Sunday, August 29, 2010

Living the lake life


We spent 4 glorious days at my family cabin on Cowichan Lake this past week and I didn't want to come home! It was hard to narrow down my photos as I had so many good ones I wanted to share, so bare with me!

James hugging Papa, whom he adores!
Swing snuggles for Mason

Waiting patiently to get into the boat....oh the anticipation!
Now if this isn't the best exersaucer view in BC, I don't know what is?!
Hammock snuggles for James and Grandma
Weeeeee!
Mason's new favorite (Mum Mum's )
Watching the sun go down

I made the perfect jiffy pop!
Jumping and swatting
Bath time!
More bath time!
After seeing the last picture I took, I couldn't help but remember this one taken last year at the lake of James! I love the look in his eyes!
Boating with mom
Pulling Mom on the tube (he wouldn't go this year) but Mason did, I just didn't get any pictures of it!
Family dinners, always the best food (and bbq'd peach and blackberry crumble, all over James' face)
Family shot on the dock - James not too thrilled
A little kayak with Dad
Swinging with mom
Who doesn't love chips and guacamole on the beach?!
We can't wait to come back next year!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

6th Annual Mable Lake Trip

To add to my last post, which I thought I'd separate - here are my favorite pics from our trip to Mable Lake! Geoff's Grandad went here when he was a kid in the 30's and his mom went here as a kid, Geoff went here as a kid and we just started going back 6 years ago, so now our kids get to go too!

Testing the waters when we arrived!
Fast forward 17 years!
I love it!
Bathtime was in our baby pool filled with some hot water! Best bath view in BC!
Mason was also a fan!
Mason loved the water!
And his prunes!

My loves!
Dad and Mason BBQ'ing
Green beans from head to toe!

Annual Vernon visit to Noelle and Everett's

We just returned from our annual summer trip to the Okanagan! We combined our friends wedding in Kelowna, a visit to Vernon to see our friends and a trip to Mable Lake to spend some days (relaxing?!) with Geoff's Mom (Grammy). We were away 6 days and it was lots of driving for the boys and we made it unscathed although Mason was a bit of a screamer at times (it didn't help that on the way home we were stuck in a traffic accident for an hour which made our trip 8 hours for the day...never so happy to be home!)

Geoff was the best man in the wedding so I had the boys for a few days by myself and of course forgot to bring the camera to the wedding. I did bring everything else though and it was a lovely wedding!

Here we are at Noelle and Everett's house! Noey loved Mason and wanted to help in any way she could!
Down at Roxy's dog agility field - James love watching the dogs go over the teeter totter and ramps!
Still not smiling together...one day!
I'll take you for a ride!
Watching Mason jump
A dip in the hot tub - Mason loved it!
So did James!
James' favorite parts of the trip were their new bouncy castle in the basement, the hot tub, his own room with a big boy bed and the biggest teddy bear you've ever seen! We can't wait to go back - James is already asking!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

10 on the 10th

It's actually the 10th and I remembered! I had been making a little list of reminders, as the last two times I've had to really think hard, which is hard for moms sometimes!

1. James learned a very good lesson in natural consequences this month...we picked up sushi for dinner when Geoff was working one night (it's his favorite, he asks daily for sushi, even for breakfast), so I se the table and left it in the take-out box in the middle of the table (out of reach) and told him that I would put Mason down for a nap and that we would eat afterwards, in about 10 minutes. I said "please don't climb on your chair to eat, you have to wait". He happily played by himself for a few minutes, but it got eerily quiet and I figured he was into no good and then I heard screaming. He had climbed up on to the table, opened the take-out box, ate what he thought was his avocado roll, but turned out to be a giant wad of wasabi. Ouch. Poor kid was crying and had a runny nose for 15 minutes while we tried a 'mouth wash' (similar to what you would do for an eye wash) station in the bathroom. Needless to say, he won't touch the wasabi again and luckily for us still likes sushi!

2. Mason manhandled our mango one day for his first food! He loved it, who wouldn't?!
3. James loved sleeping in the tent a few weeks ago and we just got him his own sleeping bag for the lake this week!
4. Mason can fully roll over, both ways!
5. James has taken an interest in being carried in the backpack we have for him, so Geoff takes both boys on walks to pick me flowers - that's over 50 pounds of kids and carriers!
6. For Geoff's 34th birthday this month, we took him a giant cookie (Thanks Miranda for the idea!) We made some for the garbage men last week. We really have the nicest garbage men!
Here we are at Dads work, eating his cookie!
7. I scored some sweet FOSOR (free on side of road) items this month - a little tikes climber with slide, a tugboat and huge ride-on digger! Sweet!!
Here is the biggest strawberry from our organic garden!
8. We took in Seafest in White Rock this year and James loved all the music - front row dancing all by himself, too cute!
9. Mason eats a wide variety of foods now - cereal, bananas, pears, squash and sweet potatoes! Loves it all, cries when the spoon leaves his mouth!
10. Mason has found his voice and just like James, when he was 5 months he squawks like a baby eagle

Friday, August 6, 2010

Foray into Food!

Mason entered the world of deliciousness this week and has been loving it! We've let him lead the way, a little bit differently than we did with James. Maybe it's because he's the second, we are more relaxed and/or perhaps because James never experienced any food allergies, so we are less nervous about Mason having any. In any case, Mason loves food and has tried rice cereal, yams, bananas and prunes...oh and he may have gnawed on a little strawberry from our garden!!

Banana's from head to toe!
Trying yams
This was the biggest strawberry our garden grew!
Strawberry face!
Prunes - to help the rice cereal out!!