Playing Catch Up

I haven't had any time to update my blog and frankly have been spending next to no time at my computer at home. With my new Blackberry, I can access all my e-mails and web sites from the comforts of my bed!

Anyway, I found some pictures from Mother's Day that I forgot to post. It was a terribly cold day on Mother's Day but we certainly tried to make the best of it. My younger brother

organized a lovely outing for all the Moms in our family including his wife's side of the family. We all went for brunch at the Golf Club where they got married. It was really great to just eat and eat and eat!

It is SOOOOOO easy to be a Mom to these two fabulous little girls. I am soooo lucky!

Last weekend was a long weekend for us Canadians, something about the 2 Queens' birthdays :) Anyway, we decided to head west down the 401 to visit Gord's family in Guelph, a little past Toronto. Besides the usual visits with his parents, we also got to spend quality time with the girls' two younger cousins, N & C. The 4 of them always have a grand old time together.

This year we went to the butterfly conservatory to check out the papillons. Funny that when we were driving home to Montreal (and doing Cara-Li's homework), we discovered that she was learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. Cool! We put what she was learning into practice!

We also spent a day and a half in Toronto. We had promised Cara-Li that we would visit the CN tower. Remember when she was asking about going to Paris and Italy to visit the Eiffel Tower and Pisa. Well, visiting the CN tower is much cheaper seeing that it is on the same continent as us! But first, Mamma was promised some shopping time. So we stopped at the Yorkdale Mall on our way and Lord behold, Gymboree was having a massive sale! Yes! My dream! We do not have Gymboree in Quebec so my visits are very few and far between. I usually place my orders by phone with a store in St. Louis that is attached to the hotel that Gord stays at or I order online and have it shipped to one of Gord's wonderful co-workers in St. Louis for him to bring back on his next trip. Now, stuff was already on sale and then there was an additional 30% off of everything! I made out like a bandit. However, I had spent so much time in that one store that it didn't leave me much time to hit my other favorites, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma. In fact, I was so spent from the one hour of intense shopping that I was unable to purchase anything from the other stores. Too much pressure! To round off our day, we stopped off in Chinatown for some quick buys and a lovely dinner. Gord got us a really nice room on the 34th floor at the Sheraton with a wonderful view of the tower.

The girls were beyond excited and frankly, I was too as I was dying to try out the perfect sleeper bed with all its glorious bedding and pouffy pillows. We decided not to bring up Alexia's crib for the night as we decided that she could sleep in Cara-Li's blow-up Hello Kitty sleeping bag. Can we say excited? OMG! She went in it at 9PM and did not stop moving until 11PM when I threatened her. I slept with Cara-Li and for whatever reason, she did not stop moving either. I was hit by every one of her flying limbs and needless to say, I did not sleep a wink. So much for those perfect sleeper beds!!! Gord, however, slept in his own bed and woke up in the morning fresh as a daisy. Good thing they had Starbucks coffee in the room otherwise I would not have been able to start my day. We had a lovely buffet breakfast followed by a dip in the pool (Cara-Li loves hotels and must swim in all the pools). And then we were off to tackle that tower. Of course, by the time we got there, Alexia had fallen asleep. As a joke, I said to Cara-Li that sleeping babies do not have to pay to go up the tower. Now, we were at the highest point when Alexia woke up. You should have seen Cara-Li's face! She had this look of guilt and exclaimed that we hadn't paid for Alexia because she was sleeping. But now that she was up, she wanted to know how we would go about paying for her. Too cute! I explained that I was being silly but that in fact Alexia did not have to pay because she was under 4.

Here the girls are lying down on the glass floor that is 113 floors up! There is nothing below them. It is quite something to stand on that floor... I, personally, had a hard time.

And now I iclude the following two pictures because I thought they were pretty cool. Too bad I am not taking a photography class at this time :(

Sugar Shack 2009

It is that time of year again when everyone in Quebec flocks to the Sugar Shacks to ingurgitate everything maple syrup. Eggs and maple syrup, ham and maple syrup, pancakes and maple syrup, beans and maple syrup. Well, you get the picture. We attended the Adoptive Families of Quebec Sugar Shack event again this year which was held in St. Eustache. It was lovely and quaint and the girls got to see their friends from China once again. They seem to get closer and closer with every event which what makes these get togethers so important and great!Myself, I had such a sugar high upon leaving as there was no stopping my intake. Diet, what diet?

As a side note, these photos were taken with my old 35mm Canon Rebel as I forgot my digital one at home. Anyway, you should have seen the guy at Costco's face when I brought in a roll to have developed. Priceless! But, these photos have been printed as opposed to the thousands I have stored on my PC from years gone by now. Now there's a project... actually printing them! I am on it.....

Welcome to Frozone!

That is what I am calling our cottage these days... FROZONE! We went to the cottage last weekend and once again, surprise surprise, the furnace had stopped during the week. So the girls and I spent over an hour in the car waiting for the cottage to warm up before dropping them into their beds. I was soooo miffed first at the furnace, then at the furnace repair guy who came 2 months and then at Gordie for not doing something about it all. Anyway, long story short, repair guy came the next morning and found the problem so things seem to be working but for some reason, this cottage will be forever known as Frozone to me!

We had a lovely weekend of skiing and visitors. We had some very special guests, M, N and S, join us on Saturday afternoon carting a whole raclette dinner with them. I had never had this before and it was amazing! Nothing low-fat about this meal, let me tell you. We were supposed to have been joined by Mortimer's Mom and her clan for skiing and dinner but due to some rather bad news, they were unable to join us :( We then spent the entire Sunday skiing with our guests with M impressing us with her talents. I need to mention that M is only 2 years old! Quite impressive. Alexia, too, tried skiing for the very first time. She was soooo excited to be going skiing like her Jie Jie. All was great until she started to go down the baby hill. At this point, she was not so impressed. 2 runs and she was back in the daycare. Better luck next year!

And this is how Alexia actually enjoyed skiing... in her Daddy's arms!

And lastly, for my pictures on the week (my final assignment).

WEEK 4: Frame within a frame

WEEK 4: Natural Light

WEEK 4: Action

In Shock!

This morning, upon arrival at the store, I noticed that someone was already there. Unusual as I always open and therefore am always first to arrive. Inside I see lights on but no one answers my call. And then I notice my breath. Goodness, the heating system broke down. Great! What I didn't know and I found out once my Dad peered his head out of the basement was that minutes before closing last night, there was some sort of explosion in our basement and the electrical box controlling the heating system had exploded and caught fire. That's right. Explosion, smoke, fire = not good! Since it had happened just before closing, all was controlled by my brothers. But imagine it had happened after closing... I wouldn't be sitting here at my desk today. Sure makes you think...

And now for my weekly photos.

WEEK 3: Up, Up and Away - Perspective



WEEK 3: The Orange Gerber - Shooting detail

This and That

Last Thursday, Gordie and I went out for our monthly dinner which was also our belated Valentine's date. For Christmas, we received from L. gift certificates for the Montreal High Lights Festival which is basically an entire festival revolving on fine dining. This year's represented city is Paris. Perfect. So I booked a dinner, 'The Best of Paris', at Verses Restaurant in Old Montreal. It was a 6-course meal accompanied by 6 glasses of wine (and a Kir Royale to start which I absolutely have to have everytime!). It was a very long-winded affair (close to 4 hours!) and quite tasty. But I don't know if I am just getting too picky... there was definitely room for improvement as far as service and menu planning went. It wasn't a cheap night out even with our gift certificates. When you spend that much money on a meal, I always want to be knocked off my feet... and I wasn't. Well, a little after 7 glasses of wine!

This past weekend we skied and skied and skied some more. It was glorious! Alexia spent the entire day at the daycare at the ski hill and fell asleep at 5PM in the car ride home. We tried to wake her for dinner but couldn't so she ended up sleeping 13 hours until 6AM the next morning! Poor thing! We skied for so long as we were unable to get Cara-Li to stop. She just got new skis and she was not phased a bit considering they were much longer. She can really ski and she just loves it! I, on the otherhand, tried some demo skis they had at the hill and I fell in love with a pair of Head skis. Now the question is, to buy or not to buy. What should I do?!?

Last week, 3 out of 4 of us were down and out. This week, Cara-Li is down. She's got the cold and cough thingy but hopefully it will not last too long. We all sort of bounced back pretty quickly. Cara-Li was somewhat sick on Saturday morning but she said that she was fine as she wanted to go skiing. Same for Sunday. This morning she asked me if she had to go to school as she was feeling sick. My response... If you felt fine to go skiing, you're fine to go to school!

I started a new photography class online a couple of weeks ago. I must say I am having trouble with my assignments. I only have the weekend to take my pictures but with so much skiing going on, there is really not much time left for photo taking. Last year when I took my last course, I was home with Alexia and therefore had free time during her naps for such things. So, anyway, I am enclosing some pix I took for my first 2 lessons although I am not highly impressed with myself.

WEEK 1: The Snowshoer - Rule of Thirds

WEEK 1: Frozen Lake Hughes - Leading Lines

WEEK 2: Lonely Pinecones - Minimal Depth of Field

WEEK 2: This way - Extended Depth of Field

Parties and Stuff

Last weekend was a busy one for us with the holiday and all. Friday night was Volunteer Appreciation Night here in our town and since Gord is a soccer coach, we were invited to a dinner at the pool. Well, let's just say some beverages were consumed by all and many had to walk home. Good thing the town is really small!

It was a tough go on Saturday morning but we had to wake up for Cara-Li's last soccer game. Cara-Li still did not enjoy soccer tremendously this year but we did see a huge improve over last year. When she applied herself, she was actually quite good. Compared to last year when all she did was pick dandelions!


Then Cara-Li was off to a classmate's birthday party. I tell you... what a way to end a school year. With a big bash!

Then it was off to the cottage for a long weekend. We had not been there since before our trip to Cuba in March. 3 months... I do believe that this was the longest period of time that we were away from it. I tell you... I missed it tons! Glad to see that it was still standing. Well, minus a screen door that got blown away during a winter storm, minus a canoe that got squished under the weight of all that snow and our dock which was sort of listing into the lake. Nothing that cannot be fixed or replaced. Did I mention I want to build an extention to the cottage? A mud room right off the front of the house. Hopefully we can do it. Must check city by-laws first.

Then, it was a pool party for us adults upon arrival. Two nights in a row without children. Wow! Cara-Li and Alexia had a sleepover guest for the night so needless to say, no one went to sleep early. But they all managed to get up early! Not to mention the major nose bleed Cara-Li had in the middle of the night. Darn those kids! :)

The next three days were pretty quiet with lots of setting up and de-winterizing. The dock is pretty much fixed and all our patio furniture is out. Ready for this upcoming weekend's morning coffee. Ahhh.... bliss!

Oh, I forgot to mention that this is my last week at home. As of next Wednesday I will be back at work full time. Life sucks! :(

And lastly, this week's colour for Shades of Inspiration is blue. There are not many things in my world that are blue except for my mood :(

Bittersweet

Yes... today was a bittersweet day. It was my big girl Cara-Li's last day of school. Not just any last day of school. But her last day of kindergarten and her last day at the school she has been going to for the last four years. Hmmm... I remember that very first day when we walked hand-in-hand down the street, how we talked about her going to school like a big girl (she only went 2 mornings a week at that time), how she went in the class not realizing that I would be leaving and the look of despair as she saw me go. Since I have been home with Alexia as of last September, I have been able to drop off and pick up Cara-Li every single day for the entire year. How I will miss that little walk to and fro! How I will miss the wonderful teachers and how I will miss all the other mothers I had befriended over the year. A very sad day indeed. Cara-Li, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be too, too bothered. Kids! We did have a nice lunch just the three of us, Mommy, Daddy and Cara-Li in honour of her graduation. Alexia missed out... she was home with the nanny having a nap!

PS: I would like to thank Cara-Li's teachers, Mme. R. and Mme. S. for all they have done for my Cara-Li!

2004: First Day of School Party

2004: First Day of School in her uniform

Present: Last Day of School in her uniform

Present: Last Day of School Party

I leave you with some more white/cream photographs. Don't worry... the week is almost over. There will be a new colour on Monday!

Shades of White

Here are my submissions for this week's assignment (shades of white) for 'Shades of Inspiriation'. Ooooo... I am having fun taking pictures again! When I am looking for something for photograph, I suddenly find the beauty in oh so many things!

Father's Day and Etc.

First off, I would like to wish my husband, my father, my father-in-law and all fathers out there a very Happy Belated Father's Day! I was 'sans' computer for 4 days as we headed west down the 401 to Guelph to visit family this past weekend. Poor little old me!

A grand time was had by all. We left right after school on Thursday with arrival in the early evening. We quickly visited Gord's parents before it was time to get the girls to bed. Shopping was on tap for me on Friday while Gord and the girls visited with his parents again. We then all joined up with his 2 sisters, nieces, nefew and great-nefew (yes, I am a great aunt!) for dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Yum-yum! On Saturaday, it was an early departure as we all headed to the Toronto Zoo. It has now become a tradition in our family. For the last few years, we always to go to some park or zoo for Father's Day. This year we went a day early. After our long day at the zoo, we all met up at my SIL's for a wonderful BBQ. On Sunday, it was lunch with the parents and then headed back towards home. A trip to Ontario would not be complete if there wasn't a stop at Michaels. I spotted one on the 401 and begged Gordie to get off. I was given 15 minutes to go through it as they all waited in the car. God help me! I managed to spend quite a bit in short a short period of time.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the weekend.

Cara-Li and her cousin N.

Cara-Li and her cousin C.

What is funny about this picture is the conversation that the 2 were having while looking at these monkey-type animals.

Cara-Li: ''Oooooo.... look at that monkey! It has a wenis like a boy!''

Also, I have joined a new group called 'Shades of Inspiration'. Basically, a new colour is assigned every Monday and we are to take photographs of whatever we like incorporating that colour. Fun! I find that if I do not have an 'assignment' that I do not take any pictures other than the usual family things. Sometimes these can be boring. So I am posting last week's assignment now which was the colour green. I must add that I did not really try hard, I just happened to get these at the zoo.

I promise to try a little harder for this week's assignment!