Time passing

summer is conference time for Phil and last week, he was away for a few days. i remember last year, how i dreaded Phil going away on his conferences. i remember being exhausted once the girls were in bed and feeling stressed in general throughout the day. but it has been a year and what a difference a year makes! Claire and Skye play pretty well now and on most days, i can actually cook and clean the house without being constantly interrupted. and when they go to sleep, i put them down at the same time. and this summer, Claire is just so much bigger and loves to play outside. she loves to follow Skye and Skye's friends and try to keep up with the big kids.

one of my neighbours who has bigger kids said to me how she felt sorry for me last summer, seeing me cart Skye and Claire to the pool, trying to manage both of them in the water. (well, Claire fell into the pool several times last year!) but this year, i feel so much better about being at the pool. i guess it's only going to get better as the girls get older and more independent. yes, there'll be other issues to deal with, but for now, i'm just happy that life feels somewhat manageable!

Stolen Moments

we were leaving the pool today when i caught a glimpse of Skye's friend's mother stretched out next to the pool reading a novel. and for a moment, i felt totally envious, that her children are now old enough that she can check out at the pool and relax and enjoy herself. will i ever get there, where i can actually lay down and read a novel in the middle of the day? not that i don't want my kids - i do enjoy being their mother most of the time, but it has been so long since i did anything ordinary like reading a novel by the pool that seeing the other mother doing that stirred up some longing for such things.

Sunny Days...

we are taking full advantage of the warm days! the pool has become a daily destination. not only is there the water to entertain, but lots of friends to play with. my only wish is that Skye will actually be swimming by the end of the summer...not sure if that's going to happen. my ever cautious first child has the hardest time dunking her head in the water and lifting her feet off the floor. Claire actually seems more at ease with the water than Skye - maybe because of her water birth?? we'll see how both girls progress over the summer!

First day of swim lessons

when you join a pool here, swim lessons are included in the package. and it's a great experience. these young lifeguards with lots of energy take the kids into the pool and teach them to swim. we had a great experience last year, so we were looking forward to the lessons starting up again. well, today wasn't exactly swimming weather. as we were getting ready to head out to the pool, i went outside in shorts, only to dash back in and pull on a fleece jacket! brrrrr! i told Skye if it was too cold, we would just meet her teacher so she'd know who it was and that she wouldn't have to swim today. i kept hoping the weather would warm up, but no such luck.

as we walked up to the pool, as usual during swim lesson time, the pool was packed out with people. and surprisingly, all the kids were in swim suits! i really was amazed at the strength of the people here. i'm afraid i'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold.

Skye ran into several friends and so that got her all excited. she decided she would swim. plus, the sun came out which helped her to feel slightly warmer. even Claire, when she saw the water, wanted to jump in. so i got both girls changed but i remained dressed. there was no way i was going to get wet today! i told Claire's instructor (i signed up for a parent-tot class for Claire and me) that we wouldn't be swimming today. however, Claire splashed around in the kiddie pool while Skye was in class. afterwards, both were frozen and seemed to suddenly realize how cold they were! they bundled up in towels and sat in the sun eating snacks and watching others swim until they were warm enough to think about heading home.

Happy Birthday, Phil!

we celebrated Phil's birthday today. it was a rainy, stormy day, but we enjoyed a dinner of jap chae and a fruit salad that Skye made especially for Dad. please check out the movie (as well as some other new ones). happy birthday, love!



Skye took this shot, so i got to get in the picture!


we've been having some crazy weather here. lots of flooding. fortunately, our basement has remained quite dry. we're hoping for some sunshine next week - we'll see!

Welcome to this world, Theo!

my brother, Q, and his family welcomed little Theo into the world last week. you can read about Theo's birth here.

congratulations!!

Visit to North Carolina

here are some photos from our trip to Durham, NC. we had a great time while we were there, catching up with old friends and visiting some of our favourite places. we're back home now, getting back into the swing of things.

here's a shot of the girls the first night...they were so tuckered out, they fell asleep in minutes!


Skye renewed her friendship with Kaitlyn - they were in a playgroup together when the girls were little.


Claire enjoying the slide


Visiting more friends...



here we are at Elmo's, a local diner that is kid-friendly. we miss this place!!



and Locopops, our favourite place to be in the summer time. they have the best popsicles! Claire tasted her first locopop this time. Skye loves the cookies n cream while i love the mango chile. maybe Claire will have a favourite flavour on her next visit.




enjoying the warmth at Duke garden


playdate at Forest Hills park


it was so hot we had to make a visit to the pool. Skye enjoyed the water slide!


enjoying dessert at Mad Hatter's