end of summer

Well, we've been having some busy and eventful days lately. First of all, we have been enjoying the last days of summer at the cottage. My mom and Gilbert were in Montreal so we all drove out together with the boys and got to spend some days all together. We have all been having fun appreciating the joys of the cottage. Fortunately, we had some good weather so we've been having fun swimming, pedal boating, and taking trips in our new canoe that Gilbert helped us find for a great deal!!! The boys have also discovered the joys of frog hunting!! It kept Mathieu busy for a few hours. And, I am proud to say that I have not lost my skills at catching the frogs! It brings back childhood memories for me!!!

Mathieu also started grade one last week and grandmaman and I were there so see him off on his first day. He's having a little bit of a hard time adjusting to the changes so Vincent took him out for supper tonight "just the big boys" to discuss some of his worries. I know it will be better within a few days...

Moving day!

Well, another exciting adventure in our family! We officially moved in to our new cottage and it was quite an adventure indeed! First, we had to drive the moving van to the Michel's cottage in the Easter Townships where we had been going crazy the past few weeks hitting flea markets and antique sales and filling up his garage with our new found treasures. The following morning Vincent had to pack up the moving van (I helped as much as possible!) and then we headed towards the city at about 9 in the morning to hit IKEA. There, we did a marathon shopping run! We ended up spending about 5 hours there in total (4 shopping, 1 packing the moving van). When we left, we had 4 big carts full of stuff including 4 mattresses and 3 beds! Vincent had quite a time and was quite a sight trying to pack everything in the IKEA parking lot. We definately looked like a couple of hillbillies with our old rusty lawn mower and other miscellanious items lining the sidewalk as Vincent tried to make room for everything in the van. Thank goodness there was an Ikea worker there to help him because I could not help lift the heavy items and was reduced to eating my ice cream cone and shouting encouragements from the sidelines!! I.e., "Good job honey!" (Poor Vincent)

Than, once we got that all packed we headed for our cottage up north, stopping at Costco on the way (Yes, we got a membership...we have officially been domesticated!). I had forgotten how huge and overwhelming Costco is and how everything comes in bulk...The cheese we bought should last us about a year!

Finally, we were headed for our cottage. We arrived there at about 8:30 at night and unpacked as much as we could until 11. We were both exhausted but too excited to sleep!!! The next morning, we continued unpacking until our friends Liz and John (and baby William) arrived to help us with the heavy stuff. They ended up staying all day and we had a lovely supper on our new barbecue that the boys had worked hard to put together that night.


So, we are very excited to have our new place and can't wait for the kids to see it. I am anxious for them to see their new room which we worked hard on to put together (well, Vincent worked hard and I decorated!) Our room is lovely too and it is so amazing to fall asleep with the sounds of nature and a beautiful view of the lake. I am sure that there are many wonderful memories to be made at this place.

My mom, Gilbert and the kids arrive tomorrow night and then we are heading out to the cottage. So, my next post will surely be us all splashing in the water and enjoying some fishing moments!

Manitoba Fun!!!!

Ahhhh....It's been awhile and there is so much to say! We had a wonderful vacation in Manitoba. The boys and I flew down together and Vincent joined us about a week later. Fortunately, we had a the chance to do many things and the boys and I had a great time. One of the first days that we were there, Grandpapa Gilbert took the boys to the Morden Stampede where they spent the entire day going on rides, riding the mechanical bull (in slow motion!), visitng the animals and watching the shows. And, of course, they came home sporting new cowboy hats. The boys had a blast and grandpapa was very pooped by the time they got home!!!! He sat down in the big rocking chair and started to snooze!


We also got to spend the afternoon at the beach at St. Malo with my mom and Gilbert. My mom had hurt her back so we propped her up in a lawn chair while the rest of us played in the sand and in the water.

Another day, I took the kids, along with big cousins Emma and Evan to the sprinkler park near my house. Gabriel had fun going up and down the slide about 100 times pulling Emma along the whole time, i.e, "Come on Emma, Come on!!!

We also got a chance to spend the day at West Hawk lake at Trin's trailer site. Mathieu was excited because he got to take a tube ride with Evan on the back of Uncle Joe's new boat. He kept asking Joe to go faster and then, when he did, he would quickly motion for him to go slower again....!

We were also in Manitoba at the same time as there was a Bergeron family reunion in Haywood. It was in a big open field so the boys had fun making bubbles, flying their kites and playing ball while the adults visited.

Another great day was spent in Somerset visiting my grandparents. The highlight for the boys is taking a ride around the baseball field on my Grandpa's scooter!

We also got a chance to take the kids to the Forks a few times, to the Children's museum, to Lower Fort Garry (not Gabriel's favourite place as you can see from the crying picture!!!) ,to the Sal's on the bridge, and to my favourite new toy store, Toad Hole. Another day, we took the kids to Fort Whyte center where we canoed around the pond a few times and the boys had fun catching water bugs in their nets and visiting the tree house. At the end of the day, we went for dinner at Cori-Lee's house where our gaggle of children played together in her amazing children's wonderland of a back yard!!!

Unfortunately, one of the days I was in bed with the flu but Vincent and Gilbert took the kids to the zoo...After that, it was Vincent's turn to be sick!

Another wonderful highlight was spending a couple of days at my dad's cottage. There was no skiing for me this summer but Mathieu and Vincent went tubing and Vincent tried his hand at water skiing....My dad was also proud to take us on a tour in his brand new beautiful pontoon boat. It was definately a far cry from the old bright orange homemade pontoon boat that we used to have!!!

On my side, I got a chance to have a great supper full of hours of girl talk with my dearest friend Cori-Lee. I also got a chance to visit with my sisters and to take in movie and a little bit of Folklorama.

Wow, writing all that make me realize how much we got to do during our time there!

For me, one of the things I was looking forward to most in going to Winnipeg was finally being able to tell family members that I was pregnant (although the tummy gave it away quickly!). I was particularly touched by my niece Emma' s reaction when she heard the news. She immediately put her head down, got all quiet and began to cry. Pretty soon, that got my mom going, then Gilbert, my sister and of course me. For me, her reaction summed and up and brought to the surface the myriad of emotions that I have been feeling these past months including all the anxiety and all the hope... Sometimes it takes a child to reflect the purest truths...

Mathieu, on his side, was quite excited about her news and he likes to rub my tummy and ask how big the baby is...We have explained to him that it will take a long time for the baby to grow and that he has to wait for after Xmas for it to be here. It seems like a long wait to a 6 year old! Gabriel has not yet grasped the concept but I am sure it will make more sense as the months go by!

Well, that was our trip in a big nutshell. Vincent and flew back to Montreal and the kids are still with my family. They spent a few days at my dad's cottage and then camping with all the cousins. My mom and Gilbert and flying back with them in two days and I can't wait to see them!!!

Life is very good and we just feel so fortunate....May we never take these days for granted....