9 Fun Facts

  This weekend we had the great fun of celebrating Liam and all the wonderfulness he has brought into the lives of his friends and family; and so I thought I would share some fun facts about him.

• He has an extensive knowledge about the Pokemon universe and the strengths and weakness of many Pokemon ~ and great patience with his mom who is not quite as knowledgable and therefore falls quickly behind in discussions of creating elite teams.
• He is a deep thinker and will pondering many things during the day and while he is running ~ and will remember his many deep thoughts and questions for us ~ about ten minutes after tuck-in for the night.
• Funny ~ having learned much in the last year about punning and what makes a good pun.  He enjoys laughing and making others laugh.
  
• Has a great circle of friends from school, soccer and Cub Scouts which he can be very zany with; and then disappears into his room for some intense quiet time like a true introvert.
• Favorite food include Bangers & Mash (sausage and mash potatoes), Shepard's Pie, ice cream, and fried eggs. The last one often requested for breakfast has greatly improved my technique.
• Favorite subject in school is Math; still hesitant about reading out-loud but has great fun reading Pokemon Manga's on my Kindle app.
• Currently wants to be either a Veterinarian or a Carpenter.
• Currently obsessed with old dances and therefore often asks 'Alexa' to play the Macarena song or if anyone in the house wants to Conga!
• Affectionate, he checks in throughout the day and asks how my day is going; and recently requested a bedtime tradition with me because while Dad is still tops ~ he wanted some Mom time at bedtime.

Happy Birthday Liam! Nine looks good on you!!

O'Canda continued

Part 1 here

 
 After our lovely day in Sydney N.S., we left Novia Scotia and woke the next morning docking at the port in Charlottetown, Prince Edwards Island.  This was our one port of call where we rented a car as the place I most wanted to see was across the island from Charlottetown.  While the kids and I had breakfast Dr. Daddy most gallantly figured out the bus system and went to the airport to get the car. Soon we were off to the Anne of Green Gables Museum otherwise known as Silver Bush, L.M. Montgomery's aunt and uncle's home and the inspiration for Green Gables in the Anne book series.  The weather was perfect and so the drive across the island was breathtaking and probably a good chance of pace for the kids who had toured three towns in the previous three days.  When we were on PEI for our honeymoon 16 years ago it had been winter, so it was also fun for us parents to see the island in a different time of year.  The museum is lovely and strikes a nice balance between details from Montgomery's life and references from the Anne and Pat books; and I enjoyed so much going through with Lisbeth who had at my request recently read Anne of Green Gables (in return I read the first of the Wings of Fire books).
    Afterwards we headed to Cavendish beach where walking the bluffs trail might have been a better 'Anne' experience, playing in the water was the better family choice.  We then stopped a Tim Horton to pick up some lunch before heading back to the ship; by complete coincidence the cemetery where L.M. Montgomery was buried was across the street!!  Back in Charlottetown we just enough time to drive past our Honeymoon hotel to show the kids before Charlie dropped us off at the port and went to return the car.

The next day was our one day at sea which was a great chance for the kids to swim and do crafts at the Kids Club and the grown-ups take advantage of the some of the ships presentation ~ or in my case; read.

   Quebec wins the award for the most beautiful views while docking.  An old city built on a hill touring involved a lot of walking but gorgeous views and for the going up portion we took advantage of a fun elevator called the Funicular.   Also of note were the beautiful old churches, entertaining street performers, and the delicious crepes we had for lunch.  We walked and wandered our way down back to the ship and found a fun vendor rolling up yummy maple candy on a stick.  All of the kids warmed my heart so much by doing their best to speak French to the waiters and sales clerks.

Quebec

Samuel Champlain

  Finally it was time to pack up and disembark in Montreal.  Luckily we were able to store our bags at the port which made it much early to explore a bit before we could pick up our rental cars for the trip back to Maine by way of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  Top memories include a historical Farmer's Market located in the city's original town square ~ though the animals were for petting not for sale; another beautiful Church, and Lisbeth found a friendly Corgi to pet.

  All in all it was a wonderful vacation and one that I'm sure we will be referring back to for quite awhile. Thank you for reading along!

Quick Take #282: Endings and Beginnings

1. I promise to post the rest of our Canadian vacation recap next week but wanted to take time and put down some thoughts as our summer ends and the school year begins.  As many of you parents know come next June my threesome may look very different.
2. Given how fast this summer flew we must have had a lot of fun! Certainly two trips contributed to the speed I'm sure; but also the kids enjoyed their camps, friends and pool time (when the afternoon thunderstorms stayed away).  Summer work was done largely without complaint and a good amount of reading was done by all of us.
3. First days are always a bit rough with completing supply lists, forms to fill out and books to cover but all in all I'm happy with the launch week we had.
4. Elisabeth is starting 6th grade, excited about Advanced Math and considering switching back to drums after playing violin for the past two years.  She is continuing with gymnastics and choir.
5. Liam is starting 3rd grade, and has the same teacher Lisbeth had. Good group of kids in his class with several of his 'buds'.  He is playing soccer this fall and is asking for guitar lessons.
6. Caitlin is starting 1st grade and was quite nervous about moving into the main school but after visiting her classroom and seeing many of her friends from Kindergarten she is getting excited about the year.  Will be continuing with Daisy Scouts and has been asking for ballet lessons.
7. 
   

 Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT!

Open Book ~ September'19

The Guensey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows was as wonderful as many people had told me.  Told entirely in letter form I appreciated the many different voices the author managed to create as well as how the letters shifted in formality as characters came to know each other better.  The lead characters prove to be excellent narrators and help to keep the many minor characters straight.

Becoming by Michelle Obama was an unexpected fun read.  My mom lent her copy to me during a recent visit and told me to read it; and being a wonderfully obedient daughter I did.  Joking aside; I really enjoyed this autobiography/political memoir.  I found the writing very good, and felt Mrs Obama found a wonderful balance of explaining not only what happened in her and the President's life but some of the why and how.


The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick continues the story of William Marshall begun in The Greatest Knight.  In this book you see Marshall react to King Richard's death and the tumult of King John's reign; as well as challenges within the family as his children grow and seek to make their mark in the world.  I continue to really enjoy this author; especially her attention to detail and ability to made history come alive.

I also read These High Green Hills by Jan Karon which is the third installment in the Mitford Series and as lovely and as funny as the first two.


Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.