putting on my running shoes

if you think of it, keep my friend, Sandy in your prayers. she has been mourning the loss of her only sister this week. it was sudden and tragic. tomorrow they say their final good-byes and attempt to move on in their lives without her. she was only a year older than myself. 

on a less solemn note....


we finished the winter session of gymnastics yesterday.



i can vividly recall sitting at our kitchen table with the yellow pages back in January 2007. Kiara was only a few months old and Aidan had more energy than he could handle. it was also cold! no playground days and we both needed something. his library group and kids morning out groups were not enough for him! and me. i jotted notes while i called pretty much every gymnastics club in the city. in the end we all ended up going to a 'parent and tot' program.



wee little Kiara would watch from her infant car seat most days. the program required parents to assist their own children, and the instructor would help with the more "dangerous" manoeuvres (as when they were doing a somersault or the rings). i also recall having to stop and feed Kiara a few of the times. even though i planned her feedings around the classes, it just seemed like she got hungry just watching the kids. it was oh, so blissful when she did sleep for the class. often i would wear my Baby Bjorn and carry her on the course. it was a little tricky at times. i still remember how exhausted i was at the end of the class! funny how tired a mother becomes trying to tire out her toddler.



the next year, Aidan was still too young to be on his own and Kiara was too little to be worth paying to participate. as it happened we got a time slot that was late afternoon and the gym was crazy busy. at the same time Kristian had changed jobs and was working all days of the week. halfway through the session, Kiara was getting to tough to watch and allow me to properly help Aidan. i left her with a sitter when it was possible. one day i managed to get a sitter to come with me and play with her. i think that experience nearly made the new babysitter retire entirely! a little extra cash made her forget the trouble.

 i finished that year with both of them in the 6 week spring session. why? because i felt i needed to give Kiara a full opportunity to participate. ironically, she was a good listener and follower in those days. i also felt a little guilty for not paying for her session for the days when she was there following the kids around. this was not easy. it meant her playing (ie. running up and down stairs and hallways) for the hour Aidan was in class. it also meant him sitting on a bench watching Kiara for the second hour. he always had a snack and bag of activities to help prevent boredom. 

i was singing hallelujahs the next year when Aidan could be in his own class, unassisted and Kiara could be in a class at her level. at the same time. half the work. half the time. 

it must be a grand improvement, because i now drive nearly 20 minutes for their lessons. we have also been enrolled steady since September. usually we don't do gymnastics in the fall. it's a winter thing for us. i also made a mental note to NOT enrol in the spring session. May is fine, but by June we are sick of it!

and i was proud of myself for remembering this important tidbit of information.



then Aidan was invited to join the "Super-Tot" program because he had some talent. for the spring session. he now has a 90 minute session while Kiara is at 60 minutes. this sounds so familiar! the day i made my final decision to not follow my own advice and stop in April, he did a super manoeuvre that made me realize that i made the right choice. on his own he did a "pull-over". which the coaches informed me was very rare for a child his age. Aidan has been on cloud9 because he is "super" and Kristian and i are saving for the olympic program. ha! just kidding. as it happens, the good gymnastic gene is genetic from his Daddy. i was trained to be fearful of heights, cartwheels and any other physical movement on land, water or sky. Kristian has had his work cut out to "un-train"me. laugh.



Kiara has some days where she can walk across this beam with confidence. only to be stricken with intense fear the next. perhaps there is some of my genetics in them after all. in all irony, what does this height-fearing mother do? tell her that there is no danger and to go do it anyway. after all, she had no issues with this when she was 9 months or 2 years old.

my plan is to prepare Kiara for the wait much as i made Aidan wait when he was this age. a snack, special drink and an activity bag. i will bring a book or magazine. and if all else fails, she can watch Dora on my iPod. nothing will prevent me from sitting, with minimal interruption from my most deserved 30 minute break. unless it is watching Aidan practice. which i have missed for the past 18 months. i have had to stop thinking about next September. when BOTH will be in un-parented classes. the only stress i will have remaining is to be forced to watch both of them perform tricky stunts and hope that they listen to the instructions.

has it only been 3 years of gymnastics? because it has felt MUCH longer than that. apparently toddlers with inconsistent listening skills will do that to you. in the past year we often have at least one parent who has 2 young kids in the class - like i did. i recognize the look of "what did i just do to myself?!" in their eyes. then i remind them that it does get better. true.

lately Kiara has been inserting her gymnastics routines with dance. she is not in dance class. yet. (fortunately that should provide me with another hour of sitting and watching.)

i should add that it is not the physical activity that is exhausting...it is the intense 60 minutes of encouraging a willful toddler to stay focused....and perform the routine as asked, and as you know she is capable of achieving.

i also realize that i may look at the moms with young kids and wish (for a moment) that i was back in that time of my life again. these days they often have accomplishments that happen while they are at school or when i am away from them. it was a wonderful gift to be able to spend these early years with them and be a part of their big developmental milestones.

i would do it all over again. they are both more confident. it is amazing to watch them do things that i never imagined possible. in my training for my B.Ed. degree we never went into this much detail in the gymnastics component. i am not aware of any school that has the money to put towards this equipment either. i got well educated as well. it was worth all the sweat and tears and dollars!!

i don't know what next year will hold. Aidan will be away at school all day. Kiara will still be free to do afternoon and some morning activities. i am looking forward to much that this next phase will offer. but it will present new challenges like choosing which activity to participate in. soon enough they will have their favourites and we'll need to decide which will work best for the family. secretly, Kristian and i can't wait to re-enter the triathlon world. this time with kids in tow. (don't worry, Carol, we'll teach them to be fast in the transition and not treat it like locker time! wink!!)

but for today, we will take on the challenges they give us and enjoy the moment.

round the corner

we have a lovely woodland trail near our home. a favourite of ours. it is usually quiet. there are a few spots where you go around a corner and the trail disappears behind you. we have Aidan trained now to ride only as far as he can see us, then to wait until he spots us or ride back to where we are. the first few times we took the path and he disappeared were a little frightening. it is quite the dilemma to be thrilled on one hand that he has reached this level of independence. but it is also scary to realize that we have a little less control!

the little trail has us fooled into thinking that we are so removed from streets and roads. there are logs and thick bushes to explore. wild strawberries and the largest wild raspberry patch i've ever seen.

Aidan loves to ride the trail as fast as he can. Kiara loves to take in every detail. and i am caught in the middle trying to accommodate both of their desires.




this is the point where we all know the winding trail is over. this is also the only point of the trip where we must take it together. unity. once we cross the road the trail changes. no more gravel. it is an easy and quick trip. the destination is visible. they know that the playground and bike track are soon to be reached.






winter is so dismal. this year we weren't even allowed to enjoy the yellows, golds and reds of the changing seasons. the past few years were rich in the autumn colours and we were blessed.

i love to see the spring buds. even the weeds make me smile at this point!

i am thankful that there is more than one kind of tree. spring would be so boring if we only had spruce or cedar or elm trees.




the park is much more fun without snow suits and heavy winter boots.

i was looking at old photos a few weeks ago and saw baby photos of the kids when we played at the park. they have grown so much. they love to hear stories of what they were like when they were "little". they are great kids. so different from one another. but yet so very similar. it is interesting how they are a mix of us, as well as having some aspects completely different from us.


here is a recipe for Baked Alaska desert:

allrecipes.com

you can also watch Gordon Ramsey make one here.





i did not follow either recipe exactly.

for the cake i used the cupcake tops. then i added one scoop of the ice cream on top of them.

i did follow the meringue recipe for egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.

i don't own a cooking torch. besides i am sure i would never be allowed to own one! have you seen me with fire? ha! besides it was much more fun to put the desert into the oven and really make a show out of it all.

i was thrilled to learn that you can make them ahead and freeze them for a few days. just be sure to encase the entire desert in the meringue. it is actually a fun science lesson too.

summer days

in the middle of spring.




we have been enjoying some amazing spring weather. i think the season fairies are dizzy. {if you have ever watched Tinkerbell 50 million times you will understand what that meant!}

these photos were taken on the weekend. we had some quiet evenings and early suppers. which translates to lots of time for a walk down to the duck pond. if you are an adult.

for the half-pints in our family that means a bike ride. young miss Kiara is really picking up strength and speed again. i've been hanging on to our chariot stroller/bike trailer in case she decides that it is too much. {or we decide.} last year we biked the 2.5 km to our local McD's and she did amazing. the only hurdle we had was on the return trip. in an effort to prevent the traffic from being held up, we walked her bike across the merge lane. much to all of our demise. it was a temper tantrum the entire trip home.  who knew 2.5 km could feel like 30km in a head wind. had we only known.




being it is spring, it also meant a check on the newly arrived feather friends. this is one of my favourite parts of our new community. a noisy Canada Goose awoke me early one morning this week. that was a first for me. we have a little birdhouse in our backyard and we're hoping that some nice little songbirds will come and frequent it this year.



this is one of my favourite close up photos of a goose. they really are a beautiful bird. i would have loved some of the Mallards, but they were just too far away for that. i've heard that Canada Geese mate for life. isn't that cool? they also fly in a "v" formation and take turns being the lead bird. that is the limit of my knowledge about them. however i think they are pretty cool to be such team players.




baked alaska.

the kids were pretty amazed that we could "cook" ice cream. it was a treat for all of us that night.

last night the kids had their final AWANA session. each week they can earn AWANA dollars by attending and doing their homework/memory work. Kiara spends all her money when she can, whereas Aidan had decided to save his. as of yesterday he had $60. Kiara spent most of hers on candy, and Aidan spent his on toys and one tiny candy.

since Aidan finished his entire book of memory verses, he earned an opportunity to throw a pie in the face of one of the leaders. i love that they have so many fun and creative ideas to do with the kids. they have games every week.

it was also a big day for Aidan at school because they finished their final page in their printing books. as each of the kids finished their book, his teacher would get the class attention and say, "hip hip hooray! Aidan finished his printing book today!" then the class would clap. i happened to be volunteering yesterday and got to join in. it was amazing how something so simple had each of the kids beaming like they were royalty.

i am looking forward to the freedom of summer. however i am already tearful that Aidan will be done kindergarten in a few months. his teacher is a friend of mine and i have many great memories of subbing for her before Aidan joined our family. i taught for many talented teachers, but as Aidan grew i knew that her style would be perfect for him. it was completely divine intervention that he ended up in her classroom.

learning academic stuff comes so easily to him. i love that mrs. k encourages the kids to excel at the level they are capable of and keeps her classroom flexible for that. he read his first "library book" on his own this week. ironically the title was "All By Myself". he also loves, loves, loves to ride his bike. more than any other kid we know right now. just like his daddy. {these days he refers to himself as a little engineer. of course i remind him that teachers are the smartest because they are the ones who teach the engineers. i have to defend my profession!}

i am excited to teach my year in review students again tonight. this is a fun and artsy layout. i'm still working on the next layout. it will be elegant and clean. it has been fun to put these pages together. i love that this job really energizes and inspires me. i'm looking forward to what the students think of the new techniques tonight. i always enjoy hearing how they use their favourite new techniques too. i am also working this weeks' late night crop. can't wait for that. we have been very fortunate to have some awesome ladies the past few months. some nights they keep us challenged finding all sorts of products or sharing ideas. it is always a blast.

well, off to go shopping! Kiara loves to check out stores with me. i will take advantage of that as long as i can.