Cottage 2014

Two weeks after Edward and The Ducklings left for the cottage, Malcolm, my parents and I packed up and drove east.  We did the drive over two days, and it was as painless as one could hope, even with the seemingly endless rain and road.  We arrived to warmth and sun in Shediac.  I wish I could say the weather stayed that way for the next 10 days, but as Murphy's Law dictates, that only happened two days before we left.  However, that still allowed us time to fit in a delicious lobster dinner!

All four kids and I travelled home on Monday - Edward and my parents left by car the day before.  I had members of the crew comment on how "brave" (not quite the word I'd use... but much more flattering) I was to attempt solo airplane travel with all of them, but I figured I could deal with such a short flight.  It started off pretty well, thanks largely to Edward's mother, Ann (aka Grammy) who made a picnic lunch for us to eat in the airport departure lounge, and accompanied us right to the gate.  The rest of the flight was a little more challenging - trying to help a kid pee in a tiny airplane bathroom whilst holding a heavy, wriggly baby took some creativity - but I know we did okay when the elderly ladies in front of us complimented The Ducklings on their behaviour.

The Ducklings came home a little more wild, a little more tanned and a lot happier.  They get to free-range, there.  Marshmellows roasted over a bonfire waaay past bedtime, trikes on the tennis court, shell collecting on the beach, sleeping in, dinner on the lawn, running in the waves.  Every bit of it essential to who they are, and to who they will become.  To have a retreat like this is good for the soul, and we are grateful they have the opportunity to experience it.  

Sometimes, in the depths of winter as we rush them into snowsuits, push them through their days and layer on the "if you don'ts", "come heres", "go theres" and "do thises", there is a definite peace of mind knowing an antidote exists.   I've promised them that on days like those, we'll take out paper and a pen and list all of the things we'll do next summer at The Shore.

Pants are optional at the cottage... well, for the under 5 set....

Bedtime story with Daddy 

Viewing an amazing private car collection (thank you, Bob, for organizing this!)

Is it possible the older boys enjoyed the cars even more?  Keith with Opa

Colin with Grampy

Parades in pjs!  With hats.  And neon yellow cavemen.

More of the parade - hats, noisemakers, cat kites, barefeet.  Aunt Sandra as the parade marshall, and Uncle Tom on the accordion.

Wagon rides (thanks to the Strattons for allow us to wagon-jack your family reunion!)

Grampy, Grammy and crew

Riding off into the sunset

Home again, home again...

While The Mice Are Away.....

...Malcolm plays with everything he can get his hand on, enjoying the cars, trains, books, bits of toast with jam, and having Mummy's undivided attention.

As we did last year, Edward is currently into week two of his solo parenting* of The Ducklings in Shediac, while I'm rushing around like a mad fiend at home trying to work through an endless pile of projects.  I started two months ago, crafting and getting art together for Colin and Malcolm's room at Colin's request.  Since they've left, I've converted the cribs to beds, cleaned, cleaned with more cleaning on the horizon, hung art, a blind and a mobile, and refinished and reassembled our new (old) kitchen table in anticipation of seating six.

I'm still in the midst of it all, along with a baby who is lonely in his room without his big brother, creating much drama and complaining; combined with a developing aversion to his morning nap.   So, in tiny increments, it is sloooowwwly getting done, often to the chorus of a much-put-out baby.  In other words, the same as last summer's mad dash, but louder.

However, I thought I'd post a few progress pictures of what's been changing around here!

It's AAAALLLLLL mine!

Our much loved kitchen table was getting too small, so I hauled out our old dining room table that seats 8, and went to work refinishing it.  Sadly, the table top was in such awful, irredeemable condition, that I went against my profound aversion to painting wood.  The stencilled part is the leaf, and if the pattern looks familiar, it is.

Colin specifically asked me for a mobile - thus:  Colin's Space Odyssey.  I started working on this months ago, and my vision (dimensional stars and planets) looked great on paper, but was actually very hard to make.  In addition to making my own templates, and assembling the pieces with exacting precision, I had to make tiny props out of aluminum foil and paper clips to keep everything in place while the glue dried.  So frustrating, but hopefully Colin will like it.  It's one of those crafts I will never do again!

The space ship with aluminum foil legs and tissue paper afterglow

A look from underneath

New art on Malcolm's side, including his gorgeous baptismal sampler made by a member of the church congregation

Cribs are now beds!! 

*with the help of Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Jane and Aunt Pinie, Merri, as well as the usual friends and family who are so generous with their time and patience.