Victoria Day in Ottawa

On Victoria day, we decided to drive to Ottawa and visit some friends. Initially, we had researched some museums. In the end, the weather was so nice that we decided to spend most of our day outdoors.

First, we discovered a new park near our fiend's house. Famished, we then headed over to the local golf club for some lunch.  After a hearty meal, we headed back to our friend's home. While a few went to play tennis, the rest of us stayed in, read books, played with stuffed animals, and bonded with the family dog.

On the way back, exhausted by her exciting day, the little one fell sound asleep.

Soccer Season Begins

We now have 2/3 of our girls playing on organized soccer teams. Thankfully, their practices are on separate evenings.

Our #2 had her first practice ever this last week, and did quite well. They scrimmaged at the end, and she scored 5 goals. Perhaps she picked up some of her sister's tricks from last season...

Despite the near freezing weather, the girls enjoyed frozen yogurt after the practice.

Mother's Day Tea

On the Friday before Mother's day, my two preschoolers held a mother's day tea at their school. The mothers enjoyed breakfast, beverages, and gifts from their children. My two year old gave me a hand print and a heart made of dried dough. She enjoyed them so much, that she didn't want to give them to me, and carried them around with her everywhere she went. Her older sibling gave me a card, a hand-made recipe holder, and a piece of paper. On the piece of paper, the teachers had asked the students to answer some questions about their mothers. This is how my adorable four-year old answered:

What is your mother's name?  Mama

What does she do?  Exercise

How old is she?  13

How does Daddy call Mommy?  Mama

What is her favourite drink?  Tea

What is her favourite colour?  Blue

What is her favourite food?  Fruit and salad

What is her favourite movie?  Doesn't watch TV or movies

Where does she take you to have fun?  Park

What message do you want to send her on mother's day?  Happy Mother's Day

Supposed to be singing us songs

Flowers chosen by the girls, bought by Papa

First Kindergarten Production

Last Thursday evening, the parents were treated to four plays performed by my daughter's kindergarten class. My daughter was in two of plays, the abbreviated french version of The Three Little Pigs, and Jack and the Giant Bean Stock. We received the lines she had been asked to memorize about 4 weeks ago. I was immediately concerned that she would be unable to learn them in time for the play. My anxiety was unfounded, as she learned her lines the very first day we practiced them.

As Mama Pig, she had one line in the Les trois petits cochons:

"Aurevoir les petits cauchons et attention au méchant loup."

In Jacques et le haricot magique, she also played the mother, but she had far more lines. Her first line was:

"On a plus d'argent. Le géant a volé l'or, la poule magique, et la harpe magique. Vas vendre la vache."
She had several shorter lines, but I was very concerned about this series of three sentences.

In the end, I need not have worried. Although, on the actual play night, she did speak a little quicker than I would have liked, the plays were superb. The children all lined up at the end, and sang a few french songs, including a touching one for mother's day.

With her cousin before the play

A very attentive audience member

Taking a bow after the les trois petits cochons

Peeking through the curtain before Jaques

First Musical

Last week, our kindergartener attended her first ever musical production. Her class travelled by bus to Concordia University, and were joined by several other schools. The musical was entitled "Goldirocks," a humorous spin on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It's the story of a young girl who loves playing her guitar, but after several noise disturbance complaints, her guitar is taken away. She runs away to the woods, where she stays in a cabin belonging to three bears. When the bears return, they are initially startled to find her, but manage to convince Goldirocks to return home.

I was able to attend as one of six "chaperons" from my daughter's class. I sat next to my daughter and her friends. They were truly enthralled by the interactive musical. Every once in a while they would ask funny questions like "when is it starting?" (it had started already), and "where are the bears?" (they were looking at them, I guess they were expecting actual bears as opposed to actors dressed as bears).

All in all, they had a fantastic time, and couldn't stop singing the songs as we headed to the bus afterwards.