Category: Heather

A little Prince and a weekend adventure

Okay, I had a hat for the royal wedding so why would the birth of our newest prince be any different?  Well, a little different in that I got them for the girls too!  Tomorrow I will do our nails blue in honour of it being a boy.  Hey, if you don’t make a celebration out of the small things it will all get lost in translation.  Besides, aren’t they adorable in their fascinators?

We all look a bit tired as we had just gotten home from quite the girls’ weekend in Ottawa.  Had tons of fun but missed Baba like crazy. (Everything is just that bit more fun with him around.)  Where was he?  Taking some needed time alone to recharge and simultaneously finishing a to-do list from me.  🙂

We started the weekend with an ice show at skating camp.  It was a bit beyond Elspeth this year so she had the day off and got to watch the show.  Katrine was beyond excited to perform and Elspeth was equally excited for two reasons: 1. She got to frantically wave at Katrine and 2. Santa was out on the ice skating because the show’s theme was Christmas in July (She was very surprised that he knew how to skate and kept trying to get him to wave at her.).    After the show we drove way too long through the rain before arriving safe and sound at our hotel.

Saturday was spent with some of Katrine’s China family.  Katrine got to spend time with three of her “sisters” while Elspeth met her birthday twin and twin’s younger brother.  There was swimming, swinging, toad finding, sparklers and the stuff that summer memories are made of.  Katrine even slept over that night and she left wearing a huge smile the next morning declaring “I have the best China family EVER!”  Everytime that we get together with her extended family I am reminded of how blessed we are to have been bound to them by the invisible red thread of adoption.

Sunday I braved driving in to downtown Ottawa to take the girls to the Museum of Civilization in the morning.  We only did the Children’s Museum section, on purpose.  I figured that two kids and one of me would equal all of us being done sooner rather than later and I was correct.  By the time we were finished exploring just the one section of the museum they were DONE and so was I.  That said, it was awesome.  They played with shadow puppets and a theater style sound system.  The created potatoe sack puppets and ran a clothing store.  Play, play, play.  There can never be too much of that.

Next we headed back across the river to Byward Market where we met Glenn’s uncle and cousin for lunch.  Poor duo were covered in Hello Kitty stickers by the end of lunch but they were really good sports (thanks).  After lunch it was time to explore downtown on foot.  A highlight was walking along the Ottawa River and the lock system.  Elspeth really enjoyed the simple pleasure of throwing stones into the river.  She would grin each time one actually hit the water.  Katrine was absolutely fascinated by the loch system.  Thank goodnes Uncle Darren was there to explain how it worked.  His explanations cleared alot up whereas mine would have left many gaps in understanding.

Of course it was a hot day so we had to get some refreshments as we walked.  This fresh squeezed lemonade with ice did the trick and we were able to climb up to the top of the hill to the parliment buildings.  Our pair love fountains and the eternal flame was no different.  Katrine once again had her uncle explaining how it worked while her sister was staring at the various coins in the fountain.

After a much needed quiet evening at the hotel, we spent our final day in Ottawa with a university chum of mine and her daughter.  I was able to spend quality time getting caught up while the girls drew, played and ate giant ice cream cones.

The icing on the cake was the arrival of our little prince and the cherry was coming back home to Baba hugs.  The one thing we missed doing was visiting Glenn’s cousin and their new baby boy.  This didn’t happen because I got lost too many times this weekend.  I think that fate was trying to tell me that it is time I get a phone with GPS.  Maybe next time though…when I have my phone!

 

Some Summer Skating

Now normally, one doesn’t associate summer and skating but this is our family so it goes without saying that there is still skating.  Summer camps infact for both girls.  While Katrine is going full time, Elspeth only goes for the last hour.  That way she doesn’t bother me with a zillion questions about why her sister is skating and she is not.  Both girls are having a lot of fun and with our recent heat wave even I have been enjoying the frosty arena.

Skatey Katrine:

She continues to work towards her double toe, loop and flip as well as her solo (which she loves).  This week at camp they are putting on a show.  The theme is Christmas in July so we had to dig around tonight to find a suitably red top.  Poor thing will have to ride to skating in black skating pants in the heat.  The sacrifices of a performer.  🙂

We managed to get the dress issue sorted out.  We first ordered the dress in May and it arrived in June.  There was a problem though.  It was HUGE.  Turns out that a Ladies dress was shipped instead of Katrine’s.  The store sorted it all out right quick and we picked up the proper size this past weekend.  It fits like a dream and looks good when she is skating.  Now it is time for me to work my magic and bling it.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am up to the challenge as well as able to get it done on time.

Yes, pink and orange.  Not two colours I would have thought to buy for her but Katrine’s coach was right and they look great.

 

That’s our girl in the black sweater.  She is too fast the rest of the time so this is about the only photo I have.

Skatey Elspeth:

Okay she may be skating everyday but her goal is having fun and she is.  (She is also learning but really it is about the fun.)  Today she got so hot that she ditched her sweater in favour of short sleeves.

 

Y stand…with some help

If she continues to skate I do think that she will end up in pairs.

A Rainy Summer’s Day

Well, what is a family to do on a rainy summer’s day?  Why go out for a walk of course.  Luckily for us it was only drizzling.

 

The girls had a lot of fun watching the various types of birds swimming on the lake.  They also watched snails Those you see in the hand were actually picked up by one of my girl friend’s sons.  Neither girl is particularly fond of bugs.  Katrine enjoys reading books about them and Elspeth is no longer totally terrified but that said, they could easily do without seeing them…with the exception of snails apparently.  They also had fun getting dirty climbing the tree.

Me?  Well, I got the chance to get some fresh air while getting caught up with an old friend.  A great morning outing topped off with a slushie on the way to skating camp.

Another weekend, Another Reunion

This seems to be the summer of reunions.  Thankfully, both have been a lot of fun and neither was rained on.  The reunion this past weekend was for Elspeth’s China family.  Both girls have been blessed with families who want to try and foster strong connections between the children.  They have also been blessed with truly great China sisters and brothers.  These kids are so much fun to be around and we are honoured to watch them grow up.  Luckily the grownups that go along with said children are equally as fun.

Altogether this made for a Saturday full of smiles and laughter….oh and a slew of balloons being taken to my backyard for the heck of it.

Canada Day and a Family Reunion

What a weekend! We began by driving up to my parents bright and early on Saturday morning so that we could get things set up before the parade.  We got done just in time and enjoyed the parade with family.  My dad and his group the Loyal Order of the Pumpkin were back in the parade.  The girls were super pleased to cheer on their grandpa.  And as you can see in the photo, he was thrilled to have so much family support for his efforts.  Oh, and did you notice my nails?

This is the second time that Elspeth has celebrated Canada Day but the first time that she has done so as a citizen.  We went all out to celebrate these two occassions at once.

As the parade and community barbeque were over, we headed back to my parents’ house to welcome even more family.  The last time that we got together as a group was about 7 years ago and that was without our family from Florida.  This weekend, however, saw all of us (minus 3 second cousins and spouses and their 4 children) together.  I love my family.  We are an entertaining bunch.  When I think back on my childhood, Christmas eve comes to mind.  Driving in a car squished between my Nana and brother driving to a family party.  As soon as we walked in there was my great aunt and uncle to greet us along with the rest of the family.  I remember visiting another great uncle and dancing for him while being scared of his yapping dog.  I remember funerals, weddings, birthdays and showers.  At each one I felt safe, loved and happy.  I wanted that to gift that sense of belonging to my two so when my cousin suggested a reunion I jumped on the band wagon (Thank you Gil).  I am so very glad I did.

While I visited and organized (because no reunion is without it’s hiccups), the girls ran around with family.  They played fight the zombies, tag, frisbie, bury our cousin in the sand…pretty much, you name it and it was played.  Most importantly they smiled and laughed.  This afternoon after we got home and had unpacked Elspeth asked where her friends were.

Elspeth was lucky enough to find people who were willing to let her “tie” their shoes.  She never got it quite right but boy was she focused.   

Today? Actual Canada Day? After a bit more playtime and some clean up we headed home amidst the traffic. Neither girl wanted to leave. However, their sadness was short lived as once we had unpacked there was a knock on the door. The girls were invited to go just down the street to a friend’s house to pick cherries. Even though we didn’t make it to the fireworks tonight, cherry picking ended the day on a high note.

Strawberries!

Yup, that time of year again, so off we headed to the berry patch for some picking.  We tried a new patch this year.  Well, not really new because we picked at a patch on the farm where we go to pick apples each fall.  They had a lovely large field that is close enough to home that Katrine was able to bring a friend with her.  That was really nice as the pair of them went off by themselves down one row while I was able to focus on helping Elspeth fill up our basket.  Even though they were off by themselves picking and giggling in the sweltering sun, I was able to keep an eye on them.  Not sure how much ‘quality control’ they carried out but I know that Elspeth ate about as many berries as she picked.

After a short tractor ride back in from the field, the older two went to play with a water pump (“Hey look mom, just like pioneers!”) while Elspeth prefered the swings and slide.  The morning drew to a close with a snack of fresh made strawberrry rhubarb cruellers.  These left all three in a sticky mess and led to another visit to the pump.  All in all a very fun morning made all the better by a return home to air conditioning.

Oh!  Check out the baby apples.  It looks like it should be a better crop than last year.  Already looking forward to that fall outing.

Santa’s Village

Katrine is rapidly reaching the end of the line in terms of belief in Santa.  This past Christmas she began questioning the physics of Santa and hinting that she has her doubts.  It seemed like a now or never moment to head up north to Santa’s Village.  Now we live so very close to Wonderland that it might seem silly to head all of this way for less rides.  The difference is that Elspeth can go on ALL of the rides which NEVER happens.  And I don’t have to go on the rides with her.  Besides, I am a bit of a rollercoaster chicken.  Plus, they have climbing ropes, go karts, batting cages and mini putt which got Katrine excited.  Then there is how excited the girls were to be wrapped up in Christmas in June (have I mentioned that Christmas is a big deal in our house?)  Throw in a beach and a boat cruise on the Muskoka river and it is a fun outing.  It also gave us the perfect excuse to visit with one of Elspeth’s China sisters.

Upon arriving the girls were given elf hats.  Now I had to bribe Katrine for the photo with candy but it was worth it.  I love my two elves.

As much as Katrine would rather have been at Wonderland, as you can see we all had fun….well maybe neither Glenn nor I did on the Jumping Stars ride.  Him because he was squished and me because I hate falling from heights.  The very idea of choosing to fall from high up makes my stomach turn.  We are dedicated and Glenn forced himself on twice while I could only man up once (this was the soul ride that the wee one couldn’t go on by herself).  He also had to take both girls on the Christmas ball ferris wheel alone while I watched from the shade.  I mean, how is riding up high in a not fully enclosed ball fun?  You lean over to far and you fall.  (I am really not a fan of falling.)

Baba was in a festive mood and let both of the girls play one of the games.  They now have matching pink alligators in their rooms named HoHo and MoMo because Elspeth is heavily into copying her sister.

While Katrine and Glenn were off doing big kid things in the Sportsland section, Elspeth and I were hanging out with one of her China sisters.  They were so very cute together.  It was very funny because Elspeth couldn’t understand that she is a year older than her meimei.  “She big like me mama!”  Nevertheless, they had a lot of fun on the various rides, playgrounds and beach.

We topped the trip off with both families having dinner together.  I love seeing the girls together with their China families.  I know that Elspeth will grow to appreciate these connections from watching Katrine.  These are kids who get what it means to be different at school, to not be a matching set in a family, to have questions or worries about their pasts but also kids who are just wonderful kids that they can have lots of fun with.  Both of our girls have been truly blessed.

Meow!

There is not a lot that our girls truly need for their birthdays.  We have been blessed with a lot of hand me downs from our older cousins – both clothes and toys.  Sooo, what do you get a nine year old for her birthday when she has a lot?  This year the family went in on theater tickets for her birthday and then did the same for mom and my niece. 

Cats is the perfect first trip to the theater.  It is fun and lively with beautiful music/singing, fabulous dancing, fun stage decorations and great costumes.  The fact that it was my first musical might also have affected the decision.  Well, both girls had a wonderful time and throughly enjoyed the whole experience.  My mom and I were honoured to share the experience with them.  Oh, and to make that little bit better the girls got to go up on stage and meet Old Deuteronomy during intermission.

While we were at the theater my dad, brother and family went swimming.  Elspeth and Glenn decided to take advantage of the sunny afternoon and go for an extended playdate at the park.  Of course she had to take her stroller with her.

 

Garden Update & The Girls

The girls have been having a blast the past few days.  In between the bouts of rain they have been exploring our small berry patch in search of ripe berries that have been left untouched by the local free range bunnies.  Below is our first haul.  Not bad.  Unfortunately they are a bit on the tart side.  I have had to break down and mix them with sugar to get the girls to eat them.

Glenn had a fun Baba’s Day.  The girls woke him up with presents in bed.  Katrine with a hand made CD case card showing him getting a goal at hockey.  She was greatly relieved that he did not think that the puck was too large for the stick (she had been worrying about that since bringing it home on Friday).  Elspeth was super proud to be able to give him her hand made card along with the popsicle stick tool box.  “Baba, you have to put tools in it when you make tools.”  Not sure which tools Glenn will end up storing in it, but he can honestly say that he does not yet own a handcrafted popsicle stick tool box! (Don’t worry, his real gift was a bottle of wine and some beer)  Then the girls made him breakfast which meant that he was able to have a nice lie in before his bacon, eggs and veggies were ready.  The rain today also left our yard too wet to mow and the garden too soggy to work in so he ended up with a relaxing day instead of the planned day of chores!  Happy Father’s Day to my hubby and my wonderful dad.

Being Celiac can be an…Adventure

I have lived as a celiac for a long time now.  Usually it does not phase me.  I have truly been blessed.  My familyand friends have embraced feeding me.  They have learned to check ingredients, create ‘Heather friendly’ menus for family dinner, allow me to check the ingredients on things that they have used in their cooking and most importantly, they do not get insulted if I just don’t eat something.  I love them all for helping to normalise me in the outside world.  

I have navigated re-learning to bake.  In the process I also learned that I was no longer capable of making my famous pastry.  This process  began as very frustrating and turned into a more academic pursuit especially once I began to encounter baking with food allergies.  Along the way I had many, many failures and some resounding success.

After my diagnosis I rarely went out to eat.  I was sure that they were going to kill me with food.  With time, we ventured out more.  I think that surviving our first adoption trip to China went along way to help.  I mean, if I could eat there without dying (granted I ate mostly rice) then I should be able to eat here at home.  I am always excited when we find another restaurant with gluten free options.  Most of the time if a restaurant has gluten free options they are aware of making “safe” meals.  Then other times you are lulled into a false sense of security.  They can answer your questions and you think that they Get It but they don’t. 

 This past weekend this point was brought home to me.  I was out for dinner with friends enjoyed a lovely gluten free cesar salad and got halfway through a bowl of rice pasta when there it was – a wheat noodle.  Carelessness in the kitchen.  An uncleaned strainer or frying pan caused by a rush?  A new cook who just didn’t get it yet?  A server who had not properly conveyed who the chef was cooking for?  The manager was beside himself with concern but once the gluten has been eaten there is not much that can be done.  Does the free meal help me feel better as I am curled up in pain?  Will it give me back energy the next day to play with my kids? Unfortunately no but I can appreciate the gesture.  It will also not help me to ever eat at your restaurant again.  That said, I refuse to go back to those early days where I ate only a baked potatoe and had my drink.  I simply will not.

I will not let this beat me.  I will continue to force myself to push the boundaries.  Try new recipes at home, hang out with friends, travel.  This all involves risk but without risk there is no growth.  In that I will be showing my girls resiliency and strength; something that they will need as they grow.