Happy Birthday Beej

Sometime last year Beej discovered tanks and now he is unable to talk about anything but tanks.  Well that is a stretch; he can also talk about tank battle strategy, his favorite types of tanks, what specific tanks look like, which tank would be best suited for different types of terrain and how he is the pretty amazing at World of Tanks.  So, it was no surprise that for his seventh birthday he had a tank themed pool party.

There was a lot of camouflage at the party!

Lola decided that you don't always have to dress the part for a party; sometimes you can just wear your favorite flower skirt and pink shirt to a party and be happy with it.

Quinn has a pretty exentisive camo wardrobe; almost all of them are hand me downs from Beej

 

It was a great afternoon filled with lots of fun and laughter and Quinn was excited to be introduced to the world of tanks by Beej.  We may have another tank aficionado on our hands!  Happy birthday Beej!

Dylan Visits

During the summer months we were always busy doing something and when the sun was shinning we did that something outside.  One of Lola and Quinn's favourite things to do is sidewalk chalk paint; it is great fun for the kids, is messy outdoor fun, holds their attention for an extended period of time, is easy to make and requires very little adult interaction.  The perfect activity for a Sunday afternoon visit with Dylan and Sarah.

Quinn has developed quite a love of the sidewalk chalk paint.  He paints more of himself then anything else and you have to keep an eye on him because he is always trying to 'help' Lola with her painting.

He loved that Sarah was taking pictures of his art work.  He would smile for the photo and then run to the phone to make sure it was a good one.

When they needed a break from the intense sidewalk chalk painting the kids played in the fort that they had built.  No adults were allowed in (you can clearly see by Quinn's face that he was unhappy with me breaking the first rule of kids fort) and no kids were allowed out to bug the adults while they drank wine, ate appetizers and talked.  It was a perfect day!

I'm already starting to miss these lazy wonderful days of summer!

Wordless Wednesday

Wonderland

One of the best things about having your cousins visit from out of town come is that it provides you with the perfect excuse to do go on some super fun adventures.  This time Shaymus and Tamara wanted to go to Canada's Wonderland; so we packed up Grandpa and Baba and headed to the park for a fun filled day of rides and laughter.  We took more adults then children with us and that may have been the smartest decision we have ever made because it ended up being an almost flawless day, the weather was perfect, there were no meltdowns, Lola and Tamara were the perfect ride partners, Quinn loved that there was so much to see and do, and Shaymus went on his first real roller coaster.

We did Wonderland like I remember doing it; picnic lunch in the parking lot, standing at the gates before the park opens, and hitting the water park in the afternoon. 

It was a very exciting (and exhausting day) for everyone, but Lola can't wait to go back with Shaymus and Tamara!

Back to School

Lola was very excited to get back to school.  This summer has been great and filled with fun, but I think that Lola was looking forward to getting back to a more predictable routine.  Lola was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't have the same teacher as last year, but was really looking forward to starting french immersion.  Also, there were new shoes and a new backpack to be excited about.  In case you couldn't guess the new backpack and the new shoes are pink!

Hooray for school!

Tanta Ness gets married

Tanta Ness and Uncle Jay got married! 

It was a beautiful day and we all celebrated the newly weds with a wonderful garden reception at Grandpa and Oma's house.

 

Shortly after this photo Quinn managed to find the only mud puddle, soak himself in bubble solution, submerged himself in Shanon's water feature and other wise make himself the dirties little man ever to be invited to a garden wedding!  I was very glad that we managed to get one nice family shot before Quinn was let loose.  

The rest of the family managed to stay mostly clean through out the whole celebration.

 The cupcakes were so adorable and super delicious.  It was a brilliant celebration and a great way to welcome Jay into the family.  Congratulations Jay and Ness!

Sixty One Months Old

Quinn Nineteen Months Old