And Now Brooklyn Conquers the Two-Wheeler

As if beginning kindergarten wasn't enough, Brookie asked us a few days ago if she could take the training wheels off of her bike. She got wind that all her friends at school were now riding two-wheelers. Obviously she didn't want to be left behind. So on Saturday Sean and I took her out to practise with Rosie cheering from the sidelines. Brooklyn worked so diligently and did really well. The most difficult part is the starting and stopping. She managed quite well once she got moving.

Here is Brooklyn, looking way too grown-up

The beginning stance

A little added stability from Dad

Brookie took a short break to pose for a picture with me

After many falls, bumps and little successes, Brookie had a good cry because she just hadn't mastered the whole two-wheeler thing in the alotted time (like a good perfectionist), and then we came inside to get warm and rested. Sean took her out again later that day and again Sunday. Each time she looks a bit more confident. She goes a bit further on her own. She seems a bit more patient with herself. Brooklyn is the youngest in her class, the youngest of her friends and the only one of her friends who is a first-born. Personally, I couldn't be more proud of her. And soon she will peddle off down the street with Maia, yelling a good-bye to me over her shoulder and I will have yet another cry on our steps. This mom thing is so painfully difficult. But I wouldn't miss it for the world.

~Mandy

Rosie Begins Preschool

On September 15, Roslyn Joy set off on her first day of preschool. She has been looking forward to this since the first day we dropped Brooklyn off at preschool. Rosie would always follow Brooklyn in, take off her coat and shoes and head up the stairs, stopping to say "hi" to Mrs. Wiebe and her dog, Sadie. I would bring her back to the door, explaining that she was still too young to go to school.

Well, now she is going two mornings a week to spend time with her new friends, learning and playing together. So far, so good. Although she did tell me that her best friend is Sadie the dog and that she likes this girl Jenna, in her class but she doesn't like Jenna's pants. Sounds like Jenna needs some fashion advice from Rosie.

Here are the girls the morning of Rosie's first day

I asked Rosie to stand still for a picture. She stood but refused to smile.

Rosie's backpack is seriously cute - an apple with a detachable leaf change purse. And inside are her slippers, her box of kleenex and her snack for the day.

My beautiful preschooler with one more pose before she heads out the door.

I love you, Rosie! And I am so proud of you.

~Mandy

Kindergarten 101

The big day finally arrived - the first day of Kindergarten. Brooklyn was very ready. She had her new dress, new backpack, new school supplies, new haircut and a new adventure waiting just down the street at Caronport Elementary School

Of course, we needed to get a few pictures of our Kindergarten girl . . .

Here she is by the front door, just getting her shoes on

Brooklyn and Rosie heading out

Walking to school

During carpet time, listening attentively to the teacher

Sean, Rosie and I walked Brooklyn over to the school, chatting with her about the new and exciting world of kindergarten. We took her into her class and watched from the corner of the room for a few minutes and then left. I didn't cry once, not even walking home with Rosie. But the next day, Brookie walked out the front door, backpacked and looking so tiny. She turned to wave to me, as she headed down the stairs to Maia's house and I lost it. I sat on the stairs and cried for all the obvious reasons and for many I couldn't even put into words. I cried and Rosie gave me a hug. Then I pulled myself together and we closed the door.

~Mandy

One Last Carefree Day

This September was a big time of change for the Davidson family. After much consideration, we decided to enroll Brooklyn in Kindergarten and Rosie began going to preschool two mornings a week. So our time of complete freedom was coming to an end. It was time to hit the big city for a day of carefree shopping and fun. The girls and I headed to Regina to get some back-to-school necessities and to check out the Science Centre. It was a good day.

Brooklyn and Rosie hone their basketball skills

The bubble exhibit is always one of our favourites

On to hockey

And this time, the girls were chosen to help out in one of the shows about electricity.

We had fun and I was so glad to have the time with them.

~Mandy

Rosie's Birthday Continued . . .

After our time at Springridge, we went back to Ama and Bop's place for presents, games and cake. And not just any cake but a princess cupcake cake, compliments of Ama. Wow, does she know what Rosie likes!
What preschooler obsessed with pink wouldn't want pink hair? Well, Rosie sure did. She loved this new look.
She was in awe of the new dresses. She has one on in this picture from Sandi and Meg - a real Disney Store Minnie Mouse dress. And she is eyeing the polka dot one from Ama and Bops.
Aunt Nessa gave her this beautiful pink dress with beadwork and a very fluffy skirt. Nan is admiring the dress. I think she might want to take it home with her . . .

Rosie modeled another dress which she now refers to as the dress that feels like a bathing suit. That makes it a favourite because the only thing Rosie loves more than wearing dresses is wearing bathing suits so how great to be able to get two in one!

Pops brought this wonderful balloon, along with many others to make the birthday extra shiny and festive. And after all was said and done, we all agreed that it was a stupendous birthday.

~Mandy

Rosie's 3rd Birthday

Rosie's 3rd birthday was July 5, just days after we arrived in Ontario. Thanks to Ama and Aunt Nessa, the plan had already been conceived and developed. All we needed to do was show up. So the big day came and we all met at Springridge Farm for the best birthday Rosie has ever had! By far, the highlight was the pony rides. Rosie was immediately comfortable with Fred.
The birthday tiarra adds just the right amount of glitter for the farm. She wore it all day.

Brookie was, as usual, a bit more hesitant but after the first lap, she settled right in. And then there was no stopping either of them.Our friends, The Brinsons, joined us for the day along with all our family. It was so good to see them. Brooklyn seemed quite taken with Nolan, who was a true gentleman. If we still arranged marriages, Nolan would be topping the list of potential husbands

Paige and Rosie got along really well too - Rosie was very pleased to find a friend who appreciated her preference for dresses.

The farm had so many fun things to do. We rode, climbed, got lost in corn mazes, had lunch out of a sand pail, milked a pretend cow and went on a wagon ride. It was fantastic and most importantly, Rosie loved every second.

~Mandy

Summer in Millgrove

After a long but successful drive together, we finally pulled into the driveway of Ama and Bops' house. We were so glad to be there. Ama, Aunt Nessa and Bops were a sight for sore, road weary eyes. They had set up a great pool on their deck out back and it took the girls mere seconds to change and jump in.

Our first big event of the summer was Canada Day. It was so great to be hanging out with family on the long weekend (and no longer driving!) We lounged around the pool, played games, ate, drank and were generally merry all day long until the frieworks at night.

I just love this picture. It captures the holiday spirit.

After a few days of relaxation in Millgrove, we all went to the cottage. We stayed for a whole week and the girls morphed from hesitant, non-cottage prairie dwellers to outgoing, barefooted, bathingsuit-clad cottage lovers. It was wonderful to watch them develop more confidence in their swimming and exploring skills. By the end of our week they swam out to the floating dock and back numerous times, had gone fishing, tubing, paddleboating and canoeing. They had climbed rocks, watched sunrises and sunsets. They were true cottage girls.

Here is one of the fish the girls caught on their princess fishing rods. Sean was so proud.

Tubing with Daddy - you could hear the squeals of laughter echoing across the lake

A moment of stillness shared together

Once we returned from the cottage, we also enjoyed some fantastic thunderstorms. Here the girls are having some fun in the downpour. Later, Aunt Nessa, Ama, Daddy and I all took a run out in the rain too. Bops isn't much into running in the rain, but he waited for our return with towels.

~Mandy

More From Millgrove

Here are a few more pictures of our time in Millgrove . . .

The classic "princess" shot, complete with very fancy dresses, tiaras and accessories
Snuggling in new pajamas after running in the rain

The girls went with Aunt Nessa, Ama and Bops to experience an ice cream festival at Westfield Heritage Museum which was a big hit. How can you go wrong with ice cream? So the girls each had their fill and then some. They came home sticky and satisfied.

We had so many adventures and experiences with Ama, Bops and Aunt Nessa. It was a summer we will not soon forget. Thank you, guys, for everything. We love you like crazy!

~Mandy

The Last Days in Millgrove

On one of our last days in Millgrove, Sandi and Meg dropped in for a visit. Brooklyn and Rosie made Ama into a princess, which is something we just don't do enough of, really, and it takes two small girls to just do what needs to be done.Ama said she hadn't been a princess in a long time. Brookie told her that she is always a princess. Good to hear.
Sandi brought the girls lots of fun things for the drive home. She even helped them sharpen their pencils.
Brookie and Rosie got one more snuggle with Meg before they left. We miss them and thank them so much for all their generosity to us over our visit.

~Mandy

To the Davidsons

Our time in Ontario was half over and it was off to the Davidsons for more summer fun.We broke out some sidewalk chalk, always a fav with the girls. They created quite a masterpiece
We also had a few opportunities to colour or play with good ol' play dough at the table together.
The girls used the small wading pool often to cool off and then the second best part - towel snuggles!
Nan got in on the towel snuggle action at times too. Rosie always stayed in the water until she was beyond cold so this was an essential part for her.

And once again, Brookie took the camera for a bit to capture family moments from her perspective. Pops and Rosie pose happily.

~Mandy

Nan and Pops Continued . . .

Here are some more pictures of our time hanging out with Nan and Pops and enjoying the summer:

Rosie was in the little wading pool a lot. She had a marvelous time dunking her head under the water over and over again until an onlooker may suspect that she was suffering from a lack of oxygen. She is a kid who loves water - loves it!!
Nan and Pops' next door neighbours were so kind as to let us use their many toys. Brooklyn really enjoyed riding this bike. She was out almost daily, giving it a spin.
One afternoon, Nan set up a great little tea party for the girls in the shade on the back patio. The whole tea set was princess pink and they had a wonderful time toasting all the summer fun. Of course they dressed for the occasion.
Rosie loved this battery-powered truck. It was almost scary to watch her fearlessness. She continues to reveal these two seemingly opposite sides of her nature pictured here perfectly: girl with dress and pink shoes drives truck.
The girls went fishing with Daddy and Pops one afternoon. I don't think they caught anything themselves - it was fly-fishing only - but they loved watching and using the net to help the guys.

We hit every park within driving distance - sometimes twice, we swam, splashed, laughed, got ice cream, saw movies, and all sorts of other wonderful things. I couldn't even begin to list them all. Thank you Nan and Pops. It was a good summer visit.

~Mandy

Centreville

What fun we had at Centreville. There are lots of rides and things to do but it is a perfect size for smaller kids who aren't quite ready for those mega-amusement parks. We found out that our little girls really like rides - a lot!

Our first ride was the swan with Nan. Moments after the three of them pushed off from the dock, Rosie wanted out. She told Nan that it was going too slowly. In other words, BORING!
So next we hit the bumble bees. This was met with lots more enthusiasm on Rosie's part and Brookie loved it too. We returned to the bees a few times during the day.
I was the only adult who would go on the teacups with the girls. They are very spinny. I would venture to say almost sickeningly so. The girls had a wonderful time. And then it was on to the carousel. The girls chose two cats to ride. There is just something about a carousel, isn't there? The music, the animals/horses, the motion - they loved it.
While Rosie and I braved the rollercoaster, Brookie had a solitary sail on the S. S. Bellringer. The water was rough but she managed a safe journey.

We also did the log ride and the ferris wheel before we began the long walk to see the little house where Nan grew up. It was a day we will not soon forget.
~Mandy