Hello August

The last week of July zipped by in a whirlwind.  I can't believe that we are officially half way through the summer and welcoming August.


Sydney did a three day pony camp this week at Southlands Farm where she has been taking her weekly riding lessons for the past six months.

What a fantastic time the kids had together!  Syd's buddy Emma took the camp with her and the girls enjoyed a half hour ride each day with Sarah, their riding instructor, on both Becca Bear and Splash and then spent the rest of the morning with Caroline learning stable management.

On the last day of camp the kids got to decorate Splash in ribbons and bows and flowers before taking her out for one final ride along the river.

It was a magical few days at the farm for the girls and Sarah and I enjoyed long walks along the river enjoying the amazing weather together while the girls were at the farm for the morning.

We also discovered on the last day that the riding instructor Sarah is our neighbor from across the street!  Small world!  We are looking forward to seeing her more around the neighborhood!

Sarah and I enjoyed taking some of the bounty from the farm home each day from their wee market.  I finally got myself some beautiful Russian garlic!

This week was all about connecting with friends and family as well.  On Tuesday afternoon Sydney and I met up with her friend Julia and mom Jennifer for a Menchie's and beach playdate.

The girls had a great time at the beach building sand castles and collecting all sorts of treasures together, shells, rocks and sea glass.

Syd also went for a playdate with her friend Noa from preschool, they met up at the Kerrisdale Play Palace together for some fun one afternoon before heading to Southlands park to enjoy the sunny afternoon.

Jack and Christina threw a fantastic party this week, Jack's Stuffy Party.  Jack decided that he wanted to have his Dunbar friends over for a party where everyone brought their favourite stuffy and had snacks and played games and got prizes.

It was a blast!  The kids had so much fun together and we ended the party by putting the sprinkler on and letting the kids run through it with wild abandon.

Christina sent each of us home with a very special gift, a door and specially chosen doorknob for a fairy house to build in our garden.  Sydney and I are looking forward to getting some things together to build our very own fairy house in the back yard.

We met up with my brother Paul for lunch this week as well, had the chance to catch up and for him to hear all about my recent trip to our hometown, Burns Lake.

This morning Sydney and I met up with my sister and headed out to Westham Island to the bird sanctuary to spend the morning.

What an absolutely gorgeous day it was there and we so enjoyed seeing many birds, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, blue herons and more.

We bumped into Sydney's buddy William along with his Dad Iain and Grandma while atop the giant tower overlooking the estuary.

After a picnic lunch there we headed quickly to Emma Lea Farms for ice cream and a little play at their playground before heading home.

Then this afternoon while Alexa was with Sydney, Paul and I loaded our bikes into the car and went on an epic cycle around the seawall starting at Granville Island and going all the way to the entrance to Stanley Park downtown.

What an absolutely gorgeous ride it was, the scenery is amazing along the seawall!

I feel as though our feet have hardly touched the ground this summer, we have been flying from one fun activity to the next and I am enjoying every last minute of it!