What a monkey. Grae snuck off tonight and the house was quiet for several minutes. I knew she was in her room, so I just let her be. Proud as a peacock, this is how she reappeared.
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Category Archives: in photos
Button Play
As much as I love setting up little play invitations for Grae, many activities are initiated by Gracen and come about organically. This morning, as I was answering birthday calls (hello, 31), Miss G found a box of craft goodies we had carried in from the car and left in a heap at the front door (we got in late last night and after what’s supposed to be a 5 hour trip turned into an 8 hour trip, there was little energy left for unpacking things) and immediately gravitated towards the many little pouches of buttons I had stowed away. Having been given the okay nod from me, she started slowly unzipping the pouches one by one and emptying the contents into the bamboo dish that normally houses our remotes.
Such fun. The colours, shapes, sizes, and zipping kept her happily busy for a good portion of the morning while I slowly worked on unpacking things.
Later in the day, as I began gathering dinner ingredients, she came across a couple of clean ice cube trays waiting to be filled and frozen on the counter. I’m not sure what inspired her, but she quickly left the kitchen and returned with her bowl of buttons and the creamer cup from her tea set. Brilliant. I don’t think I could have come up with a better ice cube tray activity on the spot if I tried. I retrieved a blanket, she spread her things out, and happily played until dinner was ready.
I may be discovering new runaway buttons around the house for the next week or two, but having an hour to cook and wash dishes while my girl happily plays independently is well worth the pick up.
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Gido & his Grandkids
As I mentioned before, my dad (a.k.a. ‘Gido), rode up to the Okanagan on his motorcycle this weekend to spend some time with us. This morning, we all met up at the Vernon Lodge for brunch before parting ways and heading home. After breakfast, we decided to try and get a shot of all of the kids with their Gido, which never proves to be an easy task. Kinslee did not enjoy our mini photo shoot whatsoever, and Chay wanted nothing to do with having his photo taken, but turned on his charm when bribed with a giant chocolate brownie. Grae just kind of sat there, and Korbin Jack hammed up the camera the entire time. Here’s what we ended up with:
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Canada Day
Despite the poor weather forecast, we woke up to a GORGEOUS, sunshiny Canada day. And thank goodness, because what would Canada Day be without picnics, playgrounds, and outdoor concerts? We spent our morning at Davison Orchards (again!) with friends and our afternoon at Polson Park with Gido, Grandma Charlotte, and a visit from “my Vernon kids” (a family I babysat for from the time I was 12 years old until I was 25!), and then finished the day off with a pizza party in Grandma Sue’s backyard. Could we have asked for a better day? I think not.
Gracen and Kinslee, ready to celebrate.
Very happy to be back at Davison Ochards’ Kiddie Corral.
Taking in the view.
Spish splash.
Wheeeee!
Kinslee and Uncle Gary inspecting the duck run.
‘I spy a donkey, Mama.’
Sheep feeding with ‘Auntie’ Hayley and Sloan.
Love.
Munchkins! Gracen, Sloan, Korbin, and Kins.
Although not thrilled about it, Chay joined us for a group shot too.
Polson water park fun!
Loving every minute.
Swinging in her swimsuit.
Cousins.
Happy Canada Day, everyone!
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Firsts
Two firsts occurred while visiting Gido up at Davison Orchards today – Gracen tried her first ever Appleanche (a delicious slushy drink made of Davison’s own fresh-pressed pure apple juice) and she sat on her first ever motorcycle (Gido’s). So much fun.
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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. 
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.
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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! 
Our crew. Minus the mommies of course. Typical situation – mamas behind the cameras.
Splish splash!
Gracen “offering” almonds to Kinslee by shoving them in her mouth.
Papa and his little lady.
Missing feet {and hands}.
Castle building {and crushing}.
Teamwork.
A “Papa push”, as Miss G calls it.
Dry and ready for some playground time.
Strong girl!
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Cousinly Love
Okay, 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…
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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…
Gracen and her cousin, Kinslee, just hanging out in the wagon together.
So happy to be hanging out with her cousins!
Chayton taking the little girls for a spin.
Korbin swinging with his new friends.
Loving the ring toss game Auntie Roz brought along.
A ride courtesy of her {6 weeks} younger cousin.
‘Oh, peanut pool, why aren’t you open?’
A heavy load for KJ.
Perhaps Korbin can sneak us in?
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Best Bath Toys Ever
These foam face shapes are meant to go on the bath tub walls, but Gracen thinks putting them on her face and having me take photos for her to look at is just as hilarious. I must say, I agree.
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Say Cheese!
I 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.
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A Visit with Great Grandma Shirley
No 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.
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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…
Snacks in the sunshine.
Testing the water.
Rides on Papa the pony.
Time to go in…
Chilly!
Our two ingredient ice cream turned 3 ingredient ice cream – a raspberry sorbet of sorts.
Deeeee-licious!
Doesn’t get much better.
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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…
Swinging with Papa.
Soooo happy.
Snuggles and sandwiches.
Checking out the water park.
Grae and Mama.
A little gift.
Checking out Papa’s 2nd annual Father’s Day photo book.
“High! More high!”
High fives while swinging. No big deal.
Hungry ducks.
Sprinkling seeds.
Headed home.
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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…
The result was a wagon ride with a bowl of ‘ice cream’ and one very happy doodlebug.
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