My, how time flies!

I can't believe my last blog post was September 2013!  It's not like the little love of my life and I haven't been busy!  I have no excuse other than I've been one very busy nana!  So, time to play a little 'catch up'...

Aidan's 'Halloween' Tree

Before we knew it, summer was just a memory, and October had arrived.  Out came the 'Christmas' tree, now transformed into the 'Halloween' tree, with orange lights, pumpkin garland, and thirty one little treat bags, one for each day of the month.

Aidan and the Scary Pumpkin

The pumpkin's carved and one excited little boy has an afternoon snack on his very own Halloween placemat, (made by nana, of course!)...

Aidan's Scary Halloween Place Setting

Well, at least I didn't have to make a new costume.  Aidan so loves his 'Toothless the Night Fury Dragon' costume I had made for him earlier in the year, he decided he had to wear it on Halloween night...

Aidan the Scary Dragon

We had a little time to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves...

 

 

And spend some time in the garden feeding the birds...

 

 

 

Before the 'Ice Storm of 2013' arrived just one week before Christmas...

 

 

Luckily, a lot of the ice melted before Christmas Day arrived.  Aidan was very excited to receive some games and an air hockey table from his nana and papa, as well as a stocking full of treats from Santa.  All dressed for the festivities...

 

Santa Nana & Rudolph Aidan

Aidan got to sing...'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth (well, sort of)...

Our very own 'Toothless'

It was a long, icy cold winter.  Once the snow arrived in early December, it stayed until early April.  We tried as best we could to feed the birds as they huddled for shelter from the snow and wind  in the branches of the pine and cedar trees.  Much to our surprise and delight, on one of the coldest days of the winter, we were blessed with a visit from five robins perched in one of the cedar trees.  They had come to eat what berries were still on the tree...

Beautiful Robin!

Before we knew it, it was February, and time to think about St. Valentine's Day, and all that yummy chocolate.  Out came the 'Christmas tree' transformed once again with white lights, garlands of hearts, and fourteen treat bags, one for each day, until Valentine's day arrived...

Where's the chocolate, Nana?

Aidan's great-nana came to stay for a few weeks before moving into a retirement home nearby.  They enjoyed spending time together playing tiddly-winks...

The 'Tiddly-wink' Champs!



Aidan and great-Nana



The next celebration to come along was St. Patrick's Day!  Of course, the little love of my life had to come to nana's house for a special St. Patrick's day supper!  We all donned our fancy socks, and enjoyed a dinner of green potatoes and peas, washed down with green water and followed with shamrock cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream. (Of course, nana got to have a wee dram of Jameson Irish Whisky, to help her sleep, of course!)...

 

An Irish Leprechaun!

Yummy Green Potatoes!



And so here we are.  The snow finally melted (almost!) and the warmth of the sun returning once again.  The spring-like weather becons us outdoors, and so what better place to spend a sunny afternoon than the nearby wildlife sanctuary...

   Aidan loves to feed the birds that swoop down from the trees and take the birdseed out of his hand...

What a joy to be alive, to feel the warmth of the sun, breath the fresh air, see the world come alive all around us...

 As we await the warm, sunny days of summer, we make plans for all the things we hope to do together.  Days at the beach throwing rocks into the lake will likely take up most of our days, but plans are in the works for time at Nana Carol's (my sister) cottage, as well as taking in the production of 'The Lion King' (both with cousin Emmet) Nana can't wait! And maybe a trip to Niagara Falls.  A busy summer is in the forecast!

And a promise from nana...I'll be back here soon with lots more 'ramblings'!

! 



 



Someday, my little one...

Today marks the one year anniversary of my day in Paris!  Having travelled two weeks earlier with friends to Nice on the Cote d'Azur, and meeting up with the rest of the tour group, our two week journey through France began, and ended one year ago today in Paris.


The Harbour in Nice

It was a trip of a lifetime!  From Nice, we travelled throughout the south of France, visiting many beautiful towns and villages in Provence...Arles, Avignon, Carcassone, Rennes-le-Chateau, Arques, Montsegur, to name just a few.



Carcassone Castle

 

The 'Old City' of Carcassone

 

The 'Tour de Magdala' at Rennes le Chateau

  

Montsegur

  

Beautiful Provence!

 Near the end of our journey, we spent two days in Chartres, where I got to cross an item off my 'bucket list'...a visit to Chartres Cathedral where I was able to walk the ancient labyrinth. 

Chartres Cathedral

 

Stained Glass of Chartres Cathedral

 

The Chartres Labyrinth!

 

 Each town, each village, held its own magic.  The people were most welcoming and friendly. Even with the language barrier, we somehow managed to 'speak' and understand each other!

The last two days of the trip were spent in Paris.  I needed two weeks!  Arriving in Paris from Chartres, we visited the church of Sainte Sulpice, and then on to the Louvre for the afternoon.

Waiting to enter the Louvre Museum

 

The Louvre Museum

What's a visit to the Louvre...without the Mona Lisa!

 

Or...the Venus de Milo!

 

In the evening, our tour group gathered for one last celebratory meal, as our journey together came to an end.  I had one more day to spend in Paris before journeying on to visit friends in England.  Having met Linda, a lovely fellow traveller from the tour group, we decided to both see Paris together.  A lot was packed in to that day! 

After purchasing bus tickets for the 'hop on, hop off' bus service, our first stop was a visit to the Eiffel Tower.  A short elevator ride up the tower allowed us a wonderful view of Paris as far as the eye could see.

The Trocadaro from the Eiffel Tower

Then it was on to Notre Dame cathedral, built on the Ille de la Cite, followed by lunch at a lovely little sidewalk café.  A visit to the famous 'Shakespear & Company'  book store; a walk through the gardens of the Trocadaro at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, then back on the bus to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe.

Notre Dame and the River Seine

 

The Arc de Triomphe from the Champs Elysees

 And of course, I couldn't come home without finding a 'garbage truck' for the little love of my life...!

 

A Paris garbage truck for my little Aidan!

 

As nightfall approached, we returned to the Eiffel Tower and boarded one of the many barges that take visitors up and down the River Seine.  As we boarded the boat, the Eiffel Tower lit up in all its glory in a blaze of flashing white lights, against a magnificent golden backdrop.  Our journey down the Seine showed us why Paris is called the 'City of Light'...every beautiful building and bridge was flooded with light.

The Eiffel Tower at night

 

 

I didn't want the day to end.  But it did.  The next day I had to leave and travel on to England. I used to wonder why people would go on about how amazing Paris was.  I thought it to be 'just another city'.  What was so special, I wondered? Now I know.  Now I 'get it'!  Paris is magical! My heart ached to leave. 

Since coming home, I've spent some time this past year learning all about Paris, and learning (ever so slowly!) how to speak french.  The list is long of the things I want to do upon my return there...the museums, the gardens, the sidewalk cafes, walks along the Seine.  

J'adore Paris!  Je t'aime mon petit Aidan! 

Someday, my little one...Nana will take you to Paris!

   

Nana...how many penises does God have?

Many years ago, back when the little love of my life was a tiny bundle of joy, I made myself a silent promise.  I promised that when the time came, and all the questions began, I would answer them as honestly as I could.

I can't remember when it all started.  The questions.  And more questions.  But, true to my own promise, I answered, and still answer, every one as honestly as I can, to the best of my knowledge, and in a way a little six year old can hopefully understand.

My little Aidan has so many questions!  He has learnt such a lot these past couple of years.  And I have discovered I know a lot more than I thought I did!
Lately, we have taken to checking in with 'Google' when the questions have been a little complicated to answer, or if I just plain don't know the answer.

There have been questions about the universe...why does it get dark at night...how does the earth turn...how hot is the sun, to questions about life...why do we die...where does our spirit go...is there ice cream in heaven. And on and on...

Recently however, I was asked the most interesting of questions!  (I sometimes have no idea what this child thinks, or why, but he keeps churning out the questions!) 

It was one of those hot, humid summer days, where all I wanted to do was stay indoor in my cool, air-conditioned house.  Being too hot even to go to the beach, my little Aidan decided he'd like to hang out with nana and have some 'treats'. 
So there we were, just hanging out eating popsicles, when, out of the blue..."Nana, how many penises does God have?"  Hmmm...how to answer this one?  Once I overcame the initial shock of the question, and fleetingly asking myself where the issue of the multiple penises came from, I proceeded to answer the question as best I could.  "I don't think God has any penises, munchkin."  "But why, nana?"  "Well, God is spirit, and probably doesn't have to go pee, like we do, so he wouldn't need a penis."  "Nana, does God have a vagina, if he doesn't have a penis?" "No, bud, God probably doesn't have a vagina, either, even though God could be a girl and not a boy, or maybe God could be both a girl and a boy....!  At this point, as you can tell, I took to rambling!

Anyway, my answer seemed to have worked!  Oh, how I long for the days when the questions were as simple as "Nana, why is the sky blue?"

Summertime Fun!

This past weekend we visited Aidan's Uncle Doug and Auntie Jane, and had some summertime fun splashing in their swimming pool...

Yikes! It's cold!

The water was a little cool at first...



Well, maybe not too cold!

But it didn't take long...

 

Catch me if you can, Uncle Doug!

To make a splash...

 

Look Nana...I can swim!

And have some fun!