Kindergarten for Will

 Today was a BIG day (at least for us).  After 3... yep I said THREE years of pre-school, Will got on the bus this morning as an OFFICIAL KINDERGARTNER!  We have been practicing our morning routines for the past couple of weeks, we had his bag and lunch ready to go, his clothes were set neatly by the bed... and this morning, Will did great!  There was a moment or two when we noticed a little apprehension, but he got on the bus with a big smile and gave us a great wave goodbye.
Mrs. Gannon is his teacher this year and we have heard great things about her.  I was even able to sneak a little peak at our little man today.  Isa was at school for an assessment that just happened to take place in the classroom next to his.  He was sitting around in a circle and I saw him smile several times.  His pre-school teacher even approached me to let me know that she had talked to his current teacher at lunch and that he was doing great.  We are so proud of how far he has come.
As the youngest of Tob's siblings heads off to college... Will starts off the next generation of Sikora's in Kindergarten!  

 

 

2.5 years old!!!

 WOW.  Our lil Gabi Rosie is TWO and a HALF today.  She could easily pass as a 3 year old right now.  She is becoming quite spirited like her older sister.  She is a little goofball that has an infectious smile and laugh.  She still keeps up with most of what her siblings are doing, not ever trailing too far behind.
Here is a little of who Gabi is at 2 1/2....
-she is still a wonderful cuddle bug.
-she loves dancing and is starting to become sillier (taking after Isa).
-she has mastered her tricycle and is working on the scooter (just like Will and Isa)
-she is now expressing herself perfectly.  We may still ask her to repeat something, but she gets her point across with whatever she is talking about
-one of her cutest phrases right now are"can you sleep with me?" and "hold me please".  we are trying not to... but it's hard knowing she's our baby.
-although she is very independent, she insists she is our "baby cakes".
-she has definitely overstayed her welcome in the terrible 2's club.  She has been clingy, extra whiny, and cries at the drop of a dime.  However... her attitude will change in a split second and then she is Happy, Funny, and acts like nothing happened!
-she is still sleeping great with 1 nap most days.
-she is still not potty trained... absolutely no interest =(.  boo.
-I often call her a 'hot mess'.  her hair is still pretty curly, and refuses to stay in whatever hair band it's in... within a few hours she looks like she just woke up! =)
-she counts to 17 (missing a few numbers in between), knows how to say her alphabet, and knows most of her colors.
-her fine and gross motor skills are excellent... she keeps up with whatever Will and Isa do, to include cutting, coloring, jumping, climbing, riding, and brushing her own teeth.
-right now she loves My Little Pony (she talks about her FUTURE pony party daily).
-she still loves to sing.  favorites right now are the songs from our Sky vacation bible school, You Are My Sunshine, Tomorrow, Life's a Happy Song (from the Muppets) and I See the Light (from Tangled).
-she still runs to family members with the biggest smile and hug (this is heartwarming, and I hope it never stops).

Our little girl is growing up too fast.  Even though she insists on being called a "baby" it's evident from her daily routines, that she is not.  She is a loving and happy little girl that wants to be a part of everything we do.

goodbye Summer Vacation

Tonight the Vacation banner came down and we reflected on what an amazing summer break we have had.  Some people we know were asking what amusement park ride you would describe your summer as.... ours would be the Top Thrill Dragster.  It was amazing, moving, but way too fast!  We definitely can't look back and say it was a boring summer... we thoroughly enjoyed it.  From fun with family, to meeting new neighbors, to great times with old friends, our break was fantastic.  Now, it's back to school time in the morning, starting with Will!
Here's a look at some of our fun days from the last couple of weeks.

 

Will's 1st parade... and the Corn Fest.

Canada Vacation Part3

Day 6: Thursday.  Rain Rain go away... or don't.  Despite a bit of chillier and rainy weather, we still managed to have a blast.  We started off our day today at the indoor relaxation pool in the resort.  The whole gang went!
Then in the evening, we all enjoyed some good ole family fun.  Will designed an impromptu birthday party complete with games, dancing, and goodie bags!  Will was so creative making the invites and running the races.  It was fun and adorable!  We ended the evening with a movie night of course (Mr. Popper's Penguins).

*photos courtesy Isa Sikora =)*

 Day7: Friday.  Our final Full day.  We had another relaxing morning (mommy even got a massage), took a swim in the relaxation pool, played some more pool, and went fishing as a family.  Isa had fun trying out the fishing rod and even turned to us to ask "wasn't that a nice cast?".  It was a perfect way to end our vacation.

 

Here are a few pics of the beautiful Chalet and grounds of Blueberry Lakes Resort.

main lodge

 Our Chalet

 

Vacation part2

Day 4: Tuesday.  Today was suppose to be the warmest day of our vacation.  Even though it didn't turn out that way, we still made it great!  We started off the morning at the pool followed by the hot tub while the guys went off for an early fishing trip on the River Rouge.
We then spent the afternoon at the lake. The kids made a little habitat for some frogs we caught.  We all paddled to the trampoline (Jen included) and had a little fun jumping around.  It was a real nice lazy day by the water.  By the end of the evening...the kids were exhausted =).

 

 

 

 Day 5: Wednesday. First of all, Will caught his FIRST fish ever today!  He was so proud and excited.    After a little photo shoot of everyone, we took a little trip 30 minutes south to the Tremblant Resort in Mont Tremblant.  This place had so many things to entertain.... we could have spent days here.  There was a pedestrian village with shopping, places to eat, and the views from the summit were fantastic!
We all took a gondola ride to the highest point of the Laurentian Mountain range where we enjoyed a "Birds of Prey" show and had a 360degree view of everything around us.  The views were spectacular.
Once back at the bottom of the mountain, we enjoyed dinner at a micro-brewery.  The kids also got to do some fun activities such as a bungee trampoline jump, an obstacle course (about 10 feet off the ground), a luge ride, and some mini rock climbing!  Oh what fun!

 

 Mont Tremblant

 

 

 

 

 

  ski lift up to the Luge course!