Busy Weekend!

Last week was spent getting things ready for a houseful of guests visiting for the Christmas parade Friday evening. The boys were very helpful in getting tidying, cleaning and baking done without too much protest. Wednesday was such a gorgeous day we were able to get decorations for our parade float painted outside in the yard (we have a large patch of silver grass now!) and most of the rest of the bits and pieces were staged in our basement, ready to be put on the truck and trailer Friday afternoon.

Two of Adrian's sisters and their families joined us for the parade this year, along with G&K of course, C&C and their girls (who stayed overnight at house), D (who regularly helps with outreach work here), C and two of his boys (who have recently moved to Canada from England), and after the parade our friends J&B and their kids joined everyone for hot chocolate and treats.

Our float was full this year and it looked so pretty all lit up! That's one of the things we like about our town's parade - that it's held at night and all the floats are so beautifully lit! I love that when we drive by people stop to read the verses on the sides of the trailer. No doubt that we represent a Christian camp! Andrew was thrilled to walk/run alongside the float handing out candy canes with some of the adults. I rode in the truck with G&K. We had to walk from our house to where they were staging the floats and I knew I wouldn't be able to walk/run all the way back, too (ongoing health issues I'll get around to posting about sometime).

Saturday morning four families headed out to a local tree farm to cut down our Christmas trees. We had a great time! Adrian got the tree situated in the stand when we got home and that evening the kid and I decorated it. I love the smell of a real Christmas tree.

The house is mostly back in order now. We still need to put away some of the parade decorations, but that won't take long.

Sunday morning Nicholas and I went to church. I was going to take all three boys with me to give Adrian some peace and quiet to study in (he has another exam this Friday), but Matthew and Andrew have come down with colds so they stayed home. There was a Christmas lunch at the hall after services which was combined with a 90th birthday celebration for one of the men. Nicholas and his friend, J, who are the two youngest members of our church presented the cake. It was a wonderful lunch! Nicholas slept most of the way home and I had a short snooze on the couch when we got home. Early to bed last night for everyone!

Now on to a busy week!

Hallowe'en 2009

Nicholas is dressed as a warlord, Matthew as a ninja and Andrew as Sasuke, a character from a ninja comic. They each designed their pumpkins; Andrew and Nicholas also carved theirs. Matthew's is the one at the bottom, losing its lunch. The costumes had to be modified to fit winter jackets and extra pants. It was cold out!!! They went around the block and were quite happy to come home and watch a movie while sorting through their junk. We didn't see many kids on our street and only had perhaps ten to our door. We didn't see as many as usual on the next behind us, either.

An Afternoon at the Falls

Today we met up with some friends, a fellow homeschooling family, for a picnic at McGowan Falls. The falls are named for a miller who used the water power from the Saugeen River in the early times of the town of Durham. It's a pretty place to picnic, with a roped off swimming area above the dam at the falls, a little playground and sand area, plenty of trails to walk on and the falls to play in.

With it being the first week of really hot weather we've had so far, the water was a very welcome diversion! We weren't the only ones there during the lunch hour - area teens are on exams and are pretty much done school for the year so there were many who also came to cool off in the river. Other than the jumping from the footbridge into the water which my kids saw as 'neat' and gave me visions of future heart failure, all was good.

The kids were happy to swim, wade to and explore a small island in the river, make their way across the lower river to a small cave and play in the falls for hours. We were all tired by the time we headed home!

Rocket Balloons

Sunday afternoon the boys and I went for a bike ride/walk to one of the parks. It was a beautiful afternoon! We had to make a quick return trip home before we really got started to switch bikes when one of Nick's bike tires popped (it made a really loud bang!). There was a worn spot right through to the inner tube, caused by all the skidding he likes to do. Matthew ended up riding his too-small old bike and Nicholas rode Matthew's new-to-him bike which was also too small for him, but we made it there after all.

We took Panda with us and she loved the walk. She likes to get out there with us and as long as it's not too long a walk she's good to go. Longer walks without breaks tire her back leg out and she ends up limping so we tend not to do lengthy walks with her. We got to the park and the kids had a long play while I chatted with a young friend who was there with her dog. We noticed some kids playing with rocket balloons which reminded me I had a couple of packages of them stashed away in the craft room at home. Sounded like a good after dinner activity!

The trip home was interrupted by a jammed chain on the bike Nick was now riding. I couldn't get it free with one hand while hanging onto the dog with the other, but thankfully a man came across the road and gave it a quick yank for me, freeing it easily. We finished the trip home without any further trouble and were welcomed by the smell of steaks on the barbecue!

After dinner the kids had a blast playing with the rocket balloons. Some of them met their demise by flying into trees and popping, but they were still fun. They squealed as they were flying through the air and of course, the more noise the better as far as the boys are concerned!

Camp Visit

Yesterday friends of ours invited us to go take a look at New Life Camp, the summer camp their children attend. I've been wanting to see this camp for a long time, even before we knew people with children who've been there! lol! The camp was open for a fundraising day so there were booths set up for food, drinks, face painting, water balloon launching, dunk tank, and horse-drawn buggy rides among other things. The kids liked the cotton candy booth, especially!

There was beach volleyball going on when we got there, a soccer game started shortly after, people were canoeing in the small lake (or large pond?) and kids were playing on the playground equipment. Towards the end of the time there was bottle rocket launching which was a hit with many kids, big and small.

We had a little tour through the main building which houses the common room/chapel area, dining area, kitchen, dorm rooms, games room, craft area and a large new addition (our friends weren't sure about its future use), then a little walk around some of the grounds. Most things are set up right near the main building. It was neat to see how another camp is set up. It would be interesting to find out more about their programming, too. I took some photos to show Adrian's Dad. I know he was interested in seeing what this camp is like, too. It's funny that there are several Christian camps in this general area!

Backyard Visitor

Yesterday after dinner the kids and I went outside to do some work in the yard. Well, I did a lot of work and they helped in between rounds of laser tag. We did get a lot done - about five or six wheelbarrows full of twigs and brush and branches cleared up from around the yard and from our brush pile at the back of the yard.

While I was out there I could hear what I was sure was a chicken, but couldn't see it or tell where exactly the sound was coming from. Matthew was running through our neighbour's yard and spotted the chicken - it was running close by her house. He chased it (of course) and it jumped into the window well at the side of our house. This was very exciting to the kids and Nicholas called for me to come see it.

I had gardening gloves on, thankfully, so I was able to scoop it up and hold on to it. Now what? I was thinking. What on earth do I do with a chicken?! Adrian was in the front yard so I asked him to call his Dad for suggestions. G has always wanted chickens, having grown up on a farm, not that he and K would take this one - because of their travel schedule having chickens would never work out. However, I was sure he must know someone who could use a spare chicken. His first suggestion was to keep it in a crate in our basement for now! I'm sure Panda would have loved sharing her home with a chicken! Another option would be to just let it go again in the yard. Hmmm, not what I wanted to do. It's quite likely the thing would be frightened to death with kids chasing it, and I'm quite sure mine would be involved in the chasing.

A neighbour and friend of our boys came by then and I remembered that his uncle lives on a farm about five minutes outside of town. I asked J to go ask his Mom to give his uncle a call and ask if he'd take the chicken. His uncle agreed so we put it in a bag and J, Andrew and J's Mom went off to the farm.

I'm guessing the chicken is an escapee from the Fur and Feathers show that was held at the agricultural grounds near our house on Sunday. This is where the old community centre and arena were located and it is also the location of the track we frequent. For one Sunday each spring and fall the track is lined, both sides, with vendors selling small livestock (pigs, chickens, geese, ducks and occasionally llamas or donkeys), rabbits, dogs, cats, hamsters, finches, canaries, budgies, and other small birds. It is not unusual after the show to see wandering chickens who managed to escape while at the show.

Excitement aside, Matthew and Nicholas were wonderful helpers in the yard after Andrew left with J to take the chicken to its new home. They worked hard and took turns taking the wheelbarrow the front yard to dump its contents. The county collects yard waste and turns it into mulch or compost then uses it throughout the community. We can also take it to a collection site if we want to, but after taking a trailer-load of brush in G's truck got stuck in a soupy section of our backyard so we didn't want a repeat of that incident and decided to just move the rest of the brush to the curb.

Weekend Away

Adrian and I packed up the kids and the dog and went to stay at his parents' house, Meadowside, for part of last week and through the weekend. G & K are away in the UK, due back in this week, so we've been keeping an eye on things at their house. It was great! It was like taking a mini-vacation, which we really needed. Okay, maybe Adrian didn't think of it in those terms. He told me I've lowered my standards on what comprises a vacation these days. But really, being away from home with my family was lovely and it doesn't take much to make me happy.

The kids thought it was terrific, choosing to sleep on pull-out couches in the basement even though there were beds enough upstairs. They had the chance to play with the air hockey table, the old Super Nintendo (Adrian's from eons ago) and Grandpa's Wii system. They splashed around in the hot tub. They read and played and watched some TV. They had several late nights, talking and laughing instead of going to sleep.

For Adrian and me, we spent some time in the hot tub, played with the kids (I discovered I bowl better on the Wii than in real life!), read, watched the abundant wildlife and numbed our brains watching TV. We don't have satellite or cable at home, so it was kind of a treat to be able to watch interesting shows on how things are made, retro cartoons, shows that we used to enjoy and could get years ago without cable, and even shows that others had told us about but we had never seen. All in all though, satellite TV is something I can still live without. I have definitely had my fill and then some of commercials!!!

I am always fascinated by the creatures I see around Meadowside. We get birds and small creatures in our own yard in town, but not the variety that calls the countryside home. The farm behind Meadowside has a pond and it just teems with all sorts of water fowl. This weekend we saw herons flying overhead, many, many Canada geese wandering around the farmland surrounding the house and swimming in the pond. Panda was only sort of interested in the geese that were making their way across the backyard to the farmland, but she definitely stood still and listened whenever we were outside. The air was filled with the sounds of birds chirping and calling to one another. Between the sounds and the smells, she was loving it!

Panda was also very taken with the groundhogs which were venturing out from under the back deck, gathering bits of dried grass. She watched and whined whenever she saw them from in the house.

It's amazing how much wildlife we see less than half an hour from town. Deer, ducks, geese, hawks, wild turkeys, turkey vultures, kestrals, groundhogs, herons, songbirds. Incredible! Living in a rural area means we do see creatures like these fairly regularly as we travel through the countryside, but it never fails to take my breath away to see them. The kids used to marvel at even the horses, sheep and cows that are common in pastures around here and especially the horse-drawn buggies that travel the roads. Now? Farm animals don't excite them, but cool wildlife still does!

The kids were happy to have an egg hunt at Grandma's house, then we dropped Panda off at home and traveled to one of Adrian's sister's for lunch. After a huge lunch we took the kids to the park, then back to L & R's for another egg hunt, then home to pick up Panda and back to Meadowside for one more night. A busy day, but fun!

So, even though it was only a short time and distance away, it was refreshing for me. Sometimes a change in location and routine is just as good as a fancy vacation!

Spring-like Weather

We've had a lovely few days of spring-like weather with sunshine and temperatures into the double digits. Adrian pruned the fruit trees and the kids picked up the branches, stacking them somewhat neatly at the back of the yard near the shed. We opened windows to air out the house and enjoyed hearing the birds who are finally flitting about the yard again. The snow is melting, revealing the huge amount of yardwork to be done, but that is okay because the snow is melting!!!! The kids have spent a lot of time racing around outside, shedding winter gear along the way. Yesterday we walked to one of the parks, soaking up sunshine and just feeling the promise of spring. I read, wrote in my journal, took some photos, smiled at my active boys running around in rubber boots with no coats on. It was lovely.

I also met a mom who was there with her daughter and we discovered that we grew up and lived in similar areas in the GTA. We knew the same places and remembered when Brampton and Mississauga were surrounded by farmland. Their family moved north about three years ago. It's been almost six since we made the move. We agreed the pace of life in rural Ontario is so much nicer than in the cities. We laughed when we agreed that neither of us would want to go back!

Backyard Skating

The serendipitous discovery of a large patch of ice in our next door neighbour's yard resulted in a lot of smiles for the neighbourhood kids. They all worked at shovelling or sweeping the ice surface to keep it nice for skating on. Although Andrew and Nicholas are not keen on playing hockey, Matthew enjoyed the 'training' sessions some of the older boys gave him on stick-handling and shooting the puck. He probably spent the most time out there of all the kids! Of course, our boys had a slight advantage being able to use the ice through the day as well as with their friends after the other kids came home from school!

The day I was taking these photos my neighbour was out there with her camera, too. They are kind people who don't mind all these boys traipsing through their yard year round. Their children are all grown, but they do have three small grandchildren who visit on a regular basis. I imagine they will one day join the group of kids running through the yards!

Visiting Cousins

This morning we headed to Grandma's (K's) house for a visit with cousins E and C who are there for the weekend sans parents. We had a lovely time! E was absolutely thrilled to play with the boys. She and Matthew get along really well and always enjoy playing together. I think it's because E is two years younger (she's almost 6) and thinks the games Matthew comes up with to play are just the best. Quite a change from his brothers' reactions! lol! Matthew wasn't so enamoured of C's interventions in the games and had to be reminded that C is only 2.5 years old and to cut him some slack.

The kids all played until lunchtime, then again for a while afterwards. C had a little nap on the couch in the basement while K and I had a chat and the other kids played, then I took the older ones upstairs to get ready to go in the hot tub. They all had a great time in the hot tub and C joined in after he'd fully woken up from his nap and had a snack. Before we left Andrew put on a little magic show for everyone while Matthew provided background music on the piano. E made a lovely magician's assistant for Andrew. Very cute!

I even got a few cuddles with C today. I was surprised he let me hold him since we don't see them that often. He's not really used to me being around and usually shies away, but he snuggled right in. It was so nice!

Today reminded me of just one of the reasons I am glad we homeschool. The boys don't see their cousins very often now that one is in grade one, two are in kindergarten and another two go to preschool a couple of days a week. Weekends are always busy for all the families and weather is a huge factor right now since they all live about an hour and a half away from us. If we didn't homeschool we'd miss out on visits like the one we had today. And those memories are precious.

Sledding at Camp

This morning we bundled up and took a little trip to camp to go sledding. Around town there aren't many places with a good enough hill to slide down and though the kids have fun with their own makeshift hill down our back deck steps which fill in with snow each winter, it's worth the short drive to camp for some decent sledding! Deep Freeze (a winter teen camp) just ended on Wednesday so we had the place to ourselves.

These first photos were taken at the hill leading from the gazebo down to the senior soccer field. It's not a huge hill, but you can go pretty fast and far across the field! The only downside is having to make the trek back up the hill. It was great the snow wasn't too deep.



Nicholas went waaaay across the field on one of these foam boards!

Even Adrian joined in, although this particular run ended up with him taking a spill off the sled.

I relinquished hold of the camera for a few runs myself.

These were taken at the campfire hill. It leads down to one of the volleyball courts nestled amongst the trees. This hill is much steeper than the one going to the senior soccer field, plus the teen campers had built a ramp on this hill. Avoiding it was difficult, but I managed! I was too scared to even try the ramp!!! Matthew accidentally went over it, had a bit of a scare, then was keen to try it again. My poor heart! The kids decided to try the ramp from partway down the hill, but if you went over it too slow, you missed the downslope on the other side of it and landed in a heap on top of the slope or in between the two parts. There were a few sore backsides before we left!

You can just see the remains of the igloo the teen campers built to the left of the sled run in the first photo. Two of the staff members tried sleeping in it one night, but didn't last the entire night. One went back to the cabin around 3:30am because he was too hot and the melting snow underneath him was making his sleeping bag damp and the other woke up at about 5:30am, frozen! All the condensation had frozen over top of him. I don't think you could pay me enough....

The view from the bottom of the campfire hill and Adrian just missing the ramp.

Andrew with a bit of a rough landing on the downslope.