Said by my four year old, early one morning

"He's no match for me. He's a ninky dinky boy!"

Ok then.

Iatse christmas

So, last weekend was the event of the year IATSE Christmas. So, for those not familiar this is Len's big work christmas kids party. Len's a stage hand, so one can imagine they go all out!
A track with motorized kids bikes. Two bouncy castles, a blow up train, breakfast for two hundred, a gift from santa, another take home bag of treats.
Plus this year, a magic show, dog show, bird show, 2 clowns and an aerial acrobat.
Oh right, and the snowing. In the opera centres rehearsal hall. Over all 200 hundred people. These people know how to throw a Christmas party! Adara was very able to navigate it on her own this year. During the magic show, she wandered off by herself. Len and I watched and giggled to ourselves from across the room as she siddled up to an eight year old boy that she'd been playing with earlier. And he let her. She watched much of the magic show cuddled right up to the eight year old and his ten year old friend. How does she get away with this?

This year we followed up iatse christmas with another friends Chanumas open house. It was very popular as their was a new dog plus a bevy of kids to play with in a large basement.

This weekend my friend Tracey's party (no other kids, but a cat... we'll see) and her good friend Emmas birthday. Plus, 2 batches of cookies and pie crusts to make in preparation for heading home to my parents place.

It sounds like we're too busy, but we're not. All of this "extra stuff" is what gives me energy and drive for my long weeks at work. After a terrible end of day at work today, Adara and I made a craft and had a very boisterous dance party for two. Perfect.

Remember us?

We're here too. She's just cuter and someone always has to be taking the picture. Thanks to our friends Mark and Laura's wedding we got out kid free for a summer wedding, so here we are lookin' good.

Swimming

Adara had been doing wonderfully over the summer with swimming, getting really comfortable in the water in her life jacket and without. So, it was time to set her free. Last year we did guardian swim which meant that I was in the water holding her all the time. The problem is, I never take my hands off her. The thing that's funny about swimming is you have to sink a little bit to learn what the opposite is. So, we signed Adara up for one on one lessons. We went for our first lesson and Adara was immediately comfortable. At the first lesson, the lovely lifeguard, Anya, let Adara sink a bit. She didn't like it, but now she certainly knows what's needed to stay afloat!

To my Four Year Old Adara

Hello Bella, Happy Birthday. As you laid on my chest asleep last night, I had some time to think back on four years. What a ride! At the risk of exposing my bias, I think that this past year was my favourite yet. You've become cunning and witty, bossy and charming, analytical and athletic. You are a whole little person unto yourself and heaven help the person who crosses you.

Tonight, while singing to me Oh Canada, you skipped the word God. When I asked you why you said it was a bad word. Worrying that my own leftist liberal tendencies might have got to you I asked why and you said "You know,when I say OH GOD!!! you say that that's bad. So God is a bad word". Ah, right. This is a level of subtlety that I was not expecting to cover yet. However in the past month we've covered "Where do babies come from?" (mommies and daddies, end sentence) "Will Daddy die?" (yes, eventually) and "Will Daddy die and come back as a zombie (said gleefully)" (not likely, but who can say, really?) It's been a pretty exciting year keeping up with you.

The major advances this year have been athletically and scholastically. You can hit a ball that's pitched to you pretty much every time now, can catch like no ones business, climb far too easily and outgrew the preschool soccer, you didn't want to "play soccer with those babies, they don't know what they're doing".

Scholastically, this was your first year of school. You seem to be doing pretty well although are seriously put out by the fact that this school thing will go on for the forseeable future. You've got your letters pretty well under control, can spell and write your name as long as no one cares too much if you do and can count to thirty. Not bad kiddo, not bad. Now learn to read. No, seriously, learn to read. You like stories far too much you need to make this leap now before I get laryngitis from reading out loud.

You also have shown serious aptitude for drawing, drawing dinosaurs, people and birds from all different angles and levels of action.

Adara, we love you so much. You are the light of my life and the thing that makes me step away from work when things are hectic. Surprisingly, you've become the centre of my life balance, the counterweight to all else.

I look so forward to the years ahead. As you lay on your tummy this past weekend ably working my old record player from the 1970's I thought "Wow. What a lot we still have to explore together". I can't wait.

Happy Birthday Adara

Thanksgiving rough housing

Thanksgiving was at our house once again this year and was a gorgeous, hot, sunny day. Mom and dad came for the whole weekend and did swimming lessons with us and all. The rest of the fam came for sunday and Monday.


As you can see it, it got a little rough! Len made a crown roast of pork and fixings, dad took care of desserts and Kristen was the queen of wine and cheese and beer. Really, what more could you ask for?

Poser

Adara has developed quite a penchant for posing for pictures lately. Here's some of my favourites. I have a feeling that the "poser" may become a regular feature here!

Well, we are there far too quickly: Adara's first day of school. On a lovely, far too sunny september 9th morning we made the trek half a block over to school and still managed to arrive just in time!

Last night Adara suddenly decided to wear the mermaid dress that we'd had made for her instead of her ratty old dinosaur tshirt. I'm convinced that she did it to please me even though I said nothing about the dino tshirt being ratty.

This morning she wanted to know if she wore her shoes in the school or not and if that was "rude". Obviously she's been thinking about it. With a new backpack and lunch bag and an applesauce for snack, she was off. I can't help but feel that this is the beginning of it all. Dramatic, I know, but the beginning of all choices and chances and opportunities in life. However, she's just happy that they have trucks and a play kitchen to play with. Kristen, this one was a big one, it'd better be in my blurb book at Christmas, that's all I'm saying!

Here's a couple of shots from our camping adventure the last week in august.
We all took the week off and headed to Highland Pines near Fergus, ON. We rented a wee cabin with no plumbing or anything to protect us from any rain, provide us with real beds and shelves to keep things tidy and easy to get at. It was pretty awesome, and thank heavens we were in a cabin as we had one evening and night of torrential rain, high winds, and three tornados circling us. No harm came to anyone but it was a wild night. We made two new little friends, Rachel and Brodie and their mom Jen out camping. So, the night of the tornados we had them, plus my sister and Liam, plus our friends Pablo, Carrie and their two little girls in two little huts. Quite a night, but I'm glad that we were all together.
Otherwise we spent the week looking out over an idyllic lake, swimming in the pool and playing in the playground. The only thing missing was a wee place to get coffee and tea. Making that over a campstove is time consuming!

Gluten free victory

The other day Adara and I visited a friends house where they were making muffins. I was feeling bad that between her nut allergy and Len's wheat sensitivity, I couldn't easily do the same for her.
So, with the help of the internet, several substitutions for what was on hand and a bit of ingenuity, I bring you

MY VERY FIRST WHEAT FREE, NUT FREE BANANA MUFFINS! TA DA
Beat two eggs until frothy, add 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 previously frozen bananas (sweeter this way!)\, 3/4 cup brown sugar and tsp vanilla

Mix together

Then Add 1/2 cup rice flour, 1 and 1/2 cups corn flour, 11/4 tbsp baking powder, 1 tbsp pumpkin spice (or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to taste) and 1tsp salt

We baked them in a cupcake pan for 22 minutes at 350 degrees F

I am inordinately proud of myself as I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed about baking for wheat free and nut free. But now, I am off and running 'cause those muffins were darn good! Even my dad would have eaten them!