6 Years later...

This past weekend we celebrated Ty's 6th birthday. It seems so unbelievable that so much time has past and yet when I think back to that day it seems like so long ago.  Ty's birth was less then pleasant ending in a very disappointing c-section for me.  What an overwhelming time that was- becoming a mom for the first time and being helpless - needing to recover for so long- it was not the way I imagined things would go at all.  Nevertheless I got over it and was totally in love with my new little man.I will always have a soft spot for my first born.  He is just a good kid.  Not perfect of course, but a genuinely nice little boy.  The last six years have been filled with so many activities- swimming, skating, hockey, soccer, baseball, lacrosse...  Ty loves to be with friends.  He is a very social kid who gets along well with almost anyone.  He still has a wonderful imagination and enjoys dressing up like a "super spy" and exploring the house for clues.    

On Saturday we had a party for Ty and his friends.  The "Travelling Reptile" show came to our house.  Ty had a blast getting to see all the reptiles and critters up close and learning about them.   

Yesterday, was his actual birthday so my parents and Iain parents came over to sing happy birthday and enjoy the rest of the cupcakes from the party.

This summer Ty is spending his days at camp with his friends and cousins.   He played lacrosse, t-ball and is still doing powerskating...busy boy!  In September Ty will be going to a new school to start a french immersion program.  He will also be right back into hockey, swim lessons, and probably more powerskating.  Never a dull moment with this kid.  I am so proud to be his mom and can not wait to see what more this little man has in store for us.    

Weekend fun!

Since being back from NY we've actually had some free weekends - meaning no sports.  It has been so nice to just hang out with friends and do things spontaneously for a change.  The first weekend back we headed up to the cottage with my parents for the day on Saturday.  It was a colder day (which seems to be the way this summer has been going) but the kids didn't seem to notice and still had a great time going for boat rides, playing in the water and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows...

The weeks have been flying by with the two older kids at summer camp everyday.  They are really enjoying it (which makes drop off very easy).  

This past weekend  the weather was not looking promising so we took the kids to see Ice Age in 3D.  We spent the rest of the day with friends out in their backyard until the hail started...that was weird but very exciting.  Sunday we took the kids to Reptilia - a reptile zoo that entertained the kids for most of the day. Ty and his buddy Ryan volunteered to sit on stage with an albino snake on their laps.   (Forget what kind but it was huge)

 The weather did clear up though so we spent the rest of that day and night hanging out with friends and neighbours in our backyard.  Love it when that happens.  Once September comes we are back to our weekends in the hockey arena so I'm enjoying this free time while it lasts.  Some nicer weather would be great though... just putting it out there...

New York!!

We have been home for a week now and back into the swing of things.  New York was fantastic!  I'm so glad Iain convinced me to leave the kids behind for a few days and go away with him.  The plane trip over was a tough one for me (b/c I was so nervous to fly AND I was leaving the kids) but I can not say enough good things about Porter Airline.  As soon as we landed we checked in to the hotel and headed straight to a Pizzeria for a slice of New York pizza...delish!!! From there we headed to Central Park for a romantic horse drawn carriage ride through the park.  We stopped in at Tavern on the Green for drink then spent more time just walking through the park.  It was beautiful!We walked down Broadway back towards our hotel which happened to be across the street from Macy's!  I had quite the shopping spree in there.  So much fun!  After spending far more time in there then intended we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and a night out. We had dinner at Tao - an asian fusion style restaurant which was fantastic!  Food was great - atmosphere even better.  We spent the rest of the night taking in Manhattan at night.  Time square all lit up,  Rockefeller plaza... a great night!

Day 2 we started off with a New York bagel (it was so much about the food for me  lol!) then headed down to Ground Zero.  That was a tough one...  Iain did the full tour - I waited outside realizing there is no way I was going to make it through that tour...Iain said that was probably a good idea. 

 We did have a beautiful morning walking along the water after that though.  It was here in the financial district that we discovered "Century 21".  A department store filled with designer names at discount prices.  We almost spent the rest of the day shopping and made plans to return early the next morning to avoid the crowds.   

That second night we didn't have reservations for dinner anywhere but we ended up at Gallaghers steak house for a melt in your mouth steak dinner.  We did a bit of bar/pub hopping after that and once again just enjoyed the night scenery.    

Day 3 we got up bright and early and headed back to Century 21 where we both did very well.  We spent the rest of that last day doing a bus tour of lower and upper Manhattan. (A great way to see the city)  It was a very relaxing way to end a fantastic trip.  The flight home was quick and we were sleeping in our own bed (after a quick cuddle with the kids) by 1am that night.  

A whirlwind of a trip but so worth it!  I'm even considering leaving the kids again one day...no time soon but it will happen again.