Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Weekend Recap

We had an absolute blast this weekend with our family in Ottawa (or more specifically Manotick).  Dave has two cousins that he spent a lot of time with when he was growing up.  We saw both of them, and their wives, and their kids, three boys and one girl.  E had so much fun with his cousins!

Dave and Adam on the deck enjoying the sun. 

We arrived on Friday night, watched the Raptor game (they lost but it was still a great season and playoff run!).  We woke up to a beautiful morning on Saturday - complete with fresh cinnamon buns, muffins, fruit and coffee (my favourite type of breakfast).  We had no set plans for the day other than enjoying the outside.  A few of us took a walk to the local park before lunch. 



Chowing down on his lunch

After lunch, the kids played in the backyard in the pool and sprinkler.  It was so hot and we were happy to have the shade. 

We had an early night on Saturday because the next day was half marathon day.  Plus Amy and Lindsay had run the 5K late Saturday afternoon, in the extreme heat, and it wore them out!  I didn't do any runs, but I was equally as tired after spending the day outside.  

On Sunday, E and I got up early with Dave and Adam and drove into Ottawa for the race. Unfortunately Darren was sick so he could not run the half this time.  After we dropped off Dave and Adam, E and I settled in with our Starbucks to watch the start of the race. 


Here come the runners!

E stuck his hand out and got quite a few high fives, he loved it! And we saw the boys when the ran by, thankfully because Adam yelled out at me. 

After the runners passed by, E and I took a walk up to the Parliament buildings.  I have been to Ottawa several times, but only ever in the dead of winter so I was happy to visit the city in the spring.  

E went to pose with this statue and when he touched the leg, he assured me that it wasn't a real bear.


As we walked up Elgin Street, I tried to explain that Ottawa is the capital of Canada and this is where our Prime Minister and the other people that run the country work and live.  I thought E asked me where "that guy" lives, thinking he meant the Prime Minister so I pointed down towards the general direction of Sussex Drive and talked about that.  But then E says "no, where does God live?".  Funny question.


He wanted to go in.  Maybe next time we can get a tour, we do know a Senator after all. 
The War Memorial was closed for construction, but we got this picture with a soldier.


Then we walked along the Rideau Canal and we thought we could make it down to where the rest of the family was watching the race, but we ran out of time, so we settled in near the finish line instead.  


The runners after the race. Great work guys!

Dave's stats from his run.  The weather turned out to be perfect for the half marathon, despite all the worry about the heat wave earlier in the weekend.  They were able to keep a quick pace and both had great times in the end. 


We headed back to the house for some lunch and a few more rounds in the kiddie pool for E.  Needless to say, when we got in the car to go home, he was quick to fall asleep. 


We stopped in at the Big Apple on the way home, you know what this is if you've ever driven on the 401 east of Toronto.  There is a lot going on there.  We got some supper and bought an apple pie to take home.  E had the grilled cheese with apple and bacon on apple bread.  I will be getting that next time too!


A very successful weekend and we are looking forward to doing it all again next year.  They have a 2K race that E would like to do, and I could do it with him with the baby in the stroller. 

My only regret is that we never got a group photo of everyone! :(

Monday, May 30, 2016

Let's Talk - May

Linking up for Let's Talk.  Today's topic is what we have planned for the summer.


This is our first summer where E has not been in daycare, so we had to book a few summer camps.  We booked a couple of weeks at the High Park Nature Centre.  We are really excited about this one; E went to a birthday party there a few weeks ago and it looks really fun.  

He also has a couple of sport camps that he'll be attending with a friend and he will love that! 

To fill in the non-camp weeks, E will spend a week with Dave's parents at their house, and another week here with my mom.  


We also have a trip to Cape Breton planned for a family reunion.  

Dave and I are taking off a week at the end of July but haven't made any plans yet.  We may just stay in Toronto and do tourist things.  

We have two camping trips planned as well - on in Algonquin and one at the Pinery.  Both times we are going with friends which will be more fun. 

Aside from these things, we will also be looking forward to lots of pool and splash pad visits, Blue Jays games, patios, ice cream cones, and popsicles.  No drinking for me, but Dave will enjoy a few cold beers. 


Bring on summer, my very favourite time!


Friday, May 27, 2016

Friday Favourites

Linking up with AndreaErika and Narci for Friday Favourites.


This guy started soccer this week.  This year he is a Cinnamon Roller.  He is excited to be there and even scored a goal.

I picked up these bowls from anthropologie a couple of weeks ago.  We have a few other of these small fancy bowls but wanted to add to our collection.  We like to use them for chips, ice cream, and granola. 

I got this candle at Bath and Body Works a few weeks ago but only lit it this week.  It has a mild scent, which I like, but very fresh.  The coconut smells like summer to me. 


I saw this article yesterday. This summer there will be food stands in various subway stations selling healthy food, both as snacks or things you could take home to make supper.  This is great; there are so many "food deserts" in our city, where it is hard to get to a grocery store, and people feel stuck to buy or order fast food for their families.  Maybe this will help those busy commuters make some healthy choices!


We are headed on a road trip today.  E is pretty good at keeping himself entertained in the car, and we will stop for food on the way to break things up.  I also printed off some car bingo sheets that should be fun. 
(This is last year, but should be the same scene this weekend)

Happy Friday!



Thursday, May 26, 2016

June Goals



My goals for May were: 

1. Get both yards cleaned up and buy some flowers.  
Done and done. 



2. Read my book club book and one more book.
I only read one book this month, but I was unexpectedly busy with Raptors playoff games!!

3. Reconfigure the guest room.
That is done, on paper, at least.  We can fit the double bed that is in there now into the corner and that leaves room for the crib and stuff.  We will probably buy the same furniture from Ikea that we had for E since it worked well.  I can also change the closet so there are two rungs on the side rather than a long one across the whole closet, and then we can build some shelves on the other side. 

4. Go to yoga twice a week. 
Done

5. Start walking in the mornings. 
Done.  I am up only about 45 minutes earlier than I would be normally and it is really nice to be out in the morning. 

My goals for June are:

1.  Start going through the baby stuff and planning what to do in the nursery.  In case you missed it yesterday, we found out we are having another boy, so it means we will be able to reuse a lot of things we had before.

2.  Invite some people over for a BBQ.

3.  Walk E to school before his last day. 

4.  Read two books.  Something light and fun. Something by Elin Hilderbrand, or something similar.

5.  Get our camping stuff ready for the summer.  We got a new tent so we need to figure it out, and also patch the holes in our air mattresses. 



Wednesday, May 25, 2016

What's Up Wednesday


What we're eating this week...
Sunday - we went out to our local pub
Monday - Burgers, Roasted Potatoes, Salad
Tuesday - Quinoa with mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil
Wednesday - Crab cakes
Thursday - Lemon Risotto
Friday - We are going to Ottawa so we will probably grab something along the way.

What I'm reminiscing about...
It was our anniversary on Monday so I have been reminiscing about our wedding day and each anniversary since then. 
In Paris on our honeymoon.

What I'm loving... 
I sound like a broken record, but I am loving the warm weather!! It took awhile to get here but it looks like it is here to stay.  I love sitting outside for a meal or just to read after supper. 

What we've been up to...
Working in the yard this week.  We are hoping we did a better job of choosing flowers for our garden this year.  The soil is not great, so I picked ones that do well in rock gardens.  Plus Dave set up our watering system that is on a timer so hopefully that will keep everything alive all summer.  






What I'm dreading...
I won't say I'm really dreading it, but it will be a challenge to get everything at work wrapped up before I take maternity leave in October. Then I need to balance taking time off work and looking after myself and baby, but also maintaining contact with my clients and co-workers while I'm off. 

What I'm working on...
It will be a busy few weeks around here, so this week I am making sure our laundry is done and that we have everything we need for this weekend and beyond.  

What I'm excited about...
My birthday is next month and I am already excited about having cake.  It's not like we never have cake or cupcakes, but it is rare, and it is my favourite thing about birthdays.

What I'm watching/reading...
Amazingly we are still watching the Raptors play playoff basketball!!  I am also watching the new season of The Bachelorette, Game of Thrones, and Veep.  


I have book club tonight and this time we read, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.  It is a fictional book (obviously, it's got "novel" right in the title), but based on a real person.  The author did research based on Zelda and Scott's correspondence, their journals, notes, and talking to their family, but the author takes liberties.  It was a very good book actually, and I wasn't sure what I would think of it.  I am a big fan of The Great Gatsby and I took American Literature in university so I was familiar with all of the characters, the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Ezra Pound, etc.  It is definitely "Team Zelda", making her a very sympathetic character, but it worked.  She came from an old name in the Southern United States and all that came with that, and Scott was a Yankee from the midwest.  They were wild about each other and lived the high life in New York and then Paris, but they weren't without their issues.  I would recommend this if you are interested in the Jazz Age at all, or if you enjoyed The Great Gatsby.  



What I'm listening to...
I think the song of the summer will be Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop This Feeling".  I'm already singing along in the car. 

What I'm wearing...
My laundry mostly consists of exercise clothes and tank tops that I wear under all of my shirts.  I have been lucky to have a few non-maternity clothes that still fit but they are better with the long tank. 

What I'm doing this weekend...
We are going to Ottawa for race weekend.  Dave is running the half marathon and we will get to visit with his cousins who are also doing various races throughout the weekend.  There will be three other little boys and one little girl, so E will have a great time with the kiddos!

What I'm looking forward to next month...
My birthday, my trip to Halifax, a wedding, the last day of school (say what?!?)
Wasn't the first day of school just yesterday?!


What else is new...
Oh right! The biggest new thing of our life this week, we found out that we are having a BOY!  Another boy and a brother for E.  #boymomforlife

What are you looking forward to this summer?
Sunny days, hot weather, pool dates with E, ice cream cones, fizzy lemonade, my hammock, and our last months as a family of three.


Thanks for stopping by!!



Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Weekend Recap

What a long weekend, literally!!  We packed a lot into this one.  

On Friday morning Dave had left the house early to go to a meeting so E and I had breakfast in High Park at the Grenadier Cafe.  It was a lovely morning out on the patio.  E was very interested in the birds that were helping themselves to the leftover food from people's plates once they had left. 

This is him trying to protect his plate from the seagull. 


On Friday afternoon, E had tennis lessons.

Dave and I went out for our anniversary to Sidecar in Little Italy.  We have been to this restaurant many times and were there for our 3rd anniversary too.  It was nice to sit on the patio too. 

On Saturday morning I slept in a little bit and then we went to the driving range at Centennial Park.  This was E's first time really hitting a golf ball with his new clubs that he got for Christmas.  These shots show him standing upright and trying to hit the ball (that didn't last long, he was being extra silly).  Dave and I got to hit a few balls though.  We actually went back on Monday morning and he did much better.  





After we grabbed some lunch at the Superstore of all places, we went home to work on the yard.  I swept the backyard and cleaned up some leaves, and then hosed down the furniture.  Dave and E worked out front.  Then we quickly got ready and went to Medieval Times with my dad and his wife. It was quite the show if you have not experienced it yet.  E loved every minute of it!  Definitely worthwhile for kids. 






After that, we left E with the grandparents and Dave and I headed downtown for Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.  It was such a great game and the Raptors even won to top it all off!  





Check the score, 99-84, and everyone on their feet. 

On Sunday we went to Lowe's to buy a toilet and the flooring for the basement.  And then we went back to the Superstore for lunch and some groceries.  I thought I would commemorate it with a photo of the panini case, since this is what I had for lunch both days. 


After that, E and I went for a walk with some friends along the Humber River.  What a great day to be outside!


For supper we went to our local put, and then after E went to bed, I got to sit outside, which was such a nice treat.  We watched Game of Thrones (#holdthedoor) and the SNL season finale that we had taped.  

On Monday morning, I got up somewhat early and went for a walk.  I picked up some croissants for a special anniversary breakfast.  We did spend part of our honeymoon in Paris and enjoyed many a pastry on that trip. 


Then we joined the hoards of people at Plant World to pick up our flowers for the season.  Bad picture of E, but it was the cleanest he was all day. 


We hit up the driving range again, and then went home to get to work.  We took a break for lunch but worked hard all day. 

Enjoying my ice cream cone with Pig Pen. 


We had a lovely dinner with my dad and his wife outside on the patio, burgers, potatoes and salad (but I forgot to take a picture).  Then we finished off our night with the Raptors game.