A Day Out with Thomas!!

A short time ago we were lucky enough to learn about an exciting adventure coming to a town, not so near to us.  Actually, is was a quick 2 1/2 hour drive to St. Thomas Ontario, but well worth the drive to spend a fantastic summer day with Thomas the Tank Engine, that's right, the actual Thomas the Tank Engine!  How many kids do you know that would LOVE to ride on Thomas? Well, we knew there was one special boy we could give a big smile to and make his day and whenever that is possible, we'll drive the country side if need be......

They're two they're four they're six they're eight....

It's Thomas the Tank Engine
Hip hip hip hip hooray.....

Chugga chugga chug chug, Chuff chuff chuff
He rides along the way............. 

And when you hear that whistle......

it can only be one train
Our favorite little engine
Thomas is his name!

Along our trip, the train conductor stopped by for a visit, a quick high five and told a little story about the importance and use of pocket watches on trains like Thomas...

It was a great trip down the tracks and just because we have a few Donalds in the family, we had to snap this quick shot of another one of our favourites....

See you again soon Thomas....

Sum, Sum, Summertime!!!

Summer really has to be the greatest time of the year.  There is always so much fun to be had, outside, in the fresh air, with lots of friends and family.  Maybe it's just us, but we LOVE the summer.


This weekend in Barrie was Ribfest..mmmmm, good!  We took a nice LONG walk down to Memorial Square in Barrie for some yummy taste testing and a little fun and relief from the heat.

My favourite spot to head during ribfest is always the yummy Blooming Onions and apparently it a lot of favourite because the line was rather LONG, but worth it.

The lines were long, but worth the wait, the guys had to try Ontario's #1 of course, and it lived up to it's reputation, they were fantastic ribs. 

 

 

Can you spot Waldo (Grant) in this next pic?

 

 

At least they had kiddie entertainment while waiting for our goodies, here piggy, piggy, piggy:

 

There was a lot of entertainment just is watching the chefs at work, but boy oh boy, I can't imagine how they work in this heat. 

 

 

It certainly isn't a vegetarian's spot to be, but meat eaters we are!

 

 

Since the crowd was so big for this yummy event, we decided to beat the heat and take our ribs and blooming onions down for some splash fun before making the trek back home.

Jackson loves the splash park and it's great for tiring out before bed time.

 

 

 

 

I'm so glad he loves getting his hair/head wet, it certainly did cool him off, I only wished I had brought my swimsuit.

 

 

 

This is my beautiful Niece and she too wished she had her swimsuit.. next time for sure!

 

 

What a gorgeous evening, a perfect summer afternoon.... What more can you ask for? Warm sun, bbq and a splashing good time.

 

Celebrate Good Times....

We had many things to celebrate this weekend, Father's Day of course and a special birthday for my beloved husband, friend and daddy to our wee man...

Hands off ladies, he's all mine:

What a stud muffin...

Happy Birthday my sweet husband...

What a great day, filled with family

A scrumptious meal, that the birthday boy got up at 4:00 a.m to prepare:

with some assistance from the chef at large, Uncle Brian:

some relaxing after a big meal

and a beautiful evening to end the day...what a great day it was..

To Life!

To Life, To Life!! 

Last night my family participated in the Cancer Society's Relay for Life for the fourth time.  It's an event we give our time to annually, we always have a great time and the feeling to see 7:00 a.m. and know you made it is an exhilarating one.  Especially on evenings like last night, through the rain, it is a challenge to keep motivated to make it through, but then you remember those who have lost their battle and see those fighting and those who are surviving and you realize that your walk, is a walk in the park compared to their fight against this horrible disease.  

I think the best part of the evening for me and the most emotional is the opening ceremonies, it always begins with lots of energy and hype to get all the participants focused and to add lots of smiles to their faces:

After all the wind UP, the greatest and most emotional first lap of the relay begins with all the survivors, led by bagpipers, which if you know me, you know that no matter the occasion, I am a blubbering idiot as soon as I hear bagpipes.  It is really great to see all the smiling faces of those who have won their battle and I don't think it was just me, but the group appears to be getting larger each year, which means our efforts ARE making a difference, here's to a growing first lap..

Honestly, how beautiful are these faces?

and we're off.....

Don't get me wrong, there is lots of resting too:

and entertainment to keep us all going:

At 10:00 all Team Captains light the luminaries that line our path and light our way through the night.  Each luminary represents someone who has lost their battle or survived and as we walk through the night, these luminaries serve as a reminder of why we are there.

The night is long and tiring, but it is such a great feeling to see that sunrise, to walk in the morning fresh air and to do it with so many people joined together for such a great cause!

It's a new dawn, it's a new day:

Good Morning Ladies:

Good Morning Gentleman:

To Life, To Life!

See you all next year :-)