Purolator Package

After the "pull out all your plastic bottles and cups" ordeal a few months ago, I got the opportunity to get a free Avent Cup that is BPA Free sent to me. Purolator tried to deliver it over a week ago but I wasn't home and for a free cup was not willing to drive over to the Purolator office to get my package - but they called me yesterday and said that they'd re-deliver it today! So I just got my or shall I say Gabi's new sippy cup!

With Sympathy

Sherry dropped by yesterday with a bouquet of flowers for us after reading our my Grandma's death in our church bulletin - what a surprise to get these. Thank you Sherry!

On Sunday afternoon we learnt that all our extended Family had gone over to Gibsons to be with Grandpa - I wasn't planning on going over for the day since the Memorial Service isn't happening until mid-September, but when I heard this I wanted to go. So we made quick arrangements for Fran and Amy so we could catch the first ferry over Monday morning. We picked up Paul and Carla and took them with us and Matt met us at the terminal - we had time to kill before our ferry arrived so we walked to the parkso windy on the ferry on the upper outside deck:At the Care Home visiting everyone and Grandpa - we went for lunch at Molly's Reach with my Family and Mark, Maureen (my cousin) and her boys, Surrow and Joshua and then a stroll on the docks between the boatsJoshua in red is one day younger than Elijah - so it was fun for the boys to play a bit - these boys are the closest 'cousins' in age that my kids have
Grandpa and Elijah - little did I know Elijah would be vomiting later that day - I think I should look at all the times this happens when we are out and about and come up with a conclusion of why it happens and plan for it! Poor guy - I'm thinking there is a link between overtiredness and excitement?Maureen, my cousin, and Gabi - this was the first time the whole Family met Sammy and GabiDad, Mom, Matt and Carlawe had time for a swim at the hotel where everyone was staying - so that was a nice way to end the day - here is JoshIt was so nice to see my cousin's, Uncles and Aunts...it's too bad it's very few and far between visits. Since my Grandma's Memorial Service won't be for awhile yet, we do look forward to visiting with you again soon!

Celebrate Grandma

this is from our trip in May - I am sooooo glad we went!On Friday, August 15 Grandma finally got her wish to go and meet Jesus face to face! At practically 93 years old (October 3) and having just celebrated 65 years of marriage to Grandpa - she was ready. And what a joy that is! The only experience I have had with death was my other Grandpa (1989) and so I was worried when the time would come to say Goodbye to someone, how I would do. But this, this is a celebration! Of course, we miss her - but she's lived a great life and is a testimony to everyone she met!

We went on Monday to Gibsons to visit with all my Family. Grandma's room in the Complex Care Facility was kept as a room of grievance - nothing was moved from it's place. Before we left for home though, the Grandchildren were able to pick something of Grandma's to keep - so I chose this glass Angel - a perfect description of Grandma - this plate that I gave to my Grandparent's for their 50th Wedding Anniversary when I was 15 years old.
And then when my Parent's returned from the visit in Gibsons, my Mom gave me this greeting card that my Grandma recently painted! I guess the Residents in the Home had the opportunity to do a painting and then they printed it off onto cards. I think she did a marvelous job! These colours were Grandma's favourite colours! I think I will frame this card and hang it somewhere.

13 months

She's my little shadow - here you can see she's right into the dishwasher whenever it's opened! Thankfully these ones are clean!
Gabriella is a little girl, more and more everyday - as opposed to a baby girl. We haven't had to keep up our gate at the top of our stairs lately because she won't go down them... then on Friday at Patti's house, I was a little jumpy with Gabi on the deck b/c of the stairs she kept standing near that led to the grass - I think this was her first time, but she got herself down the stairs very gracefully...and now this week she's taken the challenge of going down our sets of stairs to the bottom floor - I've seen her do it on her bum forwards and on her tummy... just this morning she headed down when she could hear Jason talking on his phone! So cute!

Gabriella is an animal-lover; especially dogs! Here's one she got friendly with at the Lake on Saturday. She barks at them and then gets a little too excited by flailing her hands at them...thankfully so far the dogs she's done that to haven't minded!
Gabriella has 3 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom now.
She sleeps like crazy for her naps! Some days she'll sleep well into the afternoon even when beginning at 9:00am.
She's slept better through the night - last week she gave me 3 full nights of rest (Sammy did too!) in a row. Since then she's woken up 1x, which I can totally live with too.

monster cookies

Wyatt, Elijah, Samuel and Gabriella - enjoying a very hot day~ in and out of the pool, trampoline, swing set...too fun!

so thoughtful

On Friday Alexa dropped off all 5 girls here after school and also left me with a container of some fresh blueberries she picked last week - they were delicious! I will eat blueberries in things; we always get blueberries for the freezer...but to tell you the truth, I wasn't big on them fresh UNTIL this year. Man, they were tasty! What was my problem before?!Thank You!

And then Friday afternoon the kids and I went to visit Patti, Madison and Wyatt. Patti so kindly gave me a new SU! Catalog to drool over! THANKS!

$2 Tuesday at the Oregon Zoo

I remembered from our last week long trip in Portland that the Oregon Zoo has this special every 2nd Tuesday of the month... we thought we would never make it into the zoo by the line-up up the hill, but it went really fast and we were shocked to see the line up the same length at 2:30 in the afternoon when we left! Crazy! For the amount of people coming for $2, it didn't feel packed in the zoo or like too many people at all. I guess it is big enough that everyone spreads out nicely! Makes for a more enjoyable experience. Here's some photos from our day at the zoo -
Asian Elephant:brushing the goat:Zebra:Gabriella is an animal lover, so I knew she'd just love the zoo:can you spot the giraffe?!"grrrr..."polar bears - notice anything? we saw 2 polar bears take a dump and the longest pee ever and we also saw one of the elephants poop right in front of us-they were the size of cannon balls! What a roar from the crowd of people witnessing and imagine all the boys in the crowd! LOLsweetness:
and that ended our vacation - we drove home after the zoo on Tuesday this past week! We look forward to more fun there next year again.

between shopping -

USA malls are so great with their play areas for kids - just like Guildford here has - so that would save us in the Malls we went to. And we found a Chuck E Cheese nearby Washington Square Mall; so we looked up some coupons online and brought in Jason's laptop into the store as "proof" of coupons b/c we couldn't print them! They honored that no problem and so off we went to have fun. Chuck E Cheese is such a great place! Gabi loved her first time participating too!and the night before we looked up splash parks...we found this one - which the boys had a great time running init was a nice little area in Tualatin-

takin' it easy in Portland

we went to Portland after our 3 days in Seaside, for another 3 nights in Portland. We booked a hotel online through our Entertainment Book - it was a bit of a shady hotel, but whatever we survived and it had a pool -and a park next doorso in between the shopping we love to do in Oregon, the kids were able to get in enough kid-stuff too!

Candyman Candy Store

our favourite store in Seaside. On the main street, there are a number of candy stores but this one if off the main street by a small block - this is where we go for our 75c ice cream cones and to spin the wheelFor every spin (1x/day) you get a salt water taffy or if you land on one of the special spots you get another prize. Jason spun a bag of popcorn! How appropriate for him! We have never bought a bag of taffy on any of our visist into the store, but this year we did... so many choices!.

Beach - 2

well, this time at the beach Gabi didn't stay on my back for more than a few minutes! And she went right in the water... falling and everything. She lasted quite a while, until one big wave knocked her over and we had to run to her rescue (not really a rescue, but to pick her up). She loved it!

more to come... scroll down to start at the beginning of our vacation...

Train ride - notice Gabi is on the train too-Gabi's turn on the carousel too-and of course, ice cream cones, yummy Tilamook Ice Cream (at 75c a cone, we went 2x for this Seaside treat)