West Coast Vacation

For all of you who are wishing my blog was updated a bit more frequently (like the old days) this should keep you going for a few days.  There are a lot of photos, so maybe you will want to read/view it in 2-3 parts.

We had a great vacation, even though it rained a lot and the temperature was a bit cooler than we would have liked.  We still had a blast and were able to relax as well.

Here we are on the ferry to Powell River.  

I sure do not miss BC Ferries.

I must say since pregnancy, I am far more susceptible to motion sickness... 

We arrived safe & sound and made a surprise visit to Dr. Rossouw.  We miss our favorite doctor something awful and it is always a treat to see him.

Hard to believe he delivered Emma (when you see her stand next to him now).

He will always be very special to us... are you sure you don't want to move back to Northern Alberta Peiter??

The sea wall is always a wonderful walk!

(below)

We had a great visit with Harley & Helen and they were very good hosts during our stay.

Emma loved having Max the dog around, and walked him every chance she got (even picked up his poop, no questions asked).

Papa Harley enjoyed having all the kiddies around too and took them walking around the area.

We managed to have one hot, sunny day in PR and Emma & Ethan loved playing in the pool.  Emma is quite the little poser here! 

Emma loved Max so much, she thought she should tie him up to the red shelf in the photo.  Max does not enjoy being "tied up" and he tried to get off his leash.  The shelf tumbled over and so did all the plants on it.

This photo was taken after Helen & I started cleaning up the mess (after the huge crash @ 8:00 a.m.).  I am sure every retired person was out on their door step saying "what the hell was that!"

I gave a few of the old boys in the neighbourhood a show when I bent over to clean up the dirt in my short pj's... oh well, what the hell, I don't live there anymore... lol!

Emma has taken to photography and she is getting pretty good at capturing the moment.  She took this photo of Helen & I while we were walking along the trail.

Just a few family shots...

We checked out the "open air market" on Saturday morning... just like old times.  Emma heard there were "Pony Rides" and she could not get there fast enough.  All we heard in the early a.m. was, "when are we leaving for the market?"  We actually stood up Dr. Rossouw for a visit because of our daughter's excitement... sorry Peiter, hope you forgive us!  

There is always so much to do in such a small time frame!

The kids loved the "pony"  and went for a few rides!

A good friend of ours (Shelly) got married while we were visiting in Powell River.

She looked fabulous and it was great to see her smile & laugh again.

We clean up pretty good still (after 10 years).

Grandma Helen spoiled the kids rotten and they loved it.  Ethan warmed up to her and then there was no turning back.  Every rule was broken, including sitting up on the counter at breaky time (who needs a high chair when you have grandma Helen around). 

Yummy  muffins hey Ethan!

After the wedding we headed to Parksville for our second week of vacation.  

The beach is always a treat in Parksville and the kids had fun exploring for sea life & shells.  When it is low tide, the beach goes out for miles, as you can see from the photos.

Another family photo... 

the scenery & location is a perfect setting.

Rowena really enjoyed herself as well. 

We rented a cottage at a local resort (Oceanside Resort), and it was wonderful.  We loved the location and it was a cute little A-frame cottage with a loft.  It had every luxury of home, including a pool.

One day we invited all our old friends from PR over for a Bar-B-Que, and it was great to see everyone.

Ethan was trying out different ideas for Halloween costumes... here he is going as a case of "Coors Light".  It was pretty funny watching him run around with this on his head.

(in the background, Bob is flippin' burgers, Scott is supervising and Marg & I are indulging in a glass of wine).

Kirstin is so grown up now... time flies!

And little Mackenzie is not so little anymore!

Here's Dar with little Lilah and Scott with Magnus.  

The twins were so sweet...

I never got a photo of Rob, Lee-Ann, Hannah & Jackson 

(they hid from the camera).

It has been 10 years since our last family photo so we decided to monopolize on the fact that the family was all together.

We had a photographer come out to Dean & Claudia's place to capture the moment.

There are a lot of candid shots of us hangin' out while the photographer was busy doing his thing.

All the gals with a special little boy hanging on Mamma's hip!

(it was close to nap time)

The boys down by the creek.

The whole gang on the bridge @ the farm.

Dann getting some lovin' from his boy!

The photos in the barley field turned out awesome!

Great shots of mom & dad!

All the grandkids with Grandma & Papa

Ethan & me just hangin'

Dean's family

Auntie Claudia with Emma & Richelle

I love black & whites!

Claudia's dad, Fritz, built this chapel on the property a few years ago.  It is very beautiful and the detail is amazing.

One day we took Rowena to Victoria to show her around.  We were excited to be able to show her a different part of Canada and she loved it.  She said Victoria was the most beautiful city she has ever been to.

Emma had fun looking at all the boats.

We invested in a boat while we were away... lol!

(in our dreams).

Parliament is always beautiful covered in flowers etc.  Ethan & Emma liked running around on all the green grass.

I miss the hydrangeas... they are breath-taking 

(one of my fav's).

Of course a visit to Victoria would not be complete without a trip to Butchart Gardens.  They make gardening look so easy!

Rowena was very impressed with all the different flowers and their beauty.

Dann got creative with his photography skills as well.

(Emma comes by it naturally).  Here he & Emma are looking into a garden ball and took a photo of their reflection.

After driving by this attraction many times throughout the years, we decided it was time to take in "Butterfly World" just outside of Coombs, BC.

It was like we entered a tropical rain forest and there were butterflies fluttering around everywhere.  The kids loved it!

Ethan is very taken with dinosaurs and when he saw this creature, he thought it was one of his toy dinos.  It was very cute!

There was a mini golf beside our resort, which went over well with Emma.

Cousin Chandler & Richelle met Emma for a round.  She loved to see her older cousins and still talks about them (they are growing up so quickly too).

The trip came to a close with a final farewell breakfast at Whitespot in Parksville.  

Yummy eggs & coffee with great conversation.

Thanks to everyone who made our trip to the west coast so memorable... it was great seeing everyone...

(miss you)!

Happy Birthday To Me!

I thought I would get a new "do" for my Birthday.  

I was wearing my hair up more often than down, so I knew it had to come off (I was a "ponytail" mamma).

I love the new look!

I think I got a few more "fine lines" around the eyes this past year, but I feel great and younger than I did 8 years ago!

Two days ago, Dann came home with this "John Deere  Jeep" for the kiddies.  

A gal at the office asked if our kids would use it.  

Thus far it's been a huge hit!

Papa would be proud, John Deere and all!

Emma loved taking her brother out for a little spin with the new wheels.  I wonder how receptive she will be when he wants to go out driving with her when she's 16 (or maybe 18...lol)?

Dann & his buddy Brock decided they needed a little road trip... some "boy" time (in other words, drinking beer & no parenting).  They headed out to Kelowna for a few days last week.

The guys stayed at Phyl & Ian's, and as usual, they were treated like gold.

Phyl & Ian's house is so beautiful, I had to post it!  

Dann always enjoys the drive through the mountains.

I had the pleasure of staying at home to work & parent...

but my little man's smile made it all worth it!

As promised, only a few weeks late, here are the photos of Emma's FIRST official sleepover with her buddy Darby.  

The tent was a hit, and she is begging for one more sleepover before school starts.

Ethan is always trying to keep up to his big sister (that's nothing new when it comes to siblings).  As you can see, he has some big shoes to fill, but he is doing it with such style!!

I cannot get enough of my little man's curls!!

And his eyes & smile will melt anyone's heart!

summer begins...

I was down loading some photos and thought I would post a few of the high lights of the last few weeks.

I guess summer is in full swing, but the weather could be nicer.  We had a week of HOT weather, but now it is hovering around 16-22'C and I find it a bit chilly for my liking.

The big guy could bring back the 28-32'C temps any time now (after all, there will probably be snow on the ground in less than 10 weeks).

Ethan had an accident yesterday while playing outside. I turned my back for half a second and he walked into Emma's swinging path.  She tried to lift her feet, but smoked him in the face with her knee (or foot, who knows).  Needless to say, some big crocodile tears and loud sobs followed.

His little cheek looks pretty sore, but it does not seem to bother him much... strong little guy!

As you can see in this photo above, Ethan has his 'hands in his pants' (24/7).  Yesterday when I was changing his diaper I told him if he keeps touching his junk, it was going to fall off.  Emma over heard this and asked me "for real?"  Of course I explained to her that I was just teasing Ethan.  He laughed the whole time and kept reaching for the boyz.

If Ethan is not touching himself, his hands are trying to go down Rowena's or my shirt.  He is a true male!!  I thought men learned this behaviour, but it would appear that it is bred into them!

I loved this photo of Emma... I hope her permanent teeth come in as well as her baby teeth did!

We took a quick road trip to Edmonton and made our annual visit to the zoo.  

Emma wanted to ride the train, so Dann took the kiddies while I took photos.

Emma drinking from the hippo's mouth.

Our trip was during the one week of hot weather.  We were visiting some friends and Ethan got a taste of his first Popsicle. 

Kerry & Jim (friends) live on an acreage and Emma had fun playing with their daughter, Abbey, and also enjoyed feeding the donkeys 

Ethan loved the kitten and was petting & kissing him ever chance he could.

The end of June brought an end to school & soccer.

As you can see, Emma accented her uniform with pink runners & pink ponytail elastics...lol!

Ethan was a great fan and cheered Emma on!

My parents came up for a little visit in June and helped us with a garage sale.  Got rid of a lot of Ethan's baby things etc.  I love that feeling... toyz-r-us is slowly moving out!  

I had to leave on a course in Edmonton and my parents stayed one more night to enjoy the kids.  Unfortunately, Emma came down with a bad case of the stomach flu.  She threw up all over her bed, pillow, wall, sheets, comforter (twice).  

She ended up falling asleep on grandma's lap.  I am really sorry I missed it (hahaha).  I mean I wish I could have been there to rock Emma to sleep, but sure am glad I missed the puke clean-up.

Ethan never caught the nasty bug... thank goodness.  He loved reading books on grandma's lap (that lap is multi purpose).

Dann took this pic.  

I love how it is looking down on the kids.  

This pic is one of my fav's!

I love his crazy hair (which got cut again last week)!

Emma is having her first sleep over with her buddy Darby tonight.  I will post the photos of them in the tent tomorrow.  I have to run now and attempt to quiet the girls down... yet again!

Cheers!

Oh My Gosh...

Oh my gosh... what have I been doing for 6 weeks??  I certainly have not been bloggin'.  I will try to make up for lost time.  The photos start from most recent to last month.

First I will start with all our beautiful flowers we (Dann) planted in the front yard.  Although it has not been extremely hot, the long hours of daylight have really helped in the growing time.  As long as 'we' plant harty type plants that can with stand the cool temps, they flourish with new buds.

Above is some type of Geranium and below are a mixture of Petunias along with a few other things (Pansies & stuff)?

I love Pansies 

So we bit the bullet and ordered a new castle bouncer off of ebay.  It arrived the last week of May and it has been a neighbourhood hit ever since.

Dann has wanted to purchase this item for 2 years now.  It actually was a lot cheaper than we thought, and we got an industrial one, so the seams won't rip (like the ones from Wal-Mart etc).

Three of Dann's sisters came to visit us the last weekend of May.  We had a great visit, some good eats and just a little drink... lol!

The kids love spending time with their Aunties and they received an abundance of attention!

This is the group photo at the lake.

Emma & her bud Darby

Ethan is always trying to catch up to Emma.  He runs pretty darn quick, and usually manages to catch her at some point.  He loves going outside for walks, and can say 'walk' & 'out side' very clearly.

Ethan & Auntie Phyllis

Emma with her Aunties

(Cheryl, Phyllis, & Jeannette)

Soccer season is in full swing and Emma always manages to add a splash of pink into her soccer outfit.  This day it was a pink hoody, as it was a cooler evening. Other days, she trades in her black cleats for her pink running shoes.  She is such a girl!

This photo of Ethan is my favorite (at this time).  

He is so darn cute in it, I just want to squeeze him.

Emma has been progressing nicely with her reading, and she enjoys reading certain books to Ethan.  He loves sitting by his big sister to hear a story.

My little girl is getting so big.

She is now 122 cm (4 feet).

Now that's tall!

Ethan & Daddy...

My handsome boys!