Trip Central

Big trip, big deal!

We had a great time in British Colombia visiting Pappy & Jammie, Aunt Maggie & Dave, and the rest of the wild and not-so-wildlife out there.

Here are some highlights...

We took off from Waterloo Region airport, which was great. No crowds, and a nice stroll out on the tarmac to get onto the plane! It was perfect for the first flight that I remember (the last ones being at seven and 12 months old).

We had a short layover at the Calgary airport which had these huge wind-up structures with various flying machines that whizzed about faster and faster as I wound it up tighter and tighter...

The first couple of days in Victoria over Easter weekend were sunny, warm and beautiful. We hung out in the garden at Pappy's house, rode the very cool retro tricycle Jammie found for me, and played hop-scotch in front of the house. I don't think they get a lot of hop-scotch-ers in that neighborhood and we attracted many smiles and happy clucks from nearby residents and passers-by.

We went for a walk on our first morning, and happened upon a community Easter Egg hunt at a beautiful park overlooking the ocean. We got our first glimpse of bald eagles there, and the real wildlife (all those kids!)

We spent a great day taking in the sights in Victoria...

(I took this pic of the sea plane taking off)

The next highlight - major highlight - was spending time at the petting zoo. It was amazing. I even got to brush the goats. And at the end, when they were closing the zoo, we got to watch and cheer for the goat stampede!

It was fun but exhausting. Plus getting over jetlag (but I recovered the fastest, for sure).

Then the famous but rarely sighted local celebs, Aunt Maggie & Dave

rode in on their bicycles from Vancouver. They were just in time for...

Easter Egg Hunting!

Mom had promised that she would email the Easter Bunny to let him know we would be at Pappy and Jammie's house in Victoria for Easter, and to please meet us there.

Mom came through (as usual) and so did Mr. E. Bunny!

(counting the Easter Eggs with Aunt Maggie)

Me, reporting the total number of eggs collected to mom.

For the record, it was 158 eggs, 2 chocolate carrots, and five chocolate bunnies - for sharing!

Over the weekend the whole crew of us went to the Oak Bay Marina to see the Harbour Seals that hang out in the water, waiting for fisher-people to clean their day's catch (and dump the innards)...

...and they also wait for the people who buy bags of chopped up fish for $2 at the gift shop. They are even willing to flap around a bit - sing for their supper, as it were.

After a nice weekend all together, Mom, Dad, Aunt Maggie & Dave packed up for Vancouver for a couple of nights. I stayed in Victoria with the grandparents for some real fun, sans parents.

The three of us, old and young, had a blast. Pappy and I went to the aquarium, we went to my first movie in a theatre, and guess what? It was an IMAX movie! Way to start my cinematographic viewing career! I saw and was very impressed by the totem poles. We also did the beachcomber thing and went back to say hi to those seals. It was great to have some "quality time" together.

Mom and dad had a fabulous time in Vancouver, even though I wasn't there.

Who knew?

They spent lots of time (getting lost) walking around Stanley Park.

(They took a picture of this giant banana slug for me, but then I got to see some for myself anyways).

(and they got to see Auntie Maggie's Easter Chicks hatching - 7 of 12 hatched and are going strong! I was a bit sad to have missed it, but mom showed me a video on the computer.)

Then mom and dad made their way by bus, train, bus and ferry - back to Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island. The next day - our last day - we went on quite the adventure to Port Renfrew and Botanical Bay, to see the giant trees and the tide pools. On the long and windy road up into the mountains, it snowed! Can you believe it?

And we saw a baby black bear. And lots of huge amazing trees. Mom and I decided that Puff the Magic Dragon must hang out here at least sometimes.

After all the fun and adventures, it was very sad (and tiring at 5:30am) to say goodbye to Pappy, Jammie and beautiful British Colombia. But we will most certainly be back, and next time we will plan to visit for at least 2 weeks!

More of the Montessori Mafia Gang

We really have a lot of fun together at school.

Even though we work hard ("we do not PLAY at school mom, we work")

we also know how to have a good time.

Last week I came home with some new dance moves to practice

for an upcoming tap-dancing-competition.

Although I have never tap-danced before,

I am not lacking in confidence.

I know I am the best, and you know what?

I'm modest, too!

Post Script: Mom is smart and she asks good questions. She discovered that the tap-dancing competition was not an officially sanctioned Montessori activity. My friends Selinah, Nomthi and I concocted both the idea for the competition, and the moves. (But I am still the best).

Babies, babies everywhere...

Pretty soon there will be another new baby in our lives!

Our friends Erin & Tod are preparing for their own new Team of 3.

Last weekend Erin & Tod practiced hangin' out with a (super) kid (me).

Erin showed me a funny thing on her phone where I could interact with a giraffe!

Imagine the things that will be on my first phone (in at least 10 years!)?

Montessori Mafia

Mom read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal recently about...

"Montessori Mafia"

http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/04/05/the-montessori-mafia/

Here's me and my gang from school!!

Invisible Insolence

Mom and I have been playing a fun game lately. We have been imagining all of the sneaky, silly and somewhat naughty things we might do, if we were...

Invisible!

Here are a few from the most recent round of imaginings:

-We would sneak up behind ______ (insert any and every name here) and tickle them! (then giggle)

-We would follow people around in the grocery store and when they weren't looking, take food out of their carts and put it back on the shelves!

-We would walk the streets of Guelph and whisper spooky things in the ears of certain people (especially those with initials MB - that one's for you, AK), because it would be funny if they thought they were hearing voices!

-We would drive the car and laugh when people looked with surprise at our car driving itself!

-We would drop water balloons on people's heads in the summer time!

-We would sneak into T's yard and nibble her vegetables, then close and move her traps!

-We would turn the TV off when people were watching, and when they turned it back on - we would switch it off again!

Oh, the fun we could have, if only...

New Digs

This weekend we had our very last visit at Grandma & Grandpa's farm

(the funny farm, or Lyndon Farm, depending on who's asking).

It's a special place and it will be missed, but remembered fondly for oh-so-many reasons.

We'll remember mom and dad's fancy engagement party (before they were Mom and Dad), with outdoor tents, real china and a beautiful future ahead.

We'll remember zooming around in the ATV and golf cart, with dad driving, me holding on tight and mom watching nervously from the top of the hill.

We'll remember watching deer, wild turkeys and far off coyotes (or wolves, depending on who's looking).

We'll recall building snow men, snow forts and tobogganing down the huge hill down to the bush behind the house.

We will think back and be amazed that I used to have baths in the kitchen sink - that's how small I was!

We'll remember Penguin Point and swimming in the pond (well, mom will anyways).

We'll remember Grandpa happily driving the tractor in all seasons with various kinds of implements attached to the back.

We will remember the beautiful maple syrup made with love from the maple trees there each spring and picking apples in the orchard by the road.

We will remember getting stuck in snowbanks on the long driveway and we will never forget the warm, welcoming lights in the house as we arrive in the dark after the trip 'up to the farm'.

But we have new memories to make, more family dinners to eat and lots of things to laugh about in the years ahead in Grandma and Grandpa's new house, where...

...I have my own room.

It's Almost Spring...

Alleluia!

The other day I turned to my mom while sitting at the dining room table,

gazing out at the snow and wind-swept outside...

"Mom, I wish life could be different."

With a visible gulp and a concerned look in her eye, mom asked

"What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Well," I said, "I wish it was always like spring and summer outside.

We used to go to the park every day but when it's cold all the time I don't want to go every day."

Mom sighed and joined me in my wistful gazing.

"I know. Me too honey." said she.

Breakin' Out

March Break has been a whole bunch of good times!

We kicked off the week with a big surprise birthday party for Nan. I was so excited for the party that I asked about it for days before, but managed to keep it a secret from my Nan. I am getting very good at keeping secrets!

After the party I had a sleepver at Nan and Darcy's house and had a great time, as usual. We went for a great walk and found the skull of a deer in the woods! I am very interested in dinosaur (and other) bones right now and am considering becoming a paleontologist when I grow up - so finding the skull was a highlight! The funny thing is that last time we trekked around Nan's property we found a smaller animal skull in December; I was convinced I would find another skull if we went hiking again this time.

I was right!

After my night at Nan and Darcy's I came home for one night to re-group, then set off on the road again with my Gran on Tuesday morning, headed to Toronto for 2 more solo nights and 3 days jam-packed full of fun!

On the agenda? Hanging out with my Uncle Anton (and his many, many smurfs), attending a puppet show at the library with hundreds of other March Break-ing kids, going to Casa Loma (it's a REAL castle, mom!), playing with the twins across the street (who are my age) and all kinds of other adventures. And, as always, experiencing the local food and fare is one of my favourite things to do. There were many feasts to be had, at many times of the day. Nice!

Existential Enquiries

As one door closes, another opens.

Yesterday, mom and I had a very interesting conversation based on a number of existential enquiries that have been rattling around my head lately.

Me: "Mom, everyone in the world dies."

Mom: "Yes, thats true"

Me: "Everyone."

Mom: "Yep, usually when people get old, but everyone dies eventually."

Me: "When everyone dies, won't the world change forever?"

Mom: "Oh. Well, honey not everyone dies at the same time. Every day some people die in the world and some people are born."

Me: "So the world doesn't change?"

Mom: "Well, the world changes a little bit every day but there are people..."

Me: "There are people coming and going all the time from the world."

Mom: "Right, exactly hon. People are coming and going all the time."

Me: "So...someone is being dead right now."

Mom: "Yes, and someone is being born right now."

Me: "And now?"

Mom: "Yes, and now, somewhere in the big world. Pretty amazing isn't it?"

Me: "Yep."

Sleepover!

This weekend we had lots of fun when my friend Clara (and her parents, Luke & Christine) came to Guelph for a sleepover!

We played a lot and even got to do our bath and bedtime story together.

It was sweet.

"The Lorax" and its Lessons

We read "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss this morning.

I am mature enough now that the lessons from The Lorax sank in, in a new way.

After listening very carefully, when the book was done I said to my mom...

"Mom, I know what I can do to save our forests in this world. I am going to draw lots of pictures of trees and sell them (for $1) to all the people in our world who cut down trees. Then when they see my pictures, they will know not to cut down any more trees.

I just hope I can make enough pictures."

Mom was impressed.

Entrepreneurial AND altruistic.

I am well on my way to saving the world.

Party Time

Check out my dog dress, chosen especially for my friend Hani's birthday party.

(Thanks Grandma - I feel pretty, oh so pretty...)

Zoom Zoom!

It has been a week of fast-moving firsts!

Earlier in the week we went and picked up my very first pair of proper "one-er" hockey skates (not like the bobsled "two-er" skates I started on last year).

After a slow start, I got the hang of holding on to the learning frame and moving my feet like crazy...

Zoom!

Then this weekend, Ben and I went for our first downhill ski! Neither of us had been before, and we both had a blast! Dad, Grandad and I are going skiing again next weekend.

Zoom!

Dunk, Dunk, Cough!

Sea Turtle 1 lessons are going swimmingly!

Yesterday was the first day that parents did not go in the pool, just the children and the teachers.

Mom and I came home, and I was bursting to tell dad.

"Dad, guess what? I dunked my WHOLE HEAD under the water with my teacher Katie and I didn't cry!"

And as for blowing bubbles?

I'm over it.

Attack of the Tiger Fairy

When we got home the other day from school, I noticed that my toy tiger (Tommy) was in a different spot than when I left for school in the morning.

Me: "Hey mom, how did Tommy tiger get over there?"

Mom: (flippantly) "Must have been the tiger fairy, kid".

Me: (seriously) "Good point mom. It WAS the tiger fairy!"