Category: Family

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.

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!

Can you believe it was a year ago?

(Well, a year ago yesterday to be exact.)

One year ago we saw our Elspeth’s face for the first time.  Her little bald head and mischevious eyes.  Our girl.  Look at her now, a year later after 10 months as an Attwood.  She has hair!!!!!!!

Oddly enough our “Stork”, the Purolateur guy who delivered the referral package last June, came to our door yesterday to drop off parts to fix our barbeque.  He remembered us which is not surprising.  I mean, how many people ask to take photos of you holding an envelope while dancing around with tears in their eyes?

Adventures in Potty Training: Part 2

I have a few sites that I follow and on one of them, the author was discussing preparing to toilet train their daughter.  She mentioned a book which talked about toilet training your child in three days and mentioned a few of the points.  No, I did not rush out and buy the book (although if we ever adopt a third who is not trained I just might do it).  Anyways, one of the highlights was to let your child run around the house without pants.  If they didn’t listen to their bodies cues then they would be covered in pee which you then had them help clean up.

SO, we entered a new phase of training – the pantless phase.  One accident inside the house and she was good when inside because there were no bottoms to contend with.  Outside was a bit harder for her because there is no way that we were letting her run around the neighbourhood, or even our backyard, without pants.  She would do things like announce that she had to pee and then take the long route to the house or, more commonly, just stand and pee then go on playing.

Needing a solution, a potty was carried everywhere we went when outside for a week.  Yes, to the park, the yard, down the street to the neighbour’s a pink, plastic kiddie toilet was carried along with a bottle of water for rinsing.  Felt a bit like an idiot at times but it seems to have paid off.  We are so proud of her that we gave her an award (she has been eyeing Katrine’s awards and fingering them lovingly so we figured that it would kill two birds with one stone – celebrate and divert attention).

Apparently I don't rinse well enough because Elspeth was constantly redoing my job. At least this phase seems to be over and I am not carrying the pinkness around anymore.

 

 

Long Weekend

And what a long weekend it was!

We had a wonderful time at Katrine’s China family reunion and then finished it off by working on the garden.  Throw in the great weather and who could ask for more….well, maybe a working bbq (but that is another post).

I love reunion weekend almost as much as Katrine.  She says that it is one of her favourite holidays.  Who can blame her?  A weekend with your China sisters and brothers (we missed a few this year. 😥   ) Throw in candy, games, a ton of swimming, giggles, teasing and even loot bags and what kid wouldn’t like it.  For us adults it is about reconnecting and seeing how everyone is doing.  These are some amazing kids I have to tell you.  Even Elspeth had a great time.  She tried hard to keep up with the big kids (who were really good with her) and was quite the ham around the adults.  Can’t wait for our next reunion with Elspeth’s China family in July!

Our garden is looking good.  Glenn and I have been talking about digging in a border for years and this year he did it.  It looks great and might even help to keep the grass at bay.  This year we are growing, well trying to, sunflowers (hoping to dry the seeds this year…unlike last year), pumpkins, white patipan squash, banana potatoes, shallots, beets, radishes, cucumbers and two types of heirloom tomatoes (too bad that I am still reacting to tomatoes or else I could make a killer salsa).  Katrine also brought home a strawberry plant last year and then we bought a few more.  They all survived the winter and a few even have some berries starting to grow.

As you know, Katrine is a big fan of gardening.  She enjoys it so much that she was thrilled when the Easter bunny brought her gardening gloves to replace her Dora pair.  This was Elspeth’s first experience in gardening.  She seemed pretty interested and helped to throw the seed potatoes into the holes, dig random holes and then move all of our row markers about.  And she did it all with a smile.  Next spring will certainly be easier when it comes to planting but nothing beats that first time spent introducing her to a new experience.

Let me finish with a request that anyone with suggestions on how to dry sunflower seeds or grow large pumpkins post them.  Those are two things that Katrine is hoping will happen with our garden this year are both are currently beyond our area of expertise.

We also have ducklings at the marsh near our house!

 

Adventures in Potty Training

We are right in the thick of learning that no two children potty train the same.  Katrine was a schedule girl.  Figure out her schedule and wham – mostly trained.  Wore padded training pants for a few months as assurance but that was it.

Elspeth is a different kettle of fish entirely.  Firstly, she has no schedule. Spent two weeks tracking roughly when she wet herself only to discover that there was no pattern.  Sigh.  That is no help.  However, we did notice the pattern that she would occassionally run to the toilet on time and occassionally run there after the fact.  Thought, okay maybe she just isn’t ready for toilet training.  So we back off for a few months.   Then two weeks ago she refused to put on a pull-up.  Okay, time for round two but with a different approach.

No pull ups.  Instead, training pants.  They will be more uncomfortable and that will motivate her more to go to the toilet in advance.  This lead to our second discovery.  For her the sheer act of wearing any form of underwear (regular or padded) seems to be an invitation to wet herself.  Sigh.  Now what.  I mean she wants to and is digging in her heels about the pull ups.  Guess we need a new plan.

Okay, pantless at home.  Well don’t you know, accident free in the house for the past three days.  One minor complication though.  She seems to think that when she puts pants on to go outside it is an invitation to just let it go.  At least we seem to be making some progress.

No two kids are a like!

Oh, a happy birthday to Glenn.  His first birthday hug from Elspeth.  A priceless gift.

Princesses everywhere

We survived.  I mean that.  The evening of the party I was in bed asleep at 7:30 and didn’t get up until 7:00 this morning.  Were they evil princesses?  No, just active and loud.

I think that there were a few party highlights:

-nail salon (we had my super awesome and nail artist niece come to do the girls’ nails and they were super excited)

-touchable bubbles (a friends from skating got them for us from Hong Kong and they could not get enough of blowing, holding and tossing them)

-candy (this set of the squeeling)

All of that aside, fun was had.  Katrine was content and it is over for another year.  Any great ideas for fun and easy parties for a 9 year old?

 

How did Elspeth like the party?  Glenn took her to Big Al*’s fish store.  She supposedly was totally enthralled by all of the fish and walked around with huge eyes.  The people at the store gave her a special treat and let her feed their koi.  She came home and told me “EB fish snack. Fish snack yum!”  Guess that was the high point of her outing with dad.