PD Day Adventures in the Big City

The girls were free from any pesky school responsibilities yesterday and so we hit the big city (Regina is our idea of a big city) and some of our favourite things.

 

 

The biggest decision that Brookie and Rosie need to make anytime we leave for anywhere is which stuffie they will bring. Yesterday it was Lambie and Piggie.

Our first stop is almost always Chapters. It is even more fun now that I have two little avid readers to bring along with me. We all find our books to look at and settle in for some serious reading.

We then went to a matinee of The Princess and the Frog. It is always a treat to sit in the dark, munching on popcorn and Skittles, sipping lemonade and talking about what might happen next – will she kiss the frog? Will the bad guy win in the end? Will she choose love?

And then we hit the Science Centre. It was another great visit with so much to explore . . .

   

I know I have said it before but I seriously love PD days!!

~Mandy

Rockin' Rosie

Honesty, thy name is Rosie

So Sean has occasionally gone across the road to our elderly neighbour’s house and helped to shovel her snow. It is his pleasure and it doesn’t take too long, usually, but of course Shirley is always very thankful. She has taken to delivering little treats to us. We have received a delicious pie, chocolate chip cookies and most recently, Valentines Day sugar cookies with chocolate hearts and a little card. It was so sweet (literally) of her and so the girls and I talked about what we could do to say thank you back.

We decided that better than a sandwich (which was Rosie’s initial idea and which probably had something to do with the fact that we were making sandwiches at the time of our discussion) would be a thank you card. So we got out the markers, crayons and paper. Each of the girls made a special, colourful card and signed them.

Later that day, I sent the kids over to give Shirley the cards. Before they left we practised what they should say and how to behave. It seemed like they were ready so away they went.

Moments later, they returned and as they stripped off their coats, I asked them how it went. “Good,” Brookie said. “What did you say”, I asked. “I said we were there to give her these cards and Rosie said we were giving them to her because she is old.”

Yes – Rosie did. And I guess in a round about way, she is right. I tried to explain that old people know they are old. We don’t need to tell them. But I have a feeling Rosie will say what she wants when she wants to. I am just glad Shirley has a sense of humour.

~Mandy

The Importance of Manners

Not too long ago, our little family was having breakfast together. It was a lazy Saturday morning and I had become a short-order cook, letting everyone choose their favourite breakfast. Brookie wanted waffles but Rosie had decided on cheesy scrambled eggs. Sean and I settled on poached. While I worked the waffle iron, I asked Sean to handle the egg orders. In a whirl of chaos, we managed to pull all the breakfast orders together at relatively the same time, complete with sausages and fruit and juice.

When the girls sat down at the table, Brookie dove right in but Rosie paused after only one bite of her eggs. She screwed up her face and said, “Ummm . . . excuse me but I wanted cheese in these eggs.” I immediately felt like I had lost whatever tip I had been hoping for. After explaining that Daddy had in fact put cheese in the eggs, she quietly mumbled, “well, I can’t taste it.” Apparently the ratio was not to her satisfaction.

Brookie looked up from her near-empty plate and thanked us very politely for her breakfast. We encourage this kind of unforced show of manners and so I praised her for doing it. Not to be outdone, Rosie piped in with this little gem: “Daddy, even though I don’t like the eggs, I thank you for them.”

And what can you say to that?

~Mandy

Play Dough Creation

The girls and I made play dough the other day together during their winter break. It is so fun to sit together and make all sorts of play dough works of art. This past Wednesday after dinner, we pulled out the soft, pink blobs and passed the time creating this hot air balloon scene. I helped a bit with the basket but the girls imagined the rest. I love how they worked together, not once arguing about composition. Rosie did the bear in the basket and layered quite a collection of clouds to the right. Brookie added a lunch basket under the main one, complete with lunch inside, a fantastic spidery sun and another cloud. We sat and admired it for a while, each of us quietly sailing in a bright blue sky, before squishing it in a big ball and packing it away until next time.

~Mandy

A sister . . .

is both your mirror and your opposite. ~Elizabeth Fishel

Our Little Birdies

One night when the wind was howling outside, the girls decided to build “nests” for themselves while they watched a movie. After a bit of a struggle and a few arguments about who gets what blanket/pillow, the job was done. Two little nests to snuggle into. Moments after completing them, the birds fell fast asleep and dreamed of spring . . .

~Mandy

And a Couple More

Of course there were many moments of reading and snuggling – two of our family’s favourite things. There is nothing better.

~Mandy

Christmas in January

We were thankful again to have Ama, Bops and Aunt Nessa brave the frigid prairie temperatures to spend some time with us this January. It was another wonderful visit. I cannot possibly include all the details but here are some highlights from their visit.

Brookie and Rosie strike a pose with new dolls and their new outfits.

There were more than a few games of “Guess Who” – the kids got a funky electronic version from cool Aunt Nessa. Rosie always picks a girl and always is the first to guess her opponent’s person. She is right 99% of the time.

More presents from Ama and Bops

Skating lessons were a huge highlight. The girls were eager to show off some of their new moves and of course Ama, Bops and Aunt Nessa were thrilled to be able to watch.

 

Perhaps one of the biggest highlights was watching Rosie perform in Caronport’s first Ceilidh. Here are a few action shots. What you won’t be able to see are pictures of all of us joining in with many others in learning folk, polka and line dances. We all had a fantastic time. 

While my family was here, my mom had the idea of trying to organise a mini photo shoot so we could get a more recent family picture. The last one we did included Brookie in utero. It was about time.

But whereas our last family picture included at least an hour with a professional photographer in her studio and many, many takes, this one was less planned. I just called my dear friend who takes fantastic pictures and asked if she could swing by after work. We hadn’t considered this event ahead of time so we scrambled to pull coordinating outfits together for everyone, brush, wash and primp in a matter of half an hour. Jen arrived to take the picture and we all ran out the front door, joking about which dead, brown bush we should use as the backdrop. After squishing together in the snow, Jen clicked away a few times and that was it. I was REALLY happy with the final result. Isn’t that a lovely family?

So all in all, it was a perfect prairie visit. I cannot say how thankful we are to have these times together. These memories will keep us going until next time. We love you guys!!!

~Mandy