HAPPY CANADA DAY!
I made a yummy red velvet cake with cream cheese icing.
I think this is a good tradition to uphold.
We had a nice, relaxing Canada day together.
(*see above reference to "relaxing")
It was a gorgeous day!
Madeline took this picture of us.
Getting all dressed up for the celebration.
I couldn't be left out. :)
Waiting for the fireworks to begin.
Claire had a sleepy day, but she was determined to see the fireworks and was not disappointed.
They were good!
Neither of us are "hat people," but we all wanted to match!
We did our best to get a family photo...ha ha. Claire looks so mad!
But here is evidence that she did enjoy herself. I took this picture and I swear it looked fine at the time, but I guess it was too dark and Ryan is relegated to the shadows. I apologize.
So Ryan's begun working full time at Apple but has luckily had weekends off. This has allowed us to have some fun adventures as a family. Luckily, during the week, I have Natalie coming to help with respite care.
We had a fun family brunch to celebrate Travis' birthday. We survived getting new passports for the girls. (*Mini rant* Why do passport photos have to be so stringently controlled? Can there be no exceptions for individuals who cannot hold their head straight and make eye contact with the camera? It's an absolute nightmare to get passport photos taken of Claire. We have to drape her chair with a sheet, to cover the handles. We have to try to get her to look at the camera, without smiling and anything that effectively gets her attention will usually make her smile. So both Ryan and I had to crouch beside her chair on either side, with our hands under the sheet, holding her head and neck steady while the frustrated AMA photographer tried to snap her picture at the exact right time. The more you try to hold her still, the more she tries to move. She has a visual impairment which makes it difficult for her to focus straight ahead on anything. We finally managed to get one photo, only to have the passport officer doubt that it would be acceptable because you can see the white sheet in the background. How frustrating! *End of rant*)
Just like her sister, Claire got a summer time haircut. She can definitely pull off the short hair and it saves us so much grief because she really hates having her hair brushed or styled!
Ryan and I had a fun date night with some friends. We saw this play at the Walterdale Playhouse. One of Ryan's colleagues had a role in it so it was very exciting to see her do a great job.
We all went out afterwards to a really cool rooftop patio on Whyte Ave.
On rainy days, we do our own thing like...monumental tea parties! All the stuffies were invited.
Madeline began a second round of swimming lessons. Unfortunately her last two classes were cancelled because of flooding at the pool during the rain storms of the past week. Oh well, at least she can look forward to receiving her report card in the mail. Mail is fun!
Because I wasn't organized enough to have them in swimming at the same time...or even the same pool!...Claire began her classes this month. While she has fun in the water with Auntie, Madeline and I have explored the rec centre and have now ventured to the nearby neighbourhood park. On this day, the children had spent all afternoon constructing a series of trenches that filled with water because of the huge rainstorm the day before. They had a messy blast.
Claire's class is called Swimabilities and it's for kids of all ages and abilities to learn at their own speed. She LOVES it but falls asleep almost immediately after each class from exhaustion. Luckily Auntie Natalie is a great helper and they have lots of fun together.
We spent a fun day at the Street Performer's festival.
First we hit the children's area where the girls played some games.
Then we took in a cool show.
Then we cooled off in the wading pool because it was super hot that day.
Then we took in a couple more shows before heading home.
Luckily we found some spots in the shade for this one!
There were some pretty talented performers there!
Madeline and Ryan had a date night to see Madagascar 3. Ryan also went to see The Amazing Spiderman with a friend.
We took our first trip to Jurassic Forest. It was a pretty neat experience.
Madeline was a bit nervous at first, but when she realized that the dinosaurs wouldn't pop out and scare her, she was okay with the concept.
The forest was really beautiful and fun to walk around in.
Madeline especially liked the signs that told you to stay on the path or you'd get eaten.
There was a fun discovery park and we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch in the shade.
(*Note: To avoid any confusion, Ryan is in the foreground)
