Canoeing

Today we did something else we have never done before as a family.

We went canoeing.

We borrowed a canoe from some friends, scrounged up some life jackets from other friends and headed to the lake. It was quite the sight to see us get the canoe on the van and then realize that we couldn't open the doors as it was all tied down. So Paul and I had to Dukes of Hazard it into the van through the open windows in the front. As we returned the canoe we found some very fresh bear scat in our friend's yard. The neighbour came up to us and told us that a bear had just been there and to keep the kids in the van (which they already were) as he may not have left yet. I was glad that we just missed him but a little sad that we didn't see him. We still haven't seen our first bear here yet, though we had to stop the other day for a Buck crossing the street, felt like old times.




I have this exact picture of me and my brother at similar ages to our girls, sitting in the same way in a canoe with my parents. Couldn't find it to share but having my kids in a canoe brought back lots of memories!
 Oh, don't despair, J Man is with us, just sitting behind his daddy!



This must be the summer of firsts. For this little man also did a major first....

Summer is nearly at a close and we are cramming in all the fun we can. Cici's big 10th birthday is on Monday. That will be both a celebration of her and a fun way to say goodbye to summer.

Gone Fishing

Yesterday we did something we have never done as a family before.

We went fishing.

We went to the local Trout Hatchery for a kids program that teaches the kids about fish, their conservation and all the skills needed to fish.

Beaner's class went in the spring but B missed out on the fishing part as she needed to leave early. 

She waited many long months for this day and in fact was literally jumping up and down right before her chance to fish!

It took some time and lots of patience, but finally Cici was the first Truman to reel in the first fish.

Not long after Beaner finally saw her dreams fulfilled as she caught her first fish!

I was thankful that my mom and my grandparents came along to help and watch. Was also thankful for our leader Erin who taught the kids and lead the group. She needed to do fish surgery many times on our fish who seemed rather greedy as they gobbled the hooks right down. She really showed great care for the fish and taught that to the kids as well. 

Even my grandpa got in on the action and reeled in his very own fish too! Of course, he is the expert in this area! I remember my first times fishing as a kid was with him and him making me put my own worm on the hook. Still don't like doing it but it was fun to fish with him again and for him to fish with 4 generations at once!

On one of the last casts of the day, this little man, who already had helped his daddy catch many fish, took the rod on his own. 

He looked so cute, I started snapping some pictures.

Little did I know that I was about to witness my son catch his very first fish all on his own. He reeled it in for all of us to see!

He was so proud.

It was such a great day with great memories. I kinda forgot how enjoyable fishing is. Perhaps the Trumans will fish more often.

What Is He Doing?

What is J Man doing??

Can you tell?

 

Beaner came up with another fun game.

Waterballon Tennis.

   

  

It was a real hit.... hehe.

This is What Happens

This is what happens when you let your 4 yr old son take some pictures.

They start like this.....

and end like this....

In the News

Oldest child has feet nearly the size of mother's. Mother's fears confirmed that she indeed will be the shortest in the family.

Mysterious, possibly lethal substance found in sippy cup in youngest child's room. Upon further investigation it appears to be water with a lime in it from several weeks ago. It has been safely disposed of and sanitized.

A big buzz about a milestone birthday coming up. Many discussions are held daily about this big event.

New BBQ makes dinners easy for this family of 5. Dad raves about the quality of food being produced. 

In sports.
The great foot race has begun. Here are the results of the first round.
Dad- 7.5 seconds
Mom- 10.5 seconds
CiCi- 11.7 seconds
Beaner- 14.1 seconds
J Man- 20.1 seconds
Stay tuned for further updates and follow CiCi's time as she recovers from a sore foot which played a role in her first round time.

Beach Days

Many of our days lately have included a trip to a beach. It's summer, in Vancouver, we have to get as much beach time in as we can.

On one of our last beach days, Cici had to to rescue our ball that was drifting out to sea. She came back with this.

A message in a bottle! How amazing is that!

She opened it up and read that it was sent from Point Roberts in the USA, which was actually just across from where we were. We emailed the message sender to let them know we found the bottle.

The other two found something just as exciting...

Later that day, we crammed in even more water fun by watching my parent's dog retrieve balls in the water. He has finally perfected his jump and no longer runs and skids off the dock.

Dog days of summer, gotta love 'em.

My First Words

My brother has started a blog where he records his first and final words each day. Brilliant I know. I thought I would make my own entry for today.

My first words.

"You woke me up to show me your single white chest hair?!"

A New Percpective

On our trip to the Island, Beaner brought her camera along to capture our trip from her perspective. I love looking through what she captures on her camera. 

Here is Buddy, he is the neighbourhood cat who loves to come to Paul's parents house. He harasses one particular bird and loves to cuddle up on their outdoor chairs. There is a lot of Buddy but that still doesn't stop him from catching birds. He is one of the friendliest cats around. I have a theory that large cats are friendly. So far, it has held up.

This is Cici leaving for camp from Beaner's perspective.

Now, back to my perspective. Watching the kids help Grandpa wash the car was quite the sight, especially with Grandpa on a ladder!

Friends

Friends are awesome.

Especially these ones.

We became great friends with these awesome people in Kimberley. Even though we no longer live across the street from them, we still continue a great friendship. There are so many things we miss about them. Our nightly walks, hanging out after the kids went to bed, challenging each other and laughing lots. They took a bit of a vacation and came out our way so we were able to see them, and their newest adorable addition to their family. He is so sweet and gives the best smiles ever!

We miss them all over again but were so glad to hang out with them once more. I love friendships that pick up right were you left off.

Camp

We have been busy getting back into the swing of things since we picked Cici up from Camp.  She was excited to see us but I think more sad to say goodbye to her new friends. She had an amazing time and has pictures and video to prove it! She wants to talk about it all the time as to keep the memories alive and we listen to the cd that came home with her of all the songs from that week. 

Life is noisy again and back the way we like it, with Cici.

Her cabin

This is her counsellor Katie who had a great time with our Cici.

She was excited to see us and J Man was so cute, he was shy when he saw her and needed help from me to go up to her and say hi... then it all fell back into place and they wrestled as they usually do!

So glad to have her back, she has so many stories to share about her week and it has been cool to see her grow up a bit. But more importantly her heart has grown for Jesus! This was a great week for her, one that she will always remember. 

He Came Clean

Just discovered a secret hiding spot of J Man's. It is for his undies and shorts that have been soiled. He came clean about it after I asked where his newly soiled shorts were. "In here," he said. "This is where I keep my dirty clothes." Nice. Found a pair of undies that have been there for quite some time. "From when the babysitter was here," he informed me. They went in the garbage. 

Islanders Don't Sugar Coat It

Here are some examples of some signs seen on our trip.

"Quit cutting down old growth you idiot" as seen on a tree near Crofton.

"Wrong is wrong even if everybody is doing it" says the Salvation Army on it's sign. Amen.

And this on the ferry ride home

Just the two of them

It has been a wonderful week on the Island. It has just been me and my youngest two. It has been great spending some quality time with them and they have really enjoyed being together just the two of them. It has been REAL quiet without CiCi and Paul. We are the quiet three! We pick up CiCi today and can't wait to see her and hear of all the camp fun she has had. Can't wait to see how she has grown too. I missed her but was surprised how I was really able to let her go and be independent.

Oh, the horse is Gemini (though J Man calls him Whitie) and he was just on the side of the road. We thought at first he was loose but he was tethered to a tree grazing with his owner sitting in the shade. We had to stop to say hello.