June 2011 review

This month I have so many photos to share :) A couple videos too. Links are mixed with the text below.

We went to the Children's Festival. The weather was cold but the kids didn't mind.  There was a pirate theme this year, so there were pirates running around doing battles, pirate ship slide, etc.  Playground equipment, abulance to climb into and check out, face painting, and more.
Children's Festival 2011

Then there was the work BBQ - the sun managed to shine when we got there and stayed out so we were able to enjoy the outdoors. There was a playground for the kids to use, in sight of everyone so we could just sit back and watch them.  Potluck lunch = wonderful.  Kids loved the balls and games that people brought. Overall a big success.
Misc June photos, plus a few of the BBQ
I took the kids on a road trip.  We stayed one night at Jeff's mother's place, and then we went to the Diamonds for a visit.  The 3 of us all slept in the same bed - good thing Charly doesn't move around as much as he used to!  The kids had lots of fun playing with the 3 Diamond kids.
At the Diamonds

Stats say that we received twice the normal amount of rain in May and just under average for June... I don't remember a day that was entirely nice.  It seems like the rain just never ended.  It would rain for 5 minutes and then clear up, then 10 minutes later it would cloud up again. And strong winds too!  I was kept busy watching the effects of the weather - flooding in some parts of Canada, forest fires out of control in other areas.
Sarah's Walk in the Rain (photos)
Sarah Jumps in Puddle (Video)
Sarah Finds Flowers (Videos)

On Father's Day we went out to my brother's place and celebrated the day and my Dad's birthday.  Kids had fun playing in the muddle puddles (from all the rain of course!) and then visiting the animals.  Neither were too sure about the donley ride though :)
Father's Day (photos)
Sarah with lambs and cat (video)

Charly had an outing for playschool at the ponds. Kids had fun but it ended sooner than desired because of rain.  On the last day of playschool the kids did a "finale concert" to show the parents what they've learned over the past year.  I got to be a parent helper at one of the five stations that the kids rotated through.  The concert went well, and Charly was sad that playschool ended.
Play School / Gymnastics

Charly's sadness was short because he then became distracted with our trip to Vernon. We drove to Revelstoke right after Charly's concert, spent the night in a glorious hotel, then finished the drive the next day.  On the way we had to stop for a beaver and a moose to cross the road, and we spotted deer and mountain goats. We stopped at the Enchanted Forest for an hour, and got to the Lake just after 2pm.

This time at the Lake was much different from last year. Sarah ran to the swing right away. Charly wanted to go fishing immediately :) The kids had a grand time investigating everything. Sarah was captivated by the quail running around, and would lie down on the ground to study ants.  Kids ventured into the Lake. Water was warm and its levels were very high so most of the beach was underwater. Made the sand great for digging in. We were able to sit back more and just watch, rather than having to be actively involved in entertaining the kids. As long as Sarah was in sight, all was good!
 
Many days/evenings the wind was strong at the Lake.  With the water level being so high, the winds were not too welcome. The sandy beach is almost all underwater. The guys playded with moving sandbags around, trying to hold the water and sand back. We watched the water slowly crept up to the bunk house/shed.
Wind at the Lake 1 (video)
Wind at the Lake 2 (video) 
 
For Canada Day I took the kids into town to Polson Park where everyone seemed to be flocking too. Played at playground for a while, listened to bagpipers, saw ducks and a swan, then went to McDonalds (espresso bar there and slides for the kids). We had fun while the guys cleared the weeds and stuff off the beach - so much was blown in that the sandy beach is now at least 2 inches higher than it was a week ago.
 
  The next day finally the weather cooperated!  Temperature got up to 28C with a faint wind - just perfect!!! Relatives came for lunch and supper; turned out to be a great day with lots of yummy food. Got a bit sunburned :) We completely enjoyed the day, especially since it was our last day there. 
Sarah on Lakeshore (video)
 
The trip home was pretty uneventful - we just followed the long line of all the other travellers LOL!
For this video (below) you may need to turn volume up - and forgive me for lack of visual stimulation LOL! We were in line up at McDonalds drive-thru on the way home.
Sarah singing ABCs (video) 
 
Vernon Trip (photos)
 

July 2010 in review

First week of July - Charly had a gymnastics course, one hour each morning, at the Collicutt (sports facility near our house). I was nervous on how he'd do, being on his own and it being a physical activity. First day Charly stood around with a scowl on his face the entire time, mainly watching. But each class got better and by the end of the week he was just bouncing with excitement at the thought of the course.

Second week of July - spent with Jeff's father and step-mother by Lake Okanagan. Jeff and Charly drove out in the van Saturday, while Sarah and I stayed behind. Monday morning Sarah and I drove to Calgary for Sarah's check-up (no bananas, white rice, cheese for her). We spent the afternoon driving through a thunderstorm and shopping. Then we flew out to Kelowna and joined the guys for a lovely week by the lake. Thurs morning Jeff and Charly went to a science day camp while Sarah and I went with John and Margaret to the farmer's market - such a variety of food! We all drove back Sunday, stopped on Calgary to pick up the CRV that I'd left at the Diamonds house.

Third week - Red Deer parade on Wed. Borrowed a friend's harness for Sarah and liked it so much the next day I bought one - so great for keeping track of my princess. Thurs - shopping, hair cuts for the kids and me - my hair keeps getting a little bit shorter each time, and each haircut makes charly look older and taller. Friday's excitement was the Westerner Expedition (fair). We went after Sarah's nap, met up with Jenni and her 2 boys, and left well after the kids' bedtime. Charly had so much fun and was so sad when we finally left. Sat entered a new phase - she started saying "no" with definite meaning. Antoerh step toward the terrible twos ;)

Fourth week - Charly went to his "Summer Fun" course, weekdays from 10-11:30. It is a weekly course throughout the summer so I have him registered for a couple weeks. Monday Sarah went down 3 steps without hanging on to anything for support. While Charly was in his course Sarah and I went shopping most days. Wed Sarah's top right eye tooth came through, and she's still working on the last eyetooth. Sat we all went to Calgary and had a great visit with the Diamonds.

Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/snowite73/201007#

Videos:
Calgary storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirglPOcN5s
Lake Okanagan - Sarah in lake, Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPeeUfKUFOQ
Charly on swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ft00Ii2MF4
Bobs and Lolo show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3046P55DuTM
Sarah blowing kisses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5m6AOHyXWg
kids swinging on swings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC_4xF9_h0
kids in puddle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiNS9kPrUq0
kids on slide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk-iPD3WpiI
Sarah and food on floor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABRKsByMRI