A break of sorts...

Life has been busy around here and when I returned from summer holidays everything just seemed to take priority over blogging.

Honestly, I have missed sharing updates and picture of the kids, new recipes I have found and some of the latest sewing projects I have been working on so I will work on a "catch up" post over the next few days.

I'm heavy into this years Christmas planning as I'm sure most of you are.  I can't wait to just sit and relax for a few weeks.   My parents are coming again to spend the holidays and the kids are all finally at that age to know whats happening.  I for one just want the rest with now school routines.

I will leave you with a picture of my sweet Sophie !

Hugs !

On Vacation

It has been such a busy summer for us so far I have totally been neglecting my little blog.

After the kids finished two weeks of Pedalheads bike lessons we packed Laila and Hayden off to the Grandparents place in Gibsons, British Columbia.  They have been here since July 21st and had a fantastic 2 weeks here on their on.

It was Laila's first ever plane ride and she had a great time.  They flew Westjet and once they landed in Vancouver the pilot took the kids to the cockpit to have a look around.  Laila is still talking about that.

While the kids were away Faruq took a week of vacation and we worked from morning until night at home on various projects that we just can't seem to get done when they are around.  It was a very productive time for us but we were exhausted by the end of it.  When he returned to work it left just Sophie and I home on our own.  It was so wonderful to have just her home with us as we never get to spend any one-on-one time with her.

We left last Friday for BC and had a quick overnight stop in Kamloops before heading to the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.  It was so hot here the day we arrived but has finally broke today.  It is somewhat seasonal now and I find it quite enjoyable.

Faruq returned to Calgary on Sunday and is back to work for another two weeks.   When he returns we are planning to take a week away and head down to Seattle and then onto beautiful Victoria for a few days.  When we return to the Sunshine Coast we will only have a few days then we need to get back to reality and return to Calgary as school starts at end of August for Hayden.  The girls don't go until September 4th.

I say if every year but I don't know where summer goes.  We wait all year for these two months and they go by so quickly.  It makes me very sad.

I have lots of pictures of our holidays so far but they will have to wait until another post as my camera is in the van and I'm too lazy to go get it.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer !!

Hours of fun for $ 10 !

Last fall when Walmart was trying to clear out the last few things from summer I grabbed a small waterslide/pool combo for $10.  I never hold much faith that we will a) get the thing blown up and b) that the kids will actually play with it but I I figured for $10 bucks it was worth a shot.

I spent most of last night blowing the thing up and I was gone all day but Faruq said it was a huge hit when the kids seen it.  The temps reached almost to 30 C yesterday so it was just perfect to cool them off.

Tomorrow is suppose to be another scorcher so they will probably be in it again !  If we can enjoy it for the next few weeks until we leave for our official vacation I would say it was money well spent.

Summertime fun !

Summer has finally arrived in Calgary and we have been trying to enjoy as much time outside as possible.  The temps reached the high 20's yesterday and today so the kids have been making use of our little pool and sprinklers.  I also love that we get to visit and chat with our neighbors that we might not see for months during the winter.

Honestly, I don't know how this kid got in the pool.  The water was so cold I couldn't even put my feet in.  She is one tough cookie !!

Then they had the first of many runs through the sprinkler.

It amazes that something so simple can keeps kids attention for so long.

 So what do you see wrong with the next picture ?

After two hours of running she finally took a wee break ..

Of course only to have ice cream !!

My lovely Laila !!

If this weekend is any indication of what the rest of our summer is going to be like we are going to have an amazing 2 months !!

I hope you all had some fun with your families this weekend !!

Celebrating with cake and presents !

We had a small celebration for Hayden last Tuesday.  It was tough as Faruq had to work that day so we had to wait until the evening to have the party.

Originally Hayden requested a Titanic cake but because we had been away the previous weekend I just didn't have enough time to put it all together.  So he chose this cake instead and I thank him for that.  It was one of the easiest cakes to make and it was also one of the loveliest.  I will definitely be making it again.

I don't think we will ever get a great picture of all three kiddo's but this was pretty good.

We started a little tradition where the kids each get $10 to spend at the local Dollarama store on the sibling who is having the birthday.  It has been really interesting to see what they buy each other and the thought that goes into.

Hayden gift this year is a new set of golf clubs but he also wanted some new LEGO.

And of course, it would not be a birthday without Sophie trying to taste test the cake before it was served..

"What....I'm not doing a thing !" is totally what she is thinking.

We finally got to enjoy some cake ! 

For the first time in a long time all the cake was eaten within a few days so I would say that was a successful birthday.

 Happy "9th" birthday my big eyed boy. 

Happy Birthday Hayden !

Nine years ago today I gave birth to the most incredible kid.  Hayden Alexander came screaming into the world at 13:53 on July 3rd, 2003.  He was just over two weeks late and had to be delivered via an emergency c-section.  He was definitely not in any hurry to make his appearance and to this day is still my most laid back and calm child.

Like most first time parents I had no idea what I was actually doing but he made it pretty easy.  He was quiet and patience when it came to feedings.  He would sleep like a pro and was just an all around happy baby.

As the years have progressed he is still that kid that doesn't cause trouble, is polite and has a really tender heart.  He works hard at school and does very well.  He has lots of friends and I'm starting to hear more about specific "girl" friends.

He looks after his sisters and protects them like a good big brother should do.  Even when he and Laila fight I know deep down he loves her.  :}

So nine years later we continue to grow and teacher each other a lot.  I have enjoyed the journey so far and can't wait to see what the next 9 years hold for you.

Happy Birthday Hayden !

I love you,
Mom

Wordless Wednesday (June 27th)

I just had to share these pictures of the kids.  They were fooling around with my camera earlier and actually managed to get a few really cute shots.  I only wish I was so photogenic.

Seriously, these kids melt my heart ! 

Teacher's Gifts (Part 2)

Laila took in her teacher's gifts today and they all seemed thrilled with them.   I know there are many people that don't acknowledge the teachers because they feel it's their job and they are paid to do it.  But in my opinion these people are not paid enough to do what they do day in and day out so a little recognition is the least we can do.

Since Hayden started school I have always tried to stay away from the "World's Greatest Teachers" gifts because I'm sure most of them have had their fill of those.   I  have a few good friends that have been teachers for over 20 years and they have quite the collections of "memorable" gifts.

I played it safe for Laila's teachers this year and got them Mastercard gift cards and a little box of Purdy's chocolates.  Then last night I decided that I would make them the reusable gift bags that I made for Hadyen's teachers.

 

After I made the bags for Hayden's birthday Laila asked if we could make some for her classmates for the end of school so whipped up some cute cupcake (for the girls) and superheroes (for the boys) bags.  Faruq took her to the dollar store the other day and bought a bunch of little stuff to fill them.

Honestly, I'm a bit "bagged" from making all these bags but they are super easy ande everyone loved them so the effort was totally worth it.

Tomorrow at 3:30 we will be officially on summer break and I honestly can't wait to not have any schedules or routines for two whole months.

Teacher's Gifts

We have a total of 14 teachers between Hayden and Laila that we try to recognize at Christmas and the end of the year so I have had to get somewhat creative.  This year for Hayden's I kept it fairly simple and made more reusable bags for them.

In the bags we put a bag of Smarties with a cute label on them.

Hayden then wrote out a thank you note to each teacher telling them what they have meant to him and how they have helped him.  To finish them we added a 2 for 1 movie pass  (great deal at Costco) in some and Starbucks cards in others.  

Hayden took them in yesterday and by all accounts were a huge hit.

I'm still working on Laila's gifts and will post pictures when I'm done those.

That's a Wrap...

On another school year that is.  Hayden's last day in Grade 3 is today and I'm not sure who is happier that this year is over him or me.  I know he has worked harder this year then in years past but that is to be expected.  He set a goal of making the honor roll this year and for the most part accomplished that feat.

He has grown so much as a human being and matured so much.  Gone is my little boy and emerging is a wonderful young man.  All of his teachers noticed that this year as well and had lovely comments for him in his yearbook.

I'm so proud of you Hayden and hope that you enjoy your summer break because you definitely earned it this year.

I can't wait to tackle grade 4 with you buddy !!

Love
Mom