The Sisters Arrive in Victoria!

I'm finally getting back to our trip to Victoria...  ;)

Wednesday, June 22 was the day that my sisters and Claire were to arrive.

 Of course, they were later than anticipated. At least later than I had anticipated since I had forgotten that they were coming via Port Angeles rather than Tsawwassen.

Can you believe that Eva DROVE in those shoes!! So Eva!  :D  Her philosophy is: if you can't do it in high heels then you shouldn't be doing it!  ;)

Claire and my kids hit it off right away, of course!

Eva did Claire's hair so nicely and she was only happy to oblige Averi with the same hair!

They had driven through the night and were quite tired but still, Eva insisted that we stick to the general schedule we had planned.

So we headed off to the water front!

The kids were fabulous together!

We caught some moments of them holding hands but the pics are blurry:

Taylor wasn't too excited about the ocean until we started climbing over the monstrous rocks!!

Then, he couldn't get enough!

Everyone had a good time:

You can tell that Lerina was our primary photographer!! With us so busy with the kids, it was very reassuring that our memories would be captured.

Here's a shot of Eva wearing Claire's Hello Kitty hat!

I love this shot of Ella heading upwards:

She always has more energy than I do!

I also love this shot of Auntie Lerina holding Ella... Not so much because Ella is squirming to get away but because Dad is in the background holding everyone's coats!!! Seems familiar somehow!

Heading for the car, the girls and Dad (Grandpa) were holding hands and singing... I don't know if I caught the singing but it's still cute!


We weren't the only happy ones at the water front... This random little girl just stopped on the path and gave the kids hugs!!

So adorable!!

Next up was Beacon Hill park, of course!! Mostly just the petting zoo...

That evening, Des and Jane and all their kids came over to Grandma's for supper! I hadn't seen my cousins in AGES!!

Here's Lerina and Des:

Here are Lerina and sorta-cousin, Ashley, showing off tattoos!!

Lerina's "sleeve" isn't finished yet....

I laughed at Lerina for getting a picture of "the spread..." It's so Dad!! ;)

Here are Grandma and Jane... Jane is reclining due to pain from her abdominal cancer, though you couldn't tell by looking at her.

She was such a trooper!! She made dozens of FABULOUS deviled eggs. I didn't even think I liked deviled eggs but I think I ate my weight in them!

More pictures with Des and Jane in future posts.

A long and busy day!!

No wonder it's taking me so long to get these posts up... With so many photos, etc., they take FOREVER!!  ;)

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

...to tell a quick Averi story from Daddy today.

Daddy was walking the kids home after taking them to the park (I'm currently working full-time which is another story) when he asked Averi if she'd like to ride on his shoulders.

She looked up at him and said, matter-of-factly, "Of course!"

It doesn't seem that cute or funny now that I type it. I guess it's the way Shawn told it.

How about this one...

Averi: Can I please have/do [insert inanity]?
Mom: No, sweetie.
Averi: But I asked nic-e-ly!!

She always turns "nicely" in this phrase into a 3-syllable word... Cute!

Trip to Victoria

I'm finally getting back to documentation! Shawn's spending the evening over at his brother's house, the kids are down, I don't currently have any papercrafting deadlines (though Averi and Taylor's birthday invites are looming close!) and I'm not in the middle of a book!

Dad, the three children and I left for Victoria the morning of Monday, June 20. It was an unhurried departure, just the way I like it. However, I had mistimed how long it would take to get to the Ferries. We realized, once we reached Kamloops, BC, that we wouldn't make it in time.

This was also about the time I started losing my patience with Averi's incessant whining.

We spent the night.

The two older kids had a quick encounter with the pool (thanks, Grandpa!) while I tried to get Ella to sleep. It was a long process and once Taylor and Averi returned, it continued to be a long process.

We finished our journey to Victoria on Tuesday, June 21.

I don't have any pictures of our solitary day in Victoria before my sisters and cousin Claire arrived but I recall that it was fairly relaxing... Dad took the kids to Topaz park. My mom took transit over after work and then we walked to meet the kids.

It was like Omi had never left. The kids were excited to see her but continued to play away.  :)

Here is a picture of Ella at Topaz park on a subsequent day... She really is a monkey!

Travel note: I was pleasantly surprised at how well Taylor and especially Ella traveled. Here is Ella blowing bubbles like a baby!

Mayley's Blessing

My dad accompanied us to Lethbridge on Sunday, June 19th for Mayley's baby blessing.

Afterwards, there was a luncheon at Lindsay and Kyle's home. Behind their backyard was a playground that kept the children occupied. None more than Ella, who was discovered, still wearing her Sunday finery, in a large puddle.

She didn't just sit in it. She jumped, twirled, rolled and DID THE BREASTSTROKE in it!!

Here is some footage that was caught, though it doesn't show the full theatrics that Ella displayed earlier.



I'm hoping for more pics or footage from Aaron...

[Edited to add:] Here's the photo from Aaron:

Grandpa Harris Visits

In order to aid me on the trip to Victoria, Dad flew into Calgary and we all had a nice little visit.

Dad also taught the kids some exercises...

The Thinker

This pose that Daddy caught of Taylor reminded him of The Thinker, so he had to get a pic. ;)

Playing Catch Up

I have quite a bit to catch up on... Mostly, our big trip to Victoria, Boise, Rexburg and Bear Lake. But, since I'm a chronological freak, I need to throw in a quick couple of posts first.

Daddy must be so much more patient than I to be able to get cooking pictures with the girls...

This photo reminds me of another with an Ella-aged Averi doing the same thing (can't find it on the blog though I'm POSITIVE I posted it on here)... Dunno why Taylor never had his day at the stove... ;)

Driveway Art

The artistry that Taylor displayed in this post is not unusual. I had forgotten to post pictures of his driveway road map...

(I've had this post in Draft for a while because I was unable to locate the photos... Finally found them!!)

Sweet Girls

Daddy caught the girls in the sweetest moment...

Notice how Averi is helping Ella to swing? Here is the footage Daddy caught!



Wow, I just noticed the hazardous rake right behind them! ;)

Trampoline

I've mentioned the new trampoline before but haven't had a chance to post these pics I took after Shawn set it up...

My Little "Papercrafter"

Taylor drew this fabulous picture on our front porch:

He told me that it's a "card" for everyone's birthday! I love his little banner!! As an avid papercrafter, I love his enjoyment in making "cards."

Video Links

If you couldn't view the videos in the last post, it was due to the privacy setting I selected. Hopefully,  I have fixed it! Feel free to view the videos now, if you didn't get a chance to before.

Ella's 2nd Birthday!

My baby is two years old!!

This video clip was taken yesterday morning, as part of her birthday "documentation." ;) It's a little long but there's some good stuff in here. :D



Ella found a toque on its way to the winter clothing bin and decided it would make a terrific birthday hat???

She's so adorable!!

Here are the kids, plus a friend of Taylor's, jumping on our relatively new trampoline.



Ella's birthday cake! A delicious vegan recipe, perfect for if you don't have eggs or milk (I did have milk and eggs, just touting uses of a vegan recipe for those reluctant to try). I doubled the recipe and used 2 circle pans for only 30 minutes (lots of helpful hints in the comments)! I put some strawberry jam in the middle and made up some vegan "buttercream" frosting for the top. Yum!!

Daddy Mommy

I will often take the kids to play at the Burger King play place nearby. I usually buy a small drink or something so I don't feel guilty about just dropping in (I don't care for their food).

Ella has never seemed to have difficulty going up or down the play place, perhaps because Taylor is usually around. This past weekend, Taylor went to Bellevue with Daddy, and Averi deemed herself incapable of aiding Ella when she started crying from the top of the play place.

Hm.

I had no intention of climbing to the top to retrieve her. I had had to do that once when Averi was little, being grossly pregnant with Ella at the time. I strained something or other, only uncomfortably so.

I listened as Ella kept calling for me.

The young fathers that were also with children at the play place kept trying to decide which of their children was calling out. I had to clarify:

That's actually my kid... She calls me "Daddy!"

Since I finally decided that Averi was absolutely helpless and the other children too young to give me a hand, I once again climbed up to retrieve a child. It wasn't difficult, just a little embarrassing.

I continue to correct Ella's use of "Daddy" when calling me...