Only 6 weeks apart and absolutely smitten with one another.
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Tag Archives: cousins
Cousin Love
Cousins.Morning Play Dough
Gracen is absolutely loving hanging out with her cousins. We woke up this morning, had some breakfast, and pulled out our play dough gingerbread people supplies for the kids to play with. In addition to the original supplies, this time we added some miniature baking pans, tiny rolling pins, and more cookie cutters to the mix.
All of the kids really enjoyed creating their play dough masterpieces and the activity provided a great start to our day.
♥
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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!
♥
A Painting Project
The other day, while shopping for craft supplies, Miss G spotted a shelf of mini wooden bird houses and immediately got excited. Having painted her own bird house before, she knew exactly what these unfinished little bird homes meant – getting messy and having fun, painting-style. Knowing that her cousins would be arriving in a few days, we decided to pick up four. Gracen was very serious about selecting four different houses and was just as excited to choose paintbrushes, paint, and bird seed. Upon returning home {to Grandma’s house}, I quietly tucked the bag of goodies away until the cousins arrived and we were in need of an activity.
With an hour or so to spare this morning and a little drizzle falling from the sky, we decided it was a good time to bring out the supplies. We set up shop out on Grandma Sue’s patio and let the kiddos dive in.
Grae was an old pro. She very seriously collected paint on her brush and stroked it onto her house, trying to fill in all of the spaces.
Korbin had a plan. Each side would be a separate colour. And when he had finished that task, he brushed some white over top to “make it look cooler”.
Miss Kins had never painted before, and although she dived in eagerly, she wasn’t thrilled about getting paint on herself. She painted a little bit of the roof, and then called it quits.
Chay didn’t join us immediately, but once he saw what was going on, he was up at the table in no time and was all about painting the inside of his house.
Taa-daaa! The finished products. I’d say the birds will be flocking to these little masterpieces, wouldn’t you?
♥
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!
♥
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?
♥
Cousin Vanessa’s Wedding Day
Today, Brad’s cousin, Vanessa, got married right here on the family farm. As much as we spent our morning wishing and hoping that the rain would would not grace us with its presence, it did. All. day. long. So when 2:30 rolled around, we made our way down the long gravel driveway with golf umbrellas, trying our best to get out of the way of incoming cars and minimize the amount of mud entering our shoes. While I arrived at the wedding with puddle-filled shoes and mud in between my toes, Miss G arrived, clean, dry, and warm. 
Just as we were asked to take our {hay bail} seats, something miraculous happened… The rain stopped. It couldn’t have been more perfect. We enjoyed a beautiful short and sweet ceremony, while Grae gobbled down a container full of raspberries, a mandarin orange, and part of an apple (hungry girl!)
After the ceremony was complete, we enjoyed a few minutes without rain. Gracen explored the yard and checked out the playhouse, and we were able to snap photos of her with her Great Grandpa Leo and Manmaw.
But sadly, the dryness was short-lived. The rain started coming down in full force once again, and the crowds rushed under the dinner tent to take cover. Gracen did really well with being trapped in her seat and happily coloured, read, and enjoyed more snacks, but with a 3 hour break until dinner and very little space to move, we headed back to Manmaw’s house an hour in to work off some energy before dinner.
We arrived back just as they were starting to call tables for dinner, and Grae kept busy with jam towers while we waited for our turn.
It rained on and off during dinner and dessert (apple fritters – delish!), but whenever it let up, we’d take Gracen out for some exploring time.
She was having a great time picking at the hay bails and smelling the flowers, until she saw another little guest wearing a polar bear hat, that is. After that, it was straight to the photo booth to check out the props. And they were awesome. With each new hat, she’d ask me to take her photo so that she could see it on the camera display. 
Unfortunately, we had to leave before the speeches and slideshow began (two of my favourite parts), but bedtime was calling. Congrats, Vanessa and Cody!
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G’s Impression of her Cousin, Kinslee
Scarily accurate. But we ADORE the screechy little munchkin anyways. ☺
Thumbuddy Loves Grae
Gracen got the sweetest little Valentine’s package ever today! Her cousins, Auntie, and Uncle sent her a Dr. Seuss board book and this adorable ‘5 little thumb buddies ♥ you’ valentine. Melt my heart! Thanks for making our little lady’s day, Kossowan Clan. Grae loooooooves mail!
Family and Friends Photo Book
Gracen adores the little family and friends photo book she got in her stocking while we were up in the Okanagan.
I’m fairly certain we’ve “read” it at least 5 times a day each day since she got it. She carefully points to each person’s face and either tells me the person’s name or waits for me to tell it to her.
“Manmaw” (Grandma) and “Ee-Doh” (Gido) are easy peasy.
Grandpa Dave still gets called “Ee-Doh” most of the time, but we’re working on fixing that.
Inevitably, someone in the book is always “pretty, pretty, pretty”. Today Grae ran her little finger over Auntie Rozi’s hair several times and announced, “pretty, pretty, pretty”. I asked her, “Grae, do you think Auntie Rozi is pretty?” and with big eyes, she gave me the biggest, most serious nod ever. Aw, Auntie Rozi – Grae thinks you’re pretty!
Here are a few of the other pages in Miss G’s book:
Making the book was super easy. All I did was round up some photos, add the text using Pixelmator (the photo editing program I use), and printed them out. I picked up the little album while grocery shopping, and it cost next to nothing.
We’re still waiting on a couple of photos of great grandparents, but Gracen loves this little book anyways. The best part is that Little G always has her loved ones close by. :)
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Ya Ya’s Play Centre
Being that today was Auntie Rozi’s birthday and our last full day in the Okanagan, we wanted to take the kids to do something special. We had originally planned on taking them to the pool (they all loved it last time), but that was before our good friend Hayley mentioned Ya Ya’s Play Centre. I’m so glad we checked it out because we all had a blast. It’s basically a big indoor play centre that has a little something for kids of all ages. The giant climbing apparatus has 3 levels, is fully padded, and has all kinds of ball pits, slides, tubes, and obstacles to climb. The really cool part is that wherever kids can go, adults can go too, so you never have to leave your little one to explore on their own if you don’t want to. The older boys loved the interactive games that were projected on to the floor and the little girls loved the toddler play area that was filled with learning toys and building blocks. Check out our visit:
Bradley and the bubbas in the ball pit.
Gracen was in ball HEAVEN!
Gracen playing with the alphabet blocks on the side of the wooden school bus.
Bus driver Kins and climber Grae.
Papa built Gracen a little hideout in the toddler play area.
She was more than willing to test it out.
Where’s Grae?
There she is!
Here come Papa and Grae down the giant slide!
Wheeee!
We had a great time this morning and will be very sad to have to say goodbye to Uncle Gary, Auntie Rozi, and the kiddos later this afternoon…
Christmas in January
This afternoon we all got together at Grandma Sue’s house to celebrate a belated Christmas together as a family. It was the picture perfect day for it too… The weather was crisp and giant snowflakes filled the sky and covered the ground. Mom had saved her Christmas tree and the house was still decorated for the occasion. Here are a few shots of Grae’s second Christmas this year…
Christmas dinner complete with homemade perogies!
Grae had a little help polishing off her desert.
Grandma Sure and her grand babies.
Notice how Miss G is the only one not loving the pre-present photo session? I blame it on a bedtime drawing near…
Gracen opening her very special (and very large) gift just from Uncle Gary.
I wonder what it could be… Keep unwrapping, Grae.
Wow! Her very own wooden art easel! I can already see many finger painting sessions in this little artist’s future. Spoiled girl.
After opening her easel (and many other gifts she was spoiled with), she moved on to helping Papa with his.
After a wonderful day spent with family celebrating Christmas, this little lady was ready for bed. We tucked her in, and once her cousins were all down for the night, Bradley, Gary, Roz, and I met up with some friends and went out for the evening to celebrate Roz’s birthday. Grandma Sue had generously offered to stay home with all 4 munchkins while we enjoyed a night on the town. It was the first time Bradley and I had been out together since having Gracen, so we were a little nervous about how the night would go, but everything went great. When we tiptoed into the house at midnight, everyone was sound asleep and Grandma Sue hadn’t heard a peep.
Silver Star
Late last night, the Kossowan crew arrived in town from Cochrane and this afternoon we all met up at Silver Star for some tubing and ice skating. Here are a few snapshots from the day…
Gracen and Korbin are bundled up and ready to hit the slopes.
Grae and Kinslee in their twin sleds.
The crew.
“Skating” while cozied up in her stroller.
Dinner in the warmth of the cantina.
After thawing and grabbing a snack, we all headed back outside for round 2 of skating. Gracen loved being pushed around the ice in her chariot and we stretched our time as far as we could before packing up and heading down the hill for bedtime.