April 30 1974

My husband was born this day a loooong time ago!

Keith doesn't read my blog but I wanted to acknowledge him anyhow.

He's been my rock for 18 years now and I love him so much.

Happy Birthday to an excellent husband, father and friend.

Salt Spring Island

About three years ago our friends Jenn & Christian (and kids) moved to Salt Spring Island. We've seen them a very few times since and always on the mainland when they've come to visit family. We decided it was high time to visit them now that their new home was finished and they weren't living in a camping trailer anymore :)

Early Saturday morning we packed up the brood and set sail for SSI!

Nathan and Chad taking great care of Liam in the back seat. Keith and I never have to worry about Liam with his big brothers there entertaining him.

Liam practices his driving skills at the Tswwassen terminal as we await our ferry. It was very cold and windy but the older boys enjoy the playground there.

A lovely fellow saw us making Nathan take our picture and offered to get our entire family for us. We were lucky enough to sail on one of the newest ferries. It was really quite beautiful, new and clean. We enjoy the sun deck. We could watch the waves and stay sort of warm too. Nathan hadn't been on a ferry since he was two and Chad never. They really liked it!

This picture was taken on the next ferry to SSI. It was very small and most people just stayed in their vehicles. It took about 35 minutes.

This is their lovely new home. Isn't it a gorgeous setting? You can see it's construction photos at www.houseofstone.blogspot.com. I know there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into their house!

The boys immediately found the dress up box! They are all such good friends even though the visits are so few and far between.

Jenn made us some scrumptious meals. Here is Keith partaking in some fluffy pancakes topped with his fruit salad. Add a hot cup of coffee and that is one happy man.

Liam was a perfect travelling baby. He was happy, slept well, ate well and generally didn't cause us any undue stress. He appears to thrive with new environments and lots of stimulation. Look at that beautiful view out their window. The boys played in the forest back there all the time. There is a wee creek running through as well.

Good thing Liam likes his car seat. He had many good sleeps in there!

We drove up one of the local moutains to see the fabulous views. Wow....the picture just doesn't do it justice at all. It was quite breath taking.

On Sunday, they took us to Ruckle Beach. It was a stunningly beautiful park with so much to explore.

The kids loved touching the sea anenomes and starfish. Jenn thinks she's a marine biologist and gave us a little lesson on many of the creatures we saw.

This is Christian with his two wives. Actually, Jenn and I decided we each would like a wife!

We had fun doing all the kitchen work at double the speed things usually get done.

Ahhhhh...good times with good friends. It was so nice to see them and explore their beautiful surroundings. The air there was so fresh and actually delicious. I just kept breathing in great big lungfuls. Yum!

The kids.....finally we get them together for a group shot.

Isaiah just got a new camera so he was very busy snapping pictures...just like me!

Just playing with some saturation settings on this one.

The backpack was just perfect for our trip. There was no place to push a stroller at all!

The boys decided to set the driftwood back to sea. As we walked away it was already back at shore, beating against the rocks. You can't fight nature!

Have you ever seen purple starfish before? So cool!

Yes, it's a good thing Liam was strapped in tight. It's a wonder he didn't puke all over Keith's neck!

Back at Fulford Harbour where the ferry terminal is located. We stopped for a short time before we boarded to explore a few shops. This organic cafe was most unique. We saw a few hippies, not that my kids knew what hippies are!

This particular busker was banging a drum and playing a digery-do (sp?). Unique indeed.

Her side kick was a mediocre juggler. He saw us walk in and pounced on us right away hoping for some spare change. He said....'Hi! I've come all the way from Nova Scotia to show you my balls!'.

Hey thanks dude for saying that to the kids. Jeez. I added a small clip for your viewing pleasure.

The wee village of Fulford Harbour. A most interesting people watching location.

After riding the ferry back to Schwartz Bay we had hoped to make the 7 pm sailing. No such luck. We got there at 6:48 pm and the 7 pm sailing had been sold out since around 5 pm. We settled in for a long wait as the next one was at 9 pm. BUT.....the annoucements came on and we heard there was an unscheduled 8 pm sailing going to happen that night. Yippee! We were thrilled. The kids were hungry and I needed to use the ladies. Good news all around. So we thankfully had some yummy White Spot burgers and enjoyed the smooth sail home.

The boys right before sailing. They were so tired they fell asleep in the car on the ride back to town. Completely unheard of!

Wow...that was a long post. Thanks for sticking with me to the end....if you are reading this you know who you are :)

Thank you Christian, Jenn, Isaiah, Brennan & Abby for the wonderful time! Nathan says he's moving to SSI as soon as he's grown up. Maybe you'll still be there!

Chad's Birthday Adventure

Chad received a unique gift from my mom for his birthday. It was a trip on the West Coast Express into Vancouver. Chad was so excited to be able to ride the train. Nathan was also very happy to be included on this adventure and Chad was okay with that. They set off on Friday morning in the wee small hours.

They walked for miles and miles and MILES and finally came to Prospect Point in Vancouver where they had lunch. I knew what the boys ate even before they told me. Chicken strips for Chad and grilled cheese for Nathan. So predictable!

From the looks on their faces when they got home I knew they had an awesome day. The weather was perfect. The boys got to spend a very fun day with BOTH their grandmas!

The kids were exhausted that night and I do hope both our moms recovered!

Seven Months

Happy 7 month birthday Liam!

His latest accomplishments:

~army crawling to where ever he has a mind to go

~ happy screaming at the top of his lungs and shattering our eardrums....for fun

~being left to cry in his crib at night when he wants a middle of the night snack and surviving

~eating his toes

~babbling and 'talking' all day long

~eating huge amounts of solid food and enjoying every new taste

~almost sitting up on his own

~being curious and loving new experiences and going new places

Liam just gets more fun with each passing day!

The Easy Party

Chad already started talking about what sort of birthday party he wanted way back in the beginnng of March. It changed from time to time but the idea he mentioned most often was a sleep over. I told him that was okay with me but it could be one friend only. Chad didn't hesitate to tell us that it would be his very best friend Justin. So.....Saturday came and Justin arrived to spend the night with Chad. They had a fabulous time!!!

Chad requested tacos for dinner. Easy.

Chad wanted ice cream cake for dessert. Easy.

Chad was thrilled with his gifts. Easy.

I tossed them in the hot tub with glow sticks (and Keith:)) before bed which made them very sleepy. Easy!

It's Your Birthday...It's Your Birthday

Enjoy your first day of being '8' Chad! You are our special 'middle' born and everyone knows the middle of the sandwich is the BEST!!!!

Easter Wrap Up

We had two wonderful Easter dinners this past weekend. Unfortunately on Sunday I wasn't feeling too well and didn't get any pictures of the kids with their Easter baskets or anything! I made up for it in spades by taking lots of photos yesterday at Keith's family Easter supper. This year us kids took over the kitchen to give Keith's mom a break. It was a fabulous dinner with great team effort.

It was beautiful last week when the sun came out. The back deck was actually quite warm and it was absolutely divine to sit back there an soak up the heat. Liam is quite entranced with being outside and will just sit and observe for as long as we keep him out there.

I've recently introduced Liam to teething biscuits. He's been in an awful mood lately due to teeth (my best guess) and this keeps him happy for a good 10 minutes at least! It's messy but to not hear him whinge for a while is worth it to me!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my readers.

I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself because I didn't get to attend church today. I have an empty feeling and I missed it very much! Unfortunately I came down with an evil UTI and Keith was out all night investigating a fire.

We are heading to my mom's soon for a ham dinner and I do hope that it gives me that 'Easter' feeling!

No matter what I may be feeling I do have a heart full of gratitude for Easter and all it means to Christians around the globe.

What a Sense of Humor!

I suppose that in the business of vasectomies, the doctor ought to have a well-developed sense of humor. It's awkward at best for all involved and a few laughs does seem to help make it all a teensy bit better.

The doctor that put an end to our child bearing years indeed has taken the whole process to quite the comedic level. His website and brochures are completely hilarious!

Remember back when you were a kid and the dentist would present a tray of beautiful 'rings' or toys to chose from after a successful check-up. Well it seems Dr. Rich also has 'treats' for his patients who come back for their follow up visit and 'pass' the test. Keith came home last week with a pen and a few temporary tattoos! Aren't these hilarious!!! But truly....would anyone EVER apply one to their body?!?!

Happenings

Here's a look at what's been going on the past week or so....

My Dad celebrated his birthday on April 1st. My mom had us over for a delicious dinner and scrumptious birthday cake.

We had a 'girls night'. So much fun chatting, laughing and eating. All of a sudden it was midnight and the night came to and end. We were just getting warmed up! I wish I had taken a shot of all the gals. Next time.

Liam had his 6 month portraits taken.

I got to see what it would be like to have two sets of twins AND Liam. The boys best friends who are the same age as them over for a few days. It was actually much easier that I expected and a good time was had by all.

All six of us manage to squish around our small kitchen table.

The boys enjoyed sharing their bedrooms. I expected them to fool around at night but they were all out like a light within minutes of setting down their heads.

And finally my 'ice cream' has been altered. I used to like Breyers. Have you noticed that the carton now says 'Frozen Dessert'? It's not ice cream anymore. It tastes bad too. I guess it's back to Birchwood Dairy ice cream for us!