What a crazy week it's been! Crazy but good! Caleb turned ten on Monday. I can't believe all of my children are now in double digits. Shocking! We celebrated his birthday by going for lunch to a restaurant of his choice, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Who doesn't need a little grease in the afternoon!! That evening, my dad needed a bit of help from Matt, so we headed over to my parents for a delicious dinner and some ice cream cake for dessert. Caleb was in Heaven! Caleb is currently collecting loonies, so as a gift, we gave him a roll of them. Matt's mom, who the kids lovingly call 'Grandma on the highway', sent down $50.00 which we turned into loonies as well. Caleb was in complete disbelief to get $75.00! I think he has now saved $144.00.....all in loonies!
This week we are also pet sitting a two year old lab/golden retriever  named Buddy! He is such a sweet dog and the kids adore him! The kids walk him every day and play with him constantly in the back yard...it's really nice to see them interact so nicely with him!
The first night Buddy was with us, I thought he would maybe sleep on the floor in our room or one of the kids rooms. Were Matt and I ever surprised when we crawled into bed at 11:00 pm and Buddy followed us, put his paws on the bed, and jumped up right between us! I guess we have a new sleeping buddy for the next week!

Perfection

What beautiful weather we've had! Today the rain came but I have to say, it was a welcome change! Just enough to water the grass and cool the air...perfection!
I think the thing I love most about the summer is the freedom that everyone has and the organized chaos that comes along with it. I love the towels and random t-shirts strewn across the lawn as everyone plays in the pool. I love the flowers growing in the garden and the peacefulness that comes along with it. I love late nights, camp fires and corn on the cob. Awesome!
So far today, we've spent most of our time indoors. Anna and Caleb had dentist appointments first thing this morning. We came home and dragged Adam out of bed. Everyone was kind of bored, so we decided to attempt to make our own version of an Orange Julius! They actually turned out pretty delicious!
These days are pretty much perfect! I am loving summer!

Proud!

It's Saturday night and we are nearing the end of Matt's holidays. We've had such a great week with him home and were able to do so many things. As you know, we went to the Island and had a blast! On Thursday, we were fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremonies for Special Olympics as my brother was competing in them. To be honest, I didn't really want to go. I was tired and was quite content to just lay low at home after our Island trip. I knew it would mean a lot to my brother if we were there, so off we went and man, I am so glad we did!!! It was amazing! The event was held at a big arena and it was filled with people cheering the athletes on! As the athletes filed into the building, the crowd erupted and the competitors were thrilled! They were pumping their fists and waving their arms in excitement! It was a humbling experience to watch these thousands of athletes, all with some kind of intellectual disability and/or physical disability, walk in with their heads held high, full of anticipation and excitement! There were many high profile athletes in the building, but they paled in comparison to the Special Olympians! I left that building that night feeling very proud to have a special Olympian as a part of our family! Unfortunately, we weren't able to attend any of the events that my brother was competing in, but he did awesome! He swims and received three golds and two silvers! Pretty impressive!!! I am a proud sister!

The Olympians coming into the arena! Amazing!

Hello...it's been a long time....

It's been over six months since my last post on my blog. For a while, I thought I would just forget about blogging and not share any part of my life. I didn't realize how much I would miss it. I miss writing and I miss writing down events in our lives that will soon be distant memories. This blog started as an outlet from a working moms perspective. I realize now that it's more of a chance for me to capture the small moments in time that we will one day look back on and remember! As it's been so long since my last entry, I am just going to start with our most recent family adventure!

This past weekend, we were lucky enough to go over to Vancouver Island to celebrate my Grandmother's 80th birthday! A lot of family was unable to make it, but there was still a bunch of us there to have a great time! The party was held at my aunt and uncle's house.....what an amazing place they have! Their backyard backs onto a river that opens up into the ocean. You can see the tide come in and go out. Absolutely beautiful! Everyone had the opportunity to kayak and/or canoe. The kids jumped in right away and took off! They came back and told me they had kayaked into the open ocean......to be honest, I just about had a heart attack at this point! I had visions of my three children in the wide open ocean in a tiny kayak, getting swept to sea! As usual, my kids told me I was crazy and off they went again! They loved having their freedom and loved the chance to be in the water at any time!

Saturday was the big birthday bash. It began with a beautiful Mass at the local Catholic Church. Were we ever surprised when the Bishop walked in to say Mass! I think my Grandma felt very special that such an important person was there for her birthday Mass. At the end of it, the whole congregation sang happy birthday! Once that was over, we all headed to my aunt's house for the party! We were fortunate to hear some wonderful speeches and to learn a bit more about my Grandma. The food was amazing and the wine was flowing....what more can you ask for?!?!

The following day, we had a big family brunch and spent time together in the evening. Caleb was lucky enough to find moon shoes that he bounced around in all day! Those shoes are nutty but Caleb loved them!!Then it was time to say our goodbye's. Goodbye's are so hard. We all had such a wonderful time and it was hard to see it come to an end. Thank you so much Auntie Judy and Uncle Dale for welcoming us into your home and giving us such an  amazing holiday that we won't soon forget!

Our next stop was Victoria. We all piled into the van that now smelled awful as Caleb had collected some sea shells and starfish that were now rotting in the van! We kept the windows rolled completely down, partly to try and clear the air, but also to keep cool as we don't have any AC. We spent the day in Victoria and went to see Fort Rodd Hill which is a base from World War Two. We watched the boats in the harbour and checked out some little shops. We took a break to watch some street entertainment. Little did we know that Matt would end up being part of the show! About halfway through the show, the entertainer wanted a good looking person to assist him. He started walking over to where we were. I thought at first he was going to ask Anna to help him. We all laughed as he stretched out his hand towards Matt and grabbed him! Matt was a good sport and was more than willing to help! He ended up having to lay on the ground while this street performer juggled fiery sticks all around him and over him! I was just hoping that this guy didn't drop any on Matt! Matt survived the fiery juggler and we were off!

We are now home to reality. Our five days of bliss and relaxation are over and real life has begun! Laundry, dishes, dinner etc, etc but I love it all! It's what a family does! I am so thankful for the time we had on the Island reconnecting with relatives and with each other!! Here are some pictures of our time away!!!