Wednesday, August 29, 2018

First Day of Grade 5

... and just like that, Charlotte began her last year in elementary school...

Fifth grade seems monumental... and here we are. She was so ready to head off to school this morning, and I just stood there, taking it all in, like I do every year... not really sure if I'm ready. But, I have to be... so I down my coffee, and I put on a smile... thank goodness, she's brave enough for the both of us.















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Sunday, August 26, 2018

I Want To Remember part 7

A few months have come and gone since I last jotted down things I "want to remember"... so it's about time, I catch back up with these thoughts... because these are things I never want to forget.

- I've lost count of how many colanders of blackberries we've picked. I've also lost count of how many cobblers we've made...

- Summer is flying by WAY too quickly. It felt like just the other day, we were welcoming Charlotte home from her last day of school with poppers and silly string. I don't want to even think about the fact that Marley will start Kindergarten this year... I'm in complete denial. We went school supply shopping... and my word, the excitement that my kids have for their school supplies, is the excitement that kids get when they walk into Disneyland. Their faces lit up over all that needed to be purchased. Marley was ecstatic over her book bag... and can't forget that she chose the unicorn lunchbox... because all the others were "boring" according to her.

- We went to open house at the school to meet the teachers... Charlotte will be in 5th grade and has a brand new teacher (Mrs. Kranich)... she walked in, super excited to meet her... Charlotte started to talk her ear off, while all the kids just sort of stood around not really saying anything. It seemed like they just had an "instant connection"... praying for that relationship this year. I think it's going to be great. Marley wasn't nervous at all to meet her teacher (Mrs. Brandt) and see her room. We dropped off all her supplies in her classroom, and they got to play for a bit. She doesn't start school for another week after Charlotte... it'll be sweet to have some extra time with her before she disappears to school all day, all week long. Of course, the hubby was gone while this happened, so I had to bring all the kids along for the open house... which means, it's never a dull moment.

- Jo is so ticklish, that even when you try and put her socks on... she goes nuts. It takes 5 minutes just to put on a sock, or a shoe... Must take not, and remember for when we are in a rush to get out the door.

-  Finn calls Mike (the one and only worker on the guest house) his best friend... every morning when Mike pulls in, he greets him with a "Hi Mike!"... when he leaves for lunch, he says, "Have a good lunch Mike!" and when he leaves he often waves goodbye or says a quick, "See you tomorrow Mike!"... I asked him why he calls Mike his best friend... and he replied, "Because he's the only boy here during the day... it's you and my sisters all day long" with an eye roll. Well, okay.

- When most 18-24 month olds call their Mom, "Mommy" or "Mama"... Mable says, "Muuuuuuum"... with a shouting voice. I think she hears everyone else calling "Mooooom!" for me from somewhere far in the house... so, obviously, she does the same, but it sounds like she's from Australia or England... or the sorts. I need to get it on video.

- Charlotte lost another tooth... she gets so pumped every time it happens.

- I'm starting to plan out where to plant seeds and tubers and bulbs for next years flower haul... it's fun and exciting... and dreamy... just need a garden and then we'll be all set. For now, we have been busy harvesting snapdragon and sunflower seeds. It's nice when we can get more for years to come, from what we already have. Other than my hanging baskets, I only planted perennials this year, and there's something lovely about them coming back year after year... I'll pay the price tag on them for that. Even some of my mums came back this year, even though they're typically annuals.

- We started to ditch the stroller, and let the twins wander during our hikes and walks... Sometimes they walk, sometimes they want to be carried... we gotta get those little legs trained for adventure.









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Guest House weeks 5-8

The last few weeks on the guest house... have been slow going. The man power went down quite a bit... we had a set back when the rafters went up incorrectly, and then the smoke came in (air quality was poor from all the wildfires in BC), which halted progress for a few days as well. We were hoping for it to be wrapped and handed to us to take over by now... but that isn't the case. So, we patiently wait... and figure out what fixtures we need to purchase.

There have been trucks in and out of our house non stop over the last few weeks... The kids have gotten used to it, it's not as exciting for them anymore. There was someone, an older gentleman, here dropping off our French doors not too long ago. While he was backing up his huge truck through our yard to the guest house, Finn was sitting and watching him closely. He gave a wave to Finn... and Finn tossed his thumbs up and exclaimed,"You're doing a good job... keep going... just don't run over Mama's flowers... she'll be angry if you do that." The gentleman shook his head in agreement, and replied with a, "yes boss." It was one of those moments where I just sat for the next few minutes chuckling to myself... these sweet little interactions the littles have with these workers... they're precious.

Let's see what the next few weeks bring... 













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Sunday, August 12, 2018

A Grand Time

The other set of grands (Omi and Opa, my Mom and Dad) arrived for a visit in early August... They arrived just in time to celebrate Finn's 4th birthday with us, and boy was that a treat. Living so far from family... we miss out on celebrating these occasions together, so this felt real special. Like always, the camera didn't come out as often as I would have liked, and the time went by too quickly...














































   
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