What a full summer we have had!

We left Toronto two and a half months ago now, and the summer has just flown by! 

 

John's brother allowed us to be introduced right back in American life by lending us his BIG truck for a few days.  A very fun yet funny re-introduction!

 

We celebrated the Fourth of July weekend with strawberries, and lots of backyard swimming! 

 

Then it was up to Bemidji to see everyone on my side and to celebrate my little brother's wedding.

There's just never enough play time with Uncle Rob!

We had our annual race around the track for a belated Father's day celebration.

Plus, we got to meet our new niece Avery and our new nephew Carson!

We stayed in Bemidji for a few weeks after everyone else had to go home, so there was time to ride bikes, 

cross the Mississippi River,

spend time with old friends,

make homemade ice cream, 

and swim in Lake Bemidji.

Then back down south for fun with John's fam!  We took walks with our babies,

had a lemonade and donut hole stand (1 donut hole = 5 dollars, 2 donut holes 25 cents!),

became good friends with cousin Mary Elise, 

read books,

spent a weekend at a cabin with Grandma and cousins,

cooked on campfires,

learned about hay bales

and farms,

 

acted like a good uncle should,

celebrated birthdays,

 

and painted.

 

Helena went down her first waterslide, 

and Benjamin had his first horse ride.

I also got to spend some extended time with my good friend Mandy - time with our families and without!

Then we've closed summer off by being back up in Bemidji, playing with a wubble, 

going on boat rides with friends, 

snuggling,

and meeting a real princess!

The summer definitely wasn't what we thought it was going to be, but it was great.  We were blessed to go on all kinds of boats - canoes, kayaks, a pontoon, a speedboat, a row boat, and a sailboat - and our kids really grew in confidence when swimming.  Benjamin's language development has grown by leaps and bounds this summer, and it was so fun to share that with the grandparents.  So much time with family was nice after being far away and then moving away again. It's been a summer that will definitely stick out in our memories.

Japanese Cheesecake

A new restaurant in Toronto that opened up at the end of March always has a line out the doors.  It's called Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake, and as a lover of cheesecake, I really wanted to try it before we moved. 

Now Benjamin is up at 6:00 a.m. almost every day, so I figured I'd use that to my advantage, and have company while I waited in line. We went on a Sunday morning, and we still had to wait in line for 25 minutes. (They can only make 12 cheesecakes at a time, as they only have 3 small ovens.  But 25 minutes was nothing - from noon on the line-up is usually a couple hours long!)

The restaurant smelled divine, as it was like you were swimming in the wonderful aroma of cheesecake.  The cake itself has no crust and is extremely airy.  We had a few bites as soon as we got home, as it was still warm from the oven, and it was good warm. 

That night we ate the rest of it with friends, and we were all a bit underwhelmed.  It's only slightly sweet and not at all rich & decadent like a North American cheesecake would be.  Was it worth it to stand in line for 25 minutes?  Yes, for the joy of trying something new and knowing what the buzz is about!  Would I do it again? Sorry Uncle Tetsu, but no.

10K - for fun and friendship

This weekend my friend Christa & I ran a 10K together.  Our goals were to not stop running and to make another good friendship memory.

We reached all our goals easily.  It's amazing how quickly time running can go by when you're with a friend with whom you just never run out of conversation.

Our cheering crew was definitely the loudest and cutest!

There were all kinds of fun kid activities afterwards. Helena & her friend Holly have just started holding hands all the time.  It is so sweet.

Happy birthday to my two guys!

Today is the longest day of the year, Father's Day, and John & Benjamin's birthdays!  

Happy birthday to the little boy who is learning new words every day, who would be happy to run everywhere all the time - unless he decides he just must be carried, and who can bring a smile to my face without doing anything.

Happy birthday to the man who works tirelessly for our family, who can't wait to get home to see his family, and who loves to spend time with his family.  You are a wonderful father, John, and a great husband.

Second Cup

So I am sitting outside the U of T bookstore getting some work done, and I overhear an employee giving directions to a family.

Employee: "It's over there by the Second Cup."
Dad: "The what?"
Employee: "The Second Cup."
Dad: [pause] "I'm sorry, I don't know what a cup is. We're from the States."



He was looking down the hallway for this mysterious second "cup" that is somehow large enough to indicate where to find the thing they were looking for.  It's actually the name of a coffee shop.  Funny.

-John