Flowers for Mothers' Day

Our son left for Kenora last weekend to spend the summer fighting wild fires. Before he left, he bought me Flowers for Mothers' Day. 

I found this on the mantle along with a hand-written note last Friday when I got home from work. It was sweet of him to think of me with all the other things he had to prepare for his summer away. 

  

Thank you for buying me Flowers for Mothers' Day. I love this white Fuji Spider Mum paired with purple irises ... perfect choice.

In case you're wondering, our son has been sending regular updates from Kenora this week. He loves where he's staying (a cottage on a lake with three other young men) and loves that he gets to work fighting wildfires. 

I found a video series online called "Playing With Fire". My son tells me he knows some of the people in the videos. They are his coworkers. 

About Playing With Fire:

"Drought and climate change have turned Canada’s forests into fire bombs that go off every summer. In Ontario alone, there are over 1000 blazes each year. Even with new technology, the essential weapon in the fight against fires is the initial attack crews. These firefighters are ready at a moment’s notice to protect our forests, our communities and our lives. Playing With Fire is the story of two northwestern Ontario crews, one in Kenora and the other in Sioux Lookout."

As you can imagine, I will be sending lots of 'stay safe' wishes his way.

I am truly happy for him and looking forward to hearing all about his adventures. It's bound to be an exciting summer. 

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Our Son is 21

Our son is 21 ... his birthday was on Sunday (July 2nd). Our favourite way to celebrate birthdays is with family. The weather has been unsettled and rainy a lot lately, but Sunday was perfect for dining outside. 

We gathered around our new patio table for a simple yet yummy birthday dinner: barbecued PC slow-smoked brisket beef burgers (topping choices bacon, cheese, tomato, onion, mustard), two kinds of salad and cake.

The cake was delicious. Unfortunately, we chose carrot cake which is one of our favourites, but not one our son likes ... oops. Once we realized our mistake, we picked up a small chocolate and caramel brownie cake (recommended by his girl friend) as a special treat just for him. 

As our son blew out his candles (with help from the wind) and cut the cake, we took photos and sang the birthday song. 

Happy Birthday and Cheers for a fabulous year.

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Happy 20th Birthday

Our son celebrates his 20th Birthday July 2nd. Me oh my, how time flies. 

We used to live in Toronto. Our son's early birthdays were celebrated both at home and in London with family. Most of our old photos are kept in albums, but we're missing a few years from when we moved to London and transitioned to digital.  I can't find photos from his 5th, 6th or 8th birthdays. Let's assume they are safely stored in a box someplace. 

I thought it might be fun to travel back in time with photos I found from birthdays past. I hope you enjoy this visual journey down memory lane.

  

1st Birthday Pooh Bear Cake (London)

1st Birthday "Day Of" Cake (Toronto)

2nd Birthday Barney Cake

3rd Birthday Tractor Cake

4th Birthday

7th Birthday Soccer Cake

9th Birthday - Decorated Door for Party

9th Birthday Pool Party

 

10th Birthday - movie and lunch with friends

 10th Birthday dinner and cake with family

11th Birthday - Grand Bend for lunch and beach party

 11th Birthday Dinner and Cake with Family

12th Birthday (home-made) Oreo Cheese Cake

13th Birthday Cake

14th Birthday Cake (same as 13th B'day cake)

15th Birthday Cake

16th Birthday

 Friendly competition with his Uncle

17th Birthday - decorated his own cake

 

 Giant Nutella Love

18th Birthday - Graduated High School, looking forward to U of Guelph

19th Birthday - two cakes 

Drinking legally now.

Our baby boy has grown into a young man in the blink of an eye. We wish him a Happy 20th Birthday with a year full of fun and adventure.

We're looking forward to celebrating our son's special day this weekend. Best wishes with lots of love always from Mom and Dad.

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Taste of Freedom

On May 1st, our son moved to Guelph into a house he will be sharing with five friends for his second year at University. Since rentals run May to April, he and a few others decided to stay the summer. 

They plan to get jobs and enjoy a Taste of Freedom involving fewer rules and more independence. They liked living in residence, but were ready to move on. Our son likened it to 'day care' for big kids. I get it.

Freedom for us means an 'empty-nest'. Once I learn to stop worrying, I'm sure I'll love this phase. There was no internet at the house and, since I don't own a smart phone, communication was limited. 

I got one anxious call the first weekend. Our son needed to turn off the water because the 'bath was broken'. I told him to call his Dad or his Grandpa then I sent an email to his landlord who was able to arrange for a plumber to fix the problem. Our son now knows how to turn off the water and how to contact his landlord if necessary. He's learning to cope and I'm learning to let him. That's the hard part.

I tried not to worry last week. It wasn't easy. Was he eating right? Will he get a job soon? How will he manage if he doesn't. We pay rent, tuition and books, but he has to cover his food and other expenses. More freedom means more responsibility. He's growing up.  

Finally by Friday, our son was back on-line and I was relieved to get the following photos. They have been shopping and they love cooking.

I was happy to see their delicious looking meals. They've got it handled.

 

 

So far there are three in the house, another stays once a week, plus another may be joining them soon. It will be a full house by September. 

Our son is still looking for work. Fingers crossed he gets something soon. His girlfriend who plans to be a vet someday is volunteering at two vet clinics and starts her paying job tomorrow.

They want us to visit. I'd love to. My husband is not keen as he will be in Guelph for work on Friday plus another day next week. He will drop by when he's there. I might have to drive myself if I want to see them. Maybe I'll take my parents. They would love to see his new place too.

For now, I am happy our son is enjoying a Taste of Freedom.

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If you would like to read about his move into residence last year, check out this post.

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