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.
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…
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.
No matter how long our vacations in the Okanagan are, we still seem to have troubles making time to see all of our friends and family members during our stays. It just seems there are always too many plans and not enough time… Luckily, many of our family members make the trip out to see us, which is always very appreciated.
Today, Gracen’s Great Grandma Shirley was able to come out to the farm and spend the afternoon and evening visiting with Miss G (and us too of course). We played outside, went on a couple of walks, and had dinner, all whilst Grae showed her great grandma her best tricks.
I’m very happy to report that our Okanagan weather is finally back to normal. Thank goodness. Perfect for lazy afternoons in the backyard just like today’s…
Snacks in the sunshine. Testing the water.
Rides on Papa the pony. Time to go in…
Chilly! Our two ingredient ice cream turned 3 ingredient ice cream – a raspberry sorbet of sorts.
Because we didn’t really get to celebrate the real Father’s Day properly last week, we said we’d set aside a little time to do something special during our Okanagan vacation. So this morning, after Bradley had a chance to sleep in, we all got ready, packed up some things, and made our way to Polson Park. Once there, we played at the playground, explored the park, had a little picnic, opened the gift G and I made for Brad, and visited with the ducks. Despite the fact that much of the park was covered in a generous layer of water due to the recent rain, it was a gorgeous morning. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and the park was as green as could be.
Here is our morning in photos… Swinging with Papa.
Soooo happy.
Snuggles and sandwiches.
Checking out the water park.
Grae and Mama.
A little gift.
Checking out Papa’s 2nd annual Father’s Day photo book.
This afternoon I attempted my first ever batch of ‘one ingredient ice cream’ (mine is actually 2 ingredient ice cream because I decided to add pure vanilla) while Gracen and Papa put together a new wagon that Manmaw and PopPop had tucked away in their garage…
The result was a wagon ride with a bowl of ‘ice cream’ and one very happy doodlebug.
Those who really know me, know my love for Davison Orchards. I love everything about it – the grown on site produce, the fresh-pressed apple juice, the unique gifts found in the country market, the fact that it’s family run… I could go on and on. It’s just such a quaint, feel good place to visit. And the best thing is that it seems to be getting better and better with time.
Since our vacation has been a little wet these last couple of days, we decided we’d make the most out of our dry morning, and headed into Vernon to visit my favourite spot. Gracen loved it. We did spend some time at Davison’s last summer, but Gracen was only 10 or 11 months old then…still a baby. This time was different. She was big enough to run around the orchard, take full advantage of the play ground, and feed and pet the animals…grown enough to take it all in.
Our first stop was the playground. Gracen was beyond excited to ride the tractor, play on the tire horses, and zoom down the slide. In fact, she was having such a blast that it was hard to pull her away in order to go and check out the rest of the orchard.With the promise of seeing animals, our little animal lover followed us up the hill into the orchard. And she was very pleased she did. We saw rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, and a donkey. Not only did she get to see the animals, but she also got to pet and feed some of them too. Her favourite part was retrieving the food from the dispenser, carefully placing it in the cup, and turning the wheel to send the treats up to the greedy goat waiting on the bridge above head. And although she was a little apprehensive, she even fed one of the goats by hand. Next, we headed to the Kids Corral – a newer addition to the farm. It was awesome. Giant slides, a plasma car track, duck racing lanes, and a huge sandpit (complete with real tractors and an old truck) were just part of the fun. There was also a teepee to hide in, a corn maze to make your way through, a tree house perfect for enjoying the view, and a cow bell ringing station for those wanting to make some noise. The coolest part though? The biggest sensory bin I’ve ever seen (and you know I love me a good sensory bin). It was actually a shed filled with dried corn, shovels, and tractors… Amazing! The best part is that we’re hoping to do another visit next weekend when my brother, sister-in-law, and all of Miss G’s cousins arrive. Can’t wait. It’s sure to be quadruple the fun {and quadruple the craziness!}
Overall, last night’s trip was a success. While our little lady didn’t fall asleep until 9:57 p.m. (three and a half hours past her usual bedtime!!), she happily chatted, counted, read, and practiced saying “Hello Mamnaw!” until she finally zonked out when the sun went down. We arrived at Brad’s parents’ place around midnight and successfully put Grae back to sleep, despite the excitement of a bedroom filled with new treasures just waiting to be explored.
This morning we woke up to birds chirping and the Okanagan sunshine in full effect. Hello, vacation! Here are some photos of our day…