playdating

The Kantor kids liked this baby. This baby, however, remained suspicious of Joe. 

'Twas nice to meet you, Xavier, and to see your brother and mommy again. Sammy, we (me, especially) would really like to play your game of Kung Fu Dino Posse.

And here are some more friends... Mae and Annie, and Maklin and Joe. They have nice parents, whom we also enjoyed visiting. 

And here are our awesome friends and devoted godparents, the Molyneuxs. Thank you for letting us stay in your house and, goodness, we hope you have that baby soon.

the frosty

Annie likes ice cream. Papa is happy to oblige.

The Frosty Treat was a popular after supper destination in Shaunavon (both during my childhood - crop drive, anyone? - and on our visit). We don't eat that much ice cream at home but... it's holiday? And we miss it. Dear Frosty Treat, I would like a caramel chip sundae, please.

papa's school

Papa took Joe (and the rest of us) on a school tour... his own school when he was a boy. Joe is hoping for maybe some more toys and less broken glass at his own school.

we're back...

...after two weeks of this...

and there's more to come later. Lots more.

piggies

Indeed! Today Annie has pigtails. See how they keep her hair out of her face? After I put them in, I showed them to Joe and Henry, saying, "These are pigtails. They are not for pulling. They are not for touching. You may look at them and tell Annie how sweet she looks." They dutifully obliged, and Annie didn't pull them out. Another successful day at the Kantor household.

nature walkers

We discovered many snails, mosquito bites, and rocks. Education in the summer.

kantor day

It's that time of year again! Kantor Family Picnic time, and we ate / swam / visited / oohed and awed at babies / swam some more / ate some more / tried to fly a kite / watched kids run around / chased after kids when they ran too far / and wrapped up when kids hit the point of exhaustion. As always, a lot of fun and a lot of dirt.

(so, not pictured... driving home in the van about 30 minutes after we left the family picnic, when I watched Joe's lip swell like someone was blowing up a balloon until it reached the size of two adult thumbs stacked on top of each other. His eyelids and ears were also swelling up and he had a terrible rash all over his body. We sped to the nearest walk-in clinic, where they helped calm both mommy and son and diagnosed Joe with an allergic reaction. We have medicine and follow-up appointments to determine what that allergy is. In the meantime, I have him wrapped up very neatly in a bubble.)

eleven months

happy birthday