Keeping up with Clara and Leo

2011-12-27T18:37:00.001-05:00

Awesome afternoon at the Musée des Beaux Arts.
We went with the intention of visiting out the Big Bang exhibit and ended up checking out a few other cool rooms on our way. It had been awhile since we visited and we'll definetly be going back again soon. Leo wants to bring his sketch book next time!

In front of the origami tree

My attempt at art.
Marc's silhouette in front of a Riopelle

Clara

Leo

Part of the Big Bang exhibit

More Big Bang

2011-12-25T19:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Waiting for Santa Claus last night

Christmas brunch with Grand-Maman and Uncle Alex

2011-11-07T15:19:00.002-05:00

They are famous!

2011-10-23T15:25:00.003-04:00

Seven years old!?!?

Leo's 7th Birthday in Lachute on Thanksgiving Sunday.

Birthday party for the new 7 year old!

Gluten free cake!!! And it was delicious, even better the second time around ;)

2011-07-10T14:15:00.003-04:00

Sauble Beach

I brought the family to Sauble Beach for the first time this Summer, I hadn't been myself in about 18 years but I still remembered the white sandy beach and the freshwater waves. Thanks to Adrian and Laura's hospitality we had the best beach vacation EVER!

Going for a paddle with Clara, Cobus, and Leo.

Birthday cake for breakfast!

Hair dye on the beach

Laura's colourful hands

Go carting!

Clara and Amelia

Alex's art on a pretty canvas

Alex getting down to work

Final product

The amazing, happy baby Sloane and one of her many fans.

Clara and Amelia after their last swim together for the Summer

2011-06-03T11:28:00.000-04:00

Mont-Saint-Hilaire
We climbed all the way to the top of Mont. Saint Hilaire on Tuesday - this retired Papa thing is lots of fun! We followed the path to the Pain du Sucre, a 2.5km hike with lots of rock climbing. Grand-papa joined us and we had a really wonderful afternoon. In fact, these are all his pictures:

=

A digital painting from the frog pond at the bottom of the mountian.

2011-05-05T23:16:00.008-04:00

Hanging out on Mount Royal Spring 2011

I don't think I've ever gone 5 months between blog posts before and now I feel the need to explain myself. Clara, Leo, Marc and I are all well. We have had no major disasters, emergencies or health problems that could explain my silence. We've just been b.u.s.y.

At the beginning of this year I promised myself that this would be the year I immersed myself in my doula work. I've privately called it my year of "yes". My plan is to say "YES" to every doula opportunity that comes my way. As a result I've already witnessed 11 humbling and beautiful births, have provided countless hours of prenatal education, and have had the absolute pleasure of supporting new families in the days and weeks following the arrival of their babies. This is so the job for me.

Of course, life with an on-call mom is quite different for the entire family. I like to think everyone is coping well. Marc is very supportive, even when I disappear for 24 hours leaving him responsible for school lunches, drop offs, pick ups, and all the other little things that come up over the period of the day. Clara and Leo are also very accepting of my absences and when I come home again I get the most glorious welcome back hugs. I think the time alone with their Papa is also a really amazing side effect of this job. I feel like both kids have a better connection with Marc these days, he tells me they have great times together doing stuff they enjoy.

We are on the verge of adding another major change in our life - Marc has quit his job and is embarking on new adventures. He has taken a leap in the spirit entrepreneurship and has been enjoying telling everyone that he is taking an early retirement. Who knows what the future will bring but we are open to all of it.

Self portrait on the mountain

For anyone curious, you can find me on my two doula business sites:
MotherWit Doula Care - a collective of doulas who work together in the Montreal area
Doula Laurel - my personal little spot on the web.

Marc is working on a few projects... I'll share as they become available. For now you can check out SaveWall.com in its Beta version.

2010-12-28T11:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-05T21:54:00.003-05:00

Read a Christmas story before bed tonight.

Leo choose Mary Engelbreit's illustrated version of The Night Before Christmas and Clara choose Red Ranger Came Calling.

2010-12-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Go to Nifty Gifty this afternoon.

We did, and we are very glad we attended. Nifty Gifty is a few event at church. Kids are invited to spend the afternoon creating homemade gifts they can give over the holidays. For obvious reasons I can't go into much detail about what they made. I'll just say we came home with a bag full of goodies and had a lovely afternoon.

2010-12-03T10:55:00.001-05:00

Say "happy birthday" to Auntie Dorothy!

We called her and left a message. I guess the birthday lady was busy celebrating.

2010-12-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

Listen to music from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.

When I turned on Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Leo's eyes lit up and told me - I know this one, I heard it on my radio when I was going to sleep!

2010-12-01T10:53:00.002-05:00

This year our countdown to Christmas will not involve little chocolates, Legos or any other daily gifts. Instead we'll be focusing on family activity, giving, and gratitude. I've challenged myself to create a list of 25 messages that will be left for Clara and Leo daily on the whiteboard in the living room. So today, on the 1st of December they were greeted with the following:

Dig out the advent calender and hang a string of Christmas lights.

Simple, to the point and according to the kids, a great start to our advent season :)

2010-10-31T19:42:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Leonardo the ninja turtle and Mme Witch heading out on a cold All Hallow's Eve.

Super cool neighborhood initiative - a haunted lane with lots of trick or treating opportunities and no streets to cross.

The only photo I got of Leo's shell.

2010-10-30T19:52:00.002-04:00

Leo's 6th Birthday/Halloween Party

The birthday boy dressed up as Ang from the Last Airbender.

Mmmm...Les yeux d'hibou / owl's eyes... yummy

Dirt and worms

Leo is having the best afternoon EVER

Bobbing for apples with forks was an unexpected hit.

Happy birthday Leo.

2010-10-05T10:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks Shanna! Clara LOVES her new shoes.

2010-09-27T13:02:00.002-04:00

Dear Clara and Leo,
I am so proud of you for having the confidence and the skills to walk back to school after lunch on your own today. I admit, I did secretly follow you to make sure you arrived at your destination safely but deep down I knew there was nothing to worry about. You crossed the streets holding hands carefully checking for cars, you skipped along the sidewalks staying close to each other, and you even met up with friends as you arrived at the school yard. I'm so proud of you both. Thank you for taking this responsibility so seriously. I love you so much and I can't believe how you are growing up in front of my eyes!
Mommy

2010-09-26T23:10:00.002-04:00

For all you visual people out there, look how Marc motivated the kids to get through our family to do list this Sunday. EVERYTHING was checked off before bedtime! Way to go team !!!

The only thing that was not accomplished was the lightsaber fight Leo had added at the top right corner of the whiteboard.

2010-09-19T15:46:00.008-04:00

Wedding weekend

We spent a beautiful weekend celebrating the marriage of Gordon and Shanna in Lennoxville, QC. The wedding was at the Bishop's University chapel, Clara followed along with the service and sang all the songs. Leo on the other hand, hunkered down with my ipod and played games with the volume on mute... there are some battles that are just not worth fighting.

After the ceremony Leo and Malcolm took advantage of the large lawn in front of Saint Mark's chapel. They ran around, climbed a stone wall and used twigs as lasers. It was the perfect activity for two little boys that don't generally love staying still! Clara hung out with Farley and the adults until it was time for us all to head to the reception hall.

Afternoon turned into evening. We ate a delicious meal followed by more pies than I'd ever seen on one table then the music came on. Clara and Leo loved dancing, but each with their own strategy. Clara danced to every single song and took quick breaks only when she was either thirsty or hot. Leo waited until the dance floor opened up and then launched into his dance moves. Marc and I tried to keep up with the dancing maniacs but at around 11pm Leo sat down with Papa and ended up dozing off to dreamland using Marc as a mattress. At about 11:45 we pulled the plug on the dancing queen and told her it was time to go home. She was ready.

What a night we had. Gordon and Shanna's family and friends were bathed in a beautiful atmosphere of love. It was truly a very special day thanks to two very special people.

Husband and wife. Clara was the photographer.

The Bubble Kids! They handed out bubbles as everyone left the chapel.

The Gagnon family looking our best

The real Gagnon family!

Clara, Auntie Patricia and Farley.

Tidman girls and a Boyd boy.

What the kids were doing while the bridal party were being photographed.
I think it involved lasers.

Leo's turn with the camera. Hi Auntie Ann Marie!

Mama

Auntie Patricia

Great Balls of BUTTER!
Clara didn't realize you normally cut a dinner roll open before buttering it!

Papa and Clara dancing the night away.

No more dancing for Leo, he was d.o.n.e.

Breakfast meeting with Malcolm.
Backyardigans and froot loops in the hotel restaurant.

2010-09-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

Look who lost his first tooth!

Leo has been waiting and waiting to loose a tooth. Ever since Clara started losing teeth 3 years ago, Leo has been talking about when it would be his turn. Well, his turn came during the first full week of school. Apparently the tooth fell out (or was wiggled free) while Leo was waiting to go outside with the service de garde at lunchtime. He didn't tell anyone that he had a precious pearly white tooth in his hands, he just went out to the yard and played. Well, as you can imagine, he didn't manage to keep hold of his teeny tiny tooth and was soon found frantically searching the yard. The head of the service d'animation happened upon my unhappy boy and he explained that he'd dropped his tooth with tears streaming down his cheeks. She told me afterward that she was really worried that it would be impossible to find such a small thing in such a big space but she put on her glasses and looked down. Wouldn't you know it, she saw the tooth right away! She said she didn't know who was more relived her or Leo. After that near disaster, the tooth was carefully placed in a little ziplock bag and presented to me along with a gap-toothed grin when I came to pick up my very proud son at the end of the day.

I keep catching Leo admiring his new smile in mirrors. He tells me it makes him feel good and more grown up. I think it enhances an already captivating grin.

2010-08-27T09:32:00.001-04:00

First Day of School

7:50am - Successfully out the door on time!

8:00am - In the cours d'ecole waiting to find out which class she'll be in this year.

12:45pm - Finally Leo's turn to go to school for a half day.

2010-08-25T21:31:00.001-04:00

Last day of Summer Vacation!

Today has been a day of highs and lows. Okay, what day is not but just for fun lets see how things went on the last day of the summer break...

High: Spent a lovely day at the park with our friends
Low: No one wanted to leave their friends
High: Bike ride was fun and made the kids happy
Low: I was tired and a bit cranky by the time we made it home again
High: Leo's first tooth became loose while eating corn on the cob!
Low: Leo cried HARD after I read page 3 of Babar. He was so, so, so sad that Babar's mother was killed by a hunter.
High: we put Babar away and Leo opted for the safety and comfort of Green Eggs and Ham instead
High: Clara went to bed without showing much anxiety at all about her first day of grade three. She's been worrying for a few days but tonight she seemed pretty settled.

Now everyone is tucked into bed and I have a lunch to make (a high & a low).

What a great Summer we've had.

2010-08-17T22:22:00.002-04:00

La Fete des Enfants on Ile Jean Drapeau was a big hit for us this year. We went one other time, several years back and were frightened off by the gigantic lineups everywhere! This year I brought the kids on Friday, it was still pretty packed but we managed to have fun despite the throngs. Leo's absolute favorite thing to do was play Katag. It is basically a game of team tag in which you touch the opposing team members with a duct tape sword! Leo "battled" for well over an hour, he absolutely loved it. Right next to the katag field was a demonstration by a cheer-leading team. Clara watched and was then encouraged to come and try a few of the moves they'd presented. She said it was pretty scary to be held so high in the air but she ran back to me with that proud flush in her cheeks that told me it wasn't too scary.

Katag

CHARGE!

Clara on the zip line (Leo went by so fast i didn't get a picture)

Testing out a few cheer-leading moves.

2010-08-03T10:12:00.003-04:00

La Minerve weekend means the anniversary of Leo's seizure a year ago. This year we spent a beautiful weekend with friends enjoying the sun, sand, and water. Much better than spending a fear filled day in the ER!

One of the several frogs Clara caught.

Happy frog catcher

I think Vanessa got caught in the middle of a water fight between Leo, Olaf, and Marc.

First time playing Settlers of Catan

2010-08-03T10:09:00.003-04:00

Day two of Laurel's day camp has started off well. The girls are playing with sticker mosaics and the boys have played Mousetrap and are now repeatedly trapping various small household objects. Not a bad start to a rainy day!

2010-07-04T23:50:00.001-04:00

The Lost Fingers played a concert at the Jazz Festival tonight. How could I not take my girl to a show I knew she'd love on her birthday?

See that smile?

Mother-daughter self portrait during the show (I was holding her on my hip!!!)

Nice night to be 8!

We were only about 10 people back from the front of the stage - it was a great show!

2010-07-04T09:24:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday my Clara B!

Clara celebrated her 8th birthday yesterday with 15 of her closest friends! She planned a party with games that required lots of kids; Bulldog couleur and Kick Ball. We spent about an hour playing in the school yard and then it was back home for cupcakes in the backyard.

Clara "pitching" the ball during the game of Kick Ball

Ravenous kids waiting for strawberry cupcakes

The after-party at St Hubert BBQ

Today is her real birthday. I'm not sure how we can possibly top yesterday's events. If Clara and Leo are not too tired I'd like to take them to the Lost Fingers concert at the Jazz festival tonight - I think that would be an appropriate celebration of growing another year older and another year taller!

2010-06-23T11:08:00.002-04:00

School is over!!! Goodbye pre-maternelle and 2ieme année, its been a great year but, man oh man is this mama happy to welcome Summer vacation. In fact, I'm probably more excited than Clara and Leo.

A huge batch of homemade granola which I divided and gave as good bye gifts to Clara and Leo's teachers.

Carnival in the cour d'école.

ball toss (notice the tongue)

Leo and his buddy Fahim

Clara doing the potato sack race. It was one of the events in the Arc-en-Ciel afternoon rally.

Proudly holding all the golden nuggets they'd collected.

Last day taking the school bus!

2010-05-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

2010-05-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Fun Star Wars video starring Leo, Clara, Marc and Malcolm!

2010-05-05T23:26:00.002-04:00

Go Habs Go!

Leo set up a little shrine to bring the Habs good luck last night in their game against the Penguins. It worked great - until Leo and Clara went to bed at the end of the 2nd period. They were not happy this morning when we had to break the news that not only did the Canadiens loose, but the Penguins got an empty net goal! They are very much against the pulling of the goalie in any situation. So being scored upon when Halak was on the bench was completely unacceptable.

Thankfully the Habs have a few more chances to redeem themselves in the eyes of our little fans. We love playoff hockey!

2010-05-03T23:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday was perfect - Clara and I bonded while shoe shopping and the boys went to Home Depot and bought a new BBQ. Leo was a huge help, the BBQ assembly took two hours and I'm told he was helpful the whole time! It was all very worth it when we had our first BBQ of the season on Sunday - yummy hamburgers. Good work boy team!

2010-04-17T17:25:00.002-04:00

The big craft project reveal.... just a little late. Our fabric ripping and heavy duty gluing were all necessary steps to make this lovely little birds nest. We made two, one for Papa T and Cathy's Easter table and one for home. I got the idea from Growing Up Creative.

Birds nest spring craft.

These cute little guys were my Easter gift tot he kids. For once I looked at cute Easter knitting patterns a few weeks before the long weekend. Yay me! The inspiration for my little bunny friends came from Drops Design.

Bunny egg cozies

2010-04-08T17:12:00.002-04:00

Update: Leo and I just got back from his cast check at the hospital. The bone is still in position which is very good news. We go in again next week for another x ray since apparently, the bones can move for two weeks after an injury. The doctor told us to be prepared for this to be a 6 week cast :( I guess I have to call the pool and officially pull Leo out of swimming lessons this session. He's NOT gonna be happy.

2010-04-07T20:05:00.000-04:00

Easter 2010

Where, oh where to begin? It has been a weekend to go down in our family history books. Our four day vacation from school and work began with such promise; beautiful warm, sunny days in the forecast, park playdates scheduled, Easter egg hunts, and a family lunch in Bromont. We did managed to fit it all in and even tossed in a broken bone and a 8 hour visit to the Montreal Children's ER.

After playing at the park on top of Mount Royal for 3 hours with Clara, Max, Esther, Chloé and Zaco, Leo took a bad fall. He'd been playing on the zip-line structure for 20 minutes and had dropped to the ground about a dozen times but on his last ride something went awry and he landed on his back. I guess he tried to break his fall with his hands but it was clear within seconds that the impact had broken a bone. First, Leo usually bounces back from injuries pretty quickly but this scream was very obviously something more serious and he was not stopping. Second, when I got a peek at the arm, I could tell the shape was not quite right. My mama bear instincts kicked in and I started barking out orders for Marc to pack up our stuff, we were going to the hospital NOW.

We left Clara behind with Karen and thankfully in the moment we were gathering our stuff Jayne pulled out some kids Tylenol for Leo to take which we figure kicked in upon our arrival at the ER. It was a long walk to our car but Marc managed through a combination of adrenaline and pure muscle to carry Leo as gently as he could all the way. The drive to the hospital was one of the more stressful things I've experienced, Leo cycled from screaming, to whimpering, to silence, to moaning "I'm gonna die". It was heartbreaking holding him in the backseat but I think Papa was experiencing even worse stress, he was trying to drive quickly, safely, and smoothly while listening to buddy boy's cries.

Once we got to the ER, everything went pretty smoothly - Leo was seen quite quickly and he had a series of X rays to see what exactly he'd broken. Turned out to be a wrist fracture. I saw the X ray image and it was like the tip of either his radius or ulna was snapped off. It needed to be set so the doctor explained that Leo would need ketamine sedation in order to set the bones before casting. Katamine is some funky stuff. Marc and I were both there when it went in the IV and Leo just sort of stared off into space - eyes don't close when you are sedated with ketamine!

The most entertaining part of the hospital experience was when Leo started waking up after the sedation. Oh man, was he funny! Some of our favorites were:

"Papa, why do you have two heads?"

While flailing his foot with the red light attached to his big toe (to measure blood oxygenation I think) "oooohhhh, look at the lights!"

Leo: "Papa, what is 10+10?" Marc: "20" Leo: "then, I have 20 fingers!"

So, all in all we spent 8 hours in the emergency department and we brought home a very tired boy with a big, heavy cast. What a way to start Easter Weekend!

Like I said before, we still managed to fit in most of our planned Easter activities. The lunch in Bromont with the GIANT egg hunt was certainly a highlight for us all. Two hundred and fifteen eggs for four kids to find anywhere in the backyard - Awesome!

searching for eggs

Gordo followed Leo around carrying his basket. Lucky kid!

2010-03-31T10:16:00.001-04:00

Spring Craft Step 2: Glue. Lots and lots of glue.

Leo managed about 30 seconds with glue on his hands before he begged to wash it off. Turns out he is just like his Papa in that he can't stand to have dirty/sticky hands! Our compromise was that I'd do his dirty work while he directed me. Clara of course, loved every moment of the mess.

Sticky hands

Strips of fabric and lots of glue come together

Close up!

2010-03-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

We are working on a Spring craft project this week.

Step one: Rip fabric into strips and collect other random little bits and pieces from around the house.

Riiiiiip!

Don't give up

Some fabrics refuse to rip, scissors become necessary.

Step 2: Stay tuned.

2010-03-27T09:11:00.002-04:00

RIP Lily :( Last weekend was had to get Lily the rat euthanized. It was unexpected but the decision was not difficult. It won't go into the details but I'll just say it was a traumatic event for Clara, Leo and I (Marc had stayed home, we hadn't expected the vet's prognosis). The waiting room at the vet's office must have gotten quite an earful listening to the sobs of two truly heartbroken kids.

Marc's explanation on the pain of grief has certainly helped Clara, she asked if she would always hurt and cry every night. He told her "the pain from your sadness will fade over time even though you are sad and will always miss Lily." He was right, a week has passed and Clara is doing much better.

Rosie is home with us and has been getting LOTS and lots of extra attention. She is much loved.

Yes, I am also thinking what you are all thinking - all this emotional turmoil over rats!?!? What can I say, a pet is a pet :)

2010-03-05T22:22:00.001-05:00

Olympic fever!

The Olympics may be over but we are still in the spirit.

2010-02-25T10:04:00.003-05:00

Weekend in Ottawa

Celebrating Patricia's birthday

Testing out a ski-doo at Winterlude

Boys on a 4-wheeler

Leo on skiis!

First time down was a bit scary but the second time down was FUN!

Clara mastering the snowplow

Successful lesson completed

Rideau Canal

Girls on skates

2010-02-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

A day at Leo's school:

Valentine's morning program in Ica's class

Mini prof in the afternoon in Sieta's class.

Leo was the mini-prof at school for a whole week. This is a BIG deal in the life of this 5 year-old. He got to plan the afternoon activities for the entire week and invite special guests to visit. On Sunday night we made a plan for the week...
lundi: dance to a CD of my favorite songs.**
mardi: invite Papa T and Cathy and play games like 1,2,3 Soleil and Statue.
mercredi: bring comic books to show the class.
jeudi: bring a snack to share.
vendredi: invite Papa and Clara and have them read stories to the class.

**Leo's song list:
Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night - Black Eyes Peas
Waving Flag - -K'naan
Paparazzi - Lady Gaga
Pump up the Jam - The Lost Fingers
We all live in a Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones

2010-02-14T21:09:00.004-05:00

Presentation of 2nd grade project - Les souris

Presenting her research to Leo and Papa

Clara's presentation on mice was excellent, she knew her stuff and took the presentation very seriously. This is no surprise - she takes all of her school work verrry seriously, sometimes even a bit too seriously. She's a perfectionist and I dare say that is not going to change any time soon.

Apparently the tension in the classroom the day of the parent presentations was palpable. Annie, Clara's teacher confided to us that the kids had been bickering with each other all day which is very unlike their group. Sounds like all of the kids were feeling a certain amount of stress leading up to their big night. Well, they needn't have. They were all on top of their game and presented wonderful projects complete with bibliographies.

Did you know what a bibliography was when you were in grade two? I certainly didn't, but Clara explained it was to thank the author of the book she'd learned from and to prove that she didn't make anything up. Yup, that sounds about right.

2010-02-14T21:08:00.001-05:00

Leo's love bugs

2010-02-04T16:21:00.003-05:00

Why oh why did no one ever tell me about the existence of picture only comic books?

They are perfect for my 5 year-old non-reader who wants to read before bed like his big sister but finds it frustrating to look at picture books without being able to read the text.

Clara introduced us to Game Over which is apparently quite popular with the boys in 2nd grade. I'm not exactly what you'd call a fan but Marc, Leo and Clara poured over the copy we were giving away as a birthday gift just before Christmas. So, great mother and wife I am, I bought a copy and wrapped it up for my family to open on Christmas morning.

Leo has been looking though the book incessantly since December 25th so today I had the bright idea to ask the librarian if there were other comics that he would enjoy. It turns out there are two whole shelves of "première bandes dessinés" at the Plateau library and many of them have no text! I grabbed 5 for Leo and brought them home. He's been engrossed in Rêves de Robot since he walked in the door. This is going to be great, I wonder how long it will take him to blaze through the two shelves...

2010-01-19T20:36:00.003-05:00

Blah, Gastro.

Clara may have a new personal record, she was sick 11 times in one day! Poor girlie. Yes, she kept count.

I've been sick and weak but seem to be on the upswing as I type.

2010-01-14T12:39:00.002-05:00

I knew my next post would not be about the kids. I thought it would might be about my leap into Cross Country skiing this new year. Then I made the decision to take a Doula course this Summer and thought I'd blog about my excitement on that front.

But I can't talk about any of that right now.

My heart and all of my thoughts are in Haiti. I can't stop thinking about Jayne and Jim's sweet little Esther in an orphanage in Carrefour - in the dark.

We are waiting to hear something, anything, in terms of information about the orphanage or the well being of the children. The wait is torture and I am not even the parent who's heart is walking around outside of her body.... in Haiti.

Say a prayer, send positive energy to the universe, do whatever you can for little Esther and her fellow Haitians. They need us.

2010-01-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Of course, not much can beat a new baby in the family but Clara and Leo's first pets are a close second in their review of the Christmas holidays.

Since August we've been discussing getting a pet rat. We started out with the assumption we'd get a hamster or a gerbil but after some research it really seemed like rats were the better choice for us. They are quite social, don't bite and like to be played with. Clara and Leo wanted a pet that they could "do stuff with" so after talking to some people at the local pet store and lots of internet research Marc and I decided that we'd get them a pet rat for Christmas. Since we had so many social commitments right after December 25th we promised that we'd go and get our new pet on December 30th, the first full day we had nothing scheduled.

Problem was, on December 30th I started making phone calls and I was having a hard time locating a young female rat to buy! Luckily I called an Animalerie farther down Mount Royal and spoke to an employee who had recently brought her own two female rats to the shop because her cat did not like them (well, duh!). She was very excited that we were interested in adopting one of them. I was excited they were there since I really wanted a female but I also needed to find one that very day! So, off we went to meet two Siamese rat sisters.

I personally could have done without the red eyes but that did not phase the kids, they were thrilled and chose one of the sisters to bring home. After choosing a cage and then realizing how tall it was, Marc and I decided to bring home both sisters. They could keep each other company and then there would be no bickering between brother and sister about who got to hold their furry friend.

So, let me introduce you to Lily and Rosie. They look almost identical but the easiest way to tell them apart is by the tip of their tails. Rosie has more pink on hers!

happy pet owners

Lily and Rosie's new home with a couple of handmade hammocks for their lounging pleasure.

Leo is wearing his "rat sweater", he gets nervous (and ticklish) when he feels their little claws tickling his skin so he likes the protection of the full sleeves and hood!

2010-01-03T22:40:00.001-05:00

Ottawa Surprise!

We thought we were going to Ottawa to visit with Malcolm, Uncle Ashley and Auntie Patrica but little baby Farley had other plans! Patricia wrote about how it all went down over at The Little Blue Door. We never expected to be so lucky and get to meet the newest member of our family when he was only 3 hours old!

The big cousins hanging out

Clara holds baby Farley for the first time (we were calling him "Cousin It" back then)

Surrounded by admirers

Leo lovin' on his new cousin

2009-12-30T11:37:00.001-05:00

Now our condo has a third bedroom. And the best part is, Clara and Leo built it all by themselves!

Thanks Malcolm, Uncle Ashley and Auntie Patricia!

2009-12-29T13:33:00.002-05:00

Christmas schedule 2009
December 19th Holiday Party at our house
December 20th Church holiday spectacular
December 23th Afternoon in Dorval playing with 2nd cousins.
December 23/24th Clara at friend's Birthday party
December 25th afternoon and evening at Max's house
December 26th Christmas with PapaT, Cathy and the fam.
December 27th drive to Ottawa to visit with Malcolm.
December 28th meet Cousin It, drive back to Montreal, dinner party at friend's.
December 29th Christmas meal with Grand-maman Diane and fam.
Whew, more to come...

2009-12-28T23:51:00.000-05:00

The cousins, minus little Cousin It ;)

2009-12-25T23:29:00.000-05:00

Christmas Pyjamas...

T'was the night before Christmas...

Christmas Morning just before diving in.

The aftermath!

2009-12-24T20:41:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Gagnon family!

We didn't get around to sending Christmas cards this year, so instead we decided to make a holiday video!

2009-12-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

We just watched Goonies. Yes, the Steven Spielberg movie made in 1985. Marc saw it at the library on Sunday and HAD to have it. Poor Leo, he almost didn't make it through the whole thing - too much excitement, too many scary parts, and some scary imagery had him under a blanket, hopping around on my lap, and hiding behind the living room chair. Of course, each time I offered to go with him to his bedroom to read or play, he brushed me off and kept his eyes firmly stuck on the screen. At the end of the movie he was so relieved, we could see it all over his face. He says he liked the movie and he certainly really did enjoy some of the comedic parts but he quickly proclaimed that he doesn't want to see it ever again!

Last night's movie was my pick - Home Alone. That one also had a few scenes that had Leo under the blanket but not nearly as many as tonight's cinematic offering. The slapstick physical comedy was right on target for our family. We were laughing out loud, cheering, and sometimes even groaning when the robbers were dealing with the wrath of Macaulay Culkin.

Tomorrow night Clara will be at a sleepover so I don't know what movie we'll watch then. There is a very good possibility that Leo will try to convince Marc to play a Star Wars video game instead of another movie or, he'll suggest one of the Star Wars films. It is not like he's seen those a dozen times already!

2009-12-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

We've come out on the other side of our first crazy weekend of Christmas break! It has been a busy 48 hours full of good times with friends and family. Our holiday party was wonderful as always. I love seeing so many friends all in one place and at one time. Of course, it got pretty intense for a while but that is to be expected with a whack of big kids hopped up on sugar!

Clara and Leo were so helpful with party planning this year. I can really measure time passing by this annual event, they change so much in the space of 12 months.

Yesterday we walked away from the-disaster-that-is-our-house and went to a multi-generational service at church. Clara and Leo took part by singing Here We Come a Wasailing and Little Drummer Boy. The four of us stood to act out 2 turtle doves in a very fun rendition of Twelve Days of Christmas. After the service we stuck around for a community lunch that was delicious (made even more delicious by the fact that I didn't have to make it). We were home just in time for a nice nap and then it was off again to Papa T and Cathy's for a meal and a Christmas concert at Papa T's new church.

Busy days I tell ya!

Clara learned the value of a nap this weekend as she very reluctantly fell asleep on Sunday afternoon. Leo ended up just playing quietly during the rest period so he was out for the count by 9pm. However, the well rested lady of the house was then able to stay up late to hang out with her parents, which seems to be something you desire when you are 7 :)

2009-12-18T16:42:00.001-05:00

Christmas VACATION!!!!!!

2009-12-17T13:00:00.002-05:00

Wow, how can it only be 1pm??? I'm exhausted. Today is particularly cold so I decided for the sake of our extremities to take Leo to school on the sled this morning. It was the right decision - the wind chill is brutal. Once i got home the plan was to take the car to the garage to get the winter tires installed (finally), pick up money for Ashley's kijiji purchase, then come home and wait for the delivery while finishing up the kid's teacher's gifts.

Things did not go exactly as I'd anticipated when I couldn't even get the car OUT of the darned garage! I spent some time chipping away at the ice and packed snow and tried again - still burning rubber and me not on the street. One of the old guys from across the street opened his window yelled that I'd get out if I gunned it up the hill. I just couldn't do it - I'm new at all this. By now it was time to go to the bank so I headed off. I got home just in time to receive Ashley's new bike and a call about another delivery (Santa visited a bit early) so I had to wait around for awhile before attempting the car extraction again.

When I finally made it outside again and was preparing myself for attempt number three, the garage door opened and a nice friendly neighbor pulled in. I decided to hop out and ask for help. I'm so glad I did. He drove my car out (spinning wheels and all) and I thanked him profusely trying not to look like a complete goof in the process. So now, I just have to get the teacher gifts done and the million other things I'd hoped to get accomplished today. Tonight is Clara's school holiday spectacle and community dinner. It should be lots of fun. Pictures to come (I hope).

Wish me luck!

2009-12-14T21:34:00.003-05:00

Holiday baking has officially begun! Thanks to Jayne and Karen, three baked goods have been checked off my list for the Christmas Party here on Saturday. Now I've got to keep up the momentum. Usually I try to bake a batch of something every day, we'll see how that goes, this week is getting busier and busier.

Tomorrow is Leo's MRI. It is his last follow up test after the seizure he had in August. I don't expect anything to show up that will cause us concern; I really trust the neurologist when he says this test will provide one last assurance that Leo is fine. The challenge will be fasting until the 11:15 appointment time. I hope he sleeps in past Clara's breakfast time, that will make things much easier I think.

2009-12-13T23:11:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a busy weekend. Church today for the kids and I then Clara had a play date with Ruby while Leo went to a birthday party - another all girl birthday party. I'm not sure how he's racking in all these invites but this is not the first time Leo has been the only boy at a little girl's party. The birthday girl's Mom told Marc how important it was to her daughter that Leo be invited. I guess Leo's experience having a big sister is paying off for him already, he obviously knows how to befriend little ladies!

2009-12-12T21:14:00.003-05:00

Its been an extremely busy 24 hours... so much so that all I can muster is a little quote from Leo this evening while we were decorating the tree:

"This is lots of work. We're like the elves that work with Santa!"

The Arc en Ciel bazar was a great success today and last nights bookclub was such a lovely, relaxed evening with friends. Mike babysat all 4 kids at our house so that I could attend. The deal was PS3 and chocolate chip cookies in exchange for kid duty!

2009-12-10T18:46:00.003-05:00

The Olympic torch relay went up Saint Laurent Blvd this evening. Marc suggested we go see it. As he put it, it is one of those things that you only get to see a few times in your life - we both remember standing outside in McMasterville in 1988 watching the torch pass by our high school.

So, off we went with a thermos of hot chocolate and two cups. It was cold and the wait seemed kinda long when Leo was asking every 30 seconds if it was going to be here soon. But, after about 30 police cars with lights flashing we saw a spot of fire moving up the street. Apparently it was a Quebecois comedian that was carrying the torch when it went by our little spot on the street, of course his name didn't mean a thing to me and I'm afraid I've already forgotten it.

waiting

waiting with hot chocolate

waiting while being distracted by hot chocolate

The flame!

2009-12-09T22:57:00.000-05:00

Snow, snow, snow!!! It is here and it makes me happy - for a few hours anyway.

Watching the flakes fall while tucked away at home hanging out with Leo was perfect. We put together a puzzle, did some colouring, made a crock pot dinner (Leo thought the raw beef was dégueulasse but he smiled the whole time he was holding it), and baked chocolate chip cranberry cookies. When it was time to go meet Clara after school we were excited to get bundled up in our full snow gear.

The walk was slow and I had to tug the boy along but once Clara was safely picked up we were all able to amble home slowly. Clara collected little icicles and Leo cleaned off the sides of parked cars.

When we finally made it home I reached out the shovels and we got to work clearing our front stairs as well as part of the driveway and several of our neighbors' entrances as well. Clara was determined to clear our downstairs' neighbor's entry way which is no small feat since it requires throwing snow out of their sunken terrace! Of course, my determined girl did it all on her own with not a bit of help from me - that stubborn streak certainly has its advantages. Sometimes Clara reminds me of a certain middle sister when she gets that determined look on her face ;)

2009-12-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

Today has been a good day.

I strung my brand new, and oh-so-cool solar powered Christmas lights on the front stairs.
I got the grocery shopping done so I won't have to run to the store during tomorrows predicted snowstorm
I hung out with Ann Marie and borrowed clothes from her.
I had a HUGE bowl of seafood noodle soup for lunch.
We skipped homework and left the tv OFF in favour of making paper snowflakes this afternoon.
The oh-so-cool solar powered lights WORKED. We have a very festive stairway.
I did not take the bait and rise to the attitude of my 7-year old. Remaining calm really does work!!
Said 7 year-old was really very pleasant to be around once we'd established that we are friends and not enemies.
I think I've secured some winter tires for the new car!

2009-12-07T22:44:00.003-05:00

We watched the season finale of The Amazing Race this evening. It is just about the only "grown up" tv show the kids watch. The stress of the last leg of the race just about killed Clara and Leo, they were so excited and the team in the lead kept switching. Leo was literally rocking and bouncing on the couch beside Marc. At one point Marc suggested Leo try to stay still. Leo's reply: "but I need to pee!!!" Silly boy, we were watching pre-recorded TV, we could have hit pause 20 minutes earlier and saved him some significant discomfort.

Now that our family TV show is over, we'll be able to catch a few Christmas movies and shows on TV. I haven't looked at the schedule yet, I hope I haven't missed all the good ones already. What movies and specials will you be watching this holiday season?

2009-12-05T17:59:00.003-05:00

I braved the crowds downtown today. I won't be doing that again this year. I looked at everything I needed to see and bought a few things. Everything else I need to buy for the holidays will either be purchased through a click of my mouse or locally in the neighborhood.

Clara and Leo spent the afternoon at home with Marc playing video games and building with Lego. In fact, they all had Lego shooting devices in hand when I got home. Apparently they'd been inspired by the story in the news about a dude who had a Lego gun at work. As the story goes, dude was showing his geeky purchase of a Lego gun to some coworkers when someone saw through the window what looked like a REAL, and very frightening weapon. They did what any concerned citizen would do (I hope) and called the police. Next thing he knew, the SWAT team burst into dude's office and handcuffed him. It was quickly sorted out and verified that the gun was indeed made of Lego.

Marc and the kids were curious to see how realistic their creations could be.... hence, all the brightly coloured shooters upon my return.

2009-12-04T01:34:00.004-05:00

I made both kids new rice bags to heat up and take to bed with them. Clara's has a bit of lavender in it which she loves. Leo's has no scent added but that doesn't stop him from shoving it to his nose, breathing in deeply and saying "mmm rice pudding!"

2009-12-03T23:16:00.005-05:00

As usual, Leo took his sweet time walking to school this morning, but he looked so darned cute in his rain-suit and froggy umbrella that I couldn't have cared less. We puddle jumped and sang The Ants Go Marching as loud as we could while trying to drown out the sounds of the pouring rain. In the end we got to school half an hour late. Oh well, it seems you can get away with stuff like that when you are in pre-maternelle!

After school Leo and I built a Christmas tree, a Santa, two elves, and a sleigh out of duplo. Clara was playing at a friend's house so the boy and I were able to really get down to the business of building with no interruptions. We don't get very many opportunities to play alone together anymore it really was a special treat.

2009-12-02T21:45:00.005-05:00

he kids started working on a little project for the the Arc-en-Ciel bazar this evening. They made holiday cards with nothing but pads of coloured ink, their thumbs and a fine tip pen. Last year we did the same project for our own holiday cards but unfortunately our card list was longer than our energy. That means if you got a cute fingerprint art card from us last year consider yourself lucky. To everyone else, sorry :( This year, I figured it would be more fun to make them without the pressure of a mailing deadline. Wanna see a couple?

Two of Clara's creations

In other news, we are now owners of an automatic car. I know, I know, most people would say this is a downgrade from the old manual transmition but I'm thrilled!

2009-12-01T13:43:00.003-05:00

nd so it begins... the countdown to Christmas is upon us. I've been so caught up in living our daily life that a whole month has gone by with not a note written nor a memory jotted down. I've decided to challenge myself this advent and write one new blog post per day. It will be my grown-up advent calender I guess. Gearing up for the Christmas holiday is always a fun and sometimes stressful. I'd like to limit the stress and focus on that warm fuzzy feeling Christmas brings to me. This challenge will help me.

Christmas is such a magical time for Clara and Leo. Their anticipation is building and despite Clara's knowing winks and nods they are both thrilled by the thought of Santa's upcoming visit.

Last night we hung our traditional felt Christmas tree advent calender. After some negotiation it was decided that Leo would hang the first pom pom in the morning. After that decision was made I surprised them with a second advent calender - a lego adevent calender! Each day they get to open a door and find a lego bonhomme or accessory. It was a total splurge but I just know it will be such a fun surprise every day.

This morning, both kids woke up early and in bright spirits (love it - even if it means they are kinda loud and pretty of overwhelming first thing in the morning) . Neither of them thought of the calenders until after they'd eaten their cereal. I managed to convince both of them to get dressed for school and as soon as they were done I found them on their knees squeezed tight together peering at the numbers on the lego calender. Très Cute!

2009-11-01T21:05:00.003-05:00

Halloween 2009, also know as the year Clara dumped us to go off trick or treating with her friends! As a result, not a single picture of Clara the ballerina was captured :(

Luke Skywalker at school

Luke and a tough Cincinnati Bengal football player

Clara's cat pumpkin and Leo's Jack O'Lantern

2009-10-24T16:21:00.003-04:00

Clara watched Marc distribute some caramel popcorn for our viewing of Superman 2.

Clara: Hey, you are not counting them!
Marc: What???
Clara: to keep it even.
Marc: (laughing) that goes on the blog!
Clara: ok, whatever, put it on the blog... that bowl has more!

2009-10-21T18:59:00.002-04:00

Lets just recap for a moment...

3 weeks ago Leo had roseola. He was off school for a week.
1 week ago Leo had scarlet fever. He was off school for 3 days, it would have been 4 but Thanksgiving Monday was a vacation day - not that he got to really enjoy it :(
Today Leo's "cold" has turned nasty. I'm even wondering if it might be "flu" He's got a fever, a terrible, wet cough, headache, and not much energy. It could be just another random virus but the cough and sound in his chest make me wonder. I guess I'll wait to see what tomorrow brings before I decide how to deal.

Poor guy, he really just can't catch a break. Send him some strong immune system wishes - please?

2009-10-20T22:08:00.002-04:00

This blog is usually reserved for Clara and Leo and our life as it revolves around them but I can't not post about Marc's most recent accomplishment. Last Sunday he ran his first 10km race! He's been working towards this particular race all Summer and Clara, Leo and I were so proud and excited to watch him cross the finish line with a final sprint.

With another loop of Parc Lafontine to go...

Sprinting to the finish line

Next year Clara is very serious about running the 1km or even the 2km race. Now that she's seen what a running race is all about (and the loot you bring home) she's planning on following in her Papa's footsteps. Leo, on the other hand seems pretty happy to cheer people on from the side lines. Maybe he'll feel differently in a year or two!

2009-10-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

Leo's 5th birthday!

The Death Star cake

Leo wanted a Star Wars birthday cake, this is what I came up with!

Cupcakes at school

Dancing with his classmates

2009-10-06T23:39:00.000-04:00

After 3 weeks of walking back and forth to school Leo asked to take the school bus home. We'd always discussed taking the school bus later in the year but I did not think he'd be the one to initiate the change in plan. After just one day on the bus he was sold. I haven't picked him up after school since. He tells me he likes waiting for the bus at the end of the day, apparently a teacher waits with them and they sing songs together and he likes riding with his new friend Fahim and his new girlfriend Maielie. The school bus drops him off right in front of Clara's school about 5 minutes before the final bell, the timing couldn't be more perfect. All around, the bus is a big, fat WIN!

First day taking the school bus

2009-09-18T15:11:00.001-04:00

If you'd have asked me yesterday I would have told you we could stand to get rid of about 50% of our toys. Board games and books we use, but toys not so much. Of course, there are a few things that get played with regularly like the animals and the Star Wars figurines. Things like Clara's collection of Littlest Petshop and Polly Pockets don't see much action anymore.

Today, at 3pm on the first ped day of the school year I can report that every toy has been touched at some point over the last 6 hours. Clara and Leo have been playing non-stop all day with just about everything we own! The train set is out, the mini Barbie castle is set up, there are princess and fairy figurines carefully placed (in a Little People garage), and the Littlest Petshop animals are lined up. I can't follow the game even a little bit but it is clearly fun and imaginative and has taken them both to another place.

By all accounts school is going very well for both kids, they've settled into their new routines beautifully. However, what has become very obvious to me over the course of the day is just how wonderful it feels to stay home (wearing pyjamas in Leo's case) and loose yourself in pure, imaginative, unstructured play. I'm forever thankful that we can provide this luxury for our kids. They are thriving.

2009-09-12T11:13:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

I've entered a contest by a Montreal Photographer. She is offering a FREE photography session and a CD full of digital images to the family that gets the most votes. So, if you wish to see more (beautiful) pictures of Clara and Leo (and Marc and Laurel) please go and visit her blog and vote for family #2 in the comment box. It really is in your best interest!

Thanks for helping us out!

2009-09-09T22:39:00.004-04:00

Clara brought home this picture from school today. She told me it is the bedroom she wishes to have.
Of special note:

There are stairs leading to the room which indicates it is on an upper level.
There is a loft bed with no other bed below it, bottom bunk seems to have been replaced by a desk.
There is a large tv screen and a pile of DVDs stacked beside it.
There is a small animal cage (including wheel) beside the bed.
There is a bookshelf, I can only assume it is filled with Théa Stilton & Winx Club books.

Yes, the begging for her own room (and a pet) has officially begun. Marc and I always knew this day would come but we are still not prepared for it. We certainly can't do anything about it right now anyway - and I'm certainly not giving up my room!

2009-09-04T10:12:00.002-04:00

Grand-Maman Annette's 90th birthday party

Grand-maman, Laurel, Grand-Papa, Marc, Uncle Alex, Clara,
Grand-Maman Annette, and Leo.

2009-09-04T10:03:00.002-04:00

La Rentrée Scolaire 2009!

First day of 2iem année

First day of pre-maternelle.

2009-08-31T23:04:00.000-04:00

Purple party on Saint Laurent Blvd thanks to Kids Pop Montreal.

funky hair do

rock star stare

showing off a tongue trick

not to be outdone, this guy has tricks of his own!

pretty angel in allstars

2009-08-07T02:14:00.012-04:00

Leo is having a sleep deprived EEG test at 8am. We were given instructions to let him sleep from 10pm-2am and them keep him awake until testing time. Clara is sleeping over at Chloé's so we've got the house to ourselves for this great adventure. Here goes...

2:08am - We are UP! Leo just needed a bit of prodding but he woke up with a smile on his face. It is a good start. Now we are eating cereal. We figure we may as well try to confuse our bodies into believing that it is morning.

2:22am - Tap Tap revenge anyone? I love my new ipod touch.

2:36am - Marc is gonna teach Leo how to play Lego Star Wars on the PS2 and then Leo tells me he's gonna teach me how to play later. He's been very excited about this since we first talked about partying all night long. I have a definite impression we'll be at this for awhile :)

4:15am - Leo is still going strong with Lego Stars, Marc and I not so much. We are tired. Yikes, Leo wants me to play now but I don't think my eyeballs will allow it. OK, now he's agreed to make banana bread with me for our second breakfast in few hours. That will get us moving around and awake a bit more. Marc has decided he needs a shower now, he's hoping the water will help him.

4:55am - Chess lesson commencing. I can't imagine it lasting too long, neither boy has much mental clarity at this point but Leo is insistent. I just offered him some lemonade (to help perk him up) but he politely declined. I think I'll pour some anyway and just set it in front of him and maybe some water too.

5:04am - That's it, I'm making coffee now.

5:35am - I didn't give them enough credit, they finished the game. It is getting light outside, we're going to head outside to see if Juancho the cat is out and to take a walk around the block. Leo is insisting in walking in his pyjamas. Oh wait, I have to stay home and keep an eye on the banana bread. It is smelling good.

5:45am - it was a short walk. The lemonade had Leo doing the pee pee dance so he came back. No Juancho so no good reason to hold it I guess either. Buddy boy is begging for more Lego Star Ward video game, but I think Marc is sick of it. Sounds like they are negotiating another game choice.

6:00am - Little Einsteins episode. There was a meltdown when Marc couldn't bear playing video games for Leo's entertainment (I'm told that the big problem is that Leo doesn't want Marc to play the games he likes). I'm watching him like a hawk, no sleep allowed!!!

6:30am - Eating yummy, warm banana bread. More little Einsteins to come, he was very alert during the whole episode.

7:15 am - heading out the door!

10:35 - We are home and EXHAUSTED. Test went fine, it didn't show any abnormalities. The specialist will review it later this afternoon but the doctor told us not to worry, everything looks great. Going to bed...

2009-08-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

Copy of my facebook status from last night: Laurel is getting over one of the scariest experiences ever, Leo had a seizure early this morning and we spent all day in the ER getting tests run to figure out why. We have a few guesses but no real answer yet. He's feeling fine now. I'm not.

The long explanation is; Leo had an early morning seizure right beside me, in my bed. He seized for a short time, maybe 30-45 seconds and then was unresponsive until after we'd called 911 and taken an ambulance ride to the Children's Hospital. The seizure itself was horrible; his lips were blue, his eyes rolled up and the whites of his eyes were grey but the 20-30 minutes of unresponsiveness was worse. I can't explain with words the relief I felt when he "woke up", looked straight at me and said "Mama?"

We spent about 12 hours at the hospital because the seizure was not fever induced so we had to look for other possible explanations. Leo was a champ all day long. Every nurse and technician praised him (and me) for his bravery and great attitude - he had blood tests, an EEG, a CAT scan, and an EKG. The EEG showed some slowing in the frontal lobe and it was this result that warranted the CAT scan.

After all the tests were done a neurologist came down to examine Leo and ask me a million questions. Then a second neurologist (a head honcho type) joined us and he explained what he thought was going on and said that we'd need to do a sleep deprived EEG in the next couple of weeks to try to confirm his suspicions. Leo will also be scheduled for an MRI and that should round out his use of the medical system.

The doctors think that the seizure is a symptom of a syndrome associated with migraines (BECRS). It is benign and typically is outgrown by the age of 15. The chances are high that he'll never have another seizure but if he does have more there are meds that are very effective in treating them. Overall prognosis is great, now that we've seen inside Leo's head we know there are no lesions, or tumors or other frightening possibilities. We did however confirm the size of Leo's head, the neurologist measured it and immediately commented "he has big head." He then measured my head and said, no, it is not from you. Does his father have a big head? I had to call Marc and get him to measure his own head so we could compare. Turns out Leo doesn't have a genetic good reason for the size of his noggin and this is the reason for the upcoming MRI (I think).

So, Leo is acting perfectly fine and normal now. Marc and I are still a bit gun shy. We are staying home from camping at La Minerve with everyone which is a huge disappointment. Hopefully we'll figure out a way to camp and or at least have a campfire soon since the kids are both very disappointed. I'll be waiting for phone calls next week giving me the dates for the upcoming round of testing which means I don't even know if we are going to be able to go to Toronto at all. I'm bummed. I'm glad my boy is going to be fine but I don't like being afraid and I don't like being forced to stay in town during the time I'd intended for "vacation." I'm sure I'll feel differently in another day or two, we'll figure stuff out, we always do :)

2009-07-29T09:44:00.003-04:00

The weather has not exactly been what we'd expected for July but we have not let the never ending "risk of thunder showers" dampen our Summertime fun. We've managed to do all sorts of fun activities close to home, swimming, however has been the staple of the Summer of 2009. We've made multiple trips to Piscine Laurier and Levesque and we've visited Piscine Schubert, Jean Drapeau and the Beach on isle Jean Drapeau one time each. The kids seem to spend more and more of their time underwater, either diving for treasures (Clara) or doing flips and corkscrews (Leo). We've spent time with Chloé and Zaco, Ruby, Max and John. We haven't seen any of Clara's school friends but she has not requested that I set things up so I guess spending the Summer with her family and her old friends suits her just fine :)

On Sunday Marc suggested we do an experiment à la Mythbusters. We showed the kids a Youtube video of the infamous diet coke and mentos eruption. Leo seemed pretty sure that the myth would be "busted" but Clara though it was possible. They headed off to the pharmacy to buy the necessary items and were home again in no time ready to test what they'd seen. As you can hear in Leo's voice, he was pretty impressed that it worked, Marc and I were kinda disappointed, we though the fountain of coke would be higher. It was fun and I think we'll have to pick another experiment to test soon, any suggestions?

On Saturday I finally convinced the kids to join Marc and I on a mountain walk. There was quite a bit of whining at the outset but it did dissipate with the help of trail mix and secret paths. In the end we walked for over two hours and Leo only fell twice and managed to either get stung or pricked by a trail-side plant once (I still don't know exactly what happened, I do know it hurt and caused his hand to swell briefly) . Considering how stumbly he was, his final stats are actually quite good!

Rambling on Mount Royal

2009-07-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

2009-07-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

Our Farm Vacation in Vankleek Hill

2009-06-19T09:44:00.003-04:00

The specialists at Arc-en-Ciel (that means the gym teacher, music teacher and art teacher) organized and coordinated an end of year spectacle with the students that knocked our socks off! It was Cirque de Soliel-esque with music, song, acrobatics and dancing.

As always, Clara the performer enjoyed her time in the spotlight but she did gave me permission to tell the truth about my favorite part of the show "you don't have to say my part was your favourite mama, tell me the truth okay?" To be honest, I can't even pick just one act that was my favorite; the gumboot dance was excellent, the drumming on recycling boxes was fun, the music made by tapping different lengths of plastic tubing was funny, and Clara's class playing xylophones and singing Les Chansons Comique was painfully cute. All the kids had their faces painted to be insect like creatures and they came to school dressed in mono-tone colours. Clara was a little sauterelle, a grasshopper.

2009-06-17T21:26:00.002-04:00

Why today was exciting...

Two unrelated events sure shook up our street today. First, this morning a fire alarm was tripped in our building (on of the other condos) and three fire trucks came screaming to a halt at our front door; there were firemen with axes, with extinguishers, and walkie-talkies. It was all very exciting and it made Leo and I late for our park date with Stephanie, Mathieu and Gabriel. Then in the evening, just after I'd tucked the kids in to bed I went outside to toss the garbage on the curb and I was faced with a huge chunck of tree laying across the entire street! All the neighbors were out milling around and according to them it had just snapped off the tree. Earlier in the day it had been stormy and there had been some thunder and lightening but apparently whenthe giant branch went down it was not due to particularly bad weather. As far as I could tell the only casualty was a little Mazda 5 who happened to be parked in the wrong spot on the wrong day. Bad luck for someone :(

2009-06-16T14:53:00.002-04:00

No Summer move for us. Summer vacation plans here I come. Wohoo!!!! What a ride, we are feeling pretty good about the process though. Sure learned a lot.

2009-06-15T09:45:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we decided to back out of our contract for the condo. After the inspection we found a few problems that we were unaware of when we made our offer and we felt that the price was no longer fair. After discussing it with Jim and Jayne (current ancestral home owners) we decided we'd need to do about $20,000 of work to be able to use the space as we'd originally envisiioned. We told our agent yesterday (Sunday) that we'd still be interested in the property if the seller would drop her price by that much. We expected to be turned down cold but... we still haven't heard back!!! So, still playing the waiting game. If it is meant to be ours it will happen, that is still my feeling, same as when we started this insane journey.

2009-06-08T22:09:00.004-04:00

Condo purchase update:
Natasha has brought it to my attention that I've left you in suspense long enough. The counter-counter offer was accepted! We are on to phase two of the adventure which is to have the building inspected. Since we are talking about a 125 year old building we think it is pretty important to have it carefully looked over before we make our final decision to buy. I'm completely freaked out by the amount of work that is loming over our head if this all goes through as planned. We've got to get this place sell ready, pack up 8 years worth of stuff and move it 2 blocks away!!! Seems like an aweful lot of effort but I know it will be worth it in the end.

2009-06-06T21:12:00.002-04:00

We are lucky. Thanks to McGill's department of theology we have a whole new branch on our family tree. Cathy and Dad, or Papa T as he is better known on this blog, met at McGill while they were pursuing their second (or maybe third) careers. On Saturday we were invited to watch Cathy become an ordained minister of the United Church. Clara and Leo were thrilled to participate in the ceremony by leading Cathy out of the service carrying a pole with flowing ribbons. It was a glorious day and there were smiles abound :)

2009-06-03T21:37:00.004-04:00

Here is a little slide show of the coldest, wettest family camping trip we've undertaken. At least we were in great company, 24 other families from Clara's school joined in on the insanity :) In the end, only a camp chair and Leo's new raincoat sustained permanent damage, both flew into the fire in a rare dry (but windy) moment!

2009-06-01T00:06:00.002-04:00

No news on the condo front, they countered our offer and we've now countered their counter. It is complicated and stressful but Marc and I are remaining calm and hopeful. Clara and Leo sort of know what is going on, Leo expressed concern that we'd be leaving all of our stuff here if we move. He's much happier now knowing that he'll be sleeping in his bed no matter where we live!

2009-05-30T14:09:00.003-04:00

There is waayyy too much going on in our world right now to even begin to consider trying to catch up with my blog. I've got pictures of the following recent activities to share and hopefully I'll managed to get it done now that I've gone ahead and written down my intention...

Camping at Mont Tremblant
Leo's spectacle and graduation from Carrefour des Petites Soleils
Carrefour picnic
Imagine exhibit at le Musée des Beaux-Arts

Right now Chloé and Zaco are staying with us, Karen and Mike had an out of town family funeral to attend so I picked up the kids after school. They are very happy to be together (well, the girls certainly are) and other than the increased food consumption and overall volume, the weekend is pretty much playing out as any would with half the number of little boys and girls.

Oh and yeah, we made an offer on a new condo last night. The agent thought is was lots of fun making life changing decisions sitting just meters away from 4 kids who were eating pizza and watching Space Buddies.

2009-05-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

When Clara stumbled out of her room this morning she had a goofy grin on her face. She told me she'd dreamed that 3 small, shiney, metalic iPods had dropped into our backyard. One was green, another yellow and the last one was blue. That's weird huh mama?

2009-05-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

This kids got the camera...

2009-04-30T09:03:00.002-04:00

So, Marc and I are fans of the Fail Blog. As a result fail has become part of our every day vocabulary. Whenever something doesn't work out as planned, breaks, or is just silly we simply announce "FAIL" then giggle a bit and move on.

On Sunday morning, Leo showed Marc how closely he pays attention to our vocabulary. At swimming lessons Leo was practising pushing off from the wall into Marc's arms. He's gotten pretty good and usually shoots himself a good distance with his head underwater and everything. One time he must have slipped and instead of moving forward he just kind of sunk. Without missing a beat Leo shouted "FAIL" and went back to the wall to try again. Marc is proud of his boy not only for his swimming ability but for his perfect application of "fail." I wonder what will be next for our Net savvy 4 year-old?

2009-04-19T23:41:00.005-04:00

Lovely lady

Oh how we love the weekend!!!

Today Clara and I celebrated Earth Day at the UU church we've been attending this Winter while the boys went to their swimming lesson. Clara's RE group got up and performed We've Got the Whole World In Our Hands in American Sign Language! They were fantastic, they'd been practising for weeks and once again I got to see how much my daughter LOVES to perform. She told me in her own words what a rush she'd felt after the performance. In fact, after the service at coffee hour a gentleman came up and told me that I have to "get that girl in theater camp this Summer - she'll love it!"

To continue on our Earth Day theme we ended up taking a family bike ride to Parc Lafontine. The artificial lake has not been filled yet so Leo and Clara got to spend some time walking through the pebbled bottom throwing sticks and rocks in puddles that have formed.

That is Leo way out there.

I never remember to get a picture of Leo and I riding our bike so here it is resting at the park.

YIKES!!!

2009-04-14T22:57:00.000-04:00

There is not too much to say about Easter Sunday itself, it is the day we decided to rest. Unfortunately, Marc and I forgot about the early start we'd be enjoying when we stayed up too late on Friday night. Our excited little Easter fans were up and begging us to join them in the living room while they tore the place apart to look for eggs that the Easter Bunny had left behind. So, at 7am we begrudgingly hauled ourselves out of bed and oversaw the annual egg hunt. Problem was, at 7:30 it was all over and Marc and I were up for the day!!! Marc managed to solve his share of the dilemma by falling asleep on the couch. I'll spare him by not posting the dozens of pictures the kids took of him while he slept! There are pictures of him alone, pictures of Leo sitting in front of him, and pictures of Clara with her big, gap-toothed grin sitting with her Papa who is oblivious to it all.

On Easter Monday we were able to visit with the family out in Bromont, after a yummy roast beef lunch we all head out (at a much more reasonable hour I may add) to do our final hunt of the season. This time E.B. you know, Easter Bunny had another plan, he hid his treasures outside. That E.B. is a tricky little guy, the kids had to really keep their eyes peeled to find all the golden bunnies hopping about the yard.

A beautiful Spring afternoon in Bromont.

Clara and Leo managed to spend most of the afternoon outdoors either helping with a bit of yard work, playing in the tree house or rambling in the woods. Thanks to Cathy, Clara even came home with a pet worm named Simone! So, as I'm sure we all can imagine after such a busy and fun weekend full of activity the car ride home quickly went from smiles and chatter to lolling heads and the sound of heavy breathing.

Before and after pictures from the drive home. Lucky Ann Marie right?