Robin is 4 and... wait, where'd summer go?!?

The summer has come and gone like a flash in the mind of a parent with children.  That is to say, very quickly.

We made a trip to Thunder Bay to wish Andrew and Liisa with little Ella and Eli farewell, as they decided to move back home to New Brunswick:

(lunch at McDonald's - of all places - to get out of the rain)

(The accidentally humorous clowns at Benny Birch's birthday)

(potluck in Liisa and Andrew's back yard)

(Olivia, deciding it was time to wash her hair.  With bubble soap)

(breakfast goodbye at Kristin's)

We had a blast at Folk fest:

(Rupert, Ezri and Olivia)

had lots of fun in the city playing in the children's museum and the zoo:

and spent a lot of time at the Potter's cabin at Falcon Lake (which is emphasized as FALcon lake by the way... because Olivia often misses the L, making it sound like Fukan lake):

This summer Robin had a special fourth birthday, because she had all her cousins at her birthday party: Ken and Yvette came out for a visit from Vancouver with Brigitte, Hugo and little Gustave!  After a birthday at the splash pad at Vimey Ridge park with all the Grandparents and Kirk, Miyuki, Lisa, Nina and Julian (as well as a few local friends dropping by)...

...we were off to the Potter's cabin at Falcon Lake with Ken and Yvette and the kids for a week! And it was madness.  Wonderful - every moment completly arranged to entertain and keep the kids happy - madness.  Kirk and Miyuki et al. came for the first night and we got to watch the whirlwind of kids latching on to each other and quickly learning to join with the other's games.

It was a special week filled with canoe rides, barfing on the road to Echo Bay, thunderstorm power outages (which were a treat to the West Coasters, and the kids who got to play with the flash lights), horse rides at Falcon Stables, a boat tour of Lake of the Woods, hiking to the top of the world, and many days at Falcon Lake's Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear beaches.  The Simpsons stayed in the Guest Cabin, which is now finished and looking amazing (way to go uncle Dan!).

And now that summer is over and Robin is 4, enter the next chapter: Nursery School.