Reading Week, Computers & Sly's Cheese Cake

Last week was Reading Week at the College, so Cam didn't have classes to teach, but he still had to mark labs, papers, and prepare the midterm exam. Despite all that, I managed to coax him out for an afternoon out with the kids and me.
When we got to the garage, the kids pulled out their summer folding chairs and sat down to wait. They looked so cute, Cam had to run in, and grab our Polaroid (yes, we have a Polaroid. Does that surprise you?). Wish we had our digital camera. The picture doesn't do justice to our kids adorability. :)
Anyway, we finally got our act together and drove off. We went to 7-11 for my Slurpee guy, then we drove to Starbucks for my soy latte and hot chocolate for the kids. We had plans to go to the Manitoba Museum, but that fell through when the kids fell asleep in the car! Cam and I bring books to read for just this occasion. We ended up going to St.Vital Mall (the kids' favourite place to hang), and read in the parking lot until the kids woke up. We all went in, had a snack, went to A Child's Place so the kids could play with the Thomas the Tank Engine display, and then we went to the Play Park so Miranda can slide and run around a bit (Luc just wanted to chat with is Dad). We ended a wonderful afternoon with take-out burgers, fries and zeros (Miranda's word for onion rings) from Daly Burger, our favourite local burger joint.

Can you really have *too many* computers?

Apparently, in this household, the answer is no. Last week, Cam had to use the computer upstairs to read his email because the *2* computers on the main floor were occupied. At the time, *I* was making dinner... you do the math.
Yup, as Luc quickly typed away on his computer (he's fast -- he'll be even faster when he learns QWERTY), his little 2.5 yo sis point-and-clicked her way through her own favourite websites. Miranda frequents the hottest sites such as noggin.com, cbc.ca/kidscbc, nickjr.com, and treehousetv.com. She laughs at the funny antics of Max and Ruby, and sings along with the Wonderpets. She's a clever girl, with a wicked sense of humor.
Nick Jr. has a radio webpage that plays all the theme songs on their shows. Miranda turns that on, puts on the green and yellow "dancing princess" dress, matching tiara and wand she got from her buddies Abbey and Genevieve, and starts to dance. This is also the same outfit she wears during her tea parties with Daddy and Lucai... can't wait for the day when she enforces the dress code with her party guests!

The weekend was very busy with Cam's old school buddy Brad's 40th birthday party and Luc's play buddy Jack's 4th birthday party. Cam and Luc went to Brad's on Saturday, while Miranda stayed home to take care of me (I wasn't feeling too well). On Sunday, I took both kids to Jack's while Cam finished some work at home. The kids had fun playing with the other kids and watching the show Jack's parents arranged for the little guests (Luc and Mim were too shy to take part). My buddy Sylvia (Jack's mommy) made a chocolate birthday cake which all the kids enjoyed immensely. She also made an INSANELY delicious cheese cake with fresh blueberries and strawberries on top for everyone else. Miranda snuck up and ate ALL the strawberries arranged artfully on the serving plate. I'm afraid to ask for the recipe -- I'd just make the cheese cake all the time and gain a hundred pounds.
We were the last ones to leave that evening. We definitely had a great time.