Live it!

West Lake with the Marshalls

A few weeks back we spent a fun Friday visiting with our friends, the Marshalls over at the Sand dunes in the county. They had rented a cottage for a few days and we got to go and enjoy it with them. This was Meg's first real experience with a sandy beach and she really loved digging in the sand and playing in the water. The kids had a blast. Keaton and Chloe (as usual) were on the search for critters and scored some tiny little catfish type fishies that they later spilled in the truck on the drive home! Yes, ...not good. But we saved them and they released them the next day in the Trent River (poor things!)

A few photos:

We picnic'd at Lakeshore Lodge overlooking the sand beach and limestone cliffs.

 
   
After a day in the sun and a photo session with Ava and Olivia (see my photography blog for some photos of that) we went back to their cottage for a bonfire, spider dogs and leftover sparklers from the night before's Canada Day celebration. I love Tammy and Paul so much, I wish we lived closer and saw them more often. Their girls are adorable and spending time with their family is always a good time.

 

Muskoka's - Day 4

Our last full day in Muskoka's the kids requested another trip to Killbear Park. I don't know if the kids (nor I) would ever get enough of it there. Harold's Point is just a beautiful spot. I didn't bother with my camera and enjoyed the day out in the sun. We finished the night with my homemade spagetti and then a trip to Matthew's beach for one last evening swim. Keaton had his pj's on but still couldn't resist the lure of the water (and some football).

 

Muskoka's - Day 3

We drove into Port Carling and did a fun little 1 hr tour of the beautiful properties on the water nearby. I didn't have my zoom lens so I didn't get photos of some of the beautiful homes hidden amongst the trees. The kids enjoyed seeing how the richy rich live and it really is hard to imagine that most of these places are simply 'getaway' properties that are enjoyed mostly on weekends and vacation time. I know if I owned a spot like these, I would never want to leave... at least til' winter came.

 

 

   

After our 1 hour tour, we treated the kids to some yummy Kawartha icecream at the local icecream spot... it was a refreshing treat on another extremely hot day!

Muskoka's 2010 - Day 2

When we decided we would be heading up to the Muskoka region with Kerri and kids, the main thing that Keaton and Chloe couldn't wait to do was visit Killbear Provincial Park again. We woke up and packed for the beach and spent a glorious day out in the sun. The heatwave continued and the cold (frigid) water was a huge relief when we got too hot. I made Keaton and Chloe wear life jackets to jump the rock cliffs - they are good swimmers but I still was concerned enough to baby them a bit. lol! They had so much fun jumping and moved up slightly higher for their jumps than they were at 2 years ago.

On the way home we stopped at the Detour Store for the usual icecream cone treat... the perfect way to end a day out at the beach.

 

  

 

Muskoka's 2010 - Day 1

We had a fabulous little getaway with the MacDonald's. A repeat of 2 years ago but this time the daddy's didn't come (working) and I left Meg home in her dads (and Nana x2) very capable hands so I could devote some quality time to Keaton and Chloe. They have been so great this past year as I poured so much love and a lot of my attention into baby Megsy. I felt they deserved some of that from me without baby distractions and it worked out really great. We missed her and Shaune like crazy but it was a good little break for the 3 of us.

We left Sunday morning and met Kerri and the kids up in Toronto since Anna was in a soccer tournament. We watched them claim 2nd place in the tournament (well, we watched some of the game and then retreated to the a/c truck it was so hot out!) before heading on towards Parry Sound and the Georgian Bay area. We made great time and after a quick stop for a few groceries, the kids ate and then we enjoyed some time at Matthew beach. We pretty much had the beach to ourselves that night and the kids didn't seem to mind the cold water one bit - it was a relief with the extreme heatwave that had descended on us. Little did we know, there was a lot more heat to come in the days to follow!

 

 
 
 
 

 


   

She knows him well

Keaton brought this little apple note home from his teacher on the last day of school. Proud of you Mr. Man. Onward and upward to Grade 5 next year. Chloe goes to Grade 2. How is that even possible? :(

Sun, Fun, Summer is here

The kids are done school for another year and summer is upon us. We have some fabulous things planned for this summer and I'm just hoping I can successfully juggle everything at one time. I am thankful we have the pool to keep our kids busy and happy in the sunshine... they really are fish and Meg seems to be growing her own set of gills - she just loves the water and is quite happy to jump into anyone's arms in order to get wet.

We had the MacDonalds over for a bbq last week and all the little fish had fun in the pool for hours. It's going to be a great summer!