Barnet picnic

Last night we enjoyed our new favorite picnic spot, Barnet marine park, which we have pretty much to ourselves even on a summer friday.  Vancouver's best kept secret.  Perfect for a lovely oceanfront walk overlooking belcarra and deep cove, only a few minutes from our home.  We used to bike here and brave the hill back up on the trails, but haven't done so since the kids came.  One day...

Buds.

Tugga tugga tugboat.  Speed boat!  Sail boat!  Kayak!  Two year old heaven.

Vons, you're awesome.  Minus the combover.

Walking with Riles pushing the bike.  Simon bikes with him in the chariot up to SFU.  On Cardiac hill he often has to get out and push (he'd kill me for saying this ... but in fairness its a heck of a hill on a gravel corner and I skid out too even without the trailer).  Anyway, Riles INSISTS on pushing his bike "like daddy" at least every few minutes, thinking its cool and all, much to Si's chagrin.

In other notes, Si's mom has been going downhill.  Its tough to see.  We continue to appreciate whatever time we have with her.

Today I turned left

... and had I not, this would have been a very different post.

A few times a week I walk with Vons to a produce shop.  I first park her in her stroller beside the stalls in front of a jewelery shop (its a small sidewalk) and get the fruit from the on-street stands, using her stroller as our trolley.  When we are done, I take the stroller inside to pay.   I'm only feet away from her, but I leave her parked in the stroller while we are outside.  We do this exact pattern a few days a week.

Today I was going to the produce shop and was going to pop by the library to get a book as well.  At the last second, I turned left to go to the library first instead of going to the produce store.  A minute after stepping into the library a car lost control and went right through the jewelery store, exactly where Vani's stroller (and possibly me, but definitely she) would have been.  The store was empty at the time (the shopkeeper in the storage room), and fortunately noone was hurt.  The car only stopped when it hit the rear wall.

I won't dwell on how different things would be had I not a minute earlier decided to go to the library.  She would have been immediately in front of it. 

I'm just grateful that I turned left instead of right. 

Golden Ears

Took at trip to Golden Ears park yesterday and stopped off at my aunt and uncles farm in Maple Ridge.

Riles + tractor = love.

 He has a herd of spotted deer, so lovely to see them + their fawns

 More tractor fun

 And now for our walk to the falls, and allouette lake

 It was a happy walk.  Riles was being a darling and giggling lots. 

Almost every walk, Si and Riles play airplanes.  Riles LOVES it and gets his wings out the second he's in the pack.  It always makes me happy to see.  Tried to capture the sequence below, but some of the pics didnt turn out too well.

 

 This was a neat old stump, see how its hollow underneath?

I'm really nervous about my return to work on Monday.  I know how hard it is and how I can never really switch off when working (vs. mat leave when I just check work email every few days rarely respond).  We're enjoying the time we have now together. 

888

Busy day today!

Started off with a quad batch of muffins and making some `fancy`raspberry jam (normally do freezer jam since its so much faster, here we cooked, sterilized and everything!)

 Riles was busy decorating

Riles`bday is in feb, when the weather sucks, I was sick with cholestasis and due to delivery anyday.  So we decided to postpone his party until the summer.  Today seemed as good as any day.  Google told me he`s 888 days old today, so we celebrated that instead.

Together with 5 of our friends families, we invaded the ranch.  It was super chaos.

 Yes.  Vani is wearing a hat.  In July.  Fortunately the pool was heated.

 Jonah`s practically a teenager.

 Riles was thrilled to have his buds over

Controversy.  I made (kale + carrot) muffins and put icing on them.  Riles`s idea of the best day ever is a birthday.  eg. if he wants icecream at home he starts singing happy birthday dear Riley... so while this wasn`t a birthday party, we did end up singing for him. Si`s cross about this.  To me, he figured it was his special day, kept saying it was Riley`s truck birthday (his two favorite things), and I figured I`d go with it.  Oh well.

Love you Riley bear.

Chief raspberry picker

An exciting few days in the greatwey family during our time off together.  Bowen island getaway, hiking the Chief in Squamish, then raspberry picking with nanny.

First, some garden harvest pictures.  Yes, that`s the infameous orange table.  I moved it up to the patio one night, and of course now I`m used to it.  Must. repaint. soon. 

Our garden.  Tomatoes are protesting the lack of sun.  As am I.  Our house is currently 65`F at 7pm on July 22.  I feel you, tomatoes.

Spent a night at my uncle Derek`s lodge on Bowen.  Nice `n quiet. 
Riles got to `drive` the boat.

Going for a walk.  Riles is starting to protest the chariot but we`ll have none of it.  This has been a lifesaver to get any exercise with the two kids.

He`s lovely how he holds Vani`s hands!

A moment below

Another moment, a moment before Riles fell in the water.  Woops.  The trip home was faster than the hike there!

Hiking the chief in Squamish (didn`t take a perspective picture, see http://funclimbsaroundtheworld.com/?p=389 for a pic of the rock ...we went up the eas(ier) way though).  Lovely sunny day and shaded hike up. 

Cheeky bloody chipmonks at the top were torturing Tenge.  Thankfully we had him on lead after warnings that they tempt the dogs off the cliffs.

 Family pic.  Riles was in playschool - we were glad we didn`t have him on the way up!

 Si got Vons on the way down... I find it easier to walk up with her than down.

 Spot the pointer

 Love how chubby her legs are!

Shannon Falls.  Then a quick meetup with my cousin Kate before heading home to Riles.  Nice getaway!

Yesterday, raspberry picking with nanny!

Vons wasn`t too excited.  Sounders.

Riles and nanny were a perfect match.  Nan LOVES raspberry picking.  She gets renewed excitement at every bush, showing him new techniques and reminding him to pick with both hands and to suss out the next branch while picking the current.  Riles, being two, has a two-minute attention span, and about every two minutes they`d hit a new bush.  Look!  Berries! 

 Laden

 Perfect raspberry pickins

Riles puts the berries on his fingers and eat it from there.  This did not meet Nanny`s efficiency standards, but was approved for cuteness none the less.

 Yahoo!

 Vani was happy.  All expressions to the contrary.

Now for 100s of jars of jam!  Busy morning.