'These people speak french too...'

We are once again in Ontario for a few weeks, spending valuable time visiting family and friends, so we had to make the long trip up to Ottawa to visit my brother and sister and their families. On the way back, we made our first stop for lunch at the McDonalds in Gananoque. Obviously there are a lot of french-speaking people in that neck of the woods, so my kids were quite intriqued by that. Then we stopped again just before Kingston to let Braden use the washroom. The girls waited in the van while the boys used the washroom. While we were sitting there, another carload of people pulled up beside us and got out of their vehicle to stretch. They were all chatting, when one of the guys used the phrase...'Holy S---!' I wasn't sure if Olivia was even paying attention, but all of a sudden she casual comments by saying, "Man, these people speak french here too!" I was trying not to draw attention to the statement...but inside, I was killing myself with laughter! Ahhh....I love our kids!!!

God-Sightings

Olivia and Braden are attending VBS (vacation bible school) this week at my parents' church in Goderich. It seems the last couple years, we've ended up on vacation here during the same week as VBS and the kids love going, plus it gives 'mommy' a break for a few hours.

Anyway...on Monday, I decided to sh0w up for the large group time before they finish for the morning. They do this thing called 'God-Sightings', which gives the kids an opportunity to come up to the mic and share something that has happened that reminds them that there is a God. Basically...anything or anyway that they have seen evidence of God. So...as you can imagine...there is a wide range of things that kids share, mostly because they just love going up to the front and talking in the microphone. So...this particular morning, I saw Braden get up and go in line to share something, which totally surprised me. Both of my kids are pretty chatty and always have something to say, but they can get pretty shy when it comes to talking in front of a whole bunch of people. Anyway, when it was Braden's turn, he confidently grabbed the microphone and said, "It took a long time to get to the airport." That was it...that was his God-Sighting. Of course everyone broke into laughter.

Switching Partners??

Last night we went out for supper with Shawn's mom (Gramma Diane). Now just to give you a little history....Shawn's parents have been divorced ever since Shawn was little, so our kids have never known them to be together and it's always been a bit confusing for them to understand or figure out why they don't live together. Both of his parents are currently living with other partners and to try and keep things as simple as possible, we've just called everyone a Gramma or a Papa and added their names after it to keep them all straight.

Anyway...last night we went out for supper with Shawn's Mom (Gramma Diane) and her partner (Papa Lowell). While we were there...Olivia asked if she could go sit beside Gramma Diane. So they were chatting for a while, when out of the blue, Olivia looked at her and said in a sweet, bashful way...."Gramma Diane, it would be nice if you got married to Papa Randy (Shawn's dad)." Shawn and I were both curious to hear how the rest of this conversation went down...so we listened in while pretending to be occupied with other things. Shawn's mom proceeded to try and explain to Olivia that they were once married, but it just never worked out. And then Olivia says, "So you guys just switched???" The cuteness of her inquiry brought smiles to our faces, but there was also an element of sadness, reminding us how hard it is for kids to understand 'adult reasoning for divorce'.

Brought to you by 'Chinese money and the letter B'

Today was our yearly visit with Shawn's Mom (Gramma Diane) and her partner (Papa Lowell). We met them at their hotel, where we received our 'itinerary' for the evening. First on the list was a little surprise for the kids. The deal was, they had to sit on the bed, with their eyes closed and their hands open. Then Papa Lowell placed a loonie and a quarter in each of their hands and told them to keep their eyes closed. As soon as the money hits Olivia's hand she says, "I think I know what it is....I can hear the ching and the chong!" Then Papa Lowell asks each of them to pick a number between 1 and 10 (eyes still closed). Olivia shouts out, "11", to which we reply...."um...BETWEEN 1 and 10". Her new number? 7 (much better). Then Braden thinks for a long time and then shouts out, "B". Definitely not 'proud parenting' moments, but yet super funny!