Both the play school and play group had end of year parties this past week or so. The school spent the morning at Long Lake. The kids played hard and enjoyed the gifts of sand toys.
The playgroup again met at one of the participants homes to enjoy her wonderful grounds. Ethan really enjoyed the sand box and wagon. Evelyn loved the swings, slides and elevated clubhouse.
Later, the kids went on a ride in a little trailer pulled by a quad. Ethan really loved that!
The day before the party, Evelyn had her vaccinations. Wow. That went...
not as well as I expected!
I told her about the upcoming appointment a few hours before. I wanted her to be warned, but not have time to really get worked up. When we arrived, there was a Doctor Play set that had a 'needle'. We practiced with that and she seemed okay with the 'pinch' she would be recieving. She played contentedly during the appt while the nurse asked all the development questions. She happily sat on my lap when needle time came. I had her arm held firmly in my hand and was trying to distract her with a new pack of 'littlest pet shop' trading cards. I thought it was going very well.
Then, she got poked.
She SCREAMED and flailed her body, arched her back, kicked her legs and arms and became a banshee. The needle came out and scraped her arm, she continued to scream and flail.
It was very dramatic. And very unexpected.
I eventually got her restrained in my arms again and we manageed to get the second shot into the same arm. After about 5 min, she calmed down to merely sniffing and wimpering.
Yikes!
She ended up with a pretty inflamed injection site, and battled headaches and fever for 2 days. We missed her soccer practice, but she was determined to go to the playgroup party the next day. She did well at the party, but wanted some cuddles from her teacher Sylvia.
The following day, her kind and loving little brother punched her in her arm when we were out shopping. Ouch! She managed to get under control fairly quickly. Now, she's back to normal.
I really hope she forgets this experience before she is due for any other shots. I think she has a few years before we have to do this again!
Last Saturday, we helped one of Ryan's co-workers move from Lac la Biche to Boyle. They took us all out for lunch after and Ethan occupied himself by decorating himself with stickers while we waited. He was a real 'cutie pie'.
On the evening following Evelyn's ill-fated vaccinations, I went to a staff party while Ryan stayed home with the kids. It was fun to socialize with the staff. We were at one of the Doctors homes which he leases. It is on a lake and reminded me of Saltspring Island. We saw many different kinds of water birds, and a yearling black bear came to visit us as well! The bear sniffed around the perimeter, climbed a tree, and scampered off. As we left, I saw my first live skunk sniffing around the garage. Up unitl then, I had only seen the roadkill version of this mal-odourous animal. It had two stripes down it's back - apparently that makes it an american skunk. I guess canadian skunks only have one stripe (like 'pepe la peu' from the looney tune cartoons- he must have been french canadian) .
Math skills. Sorting, colours, shapes names, and seeing how the shapes relate to each other. We also practiced asking for the shape you want rather than just taking it.
Printing and math. Evelyn works on the number 7. Ethan practices using a pen, then wiping the card clean and doing it again.
Cutting. Evelyn is getting much better at this.
The kindergarten teacher at the school organized and implemented a really nice carnival for the kids today.
Evelyn's favorite booth was the water balloons. Ethan liked anything requiring throwing. They each got some popcorn, a 'tattoo' and some little prizes. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Once again, I forgot to bring my camera to soccer practice. I did however, manage to get a few shots of the kids at home in their uniforms and shin pads. I continue to be surprised by how outgoing Ethan is. He heads right to his coach and sticks by his side for much of the practice. During stretches, Ethan even ducked under the coaches legs! Evelyn seems to like running the best and she is one of the faster (and older) kids. I love that they are so enthousiastic and positive about practice and soccer.
We have had 2 late spring snowstorms on consecutive Tuesdays, then Evelyn had her playschool graduation, then she had her vaccinations, so the kids have only been able to go to two practices. Next week is the 'wrap up' BBQ! I think the team will unofficially practice until the end of June to make up for the snow days. 
I also painted the landscaping logs around the crushed rock at the bottom of the windows (that was my project from last year).
I thought it would be a more straight forward process than it was. I discovered progressively worse dry rot on the bottom sill of the big window. You can see the smallest area in the right side. This hole was previously filled with about 1-1 1/2 cups worth of caulking. I filled it with wood and used wood epoxy to fix it in place. The other 2 sills had progressively larger rotted areas. The end result is not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was, and it is pretty solid and sealed.
Both the play school and play group had end of year parties this past week or so. The school spent the morning at Long Lake. The kids played hard and enjoyed the gifts of sand toys.
The playgroup again met at one of the participants homes to enjoy her wonderful grounds. Ethan really enjoyed the sand box and wagon. Evelyn loved the swings, slides and elevated clubhouse.
Later, the kids went on a ride in a little trailer pulled by a quad. Ethan really loved that!
She ended up with a pretty inflamed injection site, and battled headaches and fever for 2 days. We missed her soccer practice, but she was determined to go to the playgroup party the next day. She did well at the party, but wanted some cuddles from her teacher Sylvia.
Last Saturday, we helped one of Ryan's co-workers move from Lac la Biche to Boyle. They took us all out for lunch after and Ethan occupied himself by decorating himself with stickers while we waited. He was a real 'cutie pie'.
As I mentioned in the previous post, Ryan's Mom and Step-Dad came to visit for a couple nights at the end of May.
The entire vist, Ethan was glued to "Papa's" side. He really bonded with Alec and they had a good time together. Evelyn enjoyed all the extra attention and treats. Both kids loved visiting Nana and Papa in their camper.
Evelyn has completed her first year as a scholar. They celebrated with a potluck and concert of all the songs the kids learned this year. They each recieved a paper scholar's cap and a chocolate bar as well as a colourful certificate.
Ryan's Mom Brenda and Step-Dad Alec arrived the morning of the ceremony. It was very nice to have them attend. They are on an extended road trip with their camper and will explore the NWT, Yukon and Alaska in the coming month. We were glad to have them stop in to see us for a couple days on the way.
Here's our little scholar with her cap and gown and also with her teacher 'Mrs.R'.
The kids sang several songs. My favorite part was when Evelyn called out during a pause between songs "This is where you clap now!" and then took a subtle bow.