Kite Flying

Grandma and Grandpa came down for a visit this past weekend. They came on a really windy day, and we thought - let's go to the park and fly some kites!






Grandpa was consistenly called on to untangle lines, give advice and generally help everyone get their kite in the air.




Pip enjoying the afternoon!

Grandpa works with Ben in this photo to get his kite up!

Sometimes kite flying can take a lot of concentration.



Grandma had a turn flying kites too! We came home windblown and ready for tea!

The Gladiators and the Lion

A week or so ago, David and I were enjoying after supper hot drinks in our dining room, and occasionally glancing at each other at the loud crashing sounds coming from overhead (the boys rooms). Suddenly there were loud cries and wails. Here came trouble...

It was Ben, he had been bitten by Pip, and it was a pretty good bite too. Not quite breaking the skin, but leaving a nasty mark. While I cuddled Ben, David asked Tim (in a stern Daddy voice) just what was going on.

"Well," said Tim thoughtfully, "we were playing gladiators, and that was going very nicely."
"Yes?" said David, drawing out the yes, and still in stern Daddy voice, though I could tell from his eyes that he was already finding this amusing.
"And then Pip bit Ben!"
Ben by this point had stopped crying, so I got up to go have my stern Mummy talk with Pip. Just as I was leaving the room, I heard Tim explaining to David why Pip had bitten Ben.
"You see," said Tim very matter-of-factly, "Pip was a lion."

When I got upstairs, there was a very penitent lion waiting for me. It was hard not to laugh looking into his big, brown eyes, listening to him explain earnestly how in future he would just roar at Ben, and not bite.

So the evening ended well, with hugs all round, and forgiveness sought and received, and a resolution that I hope is upheld not to let oneself get carried away when one becomes a fierce creature.

Canoe Trip

Well, we've had a little time off from canoe trips, but this summer we are hoping to get back to it! We had our first trip of the year last weekend, and it was a good time! Last summer, we didn't do any, and it is amazing what two years will do to the children - they are all better paddlers, better campers and better portagers!



Canoe trips are great for just being together!




And for having times of quiet reflection.



The gang is getting good enough at canoeing that we sent a boatload of them out together to practice - they had to canoe to a nearby island, go around (getting out to explore first if desired - it was!) and then come back. We had a second canoe back at the campsite to come to the rescue if needed, but we weren't needed at all.

Here are the canoes loaded up after a portage. We were gone for 3 days, two nights, had a lot of rain - but kept the important stuff dry (food, sleeping gear, tents), did a 1600 m portage (and many others!), saw a bunch of loons (including some human ones related to me!!) and had a great time!

Track and Field

We joined a local track and field club this spring, Niagara Regional Athletics, and have been learning, and practicing, track and field events. It is a lot of fun, and really good for keeping us fit! I get to practice alongside the children, so I am getting some "keeping fit" benefits too!

In July, we went to our first track meet. It was the MTA Championships (Minor Track Association, which is for children under 14), which meant that there were track clubs from all across Ontario there! It was quite overwhelming at times for us - noise, people, heat!! (It was a very hot day!) Here are a couple of pictures of Emmi's javelin throws.



All the Marshwiggles competed, and had good attitude, though we did not do so well in terms of results! Pip won a 5th place ribbon for his long jump, and Ben scooped a silver medal (from a field of two) in shotput, so that was encouraging for the younger boys. Emmi and Tim tried hard in their events - but no medals or ribbons for them. Here is Emmi doing a long jump.



And here is Emmi on a very determined final stretch of the 200m. I love the way her braids were swinging about!



Pip ran in the 100m. He and this little boy had difficulty staying in their lanes, but seemed pretty pleased with themselves at the finish line!



Tim's favourite events are the throws. Here he is doing the shotput.



Here is Ben in his silver medal performance for shotput (in his age category). Go Ben!



We learned a lot at this meet, for example, I thought I had brought WAAY too much water, but we used almost all of it! And I should bring a golf umbrella next time to give some shade to the eager spectators! We watched a little of the recent Canadian and World Junior track and field championships that were held in Moncton NB, and my guys were so much more interested having had their own experiences in track and field.

A Fruitful Season

It is a wonderful time to live in Niagara! The array of fruits and veggies in the markets is fantastic! On Saturday, there were baskets of tomatoes for sale at the farmers market, but I walked right by them knowing what was in the back garden! Here are a few of the beauties we've been enjoying! I did come home Saturday with corn, blueberries, peaches, and plums to name a few items that we don't grow. I am so grateful to be living in such a wonderful part of the world right now!

Happy Long Weekend!

Hope you are all having a great long weekend! We had a good start to it by having a bicycle ride up the side of the Welland Canal. We went from our home, to the Port Robinson ferry, then across the canal and up the bicycle path to the Highway 20 bridge.



When we got to the bridge, a ship was passing underneath! So we had to stop to have a good look!



Here is the happy group of bicyclists! I was the "back-up van" driver, and photographer for this occasion!



It can be fun just to mess around on big pieces of machinery!

From here, we crossed the bridge to try out a new restaurant - "Indian Flames" which is just on the other side of the bridge. It features Indian food and got a "two thumbs up" rating from our food critic (David), and an enthusiastic rating from all the children too, so we'll have to go back.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Well, it has been a busy summer already! Sorry to be so tardy in the blog update!! There's been a lot going on, so I will try to catch up on some of our doings.

We had Janelle visit us from New York City again this year with the Fresh Air Fund. It was a great visit! She grew a lot this past year! (I suppose all of mine did too - but I live with them!) One of the fun things we did with Janelle was visit Toronto, and go to a baseball game.

We drove in to Toronto, parked, and had a picnic lunch at Harbourfront. Here are Emmi and Janelle - with the Rogers Centre in the background. From where they are sitting you could see the harbour, with all the interesting boats going by, planes taking off and landing at the Island Airport, and people getting ready for a kyak class. Lots of fun!

Our seats were behind left field (I think - I haven't been to a ball game in a long time, and am a bit mixed on the left and right fields...). David had printed off easy versions of a scorecard, so the children enjoyed scoring the game, it made it go quickly. There were 6 home runs in this game - and one of them came really close to us! A fellow just about 6 seats to the left of Emmi caught the homer!

We were joined by Granny and Granddad on this excursion. Here we are after the game - it was a pretty hot night, and the Dome was open - which was fun (because you could see the occasional plane fly over, and see the darkening sky) but warm.



The Jays won this game 7 - 2, which put us all in a happy mood! The next day they lost 13 - 3, so we picked a good one to see!