Medieval Times

James and his family came to Toronto recently on a shopping excursion. We spent an afternoon together with the families at Medieval Times dinner theatre. Andrew, Dylan and I decided to dressup in costume and really make this an experience.

The Castle Wizard and visiting Scottish Lord

Lady Antoinette and her Advisor
We all sat in the Yellow/Red section and cheered for our very effeminate knight (who did not win).

Overall it was great fun for the whole family.

Another Sleepover at the Science Centre

We were fortunate to take part in another sleepover at the Ontario Science Centre. This time Andrew, Dylan and I went with our neighbours Steve and his son Toby.

We started the evening with a dinner at a teppanyaki table in a Japanese restaurant. We watched our table chef create beautiful fiery volcanoes out of sliced onions and juggle his knives just a few inches away from our faces.

Later that night at the museum we were given the opportunity of dissecting an Owl "pellet". We learned that an owl has two stomaches...one to absorb the nutrients of the animal they have just ingested WHOLE and one to compact the creature's parts which are not candidates for absorption (i.e. the bony carcass). We dissected a beaked bird's skull and carcass from our pellet.

We made the mandatory slime....

And then we meandered around the many exhibits.

"Alas poor Yorick, I knew him well..."

"I know there is another kidney in here somewhere!!!"

Having another bad hair day!

Steve and Toby's peg design

After midnight it was "lights out" and we all bedded down on our sleeping bags dreaming of exhibits that come to life and dance around our heads.

Preacher Man

A few Sundays ago, Dylan had the experience of reciting a bible verse in church. I was so proud of him because, despite a microphone technicial failure, he kept composed and delivered his message with grace. (Talk about baptism by fire!) Be sure to hit the "PLAY" button for these videos.

He sat with the choir for the whole service and experienced the wonder of the service in full view.

I am grateful to our church for their constant innovative approach in engaging the congregation with God. Andrew and I have maintained our relationship with this church despite our having moved out of district. Our only disappointment is that our favourite minister will be going on sabbatical in a few months. Oh well....I am sure he will be full of stories when he returns.

In the meantime, the journey continues.......

Hallowe'en 2007

It has been a whole year since I started this blog last hallowe'en. As usual, the neighbourhood was rocking for this event!

We started off the festivities with a children's party at our house after school with 7 boys.

We started the night with the old classics such as the mummy wrap....

....spider web tangle

Afterwards we told spooky ghost stories while we waited for the pizza to come (which was 1 1/2 hours late)!

Dylan and a friend went trick or treating up three streets while Andrew and I took turns staying at home or minding the children. We all went to the (2) specially decorated haunted houses which where accepting donations for juvenile diabetes in exchange for entrance.

Later that night several of our neighbours congregated in front of our porch to chat and give a send off for our neighbours, Jamie and Alison, who will be working in Vancouver for 6 months. We promised to use their home for our new year's eve celebration (why be responsible for the mess in your own house). I suggested that they check ebay from time to time to see if it is listed as a short-term rental...tee hee hee..

Edwin and Sharon's Wedding

My cousin Edwin married Sharon on October 13th in the picturesque town of BobCaygeon.

Four Dutch relatives travelled to Canada for the ceremony: Henk, Anneke, Ria and Jaap.

Uncle Jaap and Henk

Uncle Jaap is usually very good with children!

Sharon and Edwin looked so lovely in their elegant wedding attire.

Although the weather was not very co-operative, we had a very good time at the reception. Before it started, Andrew and Dylan took in a game of bowling.

Andrew and Dylan enjoying a game of bowling before the reception

Children were welcome to the dinner and dance which made this a very fun evening for our family. One six-year-old girl came up to Dylan (who was dressed in a shirt/vest/tie) and told him that he was "handsome" and insisted that her family sit with us during the ceremony so that she could be with him. Later, he and two girls danced the night away.

Dylan tripping the light fantastic

It was very appropriate that one of the songs played was "BobCaygeon" by The Tragically Hip as we danced the night away.

Aunt Greta gave a very nice speech. She and Anita looked lovely in their finest.

We all stayed in BobCaygeon for the night and went out for a family breakfast the next morning. It was a cool crisp fall morning.

Hockey Night in Canada

First, I must preface this blog by stating that I don't like hockey. I don't like watching the sport, I don't like playing the sport, I don't want Dylan enrolled in a hockey league. But, growing up Canadian means having a certain degree of respect for the sport and of course, loving the Saturday night 8:00pm hockey song. Who does NOT remember the opening lines of the hockey song played on CBC every Saturday night. It is such a catchy tune and every Canadian kid knows it by heart.

So, when our neighbour offered us 4 Leaf tickets to the pre-season game...we jumped on the opportunity. These tickets were worth $640 (and these are our new FAVOURITE neighbours). We invited one of Dylan's friends to go with us.

Dylan improvising with a Pizza plate instead of a foam finger

Dylan and Toby

We had an additional bonus at this game. MIKE MYERS (fellow Canadian) is filming a movie called The Hockey Guru, and they used our audience for film segments during the intermission. As my mother-in-law once said, Andrew just has a special knack for running into filmshoots when he least expects it.

Filming "The Hockey Guru" for Mike Myers

Thanksgiving Dinner

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house. She cooked a fantastic meal for us as well as my brother's family. Turkey, yams, salads, pumpkin pie....all the traditional Thanksgiving foods were served. It was fun to see all eleven of us at one table enjoying dinner together.

Vic and his son Ryan

Afterwards, the kids enjoyed several rousing games on the Wii station. It was hilarious to watch them in their virtual environment.

Dylan and Sarah "boxing"

The only low moment of the evening was our trip home. A car accident had happened one kilometre before us and the highway we were on was shut down for 1 hour. Dylan had fun walking around the stationary cars.

Standing on a major highway

I Have a Personal Trainer!

I have joined the ranks of Hollywood celebrities such as Madonna, Sylvester Stallone and Pamela Anderson by employing my very own Personal Trainer (PT). Just like these celebrities, my PT is gorgeous, fit and encouragingly cheerful. However, unlike the PTs of the celebrities, my PT is only 8 years old--Dylan

I recently tried to start jogging again but I found the exertion and the timing (for babysitting purposes) to be exhausting. So, the other day I challenged Dylan to go for a jog with me. As out-of-shape as I am, I still thought I would beat Dylan at a distance run. Boy was I wrong!! As I jogged along the boardwalk, Dylan was leaping from bench to bench. As I was plodding my way up a hill, Dylan literally ran circles around me shouting encouragement. And as I could barely manage a whisper (for lack of breath) Dylan was chatting nonstop throughout our run. Well, colour-me-pink, was I embarrassed. And what do you do with such fitness expert within your household? You hire him of course. I have offered Dylan $5 a jog and it is his responsibility to schedule our sessions, push me to go out, and keep me jogging on our course. Dylan is loving the idea. He plans to ask his phys ed. teacher for more cool-down stretches.

I love the idea because 1) I don't need to worry about a babysitter 2) Dylan and I spend quality time together in a healthy way.

Edwin's Stag

My "baby" cousin Edwin just had his stag. Gosh....he is now 32 years old (and that make me how old??)

Of course girls weren't allowed to come but Andrew went for dinner at the Keg followed by bowling. Edwin and Sharon will marry on October 13th in the scenic town of BobCaygeon.

Family Camping Trip in September

We went overnight camping in Presquile Provincial Park with my sister and family. Of course, we had decided on this arrangement in July during a heatwave. However, camping in September when the temperature goes down to 1C at night is a whole other ballgame. But, we all dressed appropriately and huddled beside a roaring fire to make this a very enjoyable weekend. At night time as we lay in our tents we could hear the howling of a pack of coyotes in the distance. This was a little intimitating in our paper-thin barriers.

We went for a nature hike and enjoyed watching the sunset over Lake Ontario.

Cousin "It"

We roasted JiffyPop popcorn over the campfire as well as marshmellows.

Rainbow over the Marshlands

Hansel and Gretal Woods

We went on a nature hike and we saw many species of fungi. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen as many types of mushroom in one park...ever! These photos are just a small sample of what we saw. Of course we were careful not to touch any. An emergency physician that I work with, Margaret Thompson, is also the head of the Poison Control Centre and had issued an alert this year reminding people not to eat mushrooms from the forests as a husband/wife were in need of a liver transplant due to hepatotoxicity from their mushroom foraging expedition. It reminded me of my childhood when my babysitter and I would go mushroom picking at the cottage. It was a delicious rite of summer to eat these sauteed mushrooms fresh off the bark. Now, I would never consider picking my own mushrooms.