Rainbows and Rain Boots

When it rains in Edmonton.... it pours. Then the sun comes out! Then it pours. Then the sun comes out! Then it hails.... and pours. And then more sun! 

Alberta weather tends to be some of the most unpredictable and we are all used to it.... but it sure does make for some pretty scenes. Icy cold winter mornings where the sun is shining so bright that the snow sparkles but one step outside reminds you that you are still in Canada. We also get a lot of sun showers. It could be raining like crazy but the sun is still shining and the air is warm. That is what happened on this particular day. 

We spent the evening doing errands. Running in between stores and the car trying to avoid wind and torrential downpour. It prompted me the buy the kids some new rain boots for the summer while we were out. It is one of those things that always slips my mind until it's too late. They picked out their own boots and both insisted on wearing them out of the store. By the time we got home it was sunny and beautiful! We were surprised with a double rainbow driving into our neighborhood and were gifted with some prime time for puddle splashing. 

Mrs. E

Brass & Baubles ~ A Summer Mini

It has been a MONTH since I finished and swapped this pretty little mini at one of our Modern Quilt Guild meetings. 

I have to be honest. I didn't think I was going to take part in the swap that month.... and then I got off of work early that afternoon, found an orphan block in my stash and came up with some quick applique. The theme this month was summer and after some quick quilting and the fastest hand binding ever, I managed to come up with this...

Mrs. E

David Races the Calgary Marathon

Anybody who has ever done a race of any kind knows that sometimes it's just not your day. 

David had one of these days when he ran the Calgary Marathon recently. Dave drove down to Calgary on his own for the race. We decided that it was too early to drag the kids out to watch him run past once and that it would just be easier for him to go on his own..... Buuuuuuut.... I decided to show up the night before the race to surprise him. He had met up with one of my friends from University for dinner and was staying with one of our best friends. I coordinated with everyone and managed to show up at dinner. He was super surprised to see me there and happy to have someone to cheer him on. 

Race morning arrived and it was cool out with the chance of some serious temperature swings throughout the day. I prepped for the day and met up with my friend Laura and a couple of other friends and we headed out to cheer him on. We saw him at about the 28km mark... and I knew almost immediately that he wasn't feeling it. You see, David is trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon which means that he needs to finish in under 3 hours 5 minutes. He has to have a PERFECT day. This wasn't that day. 

Even though I knew he felt like crap he was still so positive and smiling. He stopped when he saw us to tell us that he was having problems with cramping (which he NEVER has) and that he figured he would be way over his projected time. We said our good lucks and he was on his way again. 

In the end he finished in just over 3 hours 50 minutes, still happy to have finished and still happy to be doing something he loves. Maybe Calgary wasn't his race and Edmonton will be. He has until the end of August to figure out what he needs to do and get more training time in. Fingers crossed! Here are a few photos from the day. 

Mrs. E

Sunny Days

Our kids have definitely taken after their mom and dad.

The sun has been shining with full force in Edmonton this last week and our little sun worshipers having been taking full advantage of it's warmth and  all of the fun that goes along with it. There is something magical that happens when the sun is shining. Moods lighten, kids smile more, water fights become a daily occurrence and afternoon naps get  a little longer. It's just one of those things. 

We often talk about what it would be like to move to a permanently warm locale. To have endless days of fun and laughter and sun kissed skin.... but I don't know what it would be like without the other seasons. We have gotten so used to the coziness of the fall and the romance of snowy Christmas season. Maybe one day.... but until then we enjoy the sun. 

Mrs. E

Last Day of Preschool

At the beginning of June we wrapped up the end of Sydney's first year of school.

Our little peanut had an incredible year at Les Causeries. She has learned so much in the last year and her French is coming along nicely. She has become a mature little lady who always shocks us with her smarts. She is empathetic towards others, always observant and loves a good knock-knock joke. She is hilariously outgoing and is not afraid to start a dance party in any situation. 

She is pretty awesome... and she is going to Kindergarten next year!

End of school Magic wand treat... including edible sugar paper.

Mrs. E

Day at the Zoo

Every once in a while we get to play hooky from work and go on an amazing field trip with our kids. 

Our most recent excursion was right before Sydney wrapped up preschool. They did an end of year trip to the zoo and the families of preschoolers were also invited. It was a great opportunity for us to spend the morning together learning about animals. A lot of you are aware that I don't really support zoos and aquariums. The challenge with having young kids is that they will be invited to attend field trips at these places and it may also be the only opportunity they get to see these animals in person. So I bit the bullet and tried to look at it as a great educational experience for the kids. 

It ended up being a fantastic day. They were able to touch a hedgehog, a dove, and a snake. They also had the opportunity to see Lucy the elephant out for her walk. It made me so sad to see such a gorgeous animal struggling with her health all locked up... but the look on Henry's face when he saw her walking down the path was priceless. 

There was time for a snack and some time for us to explore on our own. The kids really had an incredible time. Here are a million pictures from our morning:

Mrs. E

A Month of Adjustments

As I sit here typing this I am fighting off a cold and could not be more exhausted.... but I'm happy. 

I have now been in my new role at work for over a month. I have been busy adjusting to my new work day and learning to work with a different group of people. The great thing about moving into this role is that I already knew everyone from my years at Reception for our company. It helped make the transition fairly seamless and kind of fun! 

The Engineers that I am working with are hilarious. We have a very young work environment and our group is predominately male. This has left with me with a group of young men who I lovingly call my man-children. They are laid back, sarcastic and hard working. I am finally settled into my role so hopefully I will have more time to post again! I have a backlog of almost 20 posts to share with you so be prepared!

Mrs. E