Backyard Fun

I headed out for coffee with a girl friend - Adam headed to the back yard with the kids.

It took a bit to get them into the still chilly water, but soon they were enjoying themselves.

Brutis - barking at someone walking by.

Summer ... finally

Today

Today Anderson is the exact age (to the day) Jackie was when she became a big sister.

I look at him and marvel how much we projected onto Jacqueline to be a big girl.
How much more grown up I thought she was when he was born.

Or is it that I project onto Anderson that he is still a baby?

I know I am a classic mother that is having a hard time letting her baby go, Saturday I bought him pajamas, for the first time he slept without a sleeper – I almost cried – he was not longer a baby – but instead he is a little boy.
(I am going to be a wreck when he goes to kindergarten.)

There are times when both Adam and I would love to have another baby, but that is it… only times.

Right now I am so happy I am not having a baby today.

Cooking Class

I took Jackie for a kids cooking class to Sip & Safari.

It was simple, I guess more like a food assembly class, but she was pretty cute.

She was excited to go, but her shyness took over once we got there – she started to warm up at the end and allowed me to take a few pictures.

I would totally do this again with her but I found out Sip & Safari is closing due to landlord / rent issues.

I guess cooking classes at home will have to do for now.



The kids made Watermelon Slushies, X & O Sandwiches, Yogurt Parfaits, and Zebra Cookies.

Camping Weekend

Since Adam has become a father we have camped every Father’s Day weekend.

This year we invited his Mom and Eric join us.

We all had a fantastic time, the weather was wonderful (finally after all the rain we have had).

We were given a bike for Jackie from some camping friends – this is the bike that will stay at the lake, saving us from hauling a bike back and forth each time.

She loved it! Wanted to ride it everywhere. There were a few close calls as she is still learning how to brake, but she is getting the hang of it and I know she will be zipping around in no time.


A sleepy little boy after a nap

Treat supplied by Grandpa. Only at the trailer!

On the quiet weekends at the beginning of the season and end of the season the locals will occasionally show their faces.

This momma and her baby walked right behind out trailer.

What is camping without a fire and marshmallows?

Father's Day morning - I missed getting a picture of Adam opening his gift, but this is Grandpa about to open his gift from the kids.

Indoor Pet vs. Outdoor Pet

On the radio yesterday the DJ was talking about his girlfriend and how she claims to be an indoor pet not an outdoor one. Meaning she is not big on lot of physical outdoor activities.

I started thinking – what am I?

Well I know I used to be much more indoor than I am now.

Adam introduced me to camping and taught me it was okay to wear running shoes and not heals to Canmore.

However I am very much still an indoor pet – I have no desire to go white water rafting, or hike up a mountain. I refuse to camp anymore without a furnace, washroom (in the trailer) and a fridge.

But now I wear flats when I go to Canmore, I never put on makeup when I am camping and I can even be persuaded to go for a nice easy hike occasionally (I would prefer that hike be in a mall though).

What are you? Indoor Pet or Outdoor Pet?

On My Nightstand - Last Night in Twisted River

Last Night in Twisted River - John Irving

On the back cover:

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear.

Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County – to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto – pursued by the implacable constable.
Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them.

In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatred were generally permitted to run their course.”

What further distinguishes Last Night in Twisted River is the author’s unmistakable voice – the inimitable voice of an accomplished storyteller.

My take so far:

I found this book a little hard to get into at the beginning, but I think it had more to do with the fact that I was constantly interrupted by small children.
I am 55 pages into this 554 page book and so far it is still in the “laying the groundwork” part of the story.

Written by John Irving (Cider House Rules, A Prayer For Owen Meany and many, many more) I know he is an amazing story teller and great writer, I look forward to being able to sit down and read some more.

Heaven

Anderson fell asleep on me the other day.

Jackie needed a book read to her.

I was in heaven.

Bunny Love

On a recent evening we discovered these
guys hanging around our front steps.
We think they were living in our neighbors
front bushes and got scared when he was
mowing the lawn.

Since we were not interested in adopting 4 jack
rabbits – Adam took them out to a nearby field for
relocation, or as Adam called it – Coyote Bait!

The kids loved seening them - as I was leaving with them to go and run a few errands - Anderson was waving bye-bye to the bunnies.

A Birthday Present for Me

Part of my birthday gift from my Mother and Father-in-Law
was a ticket to a cooking demonstration held
Aa a local restaurant in Canmore.

Part of my birthday gift from Adam was him
taking care of the kids mid-week
while I went and stayed overnight.

The Owner and Chef of The French Quarter
restaurant puts on a cooking demonstration once or
twice a month.

We had a great time, watching, drinking, and then eating.

The Grill Vegetable salad with Scallops and Prawns

My Goat Cheese and Crawfish stuffed Chicken breast half eaten - I forgot to take a picture before I dug in.

Adam in Charge

While I was away obviously Adam was
completely in charge – this is the “dress” I
found on Jackie when I picked them up
from day home.

I sat “dress” because it is actually a
shirt – she had only what you see in the
pictures on.

I told Adam I will keep this picture for
when Jackie is 16 and trying to leave the
house in a “dress” that is actually this short.

Helping

To anyone that has children older than mine.
can you please give me the secret to getting this
“I want to help” attitude to last
until they are at least 18?

On My Nightstand - Lipstick Jungle

Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell


On the Back Cover:
In her fourth novel, Candace Bushnell writes about three powerful New York City women at the top of their fields, each navigating her way through business, relationships, scandal, success, and betrayal.

Nico O’Neilly is the ultimate executive – cool, glamorous, and always in control. The editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine, Nico is poised to take over the entire division of the company. Nico has a stellar career, a well-respected husband, and a teenage daughter whom she adores – but the romance has gone out of her marriage, she is tempted to find refuge in the arms of a younger man. If she does, will this derail her secret ambition to become the first female CEO of Splatch-Verner?

Wendy Healy is the president of Parador Pictures. The mother of three children (actually four, if you count her husband), Wendy’s hard work has propelled her to the top of the cutthroat movie business. Her nonstop career has made her too busy to notice that her marriage to her metro-sexual husband is about to unravel. Can Wendy save her most important production – her family?

Victory Ford is the darling of the fashion world. Fiercely idealistic and immensely talented, Victory can hardly keep up with her own ideas. She’s created a fantasy career as one of New York City’s top designers, but when she begins dating a cosmetics billionaire, she not only questions what it’s like to find love, but what it’s really like to succeed in big business. And why shouldn’t a woman be as rich as a man?

Welcome to their world – the Lipstick Jungle. Any woman who’s ever dreamed of making it will recognize these leading ladies.

My take so far:
I just started this book (on page 43 of 353) but I love Candace Bushnell’s books. She is a wonderful writer drawing the reader into a world I know very little about (New York City, high fashion and tons of money).
If you like Sex and the City, you will like this book.

On My Nightstand - The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

On the back cover:
Narrated by Death, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she discovers something she can’t resist – books. Soon she is stealing books from a Nazi book-burning, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever they are to be found.
With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

My take:
Last week I was still reading my previous book on Monday, but I started this one on Wednesday and finished it on Sunday.

It is a phenomenal book! I absolutely loved it. The writing style is very refreshing and different. Death narrates and it is a fascinating perspective to read from.

I would highly recommend this book. My rating – 4 ½ stars out of 5.

Hop Scotch

Jackie discovered the fun game of hop scotch and since Anderson is too young still to play with her, she recruited two other players to join her all weekend long.

Of course I play properly – I follow the rules, Adam cheats, Jackie skips the whole thing (she has yet to figure out the whole hopping part) and the one time I cheat – Adam catches it on camera.

Trailer Fun

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes...

... or at least around the house once or twice....

Chalk

What kid does not like sidewalk chalk?

A Smiley Face