Buried Treasure

 
Our friends Ev and Ian are in town from Kamloops and introduced us to something new called "geo-caching." The idea is you go for a hike and look for a hidden cache using a GPS system. So today we got a babysitter and joined them for one of our favorite coastal hikes but added a new twist by looking for the hidden cache. This one was quite easy, but apparently some of them are very hard to find. Once you get to the approximate coordinates, you start searching. You are supposed to bring a trinket with you to put in the box and then you get to take a trinket with you. We got a box of pencil crayons for the girls and an ACDC keychain/bottle opener (who do you think chose each trinket???)There are some kid friendly ones so next time we'll look up one to do with the girls as they'll love the idea of looking for secret treasures! It's a really fun concept!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

 
 
One of my favourite riding partners is Maude. She has a 5 week baby so she's been out of riding comission for a while, but I look forward to the time when we can go out riding together again. In the meantime, her daughter Zoe took Sedona on her favourite trail in Robert's Creek today.

Mama Mia

I went to see the movie "Mama Mia" last night with a couple of girlfriends and it was fabulous! If you like Abba and haven't seen it yet, grab a girlfriend and go. Not only was it appropriate to be with other women because it was a "chick flick" (not to say men wouldn't like it), but it also makes you really appreciate the value of your friendships with other women!A must see!!!!!

If you have an interest in current BC Politics.....

Then you may want to have a read of this...if nothing else for some pretty thorough reporting that doesn't usually make the 6:00pm news.Absolutely no biases being presented here...rather a celebration of investigative journalism.
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Artists in Action

 
 
Inspired by Robert Munsch' book "Purple, Green and Yellow" where the main character draws all over herself.

A New Ritual?

Aja did not want to sit in her booster seat or on my lap to eat dinner tonight, so I put her in her own chair at the small table and she sat happily feeding herself her entire bowl of soup.

Trail a Bike Video

One Big Happy Family

 
We are sad to say goodbye to Nichole and her family- she's been taking care of Sedona for the last 2 years and Aja for the last few months in her in-home daycare. We couldn't think of a better person to take care of our children and are so grateful for the care that she provided. So tonight we had one last gathering at our place with all the kids from the daycare and their families. It was great watching all the kids run around together in a big posse- they know each other so well and are like a big happy family!

Thormanby Island

 
 
 
 


Our friends took us over to Thormanby Island the other day in their boat. It's about a 20 minute ride to a beuatiful beach (we went to the less crowded one so we were the only ones there)! It was wonderful watching the kids play at the beach all day. Grayson is a year older than Sedona and Carter is a year younger and then Bennet is a year younger than Aja so it's a nice age span. We explored, swam, played frisbee, built sandcastles, dug holes, roasted hotdogs and enjoyed the sun. Thanks Dave and Jeanette!

Wormy Lake

A few days ago, Chris took us to his old fishing hole: Wormy Lake. We went in the morning and it was so quiet and peaceful canoeing around the small lake. Aja loved the feel of the Lily Pads and water running through her fingers! The view of the Sechelt Inlet on the way up is always a treat too!

Creative Dance in the Park

 
As part of the Arts Festival, there were some workshops in the park for kids. Sedona went to a Creative Dance class and really enjoyed it. She wants to start ballet classes in the fall so this was a nice warm-up.(She's the one to the right of the teacher).

An afternoon at the beach with Cousin Owen

 
 

She's a girl alright!

 
I thought that Sedona was a bit early with her sense of fashion when she started choosing her own outfits at 1 1/2 years old. However, Aja is starting to head in the same direction at 15 1/2 months. She doesn't always do it, but there are times where she definitely wants to wear something, especially a bathing suit. So we've been known to go to the grocery store in her bathing suit or go for a walk on a colder day in long sleeves with a bathing suit on top! And here she is showing that she really is a girl- carrying a purse. She toted this around with her all day yesterday- she filled it up with Lego at least, instead of jewels and cosmetics.

The Joys of Development

I have just been reflecting the last few days on how much I enjoy the different stages of child development. Both of the girls are in a really neat stage right now in different ways. Aja is an amazing communicator- she knows quite a few signs in sign language(more, eat, milk, help, thank you, home, again, sleep, all done) and acts out her own signs at times as well. Tonight, for example, she wiped her mouth with her hands to show me she wanted a cloth to clean the applesauce she was feeding herself- pretty cool! She's been signing for a few months, so what's even neater is her language development all of a sudden. She is coming up with new words every day and is trying to repeat words we say all the time. It' so much fun to listen to her and be able to understand what she's saying!!!
Now, the part I'm enjoying about Sedona is the social aspect and watching her in her friendships. Today we were at a local park with friends listening to some live music and Sed and her buddy ran around for 2 hours happy as could be without needing much parental supervision. Every time we go to the park or beach now, Sedona makes a new friend. She'll play with whoever's there and ask their name, make up games with them etc. It's really fun to watch the interaction and see these social skills develop!

Ontario 2008 Picasa Slideshow. For your viewing pleasure

Here are some pics from our Ontario trip. CLICK on the picture for the slideshow to begin. The first week was spent in Georgetown with Grandma Lou and Grandpa Bri doing city stuff and relaxing by the pool. The second week Nan and P.K. rented a cottage a couple of hours North of Toronto on Mary Lake. It was a full house with 3 other families in attendance. Sedona and Aja got some serious quality hangtime with their Ontario cousins. Sedona and Marly (6) were inseperable. They totally entertained each other and we hardly saw Sedona that week. It gave us a taste of what's to come in a couple of years as our girls get older. We actually got to sit back and relax, play some tennis, go running and read by the lake! Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful trip!

ontario2008