5 days in May

After many a late night moving all of our belongings into Bumpa's garage we were really looking forward to our trip to Tofino. On the way we stopped in Nanaimo just long enough to find another house (a great one this time!), but the rest was spent just enjoying a much needed holiday as a family.

Grant & Drew went whale watching, we visited Cathedral Grove & spent lots of time on the beach & in the hot tub. We also got to experience a "live" crab dinner thanks to Kevin, the owner of the home we stayed in. There were no close encounters with bears this time, but we did see three from the safety of our truck. There are almost 400 photos of our trip - here are just a few...

Kai & Mara in the biggest bubble bath ever!

Cathedral Grove

"The trees aren't THAT big" says Drew as he sits on the roots

Drew's photo while whale watching with Dad

Hunting for hermit crabs

The view from our rental

Down at the crab dock - not too sure who Drew is calling

Fishing for crabs

Playing with my best boy on Long Beach. He won 3-1.

Mara-no-shoes on Long Beach

Grant's "bulbed d'eagle" shot while whale watching

Not too bad...for an amateur

Drew was a "little bit creeped out" at first - but he sure liked to eat him afterwards!

Drew's portrait of our dinner

Who says babies can't eat shellfish?

Movin' & Sellin'

Drew's sign for our multi-family garage sale

The last few weeks have been a blur. Our house is almost empty & we are spending our last night here tomorrow night. There is still so much to do before we move to our halfway house, but thanks to a fairly successful garage sale with the Rigbys & Taplins, we now have a few less things to haul across the ocean. Last Sunday afternoon the 3 brave dads took seven kids to Scandia while Jen, Brandwyn & I relaxed in the sun & made a few dollars.

Next week we are heading to the island for 6 days & we are really looking forward to our mini vacation. We'll be house-hunting for one day on the way out, but the rest of the time we are hoping to just relax (wha?) & explore the west side of the island while we stay in Tofino.

I'm sure there might be one or two new photos to post when we return. In the meantime here are a couple new ones of Mara. Her and I had a sleepover at Donna's in Kamloops this week. Poor girl was sporting a strange eye 'issue' while we were there. It came & went quickly but it looked pretty bad for 2 days. (Kai: "Mum, us kids got the goop"). She was still in good spirits & enjoyed Sydney & Kiley's hospitality - we just hope we managed to keep it away from the girls!

Nap time

First slice of cantaloupe! She had 3 in total.

Puffy-eyed Mara hangin' out with Sydney & Kiley

Just in time to leave she started to feel (& look) more human. Poor girl!

To the ocean & back

First things first - Kai's soccer game. Her smiles say it all. She was so excited to play & even though it was windy & freezing for all of us on the sidelines - she had a blast. This week they will actually get their uniforms & team names, not that it will make one load of difference for her. She was just happy they played "Bulldog".

Discovering our neighbour Marcus was playing too

Discussing strategy, obviously

On Friday we headed out to the island to do a little house hunting. Even though the home search was a bust, we still got to enjoy 4 days in a beautiful place that we will soon call our home. We spent a lot of time at the beach, visited my aunt Elaine & cousins Andrea & Heather at Andrea's fantastic farm in Courtenay, and we were able to take Nanie out for lunch on her birthday. It was such a wonderful thing to have her meet her newest great-grandchild! It was pretty emotional for both Nanie & I, and I am so grateful for our afternoon together.

Lunch with Nanie for her 95th birthday!

Nanie & Mara play the banging game - much to Mara's delight

A serious treat for the cabin - Fruit Loops!

Drew & Gilbert build it up to watch it crash

The best big brother in the world

The nuttiest big sister in the world

"I just can't believe I'm seeing a starfish!
I've waited my WHOLE LIFE for this!" (Drew)

Soccer!

Saturday morning @ 9am the Cobras started their season against the Stallions! They lost 5-3, and poor Drew was "ashamed of himself" for taking the ball from his teammates. It was a 6 year-old free-for-all, who didn't steal the ball from each other?!? He analyzed his performance and was quite hard on himself - until he got a hot chocolate & some timbits. All was soon forgotten & he is now looking forward to the next game.

Kai's first game is this Wednesday. Now that is going to be something to see! She has not one ounce of competitiveness in her so I'm sure the focus will be a little different than that of Drew's games. We will be posting video!


The Easter Bunny was very smart this year. He left DK letters and one large egg on their bedside tables. The letter instructed them to find the rest of their treats at Bumpa's house. The Easter Bunny had heard their concerns about Norman eating the chocolate, so he hid their eggs at a safe place. Drew was soooooo excited, and so convinced - it was magical. He told Kai, "Thank the Easter Bunny OUT LOUD because he is listening to everything!!"

Mara was not too sure about the whole bunny thing

DK find the Easter cookies Bumpa made before he left for Japan

Mara enjoys her own version of an Easter cookie

Kai follows the trail of eggs left for her

On her way to the finish line - classic Pink Panther movies for Kai!

At the end of Drew's trail was Operation. How did the Easter Bunny know?!?

Pure concentration...with Uncle Curtis keeping them honest

Or...waiting for his turn to show them how it's done.

The coolest 6-month-old on the block

With DK both out of the house today I spent time shooting some pictures of Mara while she played on her big sister's bed. There are now 96 pictures to go through - here are just a few. Drew & I both noticed a change in her this morning, as if she grew up overnight. It is all happening much too fast. I wish there was a way to keep her small forever.

The cutest girl in the world
...and some lady with a big mouth full of braces

On the move

Playing tourist - we were so high (up)

Friday was the day in Vancouver. While Bumpa was holding down the fort, Grant & I put on our best smiley faces for 12 solid hours of head office hoopla & grueling interviews. It was exhausting, but more than worth it. At the end of it all we found out on Monday that we'd been approved as owners of Vancouver Island's 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise. Phew! We weren't quite sure how to prepare ourselves for a rejection. "I'm sorry...you two are just not quite qualified to haul junk..." What the?!? Thankfully that call never came & we are now a part of a very interesting & successful company. The idea might be a simple one, but the structure behind it is fascinating and we are excited about this opportunity to have more control over our future. This whole journey started with Nana's visit in January. It was her that lit the light bulb & we are so thankful!

What this means is that we will be moving to Nanaimo for a July 1st start date. Our house hits MLS today! Between now and July 1st we have a lot to do. But, like we have joked before - we aren't pregnant, so... why not move and/or start a business?