Saturday we introduced Grace and Jasmin to winter beach activities with our friend Jo...
It wasn't too cold, but a grey day when we left home. But by the time we arrived at the beach it was clearing up to be a bright sunny day. We hunted for just the right spot to make camp to cook lunch... three spots later we found it: a ready-made fire pit in a small clearing on the backside of the point... with great views...

a hurricane cached stack of dry firewood - and not so dry wood so we got our fill of wood smoke and teary eyes to start with...
an easily built seesaw playground...

bird watching... a merganser diving for his lunch...
good food: roast potatoes and apples, bannock with butter and jam, and tea...
and, best of all, marshmallows and chocolate - the correct way. The girls were introduced to marshmallows in Ottawa in a rather tame way (see here). They were so excited to give the real thing a try...one fantastic day in February with a great friend.

Grace and Jasmin are loving been a bit more settled at Imma's house. They are enjoying all the new/old toys and books. Mommy is enjoying seeing them enjoy the things she enjoyed playing with as a child, and the extra story readers :o)

Here they are actually using a few New Testaments as song books to sing a meshed version of the ABC song and the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book!

And, bedtime stories with Imma from her special Children's Treasury storybook.

Settling in at Imma's house...

promised snowmen because "God gave us the right kind of snow!"

hairdos all 'round

Taking some time for rest and recuperation before setting off on any road trips... Jasmin's taking the longest to feel sorted and safe; mommy and daddy are just about all caught up on sleep, and Grace is over the moon to be going to preschool 2 days a week.

As of last week we are nomads! In a crazy all-in-one kind of week we took a trip around Lake Ontario visiting friends and family, moved out of our home, and are currently staying with Michael's parents as we finish the final sorting, packing, storing, and other administration to close up our lives here in Ottawa. Wednesday we fly to Halifax to stay with my parents, and will be using their home as a base for further travels in the Maritimes. The next time we will have our own place to live in will be May... I think I have a lot to learn about this type of nomadic life with kids.

But maybe not as much as I thought... Grace and Jasmin have done super well so far, despite many late nights, different houses, lots of car time. For example: We arrived at a new place late one night, carried them sleeping from car to bed. When they woke up in the morning, Jasmin's first words were, "I'm hungry!" Grace? She asked, "Where's my new friend?" And within minutes they were downstairs interacting with our hosts over breakfast without us!