Vancouver 2013

Last week, we went to Vancouver to visit family and friends.  We drove to the half way mark, Blue River, on our first day.  Our friends, Karla and Steve happened to be driving down the same day, so we met up for dinner then took the kids down to the beach before bed.  Ben and Isaac played in the sand while Kate and Boris walked along the waters edge.  The beautiful evening light kept everyone warm and the kids played until way past bedtime.  It was so idyllic, the perfect start to our vacation.

Before heading to our condo, we stopped in Ladner to visit Boris' cousin.  Ben and Makena played and everyone enjoyed a fantastic dinner.  After sitting in the car for two full days, it was great for the kids to let loose and run around before heading into Vancouver. 

We stayed in a beautiful condo (Home Suite Home) for the duration of our vacation.  The condo was amazing and we enjoyed our stay.  Kate loved the windows and spent lots of time people watching. 

Our trip to Vancouver was busy.  It was the type of vacation you get home from and feel like you need another vacation...but in a good way.  Almost every morning we'd walk to Kitsilano beach and go to the park.  Our afternoons were filled with walking, shopping, eating and visiting with my sister and her husband.

We took the ferry to Ladysmith to visit our friends, Ashley and Matthew.  Both of our families have grown since we saw each other last!  Ben loved playing with their three little girls and Boris and I had a chance to relax.

All in all, we had a great time but we're happy to be back home.

She's Walking

Back in February, when Kate started surfing around everything imaginable, I really though she was going to walk soon.  But she found her groove crawling, surfing and pushing around Ben's Radio Flyer and had no interest whatsoever in taking her first steps.  With a little coaxing, she finally started walking today.  These are the moments that make my heart fill with joy.  Here's a little video of Kate taking her first steps (at 14 months) and, because I'm feeling a little nostalgic, the video I took of Ben the first day he started walking as well (at 10 months).  

We're Back!

We unplugged for a week and spent some time in Vancouver with family and friends.  It was definitely a very busy vacation but we all had a great time. 

Packing for Vancouver

While Ben played at the park with my dad, Kate helped me pack for Vancouver.

(Almost) On Her Own

Kate is on the cusp of walking on her own.  She took four unassisted steps a few days ago...hopefully it won't be long!

Cousins

Cousins: Makena (4), Ben (3), Ruby (2) & Kate (1)

Alberta Aviation Museum

It was a little bit rainy outside this morning so we took a trip to the Alberta Aviation Museum.

The Journey to Living With Less

I haven’t written anything on this blog in awhile.  It’s not because I haven’t had the desire to, it’s because our lives feel so busy and full right now that there just isn’t time.  Lately, I’ve had a lot on my mind and I feel the need to let it all out, so here it goes...

On Sunday, I sat in the kitchen eating lunch in my pajamas.  I was tired and feeling sorry for myself.  Our house looked like it had been hit by a tornado, the typical weekend mess that piles up as we rush from one activity to the next.  I sat there thinking about how unbelievably sticky my kitchen floors were, trying to remember the last time I had gotten down on my hands and knees and given them a good scrub.  At least a month?  Maybe two?  I couldn’t remember.  The months have a way of blending into each other when you’re home with two small kids.  I sat there trying to remember what life was like without Ben and Kate, when Boris and I use to clean the entire house every Thursday evening so it was fresh for the weekend.  And for a moment...just a moment I wondered if someone without children and a clean house would like to trade lives with me for a day of two.

I love my children.  I wanted them more than I had ever wanted anyone or anything in my entire life.  But, I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in those moments when I wish I could be somewhere else.  It’s all a little overwhelming at times.  The thing is though, it’s not the “parenting” that has felt overwhelming for me over the last little while, it’s the struggle between all the things I feel I should be doing verses spending time with the people I love.  

At the beginning of January, I set a goal to organize our entire house.  Despite my best efforts, our house still feels messy and disorganized.  How does this happen?  How can our house still be bursting at the seams even after I’ve lugged bag after bag of stuff we don’t use to Goodwill?  How do we acquire so many things we don’t really need?  All of these possessions just take away from what really matters.  I long for a time when people had fewer things and more of each other.  

So I’ve decided to go on a journey, to honor the things in our home that have meaning and purpose and let everything else fall away.  I want to live with less.  I want to spend more time with my children and less time worrying about how cluttered our basement is.  I want my children to grow up loving the people around them, not the things that they own.  I may write more on this topic as I go through my journey, I may not.  But today, I’m putting it out there...

Through Ben and Kate's Eyes - Birthday Edition

Last week I celebrated my birthday.  Ben painted me a beautiful abstract and took some pictures of the first half of our day together.  Kate figured out how to use the camera and took some too.  

It was insanely hot that day.  My mom, the kids and I went for a walk in the neighborhood I grew up in and played at the park.  Kate and I took a nice long nap at my parents (air conditioned) house.  In the afternoon, my dad and I took Ben and Kate to the spray park in attempts to beat the heat.  Ben, who hated the spray park last year, liked it.  Kate, whom I thought would love it, didn't.  We ended the evening at one of my favorite restaurants.  Maybe getting older isn't so bad after all... 

Camping in the Backyard

This morning, Boris set up the tent for Ben and Kate to play in...