Thanksgiving thoughts

It’s so interesting to see how over the top excited Peter and Gaëlle get about Thanksgiving. We really don’t do much to ratchet up the energy level.  We are not a family that goes over the top by nature. I haven’t spent hours decorating the house. I haven’t spent days and days preparing food. We don’t have  a lot of company. And yet, for the 2nd Thanksgiving in a row, Peter and Gaëlle can barely contain themselves with the joy of Thanksgiving. Gaëlle, Emily, and Snickers just hanging out waiting for the meal. I did get Peter and Gaëlle to help me make little boxed turkeys. I have managed to hang onto a few old Pack-O-Fun Magazines and this was one of the templates  in one of them. Right before it was time to eat and not a moment sooner, Gaëlle and Josh filled them with candy. Needless to say, Gaëlle was a bit fixated on that the entire meal.None of us are master carvers, but we do our best.  Kaylin took the pictures for me this year and so I don’t have a single one of her. I’m going to have to watch out for that next time. But at least she got us smiling.

Peter and Gaëlle have discovered the game UNO. So after we ate, we all sat around and played a couple of hands. It was a gorgeous day, so we didn’t stay inside too long. But we did have some laughs.

 

Not quite sure what was going on in Gaëlle’s mind, but I’m sure it was something mischievous.

We had amazing weather all weekend so it was great to be together as a family and also to just celebrate the many blessings in our lives.  We just spent a short time going around the table sharing our blessings. Gaëlle had already told us that she was thankful for the sky and the ocean and she stuck with that. On such a beautiful day, it was easy to be thankful for the beauty in God’s creation.  It was also easy to be thankful for the blessing of family and being together.

Open house

After the earthquake Robin was on a LOT of news programs. One of the people who interviewed him was Elizabeth Chiu from CBC news. Last Saturday we went to an open house at CBC and one of the first people we ran into was Elizabeth and she remembered the kids and their names without any introduction from us. So we took a picture and then we moved on. 

No offense to anybody in the news department but we were there for the kids programs and activities. We waited in line for the balloon creatures. A ladybug and a parrot. And who should we see but SUPER WHY.  CBC has some clever shows for children and this is one we like. But to tell the truth our all time favorite show is ARTZOOKA! Jeremie is the host and every morning for 15 minutes he shows the kids how to make easy and fun crafts. Peter especially loves it and is always making things that he would like to show Jeremie. So at the open house they had several tables of craft supplies. Gaëlle was focused and went right to work on a paper plate. She would finish doing something and she would tap Jeremie on the shoulder, “Artzooka, look at the mouth I cut out.” And he would ooh and aah. It was kind of funny seeing as Peter is the big fan and it was if he had stage fright. He started and threw away 3 different projects before he settled down to something.

Jeremie was right there in amongst the kids watching them put things together. It was a great afternoon and I was so impressed with his energy and enthusiasm.

Cooking fun

Not only did Gaëlle receive cooking items from her grandmother, she also received some baking fun from her cousins in California. They sent her edible paper to decorate cakes and cupcakes with. Gaëlle couldn’t wait to get started.

There was cutting and ripping and decorating galore with the edible paper.

The final products did not look anything like the pretty package but they still looked pretty and the cupcakes were delicious. YUM.

Gaëlle goes into her box of goodies and finds things to cook. This was an individual cake that we just popped in the microwave. Easy and good. Just Gaëlle’s speed.

Meet your farmer

Last Sunday afternoon we participated in an event called “Meet Your Farmer”. I think this event is held all across Canada but one Sunday in the fall, farms open their doors to the general public. They give tours, sell their wares, and allow us all to catch a glimpse of what life on a farm is like.

We visited a farm just 30 minutes away from us in Windsor, NS, the Oulton’s Farm. They have a large apple orchard, organic chickens and turkeys, exotic animals, and beef (altho we really didn’t see that aspect).

                                                                                              Little chicks.

                                                                                              Bigger chickens.

                                                                                      A donkey with some llamas.

                                                                                                   Deer.

And last but not least, the exotic birds. It was a great day to get out and experience a local farm.

The real birthday

Gaëlle told us over and over that she wanted a peppermint cake for her birthday. Silly me. I thought she wanted a peppermint tasting cake and so for her party, I thought the kids might not all like the taste of peppermint. I foolishly went to the store and bought a cake for the party. Then I thought I would make the peppermint cake for her actual birthday with the family.

As I’m getting ready to make the cake, it becomes clear that what she really wants is a cake that looks like a peppermint. A green peppermint. So, ta da. Robin worked his green sugar magic and Gaëlle had a peppermint cake.

The birthday girl with the cake decorator. And notice the birthday cup. It comes out for every birthday.

My mom had left a box for Gaëlle’s birthday and she had been waiting an entire month to dig into it.

It was filled with cooking goodies. Mixes and cooking utensils. Pure heaven for Gaëlle.

Keeping with the cooking theme, Kaylin got Gaëlle a play microwave. And as Gaëlle is on a Fancy Nancy kick, she also gave her some fancy accessories.  

Her crown is stupendous. That’s fancy for “great”.

Emily gave her a coupon for girl time which she redeemed the very next day. Kaylin drove Gaëlle to Emily’s new apartment where they painted their nails and then they went out to a movie. Ooh la la. Still staying with the Fancy Nancy theme.

We gave her a scooter for her special day. Notice the glamour girl taking it for a spin. I let her go without her helmet just to try it out. Now, she has to take off the crown and wear her helmet.

The big sister also got in on the action. The scooter carves and turns and is actually quite fun.

She couldn’t wait to cook and the first thing she made was yellow jello. Altho, it wasn’t a huge hit with her. She likes red better. But the rest of the family had no problem eating it.

Happy 6th Birthday Gaëlle. We love you so much and we love the joy, laughter, and energy you bring to our family.

Birthday Girl

Gaëlle is now 6.  She has been planning her birthday for a year now. We actually forbid the birthday talk because she was constantly telling us who was coming and who wasn’t going to be invited. So shortly before the big day, we allowed birthday talk and guess what?  She could not decide what she wanted to do and who she really wanted to invite. It’s easy to plan. Much tougher to commit.

So, I basically planned it without much input from her. Last year we went old school and just had an old fashioned at home party. It went so well, and with a few logistic issues, I decided to do the same thing thing year.

 

We started with some easy crafts; door hangers and we put their names on their treat bags. Gaëlle and Peter love love love crafts. So this was good.

Next, onto some party games. 2 teams battling it out over water.

This was break the balloon game which was a huge hit with the boys but not so much with the girls. Emily jumped in to show them what to do.

Pass the multi wrapped present. Notice mom’s hands gently redirecting Gaëlle who was more than ready to help anybody unwrap their present.

   Spend a little time outside playing on the zip line. This is a huge hit with all the kids.

Time for pizza, but it was hard to say bye to the zipline.

 

Big smiles all around. Cause now it’s time for cake and then it’s time for presents.

It’s interesting to see Gaëlle’s reaction to presents. Most people assume the younger kids are going to be ecstatic with gifts and with stuff. I mean, they’re from Haiti and all.  They should be so grateful. But they really don’t know how to react to “stuff” and so they can be a little underwhelmed and not quite as excited as one might expect to see.

However, Gaëlle received a couple of craft kits and she really was pleased with them. That afternoon, she and Peter broke out the first one and they made a couple of pom pom critters.

In Memory of Tee

Last year one of the boys Emily fell in love with from Thailand died unexpectedly. It was heartbreaking for not only her but also everybody else from Rainbow House. When she talks about him, in my mind, I see an energetic and mischievous little boy; full of fun and joy regardless of his circumstances. Emily has a page on the Future for Five website with some of her favorite pictures of Tee.

Emily has been raising money to send to Rainbow House by selling shirts. The shirts currently being sold are going to support the camp where she was paired up with Tee.

But for those who don't want to spend money on a shirt, she has had a special fund going in memory of Tee. So many of the kids who pass through Rainbow House, whether it's kids from the day program or kids from orphanages, don't own any toys. Tee loved teddy bears and so she raised money to take his friends to Build a Bear in his memory.



Emily just received photos of the trip to Build a Bear. I can't even imagine the fun that must have been for the kids. I love this first photo because the kids are sitting there staring at the big bear full of amazement.



It looks like the staff and the volunteers did a great job walking the kids through each stage of making a bear and really helping them build a memory as well.



Each child has his own unstuffed bear.



What would a bear be without a heart?



The stuffing goes in.



Lots of happy children.