ten years

There are a lot of years between them. But they are good for each other.

leo loves lego

I brought the Duplo out for Leo, and that brought all the rest of the kids out to play/take over and build dangerously tall towers to crash down on their brother's head. But Leo really did love it. He's happy to sit in the middle of a lego mountain and smash things around. Lego. Leo. It's almost the same thing.

chez Joe

Are you hungry for a roasted carrot salad with feta, pomegranate, and mint? How about a salmon chorizo main course with tomatoes and basil? With a chocolate cherry mouse for dessert? Then come on over... it's Joe's specialty. He made supper for me and David and it was delicious. So we let him have some dessert.

unusual

For a kid who doesn't nap, this was unexpected...

iPhone adventures

When the kids and I go off adventuring, I don't usually take my camera. Keeping watch over (as well as keeping happy) six kids of all shapes and sizes is tricky enough that I don't want to throw in my seventh (camera) baby into the mix. So I take a couple pictures on my phone to send to Daddy at work and that's all I've got. Anyway, I say all of this as an excuse for these sad few photos I have of our trips. I know some people can take great and beautiful pictures with their phones... I am not one of them.

Still, these are are two latest adventures... one to Rock Point Provincial Park on Lake Erie to beat the heat with a wavy beach day (this included driving home in a torrential downpour, complete with lightning that was knocking down trees - fun!) and the next to skip stones on Lake Ontario. Basically, we require (1) rocks and (2) water to constitute an adventure.

eight (and a half) months

We're a little behind acknowledging Leo this month. He's eight+ months now, and looking as dapper as ever. He enjoyed his first trip to Saskatchewan and seeing all the lovely people there. His new skills include applauding and catapulting snacks off his high chair with his strong left arm. He has really mastered the art of sitting, and can move from sitting to getting on his belly. Next step: crawling. He's working on it. Summer holidays and having noisy siblings at home is doing damage to his already pretty pathetic napping schedule but he is loving all the arms that hold him and lug him around places. Leo has no shortage of doting fans.

Keep growing, Leo! We love you.

mes fleurs

These are all the pretty things I grow in my backyard...

leo's ride

We inherited this red car from a previous neighbour about nine years ago... Joe loved it then but, turns out... Joe outgrew it. Now Leo can love it.

water park

One sprinkler + one slip'n'slide + one kiddie pool = Kantor Water Kingdom. Free admission.

grammie and papa

From crop tours and country churches to reading stories on the couches, we love our Grammie and Papa. So fun to go, so hard to leave. We love you and can't wait for the next visit.

pool shark

Shark(s).

ledinghams

Our trip to Saskatchewan coincided with the 2019 Ledingham Family reunion (just like three years ago at the 2016 reunion... we're aiming for the perfect attendance award) and we're so glad it did. The Hawarden farm really feels like home, with big hugs, amazing food, beautiful gardens, fun games, and generous hospitality. AND, Clara and Jane would add, cool bathrooms (it was a wooden outhouse, decades old, with two seats side by side... they went to the bathroom about 83 times that day).

Thank you, Jeannie and Ernie, for hosting and honouring family. We loved being with you for the day. Can't wait for the next one!