Category: Katrine

Trying out kung fu

Okay, we are a busy family.  Inspite of that fact we have added on yet another activity…at least until the end of October at which time we will actually have to commit for real.  Kung fu – a truly chinese martial art.

Why kung fu?  Well, a few years ago Katrine went to culture camp run by our local FCC chapter.  One of the activities was kung fu and she loved it.  We looked and the only places we found offering kung fu were downtown or in Scarborough. Neither of which worked with our schedules.  No kung fu.

Well, we have a reasonably close kung fu school so off we went to check it out.  Now we hoped that Elspeth would like it and that Katrine might be interested in picking up a relaxed, non-competitive physical activity.  We were not expecting to all sign up but that is exactly what happened…at least until the end of October.

I must say that I am having fun.  Both Glenn and I get to go once a week by ourself and then another time with Katrine.  It is hard (at least for “huggable” me;  Glenn is already awesome after all of those years of karate) and today I hurt horribly from yesterday’s class but we might just stick with it as long as we can maintain our schedule.

No photos of me modelling my fashionable uniform but cuteness in the form of my three sweeties.

I bet that you noticed that Elspeth’s outfit doesn’t quite fit.  Turns out that their xtra small t-shirt was not meant for a child taking size 24 months.  One of these days I will get around to hemming it.

 

First Day of Grade 3

Last year Katrine insisted on matching dresses.  This year it is hats.  However, you won’t get to see Elspeth’s until next week after her first morning at nursery school. :cry:   Katrine seems to like her teacher and has been happy everyday when I pick her up.  Fingers crossed that this year will be reminiscent of Grade 1.

This outift was matched with a blue rain coat and purple boots due to vast quantities of water pouring out of clouds in the sky.  It was an interesting look when it was all put together.

Apple Picking Time

We decided that we should head out to our favourite apple orchard as early as possible this year given the warm temperatures followed by the late frost.  Luckily, “our” orchard managed to save a number of varieties which flowered later.  The remaining apples are delicious and crisp.

Gingercrsip:

Paula Red:

Katrine loves to go picking almost as much as she loves eating fresh from the tree apples (they have a more crunchy texture).  After many years she knows how to spot good apples which are on the small size (aka perfect for lunchs in that they will actually get eaten instead of thrown in the trash).  Elspeth started to bounce in her car seat as we pulled in saying “pick apples, pick apples”.  This year she not only ate apples but also picked a few.  It is nice that she is enjoying this family tradition.  I was a bit disappointed that the Macs are not yet ready but I had fun watching the girls, dreaming about apple recipes yet to be made and soaking up the sunshine.  Glenn liked the fresh apple fritters and playing with the girls on the piles of hay bales.  Overall, a high point of the summer.

 

Tug Fest, Wasaga and a Playdate

And come they did.  Katrine enjoyed this so much when it was up at my parents three years ago that she begged to go back when she heard that it was coming back.  The highlight of Tug Fest for Elspeth was the tug parade on the Friday night.  Everytime a boat passed she would wave, clap and bounce up and down.  I think that for Katrine it was getting to visit each of the tugs.  One family had build their tug from scratch and documented the whole process in a photo album.  I think that Katrine would have spent much more time going over the album and asking questions if there had not been two rather large dogs on board.  Her other favourite was the huge tug.  I mean, she insisted on waiting at least half an hour to get on the boat even though it was swelteringly hot.

Sunday we head to Wasaga for some family relaxation and fresh air.  We spend so much time indoors at arenas or driving to and from them that we just need to get outdoors sometimes.  The day was a success capped off with even more ice cream (seems to be a theme this summer).

The family castle

 

Kattine, "Mom, look! The bucket ate too much sand and threw up."

Just to bring you up to speed, we also drove up to Orillia for a playdate with one of Elspeth’s China sisters.  To be able to arrange for the pair of girls to speed time together, while also being able to ensure that Katrine wasn’t bored was certainly provided by the renovated park and beach at Couchiching Park.  We went there for a few reunion playdates when Katrine was younger and it was getting warn but still fine.  Now, WOW!!! Fancy.  Definetely had something for all ages.  I regret that Elspeth hasn’t been able to spend as much time with her China family as Katrine.  They are more spread out geographically (both across Ontario and into the US)which presents a few more challenges.  Plus, for us at least, school schedules, a child who only stopped crying and screaming in a car within the last 4 months (thank you Dora CD and electronic gaming devices) and of course weekend skating add to the obstacles.  Glenn and I are continuing to look for possible solutions that will allow Elspeth to continue to stregthen these bonds.

Gotta have more ice cream!

 

 

Elspeth's 'Aie' was brave enough to let our little one "use" her camera. That was a happy girl.

Back to Nature

We were thrilled to be invited back up to Glenn’s sister’s cottage this weekend.  With better weather we not only managed to stay dry but had a few more adventures.

1. A butterfly hunt.  As you can see below, not only did the girls go and find butterflies that their aunt had hung from trees around the cottage but they also had a blast decorating themselves with them too.  Gotta love a game which can be enjoyed in multiple forms.

2.  Frog hunting. Our original plan last weekend (which got rained out) was to not only go to the cottage but attend the local fair.  At said fair, the girls were going to enter the frog contest – biggest frog, ugliest frog, longest jump; before re-releasing said frogs.  You’d think that with all of the moisture it would have been easy to find two frogs.  Nope.  They were smart and stayed hidden.  So here we were with two decorated bug catchers and nothing inside (hey, two girls, we decorate everthing).  As you can see, only one litte frog (toad actually) was found.  After a brief stay in her plastic home, Toad-ette was freed.  Elspeth had a more eclectic display in her catcher.  It captures the essence of her many walks in the woods.  The only thing that fascinated her which was not included were mushrooms.

3. Mushrooms. Of course, Katrine had to go on her traditional mushroom hunt thereby introducing her sister to the fascinating world of fungus.  With a two year old the hunt goes like this:  “Mama, mushroom!”  “No, sweetie fern.”  “Mushroom!”  “No darling, dirty stone.”  “Mushroom! Mushroom!”  “Yes, that is a gill mushroom.”  Maybe it is time to show her Katrine’s mushroom photo album.

4. Haliburton County Fair. To make up for having missed the fair last weekend on account of pouring rain, we drove over to the fair in Minden on Saturday.  It was alot like the fair that we will be going to in September for my nephew’s birthday – FUN!  The handicraft and children’s exhibits were excellent.  I am always amaxed at the obvious time and effort put into the various entries.  Then you look at the children’s entries and are blown away by the creativity.  Katrine was really interested in the vegetable entries; particularly the huge zucchinnis while Elspeth really enjoyed looking at the sheep.  There was a display put on by the army and both girls climbed up onto the tank.  Katrine was blown away by all of the technology inside (gadget girl).  Elspeth got up and got scared but didn’t want to come down.  So, of course when Glenn lifted her down there was a kicking, screaming tantrum much to the soldiers amusement.  Of course, as with any fair, you have to top it off with some ice cream.

5. Fishing. Okay, if you read last week’s post, you will know that Elspeth is a speed fisher.  Mama baits hook, Baba casts, Elspeth reels like it is a race and is then confused that there is no fish on the hook.  Well, this week her aunt and Grammy found the perfect rod for her which might just allow her to final catch something…if she can manage to stand still while holding it.  She got a few nibbles but Katrine landed the catch of the day.  I will let the photo tell the tale but she was thrilled.

 

Cottage Get-away

We were so excited to get away this weekend up to visit Glenn’s sister at her cottage.  We were also excited to introduce Elspeth to cottage fun.  She was a bit nervous when we were driving in on Friday night but when we announced that we would be going back next weekend she broke into a big smile.

A large portion of the weekend was spent either inside or walking in the rain.

We

Went frog hunting in the drizzle but didn't find anything. Guess it was too wet for the little guys...or maybe we didn't look hard enough. Instead we threw stones into the lake.

Then we broke out the Lincoln Logs.  Of course, once the town was done we had to play in it.  Saw all of those Little House books at work as an array of finger puppets went shopping in the general store and had to trade in their furs for goods or when the whole town came out for a pig roast.  “Do you have the pig in your freezer in the store?” asks Puppet 1.  “Of course not.  It is in my barn.  Just wait while I kill it and then we can cook it.” answers Puppet 2.  Yep, think someone is going to kick butt in Social Studies this year at school.

Drizzle has become a down pour.  Kids bored…time to head to town for some ice cream.

This store knows cottagers. They even have a toddler sized scoop. Happy kids.

Look!  The rain has stopped!  Yippee!  Off we go to the lake for a dip.  Of course, along the way we met a little amphibian who had escaped notice on our earlier outing.

Went to bed hoping that this morning would be a better sunnier day.  No luck.  Rain.  Okay, lazy around.  As you can see, the girls broke out the popcorn and older sister decided to teach younger how to make an innovative sort of table.

Okay, rain ends.  Skies grey.  Time to fish.  Katrine still needs to learn to put a worm on her own hook but she knows what to do otherwise.  In fact, she caught the only fish.  Elspeth loves her fishing pole,  She loves to put it in the water and take it out.  She loves reeling it in.  She seems to think that the faster you reel the better it is – almost like it is a race.  No surprise, there were no fast swimming fish in the lake this morning.  Perhaps they will spruce up their fins for next weekend (although to get her worms they will need to upgrade to the Nascar of fins).  Alot of fun though.  Fingers crossed that it will be nice and clear next weekend.

Superhero Day

Katrine has really been enjoying skating camp.  One of the things the do is have Feature Fridays.  Last week it was Wacky Tacky day.  When Elspeth saw Katrine’s funky hair, well she just had to have some.  This week it is Superhero Day.  When trying to get Katrine to pick a superhero I knew that I would also have to create something for Elspeth.

I tried hard to get Katrine to pick Jubilee from Xmen.  I mean, her costume would have been jean shorts, a t-shirt and sunglasses – simple.  Apparently having the ability to shot fireworks from your fingertips is “not cool enough”.  Okay, Jubilee is out.  X-23 (also easy as she dresses in all black) out.  “She can only fight.”  Okay, next.  “How about the White White moms?”  Hmmm, NO.  If you have ever seen a picture of the White Witch you will understand why she was out.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Marvel Superhero Universe I will explain it this way.  Most female superheros, and villians for that matter, dress a certain way which would appeal to the primary audience of young males. (In all fairness, a number of characters designed with young females are also scantily clothed).  Anyways, no White Witch.

Keep looking.  Finally she settles on Polaris who controls the power of magnetism because then she will be able to control what everyone’s blades are doing on the ice…oh and fly.  I will still have to modify the outfit to make it more conservative but it is duable.  The original has green hair and wears a green body suit with cut-outs along with green tights.  Here is my version.

For Elspeth, we went with Super Toddler or Super EB.  Super Toddler is Polaris’ new sidekick.  She has the power of distraction – she can make a mess in under two second flat and her power tantrums have been know to drive villians to run away screaming.  When using her powers, she cries “POWWWEEERRRR!”  They make quite a team.

 

The last dance competition

Yes, the title says it all.  Katrine’s Highland Dance career drew to a close this past weekend.  She really wants to make a go of figure skating and with an increased level of commitment and focus on that, there will be little or no time left for dance so it had to go.  I am sad because dance has always been my passion.  I even danced at Embro with her one year….well tried to as that was the Canada Day where I managed to break a toe while dancing and more or less end my own career.  As I said, it is my passion not hers.  Rightly so, she is leaving to follow her heart and we are commited to being there supporting her.  I am still sad though.

Katrine has been blessed with a great dance teachers who helped her learn and grow.  To her it was a physical challenge but more importantly fun and interesting.  This past birthday Katrine did not ask for presents.  Instead, she asked that we give her money towards Highland Dance camp, even though she knew that she would not be dancing in the fall.  All because her teacher made it fun and she dances with an awesome group of girls.  I know that at eight she doesn’t really grasp that she won’t really spend time with her dance friends now that she is not dancing; but as parents we know that she has been truly blessed to have danced with this group of girls.

Katrine started dancing fall of 2007 and did her first competition the following summer in June.  She was always jumping and bouncing so it seemed like the perfect fit.

Last summer she left the goodie bags and medals of Primary behind and moved into Beginners.  More competitions, more dances, more prizes followed.  As you know, she has finished Beginners with a bang this summer winning trophies in her last three Beginners competitions.  This past weekend was not only her final competition, it was also her first competition as a Novice dancer.  She brought home her first medal as a Novice taking 5th in the Reel.

Dance competitions have not been all work though.  After the dancing and awards are done, we normally explore.  As this was to be our last for a while, we tried to take in everything.  The bands, heavy events, kids area, clan booths and I got my final can of Iron Bru (ahh, memories of childhood visits to my grandma).

So this is the last dance update ever?  No.  Katrine has already commited to doing another Robbie Burns night show.  Meaning, that you can look forward to one more group of photos in January but other than that, we are done. Sigh, bring on the ice rinks!

 

Black Creek

(My last up date, I promise that I am now up to date!)

I just like this photo.

Katrine will be studying pioneers in social studies this coming year.  In preparation (yes, I know throughly Heather), we have been reading the first three Little House books (accompanied with ALOT of discussions about how pioneers lived but also how times and views have rightly changed…some pretty heavy discussions have stemmed from these books).  Thought it would be great to provide a text to world connection for Katrine by visiting our local heritage village (wow, I really am a teacher aren’t I?).  So today we packed up ourselves and our Grammy and headed out to spend the day wandering around exploring the world of pioneers.

"No Elspeth. We should go this way."

I must admit that I was a bit concerned about how the day would unfold for Elspeth.  Would she be overwhelmed by the differentness of the place -wooden buildings, animals, people dressed funny? Or, would she take it in stride?  The truth was somewhere between the two.  I spent a good deal of time carrying my little one around thanking my stars that she is so dainty.  From the safety of my arms, she eagerly looked at the carpenter using the table saw, the wheels turning loudly in the mill and the tin smith banging away to create punched squares.  Her favourite parts were watching the horse drawn carriage roll by and exploring in the hands on section (as you can see below).  All in all, she behaved much better than anticipated. 😮

 

"Look Mama, we build a log cabin and Elspeth can actually fit through the door."

Katrine also had a great time (which I expected as we have been once before when she was quite a bit younger).  What surprised me were the number of connections that she made between what we saw and had read.  I mean, I had hoped she would make a few connections herself but had anticipated that I would spend a great deal of time pointing out said connections.  What a pleasant surprise it was to see her not only making connections independently but also to see the excitement on her face as the books and history can alive inside her mind.

Oh, I think that the highlights of the day were spending time with Grammy (who, having grown up on a farm, without electricity until highschool, had great, first hand insight into a number of things we saw today) and getting a candy stick at the end of the day.