Vacation at Home

We are not yet done our first of two weeks off, and we are all enjoying the much-needed rest and relaxation. The kids are especially enjoying the break from homework, and Mama the break from enforcing it.

Here is what we have done so far:

Gone Skating a the local indoor rink:

Enjoyed some inflatables at the local indoor pool:

The girls are three days through their 5-day ski school program:

Oh yes, and we were also invited to Christmas dinner at a friend's house:

Two Holiday Shows

Two holiday shows in the same week. Two of the girls were singers, and the other had a leading role, a lioness. And now two weeks off: No school lunches, no homework and no after-school activities. Can't wait! 

The Fireballs

Their ringette team finally came up with a name: The Fireballs. They had their team photo today, and two of them came over for a playdate after their morning practice:

At Tim Horton's after practice

An alternative to burying in the sand

Frozen Weather

Although we have yet to see Frozen 2 at the theatre, the little ones are ready for the new film. From new cozy PJs to decorating the house with snowflakes...I even overheard the middle child tell he oldest one "My friend told me that the new movie is soooo much better than the first"...

Mama Watches Ringette

Mama proudly attended her first ringette game yesterday.

Because their games usually fall on the weekend when I work, I don't watch many of their games. In fact, it was the first one this season. It fell on a pedagogical day, and very early in the morning. We were up at 6am for a 7 o'clock start. The girls did very well, one playing offence, and the other defence. The little one spectated with me. My 9-year old scored the first goal of the game that they eventually lost 8-10. Here are some photos:

Clapping with Papa's gloves

More Winter Fun

I was certain that the snow would melt, but not only do we still have snow, but several ski hills have opened. Two of the three girls grew enough to require longer skis, and they will be adjusted next week...

A walk in the field with a friend

No caption needed

Winter Came Early

The kids were overjoyed to see snow last week. I, on the other hand, was scrambling to get the winter tires on our vehicles. I have accepted that winter has come early this year, but I will also be expecting spring to come early next year...

She Lost Her First Tooth

Our littlest one, now 6 years old, lost her very first tooth on November 1. Here are the before and after photos:

Happy Halloween From the Three Little Superheroes

They flew through the night, weathering the rain and the wind, searching for sweet treats. They went door to door, hats on their heads and capes on their shoulders. My three little superheroes filled their bags, then returned home for a warm bath and a sugary meal...

Their dolls even dressed up

In garage prior to take-off with hand-knitted beanies

Trick-or-treat

Our planter

Our planter

Hand-painted pumpkins

The Simple Joys

Oh, the simple joys of life...Our 6-year old recently discovered that her class-mate had brought the exact same princess umbrella to school. Here they are after school:

The New Photographer

This year, our school hired a new photographer for school photos. Not only did she take great outdoor photos, but she also took sibling photos (and I didn't realize quite how many siblings there were in the school until I volunteered to help on photo day).

I find it very challenging to convince all three girls to smile simultaneously, but our new photographer didn't seem to have any issues...

We Didn't Know She Needed Glasses.

She never complained of difficulty seeing, never held anything up close to her eyes, and her teachers didn't report any concerns. In fact, we were quite surprised when I finally found time to take the three girls to the optometrist for their first ever eye exam that our 9-year old needed glasses.

In fact, her right eye was a +0.5, and her left eye a +2.5, and the optometrist explained that due to the discrepancy between the eyes, she would need glasses. One eye was compensating for the other, therefore she never reported any visual disturbances...

I needn't worry that she would not like wearing glasses. In fact, from the moment we ordered them, to the week after when they were ready for pick-up, she couldn't stop asking for them..."Are they ready yet?"...She takes good care of them, and has even asked me to buy a pair for her American Girl Doll.

Here she is with glasses:

At the optometrist 

At home with a puzzle

Apple-Picking with the girls.

On Thursday, Papa's company had decided to have a team-building event at an apple orchard in a nearby town. We decided to meet him after school, and filled four bags full of delicious Spartan apples. Later on, we picked up a few small pumpkins. Here are a few photos from the fun but cold afternoon:

Decorating the pumpkins in the basement

She Put Her Foot Down, Again

Out littlest one put her foot down last month. This is not an unusual occurrence, but this time she persisted. "No", she would not do ringette this season. She wanted to "figure skate" instead. And she was adamant. Didn't she understand that as the third child in ringette, her fees would be covered? Apparently not. In the end, the goal was for her to learn to skate well, and so we caved. She started her classes the day before yesterday. She fell a few times, but that was expected as it was her very first skate with "figure skates" as opposed to "hockey skates". She had a great time, spun a round a few times, moved up at least 1 level.  She even got the royal treatment at the end of her skate: Her sisters removed her skates. Here are a few photos:

September News

September has been a busy month, from homework, to school meetings for the parents, and now the after school activities have started. So far, ringette for the older two has started to form their teams, and swimming lessons have begun for the little one. Dance starts this weekend for our 6-year old, and next week, swim team starts up for the year. So, in fact, the first two weeks of September have been relatively calm. Piano also started yesterday, and our little one had her very first piano class. She hadn't been looking forward to it, but she absolutely nailed it. Here she is:

Day Trips With The Kids

Over Labour Day weekend, rather than going away, we made several day trips. Sometimes there are local gems that you suddenly realize you haven't taken your children to visit... And so it was that last Saturday we visited the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Not only did they get exercise by walking around the extensive gardens, but they also saw some beautiful blooms, played in a nature-inspired play area, and attended a beautiful concert by Caroline Planté, a flamenco guitarist from Quebec. Here are a few photos from the visit: