Week in Review

Our plan was originally to stay at the cottage until Tuesday and then make our way home during Hunter's nap in order to get back in time for soccer.  That plan was then changed to us coming home Sunday.  We've spent the past week puttering around the house and getting a lot of stuff done, which is fantastic!

Here are some pics from the week.

You can't go to MEC and not play in the tents.

puzzles with Nana.

My aunt Lorene is visiting from Calgary.  We had a nice catch up with her on Monday.

James got up with the boys on Tuesday morning and when I woke up, I found them outside working away....it took them 30 minutes to even notice I was up....they were so engrossed in their play!

The men who fixed our garage left behind some rocks (at our request) and they have immediately become a construction zone. 

The highlight for the week, for us, was Wednesday.  James and I were able to slip away for a few hours and catch a movie (Horrible bosses) and then went for a walk and split a piece of pizza for dinner (which we ate sitting on a curb, near some sort of rodent trap outside of the movie theatre....so very romantic!).  While we were out, James' parents spent some time with the boys.  James then went on to a farmer's meeting (our mayor and most of the councillors were in attendance too) at the Rowntree's with my dad which lasted until 10:30.....the topic was, of course, the proposed highway.  A hot topic of conversation in our neck of the woods.

It was so very nice to have the week off with James...I'm so excited for the many projects we have on the go...although, as I sit here typing, he's chasing a barn swallow out of our dining room....never a dull moment!!

Happy almost Friday!

Happy birthday Lucas!

This weekend started out on kind of a low note for me.  I was feeling a wee bit stressed Friday morning, because I felt like there were a million things for me to do and the fact that I had the kids in tow was stressing me out.  I wasn't sure I would be able to get everything done......and then the bathroom sink "blew up".  There is literally a giant hole in the pipe.  That was the straw that broke the camels back (as they say).  I freaked out.  By freak out, I mean FREAK OUT.  I couldn't stop crying.  James was a bit flabbergasted.  He's used to me being emotional, but this was a tad ridiculous.

Anyways, he took Drew out to help him feed the cows, I had a little quiet time with my youngest and all was better when they returned.

The day got better after that...thank goodness.

We went to a cooking class that morning, which was a bit overwhelming, but the boys loved their smoothies so I was glad we went.

From there we went to get some groceries, picked out/bought Luc's birthday gift and then headed to our new library where the kids picked out some books for the weekend.

It was home from there, where Hunter had a nap (after a bit of a fight...he did NOT want to go down) and then we headed to the Merry's and then to my parents.  

The boys and their dog.

Drew wrote his name on these sticky notes so that James would know who he was when we picked him up at work.

 From my parents, we headed to the airport to pick James up and then it was off to the cottage.  It was Luc's annual cottage party this weekend to celebrate his birthday.

The boys at the farmer's market...Hunter was loving the popcorn samples (we ended up buying a bag, he loved it so much).

 After we hit the farmer's market we headed to Luc and Erin's cottage and then out on their boat.  The boys loved the boat and the swimming that followed.  It was great fun.  Drew especially loved it.  I wish I had brought my camera, because there were some fantastic jumps done by him into the water!

Once we got back to their cottage, Hunter had a nap in his stroller while Drew played.  Once Hunter woke up, we took the boys back to our cottage for another swim and to allow them to play with their friends.

Dinner time came and it was back to the Hodgson cottage.  It was a struggle to get Drew back there, as he wanted to stay with his buddies.  Once there though, he seemed to have fun with our friends.

Luc cooking up some corn.

Ryan and Kate spent a great deal of time teaching the boys horse-shoes...it was adorable.

Big changes are afoot for the Hodgsons...a new baby and a move to Windsor, all in the same month!!  Exciting times.

Drew had a really fun time with Uncle Ryan!

Sunday morning we woke up and the first thing Drew wanted to do was call Uncle Luc and Uncle Ryan.  We did one better and loaded the kids into the van and rushed over to the Hodgson cottage to catch them before everyone left.  We said our goodbyes and hope to see everyone again soon.  James will see the boys this weekend when he goes to Philly with them for Ryan's bachelor party.....lets all keep our fingers crossed that they come back in one piece.

Ryan(little Ryan) and Drew made a fort...this seems to be a theme at the cottage.

New fav chips....they are delicious!

Hunter likes them too!

And that is pretty much it.  We drove home sunday afternoon as we had a lot of stuff to do around here.  Took the boys for another swim last night and then had a smooth bedtime routine for them....I was a bit surprised, as Drew had napped on the way home and usually that means NO SLEEP for him until really late...I guess all the swimming tired him out!

HOTTEST DAY EVER - Seriously

I think today set a record for being the hottest day ever.  Really.

We have 1 window air conditioner in our playroom and 1 upstairs in Drew's room.

That is all.

You can imagine the moods we are all in.

I feel nauseous sitting here typing this, so this post will be brief.

Today I woke up at 6 and walked a couple of laps around the  north field.  I was thinking that it would be cooler early in the morning.

I was wrong.

While it wasn't quite like walking in an oven, as it would have been had I waited until later in the day, it was like walking in a sauna.

Still, I'm glad I did it.  Got some "me" time in, got some exercise and then I watered the flowers when I got back to the house.

That was about the extent of my productivity for the day.

James' parents came by at 9:45 to watch Hunter while I took Drew to a cooking class at the Georgetown superstore.  We met some of our friends there.

Drew did not like the food at all, but I will give him credit for trying it.  He did enjoy the chopping and mixing...oh, and the jello at the end.

Love this chopper thing, NEED to find out where they sell them.  You'd think they would sell them there, but no.

Pasta salad

Once our class was over, our group of friends headed next door to McDonald's for some lunch and playtime.  Then Drew and I said goodbye to our friends and headed up to Nana and Papa's to take care of the chores there.....that was not the most pleasant thing to do in this heat.

Poor Happy was SOOOO hot.  Drew mercifully sprayed the poor dog with water, which was appreciated.

We came home, had a quick visit with Grandma and Grandpa and then Hunter had a nap while Drew and I hung out in one of our air conditioned rooms.

Once H woke up, we all sun screened up and headed to the Merry's for a dip in their pool.  It was AWESOME.  Near the end, I was shivering because I was (you'll never believe this) COLD!  This only lasted until I dried off.....but it was a blissful few minutes.

The boys LOVED swimming in their pool.....it was really fun.

Once we got home, we had some dinner (including some yummy corn they gave us....honestly, our neighbours rock) and then I took the boys to Marble Slab Creamery for ice cream...worth every over-priced penny on a day like today.

And that's it...the boys are in bed, I'm about to do the dishes I have neglected all day and then sit in my air conditioned play room and watch some TV.

Here's to a cooler tomorrow!

Mid-week happenings

Tuesday and Wednesday are a bit of a blur (as usual), here is my re-cap as best as I can remember it.

  Tuesday morning, James spent out in the field.  He put about a third of our hay away and worked some more on the fence.  The boys and I played at home (I think anyways) and kept cool in the shade.  James' parents came Tuesday afternoon to hang out with the boys while James and I had some time to ourselves.  We went to see the new (last) Harry Potter movie (which was pretty good) and then went to home depot(looking for a new steel door for our basement) and Shoeless joes for dinner.  Was a bit disappointed with dinner, had the vege wrap, which they have changed and NOT for the better.

We rushed home and took Drew to soccer.  It was a fun game, except the coach from the other team was "playing" and kept taking the ball away from our kids and giving it to the kids on his team AND was playing goalie (we're not supposed to have goalies in this league...the whole idea is that the kids experience some success).  Some people are ridiculous.

Drew wanted to practice after the game.

While the game was going on, I rushed up to the Glen to do the chores and such for my parents.  I made it back in time to catch the last half.

On Wednesday, Drew's friend from school, Mathew G came over to play for the day.  Hunter was VERY excited to make lemonade for them.  It was a great day.  The boys played very well together and went hard at it all day (needless to say, Drew was exhausted at the end of the day).  We dropped him off at around 4:30 (we had picked him up at 10) and then come home, only to decide to head back up to the Credit river in Glen Williams for a swim (I think James likes going there more than our kids do!)  We had McDonald's for dinner and then came home for an easy bedtime routine for the boys.  I hit the road again, this time heading to the Ivy arms where I met some other moms for a beer, munchies and some adult conversation.

There, I guess it wasn't as much of a blur as I thought!

Today in a Nutshell

Hunter opened the rest of his gifts this morning.  Drew "helped" (or opened them for him......it was very difficult to drag him away from the opening).  They both had fun and were very excited with all the gifts.  Hell, I was excited, there was some fun stuff in there!

It was HOT today.  James spent the entire morning out in the field, fixing the fence.  They were calling for rain for all day today and he wanted to lock the cattle into one of the fields to let our north field get some benefit from the rain.

The rain never came.  Our poor cows are now being fed hay.  It's JULY.  Hmmmmm.....not so good.

Once James came in, he surprised us by taking us to the Ivy Arms for lunch and then to a new gelato place for dessert.  It was delicious!

Hunter napped for 45 minutes today.  He was a grumpy gus.

Hunter trying out his new bubble wand.  It is AWESOME.  Makes gigantic bubbles...Hunter's response is, "wow".

We headed to the Glen to go swimming in the Credit river.  I'm not sure why we hadn't done this sooner.  It was really fun.

Nana met us there and then we headed up to their place for the evening.  We had fun spending time with them, and then we had to say goodbye...we won't see them for a week and a half (an eternity in Drew/Hunter time!)

Bedtime was smooth.  Once I had Hunter down, I snuck out and took some photos.

The new wall is almost finished!!

Sunset over the North field.

My fav tree on the property looking like it's on fire.

Oh, almost forgot to mention....we've started weaning Hunter from the bottle (I know, he's 2, it's about time!).  Today he had 1 when he woke up, 1 after his nap and 1 before bed.  I'll keep that up for a couple of days and then cut out the one after his nap.

Today wasn't terribly horrible in that regard.  He did ask for it, but didn't completely freak out when I wouldn't give it to him.  Fingers crossed tomorrow is ok.

Happy Monday!

Here we go..

Drew freaked out the other day.

Drew -"I don't want to find a new mommy when I grow up"

Me -"Huh???"  I was driving at the time and this statement came out of nowhere.

Drew -"I don't want to have kids, cause when I do, I'll have to have a new mommy"

Me - "Oh hunny, you'll never have to find a new mommy.  When you grow up, you'll have a wife and if you have kids, she'll be their mommy, but I'll always be YOUR mommy".

Drew -"promise?"

Me - "yes, I promise"

Drew - "OK"

We were at Costco a few days later, and Drew asks me...

Drew - "mommy, are all girls mommies?"

Me - "Well, all girls could be mommies, but some aren't.

Drew - "Why aren't they mommies?"

Me- "There are a lot of reasons hunny.  Some don't want to be mommies, some can't be mommies, some aren't old enough to be mommies, some haven't found the right daddy"

Drew - "Why wouldn't they want to be a mommy?"

Me - "Maybe they want some quiet in their lives"  Immediate back-track...."but other than that, I don't know, being a mommy is the best job in the world"  (As Hunter is screaming because they just took him, in the cart, to the other side of the cash, and now I have to pay).

Drew - Drops subject to go and comfort Hunter.

Fast forward to yesterday.  Drew asks James (again, out of the blue)

Drew -"Daddy, can boys marry boys and girls marry girls?"

James - sputtering a bit, I'm sure.  "Uh, ya, that can happen.

Drew - "But usually, a boy marries a girl, right?"

James - "ya, I guess so, it really depends on the person"

Drew - "So, if two girls get married, does that mean they'll have more kids??"

James - "No buddy, you need a boy and a girl to make a baby"

Drew - "OK"

James - sigh of relief that the conversation didn't go any further.

I feel we're on the brink of some hard questions!

Where's the party at??

Today was Hunter's birthday party day.  Drew was SOOOO excited about it, Hunter was excited, but I'm not sure he really understood what was going to happen.

Our morning was filled with running around, and making sure that we had everything we needed for the big afternoon/evening.

The boys playing, with party chaos all around them

For the party, we rented Hornby Nursery School.  We have done this a few times before.  It's a nice location, with a large yard to play in, an air conditioned school, with tons of toys both indoor and out for the kids to play with.

I like having it here because there are 2 bathrooms (we only have 1 at home) and I only have to clean up afterwards, the place is clean when we get there.  The drawback is, of course, we have to bring all of the party supplies/food with us.  A group had booked the school for the entire morning, ending at 3:30, so we booked it at 3:30 but that only gave us 30 minutes to set up before the party began.

Needless to say, it was a stressful 30 minutes trying to get everything together!  Luckily our families came early to help out.

Freezies!  TONS of these were consumed this afternoon.

The chip stand-off.  Both Tyla and Hunter kept pulling the bowl closer to them...it was really cute.

It was a HOT day today.  When we got there to set up, we weren't sure if the kids would want to be outside in the heat.  I was panicking a bit, as everything that I had planned for them to do was outside.  It turned out that once the kids saw the bouncy castle (thank you Nana and Papa for bringing this) and the bikes, they couldn't be dragged inside.  We kept them hydrated with water, juice and freezies and it was a fun afternoon!

Happy boys

We had pizza and wings delivered from Toppers (surprisingly hard to find someone to deliver out there).  Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal.

After dinner, I brought out the candy, icing and cookies and the kids went to town decorating their cookies.

Hunter was on a mission to empty this container.  He spent a LONG time squeezing it out.  One determined little man!

I chose to do the cookie thing, as James begged me not to do cupcakes again this year.  It was a wee bit stressful around our house on the eve of Hunter and Drew's birthday parties last year.  I love to bake, but am not very good at it and when faced with the challenge of making a ton of cupcakes for people other than my immediate family, I tend to buckle a bit.

The cookies were an easier, and equally entertaining option.  I will say, however, that the kids didn't really eat their cookies.....they had a great time decorating them...just a bit of a waste of delicious cookies!

We brought the cake (and ice cream) out next (thank you Nana and Papa for supplying the cake).  Hunter was thrilled with the cake and tried to blow it out too!  Drew came over and helped and between the two of them they got the job done.

After the sugar rush, it was time for more playtime outside (and more freezies apparently).  Some of our friends left and then I realized I had forgotten the pinata!  Thankfully, not everyone had gone, so there were still a few kids left to scramble for the toys/candy inside.

Hunter walked away from the pinata with one package of rockets.  He was thrilled.  He asked me to open it and then sat down by himself and ate the whole package.  

Hunter opened a few presents (not all of them, and the only reason he opened any was because Drew begged for it).

More playtime followed and then it was time to clean up and say goodbye!

I think that Hunter had a great time at his party.  I had fun too, but am now exhausted....Happy birthday Hunter-bug!!!

xoxoxo