Checking in....

Well another week has past us by. I have no idea where the month of August has gone. All of a sudden the leaves on the trees are starting to change as we grow closer and closer to Fall. It has been a summer full of both fun and sorrow. The fall holds promise of new adventures for Erin though, as our baby starts school.

This week has been very quiet, and quite frankly that is what we all needed. Gord took the first two days of the week off, and headed back to work on Wednesday. Erin adjusted to her regular routine at daycare right away, and she even made me wait a couple of the days I picked her up, while she finished her beautiful artwork up!!

Today is Friday and Erin and my day off. Erin has a great love for Dora the Explorer and Diego right now, so the day has been spent watching a bit of that on the children's channels, and doing some artwork! I don't think a day goes by where Erin does not do some art!! This morning we went into daycare very quickly to meet Erin's Junior Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hudson. The regular Kindergarten teacher is about to have a baby, so will obviously be off this year! School is going to start a bit later than expected, so Erin will officially be 4 years old when she starts on September 10th! I can't believe we are 2 short weeks away from another birthday party for Erin! I have to get planning that soon! I have a busy business travel week next week, but will have some time over the long weekend to plan and prepare!

This weekend should be quiet. I think Gord is planning on doing some work as we begin to renovate the basement. We also have a very special birthday party on Saturday for Erin's beloved cousin Emily, who turned 16 on August 23rd!! It's hard to believe, but I guess there will be another driver on the road before long!!

I'll get some new pictures up soon. Until next time.....

A whirlwind of a 2-weeks....

My expectation was to provide an update on how Erin was doing, but the first course of action is to let everyone know that this past Tuesday, Gord's father Lloyd passed away peacefully in Smith's Falls hospital. It was a bit of a surprise, because they were getting ready to send him back to the nursing home in Merrickville. Eleanor said that he would have been happy having two women rubbing his back just before he passed away.

All of this being said, the past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, particularly for Gord and his brothers and sisters, who are holding up well, all things considered. Lloyd's wake and funeral were just lovely, with so many flowers and so many good stories shared. 'Old Grampa', as Erin affectionately calls him, will be missed.

Everything is set to return to 'normal' Monday, so I'll provide an update next week.

Erin is doing fine, by the way. It is amazing what having a happy little girl can do during a time like this.....

Thanks to everyone for the kind words sent along.

A Fantastic trip to Wonderland!!!

Whew, how time flies! I have started this post several times, and finally have a few minutes while Erin is playing.

So we are just finishing off a big holiday (mostly for Erin!!) and all goes back to 'normal' tomorrow. Erin has been spending much of the past three weeks with her beloved cousin Emily! They have been spending lots of time playing outside and doing crafts. The pool has had quite the workout during the month of July, when it finally started to get much warmer during the last half of the month!

The holiday Monday brought a visit from Emma and Erika for a few hours - enjoy the pool pics!! We also had a visit from Aidan and Cole for a big play before heading off on our big trip to Toronto.

Toronto was a blast! Canada's Wonderland was fantastic! We had great weather and the kids were all in grand humour (well, most of the time anyway!!). I have not been to Canada's Wonderland since the year it opened, and Gord (and obviously Erin) had never been. We brought Emily with us as well, and we joined by Aidan, Cole, Jo, and Chris, who we usually travel with and have a great time with!! Enjoy the pics!!


Can you believe we are less than a month away from Erin's first day at school? Sigh.... my baby girl is really growing up........

This is about all I remember from my last trip to Wonderland!!!

Aidan, Emily and Chris - even the little coasters are not for me!! Erin wanted to go, but is too small this year - soon!!!!

The happy trio on the hot air balloon ride!!!

Emily is SUCH a good sport!!!!

Erin and Cole living the life of luxury in their chauffeured ride (the chauffeur? Me!!)

Cole and Scooby Doo!!

The inseparable Erin and Cole!!

Aidan coming off the waterslide.

Erin coming off the waterslide.

Erin and Gord coming down a waterslide!!

Jo and Cole coming down a waterslide.

Erin and Dora!!! The highlight of Erin's visit!!

Erin and Diego!! Erin's second highlight of the trip!!!

A short note to let everyone know that Gord's mother passed away peacefully on Sunday July 29, 2007.