Up and Away

Mommy and the kids made a side trip en route from Ottawa to Toronto. Okay, fine... we skipped out on the bulk of the move and left Daddy to supervise movers and start the settling process. Visions of being home with two little ones surrounded by boxes and having no idea where the cutlery was, all while Tom was working just spooked us both. This was for the best. So, we booked our flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg, then from Thunder Bay to Toronto. Everyone was truly on the move....

MOMENT: Fleeing the Scene

The three of us traveled well together ... well, the flight was no problem. The big ol' drive 'home' to the Fort left a numbness in Mommy's left ear though. Turns out, Keva had some separation anxiety which I now understand after some research, is common for the age, and can be perpetuated by absence of a parent or changes in surrounding ... oh ... add the arrival of some more molars and things were only peachy when Keva kept direct company with Mommy for the first few days we were there. Yeah, that was fun. Hard to believe such a sweet face could be so sad when Mommy was out of sight!

Sweet face, ready to board

Boosting up with juice for the flight

Traveling trio

Taking in some scenery and giving out some silence (ah)

Moving On

Just one month shy of 4 years since we moved into this place, we're leaving and with one more family member than we came in with. Goodbye Ottawa and Holland Avenue, you've been a wonderful host. Thanks for the many wonderful memories, there is no doubt that you will be missed...

A ONEderful Party

Happy First Birthday, Keva!

Our baby is wrapping up her first year living almost the entire year in Ottawa. We technically moved away the day before Keva's birthday, but decided to have her party among her friends and lump it into a departure party as well. Two big reasons for one fun party...

All decked out in festive attire

Pooped at the party, thanks for the lift, Daddy!

MOMENT: "Ain't Nothin' So Good as a Cake and Eatin' It"

Cake face!

Good friends gathered in one of our favourite neighbourhood parks to bid us farewell and to celebrate Keva's first birthday. The birthday girl was decked out in her new bonnet and Mommy-made tutu for the festivities. There was all of the birthday perks, a song, a candle and, of course, the inaugural taste of cake - sure, it was healthy-ish cake (Mommy made), but I think she liked to have her cake and eat it too... Happy birthday to Keva! Bon Voyage to us!

Cleaning House

One would think by the title that I am referring to the cleaning out of our house in preparation of the upcoming move, but no. It's the little house that Tavish and Tom decided to clean out before our move that I am showcasing. It epitomizes how we chose to procrastinate from the larger and more pressing house that needed cleaning at the time...

Keeping up with the Upkeep

MOMENT: Hosing Down

Tavish took his job quite seriously, but is apparently quite skeptical of his Daddy with a hose...

Beetle Bop and Rolling Rocks

There was a rock revival in our dining room over dinner one night. It started when Tavish was irrationally disappointed (he's 4) about not being the one to pick up Keva's waterbottle that she tossed on the floor (she's almost 1). When I said: "Hey Tavish, there's this neat song ... want to hear it?". He did, so I sang it (poorly) but played the real thing later for him to rock out to...

MOMENT: You Can't Always Get What You Want

We'd recently enjoyed brunch where the Beatles and Rolling Stones portraits and songs were pointed out to Tavish. After my performance, we asked him who the bands were that we talked about in the restaurant, he remembered "Beetle Bop" and "Rolling Rocks". Ha. Needless to say, he was pretty excited to jam with the Stones and his folks were excited that the song's repetitive message might be getting through to him...



MOMENT: Lasting Impressions

Fast-forward a few weeks and we had confirmation that the message was delivered, but perhaps not received. It was while up north visiting my family and it was e-a-r-l-y. Mommy doesn't do early. Tavish was sent back to his room for 'quiet' time. This is what I got ... and it wasn't what I wanted. But, I did get what I needed, a good chuckle...in hindsight, anyway!

Note: might need more volume for this one...

School Send Off

It was tough to leave such a wonderful school, a great teacher, and the plan we thought we had for next year. Our Montessori experience was an excellent one, so although it was a little sad to leave, we bid a fond farewell to Tavish's first school, his friends and his teacher, Ms. Danielle.

Ms Danielle and Tavish, last day of school

MOMENT: Growing

Tavish has learned so much and met a lot of lovely people at 'school'. His teacher for the past two years, Ms. Danielle, is a very dedicated teacher who believes wholeheartedly in the Montessori philosophy so the emphasis of his learning was on gaining independence and learning at his level of readiness. He left being able to sound out small words to read and write; he is very comfortable with peers of varying ages; and excels in the area of numeracy as well. It's hard to move on, but that's the thing with time, it just ... goes on. So, thank you for a great start to a long future of schooling for Tavish, Ms. Danielle...

Tavish's first day of school, September 2012

Tavish's last day of school, May 2013

MOMENT: Theory into Practice

Also on the last day of school, we did what we often do after school on Fridays - we went for a family swim. About once a month (fine, sometimes more often), swimming is followed by dinner out for sushi - a family favourite. This time, Tavish offered to fill in the order form and we let him. It was impressive - we actually got everything we meant to order. It was also a little bitter sweet with him unintentionally showing all he's learned, but us knowing that he's moving on from such a great learning environment.

Biker Baby

Keva enjoyed her first Chariot ride behind wheels. There was a lot of smiling. Mostly from her folks, but there was no shortage of pearly whites from Keva either. Everyone likes having the wind through their hair...

Our smiley biker baby...

MOMENT: Her Chariot Awaits

Since our Chariot is only a single, it's a bit tough to go for a full-family bike ride - even though Tavish is quick on both his Strider and his Animator (pedal bike). So, with Tavish visiting his nearby friend Sofie, the three of us biked to collect him with his Strider on board. Yes, we took the scenic route. She liked it. We liked it. This was a moment of biking bliss, really.

The scenic route with the baby (and Tavish's Strider) in tow...