How We Go For Ice Cream

Grace has a major sweet tooth - she takes after her mama! Anna has never been a big fan of sweets and won't eat chocolate, but does enjoy the occasional TimBit or oatmeal cookie. She won't eat ice cream either; she says it's "too cold." The girls both love going out for ice cream anyway, because our favorite ice cream shop is right beside the old train station and the girls love checking out the trains and running around on the big platform (aka, their stage). 

I always bring a little treat for Anna to eat while Grace and I eat our ice cream. She has recently become obsessed with these oatmeal peanut butter cookies (which I love too! They remind me of going to visit Gramma and Grampy; they always had a box of these in the cupboard!) On our most recent dessert date, we had to stop at the store to pick up a box of cookies. Anna was so excited, I think she thought the whole box was for her! 

Breakfast Date

Murr and I like taking the girls up to Tim Hortons for breakfast every once in a while as a treat. They always want to sit by the fireplace and will rush over as soon as we get there to see if their favorite spot is available. Murr and I sat at a table a few feet away and the girls loved sitting by themselves, eating their bagels and chatting away. It was so cute!

Strike a Pose

I said "strike a pose!" and got this:

Sandcastle Contest (...the day after!)

The annual Sandcastle Contest at Clam Harbour Beach was yesterday. I briefly entertained the thought of taking the kids but, I know it would be too much for them Anna. Grace would have loved it, I'm sure, but you really need to make a day of it and I knew Anna wouldn't last more than a couple hours. 

Auntie Murr and I decided to head down to the beach this morning. We hoped we'd see some of the sand sculptures but didn't say much to the kids because we weren't sure what would be left on the beach. We were pleasantly surprised! We were able to enjoy and appreciate all of the sculptures, play on the beach, and splash around in the waves without the huge crowd that comes along with the actual day of the contest. Perfect for the little ones! 

Day at the Cottage

Mary and I have been talking about getting out to see Aunt Nancy at the cottage all summer, and today we went! It was a gorgeous day. The girls were so excited to see that Lucy the donkey was back at the farm down the road! I didn't get many pictures of our visit to the little farm because Anna wanted to be carried the whole time. We had lunch and then went outside to blow some bubbles and hang out down by the water. I had a car full of sleepy kiddos on the drive home!

Science!

We had tons of fun at the Discovery Centre today!

The "Ocean Bound" exhibit had this cool submarine the kids could play in! Lots of buttons, levers, lights, and knobs.

This was Anna's favorite! She was pumped!

Floating Head! Anna could barely peek over!

I didn't get a very good picture of them on the bridge but it's always one of the things they talk about most after a visit to the Discovery Centre

Grace and Lennan had no interest in this, but Anna spent a good little chunk of time at the microscope!

Anna Likes the Beach!

We go to the lake almost daily during the summer, but we don't go to the beach very often. I've taken Anna to the beach a handful of times over this summer and last, and she was not a fan. She complained about the sand being hard to walk in, sand sticking to her hands and feet, the seaweed was "too crunchy" when she walked on it, the water was too cold, and she was just miserable.
We've always gone to the same beach, Martinique, because it is the closest to home. When Murr called this morning and suggested we go to Clam Harbour beach I was game; I hadn't been there in years! We packed up a few snacks and hit the road hoping to last an hour at the beach, knowing Anna might hate the whole experience.

She absolutely loved it! She played in the sand, ran in and out of the waves, and laughed the whole time. It is a beautiful beach. There was very little seaweed around, the water was way warmer than Martinique, and apparently the sand wasn't as sticky. We will definitely go again and stay longer!

Weekend Snippets

The girls had a full day on Saturday! We went to GG's in the morning to watch the Lake and Shore Days parade. The forecast wasn't good but luckily the rain held off until the parade was over. I love doing things with the girls that I used to do as a kid! Watching the parade with my siblings and cousins.
After the parade Zilla and Bampers took the girls home with them for the afternoon and overnight! Brian and I did some much needed cleaning, purging and organizing in the basement and then went out for supper. The girls had a great time with Zilla and Bampers! When I picked them up, Anna said she was ready to come home but Grace wanted to stay another night.
Yesterday was yet another rainy Sunday, we spent the afternoon cleaning, baking, and just hanging out. Grace's t-ball was cancelled again! She was not at all disappointed. She always says she doesn't want to go but always has fun does really well!

 

       

Evening Bike & Scooter Ride (Video)

This is one of the girls favorite little games lately, when we're out with the bike and scooter. One of them will pretend to get stuck in the bushes and call to the other for help. It's fun to see the things they come up with to entertain themselves. I think this one has a Dora influence...

Our Weekend

We had a lovely visit this weekend with family in Cape Breton! We went to a baby shower for Auntie Sharla and Grace spent as much time as she could in the pool at her great aunt and uncle's house. We went out on the boat in the evening which was awesome for the first hour or so, but then the girls were just done. Hot, overtired, and just spent. 

We stopped in at Zilla's on our way home on Sunday. It was a looong drive, it seemed even longer than usual because the air conditioning isn't working in the van! It was nice to not have to worry about supper. We spent the day at the camp on Monday. It was a gorgeous day! 

Some shots from our fun long weekend:

Inspired

I haven't posted here much lately. I haven't posted very much this year! It just seems hard to find time to dedicate to writing here. I've recently realized how much I miss it. I considered starting a brand new blog in the hope that it would inspire me to post more, but I like looking back at my old posts and like the idea of having everything in one place. I'm sure there is a way to get all the old stuff to a new blog but I wouldn't have a clue where to start so... I made some changes to this space and am planning to get back into it! After all, my main purpose for starting this blog initially was to have a place to record pictures, milestones, and memories as the girls grew up; we've been having such a fun summer I'm feeling inspired to keep that going! Let's start with a couple cute photos of the girls...