By Laura

Me again ! The next part of our vacation that I'm going to share with you is our outings to the beach in August. (This activity was also done with the same cousins as before.)

Fun, games, swimming, great company, beautiful weather, sunshine, soft breezes, the sound of waves kissing the shore, and the sun, setting in a way that makes it look like it's consumed and dispersed in an explosion of oranges into the sea... (sigh) :-)

Smooth sailing. 

Getting a little too crowded! 

Heeeelp! 

The troops! 

Can you guess whose is whose? 

From left to right: Alicia (cousin), me (Laura), Johanna (cousin) and Nathalie

The next pictures are of our second outing to the beach. An even more beautiful, hot and sunny day ! 

Our "camp" site.

I love doing this. 

Look at these poor lost sailors looking for an oasis ! 

William:"Is sticking my face in the sand really a good idea?"

Love this picture of Marc! 

And there are our shipwrecked sailors!

We decided to bury Wesley. (But he refused to play dead...)

Cousin fun ! Look closely, the thirsty sailors found an Oasis !!!

Did I describe this sunset well enough? :-) 

Hope you enjoyed this post ! 

Stay tuned for more ! ;-) 

Two years!!!!

Two years ago our family grew in a big spurt when we stood before a Ukrainian judge and asked to adopt Nathalie, William and Marc! Can't believe it has been two years already. Doesn't seem possible, but as I have gotten up morning by morning, taught school, cooked meals, given out hugs and kisses, washed laundry, chauffeured kiddos to rugby, music, etc., two years have flowed swiftly by.
Some things have changed, and some seem to be the same. But mostly, we are well on our way to being one big happy blended family.

Here are a few pictures of our celebration.

Christmas Cookies !

By Laura

Cookies, cookies, cookies and a little icing! Yummy! Every year we make lots of cookies to give to friends, neighbors, and teachers. Mom makes most of them but we the kids love to help her. So here are a few pictures! Try not to drool on your keyboards. ;-)

Date pinwheels

Cinnamon Stars

Raspberry Ribbons

And at the end of all the baking this is what the plates look like.

Nathan in the News

Nathan has been in the news a couple of times in 2014. The first time because he was one of the top students in his Aviation Skills class. (This class does not involve actual flying.)
And more recently because he is participating in the Science Olympics for high schoolers. He has passed the first selection (written test) and this week will have a lab exam.
Here is a link for those of you that read French or just want to look at the pictures. Not sure how long the link will remain active.
Here is the news article.

Ants, ants, ants

This Summer. One of the little boys found an ant hill with eggs etc. He wanted to know more about ants. We found a good book with lots of pictures that I have, and they begged me to read it. Now, it was vacation, and I wasn't really up for too much reading... so after a few pages, I tried to put the book down, but the four youngest (our 12 year old reads just fine on his own) BEGGED me to finish the book. So I did. Then we went online to look for an ant farm. Too expensive. Then we went on Wikihow and made our own ant farm. That jar was the center of attention for many days! (I wish I could say that this is how I teach all the time, but mostly I am just caught up in getting things done, and I don't follow their lead enough. So don't think I am like this all the time! I guess since it was still summer vacation, I felt a little freer…)

Fifty Years Young

Two years ago, Philip turned 50 and we celebrated with a BIG surprise party planned and hosted by dear friends. (I just realized that I never got pictures of that event on the blog. Too much happened in 2010, to be sitting at the computer! I will try to fix that and put up a few photos...a bit after the fact.) 

Anyway, I knew that my turn was coming to turn 50, but I also knew that there wasn't really any way of surprising me. I, would of course, be very suspicious, because these friends are well known for their surprise birthday bashes. And since they live 3 hours away, any trip to their house near my birthday would immediately alert me to the coming event. I was surprise-proof. Or so I thought.

Somehow right under my nose, Philip and the kiddos, Daniel and Pierrette from afar, and a few other friends and family planned a party near home in our church building. They chose a date more than a month before my real birthdate, either to throw me off, or to make me feel older faster.

The night before, the conspirators arrived at the church to get things ready. (I don't have very many pictures of that part of the "pre"party)

The kids were at the church all morning "preparing skits and songs for worship" with the "youth group," but they were actually grating carrots and setting the tables and then waiting to spring on me.

The pleasure of surprising Mom shows on those faces very clearly. (I am behind the door in shock)

A unique gift: who would have thought that the letters in the names of my closest loved ones would add up to 50?

Jérémie wrote and sang a special song for me.

My sisters and Dad and Judy got up early to be part of the surprise.

A Black Forest cake big enough for 70 guests.

The head conspirators. They look very guilty, don't they? They sang some songs for me too, but no pictures...

The igloo

We had a white Christmas this year!!!! No one can remember the last time that happened, but it was definitely a LONG time ago!

The kids (that includes Philip and I when it snows...) had a blast building an igloo to rival all igloos.

Click on one of the links below to watch a video that gives you an inside look at the igloo and the fun we had.

The video with subtitles for those of you whose French is rusty

French video with no subtitles

First we built a snow woman, African style.

Then came the igloo...

 Then it snowed again and the igloo got a second room.

Then the cousins (the ones who live nearby) came over and everyone enjoyed the igloo.