Nothing too bad that a towel can't keep up with. We're sticking with it, but we have to keep our supply of GUM up in the house.

We're giving it a try. Mac has shown an interest and we have enough time and hopefully enough patience to give it a go. Mac loves Gum, so his "reward" for a successful pee is a half piece of gum. It seems to be working. Kelli went out and bought a bunch of big boy underwear to keep him focused on keeping dry.

I love this stage in their development. Both Ella and Grace are expressing themselves by smiling and giving you the occasional cooing sound. I am in going to be in big trouble as they grow, because a single smile melts my heart. They have a power over me for sure.

I am so happy to be spending time with all of the family this summer. It's going to be great.

We had all the grand-kids dressed in white T shirts with jeans down at the beach for a professional photo shoot as a Mothers Day gift for Nanny Pat. It was quite the ordeal getting everyone up and ready for the shoot. It was fun and for the most part everyone cooperated. I took a shot or two as they were working, so I should have it up in the next round of the photo gallery. The Girls were in a jean dress and jean capris with white sleepers underneath. It was a lot of fun.

Mac has had his first experience with Gum today. He seems to have mastered the art of chewing and not swallowing. This is a good thing, since I don't want to have to deal with an upset tummy. On the other hand, he likes to take it out of his mouth and play with it by sticking it on multiple objects only to put it back into his mouth later. Not the most sanitary snack, but he's adamant on keeping it once it has been chewed.

Kelli decided to put Mac down for a the night this evening. It has been a while since she has done it. She's been awesome looking after the girls while I handle the night time ritual with Mackenzie. She had a pleasant surprise when he treated her to over 45 minutes of chatter about everything on his mind. This included songs, actions, stories of people including Jon, Alison, Dave, Susan, Piper and Ronnie, Papa, Grandma, Nanny ...... the list goes on and on and on. She said he wouldn't stop, but at the same time I am sure that it was something that you didn't want to stop if you were there - it must have been sooooo cute!

I sent Kelli to bed early so that I could finish making her Mothers day gift. It's a molding clay handprint photo frame - from each of the girls. I'm going to have Mike give me a hand finishing it up sometime before the girls go down to bed for good around midnight.

Kelli and the girls went into town to go shopping today. Mike, Liam, Mason, Jaden, Mac and I went to a national park playground to have some guy time digging in the sand and having a pick nick lunch. What a blast! We had the place to ourselves, we were behind the dunes in a small park at the end of a road. No one was around and we had the run of the place. We dug in the sand, played on the monkey bars and had an all around great time. Mike and I had a beer as I emailed a friend of mine from my phone just to say that I was out playing in PEI - I still don't believe it.

After playing in the park, we drove down to North Rustico for an ice cream and a snack. On the way back to the cottage, Mac fell asleep, since we blew off his nap (3rd day in a row - not good). I couldn't resist taking a picture of the tired little guy still strapped in his car seat. When we got to the cottage, he was still sound asleep, so I decided to open the car windows and join him in a cat nap - we slept for over 1/2 hr!

Kelli and the girls just got back a little while ago - they had a productive day shopping. Ella was awake most of the day, while Grace snoozed. They experienced "PEI Time" while waiting in line at Zellers and again at the corner store - both from the same person. Luckily, Dana and Kelli just stepped back and took a breath to remind themselves that things run a little slower here.

Papa came over from Saint John to get his Mac fix. Mackenzie's eyes lit up and he got very excited when he drove down the lane and got out of his car. They explored the beach, tried to fly a kite in the wind and papa got a hand held tour of the cottage.

The love he has for his papa is undeniable.

Awesome. I made Pat's seafood chowder with 5 cans of lobster for dinner tonight. Kelli was in town kid-less shopping for groceries and picked up all the required pieces to make this dish. Man it was good.

Some old friends of Pat's came over from Saint John to visit and see the grand-kids. Fuzzy (yup, that is what she likes to be called) was amazing with all the girls. I said that she jumps up faster then a bullfrog on a frying pan whenever one of them makes a noise. It was a welcome break for us as well as a great opportunity for Pat to show off her grandchildren.

All the "old folks" (parents and grandparents) stayed up chatting and having a good time while the kids slept. Great time had by all.

Ella decided to have some awake time this morning. I've been up with her watching "man in the iron mask" with DiCaprio. Bad movie, but good quality time with Ella. When she finally fell asleep on me, I didn't want to put her down. I love the feeling of having a sleeping baby on ya - they smell so good, even with the lingering odour of baby spit up.