Oh Deer!

My Lil' Tree Hugger :)


After a nice long Christmas and New Years break with family we got to reconnect with some of our friends this week with the first Nature Club meeting for 2011! We decided to meet at Old Quarry Trail where the deer are quite tame. We loaded our pockets and backpacks with apples and carrots and hit the trail. It was quite nice at only -2 but the wind was deceptively chilly. We had 5 families show up for a total of 7 kids and 6 adults.
Not exactly a small quiet group to entice deer, however, we did get them to come close enough to sample some carrots. There were at least three other people there separately trying to feed the deer with one photographer chasing them through the woods so they were really timid. Maybe we will go back alone with just one friend in a week or two and try our luck again. The company was fabulous and it was really nice to be out in the woods again.

These two deer were the brave ones that sampled our treats. We saw at least 4 others including a mom and fawn.

On the lookout for deer.

Bella decides this bush looks like a good spot for a snack.

Cool fort. Sabine climbed so high we lost her for a bit :)

Heading back to the car, after about an hour hands and feet were getting cold!

Back at home we have gone back to enjoying our woods now that there is snow again. Lots of fox, deer and cotton tail tracks to follow here. Due to the thaw there was a lot of ice in the low spots and in the ditch. Sid discovered that she could be pulled across the ice by the dogs. The pups weren't to pleased with the idea.

Once the holidays were over and we had no more guests dropping in I told Sid she could set up her Playmobile land. The first thing Monday the 3rd she got right to it!

Sid just loves playmobile and can play with it for hours. We have all the components for the vet clinic, and we have the zoo and horse wash. For Christmas Uncle Rick bought her the Dragon Castle and she was ecstatic with the new edition. The castle guards the town of course and it shoot rubber tipped arrows so she can keep the dangerous Bairedales from attacking the village.

Five is soooo funny. Sid is full of tales and stories and made up things here is one that she came up with the other day. I happened to be at the computer so started taking dictation. Now, keep in mind, this is soooo five year old......

Sid:
Have you ever heard of the country called Fartingparlour. It is this place where every two minutes people fart, every two minutes! So it is really stinky there. And there is rotten banana peels, rotten oranges and all sorts of stinky stuff and farting people. Even the governor general actually farts every two minutes. Every person in that country farts every two minutes unless they are from this country and that is just where their cottage is.

Kenny is working hard trying to lean 24 songs in 6 weeks. He has been asked to join 4Way Street, a Crosby Stills and Nash cover band. He has played with many of them in the past but they want to back him with his originals so they are going to do a few gigs together, the first is coming up on February 12th.

Here is another one of Ken's originals, written over 20 years ago called Sentimental sweetheart.

This next song has great potential to really rock with the full band and harmonies behind it. It is called How Low, totally different from the first two I have posted. Enjoy!

A New Year and a New Decade

As I reflect on 2010 I think of growth. Sidney is 5 now and with that comes new challenges but also new freedoms for her parents. She is more capable of doing routine things on her own which gives us back a small piece of who we were B.C. (before child!). Not that helping her is a bad thing just that the past 5 years have been dedicated to her and now she is blossoming into her own capable little person.

For me the theme of 2010 is friendship. I have made some very incredible life long friends this year and what is most magical is they are not just my friends, their Sid's friends, Ken's friends, family friends. From the moment we decided we wanted to homeschool it was a struggle to find a place where I felt I fit. It isn't just that our schooling choices were different but our parenting styles varied so much from most main stream friends. We chose to be life learners with Sid, grasping any opportunity to learn something new while embracing attachment parenting. Until 2010, it was a lonely road. This year we have found our "pack". Like minded friends and families who strive to set the same kinds of goals and relationships with their friends and families. In 2010 I have started to build the village that will help us raise our child and it is home. I still have great relationships with my hockey friends and some past work friends but nothing touches the bond I have created with our new "families". You know who you are ;-) and I thank you for your love, support and mostly your friendship. We LOVE you guys!!!!

This year Sid was also able to connect with a very, very best friend who she seems to share so many interests with. I am so happy for her and her "sister" as she calls her. I truly hope it is also a life long friendship so they can be pseudo siblings to each other. There to support, love and advise as needed.

And now 2011 is here and fresh as we watch it unfold I think about what we might just accomplish this year. I asked Sid what her goals were for 2011 and she said to see her cousins more, learn to skateboard and hug mom and dad more! For me I want to laugh more, play more and not get so upset when we are running late (this will be hard for me!!!). Also I really want to build stock for my http://www.naturesplayroom.com/ store. For Ken, well, this is his year. He hasn't gotten back to me on his goals but I think for him it is like the magical birthday wish, if you tell, it won't come true. So I am going to guess at Ken's goal.... He is going to record and release an album this year. Yes, he is that good. You will be shocked and awed at the skill and talent of this man. He wooed me with his good looks but he melted my heart with his voice and song writing talent. To celebrate Ken's goal (which I made up!!!) I am going to upload a video link to a song with every post until I have them all uploaded. Ken ended 2010 in studio with some musician friends from way back. They opened up a studio and had ken come in and lay down just a basic guitar and vocal track. These are unproduced demos to get the music down, just Ken and his guitar. As the year moves on you will hear many of these tracks produced with more vocals and full bass, drum and guitar tracks, they will be ready for album release. Ken has waited years for this and now the timing is right.

To celebrate our year of friendships, I chose Ken's song "Nothings Wrong". He wrote this one in September. Enjoy!!!



And a last note is one of thanks for Ann, Dirk, Grandmama, Grandpa Bill, Laura, Sophie, and Julia for joining us on New Years eve. Emily was here in our hearts but was babysitting so was unable to come. It was suppose to be a New Years Eve skating party but with the HUGE thaw we would have had to change it into a swimming party. Loads of fun was had in any case and we thank you for helping us to ring in the new year. Some pictures below are from our cookie face races and Wii challenges. Everyone seemed to have a sport they excelled at. It was so fun. If we get ice back this year we will have a skating party.





Happy 2011 everyone. Wishing you a magical and joyous year.
Steph, Ken and Sidney