Merry Christmas from the Evans Family
>> Monday, December 24, 2012
As another year draws to a close, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.
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October and November update
>> Sunday, December 09, 2012
Well it appears that I'm long overdue for another update. Let's see if I can remember all there is to say.
Austin started hockey at the beginning of October and loves it. In fact, after the very first day, he declared that hockey was the greatest sport ever (and they hadn't even practiced with pucks yet)! He's doing a learn-to-play program with a local hockey league. So they never play 'real' games, but instead at the once a week practice, they focus on skills development. And then in the last 10-15 minutes, they split into groups and play mini games. And in those mini games, Austin has scored two goals!
On November 18 -- a beautiful sunny day (and warm enough for fall jackets), we took the kids downtown to see the Santa Claus parade. Believe it or not, this is the first time any of us had ever gone to the Toronto Santa Claus parade. It was a lot of fun, and although Alex got a little tired of standing around after awhile, seeing Santa go by was all worth it.
Good news from Alex; she officially graduated from speech therapy.
Both kids are doing well and enjoying school. Austin can string full sentences together in French now and can read a fair bit of French as well. We're very happy with his progress and he's still very much enjoying it. Alex is doing well in JK. After months of being exhausted after school, she's now mostly adjusted to all-day Kindergarten. She's made some new friends and is always talking about what she's learning in school.
Ok, that's all from me for now. I hope that brings you all somewhat up-to-date.
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New pictures
>> Sunday, November 25, 2012
Just a quick post to say that there's new pictures from October and November posted as a Facebook album. After having trouble with Picasa albums for days, I finally decided to uploaded the pics to Facebook. I still owe a post, but for now, enjoy the pictures. If the link isn't clickable, just copy and paste it.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151271413784445.481832.516064444&type=1&l=88b413cef9
Happy (belated) Halloween
>> Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I've been so busy lately that I forgot to post Halloween pictures. I'm still really busy, so there are more Fall pictures to come...eventually.
Without further ado...here's Snow White and Darth Vader.
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September update
>> Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Well another month has flown by, here’s what we've been up
to.
Back to School/Starting school
Alexandra started Junior Kindergarten on September 6. (Her school starts the Kindergarten kids slowly, hence her late-week start). It was a rough start for her, because even though she was excited to be going, there were many days with a lot of tears (by both her and mommy, although I never let her see my tears). It went on for about a week before she finally managed to through the doors without crying (thanks to daddy for whipping her into shape on a drop off day!).
Austin started Grade 1 on September 4. He likes his teacher and he's thrilled that his two best friends – Evan and Rachael are both in his class this year. So far, he seems to be doing well and is enjoying it and picking up a lot of French every day.
His school also offers lunch-time extra-curricular activities (brought in by outside sources) and Austin is taking a Claymation class once a week. It just started this week, but so far he seems to like it.
Now that the tears have passed, she's very much enjoying school. She comes home every day chatty about what she learned, songs she sang and with pictures for us. But she's pretty exhausted as well. Unlike Austin, who was in half-day Kindergarten for two years, Alex is in full-day Kindergarten (thanks to the government's new Kindergarten system). Six plus hours are long day for her -- especially since she never went to daycare so the longest she's ever been in a 'program' is two hours (preschool). I try to bring her home for lunch once a week or so to give her a little break, and to give me some company!
Western Fair
On Sat. Sept. 8, we drove to London to go to the Western Fair with Nana and Gramps. We had a great time. The kids rode the rides for hours (we got them each a play-all-day pass) -- to the point that they'd get off a ride and without looking over at us, would promptly get back in the entrance line to go again! We saw a magic show, which mommy got picked as a volunteer for, and the RCMP Musical Ride. In all, a fun day.
After spending the night at Nana and Gramps', we headed over to Grandpa's for lunch the next day for a short visit before heading home.
On Sept. 22, both Austin and Alex participated in a duathlon. Alex had to run 50 metres, bike 1km, and then run 100 metres. Because she was in the youngest age group (3-5) she had to have a parent run alongside her. Well, she was so fast on the bike, that Ryan could barely keep up! And none of the other kids in her heat could either!
But she went out so hard and so fast, that about 25 metres from the finish line, she came to a dead stop -- complaining of stomach cramps. But she's such a trooper, that after a 30 second or so break and some encouragement from daddy, she soldiered on -- finishing first in her heat with a time of 9:54. The next kid in her heat (our friend Isla, actually) finished over a minute behind her. In all, she placed 14th out of 35 racers.
Other than that, we've just been keeping busy. Ryan has been working a lot of hours. Ironically for me, work was extremely busy in August but slowed down considerably in September. I say ironically because in August, I had children with me every day and in September, I had a lot of time to myself. But I'm sure it will pick up again soon -- that's the nature of contract work. I'm also focusing on training for my half marathon on Oct. 14. So, expect updates on that soon!
Alex also started ballet earlier this month and seems to be having fun. Austin starts hockey next week.
I guess that's it for now. As always, here's the latest slideshow of pictures.
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Alex also started ballet earlier this month and seems to be having fun. Austin starts hockey next week.
I guess that's it for now. As always, here's the latest slideshow of pictures.
August update
>> Sunday, September 09, 2012
Alright, finally a chance to get up-to-date. Here's a rundown of the rest of our summer.
The kids and I kept busy for the last three weeks of the summer. I had quite a lot of work to do, so we got into a routine where they would entertain themselves for a couple of hours every morning and then in the afternoon we would do something all together. Some afternoons, we would simply go to the pool, run errands or play outside. But we did manage a few big trips -- one to Whittamore's Farm for an afternoon, one to a kids' water park and one to the ROM to see the dinosaur skeletons and other things.
Although the ROM has a permanent dinosaur exhibit, over the summer, there was a special dino exhibit as well. Both kids (and mom) thought it was pretty cool and then we really enjoyed the rest of the museum. Austin had been there once before, two years ago with camp but Alex had never been there. And I don't think I'd been there since before Austin was born! So in all, a good day.
On Thursday, August 30, we drove to Shelburne, Ontario to visit my grandmother in the nursing home and, with my parents, went to a nearby fish farm with her to go fishing. Austin had been wanting to go fishing all summer so I figured it would be a good idea to combine that with a visit with great-grandma. This way the kids wouldn't get bored sitting around a nursing home.
Jamie and Scott's wedding
On Saturday, August 25, Ryan's sister Jamie got married just outside London. We headed for London the day before, where Alex and I joined 'the girls' for manis and pedis. Then, in the late afternoon we helped set up the venue for the reception.
Saturday was HOT and sunny -- a great day for an outdoor wedding. The wedding was lovely and the bride looked beautiful and radiant. (And Scott, you cleaned up pretty good too ;->)
The kids partied at the reception well into the night -- with Alex crashing on her auntie Krista's shoulder at about 11:30 p.m. At that point, Ryan drove the car up next to the hall (the wedding was at a pioneer village, so the hall wasn't very big and we had the whole property to ourselves) and we put her in her carseat to sleep. Around 12:30, Austin finally started to fade so we put him in his carseat where he promptly fell asleep.
A visit with a cousin
On the day after the wedding, there was a family gathering of my family. My cousin and his wife and my other cousins, his son and his fiancee were in town, along with my aunt and uncle. (They all live in the U.S.). So, although we only got to see them for a few hours, it was a really nice visit and it was so nice to watch Austin and Alex play with their cousin (second-cousin technically) Carson. He's 3 and they all got along really well.
On Sept. 1, we all went to African Lion Safari for the day. The main attraction -- the drive through -- was fun, but much to the kids' dismay, no animals jumped on our car.
The highlight of the day was in the other part of the Safari, when we were at the Birds' of Prey show. Austin got picked as a volunteer and got to hold out his arm as a Red-Tail Hawk flew down and landed on his arm. He was absolutely thrilled!
There you go, now I think you're all up-to-date. Now the kids are back at school and life is back to (more or less) normal.
Here's a slideshow of the photos from the rest of the summer.
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First Day(s) of School!
>> Thursday, September 06, 2012
For those of you who didn't see the photos on Facebook -- here's Austin off to his first day of Grade 1 on Tuesday:
And here's Alexandra this morning, off to her first day of Junior Kindergarten!
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Cottage vacation
>> Monday, September 03, 2012
Taking the longer vacation was a great idea and we had a wonderful and relaxing time. The weather was almost perfect every day until the last two days. Even on the days where clouds and rain were predicted, it seemed to clear up by mid-day. And all the hot, humid weather we'd been having down here in Toronto all July only found its way up north for two days. Otherwise, it was just sunny and warm.
The kids loved being able to swim every day. And that they did -- even on the two last days when it was cooler, rainy and/or cloudy -- they still jumped in for a minute before running back up to cottage and taking hot showers!
The water level was quite shallow this year -- so both kids could easily touch all the way until the dock (which is about 100 feet from shore). So they ran and played in the shallow water all time. When they weren't in the shallow area, they were both jumping off the dock into the deep end -- Austin even getting up the courage to dive in.
One day during the first week, we found a hiking trail about 30 minutes away and hiked for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful, secluded trail and we all had fun.
One day during the second week, we drove down to Bracebridge to go to Santa Village for the day. We had been there two years earlier, but figured it would be fun to do again. The kids had fun riding the kiddie rides, playing in the Elf Island park and of course, visiting Santa.
Over the August long weekend, our friends Rob and Vone and their kids Lilo and Isla came to stay with us for two nights. We hadn't told Austin and Alex that they were coming and they were both VERY surprised when their friends simply 'showed up' one afternoon! For two days the four of them had a blast running around while the four of adults enjoyed a beer or four.
The biggest news of the two week vacation is that Alex learned to ride a two-wheel bike. It happened early in the first week. You see, to get four bikes on our three-bike car rack, Ryan removed her training wheels and bungeed the bike to the rest of them. He had every intention of putting the training wheels back on once we got to the cottage. Well, Alex had other ideas.
She insisted on trying to ride without them -- and basically proceeded to get on the bike and ride away. That first day she fell several times -- often only getting 20 or so feet before falling and once even falling in a ditch! But nothing would hold her back and by the third day, she was a superstar at it and we took a family bike ride 2 kilometres into town to go to the playground (and of course, 2 kilometres back). That's our Alex!
I leave you with a slideshow of some of the photos from our trip and a video of our superstar bike rider.
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General June and July update
>> Sunday, August 12, 2012
I know, I know, I’m way behind in giving you all an update. At least I managed to put pictures up a few weeks ago. Now here’s what happened in June and July.
On June 8, Ali, Billy, Theodore and Julian arrived for a week’s visit. They stayed with my parents in Brampton and we spent almost every day with them. Julian – who was just 4 months old at the time – is just adorable and Austin and Alex loved playing with Teddy every day. They all get along so well.
Unfortunately, it was during this visit that my mom went into hospital for bleeding on the brain (she’s fine now, by the way) but it was a pretty scary five days while she was in the hospital. So while visiting with Ali and her family, we also took turns going to the hospital or staying home with all the kids while the other went to the hospital.
When we weren’t at the hospital, we took the kids to the park, to Downey’s Farm (in Brampton) and spent one day visiting at our house (where Teddy could check out all of Austin’s trains!)
After a busy week, my mom was released from hospital and Ali and Billy left for Ottawa for the rest of their Canada trip.
Canada Wonderland
On June 16, we took the kids to Canada’s Wonderland for the annual PCL day. We arrived just after 9 a.m. – because part of deal we get is entry one hour before the park opens – and headed straight for the Beheomth roller coaster. Ryan rode it first, while I sat with the kids, and then I (reluctantly) rode. After that, we realized that Austin was tall enough for the nearby Stunt Coaster, so Ryan took him on that. And then on the Minebuster. By 10 a.m., we were almost roller coastered out!
On June 16, we took the kids to Canada’s Wonderland for the annual PCL day. We arrived just after 9 a.m. – because part of deal we get is entry one hour before the park opens – and headed straight for the Beheomth roller coaster. Ryan rode it first, while I sat with the kids, and then I (reluctantly) rode. After that, we realized that Austin was tall enough for the nearby Stunt Coaster, so Ryan took him on that. And then on the Minebuster. By 10 a.m., we were almost roller coastered out!
It was on to the kids area for awhile after that, and then off to the group area for lunch. After lunch, we decided to hit the waterpark. It was packed but an afternoon well spent. And as it turned out, Alex was tall enough by a hair to go on all of the waterslides. And we quickly converted her into a waterslide monster. She loved every one she rode, yelling ‘more, more’ when we’d get to the bottom.
When the waterpark closed at 6, the kids insisted that they wanted to go on one more ride. So I took Austin on the Fly roller coaster and Ryan took Alex for her second trip on the Ghoster Coaster (oh yeah, she’s a roller coaster monster too!). It was 7:30 by the time we left Wonderland .
Canada Day CampingFor the first time in 3 years, we went camping over Canada Day weekend. We had given up on that weekend a few years ago, after having bad luck with the weather. This year, there was no bad luck – as it was hot and sunny every day we were there.
We went with our friends Rob, Vone, Lilo and Isla to Emily Provincial Park. We spent the three days hanging out at the campsite, riding bikes, swimming at the beach, watching movies by projector under the stars and roasting marshmallows. In all, a great weekend!
Blue Jays Game
On July 14, Ryan took the kids to a Blue Jays game. They both had a blast, although didn't last in their seats for the entire game. Ryan says they watched the first few innings, then wandered over to the kids area to play games, get temporary tattoos, etc. and then headed back to their seats around the seventh inning.
The highlight of the game? The kids got to run the bases afterwards!
July in general
Both Austin and Alex are playing soccer this summer – Austin on Wednesday nights, Alex on Monday nights (and with a practice on Wednesday nights). They both seem to be enjoying it.
In early July, the kids and I took a big TTC adventure downtown to meet auntie Suzie for lunch. It was 36C that day (plus humidity) but we still had a great time. We had lunch, and then since Suzie was only working a half day (it was a Friday), we wandered around the Eaton Centre, checked out Ryerson campus and 'visited' the fountains at Dundas Square.
Because the kids were just a little wet after their 'visit' to the fountains, I called Ryan and rather than taking the bus and subway home, he met us after work and we then wandered over to Nathan Phillip Square with the kids and then went out for dinner. In all, a fun, but hot, day.
They both took swimming lessons for the first two weeks of summer (I love the every morning lessons in the summer, because the kids turn into fish!). And then for the third and fourth week of July they were both in camp. Alex was in a half day camp and Austin was in an all day camp at the same centre. They both had a lot of fun – Austin even going on 2 day trips, one to the movies and one to a carnival.
I think that’s about it for now. Now (since I wrote this in Word while at the cottage) you’re up-to-date.
June and July photos
>> Saturday, July 21, 2012
As if I wasn't feeling guilty enough for being too busy to post in the last few months, several people in the last week have now not-so-subtly reminded me that I'm WAAAAYYYY behind.
So, here's a little something to tide you all over. Photos from June. Hopefully blog post with details of all these photos will come later this week.
Racing Day, it's Racing Day
>> Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Saturday June 2 was racing day for the Evans boys! Both Austin and Ryan were competing in their first triathlons.
First up was Austin in the 6-7 age category. He had to swim 25 metres (with a lifejacket), bike 1.5 kilometres and then run 500 metres. He completed it in 19 minutes and 10 seconds and we are both so proud of him!
Ryan raced a few hours later -- completing a 200 metre swim, a 9-kilometre bike and a 3-kilometre run in 35:58!
And, of course, a post race photo of our athletes!
And here's a slideshow with all our photos:
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A quick update on what's going on
>> Sunday, June 03, 2012
It's been awhile since I'm simply written an update on what's going on, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet here.
Alexandra
Alex has now finished preschool. She loved the program and I'm sad to see it come to an end. But it's time to start thinking about Kindergarten!
She has also finished speech therapy and will be going for a re-assessment later this month. I think she's improved greatly from the few months of therapy (she couldn't even make a 'k' sound before and now, not only can she do it but she remembers to use it in every day speech) but we'll see what the therapist says. If they think she would benefit from another session of therapy, then we'll likely try to squeeze it in over the summer.
Alex is also playing soccer for the first time this summer. (Ok, she played tot soccer when she was 2 but that doesn't really count because she wasn't really into it.) It just started last week so expect pictures of our soccer star soon.
Austin
Well with the school year coming to an end, it means Austin is just about done Kindergarten and is getting ready to go to Grade 1 in the fall. Can you believe it?! He's doing very well in French Immersion and seems to be picking up the language well. He can even string together short sentences.
He to is playing soccer this summer. For Austin, it started a few weeks ago and he seems to be enjoying it very much. It helps that his best friend Evan is on his team. Expect pictures of this soccer star as well! Austin's skating lessons are also done for the season now, and he's asked to play hockey in the fall.
Everything else I can think of
Both kids will be going to camp for two weeks in July -- Alex for half day camp and Austin for full day camp. It's the same camps they went to last summer, so they're both really excited to be going back.
Let's see, what else? Gymnastics is almost done. They both seem to have enjoyed it very much, but are now tiring of it. They've been going every week since the first week of September so I guess it's time to do something new.
Austin, Ryan and me have all competed in races recently. First I ran a 10K on Mother's Day (finished in 1:09:47 -- just 8 seconds shy of my personal best) and then Austin and Ryan ran triathlons on June 2 (race report and photo slideshow to follow shortly).
We got a new kitten at the end of April. Her name is Moo and she's now a little over 3 months old. The kids absolutely love her (in fact, every night they ask for their doors to be left open so Moo can come into their rooms and sleep) and more importantly, Moo absolutely loves the kids. This is important because our other cat Chloe is terrified of the kids so it's nice for them to have a cat to play and cuddle with.
That's all I can think of for now...so I'll leave you with the last two slideshows:
Meet the newest member of our family
>> Monday, May 07, 2012
An about 10-week old kitten joined our family last week. Her name is Moo (yes, like the sound a cow makes) and she's a beautiful calico.
The kids love her already. Mainly because unlike Chloe (our 9-year-old cat) Moo isn't a scardy cat. Moo will happily be played with by them for hours and will curl up on anyone's lap for a quick snooze.
Oh yeah, and lying on my shoulder while I sit at my computer in my office is one of her favourite places!
Happy 4th Birthday Alex!
>> Sunday, April 15, 2012
On Tuesday, Alexandra turned 4! She was super excited about it being her special day ... ALL day. The day started with preschool -- and our little fashionista insisted on dressing up for school and brought cupcakes to share with all her friends.
After school, I took both Austin and Alex to McDonalds for lunch (along with some friends of ours). It was sort of a mini-party. That night, we celebrated, just the four of us, with cupcakes.
Sunday was her party. A Princess Tea Party. So of course, she had to dress like a princess for the special event.
We invited five friends -- so in total there were seven kids including Austin and Alex. Four of them were dressed as princesses. We played musical chairs, had a dance party, did crafts and of course, ate cake and drank 'tea' (apple juice in a tea pot). I made a princess cake (Belle from Beauty and the Beast) for the occasion.
In all a good time -- and Alex declared that she loved her party, except for the part when her friends had to go home.
Happy Birthday Alex!
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