Photos of us

It was tough with the horizontal light of a winter afternoon to get a lot of really good shots but she managed to get some really good ones. Looking towards the light was practically impossible, hence the squinting. Some were taken on the property here on Salt Spring Island, and others down by Bourgoyne Bay.

Family Photo time

Sunday at church I asked Debra Moore (a free-lance photographer) if she would have time to take our family photo. She said yes and decided that since the sun would be out this week and Eric was not working until Monday night that we should do it the following day, Monday.
So yesterday when Eric and I woke up and headed into the shower we found that there was no water pressure. We went upstairs to find a note taped to one of the cupboards, from his Dad, that the water pump wasn't working. All I could think of was, "Not today, please of all the days this could happen. The morning of our photos." Well I decided I wanted to go for it anyway. There was enough water for me to wash my face and teeth and my hair looked pretty good (hadn't slept on it funny thankfully). So I told Eric I thought we should go for it. I think this about blew him over as I am the one who has to ALWAYS have my shower. After a few seconds to recover from the initial shock he said,"No, I don't want to do it without a shower." Now it was my turn to be surprised as I had thought if I was willing then surely he would be. Meanwhile, Eric's dad was making phone calls to get someone to check the pump. It just so happened a handy friend of his was at the property already and just zoomed up the drive and was able to fix the pump. We had a little under 2 hours to get ready, plenty of time, and I think everyone ended up looking good. We caught the sun out in the fields before it went behind Mtn Bruce. It was quite chilly so we would put our coats on as soon as we could to avoid our noses and hands from turning red. The only other frustrating thing was that Austin decided he was not going to smile and well when he decides something his stubborn will is nothing to fight against. So hopefully we can get a photo where he is at least looking at the camera.

We are OFF!

When we woke up last Friday morning we were a bit disappointed to see the fresh new snow blanketing the ground. We had heard that we could be getting a storm but hoped they were wrong. Eric and I had stayed up late getting everything packed for our 7 week adventure. In the morning we still had the house to clean and so we didn't load up until about 11am. It is so much nicer to come home to a clean house than to leave with it feeling disorganized so I am glad we took the time to get that done.
For the first hour or so we drove slowly as the roads were quite slick and had yet to see a snow plow. Cars in the ditch reminded us that patience was the best option and not to worry about the time. Up until that day the roads had been snow-free since September so I was regretting not leaving the day before, but who knew and there wasn't much we could have done to change it. By the time we hit Calgary the roads were clear, yeah! There were a few streches in the Rockies that required prudence as conditions were foggy and slick, but all in all we were fortunate to make it as far as we did and safely.
I have to say thank goodness for movies! I feel no guilt in letting my children watch movies for hours at a time while on a long car ride. Sanity and peace are much to important to me...though I did decide to just see what would happen if we left it off for an hour or so. What was I thinking! Screaming, elbowing, name-calling began almost immediately and I thought, "This cannot be possible. They can't already be fighting" But yes, oh yes, it was immediately sibling rivalry playing out in the back seat.
We left Kamloops the next day and headed to Vancouver to visit our friends Patrick and Stephanie. We have been looking forward to spending time with them and they kindly invited us to stay at their home during the visit. Thank you Patrick and Stephanie for such a wonderful visit! The visit included a once-in-a-lifetime seat on a private jet (in the hanger of course) and trips for each of the kids to the cock-pit (Patrick is an aircraft maintenace engineer), a trip to the Olympic Oval, a walk along the dike with Mitsy, cinnamon buns and bluberry pancakes for breakfast, visiting the botanical garden at Queen Elisabeth Park, eating out at Modern Burger (for old times sake), visiting with Tim, and good chats! We hope we didn't tire them out too much as the kids are already asking when they can go back for a visit. Side-note: Poor little Austin came down with a fever before we left and it lingered for 5 days.


Stephanie bought some candy for the kids and Austin stuck close by her!
Patrick and Stephanie taking a few laps around the Olympic rink.

Olivia fell asleep through the whole thing!
Patrick making pancakes! Cinnamon buns to the right by Stephanie!
Patrick and Stephanie were dog-sitting and Mitsy was quite the hit with our kids.



Last Monday we took the kids to the Vancouver Aquarium. When we lived in Vancouver we had a yearly pass and I took Madeleine and Justin frequently. Madeleine remembered the Beluga whales but Justin was only 2 at the time and no such memories have remained, not surprisingly.



We then headed to the ferry terminal where Madeleine convinced us to buy her "just one more birthday present" , a pink wallet. We sat and ate cake we'd picked up from Sweet Obsessions. This was one of our favorite dessert spots while we were in Vancouver and felt quite filled after the 4th piece!
While on the ferry I experienced "a first" that I hope will never be repeated. On the top level of the ferry, on one end, are two play areas for kids. On the one side is a slide and a couple toys, on the other side is a TV. Well Justin and Austin had gone to the TV side and we remained on the other side for a few minutes. When I went to check on them Austin was gone and Justin had no idea where he was. I asked a nearby couple if they'd seen him and they had only noticed Justin, not Austin. I felt like I was in that one movie with Jodie Foster where she loses her daughter on a plane and no one can remember ever seeing her daughter so they think she has made her up. I quickly got Eric and we started circling the aisles on that level, no luck. I quickly grabbed a ferry worker, and through tears, explained I had LOST my 2 year old son. I then headed outside to make sure he hadn't gone out onto the decks. When I came back in the worker said they found him on a lower level. When I saw that little guy I was so relieved and happy that tears would not stop and I just held him tight. That was one of the WORST feelings in the world. What could happen to a child in only minutes...I definitely learned my lesson. In short we arrived safely on Salt Spring Island and were greeted by loving grandparents and a warm dinner. We arrived safely!