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.

Max, à la Scott

You may have already noticed that there is a variety of picture-quality among the photos on my blog and the truth is that I should have already given credit to my brother, Scott, for all the good pictures that I have posted. It is quite obvious which shots have been taken by Scott - those with perfect lighting, great colouring and pleasant poses (see good shots of Max above) - and the other shots by me - satisfactory for the purposes of documentation (see poor shots of Max above). Well, someday soon, Jeff will have a steady income again and we can splurge on a real camera with a real flash, and hopefully I won't be completely dependent on my brother to take decent photos of my kids, though, of course, I do realize that great shots are not just a product of a great camera - Scott is just good.
By the way, if you care to check out more of his work (including more amazing pictures of my kids), check out: http://davisfamilymedia.blogspot.com/ and then follow the link to his portfolio. Oh, and he is for hire!

Tramps and Guns

Yes, Callum is into tramps and guns. Well, Trampolines and Waterguns, that is! (Oh, aren't I just so funny?)

Jeff was doing an 8am-10pm course over the weekend, so, I decided to take the boys to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few days. We had a bit of a Father's Day BBQ on Saturday too, so my siblings Kim, Kami and Scott came out with their families.