We survived our family vacation in Vegas!

But we had some challenges at the Grand Canyon...

Spa Party - a group effort!

There are so many birthday party options for the kids: movies, craft workshops, laser tag, bowling...someone else does the set up and clean up - we just show up. I don't know why but these parties don't appeal to me. We almost always hold them at the house - in theory its more heartfelt and cheaper - but in reality it is a heck of a lot of work and cost. However, we are a creative, resourceful and big family and it always seems like a good idea to invite everyone into our home for a celebration. This year, Leah wanted to go to Scooter's Roller Palace. But that would involve piling kids in vehicles, and driving them to Mississauga - about 20 minutes away. I guess that I could have had the parents drop off and pick up the kids there, but for some reason, that seemed too impersonal.

Instead, we (Carson and Irma) converted the front room into a spa and treated L and her friends to facials, manicures and massages. 8 girls and 6 "attendants". By all accounts, the afternoon was a success!

I'm sure that had something to do with the staff:

Thank you Evann, Lauren, Irma, Carson and Carol. What a team!

The party kicked off in the hot tub:


Once inside, the girls enjoyed some healthy snacks before their treatments started (thanks again Irma and Carson and Carol for helping with food prep).


Lots of giggles as the girls gave themselves facials. I led this exercise - hair tied back with dollar store hairbands, we buried our faces in warm washcloths, slathered our faces with heavenly scented cleansers, massaged our skin, wiped off the cleansers, then applied moisturizer. I wasn't sure if this would be considered fun for the girls, but was pleasantly surprised as they oohed and aahed over the smells and sensations. I heard one of the girls exclaim "Ooh, my sister is going to be so jealous when she finds out I had a facial!".



Look at that glowing complexion:


The manicurists were kept busy









The guests relaxed in "the lounge" as they waited for their treatments:


Carson's massages were so relaxing that the girls almost fell asleep:


Some of the handiwork:


Happy birthday Leah - double digits!

Wednesday night - Pumpkin Prep

Wow - what a treat getting home - and having dinner - before 7 every night. There's so much I can do around the house and with the kids. And its not so late that I can't have a glass of wine with dinner (and one after...). So civilized.

Late last night, after our Shopper's Drug Mart run, Ev and I bought 3 pumpkins - 99 cents each at No Frills! Aren't we the 'recessionistas'?!?

Tonight Leah and I started working on our pumpkins. This requires great planning, concentration and power-tool prowess.






While Abba was blasting and we were carving, Evann was reviewing Dad's homework help on the whiteboard,

and studying hard.
Hey - is she on her phone????


The final tally:
two pumpkins hollowed out;
1 jack'o lantern;



and some pumpkins seeds that will sit in salt water for a few days, then get toasted in the oven. One of our favourite treats.



And the best part? We get to do it all over again tomorrow night.

Cottage Update

While the rest of his family stays home to play hockey and attend birthday parties, Rob heads north every weekend to work on the cottage. Most weekends he is joined by his parents and cousin Mike. (Mike and Kira's cottage is being raised and a whole addition is being added below - very cool!)

Two weekends ago, Rob and his folks filled in most of the trenching for the geothermal pipe that comes from the lake into the cottage. This entailed Rob filling the contractor's little workhorse machines with sand, driving it over to the pipe and dumping it for his mom and dad to shovel and fill the pipe and trench.
Here's Leah on one of the little machines that Rob used:


Rob also started to install the wiring



The contractors assembled the garage pretty quickly. There will be a long narrow room above the garage that the kids are looking forward to using as a big noisy play room.







This weekend Rob and his folks were joined by family friend Vic Povilaitis. Going on 80, this man kept everyone hopping. He's a concrete guru and worked with the boys pouring a cement pad above the cold room. He and Irma also dug out the area in front of the basement windows and installed the window wells. They also covered the rest of the geothermal pipe. Rob came home with the biggest grin on his face - it was a very productive weekend.

Avry is 2!

We celebrated our littlest one's birthday today. The cousins had a great time - so did the adults.

Avry loved her new purple running shoes:



And her easel:



The appetizers and pizza were yummy:




And the kids enjoyed putting together a haunted gingerbread house:


So did the adults:


Lots of fun. Lots of love.
What a lucky little girl.
Happy Birthday Avry!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Another weekend spent with family and friends.

Dinner at the McCormack's on Saturday night


Sunday dinner was another gastronomic feast - just a few more people around the table...





We took our family portrait as we do every Thanksgiving weekend. This one won't be on the Christmas card:


And of course, some work on the cottage.



Here's how it looks from the front:

Shingles!

I'm in Belleville with Carson. Rob was at the cottage this weekend. Ev texts me Sunday night:
"I saw dads pictures from the cottage and their FLIPPING SICKKKK"

Now I had talked to Rob a few times over the weekend, and thought I knew what to expect. But when Carson and I opened the first picture, we had to agree with Ev - "SICKKK":


Here's the main floor. Opa built the stairs and Rob and Mike(?) and Uncle Frank (?) installed them.



Here's the top floor where the girls will hang out:




And the door to the cold room - an afterthought that worked out quite well:

Now we just need some windows. Here's the view to the lake - it's behind those trees somewhere: