postcards

 A couple of my favourites from the trip...

best.day.ever.

Our last day in Florida... but our best day in Florida. This was our second trip to the beach and, for whatever reason, the boys decided they loved the waves. They had been avoiding the water... too cold and too choppy... but... what? I don't know what made them go in. But I'm so glad they did. This was the best hour of our lives. 

slam dunk

David and I took Joe out on a "date." Joe was so excited when I told him that. But then not excited when I told him we were going mini-golfing (he's not so into "trying new things"). But then excited again 2 seconds into the golf game when he realized he loved it. And... he was good at it. He got a hole in one... on two holes. Legitimately. His final score was 68. David's was 45 and mine 43 (that's right... we play competitively and do not let our son win). But that's awesome, right? We should get him his own clubs?

Anyway - slam dunk. That's what Joe said every time he got the ball in the hole. 

something fishy

On one of our Florida days, we took a drive to Sarasota to the Mote Aquarium. They boys loved it... everything was amazing to Henry and Joe is still talking about the manatees.

in a nutshell...

we swam

we mooned

we ran

we escaped alligators

we skinny-dipped (okay - not "we" - just Henry)

we splashed daddy

we beached

we didn't like sand on our hands

we dug holes

we squeezed in for a team photo

we ate popsicles

which is to say... we had a great time. 

Our trip to Florida was much-welcomed relaxing time. We went down for a week to join David's mom and dad, who are renting a house there. The house has a pool, as you can see, so that's really all we needed. But we did head to the beach a couple of times, did some shopping, took Joe on a mini-golf date, ate ice cream, and visited an aquarium (more on some of those to come). All good family adventures. Now we're back here (but we're sissies and it's cold) and looking forward to working on our garden and having more - but different - outside time here.

24 weeks

florida is awesome

And I have 612 other photos to prove it. Just... give me a few days.

she told me what to write.

And now we're done. The script for the Bl. Kateri documentary is - as far as my part goes - finished. I sent the script off yesterday and today I'm trying to feel my way back into the life I was living before, where I don't have to rush off to check email or make a phone call in whatever spare and/or quiet moment I can find. This makes Joseph glad.

After living with Kateri for three-and-a-half months, I am praying that I am properly hearing and conveying her words in this documentary. And, while I know there will be revisions in production and editing, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know this faithful woman and tell her story. Anyway, stay tuned... I'll let you know when it's going to air.

Tomorrow marks 332 years since Bl. Kateri's death. We're celebrating her life by going on vacation... see you later!

22 weeks

My belly is squishy, like a pillow.

I had a doctor's appointment today. And now there are two people in the world who know the gender of this baby. And it's not me and David. Or Joe and Henry (although they were at the appointment and very well behaved and think that the baby's heartbeat sounds a bit like a train).

Nope - it's the ultrasound technician and Dr. Liske. In that moment, when she asked if we wanted to find out, and I could see her looking at the folder, and I knew that I was just one paper grab away from knowing if this is a boy or a girl - YES - I wanted to know. It's killing me that someone else knows this big secret. But, in the end, there is nothing better than that Big Reveal in the delivery room - when out comes this little person whom you've hoped for and prayed for and planned for but who they are is still a big surprise. I loved that moment with Joe and Henry and today made me all the more excited for it for this Babe.

I will try very hard to remember that at my next appointment when I see Dr. Liske holding that folder again.

pencil holder

Today while Henry napped, I busied myself with some desk work, and Joe busied himself with his own desk work (ie. colouring) at the table behind me. We were both quietly working when I heard him loudly proclaim, "I'm just going to stick my pencil in my ear."

Fearing the worst, I spun my chair around while spewing the dangers of putting pencils in ears, only to see this:

"Oh, wait. Okay. That's fine," I finished up. And then I took pictures. But Joe was puzzled by my amusement. "Haven't you seen anyone put a pencil in their ear before?"

egg hunters

We had a busy day of egg-hunting yesterday, both at our house and then Auntie Andrea's. I don't know why Henry carried a basket... he preferred to store the chocolates directly in his mouth. And Joe had a good time AND was good at sharing. Happy, happy, all around. Or maybe hyper, hyper, all around.

our Easter best

Happy Easter, from the Kantors!

alleluia

this week in arts and crafts

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Holy Saturday

Joe likes a good project. Henry likes to smash up projects. We all win.

shocking

Lately, everything is a big surprise to Henry. Not sure why.

how this documentary got written

One more week and the script for the Bl. Kateri documentary is due. Crunch time. Scary time. Exciting time. But having an assistant makes it better.

new lens

I'm trying out a new lens, which was my birthday present and which is awesome (thank you David!). Nikkor 35mm 1:1.8G. I'm enjoying the sharp focus and the blurriness of the rest of the photo (there is technical language for this stuff... but I don't really know it). See? Look - there's something on Henry's nose. What awesome focus. I didn't even notice that in real life.

In between Easter-ing and documentary-writing and garden-planning, I will continue playing. Ummm... and brushing up on my technical terms. Weee!