We all had a busy long-weekend, mostly celebrating Margot's special day.
Drinking lemonade with a straw and parasol is extra special!
I asked her how it felt to be five. She replied: "plus vieux" (older)
Five is a special age. You're really a kid at five. None of that preschooler business.
In the morning of the 16th, Margot had a gift hunt. She received two books, a water bottle and what she really wanted…
Piggy Paint Glitter Nail Polish! Oh! What joy!!!!
Later that day, we had a BBQ and cake with family (and exclusive guests ;)
The following day, we decided to check out a provincial park located about one hour North/East from here: Le parc provincial de Plaisance.
Looking at the minnows and the catfish
Part of the trail was a boardwalk. We saw turtles and even a beaver working away.
With those binoculars, Margot couldn't miss a bird.
It was a hot day!
Photographed by MSP
Margot enjoyed picking up pebbles. It kept her busy as she was singing along and searching for special blue rocks...
A practical way to carry her pebbles: using her hat.
Margot and Simon (mostly S) were searching for birds
Yeah!
No summer day is complete without an ice cream cone!
The following day, Margot had her b-day party with her friends from school. We resisted as long as we could, but this year Margot REALLY wanted to invite her friends (and who can blame her?). Five five-year old girls + Margot. Two hours: noon to 2pm. It was loud and busy. The house was filled with girls laughing, skipping, talking, arguing, playing. Overall, lots of excitement and Margot had super fun! (I'm glad I kept it 2 hours max!)
Sandwich lunch à la fresco!
Their favourite game? Playing school. Margot is the teacher with the rainstick (which signals to the kids to place their hands on top of their heads and carefully listen)
Ah! The cake that Margot so wanted: a store-bought Ariel cake.
This is an oral presentation that my brother wrote when he was in grade 7. I was fifteen at the time, wearing ripped jeans, plaid work shirts, cool hats and Converse shoes. I was into The Breakfast Club and would spend hours in front of the VCR rewinding and pausing to jot down the dialogues of my favourite scenes.
Notice the second last line.
Wish permanently granted! ;)
It feels like we skipped a season: spring.
The month of April was spring - kinda - then we jumped right into summer. With sunny days and temperatures in the mid-20s, it's here to stay.
Margot's favorite DQ treat
A visit to the greenhouse to get some flowers and plants
Green Thumbs Margot
Ah yes… the sprinkler is out and so is the bathing suit!
A few days ago, Margot started writing and illustrating her own story. She did this in her room before falling asleep. Her "writing" consists of random letters sprawled on the upper part of the page, while her [sometimes elaborate] drawings take about 3/4 of the page.
She "wrote" her book in French, and it took her about three days to complete her story. She kept her pages together by using, not a paperclip, but a clip-on barrette (very ingenious!).
This first book is about two sisters, named Margot and Lisa [interestingly, Madame Lisa is the name of next year's teacher]
Allow me to briefly translate:
In this first part, Lisa and Margot's father is dead and then the mother dies. And then the two children find two castles and it's a lovely day "une belle journée".
[I love how Margot uses "elle dit" (she says) ]
The adventure continues:
The girls find their parents and their house and even the butterflies find their parents; in fact, every one in the city finds their parents thanks to Margot and Lisa (?)
I then ask her the title of her story and I think she was coming up with a clever name, going for "LiMa" (a combination of the two heroines' names), but then settled with Simon's suggestion of "Lisa et Margot".
Fact: We are a family of three.
Fact: This is our decision and we are marvellously happy with it.
I don't really see my family unit as two adults and "just" one child; I see it as a trio.
I have never felt pressured to have another child. However, I sometimes get the question: "Do you think you'll have another one?". This question is often asked by friends or acquaintances that have more than one kid. I quickly and sincerely answer "No. One is good for us." I sometimes add that by having another one would impede on my well-being, robbing me from my imperative "Jen-time"and adding stress to my relationship. I don't feel like we're incomplete or that I'm missing out. Simon and I are happy with our situation and we have so much fun with Margot.
On another note, I don't believe that Margot is being "denied" of a sibling. She has three (almost four) cousins, two whom she sees regularly and feels comfortable (sometimes too comfortable) acting like a sister when around them.
On a cloudy, nippy-ish late Saturday afternoon: What is there to do?
Take a walk in nature, of course!
Amid the dead leaves and the infant buds, colourful and very fragrant patches of Siberian Squills (please note that I am no flora expert; I had to do a bit of research to figure out what those flowers were) graced the ground of Mud Lake.
Describing a scent is a bit tricky...
Siberian Squills smell like friendly and delicate sweet purple flowers. Their aroma was very powerful and we could smell them before even laying eyes on them. Divine!
