Random Summer News...

Well, we are officially finished with summer holidays, now that the boys have been back at school for a day and a half so far.  (Back at school, already!!, you may wonder.  Why yes, we are.  Our school division sends us back to school a bit early, but we do have many days and half-days off through the school year.  There are two days off in September alone, in addition to the statutory holiday of Labour Day, so it all evens out in the end.)  Carson is in Grade 3, Riley in Grade 1, and Margo will be going to pre-school two mornings a week, starting in September.  Except, she's mad because she can't go to Kindergarten now, at the boys' school.  In fact, she was so adamant that she was able to go to Kindergarten, and so mad at me that I said she wasn't old enough, the only thing that ended up somewhat mollifying her was a discussion with the principal of the school.  She and I went together, and asked when she could start, and Mr. C kindly explained to Margo that she would, indeed, have to wait two more years, but she was very welcome to come and hang out lots at the school with Mom until then.  She is still considering this.  ;-) 

We've had an interesting summer of creatures and critters, chez nous.  There are spiders galore, with webs dripping off of every facet of the house and deck rails, and stair rails.  In fact, a summer guest was sitting on the deck steps, and glanced to the side in time to see a whoooole lot of spiders hatch!  *shudder*  It was actually interesting to watch, she said, even as she shuddered violently in revulsion.

It has also rained a lot this summer, and we are home to oh, so many frogs.  Now, frogs are not alien to us, it's just that we generally have a very dry climate, and in town in our front and back yard, there just isn't enough marshiness and/or standing water to house the frogs.  This year, they are abundant, and it has been fun catching them, and watching the children enjoy them.

We've also had the *gag* pleasure of a visit from Pepé Le Pew this summer. At midnight.  Not a great time to be combating malodorous things, because it is very hot outside, and all the windows of your house are open to let in the cooler evening breeze, just at Pepé walks by, and your dog sniffs at him through the fence (because it was so lovely out your dog refused to come inside to sleep fifteen minutes before), and gets a spurt on her front right quarter, then the dog runs into the house and twenty seconds later you kick the dog out, because OH. EM. GEE!, the stench!!!  And now you run frantically through the house shutting windows, and setting out scented candles, and frantically google "remove skunk odour from house", and also, "remove skunk odour from dog".  *Barf*  And so at 02:00 hours, with the dog staring morosely into the kitchen from the other side of the patio doors, you finally go to bed, with Watkins Medicated Ointment (oh, the menthol and camphor!) rubbed under your nose, and that one, dusty old bottle of odour-releaser from something, somewhere, has been sprayed through the front half of the house, onto the carpet and fabric furniture, and that tiny little crock-pot warmer thing is brewing out a blend of cloves and cinnamon potpourri.  And the next day, as your husband heads off to fly to court (for work) in his suit which thankfully is totally skunk-free, you are left to wash the dog in an intriguing mixture of vinegar, baking soda, dog shampoo, and hydrogen peroxide, and hope that you don't bleach the dark dog to a mottled bleach-bottle blonde colour.    (You don't, thank goodness.)  But, you have to wash the dog twice, to get rid of the stench, under the deck, because it is POURING rain outside, and now you're stuck with the stench of wet, skunky dog in your nose and on your old paint clothes.  (Which now live at the dump.  Also, if it had not been raining, you'd have totally burned in the fire pit in the back yard. And because you had to do this twice, and you pitched the stinky clothes before you realised you had to do this again, you ended up cleaning out your stash of old, ratty clothes much quicker than you thought, and have to find new painting clothes before you can start to paint the house and/or the fence and playhouse.)  But, thankfully, within two days, or so, the house is back to smelling normal and the dog follows not too terribly long after that.  And you are grateful that the dog is now eager to come in at nights, and sleep in her kennel, regardless of the balmy temperatures outside. Very grateful, indeed.  :-)

Pretty Miss Scruff!

The children all took swimming lessons this summer, and had a blast!!  (They are all great swimmers, unlike their mother.)  Margo swims like a fish, I told her Auntie on the phone.  No I don't, Margo corrected me, I swim like a dolphin!!

Carson climbing the wall! ;-)

Margo, having a ball at her lesson.

A game of dodge ball for Riley's class.

We also took a trip to the City, just to take a trip as a family, and hang out and do fun things.  We watched, in 3D, the lovely movie How To Train Your Dragon.  It was a fantastic film, although nothing at all like the book.  (We actually own the entire series, and they crack me up every time. They are highly recommended by our entire family.)  We've been waiting to watch this for a while, and I'm soo glad that it didn't disappoint.  We also unleashed our children on a spectacular book store, and watched Margo charm people with her (extremely loud) enthusiastic discovery of the Fancy Nancy books.  It was hilarious!!  Riley was surprising with his choices, big boy books but for one book based on a toddler's television program.  Carson stayed true to form, and picked the science-type books, with a chapter book or two (in French!).


We also made it out to the lakes a few times, but we enjoyed hanging around at home, mostly.  Once school was out, the children (and I) were just so happy to entrench ourselves back into our house, and dig through the toys and books and kitchen gadgets that we left behind. ;-)  We had fun at the summer programs at our local library, and the new spray park in town.  Friends came by to visit and play, and we kept the summer low key, and based at home.  It was absolutely lovely.

Just relaxing at the beach...

... enjoying the happiness in my sight.

It was a lovely summer, with these three by my side.  :-)