Noah's Loblaws Cooking Party!

We had Noah's 5th birthday party on the upper level of a Loblaws store. Loblaws does kids' cooking classes for birthday parties.

Twelve of Noah's friends showed up for the bash; some from the daycare, some from school, and some old cherished friends.

The first thing the kids did was to write their names on, and colour their very own chef hats. After that it was time to wash hands in preparation for pizza making!

Noah helped the teacher demonstrate how to make the dough. He was the star chef! Actually, this party was perfect for Noah, since at this point in his life, he desires to be a "cooker" when he grows up. He plans to own a pirate-themed restaurant. He has got all of the details of this worked out, including chicken fingers on the menu; a must.

Next, the kids chopped up some toppings for their pizza, using relatively safe cutting utensils. :)

I have never seen a group of kids this age so calm for almost 2 hours. It was the most relaxing children's party I think I will ever attend!

It was also relaxing having someone else 'run the show'. It was completely worth the cost, since I would have paid the same amount had I done everything myself.

Noah really enjoyed himself. He is getting very skilled at introducing his friends to one another.

At the beginning of the party, one of the ladies running the workshop said that he was very big for a 5-year-old, and that he must be eating lots of healthy food. Noah informed her that he was actually growing so much because he eats so many cheeseburgers!

Once the kids had put their toppings on their pizzas, it was time for them to ice their cakes.

There was a lot of taste-testing, or quality control, going on!

Finally it was time to sing happy birthday to Noah. I love this so much. It is one of my all-time favourite things in life: hearing a group of family and friends sing happy birthday to my children!

I ordered him a chocolate cake, with yellow and pink icing on it (his favourite colours).

After the party, there was a mini photo shoot of Noah with two of his friends from school.

The cutest chefs I have ever seen!

Finally, we said good-by to all our friends and headed downstairs to do our grocery shopping.

But we found one more little chef who was helping his mommy and daddy do a little grocery shopping as well! Gotta love Oscar! I think he has got to be the coolest chef!

Thanks again to all of Noah's friends for making his birthday party so memorable!

A Farewell to Summer

Summer Rain

As we were heading outside the other day, the superintendent of the building asked us where we were going in such wet, rainy weather. We told her, "Outside to play". She looked at us like we were crazy. We absolutely ARE. How great is that?!

Actually, I had been hoping for a play day like this: warm temperatures, rain, and no thunder and lightening. And here was the perfect day for it!

Leila loved it too. She had her rain pants on, but I cannot find rain boots in her size yet, so her shoes became a little uncomfortable to walk around in. She didn't complain though.

After a little while, it stopped raining, and the sun began to shine.

So they danced around in the puddles a little longer, before it got too hot for us to stick around in our rain boots.

These kids have been living at the wading pool practically the whole summer. This week, we return to the school routine. We are excited about new beginnings, and the changing seasons. And we are all wishing B. and Noah a successful start to their year in Senior Kindergarten!

The Happy Dance

I forgot to add this to Thomas's birthday post. I peeked into the living room when I was in the middle of washing dishes after snack one day, and caught him dancing up a storm!

Thomas Turns 2

We had a big bash for Thomas the day before he turned 2. The rest of the kids (minus Leila) and I had made a chocolate cake for him the day before. He approved. I know this because he goes to his happy place whenever he's really enjoying his food, and this time I couldn't even get a smile from him for a picture because he was completely in his 'zone'. :)

His gift was just slightly over the top, but my assistant and I had gone in on it together, and it just seemed like the perfect thing for him. He didn't really know what to do with it at first...

So, we brought in our team to help him out!

Once uncovered, he could see it was a basket-ball and net. (adjustable to different heights, so it should last him a while).

I was so thankful that my assistant was there, because there is no way I could have put it together without some help managing the kids and cleaning up after the cake! The kids, though desperately wanting to help, were kept safely away from the hammer, and we quickly got it up and running!

Of course the box is also fun.....

Perhaps more fun....

It was great for Thomas when the other kids started playing in the cardboard box. Finally he had his new present to himself! (He was actually getting little time with his own gift before this.)

He's a star for sure! Happy birthday, Thomas! We all LOVE your sweet little soul!

Savouring Summer (featuring Special Guest Star - Aidas!)

We have been living in Lithuania Park for most of the summer now. I've got to say, my job is extra fun in the summer, and especially with the helper I have to help keep the kids extra safe on our outings. This past week, we were lucky enough to have Aidas back at the daycare for two full days!

Aidas was the first child to come to the daycare. He was 10 months old when he started (and Noah is only 2 months older than him), and only left the daycare at the end of last summer, when he was almost 4 years old. He's like family! And it really felt, for those two days, as if he had never left the daycare!

The boys started their own informal soccer game in the big field.

And at home the 3 of them (Noah, B. and Aidas) were giggling like BFF's. It was very funny - when we were getting the kids up from their naps in the afternoon, Aidas said to me, shocked, "Charla! Someone is sleeping in my bed! It's Thomas!" I'm glad he still sees my place as his place, even after a year away!

One afternoon we were going to go to the library, but Noah had a "terrible 4's"....ummm...er....episode, so we stayed put at the top area of Lithuania Park. B. practised his Spidey skills by scaling the fence. Thomas really is watching every athletic thing B. does, and emulating him. Actually, Thomas is very agile, so it's great for him to have a strong example in his life. Still, there are certain stunts that B. is forbidden to do in Thomas's presence, because Thomas doesn't always realize he is 2 years younger than B.

And here are still more pictures of a fun-filled day at Lithuania Park. Below are all 5 kidlets on the swings!

Riley likes to get under-doggies and swing hugs. Noah and B. love the "Hello-Goodbye Game", where I say good-bye as I push them, and then pretend I'm angry when they swing back. They NEVER tire of this!

Later on, instead of playing at the wading pool, the kids were busy making this canal. It was AWESOME!!

Riley did some digging, but then moved onto jumping over the canal. Isn't this a great shot of her in mid-flight? After I showed her the picture, she kept asking me, "Can you take another picture of me jumping, Charla?"

B. did most of the digging, while Noah diligently returned again and again to the wading pool, to fill his bucket with water. It was real teamwork!

Leila's job was to sit at one end of the canal and look cute. She more than fulfilled this role.

And here's the muscle man! (Thomas, by the way, had his own agenda, as he often does, and was playing in the park with my assistant.)

Today we brought the tents outside and played out back of our building. We had a shorter period of time for outdoor play, since my helper had an appointment. And here's a funny little incident: A lady who lives in one of the apartment buildings came out to tell me that the kids were too noisy, and that I should take them to the park. I said that normally I would be willing to compromise to some degree, but that we are only out back for about one or two hours a week (if at all, since we normally do go to the park). She still complained and threatened to go to her manager. I politely advised her to buy some earplugs, and then refocused my attention on the kids. After visiting the manager's office, she quietly returned to her building. I presume the complaint did not go so well. 

Really? You are complaining about small children playing outside...on a summer's day...at noon. Really? People can really be so strange!!

City Fishing

I forgot to add these to the last post. Kids have such great imaginations, don't they?