Look whooooooooooooo came for a visit:-)

We were super excited to look out our bedroom window to see this gorgeous barred owl sitting on a branch - so close, and so beautiful!

The kids walked around the side of our house, and ended up getting so close to the owl, it was really amazing. 

So then I followed in their footsteps and was able to get really close myself - amazing that it didn't fly away, though it nervously turned its head backwards a few times to check out these crazy folks.  We wondered if it was wounded, but in the end I think it was just escaping the rain that day, as by nighttime it was gone.

But returned the next day - to a different tree a bit further away, but still easy enough for us to watch it sleep all day long. 

We're so lucky to live in this forest, so many beautiful animals.  The owl is gone for now, though we keep looking for its return.......I suspect it's home is nearby as on summer nights we fall asleep to its distinctive call of 'who cooks for you, who cooks for me'!

Celebrating Seven!

Ry celebrated his seventh birthday on Monday - I know it's very cliched, but I truly cannot believe my baby boy is SEVEN YEARS OLD!  These years are just whizzing by.  I distinctly remember being pregnant with him.  Forever.  He was due Feb. 14th, and for the next 10 nights Jamie and I would put the girls to bed and then we would watch a movie - me bouncing on our exercise ball and hoping to go into labour that day.  Then on the 24th, at 8:30pm, we had just finished putting the girls to bed and I felt contractions starting.  After a very quick labour, Ryland was born in the pool in our dining room at 10:44pm.  As Jamie said afterwards - we could have watched another movie, but instead we decided to have a baby.  I remember it as being a wee bit more intense than watching a movie, but it was very funny timing!

And such a joy this little boy has been in our family.  Full of smiles, and oh so affectionate with constant hugs and kisses.  This past year he has started grade one and LOVES it.  Especially math - the teacher complains because she handed out a pile of math worksheets to last the week, and Ry sat down and did every single page in 5 minutes.  And got 100%:-)  He's ALL about MOM these days, wanting me all. the. time.  Which is very sweet, except perhaps at 3 in the morning and those (rare!) moments when I don't want constant cuddles, kisses, cheek pats, and loving endearments:-)  

He's all about Pokemon these days, and really wants for so little.  We got him some new books, a board game, some science kits.....but really we could have stopped at the Pokemon DS game which is all he wanted, and the little Pokemon figurines we found in Chinatown!  Anja painted him this great little mug, and it was a second favourite gift for sure (sorry Anja - NOTHING can compare to the almighty Nintendo DS these days!)  We're planning a party to celebrate his birthday in March, Pokemon-themed of course - and so now Jamie and I are doing our research to figure out what the heck this fad is all about, and how we'll create games to go with it!!!!!!!

The face of one happy boy!  We made ice cream cake (with rice dream ice cream - shhhhhhhhhhhh!) and spoiled him with all our love all day long.  Happy birthday sweet boy!  (who is growing too fast - he now has the same size feet as Tiegan, AND when we measured him on the wall he was the same height as Kea at 9 1/2! Gah!!!!!!)

8/52

I ride up the chairlift with my eldest, watching her classmates show off on the jumps, hearing stories from her class, feeling her pain that she's the only one who has to wear a helmet on the hill, her wondering why her sister is so much more adventurous on the hill than she is (and then after the conversation watching her push herself a little more to take a new trail through the trees!), and hearing fun stories from her recent trip to Toronto with dance.  How did my baby get so grown up?  And how did I help create such a thoughtful, caring, beautiful being.  So often I sit back in awe......

This was taken on one of those rare mornings where Tiegan and Ry wake up and immediately dive into an elaborate game TOGETHER.  They were playing library, and it did my heart so much good to watch them both happily immersed in the game.

The sun must be returning as spring approaches, as all of a sudden I'm noticing the sun wherever I look in the mornings - so gorgeous to see it coming in!!!!!

AND, because just one photo out of seven in the week is so hard, here's one more of each of them......

Kea had her face in the whipped cream bowl, and I saw the reflection and said 'hold it there for a sec, I want to grab the camera' - she's so patient with me:-)  Not so much Ry, who originally had his face right up against the bowl as he dipped his spoon in every once in a while, and it looked awesome.  Oh well.....

Tiegan, wowed by the barred owl that came to visit a tree right outside our bedroom window.  Her and I just stood there forever, watching it - what a beautiful bird:-)

And this boy is ALL about Pokemon these days.  This morning he managed to amuse himself for an hour while Jamie and I tried to sleep in, with Kea's light table and our recycling bin full of stuff:-)

Winterlude, part 2!

Last weekend was the last weekend of Winterlude, and I really wanted to get downtown in order to see all of the ice carvings.  Usually we avoid weekends at events like this, to avoid the crazy crowds, but a) we had to drive Kea into town for dance anyways and b) this would be our last chance to go.  So we decided to risk it - and I'm so glad we did!  We were early enough that the crowds weren't TOO bad, and there were so many cool activities set up for the kids to try!  Here's just a small sampling - we really saw and did so much more!

First off, checking out the amazing sculptures made out of ice - Jamie had a chance to talk to one of the professional carvers, and learned that it took them 3 days to stack the ice blocks and carve this intricate train.  They get the ice blocks from London, Ontario, the ice is slowly formed into blocks over 52 hours (how they get them so clear and seamless) and weigh from 250-400 pounds.  In order to stack them, they need to use water the same temperature as the ice to prevent fractures and splits, and at the end of the carving they might use driers to melt any remaining snow but definitely not water.  Fascinating stuff:-)

They had tonnes of coloured ice blocks set out, one area set aside for toddlers to play in - stacking and piling, and another area where kids (or kids at heart!) could add to ice blocks with water and create ice statues - so fun!!!  And something I want to bring to the outdoor classroom at the school.....

And they also had an area with ice blocks and professional carvers to teach kids to make their own carvings - so fun!  But kind of boring and a lot of work too.  Made them appreciate how much effort went into creating the big ice statues:-)

Finally, we finished the afternoon with a super busy skate on the canal!  The ice was great, though - very few cracks and holes, and we managed to go about halfway along before we were driven back by whining.  Ry's feet were hurting, and it turns out that his skates are size 13 and his feet have grown to size 2 - oops, bad parent moment:-)  Overdue for a new pair of skates, for sure - hopefully our next skate will be much more pleasant for all involved!!!!!

7/52

A view I wake up to most mornings.  And most of the time I appreciate this sweetheart of a son of mine - however, when it's been too many 3am wake-ups in a row, and sleepless, fidgety nights I start to appreciate it less so!!!!!

Ms Tiegan, all ready for ice carving at Winterlude.  I have to work harder and harder with Tiegan to get portraits - respecting her need to not be in front of the camera all the time, but also wanting to have as many portraits of her as her siblings.  So, I stay back and shoot from afar a lot of the time, and embrace the days that she's happy to engage:-)

We went for a big shop at Value Village, and Kea really really really wants to start wearing heals.  I'm not so keen for her to grow up so quick - not to mention, damage her body.  Always a dance, this raising of kids.  She went home with two skin tight black dresses that she loves, and the red heeled boots stayed behind:-)

And because I had a hard time narrowing down the choices, I thought I'd throw in one more of each of the kids!

It's been an intense week of Olympic watching around here.  Ryland LOVES seeing the skeleton, and he keeps asking for snowboarding, ski cross and curling!  

Ms Tiegan with her gorgeous smile and fun sense of style - we were out skating on Meg and Ian's rink after clearing it off, and Tiegan was happily practicing spins and glides......

And finally, Ms Kea - who increasingly spends more and more time up in her loft, so I'm always thrilled when she joins us in an activity.  Happily colouring, helping her brother spell words and creating signs for Gram:-)

February 17th, 2014

SUCH a special day today!  The kids woke up with so much excitement to send a loving message over the miles - all of us wishing we could be there in person to give a great big huge hug:-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAM/MOM!  What a fabulous 60 years so far, and we're really looking forward to another 60 years to come!!!!!!!!!!!!  We feel so incredibly lucky to have you as a mom and grandma, and send you oodles and oodles and oodles of hugs and kisses today:-)  WE LOVE YOU!

6/52

I'm still going strong with this daily portrait project - some days are more challenging than others, but I'm enjoying the drive to pick up my camera every day.  AND since I've already been apart from the kids for a full week and therefore unable to take photos of them, I've already given myself permission to take 365 portraits this year as opposed to insisting on one photo every single day.  Most of the time there's a photo from each day, but this gives me some flexibility for those days that just don't work out......

This week the sun was shining brilliantly through our house, and I found myself chasing light and shadows with the camera:-)  Ry got an early birthday gift from his godfather Kip, and has been LOVING setting up recycling at one end of the hallway and using his new bow and arrow to knock it down over and over again!!!!

Ms. Tiegan continues to be sooooooooooooooooo resistant to being in front of the camera, so I"m always thrilled when I can get a straight-on, relaxed, happy face portrait:-)

Kea and her friend got all dressed up in fancy clothes and even put make up on (first time with mascara, she was so thrilled!) in order to go to the Ottawa Fashion Show.  Unfortunately we were told the wrong night (it was the night before:-( ) so after driving all the way out there, and dealing with the disappointment, we decided to go for sushi.  Kea then suggested that they could start designing dresses for next year, and try to sew one, so they happily sketched and chatted over green tea and sushi.  I love the resiliency of this girl:-)  I, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time letting go of ALL. THE. DRIVING. I had done that evening, and how much I'd MUCH rather have been cuddled up with Jamie at home:-)