Finally Some Summer Fun!

 We went with a homeschoolers' group to Entopia - the butterfly farm a few weeks ago. The local attractions have a 1/2 price promotion for local residents so we were able to go. Even though there are many other learning exhibits and other insects, as usual, the highlight was how many butterflies landed on us!

Butterfly bracelets!

This huge white one didn't want to leave Jasmin's hand! She had

to really work to coax it off onto a leaf. And before that, we managed to pass it around without it flying off!

Then, earlier this week, we ventured onto the mainland to visit the bird park. We traveled longer to get there and back than we spent in the park, but since we went with friends, even the travel was fun - bus, ferry, Grab.

Again the highlight was handling some of the animals... when it came to pigeons though, it was more like being mobbed! This picture is from after it cleared a little.

This was the bird we were trying to feed....

There was a short show of macaws doing a few tricks and then a chance to hold them. Aiden wanted to, but he was too small - they are amazingly heavy!

Both Aiden and Grace held the python though. Aiden was impressed with its heaviness, Grace with it feeling like ooblec!

This is Malaysia's official bird, the horn bill.

There were lots of fantastical birds: exquisite, funny, beautiful, amazing. How much fun God must have had planning and making so many different kinds!

  The emus were another strong hit. They were curious and surprisingly tall when they stretch up. Both Grace and Aiden nearly lost their mask to a curious peck! Emus make a really low thrumming/booming sound that is like a deep drum. It is quite strange to realize it is coming from these birds rather than a distant construction or something.

We almost missed the owls altogether, so we were pleased that a worker came by and brought them out for us.  They were pretty sleepy and none too pleased to be routed out - if we stood too close to their tree, they flew off. All the same, Grace and Aiden got a good close up of them.

Despite it being an old style zoo of mostly cages and artificial environments, the birds all looked bright and healthy.

The final surprize of the summer so far:
We were at Tesco yesterday on our way home from Chinese class and on the spur of the moment we decided to get Grace's eyes tested. Grace has been trying an program designed to strengthen the eyes and reverse her prescription this summer and we wanted to see if it was working.And since its free and quick, we did Aiden's too. It was quite a surprize to us that Aiden needed glasses! It isn't a light beginning prescription either; all the more surprising as he hasn't been complaining or showing signs of not being able to see clearly at all. Now of course, we hear a lot about how well he is seeing!

One Small Moment ~by Grace

One Small Moment

One small moment

It changed everything

Dragged before them all

Accused and condemned in one fell moment

Destined to die

One small moment

It changed everything

Shown up as my true self

While my lover walks away unfettered

Deepest injustice

One small moment

It changed everything

All masks stripped away

Everyone shown in a clear, cold light

Driven by hate

One small moment

It changed everything

I'm just a pawn to them

An excuse to defame the great teacher

Despised guilty

One small moment

It changed everything

There in the spotlight

Accusations made, verdict awaited

Deny nothing

One small moment

It changed everything

Words in the dust

"Throw the stone if you are sinless"

Daring to hope

One small moment

It changed everything

Mercy extended

"I don't condemn you. Go and sin no more"

Delivered forever

Based on John 8:1-11

A last minute attempt at marking Canada Day - kid thoughts

The night before, saying good night to the girls, we realized it was Canada Day in the morning... and we had nothing planned at all. Oops.

So when mom got up, she checked some recipes... we could at least eat some Canadian things couldn't we? Ingredients were a problem though, so off she and Aiden went to the market to see what they could find. A rather odd and startling morning for the girls when they got up and Mom and Aiden weren't around again - the day before is our market day, so two days in a row is highly unusual. With a bit of sleuthing, Mom managed to find what she needed - or at least decent enough substitutes.

So we had Naniamo bar made in a cake pan at lunch! Mom made it from a lower sugar recipe and even reduced the sugar in that, but we still all found it super sweet! (no, we didn't really eat whole cake slices of it at a time!) So we gave pieces away to Aiden's friends but we still have a generous amount left in the freezer.

 For supper, Mom made us poutine and tourtiere, but we were so hungry by the time she was done, that we didn't stop for pictures... It was really good, despite it missing things like enough heat to melt the cheese (we didn't get curds) and thickness in the gravy, and who knew tourtiere without meat can still taste so good?

It rained all day yesterday on and off, or maybe we would have gone to the beach for s'mores... but these Canadian foods we did have are rarer for us, so I think that was better even if we didn't get fireworks or lots of red and white. 

We had a short call with Imma to end that day, and then today (now Canada Day in Canada) we started with a call with YeaYea and NiNi and cousins to celebrate YeaYea's birthday and now Mom is going to try make beaver tails...

Jasmin - 13!

    Jasmin's birthday! 

She got a Sunday of all her requested meals: meat pies from the bakery, grilled cheese sandwiches, and tuna casserole. Of course, there was also a sponge cake (we bought and didn't make her bake her own cake!) and presents. Not pictured is the sewing machine for projects yet to come. Both Jasmin and Grace have handsewn themselves a piece of clothing... things should go faster now!

Kindle for our now avid reader

Art desk for this one who draws incessantly!

Monday afternoon we went to the beach for a climb and a supper with a friend. they spent a good amount of time catching a bowl full of tiny crabs... and Jasmin enjoyed using our new phone camera for pictures!

Add caption