Parked

We checked out lots of new-to-us parks in the neighbourhood and beyond, often in the company of our new friends here in Toronto, Renee, Maks, and Seb. There were wading pools, splash pads, and playgrounds - oh my!

MOMENT: Explore and Play

Tandem

Solo adventurers ... but still together

Keva and Seb sitting in the shade

Tavish and Maks off exploring

Mommy's hands were often too full of snacks, strollers, or baby to take a diverse selection of photos, but the sentiment of summer time park-style is well represented in this short compilation...

The Shirt of Truth

I returned from Ottawa with a gift from my dear friend, Jessie. She knows me so well ...

"My Mom is Blogging This"

Home Town Advantage

We headed back to Ottawa for to visit with Tom's family. The kids and I extended the trip to be sure we could catch up with some of the wonderful friends we moved away from. It was so great to be on our home turf...

MOMENT: You Can Go Back

Summer fun in the sun

Taking in the taste of the season

There were many more visits and plenty of playing beyond what was captured digitally, but this gives a glimpse into our adventures with family at a water park, Keva making some new discoveries, and catching up with some old friends ...

A Dirty Solution

Logic is useful for solving problems. Sometime near the end of July, Tavish used some 4 year old logic to help him avoid an uncomfortable situation...

MOMENT: Say it Like it is

Tavish had a cut on his foot that was filthy with dirt and needed to be cleaned. When the moment of soap came during bath time, Tavish was panicked. Then, with an alternative plan all conjured up, his fear was replaced with calmness:

"Mommy, you know how when people die, they decompose and turn into dirt? Well, how about we just wait until then and the dirt in my foot can just go into the ground then to help plants grow?"

Hmm. Logical when you see it that way, I suppose, ... Don't worry, adult logic prevailed. Sure, we had to deal with an unhappy boy in the tub for a bit, but at least he was unhappily sporting a clean (and uninfected) cut on his foot.

Lifted and Locked

The kids and I took a little side trip up to Peterborough and learned all about the locks on a boat tour with some friends. Tavish was enamoured initially with the boat, but was truly dazzled by the manual locks, the swinging bridge, then the lift lock was really something. Whoa! Nothing like some fine engineering and a boat ride to keep the summer interesting...

Someone is excited to be on a big boat

Someone else is more than happy to be along for the ride too

The whole crew in a boat up high

MOMENT: A Waterway Well Traveled

Keeping an eye on things

There was a narrator for the whole trip too, but for some reason, much of the story was missed by Mommy....

Snail's Pace

I can't believe this wasn't included in our highlight reel of our homage to summer at home! Our first month here was marked by Tavish's discovery of snails. He brought them food, he checked on them, he made sure they had water, he held them, he even made them homes, sometimes a mobile home...



MOMENT: Snail Science

"Even a snail will eventually reach its destination"
- Gail Tsukiyama

It started out as a passing note that there were snails around our new place and evolved into a lesson in science. There were questions (what kind of snail is this?); keen observations (it has four things sticking up from it's head but only two seem to have eyes); experiments (which one moves faster and why?); research (can we get a book about snails at the library?); and eventually conclusions of snail understanding that he likes to share with anyone who will listen (it has only one foot, it has two eyes and the other two tentacles are used for smelling and feeling around, etc). Such a great summer of discovery, snail style...

Summer Loving at Home

"Each day of our lives, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."
- Charles R. Swindoll

The summer was host to a lot of adventures, many of which we didn't have to leave home to experience!

The new homestead

...is a welcoming one...

...and filled with some great kids....

MOMENT: Home Is Where Our Heart Is...

It's also where meals and baby naps happen ... so we created a lot of our fun in and around our new place while we got settled in. There was plenty of activity to keep both kids (and Mommy) moving indeed ...