And Finally... Week 8

Our final week of summer was spent travelling to and being part of some dear friend's fairytale wedding.  We've travelled from the prairies to the desert to the ocean to the mountains and finally to stunning lake country.  We truly 'lived the life' this summer.  So completely blessed.

I was very lucky for Shaun this week.  He took the time off work to come be with Sam and I who were both asked to be in this wedding.  My boys had 3 full days of bonding and enjoying the island.  I saw snippets of them bonding and adventuring and was so grateful for Shaun's support and that special time they shared.  Most the pics of this week were taken by Shaun or Sam.  

Jen's cousin taught Sam to fish.  Hours were spent on the dock casting over and over until FINALLY one ended up on his hook.  He was one proud little dude!  They also caught piles of frogs, took an island hike adventure, gathered acorns, tried out tubing, watched Shaun wakeboard, went swimming.  Pretty awesome!

I snuck away from wedding prep to capture this moment that my boys were sharing.   Stunning moments like this don't happen every day in our lives.  Picture perfect evening, two boys without a care in the world.

Rehearsal ring bearer practicing how to open the ring box.

Rehearsal PHOTO BOMB!

A couple very handsome dudes fitting in just fine at this classy affair.  Love these guys.

Ring bearers don't only ensure the security of the precious jewels at the wedding, he also has to ensure the beautiful flower girl has a great time!

Sam getting the job done... rings successfully delivered!

The Connolley's aren't great with 'high tea'... those cute little finger food look more like one bite snacks to us.  You can dress us up but you can't take us out!

My sweet boy.

Sam took this shot!!!  Love it!

Snuck a pic of Sammy with the beautiful bride.

Proof all three of us were at the island at once!!!  Such a gorgeous setting for a beautiful day!

Just enjoying the couple's first dance after an exciting day.  Thought about the day when it's me watching Sam with his new wife and their first dance... I got all choked up and decided to just enjoy this beautiful moment instead.

And, just before the camera batteries died, we got one pic of Sam with a guy he loves so much!

I have many more shots that Sam/Shaun took of the wedding, but I'd rather wait until the couple posts their pictures to share mine.  Thank you Jen and Naoto for helping us finish our summer off with amazing company in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  We love you.

Summer Holidays Week 7

This week was a strange one... months ago I put Sam into a morning day camp for this week.  As it approached I regretted thinking it would be nice to have the flexibility and freedom of one last full week together.  But, the money was spent, so I couldn't abandon the idea and we showed up early Monday morning.  By the time I had signed him in, he had dropped off his back pack and was in the middle of his first ever dodgeball game.  I lingered because I just knew he'd need an official goodbye... then I moved to the stands because I was certain he would panic and need me... then I stood looking for a tiny wave and little smile or something so that I knew he'd be ok if I left him there... after all those moments passed I realized that it was me that needed the good bye, not him, so I quietly left wondering if I was going to have a little cry or not.
The week continued on with tons of excitement.  Two days of biking (yep, my reaction was as flabbergasted as you are imagining), many different games, learned about the chemical reaction between coke and mentos (it was a science camp after all), made friends... he LOVED every second.  He would come home with a new set of scraped knees, a million stories and a determination to recreate a 20 person game of dodgeball with just me in the backyard.  His camp leaders were amazing young men who handled the group of 5-12 year olds with enthusiasm and professionalism.  I felt so lucky Sam had this experience.

Another exciting event last week was our First Time Riders meeting to learn about riding the school bus.  With Sam's bus pass coming in the mail, and his determination to ride the bus, we thought it would be best for him to learn about it (and perhaps us too!)  It could possibly been the least informative and anxiety inducing seminar I've ever been too, but I could tell Sam felt pretty good about the whole thing.  Sigh... babies don't ride the bus!?!??!  Oh no... this must mean he's not a baby anymore.  

Shaun began his 3rd Spartan season with the Calgary race this weekend.  Sam and I went to be fans.  It was an awesome time watching.  Sam searches for his dad and each time he spots him on the course, Sam is certain Shaun is winning.  He definitely has a hero!

The strangest thing is that I only took a couple pics this week.  I felt a little like a bystander all week.  Watching (and realizing) the end of the first phase of Sam's being.  He doesn't need me the same way he used to.  He can cross all the monkey bars, ride a bike, match up his shoes, deal with all bathroom activities, open is own squish 'em, express his frustrations, put on his own movies, knows AFV stands for America's Funniest Home Videos... all the necessary skills to get by in a day.  Don't get me wrong - I'm still the best at bed time and no one makes water gun games more fun than his dad!  Today in the car I asked him if he was nervous about starting kindergarten.  He replied 'Why would I?  I can do everything I need.'  I told him I was a little nervous and he said 'Why Mom?  You should be so excited.  I won't even forget about you.'  Pretty wise words... I love that little boy.  

New mom... a million dreams, hopes, fears, worries, wishes all
for one tiny little helpless being...

Five years later he is cooler, funnier, more handsome, smarter,
stronger, more brave, sweeter, independent and wise than I could have ever imagined.

Lucky Week 6 - Ok, there's nothing more or less lucky about it then the other weeks...

The summer fun continues...

On Monday we got Sam's school bus pass in the mail.  He was SOOOO excited!  He was even acting out how he'd grab his pass, walk to the stop and board the bus.  Oh jeeze, Mom's kindergarten panic is kicking it up a notch. 

We had another day at Calaway Park with our good friends Tat and Jack.  These two cool dudes cruising the waters!

Oh my love!

Quick pit stop to play Stinky Feet!

Sam and Tat played this water spraying game.  Jack and I wanted nothing to do with it.  It was definitely the highlight of this trip to Calaway for Sam.  Oh Tat - how I love you, let me count the ways!!!  Tat is a ball of energy and ALWAYS up for a good time.  She says what's on her mind and keeps everyone laughing.  She is unconditionally persistent in her  love and support as a mom.  She gives Jack the world and never hesitates to get in there and play with the kids.  I adore her honesty, good heart, inappropriateness, hard work, CRAZY amount of organization and love for life.

We had some insane weather in Airdrie this week.  I've never seen anything like it.  This is the cloud I watched roll over my home.  Though many houses were rampaged and many vehicles destroyed by the intense weather, we never saw a bit of damage.  I guess that is a very lucky thing to happen on week 7!

Sam did swimming lessons this week.  Each day he became more and more brave.  No tears and tons of giant smiles.  He passed and is on the last level of this portion of swimming lessons.  One proud mommy!

A Wonderful Week 5!

We have been so lucky this summer to have such amazing weather.  Acouple play dates this week - backyard fun with Gordays and zoo with Sarge.  It was really wonderful to have Shaun home for the week.  We went for family eye exams, tried out a couple new playgrounds, Sam explored our rental property and just low key stuff.  Life is good, I can't complain.

Not much beats jumping on a trampoline with the sprinkler under on a hot day!

Sam loves the arcade, so Shaun pulled our Wii out of storage and it's been a huge hit.  We don't even own fun games, but he just loves it.  He's going for a run here on the Wii Fit game.  This is a brilliant thing for rainy (or lazy) days!!!  

Working out!

Our summer of weddings continues to our second destination wedding.  This one took us on a road trip to Kicking Horse Ski resort to watch my cousin get married.  Sam is an amazing road tripper!  He's helping froggy focus on the movie they were watching.

One of my new very favourite loves with my biggest love!  We found the Goodies hot tubbing in 30 degree weather!!!  Crazy guys really know how to holiday!

Sam just had his feet in the hot tub because we didn't bring his trunks over to their condo... then he fell in, so he just hung out in his regular clothes.  Problem was we also didn't bring extra clothes over to their condo... so he borrowed some basketball shorts from Tony.  Fit like a charm!

The sweet ring-"bear" on our gondola ride up the mountain for a gorgeous ceremony with a breathtaking view.

Me, my two incredible grandparents... and a crazy photo bomber.  Perhaps that runs in the family...

Ring'bear' makes his entrance.  He was a big hit.  He walked the whole way with confidence, stood with the wedding party the whole time and was on his best behaviour.  We even busted tourist snapping pictures of this little bear!

The super sweet and completely thoughtful groom!  I didn't want to include any wedding pics as the couple hasn't released any yet, but the whole day was incredible with so many little touches that were perfect/hilarious/unique.  I loved it.  I also appreciated how special they made Sam feel.  Love you guys!

A couple of crazy cousins doing funny faces!

The lovely Allison - to continue with my summer of love for the Moms I love most... I cannot tell you how lucky I am to have my cousin marry this extraordinary woman.  I feel blessed to have her in my life.  I love the way she looks for the absolute best in people and truly believes that EVERYONE deserves a second chance and unconditional love.  I adore my cousin, and often think of him as my sibling, and somehow she's made him an even better man.  Together they have the sweetest little boy.  I can tell he is their whole world and that the 3 of them will have the most amazing adventures together.  Allison quietly and unintentionally always reminds me that things happen exactly the way they are supposed to for a reason and when the moment happens it will all be so worth it.  I wish the road between us was shorter, but love that it's always so easy and fun when we do find the time to spend together.

A couple of beautiful faces.

I realize that you cannot get the feel for how awesome this is, but thought I'd share because it makes me incredibly happy.  One of the ways to make the couple kiss at supper was to recreate your favourite romantic movie.  Our table put in a team effort - my cousins went to the upstairs balcony to do the well known scene from Titanic while my sister sang 'My Heart will Go On" and we made wave noises.  That's some pretty standard weirdness that happens when you bring our peeps together!

My little bear!

Just dance our bear bums off at the party afterwards.  What an awesome weekend.  So much to be grateful for.  Our condo was stunning, we did a run as a trio in the mountain, ate amazing food, saw some of my most special family and had a ton of laughs.  Wedding #2 - huge success - CHECK!