Playground Morning in Cochrane

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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?

Our Big Hills Springs Park Disaster

6 / 30 / 147 / 17 / 14

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

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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}.

Playground Morning

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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

6 / 23 / 147 / 3 / 14

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

6 / 21 / 147 / 17 / 14

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…

Life On the Farm

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After a fairly decent sleep last night given the fact that we just arrived back in Canada yesterday afternoon, Miss G and I were up early and ready to soak in the outdoors this morning. Lucky for us, my brother and sister-in-law live on a giant farm which they’ve recently begun converting into a petting zoo {okay, not for real, but my sister-in-law may have a serious small animal collecting problem}. With Grae’s two big boy cousins off to school for the morning, us girls went around the farm meeting and feeding the animals, picking dandelions, playing games, and jumping on the trampoline. After a splatter session at a local art studio, some shopping, and some dinner, we ended the day back outdoors, but this time with all of the cousins together.

Here is our day in photos…

A Morning Egg Hunt

3 / 31 / 134 / 5 / 13

This morning we all gathered at Grandma Sue’s house for a big Sunday brunch and a backyard egg hunt with all of the cousins.

Now before I go on, I must admit I was totally clueless about the fact that the Easter Bunny is the one who hides eggs for kids to find. Seriously – what?! I knew he (or she) was in charge of leaving Easter baskets, but i guess I just thought parents hid eggs in the yard for kids… Is that crazy? Anyways, I’m glad I had this epiphany last night in the company of my brother and sister-in-law, because I totally would have been the terrible Auntie to ruin it all by saying something like, “Okay, guys. Your daddy and I need a minute to hide all of the eggs” after breakfast this morning.

Knowing what I now know, we asked all of the kids to go downstairs and play while we tidied up the breakfast dishes, and Gary and I snuck out to quickly stash the eggs around the yard. That Easter Bunny sure is a smart rabbit… He (or she) left a baker’s dozen of one colour of eggs for each child, thus allowing the slower ones enough time to uncover their treasures (and us to make sure Miss G got all of the eggs filled with Gracen-style treats).

The hunt went really well. The boys’ eggs were hidden well enough to keep them busy for almost the whole time, the kids were great about only collecting their colour of eggs, and everyone was excited about their goodies.

Grae’s eggs were filled some of her favourite snacks (trail mix, sunflower seeds, healthy banana chips, cashews, dried pineapple, and seedy crackers), my homemade healthy crispy rice treats formed into egg shapes, some fun glitter glue, stickers, and mystery capsules. She was pretty excited to say the least.

I know that there are a million perks to going and that we’ll be home for 3 months of summer each year, but mornings like this make me a little bit sad that we’ll be taking Gracen away from her cousins and grandparents come August…

♥

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My Babies.

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Perhaps my favourite photo of the entire weekend… This bunch has my heart.

♥

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Easter Dinner on the Farm

3 / 30 / 134 / 4 / 13

Tonight Brad’s parents had everyone, including all of my family, out to their place in the country for a big Easter dinner. The Okanagan has been blessing us with some amazing weather, and because of it, we spent almost the entire night outside in the backyard. Barefooted babies, football tossing, and ridiculous amounts of delicious food made for an absolutely lovely evening.

Here is our night in photos…

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of her cousins.

Grandma Sue and her girls.

Dinner outdoors.

Girl talk.

Little performer.

♥

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A Morning at the Park

3 / 30 / 134 / 4 / 13

Okanagan sunshine, my girl, my ma, my adorable niece, and my two sweet nephews… It all makes for a pretty great morning.

♥

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Let’s Get the Party Started

3 / 29 / 134 / 4 / 13

As of 3 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, my brother had officially told my mom that he and his clan would not be making it to the Okanagan this weekend. I had no idea, and when I spoke to him later that night I talked about a big Easter dinner with the whole crew, a big backyard egg hunt for the littles, and the amazing weather that was supposed to be in store for all of those in the Okanagan. The conversation started at 8:07 p.m. and by 8:15, he’d committed to packing up the entire crew and hitting the road by 10 a.m. on Friday. Now that’s the persuasion of a big sister. ☺

We all gathered at my mom’s place tonight and celebrated with a big dinner, the kids running around the backyard barefoot, and Gracen staying up way past her {usually very early} bedtime.

♥

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iPhoneography // Long Distance Chat

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‘hello?’ // cousin Kinslee

girl talk // funny faces with Uncle Gary

Tonight Uncle Gary called and after not so successfully talking to Grae on the phone (he couldn’t hear a thing), he suggested a FaceTime chat. It was so adorable to watch Miss G and her cousin Kins chat, sing songs, and show each other things through the magic of technology. And though it will take some planning with the huge time difference, I’m so thankful we have this with our impending move.

♥

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Snow Dough {for 4}

1 / 1 / 1311 / 25 / 13

I loved this simple variation on the usual cloud dough, and today I simplified it even further for some messy morning sensory play with the cousins. To create some “snow dough” of our own, I simply made our usual cloud/moon dough and dumped in a couple of small bottles of silvery light blue glitter. A fun way to kickstart the New Year, right?

Though I could have added more festive / wintery items (mini evergreen trees, plastic animals, snowman accessories, etc.) to the sensory bin, I just stuck to the usuals this time around… Plastic cups, bowls, spoons, and cookie cutters and the kiddos loved it.

Three of the four munchkins were very eager to join.

Let the fun begin!

The sparkles are hard to see, but if you look closely, you should be able to spot them.

Kinslee digging in.

The fourth monkey just couldn’t resist the fun.

Snow dough toes. ☺

Korbin was a master moulder.

A girl who isn’t afraid to get messy.

Snow dough smoothie, anyone?

Experimenting with snow dough snowmen…

A safer building site.

Snowballs stacked.

Ummm, Grae… What happened to your hair?

Who says the snow dough has to stay in the bin?

Mission accomplished!

This explains things.

Sparkly Snow Dough (we doubled this recipe for a group of 4 children)

8 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of baby oil (or other oil)
1 small container of white/silver/blue glitter

Mix with your hands or a whisk until ingredients are evenly distributed. Play!

♥

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New Years Eve {2012}

12 / 31 / 121 / 6 / 13

While last year’s NYE was a quiet evening at home as a family of 3, this year we were lucky enough to spend it with some of my very favourite people. We arrived back in Cochrane early this afternoon to fireworks on the countertop and plans of a bonfire in the works (thanks, Gar!) My NYE contribution was picking up some groceries and putting together some homemade {wholewheat} thin crust pizzas while Miss G got her nap on. Mix in some s’mores, noisemakers, and late night science experiments with my nephews {after the girls had gone to bed}, and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome New Year’s Eve.

Making a bonfire with wet wood in freezing temps isn’t easy.