Goodbye School Year.........Hello Summer Vacation!

Celebrating with some cookies!

Franken-Tree

Late last week we had quite the storm go through our town.  Normally I LOVE stormy weather and have always found it rather interesting the force Mother Nature has.  This particular storm lasted maybe 30 minutes and at one point Adam and I looked out the kitchen window and thought to ourselves that the maple tree was looking pretty droopy.

 Uh Oh........

It just happened that I had forgotten to close the shed door. Adam was concerned that it might just blow off it's hinges (yes, it was that windy!). Since I was the guilty party I volunteered to run out to close it.  The water in the backyard was literally 5 inches high!

Anyways, since I was soaking wet I made a quick detour by the tree........and what I found made me just a "tad bit" ticked off with Mother Nature.


You see, our tree is our ONLY shade tree in the yard.  I picked it out myself almost 4 years ago, paid over $800 for it, have cared for it, and watched it grow just like a baby. To say that I am emotionally attached to my tree is an understatement.

I was almost in tears at the thought of loosing it. But, it wasn't long until I was on the internetto see what I could do. Because if there was ANY chance we could save it.....I wanted to try.  After the worst of the storm cleared, Adam headed outside with some strong ratchet tie-downs to secure the 2 halves together. After some more internet research and a visit from an Tree Specialist who quoted $650 to salavage the tree we decided to take his advice and try to do the work ourselves.

So now our tree is affectionately known as "Franken-Tree" or by it's previous name "Leafy."

Now fingers are crossed and only time will tell but for now it's looking promising that "Leafy" will be around for a long long time....................

Our quick "repair" job while we waited to figure out a solution

A close up of the damage from the storm. The crack extended down about 15 inches.

About to drill the first hole.....crazy Willow kept trying to jump up and grab the spinning drill bit!

The first post is going in!

A close up of the steel post installed. There is another post about 6 inches further down the tree as well.

Our beautiful Franken-Tree!

2 Posts in 1 Day.........

I just needed to put these pictures on the computer right away. Tonight we attended Claire's Gymfest, a relaxed gymnastics demonstration and opportunity for all the kids to show off their skills!  Claire participated on beam, bars and floor......and she ROCKED IT!   We are so proud of all her hard work both in her Advanced Recreational class and with her Private Coach that she works with once a week.  We'll be continuing with the Private Coach for the summer and then adding additional classes again in the Fall.
This club, which Claire has been with for just over a year now, is so wonderful! We can't say enough!!!

THANK YOU GENESIS GYMNASTICS FOR ALL YOU DO!!!!

Looking good on the floor routine!

Bars are Claire's strongest (and apparently favourite) event

I would NEVER be brave enough to do this!

Avery was Claire's biggest fan! 

Our gymnast!

Claire and her wonderful coach Denise!

Summer Happenings

We headed up north last weekend to celebrate a belated birthday for my Dad and Father's Day for Adam and my Dad. The weather started off a bit chilly but by the end of the weekend the kids and Adam were back in the lake swimming. This weekend there were a few more brave souls that joined them.  Although we actually heard on the local new that they are advising people not to enter the lake because of increased risk of Hypothermia.  YIKES!

All in all though it was a lovely weekend. We attended an Antique Car Show, did a little retail therapy, ate way too many sweets and enjoyed hanging out lakeside.  A perfect way to celebrate Father's Day!

Before heading off for the weekend, Claire had Track and Field Day at school.  She discovered that shot putt is really not her "thing" but that she is pretty fast on the track.  Way to go Claire-Bear!

Claire snapped this picture on Father's Day.  This alleyway is where Adam asked me to marry him almost 13 years ago.  There used to be a fantastic little restaurant tucked away in here....and that is where he popped the question! 

Claire found a contender at the Car Show.......I think I wouldn't mind this one either!

The First Swim of the Summer!!

The chilly water didn't deter Avery.....she is going to be my "beach baby" this summer for sure

Spending some sisterly time together

We even had time to hit up a playground or two on our trip up to Gravenhurst!