It's Official!

Dad's birthday is over, it's December and therefore...

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Christmas is officially upon us.

We even put up the tree and decorated the house while listening to Christmas music and drinking egg nogg.  It's official alright.  Let the Hooplah begin!

  

Mom and I putting the Christmas 'gels' on the front window

I had very specific ideas on how it should be done.

Cookie Monsters!

The other weekend we visited Tara, Colin, Cole and baby Cameron.  Tara had prepared some festive decorating for Cole and I to do...

 

 Little did she know there were COOKIE MONSTERS in the house!

Grade 1, Baby! (I mean, big kid)

Happy Birthday Old Man! (a.k.a Dad)

We celebrated Dad's 34th birthday last weekend!  Mom and I made a big banner, blew up a bunch of balloons and made an extra-chocolate cake with extra chocolate icing - of course it was in a heart shape! 

Gran, Grandad and Uncle Anton came along for a lovely birthday lunch out, then home for party hats and ... CAKE!

Mom (maker of the cake) lighting the 34 candles

Dad and I cutting the cake

 

The special play, (planned in advance by Gran and I) and performed with assistance from the men of the family...

Dad and Unc. Ant.

 

T'was a Hallowe'en BOOnanza!

Just call me Cleopatra (or Cleo for short)

Food Bank

This week I decided I wanted to help collect food for the food bank.  I learned about why we have food banks for people and families who don't always have enough to eat and I wanted to do something.  I made this poster, then put it in all of the mailboxes on my street.  On Wednesday, Mom and I went around and collected any food items people wanted to donate.  We made little thank you cards to take with us to give out, too.

I was so proud of myself and glad that we took the wagon.  On our street only, I collected 53 items to donate.  Mom and I took the items to a drop-off container at the library and we had to make 3 trips from the car, just to get all the food unloaded.  It felt great to know I was helping out.

My Food Drive Poster

Putting on my Face

Fun in the Sun...

A selection of photos from various parts of my summer so far...camping, cottaging and general fun in the sun.

Summer Camp Scamp

I am doing lots of different summer camp stuff this season.  Here are some pics from my first week at summer day camp...

Cottaging with the Rich & Famous

Last weekend we were invited to "the cottage" in Muskoka.  This is a very special place and we all felt lucky to have a chance to be there.  We had lots of fun, and I even had another kid to play with...

I picked wild blueberries, swam like a fish, caught some fish, played at the sandbar with Mom and Nan, ate lots of good food, slept in a bunk-bed and climbed on the rocks.  I fed the ducks, and Dad and I canoed beside Mom as she swam across the bay and back (in 30 minutes - we gave her high fives for that!)

Mom told me lots of stories about all the time she used to spend at the cottage with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and sister in the summers when she was a kid.  I liked hearing those stories.

I wish we could go there more often, but we had a great time and felt lucky to be there, even for one weekend.  

We felt like 'real' Canadians doing the Muskoka thing.  

Muskoka has changed a lot since mom was a kid, but we tried to fit right in with the lifestyles of the rich and famous...

Milestones, Medals & Marriage

It's been a big, important, milestone-filled couple of weeks.  I had my graduation from senior kindergarten, which means I am officially prepared to enter GRADE 1!!!

I also 'graduated' from my second term of gymnastics.  I got to do my "ta-daa" and got a certificate which showed that I had achieved "gold medal" level in all of the skills we had been practicing.

Another huge event was participating a ring-bearer in Rebecca and Heather's wedding.  This was something I have been so excited about, and have been counting down for months and months.  I did a really good job and we had a very fun time at the wedding.  After the ceremony, the loooooong dinner and lots of excited anticipation (I was very patient and well-behaved), mom and I finally got to dance and dance!  We stayed in a hotel and it was a really special occasion.