Pride

We are proud to be Canadian! And we sure showed it on Canada Day. We all wore red and white, put Canadian flag tattoos on our cheeks, I even made a Canada flag cake. We were patriotic indeed. Happy 144th Birthday Canada! Marissa was quite into the whole celebrating Canada thing, however she did have some trouble grasping what Canada is. We tried to explain that it's the country we live in, but the concept doesn't quite register yet. Too big I guess. One day she will understand the pride of being Canadian. How fortunate we are to live in this amazing country. How respected we are worldwide. The health care system that we consider second-to-none, after discovering over the past two years just how much is provided for our daughter with special needs. We are a peaceful country. Anyone can choose to pursue an education. There is so much good here that we take for granted day to day, but we are indeed very fortunate to call Canada our home.

Proud to be Canadian...proud of my cake :-)

Beautiful day with clear blue skies

Sweet smiles from my monkey

Sisterly love that makes me proud

As patriotic as we can possibly get!

Today was the 4th Annual Race For Pace. The third one that we've participated in. It was a gorgeous day, warm and beautiful blue skies. Perfect day for a lovely walk, joined by Mom & Bryan, Auntie Candace & Uncle Gary. We did the 5km walk together and raised money for Pacekids programs. To say thank you to all our friends and family who contributed to this incredibly worthy cause just doesn't seem enough. You have touched us with your generosity. Taylor was presented today as the TOP fundraiser for the event. As of today we have raised $4,420 for Pace! Several of Francis' co-workers contributed, and Penn West will be matching all of their donations, which will put Taylor's fundraising for the Race for Pace at over $6,300. THANK YOU everyone from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!!

Look at me, I stayed awake for the whole walk this year!

Taylor being recognized as the top fundraiser!

Taylor's walking buddies

Supergirl shone today xoxo

First thing tomorrow morning we head off to Beaver Lake for our annual family fishing week. Jaime & Justin can't make it this year as they're in the middle of their move to Calgary. We will miss them, and Marissa will sure miss playing with her cousin Mady all week, but they'll soon be living just a two minute drive away, so we can't be too sad! With an empty bed in the cabin, Mom & Bryan have invited my cousin Erika to join us for the week...YAY! Erika adds serious life to any party, so a good time is definitely going to be had! We may need to check in to AA though before the week is out :-)


We decided this year to have Taylor stay at the Rotary Flames House for the week. It was a tough decision, but we know that she is going to be very well cared for there by the nurses and doctors. She sadly just can't get the same enjoyment out of this Beaver Lake week that the rest of us do. There is no place for her to have her oh-so-favourite floor time, it's not at all wheelchair friendly, the playground doesn't have an appropriate swing. The list goes on. She will be so much more comfortable and happy at the Rotary House with swings, kushy mats to roll around on, cozy chairs, and a wonderful sensory room. We are going to miss her desperately, it was tearful for me leaving her today.


I discovered a book at Hallmark last week and simply HAD to get it for Taylor. It's a recordable book called All The Ways I Love You, and you record yourself reading the story. So that you can read to your loved one even when you can't be there. I was crying in the middle of Hallmark as I read it and thought about us recording the story so that Taylor could hear our voices every day while we're gone. It's amazing. Francis, Marissa and I recorded it together, taking turns on each page. I can't even begin to describe how I feel about this book, it is a beautiful thing.

We miss you already Taylor xoxox