Saturday, July 28...

Today we went into Halifax again with Grammie & Grampie. We went to Pier 21 for a little while to visit the gift shop. We are now buying little souvenirs to take back to friends in AB. Then the kids wanted to go to FREAK LUNCHBOX again to pick up more candy and T-shirts to take home. The FREAK is Halifax's most popular and interesting candy store. Then we went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic since the kids wanted to see the Titanic Exhibit again and the new exhibit for 2007- "Pirates". The Pirates of the Carribean movies have created a huge interest in kids for pirates, but the irony is that pirating was essentially robbery and murder on the open seas, and the exhibit does a good job of touching on this fact. As we left, we picked up a book on the Titanic, a book on Pirates and a Titanic first class menu from the Museum gift shop. On the way home, we stopped at Ponderosa in Bedford for dinner.

Later this week we are homebound for AB. We will have a day in TO where we will be visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame. Tyler is beside himself with excitement. He is such a funny boy. This week he asked me to go to the drugstore to buy something to "take all the freckles off my face. I don't like freckles and I want them off!". I remember hating my freckles when I was his age as well. But I explained to him that freckles are "angel kisses" and both Dad and I have freckles, and Hunter has a few as well.

Friday, July 27....

Today was an interesting day... we had breakfast at Uncle K & Aunt Z's, lunch with Grammie P. at her apartment at Tideways and then supper at the R's house. L's was so sweet-she planned this little surprise birthday party for Hunter with a gift and cake and balloons for Hunter. She even gave Tyler a little gift as well. So lucky to have this wonderful family in our lives.

Thursday evening...

After I dropped C & M off to their Dad around 4:30pm, we went to Uncle K & Aunt Z's for the night. We had delicious bbq'ed pork chops for supper & then Uncle took us for a 2 hour ATV ride all around the lake and surrounding fields. The kids were wild with excitement since they have NEVER been on an ATV before. Uncle had the kids up front with him, and a trailer was hooked onto the back for Auntie and I. We actually got stuck briefly in a mud hole, and guess who had mud spun all over them??? We had one helluva laugh over that-both Auntie and I had light-colored t-shirts on. Uncle let the kids take a little turn driving the ATV and we did not get to bed until 11 pm. Kids had SUPER fun.

Thursday, July 26...

I offered to babysit C & M today, as Mom was going to be out of town. We packed a picnic lunch and went to Aylesford lake for the afternoon and it was a really hot, humid day. The kids had a lot of fun playing and it turned out to be a very easy day for me, even with having 4 kids in my care.

Lobsters...

After we got home from Lunenburg, we scooted over to Halls Harbour for some fabulous fresh lobsters with melted butter for supper!! Super Yummy!

Wednesday, July 25...

We went to Lunenburg for the day to visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. This was one of Tyler's favorite museums that we visited last summer, so we thought we would visit it again. He LOVES anything to do with the ocean. The thrill for him is touring ships and there are two docked at the jetty at the Fisheries Museum: The Teresa E. Connor, which is a fishing schooner, and the Cape Sable which is a diesal powered fishing dragger. We also spent alot of time in the "Whale" exhibit. For the first time, we also toured Lunenburg by horse and buggy for fun. "Trot in Time" gives 35 minute historical tours around the beautiful town. The horse's name was Johnny and Johnny had special places along the route for drinking water and having a poo. I thought Tyler was going to fall out of the buggy when he was leaning out to watch Johnny have his poo. Mom & I were laughing, but the reality is that we have no connection to farm life and he hasn't see a horse poo before. Then the poo was shovelled into a garbage bag and placed under our seat. PHEW! The last picture is of whale jaw bones and Tyler took this picture.

A sleepover...

Hunter had two friends over for a sleepover. These were the friends that she was supposed to go to camp with for a week. The girls had a great time. We made pizza for supper, and they played a game of "Life" and then watched some movies: "She's the man" and the old movie "Hairspray" and then "Simon Birch".

Monday, July 23...

We spent some time with Grammie P. today. Did a little shopping and went to Jungle Jim's for lunch. Hard to believe that Grammie will be 75 this year.

Saturday, July 21....

Today we went into Halifax for the day. We spent most of our time in Bayers Lake shopping and eating. Then we went to see the new Harry Potter movie at the IMAX in 3-D. It was great!

Friday, July 20..

Hunter and I decided to go to the launch party for the latest & last installment of Harry Potter at the local Coles Bookstore at 11pm. The store was serving pumpkin juice and cockroach clusters and giving away free prizes. I was suprised to see about 200-300 people at this party. There wer 2 very long lineups for the book-one line for prepaid books and the other for books to be purchased. We did a countdown at 12:01 for the books to be opened and then we got our copy. We had some friends go with us and we got home around 1 am. Hunter and I have decided to read the series starting from Book 1. We have only books 3 and 6, and 7, so we need to pick up books 1 and 2 to get started when we get home.

reading.....

I have managed to read these 2 books in the last few weeks. I didn't really realize it at the time but both are biographies of men diagnosed with paranoid schezophrenia. These two books contrast one man from a working class small town who is convicted for a murder he did not commit and wastes in jail until DNA exonerates him; the other man a brilliant mathematician who spends years roaming around Princeton University until he recovers and then receives the Nobel Prize for economics. However, the movie, although a good movie, is quite far from the truth, and the book is fascinating for both it's detail and depth.

Tuesday, July 17....

We took my Grandmother Jo out for lunch to Stirlings. Stirlings is known for their amazing pies. We had strawberry rhubarb pie with whipped cream for dessert. Their pastry is so tender and flaky and all the pies taste just dreamy. It was a warm day, so after we took Grammie home, we went to Lumsden Dam for a swim and to cool off.

Monday, July 16....

Last Monday, Hunter went to the office with Grammie for the day. Grammie puts her "to work" putting away invoices and writing up the bank deposit. Tyler had Tristan over for a playdate and I took them to Lumsden Dam for some beach time. These little boys play together so well!!

the unhappy events of Sunday, July 15....

Hunter was supposed to go to a 5 day Church Camp today with 2 close friends of hers. I had spoke to the Camp Registrar on Monday and he told me that space was available for her to attend and to put the registration forms with the payment in the mail and he would add her name to the list. Sunday arrived, and we get Hunter all packed up for camp and drive her to the Camp for check-in time at 6:30 pm. When we arrived at the check-in, it was discovered that her name did not appear on any list of registered campers. The Camp Registrar, an elderly gentleman, was sitting at the table, remembered talking to me on the phone, but apparently had not added her name to the list and now they have no space available for her!! I showed him the receipt for the money order for the Camp which I had mailed earlier in the week as per his instructions, but I can tell that everyone is uncomfortable and no one seems to know what to do. I send Hunter back to the car with Mom and Tyler. They asked me to wait to see if they are any no shows, but as I am standing there watching other children register, I feel more and more angry. There is no point in having a confrontation in front of all these children and parents. I feel like asking the Camp Registrar to go out to the car and explain to my 10 year daughter why he said he would add her name to the list and why now she cannot go to camp with her friends. I feel sick inside for Hunter. I know she is very dissapointed, but she handles it well.

a sleepover....

My friend Joanne spontaenously invited us to stay for the night with her family, so after we finished dinner, Aaron & Amanda drove us over to Joanne's house. It was great to spend some time with her. We chatted and had some wine. The kids played. Joanne very graciously drove us back to the Valley the next day.( Mom & Dad had gone home the night before.)

Saturday, July 14

...was a very busy day. First, we met my friend Joanne & her family to pick strawberries. Then we went to the Farmers' Market for awhile and then to the pub for lunch. Then Mom & Dad and the kids & I drove to Halifax to see Aaron & Amanda in their new home. They had called a few days earlier to invite us to supper. We had a wonderful visit with them.

Friday, July 12...

We planned another fun day trip with PA & C & M. First we went to Stirling's for lunch. Stirling's is most famous for it's pies. Delicous pies. I had strawberry rhubarb pie with some whip cream. Then we toured Grand Pre National Historic Park, and then went to the Blue Beach Fossil Museum and did a fossil search on Blue Beach. The above Church is a replica of the Church where the men and boys were locked when the Acadians were deported by the British in 1755- a sad fact of history. We also looked at some of the names of the deported families.

Wednesday, July 11...

Today was Mom's day off, so we packed up the beach toys and a picnic lunch and went to Risser's Beach for the day. This is one of my favorite beaches in N.S. The kids has lots of fun playing in sand and water all day.

Halifax...

Halifax was busy getting ready for Tall Ships 2007, so there was lots of hustle & bustle on the waterfront.

Tuesday, July 10....

On Tuesday, our friends PA & C & M picked us up and we left for a day trip to Halifax. We started our day at the Discovery Centre. We packed a picnic lunch and ate on the Waterfront. But before we ate lunch, we visited Freak Lunchbox, which is the coolest candy store in the city.

Saturday, July 7

We took Grammie P. out for lunch at Between the Bushes. It was delicious. Then we went to see the new Disney movie "Ratatouille" which was a very cute movie. When we got home, Tyler felt inspired to cook and told us "You ladies got sit down and relax and I will cook supper!".

Latest news...

Tyler lost his first top tooth on Saturday, July 7 and he pulled it out himself!!

I finished reading this late last night. It was the perfect summer read. Intrigue, love, tragedy. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. The plot kept rolling along with surprises right to the very end. It is set during the Renaissance and the fall of Rome.

Today is Saturday, and it is cloudy and grey outside. I have spent over an hour fooling around and cursing at blogspot trying to get my blog updated with new posts. Dad is mowing the lawn. Mom is making a birthday cake for my brother. Tyler is outside playing on the playset and Hunter is taking a shower. We haven't mapped out the plans for the day yet, but I will post later! I am sure at some point today, we will play a game of LIFE, just like the other night. And Dad won with assets of 1.4 million. How does he do that?

Thursday was an overcast day, so we did a little shopping at Chisholm's in Kentville and we picked up the boardgame Life to play. Then we visited the new Gelato place across the street for some delicious cold treats. The Gelato is made on site with fresh milk. I tried pistacchio, Tyler had coconut and Hunter had grapefruit. It was totally YUM-O!!

flying...

On Wednesday, we went to the strawberry fields with PA and the kids. We picked 22 boxes of strawberries for $1.35 a box. Then PA invited us for lunch and a playdate. Later that night, Uncle Derrick stopped by with his hobby plane. It runs on an electric motor and remote control. We spent an hour watching Uncle Derrick crash land his plane, but it was fun!!!

More of the campus that I love!!!

On Tuesday, we went for a hike around the campus of my alma mater. I think that this is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, but I am biased, of course. I showed the kids the walk I used to have to make from the gym after a workout to my apartment at 88 Highand Ave. Except, that we didn't quite make it all the way to Highland Avenue since we stopped to chat to 2 students from Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

When we were in Halifax, the kids were constantly asking Grammie to hold things for them in her bag (which i would then carry!): hats, suncreen, sweaters, etc, until Grammie's bag literally fell apart. So I took them shopping at Mountain Equipment Coop for these day packs, so now they can carry their own stuff: hats, waterbottles, snacks, gum. They love them and it works great for me!

Hunter got this new shirt at Cows on the Waterfront. It seems very appropriate. It says "iCud". Tyler got a shirt that says "Teenage Mutant Ninja Cows" but he didn't want me to take a picture.

We went to Halifax for the July 1 weekend. Had lots of fun walking around the Waterfront, shopping and eating lots of bad stuff! The kids had a chance to see their other grandparents which they were very excited about. We watched the July 1 Fireworks on the pier.

The below pics show Tyler meeting Mr. Hockey-Gordie Howe. It was an exciting day! We left with a hockey jersey signed by Mr. Howe himself.
I am having big troubles trying to blog here at my vacation destination. Uploading pics is not so easy and I can't enter a title for the blog entry either!!