Swimming in Junk

No time for an easy transition - we have jumped right in! This month has come & gone in a flash. Here's a quick recap of just a few of the highlights...

I drove back to Kelowna to photograph a wedding and Grant flew back & forth to Vancouver for training. Drew started rock climbing camp & gymnastics. Kai started gymnastics & has a new life goal to be in the broadway production of Annie. Mara has cut three new teeth & now pulls up on everything. Norman ate our spare bed. Grant managed to save me from a bat who'd decided to visit our room. DK had their first Kool-Aid stand & raked in $24.12 in under 2 hours! My computer suffered a "massive hardware failure" and was reborn - leaving me to mourn the loss of thousands of photos, all my writing, all my contacts, emails, music, etc. Bob caught his first rat. We had an antique birthing chair left on our driveway. 

Our life is forever interesting & always an adventure & we'd hate it to be any other way. We are very excited that our first month in business, while a complete whirlwind of pretending to know what we were doing & saying, has turned into a record-breaking month for this territory. 

The kids receive their first parcel! 

Peanut-butter-M&M-rice-crispy-squares from Bumpa.

Mara decides she'd like some too.

Rock climbing Drew

Mara discovered the cupboards...

...and yells hello into every one of them

It's her own personal cave of adventure! 

2 of our guys, Duncan & Paul with the antique birthing chair.

Our first entry into the Weird Junk contest.

A competition for the spotlight may be on the horizon

Mara & Liv at Shawnigan Lake

DK's first Kool-Aid stand brings out the crowds

It was so busy they recruited Tor's help

Drew or Mara?

From one beach to another

Kai & Mara wait out our last few days at Bumpa's - under the coffee table

After a very long trip to the island (the kids and I were lucky enough to wait for 4 HOURS in the ferry line-up), an unexpected trip back to Kelowna the next day for Grant (the moving company "lost" our truck on moving day & the last minute alternative had to be returned within 24 hours) and a few meltdowns (the biggest one by me) we are here and we are adjusting to our new life!

Kai wasted no time finding her dress-up clothes

Drew built the structure all by himself!

And so here we are. Barely 7 months after this was all just an idea, we are now residents of Nanaimo & owners of our own company.

The last week in June was spent saying goodbye to as many of our friends as possible. We were treated to dinner (and goats and chickens and a peacock!) with the Allen's, a barbecue with the Fay's, and a picnic thrown for us by many of the classmates Drew has become close to over the last year. We are a lucky family to have connected with such a fantastic group of families during our life in Winfield. Saying goodbye was difficult and emotional for us and the kids & I apologize to all those I/we didn't see before we left. Everyone in that group knows me well enough to know why.

Drew's last day of Grade One - at a beach picnic thrown for us!

Antony, Aidan & Drew

Calta & Kai

Kya puts on a performance for us!

Kai, Chloe & Calta girl-talking over watermelon

Katrina getting seriously drooled on

Kai & Hannah have a girls only day at the beach


Bubble gum ice cream WITH marshmellows caps off the beach day

Best buds

Exploring our new beach

Grant meets a new friend. Awwwww....

Drew's first 'captured' starfish

"Don't come near me with that thing - it's "sususting!"

Drew's new "hermit crab getter"

Kai tries out the playground at her new school
It's only one block away!