and two stuffies with room to spare.  This is her “choo-choo”.  I love watching little kids play in boxes.

Finally built up enough courage to let go of the railing when she jumps down.  Let the games begin.

Just a cute photo.

Toddler Gymnastics Time

After those last few posts about Katrine’s dance, felt that it was time to bring you up to date on some Elspeth activities.  For the last two months we have been going to parent and tot gymnastics in Markham.  She has really been enjoying it.  Especially anything that involves hanging (but none of those pictures turned out).  Today was her last day.  I expect that we will be (or maybe even she will be….on her own??) back at it in the fall.

Don't ya just love how she is thinking so hard that she is sticking out her tongue while she walks?
Baby got some air finally.
"Sorry mom, just taking a wee rest. So, shhhhh!"
Small child, BIG climbing apparatus.

 

Wild Toy Animal Clinic

Before the rain began this morning, we were able to squeeze in a trip to the zoo.  Today was their animal clinic day.

Katrine really enjoys it and gets into it playing the role of concerned mother hen.  We were not sure how Elspeth would react to it but took a chance that she would at the very least not cry there.  Luck was on our side and she seemed to enjoy it also.  Especially chosing the colour of vaccine that her Aleigh (a rare flat sheep) should be given and happily selecting bandages for her “boo boo leg”.  This year Katrine chose to take Chimpy.  Chimpy is also a rare breed – a chimp with a tail.  Think that there may have been some interbreeding there.

First you have to check in and explain why the animal is there today. In our case, a sheep with a sore leg and a chimp with a sprained wrist.
Next it is off to the initial exam. Katrine got to check out the chimps eyes with a real magnifier before he had his ears cleaned out with the huge swab.
After vaccines, micro chipping, a weigh in and xrays, it was off to have heart rate and blood pressure checked. The vet actually let Elspeth try it out when she looked interested.
Cap it all off with bandages and a visit with a ferret. Definetely a good adventure.

Just thought that I would add one photo of the zoo’s newest project.  This is right beside the gorillas at the African pavillion.  It is going to be a rope course and I think that I will need to give it a pass. (I have a thing about falling from heights.  Don’t mind the heights themselves only the potential of falling from them.)

 

 

 

We went, she danced, she trophied!

Another weekend, another dance competition.  LOVE them!  The sun, the pipes, the dancing and this time even sheep (much to Elspeth’s delight).  Then throw in some dance friends and a picnic lunch and it makes for an enjoyable day.

Katrine danced well today.  As a result, she took home a first, second, third and the trophy for her group.  If you look closely at the photo of her with her trophy you will notice that it looks like she is in tears.  Well, she is.  If we go to another comptetion this summer, it will likely be her last as a Beginner.  The next time she will have moved up to the next level and the thought of moving scares her.  Why? Because she is scared that she is not good enough to win a trophy there.  Made for an interesting heart to heart talk tonight at bed time about how winning is not the be-all end-all but merely the icing on the cake.  The real prize is in trying your best and doing a good job.  Did it sink in?  Who knows, it is not like this is the first version of this conversation that we have had.  We were proud of her though because she actually danced well today.

Elspeth?  Well, as you can see she made a new friend and they played iphone together.  Later she broke out the stickers. 🙂

And now what you have all been dying to see…my hair.  It did not turn out as pink as I had hoped but here it is in it’s new pinkness.  I know, out of character for me but it is only semi-permanent and I just wanted to do something fun that was only for me.

 

 

 

Into the Big, Big Girl Bed…sort of

When we originally got our referral for Elspeth we thought that we would just put her right into a bed with bed rail as she was a toddler.  Then we met her and saw just how small she really was.  Enter change of plans.  Glenn phones his mom, she and his sister zip off to Ikea and bring home a crib/toddler bed combo and when we arrive home her room is home to two different sizes of bed.

This has actually worked well.  Katrine has slept in the room with her, my mom has slept there when they have been down to visit and we have slept on it when she insists on waking us up at some ungodly hour.  It has also been useful for just plan snuggling with a good book.

Monday though marked a change in the established sleeping protocol.  Elspeth insisted on the big big girl bed.  Pull out the rail.  Switch over the pillow case and top blanket because she has to have her Dora and we were off….until she woke up crying at 3 am when she moved to the little bed and then back to the big bed.  Yesterday she started out in the big bed but ended up switching to the little bed where she fell asleep crying.  Today it was back to the big, big bed but the tears appeared when we first tried to tuck her in to the little bed.  Sigh, she is truly an ox like her mom….either that or she shares some genes with my side of the family. (It happens because Katrine seems to have gotten my sleeping genes in that she rarely keeps the blankets on or sleeps in a normal position).

A fabu-tropious day at Georgina!

What a way to start our summer competitive season.  I will let the photos tell the story but it was a great day.  Sunny and warm but with ample shade and a slight breeze to make it comfortable.  A wonderful group from Katrine’s dance school as well as my parents.  Then an ice cold Iron Bru to round out the day (gotta have at least one over the course of the summer to bring back the memories of Scotland).

If you look closely you can see my dad's new moustache. In 38 years I have never seen him with one. Kinda cute.

 

The girls put Grandma to work. That is what they are for isn't it?

How did Elspeth like it all?  She seemed to enjoy watching Katrine dance but I think that her favourite part was watching the mass bands during the opening ceremonies.  Could we have another Scot at heart on our hands?  Must be the effect of celtic name.

This is one way that Elspeth filled her time today.

 

Oh ya, there was also some dancing done….

which resulted in 3 firsts and a third as well as Katrine’s first overall trophy for the Beginner’s 9 and under group.  She is pretty proud that all of her hard work paid off and she finally won a coveted trophy.  The fact that it is taller than any of the overall trophies (of which there is a grand total of 5 from 30ish years of dancing) that mommy won was icing on the cake.