On the way home from visiting family this afternoon, Miss G napped in the car from about 3:30 until almost 6:00 p.m. Definitely not the best move for a little lady who is normally in bed for the night by 6:30 p.m., but I was car sick and the lack of questions being fired in my direction provided some much appreciated quiet. So a late car nap it was – meh. Key to not having a little lady up until 10 p.m., however, was getting outside and getting some fresh air and physical activity after dinner. So that’s what we did… Went exploring! We fed the cows, visited the Aunties, and collected berries and flowers along the way. The plan turned out perfectly and we had a bathed bubba happily tucked in bed by 8:30. And some pretty pictures of our evening adventure. ☺
Category Archives: in photos
Flying High
This morning we headed out to Kamloops to visit some family we have there, as well as my Baba who is in town visiting. I took almost no pictures during our visit, but I did manage to capture this one of Brad and Grae playing in the backyard pool. There’s something special about being thrown high in the air by your Papa knowing that you’ll be caught safely on the way down, isn’t there? By the number of times Miss G exclaimed, ‘AGAIN! AGAIN!’, I’d say she agrees with me.
Grateful
There’s nothing like a few years in Kuwait to make you truly appreciate Canada. I could easily fill several pages with all of things I’m extremely grateful for here at home, but nature is, without a doubt, near the top of my list. Being able to enjoy spending time outdoors… Mountainsides covered in trees… Green grass. Wide open spaces. Wildflowers growing in ditches. Fields of corn. Kids running in backyards… Sometimes it’s all a little overwhelming. And the sad part is that until we moved to the Middle East 7 years ago, it was all too easy to just take it for granted. Thankfully, Gracen seems to truly understand the beauty that is where we call home. Several times during our summer vacation she’s paused while out on a walk, taken a long, slow breath in, and in an airy voice said, ‘Ahhh… This air just smells so amazing.’ She often comments on how beautiful leaves and flowers and trees are, and more often than not has a very special rock or stick in her hand. My hope is that she continues to see the beauty around her {even if it means she continues to hug and kiss grass, trees, and other things while outdoors – not joking}, and I’m going to do the same {the being appreciative part – not the kissing grass part}.
So even though I’ve taken and shared a gazillion photos of our outdoor adventures already, here are a few more – simply because they’re too good to pass up. Another day on the farm, but this time with a friend…
Water Fight {round 2}
Today pretty much looked like this…
Backyard Waterfight
Playground Morning in Cochrane
One thing we just cannot get enough of while in Canada is the awesome parks and playgrounds. During the two years we spent in Vancouver between Kuwait stints, Miss G and I started every morning with a walk around the neighbourhood and an inevitable stop at a playground of some sort. Sadly, in Kuwait that’s just not our reality. Heading out the door for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood is next to impossible, playgrounds are few and far between and not at all well maintained, and much of the year it’s too hot to spend half of your day outdoors {especially on playground equipment}. SO, we make the most of it while we can. A summer filled with park and playground visits simply can’t be a bad thing, right?
Happy Canada Day! {2014}
This year, we decided to spend our Canada Day soaking up the sunshine and fresh air out on my brother’s new boat. We packed up the kids, a cooler filled with yummy food, and headed out to Chestermere, a nearby town with a little lake. Unsurprisingly, the lake was super busy which was a bit of a pain, but the kids had an awesome time anyways. Miss G was eager to try tubing for the second time today, and she loved it just as much as the first. We had such a great day and I am so thankful to be able to call this beautiful country home. Happy birthday, Canada.
The Bow Building
Our Big Hills Springs Park Disaster
Today after our visit to The Bow and lunch at a trendy pizza and wine restaurant downtown, we decided that we needed to get the kids out somewhere where they could run and let off some steam. We headed to Big Hills Springs Park, a provincial park not far from where my brother and sister-in-law live.
Now & Then
The photo above is, without a doubt, one of my favourite photos of all time. It’s not professionally shot or artistic {or even edited for that matter}, but it perfectly depicts Miss G and her little cousin Kinslee exactly how they were as babies {Kins – outgoing, fearless, and up for anything, while Miss G, cautious, sensitive, and reserved}.
At Baba’s House
With the weather forecast calling for a whole lot of rain today, we decided to pack up the crew and head to our Baba’s house a couple of days early today. Turns out that the weather was pretty awesome and we probably could have had another lovely day out on Sylvan Lake, but there’s truly no better place than Baba’s house. Here, you’re given little glass bowls of honey to dip your popcorn into. Here, picking beautiful flowers from the gardens is allowed. Here, latex gloves are rounded up and distributed in hopes of making bubble catching missions more successful. Here, everyone drinks from fancy glass goblets and there’s not a bat of an eye when one breaks in two. Here, you’re welcomed with open arms, even on the shortest of notice…
Boating at Sylvan Lake
Growing up, we spent a lot of time out on the lake. My dad barefooted, my mom slalomed, and my brother and I loved to tube, kneeboard, and spend time ‘swimming’ in the middle of the lake. I can’t count the number of times Gary and I cocooned ourselves in dry towels and spent the bumpy ride back to the marina tucked right under the dash after a long day of sunshine, wind, and water. Oh, the days… Some of my favourite childhood memories, without a doubt.
Well today, we got to begin creating those same with our own little ones. After wanting one for many, many years, my brother finally bought himself a boat a few days ago. A beautiful one. A big wakeboard boat with a great sound system and room for plenty of munchkins and friends. And though the weather forecast looked terrible last night, we decided to stick with our original plan of heading to Slyvan Lake for the weekend and I’m so glad we did. We spent our afternoon and evening on the water soaking in the sunshine, blue skies, and fresh air {yay for inaccurate weather reports!} and paused only for a moment to pick up some dinner from shore.
The highlight of the day? My very cautious, very sensitive water-loving little lady went tubing for her very first time ever. I was a wee bit surprised when Uncle Gary asked who would like to try tubing and Miss G immediately responded with a loud, ‘ME!!’, but after hearing about the possible outcomes and watching her cousins try it first, she was still raring to go, so she did. And she loved it too. She loved it so much, in fact, that she spent a good part of her time behind the boat singing ‘Let it Go’, complete with the dramatic arm movements. Hah! The day ended with a very proud Captain Grae taking us home for a very late bedtime, but it was absolutely worth the tired grumpiness that will undoubtedly ensue tomorrow morning.
Here’s our day in {a ridiculous number of} photos…
Playground Morning
With the big boys off to school this morning, Roz and I decided to take the girls to a beautiful new playground this morning. I can’t say how lovely it is to visit a clean, well maintained park where the equipment is all in good working order and not too hot to touch after 10 months in Kuwait… Such a treat, and quite obviously, Miss G thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Photos by Auntie Roz
This afternoon Grae’s Auntie Roz came in the house from a photo shoot and suggested that we make the most of the gorgeous clouds and light by bringing the girls outside for a little walk and shoot of their own. It goes without saying that we immediately jumped at the opportunity {you absolutely do not turn down gorgeous Roz Edge Photography images} and we headed out into the field in our gumboots. The images turned out absolutely gorgeously and though I may have done my hair or put on some make-up had I known I’d have my photo taken this afternoon, I’m beyond grateful to have some images of me and my little lady {and my little niece}.
Here are some of my favourites…
Rugby Day
This morning we packed up all four kids, piled into the vehicle, and headed out Red Deer first thing in the morning for a rugby tournament. Both of Grae’s boy cousins play and it was so much fun to watch their games. The little girls kept busy on the sidelines with activities, bouncy castles, and for Grae, countless performances of ‘Let It Go’ {complete with dramatic arm motions and day dreamy facial expressions}.
Here is our day in photos…