the graduate. part II.

it's official.
one year down. many more to go.
coop graduated from kindergarten. he rocked it.

this year tony was out of town and i was officially on kindergarten graduation duty.
i wasn't available to go to aydan's, so it WAS my turn.

i was a mess.......
{i don't think it was wise i went.}

they walked in to commencement. they had on graduation caps they made. they sang songs so show off their grasp of the french language. they were so proud...and rightly so.
when cooper was called to the front i was crying attempting to take video and snap photo's - i had the iphone and of course attempt number one was blurry. i did eventually get one to be proud of and a snapped a couple of him with his best buds.

cooper with his teacher.

the ceremony was done so well by the teachers and volunteers and went off without a hitch.

the best part - hearing him call to his friends as we were leaving, "see you in grade one!!!"
what a guy.

it was also last day of school for aydan too!

on her way to grade three...it's going by too fast!!!!
happy summer.

yesterday you rocked it.

yesterday you took your first steps towards kindergarten.

yesterday was hard for me.

yesterday you were confident and excited - not the little bit intimidated.

yesterday you were 10 minutes early to wait for the bus.

yesterday you rode the bus like a rock star.

yesterday you met your new teacher, miss tara, yelled "bye dad" then took off to the playground without a care in the world.

yesterday you acted like it was no big deal.

yesterday you had no real stories of the day - it's like it was just another day in the many that make up your story.

yesterday you grew up.

yesterday you were brave.

yesterday you rocked it.

lake swimming.

in this little town of ours there once was a sand quarry.
while they were digging at it they hit a natural spring, the whole thing filled up and now we have a lake!
it's open to residents from june 24th to labour day.

we love it.
we are asked over and over again all winter "when is it time to go to the beach?"
being a vancouver girl i don't know a summer where my toes are not buried in the sand. i'm so glad i have the opportunity out here as well.
i am so happy when it opens.
so happy.

now my happiness has doubled.
since i am now working, the summer afternoons at the beach have become fewer and fewer but....
they offer swimming lessons at the beach! in the lake!!! for kids!!! at night!!!
so excited about this.

monday night was our first lesson.
aydan was from 6 to 7.
coop was from 7 to 7:30. littler kids - shorter time.
it runs for 5 weeks. twice a week.
perfect time for perfect dinner beach picnics.

they did so well. 
she jumped right in, after correcting the instructor on how to pronounce her name, three times, oh geesh! seven year olds!
aydan - the poor girl has a french accent!! cut her some slack!
anyways.....aydan was trying to get the hang of it at first but did do all the activities - and by then end her back stroke was noticeably better than 30 minutes prior. good girl.

all day cooper was doing EVERY thing to get out of going but i knew once he got there and saw all those other little boys he would jump right in.
and he did.
he participated for 90% of it - he just didn't do the jump off the dock at the end.
i never expected he would. his dad did though.
but....i bet at the end of the session he will. i know it.

they have to miss next week - which is the pits - but they are going to visit friends in burlington, ontario with the husband, swim in a pool there, go to marineland {in niagara falls}, go to a safari park and head up to my favorite place, port elgin, where they will spend their days swimming in lake huron & playing on the beach. 
i think they will survive and brush up on their swimming skills at the same time.

lesson #2 is tonight and this time i have to take my zoom lens.....

:)

the rink.

i know that i mentioned before that the husband was looking forward to building a rink in the backyard when the move out east was official. we talked about it for a year and last christmas we got to have a christmas skate. it was heavenly.

this year, with the further destruction of the backyard, the dreams of the rink were magnified.
we were going bigger and better.
in the fall the plan was set in motion and the frame laid out. more wood had to be bought and dreams we coming to light.
then we waited.

then it heated up.
what? the sun was shining in late october/early november and we were out playing in the yard and at the park.
not a snowflake in sight.
the temperature stayed as far away as it could from the 0 as it could. i think it had plans alternate to our in mind.

i could just see the bottom lip of the husband jut out ever so slightly as he was realizing that maybe skating wasn't in our sights for this season.

hope in the form of snowflakes fluttered around us one day.
they were gone the next. i was starting to feel for the guy and the kids because this had been such a big part of last year.

then it got cold...like really cold. in a flash he was outside, hose in hand, water flowing. could this be it?

it was.
built in a week.
we are skating.
it has been wonderful.
and we are all excited about it. even coop. even me.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

in honour of skating days i am going to tell you about my down and dirty chicken soup. you know those days where the cold goes through your clothes and you are looking for comfort. the days when you wished you had gotten it together to make a chicken soup, have it bubbling away all day and fills the house with it's ever soothing aroma?

yeah in a perfect world we all do. but this is not perfect.
you most likely forgot to put it on or thought about it too late.
you got busy.
we all do.
but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some yummy soup made by you and made quick.

trust me, you'll like it.

down and dirty chicken soup.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
herbs such as thyme or your favorite. approx. 1 to 2 tbsp. (i add 2)
any leftover chicken or two boneless breast of chicken, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
2 x 900ml tetra pack of chicken stock

1 1/2 cups of dry pasta shapes.

chop your onion, carrots and celery. heat the olive oil in a big pot or dutch oven over medium heat. add onions first, season with salt and pepper, and sautee for about 4 minutes. then add carrots and celery. sautee till vegetables are tender. add in your chicken. cook if necessary or just warm through. add your garlic. add your herbs. cook for about 1 minute. add your frozen peas (remember this is down and dirty!) sautee all together for about 2 minutes then add your stock. bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.

in another pot cook your pasta.

after 20 minutes  taste your soup & adjust seasonings. wait 5 minutes. taste and if you are satisfied - serve! place some of the cooked pasta in your bowl and ladle the soup on top. stir and serve.

did you realize once you were making this that the baguette you had on your counter was rock hard? have no fear! i learnt this trick from jamie oliver and it works like a charm.
heat your oven to 350 degrees. take a sheet of parchment and run it under water while scrunching it up. open it up and place your baguette inside. wrap it up and throw it into your heating oven. when the oven beeps that it is heated go in and squeeze your baguette - if it's soft enough for you pull out if not leave for another couple minutes. you won't believe it but it will feel and taste like freshly made bread!