Last Week of School

The girls just finished their last week of work, one of the busiest days of the year:

On Monday, they had their first piano recital (our three year old watched):

On Tuesday, the two younger ones headed to the local wading pool.
Wednesday was "super hero day" for the little ones, and our 7-year old headed to a nearby pool for a fun-filled day with her classmates:

On Thursday we headed to the local bike shop where the police were engraving bikes:

Our #2 with a classmate

On Friday, a waffle truck visited the elementary school to treat all 400 kids. Afterwards, we headed to the local farm for the first day of strawberry picking.

And today, the girls enjoyed a few hours at the local celebration of "Quebec Day", as our girls like to call it:

No wonder I am exhausted...

Swim Team Awards Night

The indoor swim season recently came to a close, and my daughter's swim club hosted an awards ceremony on the last day. I decided to take my 7-year old, not because I was expecting her to win an award, rather simply so that she could see her coaches and fellow swimmers one last time before the summer.

Much to my surprise, she won the first award: Most Improved Junior Fin 1. There was no question about it, she had definitely improved. At the beginning of the season, she could barely finish 25m without stopping, and by the end, she was swimming about 10 laps without stopping for a break. Not only did her front and back strokes look great, but she added butterfly and breaststroke to her repertoire.

When her name was called for the award, she did not move. I had to prompt her to go up on stage. After receiving her award, she posed for the most adorable photo ever...

Ed-Stock: An Outdoor Concert

Several months ago I attended a home-and school meeting where the music teacher proposed an interesting idea for a fundraiser: An outdoor concert where the kids would perform, a few parents would accompany on instruments, parents would be charged 5$ for entry, and the audience would sit on folding chairs that they brought to the concert. The idea was quickly approved by the governing board, and the concert took place this week. They called it "Ed-Stock". Over one thousand parents and kids attended, and it was definitely a big hit. The principal got permission someone at Woodstock to sell the posters for 5$ a pop. All we had to do was practice some songs with our 7-year old, including:

I Love Rock and Roll
Seven Nation Army
Umbrella
Halleluja
Life is a Highway
Ahead by a Century
Stairway to Heaven
Where the Streets Have no Name

The students were divided into three groups, and each group sang approximately 10 songs. The whole event lasted exactly two hours, the snacks quickly ran out, and the event was a definite success. Here are a few photos:

the ticket

One of the three groups

Our girls watching with a friend

Her Second Duathlon

In her second attempt, our 7 year-old successfully completed the school's duathlon. Last year she refused to ride without me holding onto her handlebars the entire first half of the race. So this year, not only did we practice more ahead of time,  but Papa took the morning off work so that he could jog alongside her while she peddled her bike. I was volunteering at the site all morning, but when Papa arrived with the two younger ones, I briefly left my post, and I was able to watch part of the race.

Once the kindergartener's had completed their race, the grade one girls, including our 7-year-old, found their bicycles by the side of the school, and walked them to the starting line. Before the race begun, they had a brief warm-up with some grade six students involving mostly jumping jacks. They then raced to their bikes, and jumped on at the starting line. They rode, with a police escort, and on cordoned-off streets, roughly one kilometre and ended the riding portion at the start line. Then, they hopped off their bikes, and ran into the school's court yard. They jogged around the soccer field, then ended at the back of the school to cheering parents and kids from other grades.

My husband didn't have to jog far, as our 7-year old not only ignored him, but left him in the dust. This was in contrast to last year where she cried part way, mostly screamed each time I let go of her handle bars, and asked for her Papa...

And while she did not finish first, second, or third, she did finish in the top half of the grade 1 girls. And while I was unable to see her bike as I was watching the two little ones by the finish line, I was simply pleased that she tried her best and succeeded...

The finish line (before the event begun)

The bikes lined up by grade

The warm-up

Finishing off strong

Enjoying a post-race treat 

The Simple Pleasures of Childhood

On a recent warm spring day, with nowhere to be after school, we decided to stop for an icy cold treat:

Soccer Season Begins

The rain finally gave way to sunshine, the soccer fields dried up, and the season has begun!  We knew it would be a challenge juggling three practices and three games per week, but our youngest insisted she was ready to play! And here she is at her very first practice:

It remains to be seen how she will do at her first game. I explained to her a few hours ago that she would be playing her first game tomorrow. She answered "but I already had my game". I attempted to explain the difference between a game and a practice, but as usual, she was not listening...

The Girls Help Out

The girls were surprised to find out that there was no school on Monday. I explained to them that due to the heavy rains, many roads around Montreal had flooded, and some teachers and students were unable to get to school safely. We discussed ways that we might help out. Along with my sister, we stopped first at Tim Hortons to pick up a large box of Timbits for the volunteers (plus a smaller box for the girls).  Next we headed towards Ile-Bizard to help fill some sand bags. We each filled one bag, plus an extra one for good measure. Once our three-year old started sliding down the large pile of sand that the volunteers were trying to shovel into bags, we decided to head home. We talked about the flood the rest of the way home, and about helpfulness. Despite the cold weather, the girls seemed to have appreciated their first experience as volunteers....