Our Family & Our Life

I write this the evening of our return home. Colin and I left Isla overnight with Mom and Dad and we escaped to "cottage country" for a very short break but as short as it was, I was happy to see my baby again. This was the first time I have left her and the first time she spent the night away from us. She did very well with Mom and Dad and they were able to keep up with 19 month old. Thank you! We didn't go to far, just to Gravenhurst and we stayed in the brand-new Residence Inn Marriott . It was lovely and we had a small kitchenette in our room but trust me, we didn't cook, we needed a break! Our afternoon drive took us to Gull Lake just outside Gravenhurst. The weather was great both days, sunny and dry but today (Friday) was a bit cool especially on the boat. This weekend there is an antique boat show and boaters from all over N. America have taken over the hotel and the marina. Our "cruise ship" - The Segwun - is 120 years old so appropr...

One of the reasons I really wanted to come back to Canada was to spend more time with family. Most of our Canadian family is from my side but for those who don't know, Colin's aunt and uncle, Lynn and Jim, live in Ontario and we paid them a visit last weekend ... Isla slept well and for a very long time Saturday afternoon. After Colin woke her up she needed a few cuddles from Aunt Lynn. What a baby! I think the last time I got to hold her like that she was six months old -not fair! ;-) By now Isla thinks everyone has cats and she got to meet Blondie and Minnie (below) who turned out to be very brave. Most cats would have disappeared when they saw her but not these two, they are far too curious. I think I may look into the "cat condo" for our furry lovelies because Minnie sure looks cozy in there.... Thank you Aunt Lynn and Uncle Jim for a great visit and some good craic. We hope to see you again soon.

Unlike today, yesterday afternoon was sunny and warm so what better way to enjoy it outside than to blow bubbles ! She had a bit of help blowing them but no problem popping them! She also learned how to climb a tree, sort of.... Once I put her in she pretty much held herself up and thankfully didn't fall out! Do you like her new dress?

In Dublin there is a radio station, and they have a wee girl on the show who calls people up for prank calls. In this episode she calls a demolition company in Newry and asks them to demolish her school.. Rather funny I think.. I actually remember listening to this station when in dublin.. Enjoy... 'Til next time, Colin..

Guess who is 19 months old today? Isla! If you didn't guess that, you've never read our blog.... Yup, only 5 months until her 2nd birthday, it's crazy even to think about it but I already starting planning it my head. What has Isla been up to lately: She wears 18 month old clothes even if most of them are still big on her. Size 5 shoes She LOVES playing outside in the grass and isn't afraid to get dirty. She has been eating really well with a fork and spoon - so well in fact that Oma has commented on what a good and clean eater she is and would be acceptable to bring her to a restaurant! She can say her name. She can finally climb onto our bed. We are taking her to the dr. next week for a well visit so I will post "official" weight, height and head circumference after the appointment. As for other milestones: Most toddlers should be able to . . . Feed self with spoon and fork - done Run well - done Brush teeth with help - done String more words togeth...

What a blessing it was yesterday for my Oma, Isla's great-Oma to be able to celebrate her 96th birthday! She came over to Mom and Dad's first for party #1 including cake, of course then it was off to Aunt Aaf's for another party. Before she left we took a few photos to commemorate the occasion. Four generations although the youngest generation doesn't look too impressed, does she? ... and lastly, Mom with her Mom. I'm so glad Isla gets to meet her great-oma again - another reason I really wanted to come home!

Well, where do I start? It's been a long month to start with. One problem after another and in the process I lost the motivation to blog but things are better again or at least are in the process of getting better. Moving so many times in a short period of time is emotionally, physically and financially exhausting. Trust me! I guess the best place to start is several weeks ago. It was only after about three date changes did we arrange the moving date and we left on Sept. 9 at 5 a.m. We were loaded down to say the least.... .. the top row of photos was taken in the apartment when we were packing up. That stuff left with the movers. ... the bottom row is a photo of our van and it went with us, obviously. It was squishy in there because we also had the cats but we made it to mom and dad's in 2.5 days - 1468 miles completed! Nebraska and Iowa are big states even though you may not believe looking at the map but just try driving through them. They go on and on and on....

We've arrived! Crossed the border into Canada at 11 o'clock this morning, hit the first Tim Horton's at 12 noon and arrived at mom and dad's at 2:15 p.m. All is well but we're all very tired. Will post about our journey with photos sometime soon...

... but so much has to be done first, like this...... and when it does finally get arranged, it gets changed five minutes later... ... so then I do this... ..one day there will be light at the end of the tunnel, like when we cross the Canadian border....