Long Weekend and the Lake

The first Long Weekend of the summer!

The kids are very excited to be up at the cottage. It has been a couple of months since we were here last

Of course the first thing they wanted to do was to go down to the lake!
At first it was just going to be putting our feet in. But that didn't last long

And pretty soon everyone was in the lake
... well not everyone

The water was cold, and while it was sunny there was still a wind.
Nick didn't last as long as Katheryn did

Nick liked pretending that he was the emperor, and he was shooting lightening at me!

Rory liked it by the lake. And stayed close... most of the time

The kids went in the lake every day of the weekend.

I would get my feet wet, but that was about it

They had lots of fun going out deeper and deeper

These 2 water bugs had all kinds of games that they were playing together

But they  had lots of fun in the water!

They could only be in the water about 1-2 hours of the day.

But there was lots of other ways to have fun

Like waking Daddy up

And trying to lift him up

And I made up a scavenger hunt

They had lots of fun running around the property looking for everything (and the stick as tall as Nick was doubled as something else later in the night)

Katheryn was really proud of all of the things that she collected

Her favorite was the pebble as small as her nail

Nick's favorite was something that is a funny shape

Another favorite activity of the weekend was the bonfires

And of course roasting marshmallows (with sticks as tall as they are)

Everyone wanted to roast their own marshmallows (and that fact that I kept setting my own on fire had nothing to do with it)

And Nick had his in some messy S'mores

Of course they aren't tired! They are wide awake and want to stay by the fire!

We had another fantastic Victoria Day Weekend!

Long weekend

The first long weekend of the 'summer' is here!
Victoria Day weekend is always a bit of a hit or miss. It has been cold and rainy (when Katheryn was a baby), hot and sunny (when Nick was a baby) and somewhere in between. But no matter what the weather we aim to be at the cottage for the weekend.

Nick also finally got his new wheelchair, so I wanted him to move around and show it off for me

The kids were very excited that they got to spend the weekend with their cousins!

We had some camp fires

And S'mores, roasting marshmallows.

Nick liked that the first poker (an old hockey stick) is his Donnie stick!

I had to leave in the middle of the weekend because my sister went into labour. But I got from the cottage to Whitby in time for labour to really kick in, and then came back to the cottage at 4am.

The next morning I slept in (alot) but it was a sunny day and the kids really wanted to get into the water

They are crazy! The water was freezing cold, but they didn't mind at all.

If the first long weekend of the summer is any indication, we are going to have a crazy summer!

Long weekend fun!

It was a fun weekend for everyone

Including the furry-family

But I think everyone was tired - except for the kids

 They kept going and going and going

Stopping for a quick refuel - and yes Nick would have eventually made it through the whole bowl.

Hopefully this is the sign of the fun to come this summer!

 

Beachfront

This holiday weekend we were lucky to have some great weather!

We had plans to go to cottage rain or shine.

We had lots and lots of shine, and luckily lots of warm(ish) water and sand!

The cottage is on a hill, so to save my back, we wagon up and down

I was worried about the water being cold, and the sand or shells bothering Nick's knees, or his feet getting cold.
So I prepared for everything - shirt, knee pads in the water, water shoes. And don't forget the bucket!

Both kids wanted to stay in the water for hours!
The water had a bit of a bite at first, but warmed up quickly in the hot sun.

Nickolas thought it was great that he could get in and out of the water himself, and even tried escaping off the dock a couple of time.

The next morning his feet and knees were not very happy with the time he spent on the deck without shoes or knee pads. I had to dig  couple of splinters out of his feet, I don't know if I should be happy or sad that he cried. He really liked his colourful bandaids (all latex free of course)

Katheryn thought it was great that she had a swing in her own 'backyard'! All she wanted to do was swing in it. This is about 9pm and it was pitch black. All you could see of her on the swing was the lights on her shoes!

Day 2 of our long weekend was just as sunny and just as beautiful as Day 1.
And we spent almost as much time in the lake.

Before we got into our bathing suits we still had one very important thing that we had to get.
Katheryn's first 2 (+2) wheeler bike! (Thanks grandma!)
Katheryn wanted the one with the baby basket so Tinkerbell - her stuffed doll - could ride with her.

(And Nick needed a larger helmet as well)

But really he just wanted a sun hat and get back into the water!

I thought the kids would get a kick out of the little inflatable boat. But I think it scared them when I was pulling them around.

Both kids really liked the oars.

When they had enough water time, it was watermelon time!
Nick definitely has a favorite!

 And if you can't be in the water, the next best think is a bubble machine!

Umm Nick, I think you have that the wrong way. He refused to believe me - he had lots of fun trying to climb up the slide.
Good physio though!

I didn't know that Nickolas had enough strength to hold himself up (and not fall off) of the swing. He didn't stay on the swing that long, but both kids thought it was fun!

And everyone had a great night sleep!

In the morning Nickolas was up and ready to start moving again - he cruises EVERYWHERE! We even got him walking with his sticks (that we were able to bring home) to show off to grandma. We took a video but I haven't been able to upload it.

Monday morning was perfect!
Really the whole weekend was a perfect summer long weekend!

Nick's not waiting for us to bring him down the dock, he is going himself!
For some reason Nickolas kept turning around and going down the little hill to the dock backwards.

This is his favorite place to be!
Standing at the dock playing with the water and the sand.
Another good PT exercise - reaching up and down.
This is also the reason he has on his old AFO's, because he would stand and walk around the dock all day - and his poor ankles would try to keep him up. The AFO's and water shoes worked well. I did not put socks on him under the AFO's, not sure if that was a good idea - his skin was fine but I think next time I will put socks on him.

Katheryn the lone explorer!

And because I am usually the one behind the camera, thought I'd get Katheryn in for a picture with me!

Kyle and Nick watched by the beach.

Katheryn was not very happy when it was time to get out of the water and head home.

Luckily some promise to play and dig up some plants got her out of the water.

Maybe not the cleanest solution!

Really we could not have asked for a better Victoria Day weekend! We have fun, family, a cottage that worked (this current cottage is coming down this summer), sun, sand, water and heat!

Boy was I ready for bed Monday night!