After our morning egg hunt at Grandma Sue’s, we went back to Grandma Charlotte and Poppop’s place, attempted a nap (didn’t happen!), and then headed out into the backyard to let Miss G open her Easter basket and search for the rest of the eggs we had filled for her a couple nights ago…
♥
If you’re new to Mama.Papa.Bubba., welcome!
Stay on top of the fun by liking us on Facebook here and following us on Instagram here.
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…
♥
If you’re new to Mama.Papa.Bubba., welcome!
Stay on top of the fun by liking us on Facebook here and following us on Instagram here.
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.
♥
If you’re new to Mama.Papa.Bubba., welcome!
Stay on top of the fun by liking us on Facebook here and following us on Instagram here.
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.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
.until next time, Okanagan.
.a practice in patience.
.nearly home.
.celebrating with sushi.
Today we left the lovely Okanagan eager to get home, unpack our suitcases, and get back to life as usual… This final leg of our Christmas holiday adventures made up hours 32 to 39.5 of our trek, and let me tell you, we were ready to be home. While the first half of our trip was uneventful (other than the fact that the Connector was a skating rink), not long after passing the old toll booth centre, the traffic came to a standstill. I find it easy to get impatient in these situations… Gracen had just fallen asleep moments before and it would have been incredibly lovely to gain some distance while enjoying an hour of silence, but that wasn’t in the cards for today. An hour and a half later(long after she’d awoken from her slumber), we were still sitting in the middle of nowhere, now attempting to entertain a toddler strapped into her rear-facing seat. Of course, we got through it. When we did get moving again, we eventually passed an accident scene where an SUV had been crushed between the meridian and a semi truck. And then it struck… That mixed feeling of absolute sickness and pure gratefulness all at once.
How lucky we are to have had the opportunity to wait. How lucky we’re home safely after 3 weeks of winter road tripping. We’re home safe and sound, and that’s all that matters.
♥
Keep up with all the Mama.Papa.Bubba. fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Our Christmas was lovely this year. We awoke to our usual morning call – “Mama, Mama! All done! All done! Grae Grae had a nice sleeeeep”, had a little family snuggle in bed, and made our way into the living room so that Miss G could open the little gifts in her stocking. It was filled to the brim with bath fizzies, miniature kitchen utensils, wooden stamps, a couple of little clothing items, an owl puppet, and some of her very favourite nuts and treats. Grae opened the tiny packages carefully, admiring each before moving on… She was thrilled with all of her new goodies.
With her stocking opened, we took a little present break and made a big Christmas breakfast together.
Brad and Gracen’s jobs? Playing with our freshly made gingerbread play dough and entertaining the crowd.
With breakfast eaten and cleaned up, we gathered back around the tree for our gift exchange. Gracen opened her gifts (plus helped everyone else open their’s) and spent a few minutes investigating each, before thanking the gifter and moving onto a new package.
She was hugely spoiled with new clothes {these little black boots included}, games, puzzles, a doll stroller, and wooden kitchen accessories, as well as this giant dress-up kit filled with all kinds of costumes and accessories.
After a lazy rest of the morning and early afternoon {plus a good nap for Miss G}, we all got dressed and ready for the big Ogasawara family Christmas dinner.
My mom and Rorie were able to come out and join us, which Gracen loved. She toured around the house showing Grandma Sue the gifts she’d opened earlier in the day and then settled in to play with her gingerbread play dough again.
As usual, christmas dinner was absolutely delicious. Gracen’s favourites included the turkey and rosemary smashed potatoes.
Afterwards, us adults visited with full bellies and glasses of wine while Grae snuck in a few last minutes with two of her very favourite new things – a vintage doll from Grandma Sue and a stroller to push her around in from Grandma Charlotte.
It was a good day. And only the start to our special days with family this holiday season…
Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
♥
After a fairly uneventful drive home yesterday, we’re back in the Okanagan to kick off our Christmas holidays. Today involved sled rides, icicle pops, and plenty of snow – the perfect winter combination.
Upcoming destinations on our Christmas 2012 adventure include Cochrane, Edmonton, and {the wee little town of} St. Paul. Fingers crossed the nearly 40 hours on the road will go easy on us…
♥
Keep up with all the Mama.Papa.Bubba. fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
This weekend, Grae learned about My Little Ponies and Molly dolls from Grandma Sue (sadly, I didn’t manage to sneak any photos)…
She gardened and went on walks with Grandma Charlotte…
And watched Karmin videos and read ‘the crab book’ {about one million times} with Poppop.
Next on our list… Getting out to see her {much further away} Gido and getting him out this way to visit us. ☺
♥
So much to be thankful for this year…
For the most incredible little girl (and her pretty decent daddy), for our wonderful families and friends, for bellies filled to the brim, for a lovely weekend away, and for the most gorgeous autumn weather… I am thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving!
♥
When I told Gracen that we would be headed to the Okanagan for the weekend, she immediately exclaimed that she was excited and started listing off all of the things she wanted to do while there, one of which was “Old MacDonald’s Farm”. Confused, I asked her what she meant. Her response? “Old MacDonald’s Farm – apple treat drink!” Such a funny little thing. With that, I knew she actually meant Davison Orchards, home of the appleanche (a pure apple slushy drink we let her try this summer).
So this morning, after a little sleep in for Brad and I and a little play for Grae, Manmaw, and Poppop, my girl and I headed into Vernon for a Davison visit. The orchard was extra beautiful today… sunshiny, packed with pumpkins, and sprinkled with autumn displays. Gracen loved every minute as always, and thought the pumpkin people were especially funny.
“thankful” // first stop: animals
goat feeding
donkey love
greedy sheep // corn barn
farmer grae // climb
corn maze // pumpkin family
sunshine // hoedown
♥
Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.
Today, Gracen and I got dolled up and headed over to the beautiful Mackie House for the wedding of my good friend Karli. The weather was the perfect blend of warm and breezy, the venue was gorgeously set overlooking the lake, the ceremony space was filled with beautiful little details, and the bride absolutely stunning. It really couldn’t have been a better afternoon.
Knowing that she’d appreciate the time to walk around and explore before having to settle in on a seat, Grae and I arrived plenty early. We picked a couple of aisle seats in the shade of a giant old tree, placed our belongings on them, and explored the grounds for a while. When it was time to begin, Grae climbed up onto her seat, enjoyed some of the special snacks I’d tucked into my purse for the occasion, and quietly smiled and waved to the guests sitting around us. Before we knew it, the bride and groom were announced husband and wife, the crowd let out a huge applause (Grae’s favourite part), and it was time to mingle on the grass. Gracen was reunited with her good buddy Sloan, whom we haven’t seen in a while, and the two were inseparable. They celebrated with countless hugs, kisses, and healthy dose of hand holding. It was cuteness OVERLOAD.
Here’s our afternoon in photos…
‘Found my seat.’
Off to explore.
Patiently waiting.
Loving the paper fans.
‘Mama, Grae Grae climb dis tree?’
Greeting the bride.
‘Oh Sloan, how I’ve missed you!’
Kisses.
Pretty girls.
High school besties 17 years later…
♥
A week ago, Gracen was enamoured with the idea of Bella (Grandma Charlotte’s dog), but whenever the dog came within a 4 foot radius, she’d shake in panic and desperately try to climb up the legs of the nearest adult in search of protection (in Grae’s defense, Bella is still just a puppy and has been easily excitable and quick to jump up until recently). Now, just 7 days later, after many long walks and several baggies of dog treats, it’s a completely different story. They’ve become best buds. Grae isn’t the least bit fearful and Bella has been calm, patient, and gentle despite the lingering hugs, overzealous pats, and ongoing tail tugs. Just look at these two…
♥
Perhaps my favourite photo of the entire weekend… This bunch has my heart.
Okanagan sunshine, my girl, my ma, my adorable niece, and my two sweet nephews… It all makes for a pretty great morning. 
Running on the grass…
Swinging in a tree…
Learning about lacrosse…
And Bella hugs.