Sid Takes Flight

Sid was going to bed on Friday night when she told Daddy how much she really wanted to go for a flight in a REAL airplane. When I crawled into bed to tuck her in she told me that she was going to get a plane and take me, Daddy and her friend Charlotte for a ride because she really, really wanted to go. Saturday Ken suggested we take her for a plane ride since she was so keen so we took Sid out to the Air Museum and she got to go for her first flight.

Sid saw the helicopter and for a few minutes was really conflicted about whether she wanted to go in the open cockpit bi-plane or the helicopter. I really pushed for the bi-plane since her first flight would only happen once in a lifetime so she should make spectacular.

We approached the pilot and asked if he would take her and Ken up. The pilot looked over at her, standing there all of about 3ft tall, and the biggest smirk crossed his face. His answer was "Sure I'll take her if she is keen enough." Daddy and Sid were then outfitted with caps and goggles and were ready for the ride. We went out to see the plane and were thrilled to see the 1939 Waco up close and personal.

The passengers got all strapped in and the pilot did a quick run-up and they were off.



I was able to catch some great shots from the ground and Ken took our other camera up with them and was able to get some great pictures of Sid. Here she is during take off. She was a bit apprehensive at first and told Daddy she was a bit scared but once they got off the ground and she could look around she got right into it.

When the pilot did a hard bank on final approach, Sid turned to Daddy with a big grin on her face and yelled "This is FUN!".

I was anxiously waiting on the ground wondering if Sid was having fun. She loves rides at the fairs and is fearless in her acrobatics so I figured she should be having a great time. When the plane pulled in I still couldn't see her face but once they unclipped her I knew we had a flier on our hands!

We Did It!

Flier Girl Sid

The pilot kept breaking into a huge grin and chuckling every time he looked at Sid.
She was silent but smiling from ear to ear. You could just see that little brain processing her newest adventure. The pilot just couldn't get over how young and keen Sid was, she was the youngest person he had ever taken up and he was amazed by her.

What an adventure! We will all remember this day for a long time.

Happy Birthday Daddeeeee!!

What luck! The sun was shinning and Daddy took the day off work today so we could enjoy his birthday all together!

The morning started with a birthday gift and card and of course a large steaming cup of coffee. Daddy was really pleased with is new pocket knife bought to replace the old one that got accidentally thrown into a wood burning stove! He had missed his knife since March and was very pleased with the new one.

After some lounging around and light discussion about what Ken wanted to do today, it was decided by paleontologist Sidney that we should go to the dinosaur museum. We stopped at a great restaurant for lunch and then went and saw some dino's.

In some of the museum pictures you might notice a black arm band on Sidney's upper left arm. This is one of Ken's socks.... yes, really..... Ken was folding his laundry and pairing socks and he was so frustrated finding holey socks in his drawer that he cut the bottom off of them so he would not put them back in his drawer. Sid thought is was very cool and wore it all day. We tried to persuade her not to wear it but she was determined that she needed to wear this out. At first glance it really doesn't look much like a sock and who knows, maybe she will start a new trend?

After the Dino section we went up to the bird display where they had a bird rescue hospital set up for the kids to play in. Sid and Daddy had so much fun!

It was sunny out today so Daddy and Sid decided to cut the grass together when we got home. Usually Sid sits on Daddy's lap but now they have a new system. Two John Deere tractors are better than one~

Toby our foster boy decided to accidentally lock himself in the bathroom while we were out. He promptly remodeled the bathroom door and door frame by trying to dig and eat his way out. Not the best birthday gift of the day. He is coming along very well though. He is getting much calmer and not as growly. Once he lets me handle his feet, groom him and clean his ears without the muzzle then he will be ready to go to his new home.

Toby is not allowed on the couch or bed because he is a resource guarder. He decided that the 18" x 18" ottoman will be his special spot. Did I mention that this is a 60lb dog? I don't know how he fits!

Last week we had a wonderful visit from Granny and Grandpa. Thanks so much for coming guys. We love seeing you and you brought the sunshine with you! The stepper has been put to work, we are really enjoying having it.

Our First Month Cable Free

Help, I can't keep up!

We suspended our cable as of June 1st since we tend to spend much more time outside in the summer months. This experiment has snowballed and made our lives so much more interesting and busy. With Sid's creativity unleashed we have been on a super learning curve. In just the last three days, she has gone fossil hunting, she was a teacher, an author, a cat, an astronaut a poet, a ballerina, a cook, a vet an electrician and a pilot. She is constantly asking questions and looking to me to find her the answers. I don't know what I would do without the Internet. Without the tv interrupting us we find role playing games and work books (lapbooks) last all day and sometimes several days. We recently did a lapbook on the Robert Louis Stevenson poem The Moon. This brought about a lot of questions about what a thief is and this morning she decided to write a poem too. She rambled it off and I wrote it word for word. The only thing I suggested was the title. Here are pictures of her lap book and her poem.

Thieves Wall - a poem by Sidney

The moon with the face
Shinning on the thieves wall
Be out of her way
To be tall and small


With the dog barking at the door,
And the cat squalling at the door,
The mouse squeaking and living in the thieves wall


Now for Robert Louis Stevenson's poem:


The Moon

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.


The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.


But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.



We started an All About Me lapbook because Sid wants to learn her phone number and address. We have been drawing a lot of maps so we will include maps of our neighbourhood and yard. Sid has also rediscovered her I can Cut and I can Fold books published by Kumon. Lots of cutting, folding and stapling to make little books for her doll Wanda.


Every morning I wake up excited to find out where the day will take us. Living through the eyes of a three year old is an incredible thing!

Sidney Cat in the rear view

Bike ride and fossil hunting along the river

Canada Day BBQ in our backyard with a rainbow in the background.