Emma passed Ultra 2!

It only took 5 attempts and a lot of work. This one was EARNED. We had left over birthday ice cream cake to celebrate!

I don't know if I have the heart to go through Ultra 3. :)

SK Graduation

Well, if it's true that all you need to learn, you learn in kindergarden, then this is it. Emma is done school. 
But don't tell her that because she is sooo looking forward to grade one. She's even practicing being a big kid and doing things like washing her own hair. 

SK Graduation

We were given this photo as a surprise at her graduation ceremony. The best part for the kids was the ice cream.

Another first

It becomes a vicious circle, you buy velcro shoes to be independent at school but then there is no need  or little opportunity to learn to tie shoes.

At nearly six, Emma needs to figure it out. So, I made a deal with her. She learns to tie her shoelaces and I will get her a pair of TwinkleToes running shoes for school in the fall. Also, I wasn't replacing her pair with the broken velcro that were becoming the bane of her existence.There was tons of motivation. :)

It also helped that the pair of sneakers I bought her to practice tying were pink.

It took her 2 days... one weekend. We bought them Friday afternoon, practiced over the weekend and she wore them to daycare on Monday.

She is very proud of herself.

and now back to regular programming...

Doug has done an admirable job of blogging the renovations but the time has come to start with the Emma updates again. Let's begin with what you have missed over the winter and ... gasp... over the first half of the summer. (Where has the time gone!?!!)

The renovations... not much happening other than Doug beavering away at painting and installing the trim. It is a long tedious job with many steps but the final effect is gorgeous. We picked a very simple trim (plain mdf with slightly rounded edges) that not only continues our choice of clean lines, but it was a fraction of the price of pre-made trim. At this stage of the game, inexpensive is good.

I'm still trying to figure out what finish to put on the stairs. I think I've tried 10 different stains so far. Thought I had it, did the treads then realized that, no, I did not have it. Now I'm sanding it all off and starting again. I *think* I have it now... and if it isn't I give up.

We are also starting to think on what tile for the front entry and the backsplash. Emma has been a trooper coming tile shopping with us. Or should that be a royal trooper -- she often wears her princess dress for these trips.

I'll post more over the next while. Keep tuning in.

Party days

Emma was invited to a birthday party recently held at a cooking school. The kids had fun chopping the toppings for their pizza ...

and decorating their own cupcakes...

There was also a fellow who did amazing balloon hats...

It's Shiny!

Emma got her first two-wheeled bike for her birthday. Much to our surprise she picked blue mermaid over purple fairies (good thing 'cause purple was out of stock). She is quite impressed with how shiny it is, especially the training wheels -- a point she is quick to tell everyone and anyone. When she is ready to lose the training wheels I expect we will need to add some bike bling just to keep up the shine. It is just crying out for handlebar tassels!

Off to daycare!

Last night she helped her dad put the bike together and we went for a ride up and down the block (she rode we walked). Today she was ready for the big time: riding to daycare.

Fishy Tales

Last month Emma and I went to the campground to visit family. She absolutely loved fishing, which could be done from the dock. The sunfish practically leaped onto the hook. 

Her first fish (ok I think 2nd but just as proud!)

Cousins chillin' on the dock.

Round and Round

Emma shares my love of carousels. This one was at Chuck-E-Cheese, where we went for her friend's birthday party. 

An Amusing Time

We went to the amusement park while Emma's uncle Earl and family were visiting. Ice cream and rides with her cousin Riley were the order of the day.  

Borrowed Wings

Sometimes its nice to use someone else's wings for a change. Good thing all little girls seem to have a pair handy.

A Happy Pair

From Updates

We're still here!!!

Don't give up on me. We're still here. Just not in the blogging mood apparently.

We've had a mild winter. Today was just glorious. 12C in mid-March. Unheard of!

I suggested to Emma we go to the zoo. She countered with taking the 'green and white train'. We've been promising to take her on the commuter train for months and today seemed like the perfect day for it. We took the subway down to the terminal, got on the train to a town about 20 minutes out. Went for a walk along the waterfront then headed back home.



Emma fell asleep on the subway. She insisted that she wasn't tired, and she fought valiantly to stay awake but alas it was a lost cause.



When she woke up at the other end she insisted that she wasn't asleep, she had just had a long blink. (about 30 minutes long!)

First Letter to Santa

(as dictated by Emma)

Dear Santa,

How are your elves doing with making the toys? How is your mommy doing? How does your sled fly? How do your reindeer fly?

I love your elves making toys. For Christmas I would like a Cinderella doll.

Emma

Digger

Doug had his tonsils out this week. While recovering, he distracted himself by making a Lego digger... remote controlled of course. Here he is trying to get Emma's attention.

Happy 4th!

On the weekend we were visiting family and celebrated Emma's upcoming birthday. Here she is decked out in her new dress and getting acquainted with her makeover kit -- both from her aunties.

Sunday morning walk

I got to go for a walk with a fairy princess this morning. It was a lovely time. She was on a mission to pick dandelions, which are now sitting on the counter in a glass of water.

Bucking the Trend

Emma is bucking the big city trend of wearing black. I must say, if you're going to go to all the effort of bucking a trend, you may as well go all out.



(I don't know if you can see them properly, but yes, they are sparkly silver runners.)

Snoozin'

Emma has recently stopped napping in the afternoon. This makes the day a bit too long for a busy 3-1/2 year old. But a wee snooze while waiting for dinner seems to do the trick.

Princess Fix-it

Emma loves to fix her step stool. This time she was sure to use her princess 'work' gloves.

A walk in the rain

Was raining this afternoon when I went to pick Emma up from daycare. We had a fun - and dry - walk home.



We found a puddle that was 6 inches deep!