Happy Birthday Grandma!

Hard to believe that Grandma will be turning 80 in a couple of days. Mel and Nan just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary a couple of days ago too. There seems to be lots to celebrate this time of year. It's just too bad that her arthritis is acting up. She's been having some difficulty with her knee which has affected her mobility a lot. She's going to have a knee brace fitted next week, we're all hoping that this will give her some relief. So far the drugs haven't really been helping much. Anyway, it was nice to have the family over this weekend to help celebrate the big milestone. The family pitched in and got Grandma some new bar stools too. We surprised her on Sunday morning. Tracey and Roger even put together a special ice cream cake for Grandma. It's fitting because ice cream is one of the few foods she's actually able to eat.

In other news, Roger did very well at the annual shooting competition shooting 21/25 and 24/25 taking first place overall. Albert took second place and Grandpa Harry placed third. Pretty good showing if you ask me. Roger's never been able to shoot 25/25, it's a very illusive target.

Roger even managed to fit in a quick headshot session for Nicole, she needed a headshot for an audition she's going for next week. Naturally, all the kids wanted their picture. Murphy's law isn't it, when you want them to take a picture they resist. Here are some pictures from the big weekend:

Gymnastics in full swing.

The kids started their gymnastics classes yesterday. It's a total zoo at the Arenex, but they seem to enjoy it. Despite Melody suddenly developing cold symptoms, she managed to power through and jump around with the best of them. Malcolm actually needs some activity that will allow him to burn off some energy and gymnastics is a good outlet. Here are some pictures from yesterday:

Malcolm's Annual Fundraising Carnival.

There's a quote that is especially applicable to people with kids: "The days are long, but the years go by fast".  As we see the kids everyday, it's difficult to see their growth, but when you look at pictures from the year before there certainly is a difference. Last night was the annual fundraising carnival at Malcolm's school. There were a bunch of vintage rides and games there. This year Melody was able to get on the rides, last year she wasn't very willing... oh how things change. Here's a link to last year's blog entry 2012. Here are some pictures from this year's carnival:

Starting the 2nd Grade.

What a difference a year makes. Last year we had a lot of tears and anxiety to start the first grade. This year he got dropped off at school and it was no big deal at all. It's a combination of him growing up and getting used to exploring things on his own. He's been involved with a number of different activities where he's there to fend for himself, reading camp, science camp, trampoline, swimming, and skating. 

It's difficult to see children grow when you see them everyday, but it's the changes, the growth, the development you notice afterwards make all the difference. We're still dealing with the sibling rivalry and from time to time he and his sister fight like cats and dogs. However, when they do get along, it's a sweet to watch. Here's to you Malcolm in starting the 2nd grade. Good luck my boy, make us proud. Hard to believe that this was just a year ago: grade 1.