Well, we’re back home in Canada and after just three days, we all seem to be over our jet lag {fastest recovery ever}. I don’t know how we pulled it off, but we got incredibly lucky this time around and I’m not certainly not complaining. Next on the to do list? Hanging out in the beautiful Okanagan for the next month and a bit and enjoying all of the wonderful things we’ve missed while in the desert this past year.
Here’s a peek at today’s fun…
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. ☺
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…
Whew! What a day. Knowing that we had a babysitter hired for tonight, our goal for this afternoon was to tire the munchkins out as much as possible in hopes of having them all in bed before leaving. Our plan? An afternoon outdoors and a heavy dose of fresh air, sunshine, and physical activity.
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…
Though all of my family members have slowly migrated away from the Okanagan and back to our home province of Alberta, we’re lucky to be able to stay with Brad’s parents while we enjoy the Okanagan sun. Gracen adores being here. The house {that Brad grew up in} is filled with treasures {new and old} to discover, Bella {her best fur buddy} lives here, and there’s endless space to run free.
One of her very favourite parts about being here is enjoying long morning walks with Grandma Charlotte and Bella. There’s a whole routine in place which involves puppy treats in a little bag, particular treat distribution spots, and a visit to the hay barn where shoeless antics take place. Today, with Uncle Brett home for the weekend but heading back to Vancouver at lunchtime, we all headed out for one last family walk before our big departure next week.
When this is all you know, it’s easy to take the beauty of the tree-covered mountains, blue skies, and sunshine for granted, but knowing how drastically our scenery will be changing shortly, I did my very best to soak every moment of this morning in…
“Com’on, Bella! Let’s run!”