Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Photo of the Day July 28th

We have happy feet and pretty toenails following our spa pedicures
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My sister-in-law Mary will be celebrating a significant birthday this year (no, I'm not saying which one) so we decided to surprise her with a special "girls afternoon out" today. It was a good sized group with Mary, her daughter Courtney, mom Shirley, sister Laura, cousin Jen and myself taking part in most of the days activities. We started with a nice lunch at Red Lobster(where Laura works, so unfortunately we lost her after that), headed over to Fayez for some very relaxing spa pedicures, and wrapped up the day at the movies watching The Hangover. Great company, fun events, and lots of laughs - the perfect way to spend an afternoon!
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Photo of the Day July 27th


Inspired by Sophie heading over to Aunt Mary's for a sleepover, Chris and I went on a "date night" this evening! We had our hearts set on seeing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and when looking up theatres and show times I noticed something new... a "VIP" theatre at Westmount. I had no idea what the perks of a VIP theatre were, but after asking some friends we decided that the extra $5.00 a ticket might be worth it and gave it a try. What a hoot! You enter the VIP area through a candle-lit bar complete with fireplace, head past the concession stand (which had a much broader selection of nibbly-bits than the regular concession stand outside), and into the theatre itself. It's about the size of a regular theatre but with only a third of the seats, all larger and well spaced out. The seats recline, and come in pairs of two with tables separating each pair from the next. There's a menu on each table, and wait staff throughout the theatre who will take your order and deliver it right to your seat so you don't need to actually visit the bar or the concession stand. It's the first place I've ever been (aside from my living room) where you can do dinner and a movie at the same time - Chris ordered chicken fingers with plum sauce and sweet potato fries, I ordered deluxe nachos complete with guacamole, and we each enjoyed a drink from the bar while watching Harry, Ron and Hermione battle the forces of evil. What an experience! While I wouldn't choose to go to this theatre regularly, it sure makes for a great "date night", and for special movies I definitely see the appeal. I can't help thinking it would be fun to get a group of girl friends together to see the new Sex & The City film there, complete with cocktails!
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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Photo of the Day July 26th


Will this strange, rainy summer ever end? As anyone who knows me well will attest to, I do NOT like hot humid weather... my favourite time of year (from a weather perspective) is autumn. The weather is cooler, the annoying bugs die off, the leaves change colour and start to fall, and you get to hear that delightful crunching sound when you walk. And don't even get me started on roasted squash, pumpkin pie, and the start of "home made soup season" around our house... yum! So with summer time in mind - I like the sun, and I'm happy with temperatures of about 25 degrees as long as the humidex doesn't take that temperature and double it. Humidity is my enemy, and nothing turns me into a bigger whiner, complainer and all around grump than being stuck in 30+ degree weather and high humidity. But this summer? It's been too wimpy a season even by my standards, and that's saying a lot. We've had our little window air conditioner on maybe 3 times this year (good for our hydro bill!), and I still haven't put my sweaters away for the season since at least once a week I seem to pull one out to keep me warm in the evening. Then there's the rain... I heard someone on CBC Radio saying that we hadn't actually received more rain this year than in previous years, but I think they must have been looking at statistics from the west coast or something, because it seems that we can't go more than a day or two without getting dumped on. Not only have I barely had to water our garden in the past month, but mushrooms are growing like mad in our lawn... not just the odd one, but several different varieties, and dozens of them! At least the weather has been offering us variety in our types of precipitation, and today we were rained on by expressive, tumbling clouds followed by a wall of dark threatening grey. Cue the fork lightning and never-ending thunder...
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Photo of the Day July 25th


Chris and I did something a little different with our Saturday morning this weekend, and put off our weekly trip to the Farmers Market until after attending an open house and free lesson at the Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club. It's something that I've always thought might be kind of fun to try, and after chatting with Chris I learned that he used to pass a lawn bowling club on the way to visit his grandmother and always thought it looked interesting. After running into the club's president at this year's Gathering on the Green I decided "why not give it a try?" If you have a keen eye, the Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club can be found down a small alley in Old South, and as it's quite literally in the centre of a residential block it's surrounded by the backyards of homes. It's a little oasis of tranquility, which certainly adds to lawn bowling's reputation as a genteel sport... a sport that I now know is more than just rolling a ball across a lawn. The "bowl" itself (the ball in question) is not actually round but asymmetric and is weighted heavier on one side than the other, which means it will arc to the left or right of wherever you actually aim it depending on the weighting. Successfully getting the bowl to end up anywhere near where you want it be is definitely a learned trait that requires some practice. The rules and terminology are quite similar to those of curling, so I imagine anyone who enjoys curling in the winter would appreciate lawn bowling in the summer. Despite getting rained on during our lesson both Chris and I enjoyed ourselves, and we plan on going back again to see if it's something we might like to do on a more regular basis.
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Photo of the Day July 24th


I'm planning a card making class called "Inspired By: Neighbourhood Gardens" in which I design cards based on the colour, shape, texture or general "vibe" of the gardens I come across when Sophie and I are out for our walks. While I don't have any idea what most of the flowers I'm photographing actually are (three points to whomever can identify the one shown here!), I know what inspires me and that's what dictates the pictures I take. I find this flower with its three layers of warm colours, the slightly filigreed pattern of the inner petals, and the bright gold stamen in the centre a perfect muse for a card... while I don't yet know what it will look like, I'm sure it will be warm and welcoming with several layers. I'll post a link to my stamping blog when I've actually designed the card!
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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Photo of the Day July 23rd


Today felt like the weekend for us, as Chris doesn't go into work until 11pm (and wasn't sleeping the day away to recover from a shift last night) and I wasn't doing childcare. Lately finding all three of us with a relatively relaxed and commitment-free day is rare, so we decided to celebrate by going out to brunch at our favourite breakfast place, Chez Cora. Sophie knows it as "the place with all the fresh fruit", and will often point it out when we drive by... if you haven't been (and there are locations across Canada, so you really must!) then you may not know about Chez Cora's fruit - it's amazingly abundant, beautifully presented, and most of the meals come with what's probably most of your recommended daily intake of fruit according to the Canada Food Guide. Sophie ordered french toast, and had to dig her way through strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, blackberries and melon just to find it on her plate... such a treat! Full of fruit and inspiration, we headed South of London to Farmer Jacks for fruit and veggies, and to Cornell Meats for ground beef and ham. Despite the drizzle, it was a great day for a drive and we enjoyed popping in to see some local farmers and spending time together... more days like this one please!
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Photo of the Day July 22nd


We had such a great visit with my friend Meaghan, her husband Paul, and their daughters Madeleine and Isabelle today. Ours is one of those friendships that seems to have been pre-determined... our mothers were best friends throughout high school (and remain so to this day), and I Meaghan and I have always really enjoyed each other's company. We gave birth to our daughters just three weeks apart, and enjoyed many hours of baby play-time, mommy support-time (and scrapbooking!) as a result... it was fantastic having a friend who knew exactly what you were going through because they were going through it at the same time too. Unfortunately we don't have as many opportunities to spend time together these days as Meaghan and her family moved to Petawawa a few years ago, but a camping trip brought them close enough to town to allow us a great afternoon together at Storybook Gardens today. It was great to catch up - just to chat about little things and enjoy each other's company... but it was especially heart-warming to watch the girls together. Sophie and Madeleine got along beautifully, and it was so easy to see how they could become close friends. Imagine that: three generations of friends in the making... it's a thought worth treasuring.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Photo of the Day July 21st


You know, we've never been the most serious of families... we joke around a lot, do silly things to make each other laugh, and generally don't act our age most of the time. But I don't know what got into us this afternoon - after arriving back home from a quick trip to the drug store and the grocery store (and to Starbucks, because hey - it was right next door), I tossed a balled up plastic grocery bag at Chris in mock frustration over something silly. He grabbed another one and threw it at me. So I grabbed a third and lobbed it off his head. Can you see where this is going? By the time it was over, Sophie had gotten in on the action and all three of us were chasing each other around the dining room pelting one another with balled up grocery bags like it was some kind of off-season snowball fight. The cats were alarmed... but what the heck, at least we had fun!
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Photo(s) of the Day July 20th

Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet girl!
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Sophie, at two hours old
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Sophie & Mommy, four years later
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It was four years ago today that we welcomed Sophie into our world... although it was a bit of a blur it remains one of the best days of my life. From her tiny little hands to her little red curls and big blue eyes, she was a miracle brought to life - and we've enjoyed every day of watching her grow and change over the past four years. I can't wait for the next four, and the four after that, and the four after that, and the four after that, and...
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Photo(s) of the Day July 19th

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It only seems fair to give equal photo credit to both of Sophie's special birthday "cakes", so I simply had to feature the cupcakes we got her for today's family birthday luncheon. We're a big fan of the cupcakes created by Sweet Cakes in the Covent Garden Market, and since we had indulged in that lovely fishy cake by Fantasyland Specialty Cakes yesterday we decided to opt for something different today. I made a quick trip downtown when the Market opened this morning and picked up a dozen of the lovely, frothy treats in a mix of Double Chocolate, Strawberry Vanilla and Chocolate Raspberry, then assembled my seldom-used fancy silver two tier stand to display them on (once again justifying my rather large collection of serving plates and platters). What a fancy, girly, precious way to celebrate our fancy, precious girly!
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Photo of the Day July 18th


Crazy day, crazy day... We celebrated Sophie's birthday with a few of her friends at the Children's Museum today, and everyone had a great (and very active!) time. I was a bit disappointed that more kids weren't able to come, but there were five in total and they made enough noise that you would have thought there were ten - twice during the party other kids popped the party room door open to see what was going on because the noise was travelling down the hall! We played games, did crafts, ate popcorn and a lovely cake (shown here), opened presents, and played more games before heading out to explore the museum. After bringing Sophie and our friends Rhys and Rowan back to our place we thought everyone would be exhausted, but I think the excitement combined with the sugar rush (seriously - did you see the icing on that cake???) had everyone so wound up that "quiet time" was impossible: parental "wishful thinking" I guess! Everyone under 4' tall finally collapsed into bed before 8pm and the grown ups ate dinner in blissful quiet shortly after... whew!
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Friday, July 17, 2009

Photo of the Day July 17th


Ahhh... what a great way to spend an afternoon/evening. I wandered through the Covent Garden Market for nibbly-bits, did lots of window shopping downtown, went swimming and for a soak in the jacuzzi (then swimming again, then back to the jacuzzi, then into the pool again... etc.) , had a nap, and curled up in the hotel's very cushy king-sized bed with a glass of wine and a book. My idea of perfection! After a very comfortable night's sleep and a great breakfast it was back to real life this afternoon, but with a reserve of energy to draw from. Many thanks again to my sweet husband Chris for such a great birthday present...
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Photo of the Day July 16th

Happy Birthday to ME!
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Yes, it's my birthday... and my cousin Sandy's birthday as well (hope you have a wonderful day, Birthday-twin!) This morning kicked off what promises to be a great day, with Chris, Sophie and I enjoying Cinnabon cinnamon buns for breakfast, complete with birthday candles for everyone. A yummy treat for sure! After breakfast Sophie was off to "camp" until noon while Chris and I did some last-minute shopping for her birthday on Monday. We enjoyed lunch as a family and then headed off in different directions: Sophie to Nanny's house, Chris to work, and me to the Hilton downtown for some well-earned R&R (a great birthday gift from my honey.) Yay for birthday treats of all kinds!
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Photo of the Day July 15th


I'm having a grumpy moment... shortly after I got up this morning I received a phone call from the city explaining that they've had to cancel the week of Storybook Gardens Mini-camp that we had signed Sophie up for due to a lack of participants (apparently only three kids were registered). She's going to be so disappointed - she loves Storybook, and has been looking forward to having a whole week of mornings there. Ironically, there are only two weeks all summer that will work to take her to this camp, since its quite far away and I'll need to have access to the car to both drop her off and pick her up... the first is the week that they've just cancelled, and the other is so full that they've got a waiting list. It was a disappointing way to start the day, but the salt in the wound came when I went to pick up our mail and received this letter from the city welcoming us to the program and talking about how wonderful it is. Frustrating... I'm now off to research alternatives that will work with our car/childcare/work schedules.
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Photo of the Day July 14th


My friend Linda very kindly dropped by this morning and brought me two jars of her home-made black cherry jam. Last week she walked me through her jam-making routine, and despite her insistence that "it's easy!" it actually seems like a pretty complex process... but I can certainly testify that the results are fantastic! While Chris, Sophie and I all enjoyed toast with jam this afternoon, I can't understand how the first jar is already half-empty. There must have been a defect in the jar that's allowing some of the jam to escape... I should probably report back to Linda and ask her for another jar, shouldn't I?
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Monday, July 13, 2009

Photo of the Day July 13th

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We spent the afternoon yesterday at Sunfest enjoying the sun (thankfully - we would hate to think "Sunfest" was misnamed), battling the crowds, eating yummy International food, perusing the craft vendors and of course listening to amazing music from all over the world. It's one of my favourite London festivals, followed closely by the Home County Folk Festival which will be in full swing next weekend. The focus of Sunfest is the music, with groups and solo artists from as far away as Africa and Asia... and with the sound of vocalists, drums, guitars and soul the vibe in Victoria Park is fantastic. I could easily post several pictures of this event for our photo-of-the-day, but this one of a hand-crafted chicken made of recycled steel by African artist Paddington Mupiwe charms me every time I look at it. Nice visual memory of a great afternoon...
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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Photo of the Day July 12th


Two things that we pick up regularly during our Saturday stop at the Western Fair Farmer's Market are fresh local blueberries (available from a variety of different vendors) and stone ground wheat tortillas from J & D Peters of Vienna. These tortillas are phenomenal... made with organic whole wheat and no preservatives they're the softest, freshest tortillas I've ever eaten. They make the prepackaged ones from the grocery store (Old El Paso and the like) taste like dried-out flattened car tires in comparison. Breakfast this morning featured both of these market treats - what we call "peanut butter roll-ups" (those amazing tortillas spread with peanut butter and honey before rolling) and dozens of fresh berries. What a great way to start the day, and to give us lots of energy for our visit to Sunfest this afternoon!
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Photo of the Day July 11th


Today was a busy day... we spent this morning at our favourite Farmer's Market as usual, then made a stop at the grocery store to pick up some odds & ends that couldn't be purchased at the market (darn them for not carrying things like cat food!) After lunch Sophie attended the fourth birthday party of her friend Maya, which was held at The Little Gym. We had never been there before although I know several other parents who take their kids to Little Gym classes - I was very impressed not only by the facility but by the staff, who went out of their way to make all the kids feel included and proud of themselves throughout the games and exercises they did. From there our busy day took us to The Toy Shoppe of London for Sophie to explore and make a little "wish list" of things she would love to get for her birthday... a few more errands and then home for dinner and to get Sophie ready for bed. Whew! Is it any wonder once Sophie hit the hay that I needed a nice cup of tea and a rest? I grabbed the book I'm currently reading for my Book Club (called Gods Behaving Badly) and settled in to read and enjoy a tea with some hot foamed milk and a dash of cinnamon. Honestly, now that I have that kick-butt Barista Centre (shown heating milk above) I find the need to put frothed milk on pretty much everything, and I think I've earned it after a busy day!
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Friday, July 10, 2009

Photo of the Day July 10th

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I teach crafting classes from my home and recently created a series I've called "Inspired By..." where I create cards in colour schemes or themes based on some of the things in my world. Last month I planned one called "Inspired By: Book Club" where I taught three cards based on novels I've read with my reading group, and I'm planning one for either this month or next called "Inspired By: Neighbourhood Gardens". In preparation I've been tucking my camera into my pocket each time I set out on a bike ride with Sophie, and have captured some beautiful photos sure to inspire a series of lovely floral-themed cards. This garden in particular captured my attention, with its tiered layers of pink, orange and magenta flowers separated by neutral stone walls. I'm not sure what sort of card design it will inspire, but I can hardly wait to get out my papers and inks and get to work!
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Photo of the Day July 9th

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My two little red shirt wearing munchkins (Sophie and our friend Rowan) decided to break out the fancy jewelry to spruce up their outfits today. Fancy necklaces & bracelets, with Sophie even sporting a tiara... they're both very proud of their fashion sense. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to photograph the moment when Rowan added a pair of Sophie's high heeled dress-up shoes to the ensemble - although he may thank me for not capturing that picture later in life!
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Photo of the Day July 8th


Our little gardener is at it once again... when we went out to check her Morning Glory, the tomatoes and hot peppers Sophie decided the plants in our garden needed some care too, and asked us to fill the watering can so she could give them each a drink. She takes her job very seriously... and it's awfully sweet to see.
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A question for those of you who keep up with this blog... Sophie's Morning Glory has produced a total of four blooms, each of which lasted a single day and then closed up and fell off. Is that normal, or is there a chance we're doing something wrong? Perhaps just too cool a climate? I would appreciate any feedback my green-thumbed friends and family could provide!
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Photo of the Day July 7th


The street we live on has been undergoing a glut of construction that is on its third straight summer. Two years ago the section a few blocks to the right of our house was ripped up, last summer the construction moved directly in front of our house, and this summer they're hard at work beginning about one block left of our house. I will forever associate warm weather with the sound of dump trucks beeping as they back up! One of the side effects of road construction is the phenomenal amount of dust it produces, and that (combined with the noise) made our front porch completely unlivable last summer. This summer we were determined to get out and enjoy the porch again, and recently picked up some plastic (read: easily washable) Muskoka chairs for lounging on the porch and enjoying the sights and sounds of the neighbourhood. Those sounds may still include the "men at work", but we don't mind that much - at least we're outside smelling the fresh air and enjoying the summer.
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Monday, July 6, 2009

Photo of the Day July 6th

Happy Birthday to my Mom today!!!
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As we tip-toe into the world of growing plants and veggies, several different pepper plants have made an appearance on our front porch. I selected the peppers with my husband in mind, ending up with Hungarian Yellow Wax (5,000 - 15,000 on the Scoville scale), Cayenne (30,000 - 50,000 on the Scoville scale) and Habanero (325,000 - 570,000 on the Scoville scale - OMG!) They're growing well, and I was pleased when watering this morning to see that one of our Cayennes has reached an excellent size... now we just need some heat to help it mature and develop its deep red colour and we'll be ready to start looking up recipes. Oh and in case you're wondering - I will be staying well away from those Habaneros.
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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Photo of the Day July 5th


I got an amazing deal on blueberries at the market yesterday, which means I need to get creative with some recipes to use all 36oz (!) of them up quickly before they start to spoil. We've already enjoyed about a quarter of them in blueberry waffles and as-is for snacking, but some baking was clearly in order to start making a dent in the rest. I settled on blueberry tarts for their simplicity - with all of five ingredients (plus frozen "cheater" tart shells) it was the perfect recipe for Sophie to take charge of, and she handled her measuring spoons and mixing fork well as always. Here, the tarts wait a final inspection before being popped into the oven. It will be tea and tart time as soon as they cool!
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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Photo of the Day July 4th


After Chris got home from work last night we planned out our meals for the upcoming week, and this morning we set out for the Western Fair Farmer's Market (shown above) to pick up our groceries. It's always a fun trip, with vendors selling everything from ready-made meals to fresh fruit and flowers, from meats to freshly baked bread and pastries. We came home with not only what we had planned to buy, but a tonne of fruit, some fresh cheese, bagels, and tortillas so soft you would think they hadn't even been baked yet. We wrapped up the trip by picking up curried black-eyed peas and rice with veggie samosas on the side for dinner... what a delicious trip!
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Friday, July 3, 2009

Photo of the Day July 3rd


Good morning! We're dealing with a cold, dark, dreary day again... more rain and lots of grey clouds which inspired me to brighten things up indoors by making a fun breakfast for Chris and Sophie. For my girl, pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse heads with maple syrup and apple slices... For my fella, pancakes in the shape of hearts with maple syrup, a side of bacon (his contribution) and a plum. Well fed and in a good mood, hopefully our day will only get brighter!
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Photo of the Day July 2nd


Our garden is full of mysteries... we had a planter pot full of herbs a couple of years ago that died off due to a lack of attention (seriously, I told you I have a "black thumb") and suddenly it's begun to grow plants again. I know they're not herbs but are likely the result of some industrious squirrel burying a seed or nut to dig up later... but I have no idea what this pretty green thing is. Anyone have a suggestion for me?
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Photo of the Day July 1st

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

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If I weren't feeling under-the-weather I would be out wishing my country Happy Birthday with barbecue and fireworks, but as it stands I'll probably be staying home and trying to get over a nasty head cold. At least the rainy weather today makes me feel less like I'm missing out than a hot, beautiful sunny one would... mother nature must be encouraging me to stay home and look after myself. So, from our little Canadian family to yours, where ever you may be... Happy Canada Day!
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A sweet little side note: Last week when we told Sophie that Canada Day was coming up and that it represented our countries "birthday"... she asked us if we could buy Canada a present. What a cutie.
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Photo of the Day June 30th


We arranged for our friend Rhys to come over today, which meant our morning was full of him and Sophie running around laughing hysterically at the thrill of being together. The two of them are so sweet - always hugging and calling each other over to show each other some interesting discovery or another. We put their excitement level right over the edge by telling them we were taking them to the London Regional Children's Museum for the morning, and to say they had a blast would be an understatement. I had a difficult time catching them in a photo because they were in full-tilt-boogie mode for most of our visit, but I did manage to snap this picture while we were getting them dressed in dinosaur costumes so they could run through the caves roaring at each other (and any one else they saw, it turned out). Sophie, always the thoughtful one, did stop and explain that to anyone they roared at that they weren't real dinosaurs but actually little kids... thank goodness she cleared that up!
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