tales from the farm

School Lunch Ideas

2010-08-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

Canadian Family 15 School Lunch Ideas They'll Love slide 15

One Month Ago Today......

2010-08-11T18:00:00.000-04:00

For 10 days in the early part of July, I participated in the North Americam Study Tour, part of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program I am involved in right now. The tour took us through the Northeastern states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington & New York State. One of our days was spent at the National Mall. There was so much to see and so little time. I will definitely be making a return trip someday.

Farms, Farmers and Farming

2010-08-03T22:24:00.003-04:00

Podcast #3: FFA, Farms, Farmers and Farming « mikeroweWORKS

Reality is, Canadian farmers face the same challenges as US farmers. Hope you take a few minutes to listen and share this with others.

Success as an Aunt

2010-08-02T22:31:00.002-04:00

This weekend we had Ben and Natalie for a sleepover. They ran, they played, they smiled and they giggled. They chatted up a storm, stayed up late and woke up early and at the end off it all I sent home two very cranky kids. A sure sign that they had as much fun as we did.

Dustin's turn will soon come, I hope.

Cool Chicks....

2010-07-30T20:30:00.001-04:00

I have been trying for days to upload pictures or even just one picture and have been unsuccessful. Yesterday they upgraded our internet and finally it worked....not that I am using that as my excuse for lack of posts to the past 11 months.......for that I have not excuse. More to come later.

First Day of School 2009

2009-09-14T22:11:00.002-04:00

...blurry and unedited.

Magic Wands & Tiara's

2009-03-04T21:00:00.005-05:00

We had all the makings for a princess party on Saturday. Emily had invited six friends to her birthday and they were all able to make it even though it has been postponed.

There was was lots of giggles and yummy food too!

Part of Being Six ......

2009-03-03T22:43:00.001-05:00

Guess who lost her first tooth?

And, the tooth fairy remembered to pay Emily a visit.

She insisted on this angle for the picture.

6

2009-02-22T19:02:00.002-05:00

Today my baby turned six.

I was recently reading another blog and the writer listed six facts about her daughter's sixth birthday and I am going to borrow the idea since I have never done a birthday letter for the girls.

Here it goes......

Emily is not a morning person. When her alarm goes off or you turn the light on in her bedroom she will bury her head under her pillow. If you get out of bed before she is good and ready you will pay for it. (some people will tell me this is payback)

Emily is into princesses right now and that is the theme of the birthday party that was postponed until next weekend.

Her favourite movie right now is Mama Mia and she could probably sing every song from beginning to end without any help.

As I type this, Emily is watching Mama Mia, wearing her princess dress.

She has one loose tooth. It will be a while before it falls out.

Her best friends are Kennedy, Leah, Janine, Macy, Erica and Ashley.

And I could go on and on.........

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

2009-02-19T21:19:00.002-05:00

Emily's turns six on Sunday. She has been planning her sixth birthday since last March. The invite list was finalized a couple of weeks to six of her friends from school and daycare. The invitations have been delivered and everyone has replied. They are all able to attend. The menu has been finalized and the activities organized. And now she is sick. The poor thing has been really sick since Monday. Tonight she started to perk up and is looking a little better. The fever is still there and so is the congestion. At this point I am thinking it would be best to postpone the party for a week so she will be able to fully enjoy it. The other catch....Brent leaves for California on Wednesday for nine days which means I would be going solo next weekend if we were to postpone the party till then.

I am hoping for a speedy recovery.

Memories of Warmer Days

2009-02-17T21:23:00.002-05:00

Can't Forget About Mickey & Minnie

2009-02-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

More From the Sunny (but cold) South!

2009-02-05T21:22:00.006-05:00

Well the weather has gone from cool to cooler here in Florida. They are claiming that it is as cold if not colder then 2003....whatever that may mean. For us, it has meant an extra layer and a couple of loads of laundry mid week because the pants and sweatshirt have been worn much more then intended. But, despite the cool weather it has been sunny and I am loving the sunshine!

Yesterday we spent the day at Epcot and it is in my opinion highly under-rated. In the beginning the only reason we spent the day was for our dinner with the princesses, but it turned out to be great and left us debating as to whether we should go back! Magic Kingdom won out and we spent today there.

Tomorrow is be much warmer so the plan is to visit the beach for a while.....hopefully no parkas required!

(ETA - Oops, I forgot to hit publish on a couple of posts)

Scenes From Magic Kingdom

2009-02-04T11:26:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures from our trip so far. We have had one rainy day and one sunny, but cool day. It's has been funny watching people walk around with scarve's, mitts and toque's in 12 - 15 degree weather.....meanwhile the girls have been wanting to break out the shorts and tank tops!

Emily was in awe yesterday as she met the princesses. Tonight we are going to a character meal at the Royal Dining hall. Emily is so excited.
Hayleigh has been having fun as well, but seems to contain her excitement a little more then Emily. (Hayleigh wants me to mention that she kissed Chip & Dale on their noses and made them blush!)

I have to add that yesterday we learned both the girls need a lot more practice with their driving at the Speedway. I think is should be another good 15 years before they need to think about getting their licence.

Hopefully, I will have another update later in the week. We had a quiet morning here in the hotel while I did some laundry and the girls had some downtime. However they are starting to go stir crazy and Hayleigh is looking over my shoulder telling me to hurry up with this, so I must be off.

Almost Forgot About Halloween.......

2008-11-10T00:03:00.002-05:00

...the Blushing Bride and, the witch!

Buses, Trains & Automobiles....

2008-11-09T23:31:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the girls and I tagged along with Brent to Ottawa for a mini fall get-a-way. I was not sure how we were going to make out considering we had a 6 hour plus car ride and Emily hates making the two hour trip to Barrie because it takes way to long to get there. Both girls did amazingly well considering it was a very dreary, rainy drive. I guess the anticipation of what lie ahead is what got them through the long drive. The original plan when I started planning this trip way back when was that we would stay at the same hotel as Brent but, it was missing one very important amenity....a swimming pool! So we booked ourselves into the Hampton Inn just so we could enjoy the pool! Hayleigh's comments about our hotel..."This is so much better then I expected."

I love Ottawa. It is such a beautiful city. We took the girls to the Canadian Children's Museum which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Ottawa with kids. The girls loved the place running from exhibit to exhibit and back again. There was so much for them take in. If it had not been closed on the Monday, I am sure we would have been back.

We had a great visit with my old roommates Sue and Colleen...and lots of laughs. The three of us had some great times at 210 Stewart.

We also visited Parliment Hill. Hayleigh wanted to go up the Peace tower and Emily refused. With some creative parenting (okay, I lied to the child), I managed to get Emily into the elevator and the first words out of her mouth inside the peace tower looking over the city......"This is so awesome Mom!" Monday was a cool day so our tour around the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill was not very long. Part of our Monday adventures was riding OC Transpo. I told the girls we could take the bus downtown and they thought it was just awesome.

We ended our trip by bringing the train home from Ottawa. It was the girls first time on the train.

I am now trying to sort through photo's.....Emily is patiently waiting for me to develop them so she can show her friends.

2008-10-23T22:06:00.002-04:00

I am happy to have my computer (& pictures) back. I was in the process of deleting and editing last week when it quit on me. They did not find anything wrong with it so I am not sure what happened. It has been a busy week with skating, Brownies/Sparks and getting ready for our trip to Ottawa this weekend. I am trying to come up with ideas that will keep the girls entertained for the 6 hour drive. Brent has an AALP seminar so the girls are going hitch a ride. The plan is to take in the sights and hopefully catch up with some friends. Then the girls and I are going to bring the train home.

Emily has requested that I take lots of pictures on our trip so that she can share them with her friends at school. I don't think that will be a problem.

All is not lost.....thank goodness!

2008-10-15T21:07:00.003-04:00

My computer is currently sitting in the repair shop. Last night as I was going through photos and deleting and editing, it died on me and it is not even a year old......good news is....what I like to call the blue screen of death means it is a hardware problem and no pictures have been lost.

2008-10-14T21:28:00.002-04:00

A rare moment when Emily voluntarily posed for a picture....I really do have to treasure these moments.

Just a Sample.....

2008-10-13T20:11:00.000-04:00

I am really trying to clean up the pictures on my computer and the awesome fall weather we have been having is not helping my cause at all. We had a great Thanksgiving weekend here. The weather was fabulous and I managed to get some work done around home. We had dinner with the Royce's on Sunday and enjoyed a walk through the local sugar bush as well. The colours were beautiful. I am so glad we took the time to enjoy them! Hopefully, I will get around to posting some more pictures and maybe playing a bit of catch up!

I need help.....

2008-09-21T22:15:00.003-04:00

I have just spent a good chunk of my day editing & deleting pictures and I still have too many pictures, some of which I am now trying to upload and blogger won't let me.............ugh!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Back into Routine......

2008-09-07T19:41:00.004-04:00

Another summer has come and gone.....and this one went by way too fast! Summer's are always a busy time for us and this one was no different. Brent spent two weeks in Europe this summer and that pretty much put the rest of the summer of out wack.

Last week marked a big a change around here, besides the girls heading back to school, Emily also began daycare this year for the days that she will not be in school. Since she was baby, we have had the same childcare provider and I was really hoping it would work for another year until she was in school full-time. However, things did not work out and now she is attending a new daycare. The first couple of days were a big adjustment for us all, but after a few days we had all settled into the new routine. Emily had her first day of school on Friday and does not go back until the 15th. Don't ask me what kind of schedule she is on, as I have yet to figure it out.
Hayleigh started Grade 2! Her new teacher is Mrs. Hoover and she seems pleased with her new teacher thus far, not that Hayleigh is hard to please.

Now that we are back into a regular routine, I am hoping to post a little more often.

Some Summer Fun.....

2008-06-17T21:16:00.003-04:00

For those who still check in from time to time, we are still here. :)

Some Birthday Pictures

2008-05-12T21:59:00.000-04:00

It was a garden party.....

2008-05-08T22:52:00.002-04:00

That was theme of Hayleigh's birthday party. We painted flower pots and planted seeds. The cupcakes were sprinkled with flowers and surrounded by (gummy) worms. As party favours, Hayleigh gave her guests gardening gloves, flower notebooks and flower pens. Everyone had fun and when it was time to send them on their way, they asked if they could stay just a little longer. So all in all it was a good day and Hayleigh was happy with everything. Yes, I realize this all happened two weeks ago and I am just getting around to report on it now! I will try and get some pictures posted real soon......I promise. ;)

Spring planting makes things a little crazy around here!

Update.....

2008-04-06T21:53:00.003-04:00

We have a theme for Hayleigh's birthday party! And, I didn't have to use the tea party idea. I am just hoping that it turns out just as I have envisioned. The added bonus - we have our theme picked out for Emily's 6th birthday....ten months away!

Stay tuned, because we are keeping it a secret for now.

I just realized.....

2008-04-03T21:49:00.003-04:00

I did not share any pictures from our trip to Niagara Falls and the Great Wolf Lodge. Well here they are. Yep, this it. We spent three days in a water park and I was not brave enough to take my camera more then two steps inside the door. As for the falls is was an overcast day and the one spot where we did get a good view of the falls, well you guessed it, I wasn't pulling my camera out there either. If you look real close you can see falls behind the girls. Maybe on our next trip......

Thinking Spring......

2008-04-01T22:50:00.002-04:00

The snow is melting and the fields are full of water, so hopefully spring is just around the corner. Found this from a year ago taken during the chicken pox outbreak at our house.

Off to Tea......

2008-03-29T11:33:00.002-04:00

I just had to share this picture of Emily. She was invited to a tea party (a.k.a birthday party) three weeks ago and she came home dressed like this. Could you imagine five little five year olds dressed like this. What fun it would have been to see. Sadly, I lack the creativity to come up with ideas like this for birthday parties. With that said, Hayleigh wants to do something for her birthday like this next month. So, we are trying to come up with something so that I am just not stealing someone else's idea.....stay tuned!

Taking Matters into My Own Hands......

2008-03-25T19:03:00.006-04:00

Our new nephew Dustin was born March 4th and we were to go and meet him for the first time last Sunday. I ended up sick and could not go. Brent and the girls went without me. I sent the camera with Brent so I would have some pictures of my newest nephew. Well Brent came home with pictures......out of focus pictures and dark pictures. It was all my fault. I will have to take full blame this time. I told him to put the camera on A thinking that the Auto setting was identified by an "A" and completely forgot about the aperture setting. The pictures were horrible. Long story short, the girls and I headed to Barrie yesterday so I could meet the little man in person, visit with Kerri and get some pictures. He is a cutie! He sleeps alot, but I remember back to when Hayleigh was a baby and how she slept all the time and knowing now what I do, that is not such a bad thing. Enjoy it Kerri while it lasts because soon enough he will be waking you at the most ungodly hours.

Three More Pictures from Easter.....

2008-03-23T20:50:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter......

2008-03-23T20:23:00.003-04:00

Our traditional dying of the eggs.......
the finished product.....
Emily showing off all the eggs the Easter Bunny hid around the house......
Hayleigh, just as excited about all the chocolate!

The Easter Bunny made it to our house this year and like every other year, we have more chocolate then we really need, but somehow we manage to get it all eaten. However, this year Hayleigh has decided that she loves chocolate and has seem to have gone from one extreme to another. At one time in her life she would not touch the stuff and then she moved on to she liked chocolate one day, but not the next (and there was more days then not that she would eat it) now, she can't seem to get enough of the stuff. I can't figure that girl out!

Hope every had a happy and enjoyable Easter!

&%$@^?& Washing Machine

2008-03-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

My washing has died on me again. This is the second time in as many years and since I very clearly remember how much it cost to fix the same problem last time, I must now decide if it is just best that we part ways?

Joe had nothing to do with death of the washing machine. I just thought he deserved a little time on the blog as well!

The Crisis of a Five Year Old......

2008-03-10T19:59:00.004-04:00

Where do I start? Last weekend was skating carnival. About a week before carnival we had a crisis in our house. Emily was invited to a birthday that was the same day as carnival. I had arrived home one night after running some erands and Emily met me at the door declaring that we had a big problem. I thought it was something very serious and that is when she told me about the birthday party and that she would not going to carnival. My thoughts were that yes, we do have a big problem, because I just paid for your costume, so you will be skating in carnival. Long story short is we comprimised. She went to the birthday party for the afternoon and skated in her carnival that evening. The skating club does two performances in one day so Emily ended up missing one performance. In the end, everyone has happy.

Anyway, you can find the carnival pictures here.

Lots to Report On.....

2008-03-09T12:17:00.002-04:00

...when I get a moment. I have a new nephew, we finally made to Great Wolf Lodge and there was skating Carnival as well last weekend. And, I need to mention how much I love my new Beam vacum cleaner.

More later......

Turning Five.....

2008-02-22T21:16:00.004-05:00

Emily turned five today. I can't believe my baby is five. We have celebrated this milestone with two different parties. Monday was the family party and tonight was the party with her friends from school. It was actually a fun party tonight. Imagine four five years going on 30 and that is what we had at our house. They all made me laugh. At the same time I am a little worried about what's in store for in the next 15 years. Here are some pictures from the celebrations.

The Girls and Scrapbooking......

2008-02-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

Emily thinks it just about glue and markers..... Hayleigh is starting to understand it a little bit better....her journaling on this page read:
We went to Nottawasaga Inn and had fun swimming and golfing. The End.
Like a true scrapbooker, she is two years behind in her book!

And, I just had to share some pictures of the twins......

This is why I will never be asked to babysit my niece and nephew again!

2008-02-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is Ben in pink.....thanks to his Uncle Brent!

The Long Wait....

2008-01-31T22:41:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Hayleigh participated in her first skating "competition". This particular event is suppose to be fun event, meaning that everyone gets a ribbon. It was my first experience in the world of skating competitions and all I can say is OH MY and that is all I will say!

Hayleigh did an awesome job! She managed to skate her entire program without falling and finished on time. As this was her first time on the ice by herself in front of a crowd, she did very well.

When it was time for her to do her solo, she skated onto the ice and got herself into position and then we waited and waited and waited and waited for her music to start. I am not sure what happened but there was a delay in her music starting, but it didn't seem to phase her. I think the whole experience caused me more stress then it did Hayleigh! It will the first of many!

I really should be telling about our trip to GWL

2008-01-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

I really should have a post our trip to GWL that was planned for this past Sunday to Tuesday, but The Sick made into our house 36 hours prior to us leaving and our mid winter vacation had to be postponed. Let me tell, Hayleigh was VERY upset with her sister, but when she too started throwing up the day we were suppose to leave she maybe thought is was best that we had changed our plans.

When I booked this getaway a few weeks ago, I booked through Expedia. I had never booked with them before. I now love them! I had read all the fine print regarding changes/cancellations and figured no big deal, I am not planning on changing our plans. That was until the unavoidable happened and we had to change our plans and was going to penalized with one night of our stay. I was not happy, but knew there was nothing I could do about it. It was the hotels policy. I understand to a point why these policies need to put into place, but Emily was throwing up and I knew it was only a matter of time before Hayleigh started too. I was most ticked (putting it mildly) about the $180 (PLUS TAXES) that I was going to be out for just changing our reservation. Anyway, after my sob story and some whining, the nice man at Expedia did some sweet talking with his superior and managed to drop our penalty from $180 down to $25, and he was sorry about the administration fee, but there was nothing they could do about it. I assured him the $25 dollars was really okay. Thank you Sabino!

We are now to be going the beginning of March.......

Nothing New, Nothing Exciting!

2008-01-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

We are still here. Not much exciting happening. It's January, which is generally a pretty quiet month. I always enjoy it after a busy Christmas and just before what is looking like a busy February.

I received Photoshop Elements for Christmas which I am trying to get a grasp of. I think I may be finally getting there. At this Hayleigh is a quick study and things come to her very easily. And, I remember those days many, many years ago, when I learned very quickly as well, but those days are only a very distant memory now!

Trying Again.....

2008-01-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

Yes Christmas is over and we are starting a new year, but I was just organizing all my Christmas pictures and I realized that I never shared one of my favourites. There is actually quite a few of the tree decorating that I love, but this my favourite.

36

2007-12-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

Today is Brent's birthday and yes he is 36. Both the girls made him a card for his birthday. Emily's was very simple. Hayleigh, who is learning to spell , made a card that involved more writing and pointed out four times that he was 36 years old. It's a good thing he doesn't have issues with his age.

Happy Birthday Brent!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-31T13:10:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone for another. There is always so much anticipation leading up to the big and and then just like that is it over. I think my favourite time is actually Christmas Eve as the girls get excited for Santa's arrival. Hayleigh had to leave a note for Santa on Christmas Eve explaining that each reindeer was to have a carrot and Rudolph was to have three being as he did so much work.

This year, the girls used some of their own money to buy each other a Christmas present. It was so much fun taking them shopping to buy the gift. Hayleigh welcomed suggestions from me and put lots of thought into the gift she was going to buy. Meanwhile Emily basicly told me that I was to push the cart while she looked. She walked up and down the aisle's of the toy section, checking out all the toys till she found the perfect gift. Once she found that was it, she was done and we were outta of the store. On Christmas morning, the girls were most excited about giving each other the gift that they had picked out and wrapped. It was one of my favourite moments too!

Now the tree is down and most of the decorations packed up. It all goes by too fast, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to some quiet days in January.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

More Baby Pictures.....

2007-12-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

I know I said I was going to share some pictures of my kids and our Christmas activities, but I just can't get enought of these babies. They are so cute! And I still have Baby Hay to look forward to arriving in March! Just in case you wondering, this is Natalie and this Ben.

And Hayleigh and Emily with their cousins.

As for Christmas, I think I am ready. I still have a present or two to wrap. The shopping is done and the house is organized. Friday night the girls finally got to visit with Santa and we took them to see the lights in Waterloo Park and for a horse drawn trolley which was a big hit. Today was the Christmas Concert which was postponed from last Sunday and both girls did an awesome job. Hayleigh had her very own line to say and she did very well. Emily had a school Christmas concert last week as well which she did a great job in singing some of the songs they learned from their gingerbread unit. And I am officially done work for the rest of this year.....YAY!

Introducing.....

2007-12-19T20:59:00.000-05:00

Ben Kingsley and Natalie Alexis Robinson born December 18 at 7:30 pm. Although it looks like Ben is getting ready to beat on his sister already, Natalie was born first weighing in at 5lbs 13oz and Ben weighed 5lbs 10oz. I realize that this is not the best picture, but I was pressed for time. Hopefully, I will have better pictures to share come the weekend.

My kids are still alive and well and totally psyched for Christmas. Once I have a moment, I will share some pictures of them.....

Still Here......

2007-12-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Right now I am putting a lot of faith in Environment Canada and hoping that they are right about the storm that is about to hit. I am sitting here way past my bedtime and I am really hoping for a day at home, to get caught up on a lot of odds & ends.

Today the girls got their letters written to Santa. Poor Emily is fighting a stomach bug right now, but she really wanted to get her letter written. This year Hayleigh was able to write her letter all by herself, needing help only a couple of times with spelling. She is a smart girl and growing up so fast. Most times when she was unsure of how a word was spelled she would go looking for that word in books or in the case of the toys, she brought out the toy magazine. The only problem with bringing out the toy magazine is that she finds more toys that she would like and the rule is that she has to narrow it down to one toy that she really, really would like. Emily's letter was short, sweet and too the point. She wrote her entire letter by herself needing help with the spelling. Her writing has come a long way in the last few months.

Now they are marking the calender as to the number of sleeps. I love their excitement!

Halloween '07

2007-10-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

I am not one who really gets into the Halloween spirit and I am afraid to say this year was really bad. We have been battling colds in our house the past couple of weeks that pretty much kept the girls and myself down and out. We are all on the mend now, thankfully, but as for doing anything Halloweenish this year, it just didn't happen. There is not a pumpkin to be found on our property and there was no Halloween candy to be found (that is before we went trick or treating).

And yes, Emily was not a happy camper when we left for trick or treating tonight. Of course, her mood quickly changed with the first mini chocolate bar that was dropped in her bag and she was good to go for the rest of the night.

Halloween 2007 is now over, I guess it is now time to start gearing up for the Christmas Season.

Aarrgghhhhh!

2007-10-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

Emily is feeling miserable with a cough. Hayleigh is all stuffed up with a sore throat and a cough. And, my head feels like it is about to explode. Yes, we are grouchy, miserable bunch these days! :-(

Success.....

2007-10-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, after a very busy Saturday and a late Saturday night, I set out with two tired girls and Brent in tow in hopes of gettting some good family shots for the Christmas cards. Given the cirmcumstances, some would probably think I was bordering on crazy. Planned photo shoots don't go well when all the planets are aligned, so really what did I have to lose when the odds were against me.

Surprisingly, it went very well. Brent turned out to be the biggest headache. I just king went with the flow, let the girls take some shots and the promise of the Happy Meal in the near future was all I needed. I have shots of the girls that I love and I have a shot of the two of them I am very happy with as well. I even got a decent family shot, but I don't love it. I am hoping if the weather is good this weekend to pack them all up and head to some place new for another try at it.I know I am pushing my luck, but like I say what do I have to lose! As for the Happy Meal, turns out any restaurant will do.

As requested Kelly, here are some pictures..... Enjoy!

2007-10-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

Fall Fun.....

2007-10-09T23:08:00.000-04:00

On the weekend, Brent and I were talking about all the things that needed to get put away for the winter, one being the trampoline. Since going back to school, I think the girls have spent about then minutes on the thing....until today. Tonight when the got home from school they noticed the amount of leaves that have accumulated on it and they did not have to go the trouble of raking the leaves into a pile. They have found some new fun.

More Pictures from Thanksgiving.....

2007-10-07T20:38:00.000-04:00

...no turkey or pumpkin pie in these pictures, just the kids having fun in the park enjoying this summer weather.

Happy Birthday GG!

2007-10-07T20:33:00.001-04:00

A Day at the Maze......

2007-09-23T22:46:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share some pictures from our day at Strom's Farm. It was perfect fall day and the kids had fun. Emily doing some pumpkin chuck'n.

Hayleigh writing down another clue.
Hayleigh's turn at the pumpkin chuck'n.

The girls showing off their tatoo's. If you get one of these, it means you found your way out the corn maze.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Sandi & Curt

2007-09-16T15:36:00.000-04:00

The First Day of School (Part II)

2007-09-11T22:10:00.000-04:00

Emily has returned home from her first day of school, just like she assured me she would. The morning was not as sad I thought it would be, because it was just one of those mornings. Those mornings were you wonder how you ever got it all together and made it to work still sane. Both the girls were beyond excited and then there would be tears and then there would be fighting, with more excitement to follow. It was just chaos. Emily was all keen to let me take her picture and then she refused and then agreed to have her picture taken, but proceeded to act like a goof.
The day ended with the same excitement, but less the tears and fighting. She was keen to tell us about her day and she can't wait until Thursday when she gets to go back again.

And this is only the beginning.....

2007-09-10T22:07:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday, Emily went to meet her new kindergarten teacher and have a peek at her new classroom. The meeting went very well and Emily filled Mrs. Vorstenbosch in on everything she already new about kindergarten as her big sister had already told her everything she ever needed to know about kindergarten. During this meeting Emily was given a homework assignment to be completed by her first day of school. It involved colouring a picture of her favourite teddy bear and filling in the blanks. Two of which required her to write her name. Every night last week I asked her about doing her homework and I was given the "I will do it later" response. Finally, on Saturday, I told her it had to be done and well, this is the look she had the whole time. At one point, I had to get up to answer the phone to only come back and find that she had conned her sister into writing her name on the project. I can only hope for better days ahead, because I think she is showing signs of what I can only imagine to be her father's school work habits, because I know she certainly did not inherit them from me.

Playing Catch Up

2007-09-07T21:46:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from what will probably be our last camping trip this year.

And Just Like That.....

2007-09-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it has been almost two months since I have posted anything and I really have no excuse for it. I just did not spend much time on the computer this summer and there was the isuse of the our dial up, but this week we stepped into the 21st century and now have high speed. in the boonies. As for what is new in our lives, Hayleigh started grade 1 this week. Thankfully, it is a short week, because she is sooooo tired and I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning. Tonight around our house was not pretty either.

Next week is going to be my tough week. My baby starts school. Only five more sleeps. We went to check our her new classroom on Tuesday. She has the same teacher as Hayleigh, so all is good there. Hayleigh has filled on her on the in & outs of kindergarten. So, I guess she is ready to go. I am not sure that I am ready for this, but I guess I have no choice. She keeps telling me that she is only going to be gone for the day and she will come home again. Yep, she is ready for school
With any luck there will be more pictures & posts in the days to come.

First Day of School

2007-09-04T17:02:00.000-04:00

Short on Words, Long on Pictures

2007-07-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

Once again tonight, I am short on words. Last week was a busy week with Canada Day, a camping trip to Bracebridge and weddings on Saturday. I am going to keep this short again by sharing a few pictures from Cara & Justin's wedding.

A Few Pictures from Santa's Village........

2007-07-09T21:33:00.000-04:00

Fear Not, She Doesn't Know How To Use It.......yet!

2007-06-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

Meet Joe......

2007-06-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

....the newest member of our family. Brent and I started talking about getting another dog and we decided to get a yellow lab puppy. We were going to start making some calls hoping to get one sometime in July. Well, I made a call last night and we went to see him and we brought Joe home with us. The girls spent the night at my mom and dad's so we were able to surprise them tonight. They have been smothering him with love ever since. I have student babysit the girls for the summer so they are home everyday and it will give them the oppurtunity to help look after the new dog. So far, he has tore apart his dog food bag and right now he is howling in the front entrance because he spilled his water and he is soaking wet and I won't let him in. Fun times are ahead.....

Yummy, Yummy!

2007-06-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

It is strawberry season here and thanks to my mom, we got a fresh batch of strawberries today. Thanks Mom! What is better then fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream? Well, according to Emily, chocolate syrup & ice cream. At least the rest of us appreciated the strawberries!

New Wheels.....

2007-06-17T21:42:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, we gave Hayleigh a bike for her birthday hoping that she would get three years out of it. This year Brent made the comment to me that Hayleigh could really use a new bike and me be 'ol cheapo said that she could get another year out it. Last week, I was watching her ride her bike and realized that I was being one cruel mother if I made her ride that bike for another year. Her knees where pretty much touching her chin. She has had some birthday money burning a hole in her pocket and I really wanted to see her put it to good use and not just another toy. So, I asked her if she wanted to put it towards a new bike and we would pay for the rest. She thought that was great idea and here it is, a new 5 speed bike. She has figured out how to get it up to 5th gear, but getting it back down to 1st is proving to be a challenge.

With the new bike, she has given her old bike to Emily and Emily is learning to ride the two wheeler. It is still a little big for her, but she is getting the hang of it. We are still keeping the her old bike handy for the time being.

Hot Summer Days

2007-06-13T21:44:00.000-04:00

With the hot weather that we have been having these last few days and the inflatable pool long gone because of leak in it that we could not find, the girls have been wanting the play in the sprinkler. So yesterday when I got home from work, I hooked it up for them. It is not a sprinkler, but a soaker hose and I would not even call it that because it produces more of a fine mist than soak anything. Nonetheless, Hayleigh was more then happy to run through it. Emily spent the first ten minutes circling the perimeter of the lawn for fear that she might get wet. She eventually started running through it, but it took some persuading. The girls have already asked about swimming this weekend and I am sure we will be one of the first to enjoy the pool on Saturday!

You have to love her for her honesty

2007-06-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

Let's face it, Emily has a history of not being able to keep a secret. As much as Brent and I would like to take her shopping for gifts we have learned that if we want to keep the gift a secret it is best to just leave Emily at home and keep her in the dark until the gift is opened. Tonight I was taking the girls to get their hair cut and had to make a trip to Canadian Tire. I had planned on picking up Brent's Father's Day present, but as I was driving there, I remembered that I had Emily with me. I asked the girls if they would keep a secret about daddy's father day present. Hayleigh assured me that she could keep a secret. Emily, on the other hand told me that no, she would probably tell daddy what we bought him. So, we did not buy his father's day present. When we did get home, Emily was sure to tell him that we bought him a red jug that we could put water in when we went camping. I will just let her lead him astray!

As Promised.....

2007-06-07T21:46:00.000-04:00

As I started to tell you all, Brent was accepted into the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program. You can read about it here. It is a nineteen month long course and includes a 10 day North American Study tour and 14 day International Study Tour. I am really excited for him and the opportunity he has been given. I will be a little jealous when he is off seeing the world and I am left at home to take care of the turkeys (and yes Jim, I have no clue how to take care of a turkey!) Apparently, while sipping one too many margaritas in Mexico, I told Brent that if he got into the program I would not only learn how to cultivate and combine, I would also learn everything involved in raising turkeys to help out while he was doing the program. This was some pretty ambitious thinking on my part. Time will tell how I make out.

The picture is from Hayleigh's class trip on Tuesday to McCully Hill Farm and a farm implement dealership. It as a very cold day. We should have packed hats & mitts. Despite the cold, the kids had a good day. I had just Hayleigh and one other little girl in my group this year so it was pretty easy day.

I Am Not Losing It......

2007-06-06T11:41:00.000-04:00

apparently the last part of my last post was ate by blogger. Brent was accepted into the AALP program. I will explain when I have a bit more time. I guess I will just keep you all in suspense.

Good News, Bad News.

2007-06-04T22:32:00.000-04:00

I guess I will start off with the bad and that is we had to have Louie put down yesterday. Brent found him on Thursday back in the bush in really bad shape and took him to the vet. At first, we thought he got into some rat poison, but his symptons were not indicative of that. We really had no idea. There were a couple possiblities of what may have happened to him but we did not know for sure. On Friday he showed some improvement, so we decided to give him the weekend and hopefully he would get better. On Saturday he showed no improvement over Friday. Sunday morning before going to the vet, Brent and I decided if he had shown no more improvement, we were not going to have him put down. When Brent got to the vet he perked up, but his breathing was laboured. They did some blood tests and they showed that he was getting worse and just confirmed that were making the best decision. We did not want to see him suffer anymore.

We told the girls that there was the possibility that Louie would die. Emily has always said she really missed him. Hayleigh response was that would be okay, because we can always get another dog. Hayleigh pretty much had the life goes on attitude and had convinced Emily of the same. They have already decided we are going to get a puppy and it is going to be yellow, name yet to be determined. Actually Emily's exact words are, "we are all going to have to agree on a name." They want to see where Louie is buried, but weather has cooperated.

This weekend was a hard one for me. I never thought I would get this upset about a dog. I guess I kinda had the same attitude as Hayleigh. I don't whether is just being older, being a mom or what it is, but seeing Louie like that was hard. I am starting to cry now as I type this - yesterday, I was a mess. He is now buried with all the other dogs that have roamed our farm in the last 30 years, so he's in good company.

So that was the bad news, and now for some good. Brent found out today that he was accepted into the

Never a dull moment wth my girls.......

2007-05-31T14:33:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a children's clothing store with girls looking for some summer clothes for Hayleigh. I was looking at a denim skirt and had the sales lady standing beside me. I was checking it out to see if it was a skirt or skort and the sales lady (who was kinda annoying me at the time) advised that it was a skort and had the built in shorts. Hayleigh who was standing beside me at the time said, "that's good, I need the shorts because I don't sit like a lady."

I really don't make this stuff up.

Confessions of Scrapbooker.......

2007-05-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

My hobby of scrapbooking all started with a Creative Memories class many, many years ago and that class included decorative scissors, tape and a blank canvas so to speak. By the end of my first class I had hacked my pictures all to hell. Quite frankly, it is a wonder I am still scrapbooking today. Since that time I have used their albums faithfully and some of their product, but have also spent a dollar or two in scrapbooking stores here & there :o)

A few weeks ago I picked up a couple of post bound albums to make my Mother's Day scrapbooks. Well, I have officially converted, never again to use one of the above mentioned albums. I tried the other night to do some pages in these books and I hated them. I do have some stuff to use up and I will use it up because I have far to much invested. But once I have it used up, I will be making the switch.

Tired.....

2007-05-23T20:47:00.001-04:00

This is going to be short and sweet because I am really tired from Emily's first night of Kiddie Kickers. Yes, I am "coaching" again this year, but this year I have fourteen of the little kiddies and no help as of yet. You would think I would be having a good stiff drink right now, but instead I am enjoying an ice cold glass of water and heading off to have a bath and then bed.

Sorry no soccer pictures, I was just a little busy.

This & That.....

2007-05-22T20:49:00.001-04:00

While looking through the pictures that I took yesterday of the girls, I realized that I need to get my camera out more. It had been three weeks since I had it out last. For mother's day I made a scrapbook for both my mom (okay technically hers is not done yet) and Brent's mom (and neither is hers, but it will be the gift that keeps on giving when I do get those last pages done). There were so many pictures of the girls from the past year that I really liked and wanted to share. I also find myself experimenting with my camera more and critiquing my pictures. I have made a promise to myself that no matter how busy things may be this fall, I am going to take a photograhpy course.

Today was Emily's first day back at Laura's with all the other kids that Hayliegh infected with the chicken pox. Out of the four kids that Hayleigh would see on regular basis, she managed to pass the chicken pox onto three of them. The fourth little girl had the vaccination. At least now we can say we are done with them, other then the scars!

Gardening 101.....

2007-05-21T20:07:00.001-04:00

(ETA....I just typed a whole blurb about Emily having the chicken pox and how she had it much worse then Hayleigh and she kept us up for three nights in a row and then I lost my internet connection and it is now gone.

So, that is pretty much it in a nutshell!)

Today we headed to the greenhouse to pick up the flowers for the planters. The girls like going to the greenhouse just because there is wagons for them to pull around. I, on the other hand, could spend hours checking out the annuals, perenials, shrubs, but the girls just won't have it. I can't complain though, they did give an hour of their time today.

The girls helped me plant the planters when we got home. Emily was covered in potting soil by the time she was done. Hayleigh did really well at the planting. They now have designated planters that are theirs. We will see how well they do at keeping them watered.

Sharing some more pictures.....

2007-05-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

Another Year Older.....

2007-05-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know, I have been slack again at posting, but the truth is life has been a little bit crazy lately. I have come to the conclusion that spring is just a crazy time and there is going to be no way around it. Not only are things crazy busy here at home, it is the same at work and there seems to be no getting away from it.

Hayleigh celebrated her 6th birthday on Monday. She is growing so fast. It seems just like yesterday that she surprised us all by arriving three weeks. I was so unprepared for her it was really pathetic. It is still a wonder to me that they ever let me bring her home from the hospital. We had the grandparents and great grandmas here on Sunday for lunch and then Tuesday night she had a couple of friends over. She was not feeling well last night and then when I went to check on her this morning I saw the little pink spots making their appearance. Yes, she has the chicken pox. She is not terribly sick, just miserable. The spots are not bothering too much at this point, but we are still able to track of how many spots she has. After her bath tonight, I noticed the beginning of many more spots so I imagine when she wakes in the morning it is just there will be not point in counting anymore. Of course, the timing is lousy as we are suppose to be going away tomorrow night and I am planning a shower on Saturday, but we will manage.
Emily is Emily. Right now, she is wishing that she too had the chicken pox. If only she knew. She continues to amaze me as she grows. She is my baby and I always thinking of as that, but she is growing into this little person. One, who right now feels left out because she has not has the chicken pox! I kind of wish she had them right now as well and then we would be done with the chicken pox. I figure she will have them in time for the long weekend!

Future Poster Girl for Turkey Farmers.....

2007-04-28T13:34:00.000-04:00

Four and Counting.......

2007-04-19T20:56:00.000-04:00

Hopefully, the tooth fairy gets a break from visiting our house for a while.

This One is for Auntie Kerri.....

2007-04-10T22:08:00.000-04:00

to quote the girls directly about their new FLOAM, "this is the coolest stuff......ever!"

Easter Recap...

2007-04-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

The Easter Bunny has been here and gone for another year and as usual we really have more chocolate then one really needs, but one way or another, we will get it all ate. The Easter bunny hid some eggs for the girls and they woke up this morning to find some in the room. Emily was amazed that the Easter Bunny was able to do this and she didn't even hear him!
This year the girls baskets were filled with some Easter stamps, new pencils, lots of bath soap (which will be needed if this snow ever goes away) and of course, chocolate! Hayleigh was none to happy to find a chocolate bunny in her basket. That would fall under the category of the kind of chocolate she does not like. However, he did bring some whopper eggs, which more then made up for his other mistake. I thought she was pretty lucky to be getting any chocolate at all considering the rate she has been losing teeth this week (the count is up to three)

Of course, Emily was more then pleased with the chocolate that she found. The girls also got new umbrellas for Easter. Emily is now patiently waiting for the rain and she hopes it rains everyday.......forever! This is not something Brent wants to hear as he keen to get out on the land.

Kids can find joy in the oddest places.

2007-03-30T19:25:00.000-04:00

Today we took the girls to the London Children’s Museum and all I can say is I love that place and so did the girls. It is a place that I have been wanting to take the girls for some time now.

When we first got there Emily had to go the washroom and from the moment that we walked into the washroom she thought the place was just great! The walls in the bathroom were pretty, the sink, soap and paper towels were the perfect height and she didn’t have to flush the toilet, it just flushed on its own (she had never experienced that before)! And it just got better from there!

Next time we will have to allow more time to enjoy the place because we will be back!

K

2007-03-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

Emily has been going to speech therapy since January. She is not pronouncing her L, K, or G sounds. I did not know what to expect when we started. When we sit down with Emily to work on her letters she does well, but that has not rolled over into everyday conversation and the speech therapist told us it would take time. Last Friday was Emily’s last session until probably the fall, but we are to keep working with Emily.

Well, Emily has decided that she no longer needs to do her homework because she does not get to see Laurie. The one thing we have learned through this whole process is that if Emily does not want to do her homework there is no point, because she just won’t co-operate. This week with the nice weather she wanted to ride her bike and with that she has been using her back sound and pronouncing her K. She is doing this on her own without any coaching! It’s kinda cute at this point because she stressing on the K so much. Now we will have to work with her on softening her K.

We still have lots to work on, but I am so proud of her for picking this up on her own. I asked her the other day about pointing at her throat when she does her back sounds and she told me that Laurie always did it so she must do it as well. She may go around for the rest of her life pointing at her throat when she talks, but at least people will be able to understand what she saying!

The First of about 20....

2007-03-26T20:55:00.000-04:00

The big news at our house this week Hayleigh finally lost her first loose tooth. I was beginning to think it was never going to come out. It has been loose for months.

There is a story that behind loosing this tooth will definitely have to go in the scrapbook. On Monday, while at Laura's, Hayleigh was playing air hockey with Alex and she won. So being a good sport, Alex gave Hayleigh a hug. When he had her close enough he proceeded to stick his thumb in her mouth and pull her loose tooth out. I know she did expect that this would be how her tooth came, if anyone was going to be pulling it out it would have been her dad. Nonetheless, the tooth is now gone and the tooth fairy will be making a visit to our house tonight.

The tooth fairy has been doing some research and apparently the going rate for a tooth is $2. Whatever happened the quarter that I received or the dime that my dad talks about? What ever it may be she is going to need all the money she can get for those teeth because on Hayleigh's first ever trip to the dentist he was kind enough to tell us that she will probably need braces. Now I am not sure how they can tell when they are three that they will one day need braces, but I am sure hoping he was just feeding my a line of B.S!

Lazy Day

2007-03-26T00:34:00.000-04:00

Today was a lazy day around our house and when I say lazy, I mean did not get out of pajamas until 3:00 lazy. When we finally did get dressed we headed outside to enjoy what was suppose to spring weather. I walked with Louie while the girls rode their bikes. Emily armed in with her new bike helmet, elbow pads and knee pads was set to go, the only thing slowing her down was the muddy driveway and cold wind. We did make it out the lane and down the road a piece before turning around. Both of the girls were keen to bike to Nana & Grandpas house. It's a good thing we didn't or else we would have put a call into to Brent to come and pick us up because I don't think they would have made it home. Hayleigh had to push her bike the last bit because she was "sooo tired" Turns out she is not feeling all that great. She passed on supper tonight and you know when Hayleigh passes on a meal, there must be something wrong. She is complaining of a sore throat so I hope that's all it is. Last year she had trouble with strep throat. She feels lousy, but really doesn't have a fever. Emily has yet another cold which has been an ongoing thing with her this winter. This past week she was fighting a fever. The fever is gone and now we just have the runny nose to deal with. She seems to be doing better now because she did eat supper. Both are tucked into bed now and hopefully get a good nights sleep!

Hair Woes......Already

2007-03-24T19:18:00.000-04:00

A couple of months ago when the girls had their hair cut, Sandi cut Hayleigh's hair so that her bangs were the same length as the rest of her hair. When all was said and done she had a short little bob and I thought it looked really cute. Well, when we got home there was tears and and at one point Hayleigh was never going to let Sandi cut her hair again. Well, never must be a very short time because this week when I took Emily to get her hair cut, Hayleigh got hers trimmed as well.
Now, Emily is upset with me because she doesn't like her hair cut. Emily wants to grow her hair long and I would be in favour of this if 1. She didn't scream every time I came near her with a comb and 2. She let me put it in ponytails or pigtails once in while.
I just can't imagine what the teen years will be like!

Some March Break Fun!

2007-03-21T21:15:00.000-04:00

Winter Scenes

2007-03-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we had one of the worst winter storms that I personally can ever remember. I had made it to work that Monday and made it home about 8:30 that night. I had to have Brent come pick me up because I would have never made home as the roads were full of snow. The next day when Brent took me to work, I wished I had my camera with me because there was a couple of spots where there was only one lane on the highway and the snow was half way up the truck windows. When we got home I told Hayleigh she could finally have her chance to climb a tree because I noticed the snow was pretty much all the way up the trunk of this tree because, yes, we really did get that much snow! I will have to try and remember and do another shot with her next to the tree when the snow is all gone!
Just a few days later, Emily had obviously had enough of winter because she was in search of some grass to cut. She found a little patch, now we will just see if she is this keen to cut grass in a few years!

The Picture Says it All......

2007-03-18T21:03:00.000-04:00

Emily is now four! Well, she turned four February 22.

Starting Over

2007-03-13T20:56:00.000-04:00

Well long story short, if you are interested in what is going on at our house, you are going to have to check it out here! And as you will notice, I have a lot of catching up to do.

In due time I will try and get some pictures posted from the past couple of months, so bear with me....