Sunshine Coast, again.

I can see there being increasingly more posts in this blog that include the Sunshine Coast, as we seem to really like it there. The boys and I all got healthy and happy again, so we left town for a few days to stay with Sven at a holiday-ing doctor's house (as Sven was covering for him at the hospital in Sechelt). It was a most relaxing and pleasant place (as you can see from the photo of me perusing a cooking magazine whilst sitting in a most scenic reading spot) and even Callum didn't want to come home. The house happens to sit on the largest piece on waterfront property in Robert's Creek, so it is just gorgeous.

We also spent some time on the project site to see the progress on Kim and Sven's house. Comin' along nicely, indeed. The first photo is patched together of a few shots, looking up the hill (click on it to get a bigger image), while the other two show some of the landscaping work with boulders and the front entry.

Ugly weather, strep throat, and grumpy Mom.

So, time flies when you're having fun? Well, what about time flies when things are crummy? The weather hasn't been so nice, so we were indoors a lot and then this past week my boys were sick. Fever and sore throat and a lot of whining, so I finally took them to the doctor on Thursday to find out they have Strep Throat. Now the boys are on antibiotics and after a week of only 2-3 hours of sleep every night, my own body is crashing - fever, sore throat, dizzy head, emotional up and downs, and I won't tell you about the exceptionally frustrating experience I endured at a Medical clinic in Delta yesterday.

Anyway, it's my birthday today (zip-a-dee-do-da) and I am home alone to feel sorry for myself while the boys are at grandma and grandpa's, Jeff is out sailing for the day and I am too sick to bother brushing my teeth.

Well, here is a couple shots of "fun" in the apartment:

What a Week!

Callum got a bike! We ended up buying a used one from Craigslist since we wanted a Run-Bike - no pedals (supposedly better to teach balance so he can skip training wheels altogether), and he has made incredible progress over just a few days. He loves it (and won't leave the house without it, actually).



So, this heat has motivated me to take my kids to about every waterpark, beach or pool within walking distance of our place, and actually, that is quite a lot: Sunset Beach, English Bay, Coal Harbour Waterpark, Second Beach Pool, Kitsilano Beach and Granville Island Waterpark (though we took a boat for those last two).

Holiday Monday we went to Lynn Canyon and met up with Kami and her boys, Scott, Samantha and Lorelei, plus Kim and Adam. Lots of fun.





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Lovin' da Summa

Anyone else feeling contented about the quality of summer days we've been having? I have to say that I think my boys are particularly blessed to live in such an amazing city with so many gorgeous places to visit. This morning it was Ambleside Beach, where we met up with Kim and Adam (again) to play at the scenic park and wading pool.

I have also managed to take a couple pictures of Max that I think are actually pretty sweet - he is finally starting to get cute (well, it's tough being Callum's brother, you know), especially when he is bouncing around in his Jolly Jumper!

Sisters Retreat

My 3 sisters and I took a long-overdue weekend away together. Kim, Krista, Kami and I went to Canmore for 3 days to talk, explore, talk some more, eat, talk some more, and hike. Krista took us up Mt.Kananaskis and it was an adventure that included bush-wacking, hiking through a creek, scrambling up shale slopes, bouldering up cliffs and enjoying many gorgeous views of the mountains. There were only a couple times that we actually feared for our lives as we navigated around the summit, but we had a great time and are now suffering sore thighs, knees and ankles (well, Kim, Kami and I are anyway).

Meanwhile, Jeff got to spend quality time with his 2 sons. He didn't just stay home and plug them in front of the TV - he took them to the Sunshine Coast with Sven and Adam (to check up on the house construction), and went to the beach and park and they had a lot of fun together.

Saturday Adventures

So, we have been trying to make the best of our Saturday's: Several weeks ago we explored Lighthouse Park in West Van. Two weeks ago it was an adventure in Deep Cove for some Honey's Donuts (if you've never tried these donuts, if you can call them merely donuts, it is highly worth the trip out there!). Last Saturday it was a trip to Toys R Us (to buy Callum a Transformer, a baseball bat and a potty seat), then a BBQ on the beach with friends.

Just this past Saturday, we headed over to Lynn Valley Park (see pictures above). It has changed a lot since I was a kid, but the park and suspension bridge are still free-of-charge (and I have yet to actually pay the money to visit Capilano's bridge), and still beautiful. Max really enjoys the fresh air and is generally happy to just lie on the ground chewing on his hands while Callum wanted to go swimming in the water (until his toes went numb).

Patriotism

Canada Day was our church picnic on Locarno Beach. I had bought Callum and Max these patriotic T-shirts to wear, but it was too windy to have only shirt sleeves on, so no one really got to appreciate them except me. But, it was probably better that Callum had another shirt on, since the SpiderMan popscicle he chose from the Ice Cream Truck melted all over in pink and blue swirls, staining his mouth, hands and shirt.