Happy week folks! Sorry for the few updates but Lily has been a wee bit cranky as she has CUT A TOOTH! Lily has her first tooth. There is some debate as to whether it arrived on the 18th or 24th but I'm saying the 24th as that's when I saw it and felt it. She has been teething and been sick at the same time, so it has been a joy :-) Last weekend Karen and Greg from Oshawa dropped in for a picnic visit. The photo of Mike out on the deck was taken on April 21st and the one of him in the living room was taken yesterday. On April 20th the class he is a TA for had their final exam, and he has been charged with marking all 200! of them. So needless to say, Lily and I have seen very little of him this past week. Lily and the yellow goo (mango) was a sight - she's not a fan. Lily is still enjoying tormenting Scout.










The flowers are just samples from the yard. We've been truly blessed with some amazing weather this past week. Today went up to 18 C. The little guy that Lily is standing beside is my good friend Donna's son Kaiden (born Nov 17/06). Lily is three and a half months older than him but not much taller! Kaiden is two weeks older to the day of Cora. Well, Lily is looking for her nighttime meal, so I've got to go. Have a fun week! PPS

In preparation for some serious weekend fun at the lake, we bought our first family tent! It's 11 x17 feet and 6 feet high in the middle. It says it sleeps 7, but I think that's a conservative estimate! The photo of the tv antenna is actually a photo of the woodpecker pecking the antenna! The photo of Lily in the birdbath is a Russell family tradition. We have photos of Johnny, Katie, David, Whalen in the birdbath. This year we get Jojo, Cora and Lily! Have a fun and safe weekend!

2007 Ontario Technological Skills Competition

I'd like to send out a huge 'Good Luck' to my colleagues at Skills Canada Ontario as they head into the busiest time for them - the Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC). If you're in the Kitchener/Waterloo area I highly recommend that you go to check it out! What will you see? About 1,500 Ontario high school students showcasing their talents in a wide variety of skilled trades! We're talking about some pretty seriously talented students in areas of website design, robotics, automachanics and fashion design (to name but a few!). I worked it last year while Mike was a volunteer, it was amazing! For a complete agenda go to www.skillsontario.com/competitions/agenda.html. OTSC takes place Monday April 30th to Wednesday May 2nd.

Spring has sprung here in Beeton! Today we enjoyed a picnic in the park with Liz and her crew and Connie and her two! What a fabulous day!
David and Johnny being oh-so-charming!

Lily LOVES swings!

After a long day at the park, David gets a push from Katie and pulled by Whalen.

Cora is the 'Night Owl' in the tree!

Connie, Whalen and Cora.

On your mark, get set...

Go!

We wore poor Johnny out.


Lily enjoys handling plastic bottles. She hasn't quite figured out how to get the liquid out...

Katie is testing the wind for optimum flight!

Last night Mom finished the quilt that I designed. I designed a 'touch' quilt for both Lily and Cora. Each 'picket' around the quilt is a different texture so that the girls can feel things from silk, satin, cotton, cord, fuzzy, etc. I had fun designing it, Mom cursed it while she sewed it!

Cora is all smiles in the sun.

Lily's first picnic. Just like at home Lily makes a grab for the spoon!

Who has the picnic basket!? I know I don't have a great Yogi Bear voice, but my 7 year old niece Katie had no idea who Yogi Bear was therefore had no appreciation for the way that I said Picnic Basket! Kids these days! ;-)

On Saturday we celebrated two birthdays! My older sister's husband, Bob and my younger sister's husband, Anthony. We had it at our place and we enjoyed a day filled with outdoor fun and some great Monopoly. It was a tight race but Anthony ended up winning against the 7 year old :-)













I just love these photos of Whalen! He looks so pensive!


This is an exciting photo as it really showcases the cousins love for each other. Whalen will often beg his mom to go and play with his 'friends'. These two can keep each other entertained for hours!


Lily looking all sassy for the birthday party ;-)


Jojo hasn't been feeling well for the past week and is glued to his Mama!


Here's a shot of Lily and I with three and half year old David.
Lily is now an old pro at the food thing. This is her enjoying her squash.

I'm sure Freeze in its own food group! As Lily is teething, the freeze is our friend!


Lily is enjoying her apples!

Lily is loving her pears!
Lily is trying hard to get around. In this photo she is trying to go from a sitting position to a front crawl position. 9 times out of 10 she gets her left leg stuck and can't reposition herself - this makes for a VERY angry baby!