happy birthday happy henry

Woohoo! Henry did put nine behind him and has decided to turn ten after all. So we celebrated with breakfast doughnuts, some prezzies throughout the day, (school, homework, blah, blah, blah), Nintendo with Joe, birthday calls, supper with Nanny and Grandpa, assembling Lego, and hugging (a Henry specialty). He declared the day an 8 out of 10, which definitely would have reached level 10 if (1) the Blue Jays had played today and (2) there was no Covid. So we did the best we could with what we've got. 

Happy Birthday, Henry!!

birthday eve - one decade edition

 Dear, dear Henry - 

Here you are, still nine. You want to stay here - I mean, you want to have a birthday and maybe get some presents, but you want to stay nine. Two digits seems to carry with them too much responsibility, stress, and pressure. But, I've learned, my Henry, that time does not stand still no matter how much you wish it to. So here we go. We'll do our best to ease you into it, to let you grow into it, to keep the pressure and the stress away. And how awesome it will be in this next decade to watch you grow, to think, to become. You are our study in extremes - quiet but loud, thoughtful but reckless, ordered but messy, an old soul in a restless body. "What will become of you?" is a question Papa will often say of his grandkids with an exaggerated sigh, and I wonder this of you - where will your extremes take you and what grand things will you do? But let's not look too far ahead. Let's start with 10 and find out what adventures this year holds. 

We love you, dear Henry. Happy Birthday Eve.

birthday baseball

We got together some cousins, some doughnuts, and some baseballs for an afternoon of birthday fun to celebrate our Henry. This is all he wanted - just to be with his people and play. 

junior kindergarten

This is what she waits for every day... after the kids get on the bus, morning chores and activities are complete, lunch done, Leo down for his nap... THEN Janie can get out her school workbook and we can dive into the alphabet, learn her numbers, and figure out some puzzles. It's the best part of her day. 

rules are rules

And the rule is, all grumpy toddlers must be banished to the living room to look at oversized lift-the-flap books until their mood changes. 

hey clay

Big thanks to the Shaunavon Co-op and Grammie and the creators of Hey Clay for a very fun afternoon of making. 

happy birthday jonah!

 You are a supa buddy, and we love you. 

when the cats are away

 ... the mice will play. And by "play" I mean eat lunch on these stools instead of the table. And then dump our water all over our lunch. And then wipe it up. 

(I didn't say we were very exciting mice.) 

super helpful

 I asked Joe if he could pick a snack to put in everyone's lunch kit. So this was his selection...

and we're back

Back to school today! Just one day, for orientation of new rules and procedures, before starting back full time this coming Monday. We're not feeling so much in quarantine anymore - we are still keeping our distance, limiting our outings, staying mostly in our home and to ourselves. But the start of school means we're moving onward and upward. Kids will see their friends. Our circles will grow somewhat. And maybe we will need to move backward in the days to come. But, for now, here we are, putting our trust and our hope in this moment and then the next.

So! Grades 7, 5, 3, and 1 - here we come!

Leo really missed everyone today, but the moping and misery of the day ended abruptly when he heard the door open and kids run through. There was much celebrating, smooching, and hugging, and all was forgiven. 

kantors in quarantine - september 9

A back to school feast today, a last hurrah to our summer days and fun.

And this is another feast I made today. I did not miss this these last six months. I did not miss it one bit. 

kantors in quarantine - september 8

Wanted to see how the animals were handling Covid, so off we went to the zoo. We enjoyed a chilly day of gawking at our animal friends, with each kid looking for their favourite (except for Joe - Joe loves whales and the zoo does not have a whale). And it was a great day of lots of animals and few people - everyone needs that now and then. As with most things for a family of our size, the admission to visit once is nearly as much as a yearly family membership so... we'll be going back soon.