Oops, thought I'd posted this...but it's here now.

I AM AN AUNT! Yay! My brother and his beautiful wife welcomed their first son into the world this week and I am ever so excited to get to be Auntie Jenn. Congratulations you guys!

It is also birthday time in our house and today we celebrated my oldest son's 6th birthday. I have been worried about trying to make him feel well cared for on this special day, given how short we are on friends and family in the area. He got up quite early and we let him open his presents before breakfast, which was a real treat. Than my wonderful husband made him (and the rest of us) pancakes from scratch, which are his favourite. Then we had a picnic at the beach where we tried out a new battery powered plane that needed some room to fly. While we weren't planning on swimming, with the tide out, the water was bath temperature warm and perfect for splashing in and collecting shells. I enjoyed searching for hermit crabs while my youngest delighted in having freedom to roam in the ankle deep water. The boys decided to play 'deadly 60' which is their variation of a tv show that rates animals on their 'deadly' factor. I think they like creating their own scoring system. I was nominated the 'deadly cameraman'. We were all wet and muddy and content by the end of the adventure and fortunately I had packed extra clothes...for all the kids. When will I learn? After the fresh air adventure we headed to the toy store to spend the precious gift from Aunt Meg and Uncle Steve. This was a huge success as my oldest got to pick his own gifts and loved having that power! He also generously got his younger brother a little something, which simply makes mom and dad proud. We came home to find a little package of homemade cupcakes on the doorstep for the special occasion which was really sweet. We also continue to enjoy the Superman card from Grammy and Grandad. Huge thanks to our family and friends who have worked so hard to overcome the distance with emails, phone calls, and cards. It has been a wonderful day celebrating my eldest.