La Plage Blanchet

At Meech Lake
A long drive through forests of green
Searching for frogs in a chilly stream
Soft mud oozing through my toes
Loon underwater, away it goes

Dancing over rocks and grass
Drinking iced tea from a glass
Daddy tosses me up in the air
We while away the hours without a care

Les Fougeres

It has become a tradition to celebrate Nico & Marcia's birthday with dinner at Les Fougeres in Chelsea, Quebec. The restaurant is in an old wooden house with a wraparound porch that overlooks a huge vegetable & flower garden on the edge of a maple forest. We share wine and several courses on a screened porch as the sun goes down and shades the area below where nasturtiums scent the air and ring the edges of corn, beans, tomatoes, squash and bouquet flowers. Lawn paths run between the sections, leading around corners of hollyhock and sunflowers. The setting sun glistens patches of gold at the tops of the maple trees, that rustle in the wind. We cheer to the birthday duo, then set Zoe free to frolic through the garden.

Waterbabies

All Nico could think about these last few weeks, was getting up to Meech Lake in Le Gatineau- the "mountains" 20 minutes outside of downtown Ottawa. (California Girl thinks these are mere mole hills, but I'm not here to split hairs.) The Gatineau area is beautifully green with forests of birch and other trees, wildflowers and cool, still lakes. Zoe jumped in and swam until her lips were blue and chattery. Julian on the other hand was a bit cranky this afternoon, and not interested in putting his bare buns in the water. Soon, my pet, soon.

The Long Haul

We're finally big enough to get our own row on the plane. This is Mr. Man's first flight, and he did just great! No crying, no fussing. Just eating and napping. That's about all I could handle after 2 Dramamines anyway, thank God.
We had to get a couple of last-minute passports issued for the journey- one to replace Nico's which just expired, and one for Julian. Good thing we figured out that he needed one BEFORE we reached the airport. His passport picture is so cute- his chubby face smiling from ear to ear with a huge drool spot on his shirt.
Zoe too, did a fine job, thanks to our new Finding Nemo DVD. About 8 hours in the air with a minor stopover in Toronto and we landed safely in Ottawa for a visit with Grammy & Grandpa Ted. After a few Advils (does it sound like a string of commercials yet? I'm waiting for those checks to start rolling in from the sponsors) we finally stretched our legs and poured a glass of wine. Last year at this time, we came with the news of a new baby. This time we came with baby. I hope this is the beginning of a lifetime of adventure and travel for them both.

2 blue stitches

Who is the biggest abuser of toddlers? The Coffeetable.
How many poor 1-2 year olds have been whacked on the head or chin by this insensitive brute? Zoe too has fallen victim to it's cold, hard edge. One wrong move and down she went, smack against her eyesocket (that's why we're built with eyesockets, precisely) and we were off to the E.R. at 9 PM on a Saturday. After waiting for 2.5 hours, the Dr. told us what we already knew- it's not serious, but if we want to avoid the possibility of a larger scar, we should get two stitches. So, Zoe cowgirled up, and took it like a man. No tears, no cries, just one black eye.

Oh so cute!

Self explanatory cuteness.

Tic-Toc

I've been looking through pictures of Zoe lately, and found this little gem from way back- about two summers ago. at the time, we thought this was hilarious. Now, with new millennium technology, I can bring it to you today.