Last week was a heavy work week for Daddy, but we managed a few Daddy times none the less... an evening river walk with Daddy:

Who knew a stroller could be a thrill ride?


Walking and counting the blocks of the retaining wall (125).

Earlier that day we had dug through stored winter clothes for a few light long sleeves for fall. Jasmin gave a happy cry of delight when she saw her "letter jacket"! She insisted Mommy help her put it on and wore it all the rest of the day even though it is really too hot for a fleece jacket! (Mommy hid it away again as soon as she fell asleep.)

Grace spent a quiet afternoon stringing foam beads while Jasmin napped. She then insisted Daddy wear it for a necklace. She even took this picture all by herself. Now every time she sees Daddy, she insists he wear it. Thankfully he could persuade her that wearing it to church was not a good idea as he might lose it :0)

Grace begged for a walk by the river again today. Since Mommy's back is still protesting the drive to Toronto and back, she abandoned housework and took them to the river. And delighted in the wonderful smells, sights, sounds of late summer!
Or is it Fall already??!! A whole tree blazing red! Grace was so excited: she's been asking for snow and we've been explaining to her that she has to wait for the trees to turn colors and the leaves to fall off...

We found wild grapes! A clean-feeling tartness with the taste of warm sun mixed in... absolutely delicious - mostly because they were found and picked and eaten in the wild :o) Jasmin loved them and would have eaten herself sick, but Grace puckered up at the sourness and wouldn't eat. Didn't help that she thought they were blueberries!


My girls enjoying what mommy couldn't today...

We had to go to Toronto for some meetings Thursday-Friday last week. Michael fulfilled a childhood desire when we stopped for lunch at "the big apple" - the girls were pretty excited about it too :o) They enjoyed climbing up inside the apple to look around, and asking a million questions (Grace). The apple - almond cheesecake there is probably the best I've ever tasted (and likely all the apple products!) but the rest of the food there isn't that great.

We also spent time with family - around a table of food, of course! Jasmin the last one eating...! We've paid for the weekend of "loose" eating though, she's been really difficult to handle the last few days while the residue of gluten works it's way out of her system. Proving that "a little bit won't matter" is not true - at least over a few days.

Last week mommy was making chocolate crispies (stove top cookies), and Jasmin climbed up on a chair to watch - and hoping for an early taste. Taking the pot off the stove ring, Mommy cautioned Jasmin, "Don't touch! Be careful, It's hot!" Jasmin looked back steadily then reached out and put her hand flat on the ring, bam! The rest of the day wasn't so fun... except she got lots of horsie band-aids. A hardy girl, didn't take her long to be refusing wrappings and using her hand normally again. She had two rings of big blisters across her palm and fingers; now they are almost healed, less that a week later! Thankfully they didn't burst.