Grateful!

I am very, very, very grateful to share my job with a partner who complements me so well! Over the past year, we've really discovered just how well our strengths complement each other. I've been spending the past few weeks dreading the agony of preparing our final financial report for the year. This is seriously the work that I most loathe in my job. Today, my partner called to say that SHE'D FINISHED IT!!!! :-) because it was what she felt like working on, because she loves it :-) What a team! I spent a few minutes feeling guilty that I wasn't there suffering through the process, and then I let go of it, because I know that it won't be too long before there will be work to do that she hates but I love, that will give me an opportunity to use my strengths. So, I'd like to leave here tonight with a great big shout-out for an awesome friend and partner... THANK YOU!!! I don't get it... but I am so grateful that you love numbers ;-)

Getting over fears

I'm impressed with how far our two oldest have come with getting over their fear of "water in my face"!!!! It all started with a water party at daycare, with water balloons and a sprinkler. G even drove a trike through the sprinkler, playing carwash with a friend.

We've been setting up the sprinkler and the slip & slide in the backyard pretty regularly to practice. L is still pretty timid around the sprinkler, but she likes to swing or slide through it. M loves the sprinkler. She has absolutely no issues with getting her face wet, which L quite enjoys... she loves to splash her in the pool (or in the tub, for that matter). We actually have to hang onto her every second at the pool, because she falls on her face and doesn't try to get up. G is getting braver every day.

G has been having way too much fun trying to spray ME with the hose every time it's out. I was cleaning up the pool the other day, and suddenly he was giggling and shrieking, "I'll get you Mommy," and he got me right in the face!! I'm looking forward to the day when I'll be able to spray him back, and know that he'll be able to handle it ;-)

Over the past year or two, I've been longing for a floor plan that allows me to overlook our back yard. There are so many days when the kids really want to play outside, but I need to go in to get lunch or supper started, or to put M down for a nap. The problem is that we don't have a fenced in backyard, and I can't see into our back yard from the kitchen window... so I just don't feel comfortable letting them play out there without me there. I'm trying to decide whether this is a rational fear, or out of control over-protectiveness. There have been a few days, though, when I've let them swing for a few minutes (like 3 or 4.... does that count?) while I've taken M inside and into her high chair....after being very clear and emphatic about the rules ("You can swing, and then come inside, through the back door. You may NOT go on the driveway or in the front yard"). I probably need to lighten up, but I can just imagine G deciding to go for a walk uptown...

It's getting to be that time of year when I need to get over another issue... my intense disgust with mosquitoes (and, I'll admit, a fear that one of those little creatures is going to infect one of my babies with West Nile Virus, encephalitis or some other nasty disease). I know I shouldn't complain, because (so far, at least) this year is not as bad as many others. I hate dousing my kids in chemicals to keep the mosquitoes away, but all of them have a nasty reaction to the bites, so I don't have much choice. It's been dry, it's been pretty cool, and so they seem to be a little late this year. I know it's just a fact of life where we live... but seeing my beautiful baby with a swollen eyelid makes me want to start chemical warfare on those pests!

Ups and downs

I'm so grateful to have a career that allows me to have extra time off with my kids over summer. Sure, I've got a lot of work to get done... but I can do it on my own time. We've had a lot of fun lately... went swimming on Sunday, had an evening out with some of Ralph's colleagues on Saturday, and had a great time with some friends on Friday night. We've finished G's first Relationship Development Assessment, which involved about 20 hours worth of appointments in the city over two weeks. We've played outside, been participating in the library's summer reading program, and I've even been doing some scrapbooking.

We've also had a difficult transition to summer holidays. G has been pretty anxious with the change to his routine, and having to get along with his sister all day long. L has been missing daycare, and has been testing the limits lately. Fortunately, M has been her usual flexible self. We've had some rather embarrassing public displays this week... L melting down about not wanting to drive her bike half a block from home, while G was already half a block ahead, and totally not listening about needing to come back. Today started out much better, a nice walk to the library, then uptown for a few errands. I promised G he could buy a drink from the drink machine, but before he could press his choice.... L pressed the water button. So, he cried most of the way home because "It's not fair, she didn't even know what I wanted," and L screamed and screeched in his face while he tried to keep control. Ick. I'm taking a break tomorrow and going to work for the morning. Hopefully we'll all get along a little better after that.

Happy Birthday Canada

Our kids were very excited to go to Canada's birthday party this year ;-) We decided to go to the Zoo for the afternoon. Our trip was a little delayed by a stop on the highway to call the RCMP about a broken down vehicle with an impaired driver. It was a good opportunity to talk about highway safety with the kids...

It was a really hot day, so we were thankful for a breeze, sunscreen, shade, and cold drinks. We didn't see all of the animals, but just visited the kids' favourites. They had a great time feeding the ducks and Canada Geese, telling us which animals to take pictures of, walking like animals, playing on the little playgrounds, and waving their Canada flags! M loved the animals, and was constantly pointing, shrieking at the animals, and trying to get out of her stroller!

After the zoo, we went to their favourite restaurant, Boston Pizza. They were so hungry! We decided not to go to the fireworks display this year, since it ended up with covered ears in the van last year, and the kids were already really tired.

roughing it

Ralph was away last weekend on a fishing trip with some colleagues, so I decided to take the kids to camp with my parents. We were really roughing it in their motor home ;-) We had a great time! We had lunch at my favourite mexican restaurant, discovered a great public sprinkler park, played golf and catch a lot, and just had fun together.

Sleeping arrangements are always a bit of a challenge on these kinds of outings. M was so excited to be sleeping in the same room as me and the kids that she got quite hyper in her playpen. We needed to put a sheet up between her area and the other kids. G and L "slept" together on the hide-a-bed....after watching a movie, calling us in from the campfire a number of times, falling out of bed to look out of the window (that was L), and me lying down with them and getting pretty grumpy. Not all that surprising really, camping is pretty exciting!

I also got to do some shopping, which is always fun (aside from the bathing suit part of it). Grandpa and I took G to choose some toys with his birthday money. He did really well, and we had lots of fun playing with his choices. Sometimes he spends more energy focusing on how many things he can get with his money, but this time he really focused on things that he'd really like. Grandma and I took the girls shopping, and it was so cute and funny watching L pick out her own clothes from the big girl section (I can't believe she's already shopping in the big girl section!).

do you mind?

This little one is getting some serious attitude these days...really wanting to be independent, to feed herself, to use big people utensils, and to eat everything that her older sibilings are eating. On Friday, G was having a special snack of chips and dip (it was the last day of daycare, and we were going to go out for supper and to see wall*e to celebrate). He wandered away, and M climbed right up, sitting like a little girl, and dipping her chips! At Paradiso this weekend, she was chowing down on chips and salsa and drinking milk out of a straw. I'll admit that I'm not really ready for this, and not really ready for the attitude that comes with the independence. Wow, does she ever get mad when you take away something she thinks she should be able to have.

it's summer!

Summer doesn't really start for me until we're doing this...just hanging out in the backyard, getting wet! I thought this little pool would be too little for our kids this summer, but when we hauled it out last weekend, they were thrilled! The sprinkler was short lived, but the kids liked it for longer than they have before, so I'm optimistic that it might actually become a fun activity for them this summer. G was "diving" for his diving rings and sliding down the slide face first... and got his face wet and it wasn't a problem (a real improvement over last summer).

We had mom & dad over for a belated Father's day BBQ. The boys went golfing after supper (G just loves to keep score and to hit the ball a few times). Mom and I took the girls out to play on the swings. Morgan, though, couldn't be bothered with the swings. She just climbed right into the pool, fully clothed, and played for almost an hour! This girl just loves water!