When the Abelmans Came to Town (Part Two)

For Day Two of our adventure, we decided to check out Aldergrove Lake. Can you believe I'd never heard of, let alone been there before this summer? Aldergrove Lake is a gem in the rough! It's small, and the beach is pebbly, but for families with small children, this place is amazing! It's nestled in the middle of a forest, about 20 minutes from our house. There are picnic facilities, toilet and change rooms, and even a hot dog/ice cream vendor! Wow. Too bad it's slated to be closed soon.

As you can see, the kids loved the water!

Andrew's co worker, Lorrie, gave us some old skim boards. The kids were in heaven! David swam laps.

And splashed.
And Seth and Elisabeth clamoured around on the man hole covers (oh yeah, Aldergrove Lake is man made. A humungous concrete swimming pool. What an amazing idea!)


Seriously can not wait to go back!

When we got home, David and Jade played in the wading pool while Seth and Elisabeth played inside. Riley and Mayah went home with their dad (who commutes through Langley every day) while Seth and Tash decided to do one more night in Langley.

So we pawned David off on Jade, and headed to Andrew's office to kidnap him. While we waited, the kids went for a dip in the fountains (It's 11 years this year that I've been bringing kids to paddle in this fountain! Wow.)

Then we headed to Derby Reach to bbq dinner. Well...roast it actually. They need more fire pits with these picnic tables. Can you believe there was a lineup waiting to use the one that's open for day use?

Apparently, while these two were throwing rocks, the conversation turned to the future. And our two young'uns pledged their undying love to each other. That's right. Marriage.

Their future set, we resumed playing.



ahhh...young love.
Alas, even three year olds have their rocky moments. Little Seth was clearly exhausted by day's end and told Elisabeth that he only loved his mommy after all. As you can see, Elisabeth's little heart was broken.

Seth decided at bedtime, that maybe he'd been a little bit harsh. So before he could sleep, he had to sneak into Elisabeth's room and tell her that he was sorry, and he still loves her AND his mummy. And all is well in the world again.

When the Abelmans came to town (Part One)

Natasha and I have been trying to take our kids on vacation together for a few years. But something always seems to happen so that we don't get to go. Like this year, the people whose house we usually rent in the Interior decided not to rent their house out after all. Bummer. But still, we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. So we decided to take turns camping out at each other's houses. Turned out, it's a bit of a gong show.

First of all, it took Tash almost three hours to get from Chilliwack to Langley. Luckily for us, we had lots to keep us occupied. Like trying on silly hats. Poor Tash was squirrely by the time she got to our house though!

We finally made it to the ocean though, and Riley was straight off down the beach in search of critters!
Crab catchin'.

We camped out beside the pier. Great place for watching people, plus we had some built in shade.


Yup, that's my girl, multi tasking. Catching a nap, sun tanning AND eating lunch all at once. Atta girl!





YUCK! (though Riley is just mugging for the camera. She actually loved letting those icky things crawl all over her!!

Watching for unsuspecting passerbys so they could empty their buckets on their heads!

Random Summertime Scenes: Part One

Don't let this peaceful scene fool you. While Elisabeth is quietly perfecting her masterpiece, their is mischief afoot.

Ah yes. You can't really expect to have a faux hawk and not have people judge you, David. And really, what's a faux hawk, if it's not colourful. At least, that's what Jade seemed to be thinking when she painted my son's golden locks purple!

Scenes that make my heart happy.

Happy Birthday Riley!

Riley's annual pool party is one of the highlights of our summer! Gotta love summer birthday parties in the country! Here is a shot of the goofy birthday girl herself. Happy 10th, Riles!

Andy wore his new Microsoft hat.
Mayah is a little waterbaby and was straight into the pool.
While Elisabeth watched longingly from the ladder. I have a confession to make. For the second time in as many days, I didn't pack beach gear for the kids. They never show any desire to go in this pool so I didn't think it was necessary.

Luckily, Mayah and Tinkertot are the same size and Mayah graciously lent her a swimsuit. Look at that smile on her face!

The big kids partied under the Japanese Maple. What a neat little hiding spot!

Then they moved the party to the pool too. Have you noticed yet that Riley is a giant HAM!?
Meggie is a handtalker!
Trampoline + Sprinkler. Awesome!


When we went to Seth's birthday in December we didn't have any money. So no present. (I know. We're like the lamest friends ever. We're lucky the Abelmans love us anyway.) So this time we came prepared with a matching spiderman shirt for Seth. Apparently he liked it!

Andrew drooling over Riley's Transformers.
Another highlight, at least for the younger boys, was these lawnmowers and digging machines. They played with them for hours.



Yup, I definitely say that the spidey shirt was a hit.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth is wondering if Tash is ever going to serve that cake?

YUM!
Ashlie and Ashlee. New friends.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY RILEY! We love you!