Sisters

 Something I have really enjoyed over the past few months is watching Maren and Linden learn to play together. They are still working out some important details, like remembering to talk to each other when they are upset about something. Right now there are lots of instances of screaming and the other person not having any idea why. But sometimes they really have fun together.

One of their favourite games right now is called “toilet clog.” They take turns pretending to be poop getting flushed down the toilet. This involves sliding down Jeff’s legs. At the bottom and they sit on his feet pretending to be stuck – a clog. Then Jeff has to “use the plunger,” which means shaking his feet until they fall off.

I would love to get a decent photo or video, but the second they notice that I am trying to document what is happening they stop and play some thing else. I have no idea how this game came to be, but they seem to enjoy it 😂

This weekend we decided to take it easy, and didn’t go anywhere far, and no beach. But yesterday we went for a walk at a nature area just a little outside of town.

It is a pretty area and we saw lots of plants and wildflowers there, and a few interesting birds and butterflies. No pictures of those, but it was very nice to get out in nature. 

Sun fun

 Yesterday we explored a new beach, then went for ice cream:

We are trying to make the most of summer!

So tired

 Today I am sooo tired, and it is not at all kid-related - for some reason I had insomnia last night while everyone else in the house slept soundly. So all you get today is a very sweet photo, taken stealthily earlier this week 😊❤️

Summer stuff

 This week has been full of summer stuff. Playing in the sprinkler, baking, exploring out-of-town parks, spray pad parks, ice cream, and more. 

Maren, Linden, and Jeff all got a cold this week. Poor Maren got it first, so she had to get tested for covid. Our numbers are down low enough that there is no wait time for drive-through testing, and we got her negative result in 24 hours. After Maren had been sick for about a day Linden got it, then Jeff. I have so far been spared, but Jeff says it seems like it’s not as bad for him as it has been for the kids.

Things are in transition here. Provincial mandatory masking was lifted today, so now it is up to businesses to decide what their policies are. Some are keeping mandatory masking, some are not. Over the past couple of days I have had coffee with other people who are fully vaccinated, and we even had a friend over to watch a movie at our house last night after the kids went to bed. It’s such a weird thing still - we are fully vaccinated and this friend is fully vaccinated, but he did a rapid test at home before coming, and we didn’t share food. When I had coffee with friends we stayed outside and maintained physical distance. We are still figuring out what is acceptable and safe, and I am happy to be surrounded by people who are also cautious. I am so ready for all this to be over, but it’s not over yet, especially for all the kids. We are doing our best to be normal :-)

Another beach day

 Today we had another beach day, at a different lake. It started out relatively quiet, and was super busy by the end of the day. 

It was also Canada day this week. We took the opportunity to learn about the history of Canada a bit, including the history of residential schools. We baked bannock (not super well, but we tried), heard storytelling from elders at a Buffalo Days celebration, and read two books (Shi-Shi-Etko and Shin-Chi’s Canoe).

On my first Canada Day as a Canadian citizen, I was proud of this country for taking steps in the direction of reconciliation. There is much in the history of North America not to be proud of, and I am glad that so many people here are taking time to learn and reflect.