NB part 1

The gang at Yoho Lake

We've only been in New Brunswick for 2 full days, but I already have an epic amount of photos to share.  This is in large part due the brilliant planning of Erin, who realized weeks (months?) ago that there was potential for a large group of our friends to be in Fredericton at the same time this summer - a rare and amazing occurrence these days.  She therefore started planning a big gathering at her family's lakeside cottage, which ended up working beautifully.  It was the perfect beginning to summer vacation, and we were able to almost forget the 12 long hours we had all spent in the car the day before.   Anyway, I won't bother with stories - I will just post the pictures, and then let Clark caption them (I'm nervous!).  I'm off to join his mom at her pottery studio space - the first time I'll have had my hands in clay since we left the Cape.  It sure is nice to be home!  See you next week with what I'm sure will be even more NB vacation photos.

Dinosaur break! (somewhere in Quebec)

It was a pretty great place for a quick stop and stretch.

Lunch at the Boyce Farmer's Market (Linden is a big fan of the bratwurst).

A whole lot of diggers and rocks at Yoho

Lots of "constructioning" to do.

Best buds!

Juniper and I set out for a paddle (and to gather some scientific data).

Yoho kids!

"Someday, all these raspberries will be yours"

Odell exploring

Group expedition to climb the roots

Catalogue material?

Picnic lunch at Odell with the Koller-Martin clan

"Baking" with seeds and berries

Best. Hats. Ever.

Classic Fredericton

... and ice cream cones were consumed.

Officer's Square.

Checking out the stegosaurus skeleton with Aunt Theresa

A favourite book for bedtime.

Oh, the drama!

Looks like we didn't escape the princess phase after all.

Last week marked the third and final week of summer camp for Juniper.  She spent the first two weeks improving her swimming skills, and the last week at a "musical adventure" camp.  Basically, each person in the camp got to choose their favourite song, and then they wrote a musical around those songs.  It was called: "Celebrity Madness!"

Promotional poster and two tickets for the show

For her favourite song, Juniper chose... wait for it... "Let it Go".  Sigh.   I thought we were going to sail right past the whole princess/Disney obsession, but I was oh so very wrong.  So, Juniper got to dress up as Elsa from Frozen (borrowing someone else's "real" Elsa dress and tiara, which was, incidentally, about 3 sizes too big, as everyone in the class was, of course, much older), got a solo to open the show, and even convinced me to buy her some new fancy shoes for the occasion.  Heels, no less. The take away?:

1.  Juniper was IN HER ELEMENT.  She LOVED the stage. She loved putting together the show, and dressing up, and performing.  She even took it upon herself to welcome everyone to the show before it started.  

2.  Despite being the youngest of the 5 kids, I would have to say that she was the most expressive (ie dramatic) of the bunch.  Maybe it is just that she hasn't yet developed the same self consciousness that comes in later years, or maybe she just has a knack for acting.  What she possessed in expression, however, she lacked in vocal skills :)  Ah well, can't have everything, I suppose.  I guess we'll just have to work on that.

Other than drama camp, the week was full of other goodness.  For instance:

Going to the wave pool with Zack! Linden swallowed about half the pool, but had a fabulous time:

Post-swim sillies

Zack executes a very successful photo bomb

The annual "Kanata North Picnic".  About as exciting as it gets, folks.  There was a bit of a petting zoo, a bouncy castle and slide, a line up for free hotdogs that was so unbelievably long we wouldn't have attempted it even if we had wanted hotdogs, live music, treats, and swag from a bunch of different booths, including OC Transpo, and Ontario Health. 

Snow cones!

On the weekend we also hit up the Nature Museum, which is now officially one of our favourite activities.  This time around, there was a dig set up where aspiring palaeontologists could help uncover some hadrosaurus vertebrae:

Linden in the blue hat; Juniper in the pink.  Juniper stuck with it for a very long time.

And finally, Juniper and Linden .org is back! Check out this little newscast about "shows and dancing and stuff".  Next week, if all goes according to plan, there will be an update from Fredericton.  See you then!

Summer

Juniper's invalid butterfly

We are officially into mid-July, which is, of course, the pinnacle of summer.  It is hot, and sunny, and green and beautiful.  And for the first time in our lives since we moved away from home,  we have a house with air conditioning.  Not a necessary luxury, of course, but those are often the best kind.  It makes the hot, muggy days so much easier to enjoy.

Juniper takes her invalid butterfly basket on a walk.  It has a container of water, a container of grass and flowers, and some comfortable bedding.

Juniper has been rocking out the summer camps for the last couple of weeks -- she did two full weeks of swim camp (and improved her swimming enormously), and this week she started music adventure camp.  I can't wait to report back on that.  After this week, the summer camps are over, and we start preparing for a trip home to New Brunswick.

Linden and I were greeted by this deer on our bike ride last week

 This past weekend we finally got to hang out with our friend Amy and her family, which was, of course a blast.  Scott (who is almost exactly the same age as Juniper), had set up a massive electric train set in anticipation of our arrival, and Lauren (who is a few years older), was sweet to Juniper.  Playing, lunch, a park and splash pad - a pretty wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

Scott and Linden with the amazing trains

Lauren shows Juniper her favourite series

And now off to have a playdate and some fun in the wave pool this afternoon.  See you next week!

Happy Canada Day!

Linden, Juniper and Zack enjoy a very wet Canada Day romp at the park

 I don't have many stories with which to regale you today - we are all just emerging from a weekend that involved Juniper puking.  A lot.  We did, however, get to have a fun Canada Day with some great friends on Wednesday, which was the perfect way to celebrate being back in our own country. Jane hosted a BBQ, with our family, Erin's family, and some new friends as well.  The kids got to play at the park (after some intense downpours, no less), hang out with baby Ruth (Juniper's idea of heaven), eat junk and watch a movie.

Hanging with Ruth!

I also thought I'd add a couple of photos from one of the bike adventures I mentioned last time.  This one in particular was special, because after we biked to Clark's office, Linden and I walked all the way to the rec centre to.... wait for it... catch a BUS home.  Linden has been asking to take a bus ever since we go here, so this was our big moment.  It was, unfortunately, only a regular old transit bus (some of them around here are articulated, and some are even double decker!), but it was "super fast", so Linden was appeased.  Also, while we were waiting for the bus to come (it was 1/2 an hour late), I asked one of the other bus drivers if we could take a little tour of his articulated bus, so Linden at least got to go on one.  Oh, also, there is a skate park at the bus stop, so Linden was mesmerized the whole time.  All's well that ends well, I suppose.  See you next week!

Watching the construction extravaganza after biking to the office. 

Raptly watching the kids at the skate park.  There was even a skate camp going on.