Author: Jen

Photos by Auntie Roz

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it or not, but my sister-in-law, Roz, is an amazingly talented photographer who has worked very hard throughout the last year to build her business (Roz Edge Photography) and personal photography style.  Lucky for us, she snapped a few photos of Gracen over the weekend and was kind enough to send them our way.  Grae2Grae

 Aren’t these beautiful? I absolutely adore the soft, whimsical, almost dreamy feel of her photos. 

She’s based out of the Calgary area and does it all – weddings, engagements, maternity, families, kids, newborns, and even boudoir. I highly recommend booking a session with her if you’re nearby. Her prices are ridiculously reasonable, and based on the demand she’s had this year alone, I doubt they’ll stay that way for much longer, so don’t wait.

You can check out her website here and her Facebook page here.

♥

Off to the Beach

After naps for the girls and some down time for the boys, we decided to pack up the kiddos and head to a beach / park this afternoon.  We packed bathing suits just in case, but given the fact that the weather hasn’t been that warm, I figured that the water would be freezing and the kids wouldn’t want to go in.  I was wrong. While the girls stayed on the safe side and stayed pretty dry, the boys went full on swimming. Brrrr!  IMG 5916

Our crew. Minus the mommies of course. Typical situation – mamas behind the cameras.

IMG 5918Splish splash!

IMG 5922Gracen “offering” almonds to Kinslee by shoving them in her mouth.

IMG 5925Papa and his little lady.

IMG 5934Missing feet {and hands}.

IMG 5941Castle building {and crushing}.

IMG 5942Teamwork.

IMG 5952A “Papa push”, as Miss G calls it.

IMG 5959Dry and ready for some playground time.

IMG 5963Strong girl!

♥

Cousinly Love

IMG 5909IMG 5906IMG 5911Okay, so when I mentioned that Gracen LOVES her cousins, I wasn’t exaggerating. Poor Kinslee has spent her morning receiving Grae’s endless hugs and kisses regardless of whether or not she wants them.  She’s been exceptionally accepting so far, but I can’t see it lasting the whole weekend…

♥

Yay for Cousins!

This morning the 3 of us packed up our things and headed into Vernon to Grandma Sue’s house for the long weekend.  My brother, sister-in-law, and their 3 munchkins arrived late last night from Alberta, so we’ve got the whole crew here (not to mention that my dad arrives from Alberta tomorrow too!) Gracen was so excited to see her cousins this morning that she went around handing out hugs and kisses to each one of them on repeat. After hanging out at the house for a little bit, Uncle Gary headed out dirt biking, and the rest of us decided to walk down to a nearby park for some outdoor fun. The kids pulled each other in the wagon, played on the playground, met new friends, and stared longingly at the {closed} peanut pool before it was time to head back for lunch and naps.  Here’s our morning in photos…IMG 5869

Gracen and her cousin, Kinslee, just hanging out in the wagon together.

IMG 5870So happy to be hanging out with her cousins!

IMG 5876Chayton taking the little girls for a spin.

IMG 5879Korbin swinging with his new friends.

IMG 5883Loving the ring toss game Auntie Roz brought along.

IMG 5886A ride courtesy of her {6 weeks} younger cousin.

IMG 5890‘Oh, peanut pool, why aren’t you open?’

IMG 5894A heavy load for KJ.

IMG 5900Perhaps Korbin can sneak us in?

♥

Say Cheese!

IMG 5849I don’t know whether I’ve mentioned the awesome collection of old school toys Grae’s Grandma Charlotte has, but it’s pretty amazing.  From Little People to Potato Heads to Nerfuls to Duplo, she’s saved it all since Miss G’s Papa and Uncle Brett were wee ones.  In the last few days, Gracen has really gotten into Duplo. She and her Papa have sat in the living room building towers and pyramids one after the next.  Today, a new creation came about and when it was done, Grae came to me, proud as a peacock, to show off this… A Duplo camera, complete with a view finder and a little shutter release button. Looks like we’ve got a petite paparazzi on our hands now. 

♥

A Visit with Great Grandma Shirley

IMG 5823IMG 5827No matter how long our vacations in the Okanagan are, we still seem to have troubles making time to see all of our friends and family members during our stays.  It just seems there are always too many plans and not enough time…  Luckily, many of our family members make the trip out to see us, which is always very appreciated.

Today, Gracen’s Great Grandma Shirley was able to come out to the farm and spend the afternoon and evening visiting with Miss G (and us too of course). We played outside, went on a couple of walks, and had dinner, all whilst Grae showed her great grandma her best tricks.

♥

Okanagan Sun

I’m very happy to report that our Okanagan weather is finally back to normal. Thank goodness.  Perfect for lazy afternoons in the backyard just like today’s…IMG 5795

Snacks in the sunshine.
IMG 5798Testing the water.IMG 5800

Rides on Papa the pony.
IMG 5802Time to go in…IMG 5807

Chilly!
IMG 5810Our two ingredient ice cream turned 3 ingredient ice cream – a raspberry sorbet of sorts.IMG 5811

Deeeee-licious!
IMG 5817Doesn’t get much better.

♥

Father’s Day 2.0

Because we didn’t really get to celebrate the real Father’s Day properly last week, we said we’d set aside a little time to do something special during our Okanagan vacation. So this morning, after Bradley had a chance to sleep in, we all got ready, packed up some things, and made our way to Polson Park.  Once there, we played at the playground, explored the park, had a little picnic, opened the gift G and I made for Brad, and visited with the ducks.  Despite the fact that much of the park was covered in a generous layer of water due to the recent rain, it was a gorgeous morning.  The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and the park was as green as could be.

Here is our morning in photos…
IMG 5725Swinging with Papa.

IMG 5727Soooo happy.

IMG 5732Snuggles and sandwiches.

IMG 5740Checking out the water park.

IMG 5743Grae and Mama.

IMG 5747A little gift.

IMG 5760Checking out Papa’s 2nd annual Father’s Day photo book.

IMG 5763“High! More high!”

IMG 5765

High fives while swinging. No big deal.

IMG 5769Hungry ducks.

IMG 5772Sprinkling seeds.

IMG 5790Headed home.

♥

Ice Cream & Wagon Rides

This afternoon I attempted my first ever batch of ‘one ingredient ice cream’ (mine is actually 2 ingredient ice cream because I decided to add pure vanilla) while Gracen and Papa put together a new wagon that Manmaw and PopPop had tucked away in their garage…Two Ingredient Ice Cream

IMG 5713IMG 5716The result was a wagon ride with a bowl of ‘ice cream’ and one very happy doodlebug.

♥