Kyle and Jemma's blog
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Merry Merry Month of May....
Well, it's been a very eventful and fun-filled month to say the least. Jemma had her 1st birthday (yay), started walking (like a drunkard), and Grandma and Grandpa Melanson came to visit us! I'm not sure where to start...
Well, big news first I guess - if you will, wind your mind back all the way to May 12;
MMMmmmmmmmmm.... cake!!!!
Aurore came over for Jemma's birthday too - this makes it 3 years in a row that she's babysat for us on this exact date!
Jemma got a roller blade for her birthday! Well, it's actually a bus, but don't tell mama - I think she's easily confused some nights.
Jemma also got a ball tent - strangely though, it looks exactly like the one I got for my first birthday too! What coincedinces!
Before we get on to the big vacation frenzy with G&G, here's a few oddball pictures that I wanted to share with you.
I'm an artist ya know... I even have a print framed and hanging in the Louvre... or maybe it's the Loo... or the Living Room... something like that. Anyways, it's framed and hanging somewhere!
Despite all of Dad's kidding, the big green trike is pretty great to go riding with. It's quiet, easy to pedal, and in a pinch even Mommy can ride it!
Hokey dokey - I know you've been in suspense for a while now... here they are! The first few here are from the first few days of G&G's visit. Finally, after living here for over 85% of my life, we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Brussels. We saw all kinds of cool things, including the Grand Place (Big Place for you non-Frenchies out there!) and the Royal Gardens.
Despite the fact that Jemma is crying, mommy is giving me the evil eye, and I have my normal Angelic look, I had nothing to do with it. I promise! I listened!
Jemma has it made...
Next up was a nice relaxing weekend without the parents. We sent them off to Amsterdam, while we got to party with Pena all weekend.
They did get to go on a pretty cool boat tour, by the looks of it. Yes, that is a Russian submarine bearing down on them! Thankfully, it was stopped (for quite some time... given the cement blocks that it's moored in).
Despite the rain, I think they had lots of fun.
After a few days back at home, Grandma and Grandpa went off to London for a couple days to recuperate. When we decided they were recuperated enough, we joined them, and took the train(s) up to Stratford Upon Avon - Shakespeare's home town! I think he was a butterfly who wrote poems or something like that.
Our first stop (and fifth, and fourteenth) was the Butterfly Farm in the center of Stratford... it was way cool!
I had a butterfly friend on my head! Mom says it was a moth friend, but it doesn't sound as cool. There were gajillions of butterflys - I tried to count them, but lost track after 'leven.
Everyone had butterfly friends, except Grandpa. He showered, I swear!
Locusts! Locusts! hahahahahah! (nervous laughing) Locusts!!! They're hopping!!!!
There's one on my shirt! Is there one on my head???
There is, there is!!! Careful, don't move!!!
Wow... thats a lot of butterflies.
We also did a hop-on-fall-off bus tour of Stratford (Dad had a bit of trouble getting the stroller on and off some times). One of the best stops was Ann Hathaway's cottage - they had all kinds of cools stuff that Grandpa missed, because he was walking Jemma to sleep. Grandpa is good to us...
Must... get... Monkey... statues!!!! Run through the maze, and climb the ropes!
The best part was having the big bird land on my hand!!! (It really was my hand, not Daddy's - he was just helping me with the weight). I got beat in the head repeatedly with his wings though, it was cool.
Grandma, and even Mom got into the act too. Mom really shouldn't have though... but it did provide some good comic relief.
This is the house that William Shakespeare was born in. It was a pretty affluent house - but I'm not sure which languages it spoke.
The best part of the week was my doggie friends at the Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at. I had four dogs to play with, and they were great! It was a great little place in the country side, and the side benefit is that we got to watch Mom and Dad stress and look like fools driving on the wrong side of the road.
Speaking of spoiled... Jemma isn't the only one. I somehow talked Grandpa and Grandma into spending all their savings on merry-go-round and motorcycle rides. I think we financed their summer vacations, plus an extra pony or two.
Ok... sounds like an adventure, right? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. Here comes Warwick Castle, in the rain!
I'm not sure if I was born into the right family to be a Jester, but if not, then certainly it was the right one to be a peasant.
Dad said that they locked bad kids in the dungeon... I'm not sure why, it looks kinda fun; things to swing on, holes to climb into...
I want to be a maniken when I grow up (although I can't spell it) - do you like my pose? (Although I do a better impression of the manneken pis!)
Do you notice something missing in all these photos? Well, it turns out that back in the 11th century, they weren't required to abide by building codes for the disabled... or even the abled. 512 steps isn't something that's nice on Grandpa's knees, so he had some bonding time with Jemma instead (along with an emergency bat signal radio... just in case!).
At one point while walking the wall of the castle, there was an exit sign with an arrow upwards... we were already 100ft off the ground. :)
Now you see me... now you don't!
Maybe I'll be a Knight instead... these wimpy blow-up swords just won't do though.
Well, that's the end of our adventure... it was great to have them here, and we've been spoiled rotten with all their attention, love, and generosity. Aren't grandparents the bestest?
