Very First Fish!!!

On Tuesday the kids and I are going to be heading to Saskatchewan for a bit over a month and Daddy doesn't know what he's going to do without us - awww! He said it's going to be pretty hard looking at the fishing poles and not being able to go out with the kids - so . . . on Sunday morning we kinda skipped church and Braden, Emma and Kaleb went out fishing from early morning to about 4 pm!!! They had a blast!

This time they set themselves on an old floating dock (I'm pretty sure it belonged to the family of ducks that kept on going on it to sleep on the far side - kinda cute.) There was another family on the dock beside theirs that were fishing with just fishing lines and no rods. It seemed that every time they put one down they'd suddenly be pulling up a fish and throw it into their cooler - it was pretty incredible!

Kaleb is an entirely new boy when he starts fishing - it's actually quite hilarious! The boy who is always having to be on the move and making some kind of noise suddenly is telling everyone to "be quiet - I'm fishing!" and sitting as still as he can. He loves watching the fish come up to the hook and as he was just hanging out suddenly we heard "oh, oh, oh, oh, um, um, help!". We looked over and there was Kaleb holding up his fishing rod with a fish on it - he caught his first fish!!! He was so excited and scared at the same time because he didn't have a clue what to do (and I'm pretty sure that Daddy felt the same way - hee hee!) So we (as in Daddy) got it off the hook and the kids filled up a bag with water for it. I ran back home and got a cooler for it so that the kids could start their collection of fish.

Emma was wanting to catch one too and she figured that Kaleb's spot was better than hers so she decided to get out on a rock closer to where he was to fish. Suddenly we heard a HUGE splash and looked over. There was Emma clamoring up the edge of the water - soaking wet! Poor girl had slipped on a rock and fallen in - but don't worry - after that she decided that it was so hot out that she had Daddy dip her in off of the dock, over and over again - so she was okay.

Navia - well - needless to say after feeding the ducks until they didn't want any more bread, and walking around the entire area, and watching the kids and Daddy fish, and eating up all the snacks, and (you get the point...) she was bored silly. She decided that it was more fun to find a picnic bench and get some rest instead of fishing - it was really cute to see!

At the end of the fishing day Kaleb had caught THREE FISH, Emma none and Daddy none. But, we had 3 fish in a cooler swimming around and now what were we supposed to do??? We thought that we'd give them to the family that was catching all the many fish beside us, but when we did Kaleb started crying about his pet fish that he couldn't keep. Then, it didn't help, because the mom said that her son was keeping one of the small ones so that he could see it grow - yikes!!! Now what were we supposed to do??? Instead of taking our 3 fish, they gave us a small fish for Kaleb to keep!!! HELP!!!

After much crying and bribery we decided to drive to Manotick and have a "release the fish" party! We took them under the bridge (and Daddy got a head full of fish water as it splashed on him - hee hee!) and let them go and then went out for ice cream. It was a full day but a really really good one!

Daddy might just have to go out fishing while we're gone so that he can start keeping up with his 5 year old!!!

First Time Fishing!

Emma and Kaleb have been after Daddy to take them fishing for the past two years and today Daddy decided that there was no better way to celebrate Canada Day than to take his kids fishing at the Nicholas Island lock. So - Emma came bursting into the bedroom at 5:00 am to wake us up and let us know it was time to go fishing and was met with a "I didn't mean this early" groan from her dad.

We got away at 7:45 am (if you know our family this in itself is a huge feat!) and it only took us 5 minutes to get to our destination. We got down to the dock and the kids set up their chairs and their poles and both started demanding that daddy hook their line - NOW! It was quite hilarious to see because not only has Daddy not taken the kids fishing before, he doesn't know how to fish so he was teaching himself at the exact same time!!! So there he was, trying to figure out the kids fishing poles, baiting them, casting them and then trying to do his. And of course, as soon as he would go to start on his own one of the kids would say that they needed their's cast again - and so it would go! But, by the end of the trip Emma was making some perfect casts - I'm sure even her mom's cousin & wife, Brandon and Nicole, would be proud!!!

Then, the kids decided that the fake bait wasn't good enough and they wanted Daddy to put real worms on their hooks. All I can say is that I'm sooooo glad that I wasn't the one doing it!!! Emma had a blast with the real worms because the fish were pretty smart and would keep on nibbling them, bit by bit, and never actually take the hook! And she was pretty brave too - she wanted to do the worms herself!

Daddy's first time hooking the worm - ewww!!!

Kaleb, well, he was the first one to get a nibble - and when he looked at his bait he couldn't believe that the fish had eatten the tail off of it! It was quite hilarious watching this all unfold!

where's the tail???

Oh, and all at the same time there was Navia wanting desperately to be a part of all the action - she wanted to fish too! So, the two of us took a few walks around the area, watching the boats go in and out of the locks, seeing how many fish we could see in the water (and there were quite a few to count!) and watching the mommy duck and all her babies. This made is a little quieter around the dock for the kids and all the other fisher"people" around - hee hee!


In the end the morning was a perfect morning because both kids had a lot of nibbles, Kaleb had a fish jump out of the water and splash him and we didn't have to bring home any fish - YAY!!! Oh - and Braden - well - not one nibble!!! But . . . he did say that he loved the morning and can't wait to take the kids out again!

The big catches of the day!!!

RCMP Musical Ride

It's been a bit rainy out here lately and you never quite know what the day will bring. This means that any plans we make all have to be tentative because we just might be rained out - but not today!!!

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were doing their 'Sunset Ceremonies' in Ottawa this week and the kids and I thought that we'd go and check it out - guns, swords, horses, dogs - what more could a kid ask for??? It had been raining most of the day which meant not as many people came out - which then in turn meant better seats for us - YAY!!! And . . . the weather was perfect!!!

Emma loved seeing the Mother and her new foal and Kaleb really liked the guns that they shot and the dogs that didn't listen to their handlers - hmmm - does he recognize something in them - hee hee! Navia just loved being able to see all the animals and stand up and clap like crazy!

I remember doing this as a kid in Watrous and it was really cool to be able to take my own kids to see something that I saw at their age. Oh - and I almost forgot . . . Kaleb's absolute favorite most best-est part was when the horses (in a serious moment) look off in a run and then 2 of them started farting like crazy - the entire crowd bust out laughing - but especially my Kaleb!!! It was quite hilarious seeing his face when he heard that it wasn't him this time!!!

Report Cards!!!

That time of year has come - the kids both came running from the bus today holding sealed brown envelopes anxiously waiting for me to open them and tell them that they could go to the next grade!!! And of course . . . THEY DID!!! Kaleb is now in Senior Kindergarten and Emma is in Grade Two! I thought that I'd let you know what the teachers said about the kids ('cuz otherwise I'll be reading these on the phone to the grandparents...) . . . so here it goes....

Kaleb - Junior Kindergarten - Teacher Mrs. Whiteford
Kaleb is an enthusiastic student who always takes an active role in classroom activities and follows the rules and routines of the class. He adapts well to new situations, is self-reliant and can focus on a task until it is completed. Kaleb listens attentively , contributes responses, and has learned to take turns when speaking. Music and creative movement are areas that Kaleb approaches with enthusiasm. Kaleb has been a pleasure to teacher. Kaleb doesn't get grades right now, but his teacher has been saying how well he's doing! Way to go bud!

Emma - Grade One - Mrs. Browne
Emma has been a delight to teach! She consistently demonstrate self-direction in learning. Emma always shows motivation and consistently seeks new learning challenges. She effectively organizes her time to meet long-term deadlines. Emma always works and play cooperatively with others. She readily establishes positive relationships with peers and adults. Emma consistently listens attentively to understand conflict before acting or offering a solution. She goes out of her way to ensure her peers and others are treated in a respectful manner. Emma always participates in class and group activities. All the best to you in the second grade Emma! Emma's report card was full of A, A- and B's! Good job girl!

Only 2 more days of school and they will be off for the summer - and they are already saying that they are in the next grade. They called Daddy today at work and in the saddest voices told him that they didn't pass their grade. When Dad asked if Emma was pulling his leg she whimpered "how can I, I'm not even close to your leg?" and then almost started crying. Brade was so concerned that he got me on the phone and was asking what was going on - was Emma really failing because of her French? It was hilarious!!! (although I'm sure he didn't think so!) Oh, and then Navia had to do it too and got on the phone and suddenly her smile was gone as she said "Daddy I didn't pass" and when I looked at her there were even tears in her eyes!!! That girl will be one to watch!!!

A Trip to Home Hardware

This past weekend we had to run to a building supply store for a few things for around the house. We didn't feel like driving the 20 minutes to Rona so we thought we'd just jump into the little town of Manotick, 10 minutes away. There was a Home Hardware there that would have what we needed. Needless to say the kids were upset that we were going shopping at another "boring" store and complained pretty much the entire way to the store.

Well, on the drive home I quickly told Braden to turn off of Mitch Owens Rd onto this pretty much going-no-where road. The kids were still complaining - until they saw it . . . we had driven over a bridge and were at the side of the river by Watson's Mill, where we could see the water rushing over the little waterfalls there. The kids took off running and suddenly they weren't upset about going shopping - hmmmm. We walked to the bridge that went across the river to the Mill and a kind family gave the kids some bread to feed the baby ducks with and then we looked down and saw a huge turtle crawling at the bottom of the river. We watched it until it was getting out - the kids LOVED it!!!

The turtle climbing up the river bank

The very greedy ducks and ducklings waiting for more bread!

We went for a walk down at the river's edge and Emma commented on how much fun this was. Wow! Who knew that going to the hardware store could be fun!!! It's pretty cool to just pull over and hang out by the river for a few minutes before heading home from somewhere that wasn't that enjoyable for the kids. Anyways, I just had to share the pics with you.

Heading back to the van

The First of Many . . .

Well, I can' t believe that I've joined the world of "bloggers" - but I'm pretty sure that I won't be nearly as consistent as many of my friends in the blogging world. This is more of a "I-miss-my-family-and-friends-and-want-them-to-be-a-part-of-
what-our-family-is-up-to-wherever-we-are". Now that's a mouthful!!!

In January we moved to Ottawa (again) and we are really loving our life out here. Our family is able to spend a lot of time together - all five of us - which is really fun. Braden is home most nights before supper and the kids all run to the door and hang out all night with him. Each has their "special" things that they do with dad on a regular night - like Kaleb LOVES Mario Kart, so you'll find Daddy and Kaleb on the couch together playing the Wii and you'll overhear Kaleb taunting "I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm going to bump you off the road..." and then an older voice "awww - you won again!". Yep, Daddy kinda sucks at Mario Kart - hee hee! Then you'll hear a ball bouncing on the driveway as Emma is outside playing basketball. She loves sports and Daddy has been coaching her on the proper way of playing b-ball. The traveling rule, well, it's not sticking, but hey - she's just 7! Then there's Navia . . . she just climbs all over Daddy and singings with him and asks him to "follow me" all over the house - exploring each and every treasure that she can find!.


Yep, we love our life here! Our house is much bigger than past houses which means more space to clean for me, but also more space for the kids and their friends to hang out in. Out backyard is also much bigger, which means that I have turned into a "dirt-player" - I could never call myself a gardener - NEVER!!! But . . . I do enjoy playing in the dirt and so far have moved a Japanese Maple from one side of the yard to the other, moved a raised flowerbed, planted 1 lilac, 2 cedars and 1 apple tree and re-sodded the area where the raise flowerbed was. And I'm actually enjoying it! Weird!!! This picture is of the original flowerbed with the hole already dug for a tree. I thought that I'd be using a lot of the flowers from that original bed, but instead have only kept the white bleeding heart and gave everything else away. I'm not much on orange flowers and it was full of orange.


I have a lot of plans that I'm just trying to fine-tune before I start digging up more sod. I'm figuring at least 4 more cedars, 1 cherry tree, concord grapes, a small veggie garden (okay, so maybe just tomatoes this year) and some more trees that I haven't decided upon yet. Our yard was pretty bare when we moved here and we have 2 side neighbors and our back fence is shared with 2 other families as well, so I'm kinda wanting to design something that would enable us to have a bit more privacy when we're in the backyard. It's also pretty nice having a good friend that is a garden-a-holic and she has some good tips and ideas as I'm on my gardening journey.

Navia stretching after helping me move the Japanese Maple from the far side of the yard to here. It was a task and a half, but we did it!!!

Well - I can't believe that I'm still typing - WOW! So, this is my first post and I'll try and have some more pics up of the yard as it is developing . . . I'm soooo wanting to just hang out and enjoy all the fruits of my labour (especially the apples!!!)

The raised flowerbed is no more!!! Now it is a corner to relax and watch the kids play on their fort. Soon the apple tree with grow and make an area that finally has shade during the day!

You can't really see it, but the back left-hand side has a swing/acrobatic swing attached - one for Navia and the other for Emma and Kaleb


oh . . . p.s.

One of the things that Emma thought was really cool about her new school was the opportunity to join the choir. As she says "singing is my gift" - and she is loving every minute of it! This is a little clip (okay, so it was badly recorded on my phone while I was trying to keep Navia still) of her final concert. They performed 4 songs at the school assembly. Emma is on the right-hand side of the teacher, second row, behind the girl in the bright pink t-shirt and kid in the blue.