Sweet sounds and now we're 10

This week was Education Week and to celebrate, Osprey Woods P.S. held a performance on Tuesday night. As a member of the Recorder Club, Bryanna played five pieces with a group of about 25 kids.

Now it's true that Bryanna has been taking Recorder for 2 years and she does seem to pick up the melodies very quickly (I can always recognize what she's playing), but I sat in shock - honestly - as I listened to her and her peers weave some absolutely beautiful music in the rather unimaginative atmosphere of the school gym. I kept recording clip after clip on my small digital camera, just so I could share how beautifully they played!

Have a listen (yes, that's her on the right)...

The rest of the week was spent in anticipation of Bryanna's 10th birthday.

10 !

Yes, the double digit birthday has arrived. I, myself, decided not to dwell on that in case I became overly emotional...that's it...that's all I am going to say on THAT topic.

The hilarity and, yes, slightly chaotic event of the combined birthday party for the dynamic duo - Monsters vs Aliens 3D movie outing - easily took my mind off the potentially melancholy mood I might have been tempted to dwell in. From dealing with the movie projector guy who forgot to flip the "3D" switch until 10 minutes in, to fitting 17 children and a number of adults into a room meant to comfortably hold 12, from the generosity of friends (mine and the girls') to a dinner together later with Shauna and MacLean, and Nanny and Papa delivering gifts and well-wishes from Auntie Kim, Uncle Damian and Sophie... it was a packed but joyous day (not to mention that FREAKY storm that landed around 4:30).

Another April of birthdays and celebration. All sweet. All good. How fortunate we are.

Enjoy the pictures! (There are many more, thanks to friend AM, but a recently turned 7 year old is asking for a bedtime story!)

Top Chef!

What a fun afternoon Cassidy and I had! We spent 2 hours mixing and measuring, stirring and whipping up 12 delicious meals from six recipes...from French Toast a l'orange to Citrus Kissed Chicken Fingers, Caribbean Pork Tenderloin and Pasta all'Amatriciana, Dad's Favourite Meatloaf to Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce. Yum!

Cassidy loved every second... with her Supperworks apron tied on and the stool that she proudly carried from one center to another...she never got tired, and never complained about standing for 2 hours...it was just a blast. And I had as much fun as she did!



Special time together and now we have some wonderful meals to look forward to cooking at home! What more could any mom ask?

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Yep, my baby is seven years old today.

I guess I can't really call her my baby anymore since she is almost finished Grade 1, can spell better than a sixth grader, and can keep up with any boy at ball games. But since she tells me she doesn't mind, then I am just going to enjoy it for a while longer.

Next weekend is the big bash with all her friends in a combined party with big sister, but tonight we went out for dinner to Montana's (her choice) for a celebration with Nanny and Papa and she was grinning from ear to ear the whole time.



But who wouldn't when they are wearing moose antlers?









This year, we all decided that instead of packages to open from mom, each girl could choose a special event to share with me, all on their own.

Cassidy chose cooking, if you can believe it, so tomorrow we're off to Supperworks for Mom and Kid cooking and we both can't wait. (Watch for pictures of that extravaganza tomorrow.)

Bryanna, however, wanted to buy her little sister something special and since a bow and arrow (Brya's first choice) were not available, this set was the top choice. Both girls (giver and receiver) were thrilled.

Happy birthday to my sweetheart...

Love you!

Easter Moments

I realized as I began to create this Easter entry that I had not been successful in taking any "moment" photos...the ones that you look at and think "now THAT is a photo!" I usually try to begin or end the blog with a photo like that...something that makes you smile or nod in recognition or appreciation.

However, the day itself was full of such moments for me and so I'll try and use words to tell the story...

The thing that really shines in my thoughts is that on Easter Sunday, Bryanna took her first communion at St. Matthew's. Last weekend she joined friends Galen and Sarah for a preparation session with our priest, Stephen Drakeford. That time was very meaningful for Bryanna as Stephen allowed them "hands on" learning right at the altar and in the sacristy where the bread and wine and vessels are kept.



Bryanna listened and asked questions and dialogued with Stephen. I watched from the sidelines as my almost-ten year old took a step on her own to explore what our faith is all about.

Then on Easter Sunday Bryanna, beautiful in white and gold, took the bread and wine at my side, with a smile on her face as she looked up at Stephen.

No pictures of that of course, except in my mind.

And then there were all the fun things throughout the day...the Easter egg hunt at home in the morning...



And the girls enjoying their Easter baskets (before I even woke up and so missed the excitement!).

The baskets included one of my favourite finds of all time...glowing Easter eggs that phase through all the colours of the rainbow as you watch...

I guess it's something about the Light...

Then more fun at Nanny and Papa's house...

...and admiring how great the Thompson couple looked!

We ended the day with dinner at the Old Mill...which brought back memories of cousin Bart and Bev's wedding there, and other Easters that included Auntie Myrt, the Evans and other friends.

One young lady was OVER THE MOON at the discovery of a chocolate fountain in the centre of the buffet tables that she took full advantage of...

The dinner was topped off by a visit and kisses from the Easter Bunny himself...we thought Sophie would appreciate that!

In fact, the only thing missing in a day full of Light and sweetness, was the presence of the rest of our family...

My talented sister fortunately captured the loveliness of Spring and Easter family time on her blog, so if you need a breath of Spring loveliness, just visit her Easter post here...

Happy Easter - may your spirit be lifted by thoughts of new life.

Blessings and love,

Lianne

One last dip...

We're home now in 3 degree weather but this clip of the last dip this morning is a warm reminder of the Florida sun and makes me smile...



Back to the real world...thanks mom and dad, for so much enjoyment and fun!

Lianne, Bryanna and Cassidy

Vacation Wind Down

Well, with the end of our time in Florida almost here, we had to work in the last shopping trip to our favourite store! On the ride home we crossed another of the many bridges in St. Pete's and were delighted to witness the sunset...

Once we were home, the youngest Thompsons modeled a few of their new ensembles...

Sadly, today was our last full day of vacation and the only day without sun. Didn't slow us down though and certainly didn't stop B and C from enjoying the pool all to themselves!

Then out we went for our last Florida seafood dinner - with the favourite clam chowder...

By the time we returned to the condo, the sun was out again and we took the opportunity for some last pics in the sun...

We have enjoyed every moment of our Florida vacation...especially since Kim and Sophie were here with all of us for this one.

Thanks for coming along on our journey with us - see you soon!

Gentle Giants and more

Yesterday we went to visit the Manatee Viewing Center at Apollo Beach. It was an amazing and somehow odd meeting of two worlds and we were so happy we went.

The Manatees, gentle large sea mammals, need a number of elements to survive and thrive...shallow, warm waters, an abundance of sea grass and the other vegetation they eat, and safety from predators. Unfortunately, people and pollution have so drastically affected the shallow waters of Florida that these gentle giants are now endangered.

Interestingly, groups of manatees now congregate around industry plants as they warm the waters. Such is the case at Apollo Beach where there is an electric plant warming the shallow waters of an inlet. Tampa Electric created the Manatee Viewing centre across the inlet from it's facility and it is now a wildlife preserve where the manatees are protected. Interestingly, the water here is very clean...clean enough to drink apparently - even the clouds rising from the stacks are mostly steam.

This is a wildlife preserve and other than viewing the manatees from various decks around the inlet, human interaction is prohibited...in the photo below you can just see the snout of an adult manatee with a baby tucked close to the left - that's as close as you can get (note the picture at the top of the blog is from a book!)...

The girls enjoyed learning about the manatees at the various study sites at the centre...



In this picture, Cassidy is holding a manatee rib - they are very very heavy as the ribs act as weight to keep the manatees on the ocean/river floor where they sleep and feed...



Cassidy is the size of a baby manatee!


At one of the viewing sites...

Walking through the mangrove marsh around the center...


Stopping for lunch...the picture of Cassidy with mac and cheese is for her cousin Sophie, who would have loved it! And I included a copy of the menu...we could not believe how inexpensive the food was here...crazy!

On the way to and from the Manatee Viewing Center, we had to cross the Sunshine Skyway bridge ...this is the longest cable main-stay bridge in the world. Last year we had to cross it once and it freaked me out...the walls on the bridge are really low and driving in the outside lanes frightened me - and I am not afraid of heights!!! When I realized that we had to cross it yesterday, the girls were thrilled and I was not. However, I decided to distract myself by taking pictures as we travelled across it and it wasn't so bad. These pictures do not do the height and "scariness" justice.

We ended our day with dinner at Woody's on the water...dinners in baskets (shrimp and chicken and corn dogs and fries - yum!)...

And Shauna, this self-portrait, taken late in the day by a rather weary mom is to show you my tan is coming along....

Love to all - we miss you Kim and Sophie!