Visit to Fire Station 423!

We took another trip to the local fire station on Monday. The last time we went was during the March Break. Drew was away with his family at that time, and missed our trip. Since then, fire trucks have become one of his favourite things ever. He calls them "wee-oos" (because of the sound of the siren).

Drew was very shy at first, so I held on to him and we did everything glued to each other. We all climbed aboard the fire truck.

The firefighters are always so great. The protocol for visits is just to drop in during certain hours. You can't make an appointment. Still, how would you like it if a group of people dropped in to your work and asked you to give them a tour? You might be thrilled some days. But other days, you may feel tired, and simply not in the mood. This is always on my mind when we drop in to see them unexpected, so we are very, VERY thankful for their hospitality!

Noah got to hold, and (lightly) spray the hose! They were very good at showing Noah around (realizing he could comprehend more information than the others).

I love these pictures because Drew looks incredibly tiny in front of the huge fire truck.

Here they are, showing us the 'jaws of life'. I've probably said this before, but I have the utmost respect for firefighters...the things they must see, not to mention the danger they put themselves in.

Fire station visit - summer 2016, yo!

We stopped off at Baird Park on the way home.

This is the first time I have seen Noah fully appreciate the end of a child's stay at the daycare. All week (this being the last week that Drew is in my care), he has been following Drew around, trying to get his fill.

How sweet is this? There's no way to tell who's getting the most from this interaction. Or perhaps it's me, the onlooker, seeing the daycare love in action. :)

Let's pause for a Drewbie photo shoot. He's got to be the Jays' cutest little fan!

We passed by Amadea's house. Of course, she had things to show us in her garden.

Loove these photos.

This little dude was happy having snacks and beverages in the wagon, after having slept through the whole fire station visit.

Time for some jumping practice, led by Amadea.

Drew and I peeked in to Leila's room one morning this week, to see if she was awake. She was just starting to wake up. I put a little happy Drew in her bed, just to make sure she started the day off right.

Yes, she does have a toddler bed, and should be in it. But since we have kept the bed for daycare use she regresses often, and opts to sleep there.

Good morning, sunshine!

Leila and I got started with her morning routine, but somebody didn't want to come out! It's cozy in there!



Check out this video. I was trying to get Marcellus's giggle on film. Unfortunately, I can only hear my voice. I'll try to get his giggle again (and try to quiet down myself, so you can hear it). It's the sweetest thing. Still though, the visuals in this video are more than enough to brighten your day.

Earlier on this day, at the wading pool, Marcellus gave himself a fat lip. He was semi-walking/crawling, to get a ball around the edges of the wading pool. However, he missed putting his right hand down, and his face caught his fall. It was surprisingly wounded for such a slight fall. I mean, he was already so low to the ground. Concrete can be so mean.

Look at him though, rocking the scraped lip! He is too adorable!

And here's Marcellus today after the wading pool. Wow, was it stinkin' hot today!

When you're 1, and it's this hot, and you're changing back into your regular clothes and diaper after the wading pool, you don't necessarily have to bother with shorts. Enjoy it, kid!

These girls keep playing "baby" together. Amadea is always the mommy, and Leila is always the baby. This works out well for their personalities at this point in their lives, since Dea wants to do everything herself, and Leila wants others to do everything for her.

You can get a sense of how hot it was, just by looking at the picture below. Noah was with us today too, but I find that as he gets older, I'm tapering off the never-ending photos of him, somewhat. It just seems like a natural progression. Don't hold me completely to that though. I did say, somewhat. (Let's remember who's talking here - the photo junkie.)

I gotta finish the post with this dude. If your heart does not instantly melt, you might want to get yourself checked out. This. Just, this.

Daycare News and Nostalgia

It wasn't pretty, but we made it through the heat wave last week. Unfortunately, my air conditioner stops working in intense heat (when you need it most), so the wading pools were pure and utter bliss.

During our visits to the wading pools and splash pads, it was mandatory that the children got cool water on their heads (this has to be done especially delicately for some). Leila is one who will be completely overheated, and yet resist the opportunity to cool off. Last week, cooling off wasn't a choice.

It wasn't even a choice for me, but that was okay. I was happy to get soaked. Amadea and Leila love to pour buckets of water on my head, so this worked out well.

After daycare hours one night, we headed to our big pool. We invited Amadea, Marcellus, and their dad along. We have to share our pool whenever we can! Have I mentioned yet that Amadea can swim completely on her own? At 3 years old! She can also do fancy jumps off her daddy's shoulders. Leila's not yet inspired by her friend to step up her swimming skills by practicing bobs or anything. Leila's like, "Yeah....you do you." She'll get there in her own time. :) Actually, one of her water wings leaks out air at a slow pace, so that is the extent of her swimming lessons this summer. In the fall, Noah and Leila go back to official lessons.

This week, the temperature was much more manageable.

And we got Noah! He's done with camp for the summer.

I just thought Amadea looked especially cute this day; hence the extra photos of her.

She can jump a whole 3 steps, and I got the picture to prove it!

This little guy...always monkeying around!

Noah and the girls were playing Hide and Seek. Drew is picking up parts of the game and trying to join in. Cuteness!

One of the days, we had a rainy walk. I heard a few grumbles about going out in the rain, but I'm trying to teach them that there is nothing bad about warm summer rain, with no thunder  or lightning present.

I want them to embrace it (though I did add, "only if the person taking care of you says it's okay, and I'm more than okay with it", lol). It's different if they have to stay dry because they're going somewhere special, or their school teacher doesn't have time to change their soggy clothes. But with a small group of kids, I have the time.

We always end up playing a little while in this bus shelter. It's just how we roll.

Noah was very impressed by Drew's strength in pulling his buddy in the wagon. He persisted for quite a while, too!

Noah and Leila got to go with Dea and her dad to "Sky Zone" on Wednesday morning. It's a place with lots of trampolines and I believe, a foam pit. So, that left me with the babies. I decided to go drop some of our children's books off at the library. As we dropped them off, I realized that they were running a "baby time" program in the basement. Well, with these two babies, we qualified! :)

Drew and Marcellus have been in this room numerous times for the drop-in program, but this was a bit different. They were both shy. Drew especially was very unsure of the situation. Okay, let's be frank: he was terrified. As you can see from the above pictures, it was true horror. Haha. In Drew's defense, this man had a very loud, deep voice. Anyhoo, I ended up getting tons of cuddles out of it. ;)

We stopped to buy some lemonade from 5-year-old Margot, who was running the business with her dad. It was delicious!

We stopped off for some fun at the playground. These two are becoming such good friends.

I just love them so much. I hope they can come for lots of visits in the fall.

I took care of Noah's friend Hugo and his little brother Enzo yesterday, to help their parents in a pinch. It was great for Noah to get an extended play date!

Here's Enzo, posing for a pic with the girls. He was so good, really. He doesn't know us too well, so he was shy. Big brother Hugo helped make him feel more comfortable.

Lunch time was super busy!

Last night, we had Aidas for a sleepover. Remember, Aidas was the first child to ever come to the daycare, starting roughly seven years ago (from age 1-4). We have never had him for a sleepover before, so it was pretty exciting for them. Leila was just as excited as Noah. She is super-social these days, which bodes well for the beginning of her school career.

How lucky were we to hear the ice cream truck?! LOL I told the kids we were going to get ice cream, and went to grab my money from my bag. When I caught up, Aidas was already talking to the man in the truck, placing his order. Don't need to tell him twice! :)

Aidas was yearning for a ride in the wagon, like the good ol' daycare days. I pulled them most of the way home, but when the wagon started to make a funny noise I panicked and told the big boys to get out. :)

Watching the boys play at Lithuania Park was surreal. I kept seeing flashes of the two of them playing together as babies. Take a trip with me down memory lane...

I could go on with more photos but I'll stop for now, in the interests of finishing this post. ;)

So anyway, they were about to settle in for bed, but Aidas was getting a little home sick, I think. When I realized that I had forgotten their waters at the park, I invited them to walk back with me to get them (even though I could have left them with Dan for a minute, and ran over to the park myself). I thought it would be fun to bring some glow sticks outside, and have a little fun; help ease Aidas's nerves.

They happen to have the same P.J.'s. That's because these pajamas are awesome, and Aidas's mother and I both have great taste. :)

We got the waters, and headed straight back home. It was a nice diversion, and nice to go for a little walk on a hot summer's night.

Today they've had an extended play date. I'm so glad we've been able to maintain the friendship of these two!