Random Ro-ness

My princess fairy....how did I end up with a princess????

This is one of my favourites....just gives me a vision of her in her teens....

Happy Halloween!

Rowan spent part of her halloween weekend in Calgary with her Nana, Papa, Uncle Chaddy and cousin Kayden, but we made it home in time to join Kate and Colin for some trick or treating. The kids definately "got it" this year, and since we've now run out of candy, Ro figures we should "go out to the houses to get some more trick or treats!" In case it's hard to tell, she was a "beeautifulll butterfly" this year.

Gymnastics! Round two...

So back we go to fall session gymnastics, and once again it is hit and miss as to whether Rowan enjoys it (hence, whether I enjoy it!) or not. Of course, since we only have one class left, she is finally getting the swing of things and beginning to follow the group a bit better. Favourites would include running on the flex track and jumping on the trampoline. Least favourite (for both of us) = warm up time.....

Finally Caught Up

Admittedly I have been pretty horrible keeping this up over the past few months, but life and motivation both get in my way a lot of the time. But I thought I would catch you up the best I can with a few snap shots of life in general. In between, developing our basement has been taking up some time and attention, but I don't want to post pics of it until it is looking a little more pretty! Suffice to say I can hardly believe it's October and fall has set in already. So much has changed and we are still getting used to life as we know it. Despite this, Rowan keeps growing and maturing and you almost have to see it to believe it...many say she is 2 going on 20. Anyways, she is doing really well and as always, it is simply my goal not to do her too much damage as we continue to figure things out! Hope all had a good summer....

Off To Guelph

In September we took a little trip out to Ontario (my first) to visit some family friends in Guelph. Rowan and I stayed with Doug and Helen, and were joined mid-trip by Chad, Michelle and Kayden. We kept things low key; just seeing some local sites and basically keeping to our routine in someone else's house! But we did manage to have some scenic lunches out, like here, at this lookout over the Gorge in Elora. We lunched on the little balcony in this picture. We also took in the local African Safari park for a half day, where Rowan was able to see lions, giraffes and monkeys and the like, played in local parks, took a trip to see Niagara, have lots of hot tub play, and spend a good amount of time sharing meals and stories with good friends. Thanks for hosting the gong show, Doug and Helen!

Checking out the falls at Niagara.

On the way back from the falls!!

Hangin in the hot tub...

Big Girl Bed

So this summer I took the plunge and transitioned Rowan into her big girl bed as she was beginning to crash around her crib a little too much. Granted in the first few weeks I was questioning my sanity on this move as she was getting out of bed numerous times before falling asleep and again several times throughout the night, but things have since settled and she is now pretty comfy with her newfound freedom and we are both getting more sleep. I will even admit there is the added perk that when she wakes up she no longer lies there and yells for me, she simply gets up and comes into my room for morning cuddles before we get on with the day.....I am liking that I do not have to get out of bed for this!

Shuswap 2010!

Lena, Makaila and Jackson graciously offered to include Rowan and I in the scheduled summer holiday, so in August Lena and I packed up the (rented) minivan and set out on the 8 hour trek to the far side of the Shuswap lakes. She had rented a little 2 bedroom cabin that we all found cozy and more than accommodating for our 1 week stay. The weather held up beautifully for us and we quickly fell into a routine of morning play, beachtime, picnics on the beaches, naps, more play and cocktails, dinner, cleaning of the day off the children, wine time (while kids went to bed), and sleep. Yep, we pretty much did that everyday....

Interspersed with all of that the kids got to explore a few local parks to play in, check out a couple of different beaches, visit the nature center to walk the trails and paint their own t-shirts, and play many a round of "what time is it mr. wolf?" It was a good holiday.....

Happy Birthday M & J

In July we made a trip to visit family and were able to take part in Makaila and Jack's birthday celebrations. It was a new experience to go bowling, and Rowan was much more interested in "managing" the scoreboard vs actually knocking any pins over. But that's okay....a good time was had by all....

Stampede!

In July Rowan and I headed to Calgary for a few days to visit family and take in the Stampede. Lena and I rounded up the 3 kids and ventured down to the amusement park grounds. All three had a great time, even if their ability to get on the rides was somewhat limited.

Also managed to take in a Stampede breakfast with Baba and Gido. Rowan enjoyed the entertainment and felt right at home dancing on the makeshift dance floor with Gido...

June Lake Cabin Getaway

Rowan and I joined the Finlaysons for a few days up at the lake house. The weather held up for a couple of days, but ultimately resulted in our early return. Despite that, much fun for the kids was had playing in the sand at the beach,

dancing in the cabin,

feeding the horses,

and taking a break for some quality hang time in the hammock!

More Lake House Pics

Homemade guacamole and salsa, compliments of Karen....



Freshly painted toenails for all, also compliments of Karen,



Walking to see the horses,

Trying out the trampoline,

On a big-girl swing all by "myself!"

Random Ro-ness

Fancy hats and duck bills....our girl does it all!

Visit from Chad and Kayden

A few weeks ago Chad, Kayden and the dogs came up for a visit. Unlike now, it was nice weather and we had a bbq for all the kids to hang in the backyard.

West Coast Trip

Rowan and I joined the Finlayson and Keon clans to invade the home of Dave and Ed out on the coast. Considering we had 6 adults and 5 kids, I think we all did considerably well. It was fun watching the kids experience it all and even the big people managed to have a few laughs along the way. I've tried to post the highlights, but I will admit, the 40 minute slideshow that Cath has put together does it much more justice! Oh well, here is my low-tech version of events...

Memories made at Pirates Cove!

We spent hours with the kids at "Pirates Cove", a calm little beach around the point from the house. The kids had a blast throwing stones in the water, hunting for sand crabs, looking for starfish, and yes, searching for treasure left by the Pirates (aka Brad!).

Looking for big shells

Playing with 'crabby', her 1/2 hour pet

Checking out starfish, up close and personal

And yes, enjoying the spoils of the treasure hunt...licorice for all!