The Kids' First Wedding

Yesterday, I received quite the surprise when, as I was getting the kids ready for a sleepover at Ouma's house, Adam called to tell me that the kids needed to be at the wedding we were going to. Adam was a groomsman, and had been at the wedding site setting up, when he noticed the kids place settings. Apparently, the bride and groom assumed we would bring them, and we assumed we wouldn't...so at 10:45 I had exactly 5 hours to buy an outfit for Ty, prepare food for Ty to eat (because wedding food all has Gluten), get clothes together for Nahla and I, put together some quiet activities to entertain the kids during the ceremony and speeches, ensure that both kids had a nap so that they would make it through without a major meltdown., buy a wedding card and wrap the present, attempt to make myself look presentable, and get to Tsawwassen (an hour away).

With 10 minutes to spare, we made it! Here they are dressed in their outfits. Not the outfit I would have chosen for Nahla, but I hadn't built in an additional twenty minutes to convince her otherwise, so the purple flower dress with winter leggings and summer sandals it was!

Prior to the ceremony starting, Nahla had a quiet moment with her baby.

And the kids managed to catch a few minutes with Daddy before he was pulled off to do the lasts minute speaker set-up!

And, as the ceremony was about to begin, the kids were ready in their chairs to watch the beautiful ceremony!

And fortunately, the preparation of quiet activities paid off for our kids and a few others, as they sat and created sticker pictures for the bride and groom during the ceremony.

 We could not have asked for better weather.The clouds covered the sky keeping it cool enough for the men, and warm enough for the women, and ideal for the photographer.

The location was beautiful, and the details were perfect.

Congratulations Sarah and Garett  Bailey!

Thanks for a wonderful day, and a memorable experience for our little munchkins.

Backyard Camping

I am pretty sure that it is a right of childhood to camp in your backyard, so when Adam mentioned it today, the kids first ever backyard camping trip began to take shape.

Sure, they have camped in a tent in the wilderness, and in a motor home on a river, but what can be better than pitching a tent in the backyard, last minute, and cozying up with your brother and daddy for the night...yes that does mean that I will be cozy in my own bed tonight! I may take Daddy's place tomorrow night, but besides liking the comfort of my own bed, there simply isn't room in our little tent, and the big one may be a tight squeeze in the backyard.

So, once the tent was up, the kids had brushed their teeth (inside, much to Nahla's chagrin), and put their jammies on, we read a story on the patio...

Had a cuddle with Daddy in the tent...ok it was more silly time than a cuddle, but what can you expect on their first backyard camp out!

Then the kids were on their own to go to sleep...

except of course for the bathroom break by the blueberries (there is a potty there, so no blueberries were watered in the making of this camp-out!)

And, a couple of hours, many more trips to the potty, numerous hugs, and a few arguments later, the monkeys are sleeping soundly!!!

Also, in the past month, the kids got bunk beds and now share a room. They are loving the new adventure and the joys of having 2 playrooms now!

I threw a birthday tea party for my grandma and was quite pleased with the results, so here is my little brag...I made all of the food you see!

Adam and I took a trip to Seattle, while the kids spend the weekend camping with Grandma and Papa (neither of which I have photos of...sorry)

And we took a family day trip to Gold Creek. The camera died after only one photos, but here are Adam and the kids looking a the crystal clear water

So, with only a few weeks of summer remaining before starting in on my new teaching adventure, I am feeling relaxed, fulfilled, and generally very fortunate for my incredible husband and 2 beautiful children. I couldn't be happier right now!

Nahla's First Science Experiment

For the past couple of weeks, Nahla has been going to Play, Connect, Learn; a pre-kindergarten program at her school, in the kindergarten classrooms with two of her possible kindergarten teachers. The program runs for 2 1/2 hours a day, and the kids get a taste of what kindergarten will be like. Nahla has loved it!

Today, as the kids were leaving, each child was given a piece of bubblegum from their math guessing activity. Well, this mean mommy doesn't allow gum! In fact, we have a no gum until your 20 rule!! That goes right beside the no blowing bubbles in your milk until your 21 rule!

So, we had a bit of a conundrum...easily solved. We turned it in to a science experiment!

Nahla filled up a glass with water and dropped the gumball in...you can read what happened from there in her lab write-up!

(Please note that #2 happened first, followed by #3 some minutes later...they were not simultaneous)

Crisis averted, science promoted, and no gumballs were hurt in undertaking!!

Our Trip to Oregon

Last week was our very first family vacation in the US. We rented a house with a few friends, and took off for an extra long weekend to Oceanside, Oregon.

I would love to say that most of the 11 hour journey there (1.25 hours at the border, 5 bathroom stops and one stop for groceries for the trip) look just like this:

but that would be a lie! The kids were very good all considering, but it was a long trip for two little guys...and their parents!

However, once we finally arrived at our destination, we realized that it was worth the journey.

Seaside is a quiet little beach-side village about 20 minutes past Tillamook. I am so glad that we rented a house. It was comfortable, clean, close to the beach, and we could come...

and go as we pleased...

and the beach was beautiful!

Besides the incessant wind, the water was great, the waves were fun, and the kids had a great time playing in the sand! 

Nahla as a mermaid

Tyran building a sand castle with "Auntie Em" (who is 7  months pregnant)

"Mom, this place is great. They even have a kiddie pool!" 

Nahla

 Everyone just looking cute as can be!

 Overall, I am very glad we chose to take this trip, and having friends to share it with made it even better. Since returning home, Nahla has begun her Play, Connect, Learn Pre-Kindergarten program in the mornings. While she is there, Ty and I have been setting up my classroom, which is coming along slowly. At some point, I will need to start planning curriculum too!!!

I did make one big classroom purchase....a 4 foot tall panda bear for my quiet center. The kids get to have it for the summer, so they take turns sleeping with it. I had to share this photo of Nahla fast asleep with Big Panda. 

That's all for now, but I will try and keep you all up to date on the rest of our summer fun...who knows what summer will bring!!!

The end of a lot

A good friend pointed out that I have neglected my blogger duties recently, so here is an update. I must admit that the photos are 100% Adam's, as I have been useless with my camera this past month, but with summer only days away, I plan on bombarding you with all of the fun I will be having with the kids!

As of Friday, I finish my career as a high school teacher, and prepare for my new journey as a Grade 5 teacher. Nahla finished daycare/preschool as she prepared to start Kindergarten at the same school that I will be teaching at. Tyran has his last day on the baby side, as he will be venturing over to the preschool side of daycare come September! All of these changes come with a great deal of excitement, nervousness, sadness and feelings of nostalgia. Personally, I have loved my time at Sullivan Heights, but need a new professional challenge. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to take on that challenge in a school where I will also be able to watch my kids grow and develop. I am lucky mommy!

But enough gibber-jabber! I have a few photos from June to show you the craziness that is my life! There should be plenty more to follow when we return from Oregon, and more as we spend the summer playing, exploring and learning together. I only wish Adam could spend the days with us too.

My little man with all of his amazing personality!

My dramatic little girl, in all of her princess glamour!

My active little monkeys on our neighbour's trampoline

 The 3 most important people in my life on father's day

Always the cool dude!

Forever contemplative!

May Long Weekend Camping

We do not typically go away on the long weekend, but this year, we decided to join my parents up at the Vedder river for the long weekend. The kids were looking forward to camping with Grandma and Papa, but were even more excited when we arrived to find a kid-sized atv for each kid.

Many hours were passed riding around the field, down the dirt road, and any where else we could find to explore! 

 Ty was Papa's little shadow, following him everywhere he went. Here, they are eating apples together.

 Nahla is going to be quite the fisherman one day. She spend hour practicing her casting both on the grass, and into the river. It is amazing how far she can cast with her little Barbie fishing rod

 When not shadowing Papa, Ty shadowed Nahla. As much as she liked this at first, she got tired of it pretty quickly. She kept moving her chair, and he would run after her with his!

 And of course, he wouldn't let her cast without having a turn also.

 They found a happy medium when they decided to build a sand castle with Grandma.

Despite the rain, we had a great time. Camping with kids it great!

Easter Weekend

A week late, I know, but I wanted to post a few photos from our absolutely beautiful Easter weekend. With temperatures nearing 20 degrees, we spent virtually the entire weekend outside playing.

Nahla even decided that she wanted to learn how to ride her bike without training wheels. Adam hasn't let go yet, but she is starting to get the concept of balancing. 

How many scraped knees will it take before she is riding solo?

 And of course, what would Easter be without a little chocolate?!

We set up a small Easter egg hunt in the kids' play room, and they happily hunted around for the eggs.

Nahla was more than a little surprised to find an entire Chocolate pony hiding!

And Tyran was surprised that Nahla could actually eat it! 

But he wasn't being outdone by his big sister, so he dug in to his Chocolate car pretty quickly! 

Then, it was off to my parents' house for another Easter egg hunt, and Easter brunch.  

The Easter bunny was a little bit more generous at Grandma and Papa's house though. 

Here, he left some baseball equipment, which the kids had a great time playing with in the front yard.