Happy Birthday Sundee

She is 5!!!!

It's hard to believe that five years have gone by since we met this bundle of joy.
And what a bundle she is. Every day she makes us laugh harder and think faster than we have before.
She is also so brave and went to get her ears pierced today and did not cry at all. She actually said nothing until we left the shop and then she looked at me and said " my ears hurt" .
Sunday is the big party with her friends, the party will continue.

Merry Christmas

from the Loewen's

2 more sleeps till Christmas!!!!

winter wonderland

it definitely feels ALOT like Christmas.
Today it has stopped snowing and is sunny. It is absolutely gorgeous outside.
As you can see Tery dug us out of our house and dug the car out and we ventured out.
It was slow going but we did it.

dinner time

just to let everyone know that I made a fabulous pot roast yesterday. ( or so I'm told since it didn't actually pass my lips)
I thought that after 14 years of marriage it was time to branch out and try something new.
after all the praise I have received from Ter I think I might even do it again despite the smell.
Sundee was also quite appreciate seeing as she had 3 servings.

welcome...

to my crazy world.
this is our dinner time entertainment. always worth the time and money.



ok. there is supposed to be a video here but i published it before it uploaded and i can't get it to upload at all.
so sorry. i'll keep trying.

the new band member

Willow is the proud new owner of a guitar. She is getting ready to compose new songs and become the next artist of the year.
In the mean time she will be seen downtown with her case open, so please be generous she needs to pay for lessons.

run salmon run

We went to the Salmon Run yesterday. It was so amazing. Seeing thousands of salmon swimming their very hardest against the current just to lay their eggs. The river was chock full of salmon and the river banks with dead salmon, the poor ones that didn't make it. Then there were the greedy sea gulls eating their fill and making lots of noise. The smell was horrific. Ter was gagging the whole time. My photos turned out really dark but maybe you can see just how many salmon there were. I am so glad we went it was just a really fantastic thing to see.

Happy Halloween

We had the best time on Friday night. The weather cooperated and the sun actually came out at 5 o'clock. We went trick or treating for a few hours with some friends, walking around the neighborhood. This was Sundee's first time and she thought that we went to the houses and gave them treats. Not a bad idea. After, we came home to a roaring fire - outside - and roasted some hotdogs and had smores. Yum Yum. The kids ran around with their glow sticks and it was so much fun.
Note: No pencils were distributed during this event.

thanksgiving weekend

We had the best weekend with good friends. We carved pumpkins and made smores. Yummo!!

my circus

this used to be a swing set but now it's been transformed for the lovely trapeze artists.

capturing willow

i think this is the photo that displays her and everything that she is.
the pure joy, freedom and willowness of her

the rock star and her designer

the photos speak for themselves.

Birthday Girl

Can you believe that she's 10!!!
We thought she was cute then but she just keeps getting cuter every year.
Today she will be having her third party of the year and she'll finish it off with the fourth on Wednesday.
Here's to the girl with the most parties. We love you.
You are so sweet, kind and patient. A girl who loves everyone she meets - with a heart of compassion. You are the best big sister and a super daughter.
Happy Birthday Willow.

grandma and papa

it's hard to capture all the fun when you've got to scale it down to a few photos. the weather wasn't always cooperative but we made the best of every minute and had time to see the sights and also to relax, have a nap and play skip-bo. life is good when grandparents come to visit. these are only a few of my faves because of course they are ALL my faves.

the Supreme

Before....

After

Squint a little when you look at the last photo.

I have edited my car to see how it would look as a convertible. I think it looks pretty good.
Big improvement. Now how do I cut that top off ........

grandparents

Grandpa and Grandma have just left and we had too much fun. I have discovered that the only way to travel is in a convertible. (I'm thinking of cutting the top off the Supreme). We saw the ocean, the top of a mountain and a view that went for miles. Grandpa also succeeded in getting Willow to push aside some food and say that she was full. Icecream mountain rocks!!!
Here are the three basic S's. In no way captivating all the fun we had but it's a glimpse.

swimming

stretching

snuggling

rainbows

the girls and i were just relaxing on the deck and we happened to look up and what did we see. a rainbow. just there in the middle of a hot sunny day. i've never seen anything like that before.

more seals

Once again we had an encounter with the seals. This time no activists. For only 5 bucks you buy a bowl of sardines (these are not like the ones in a can these are HUGE) and you can feed the seals. It was pretty cool. Willow was brave enough to do it herself, Sundee needed a little help. They both say that seals have freaky eyes, according to Willow they are empty. All in all a good time. Although maybe the activists should have been there because these seals looked way overfed. Ter did have a passing thought on how would be the best way to take one down.

graduation.....

I know it's only preschool (that's why it's not capital) but it was a big day. Yes there were tears shed, by a lot more mums than just me. It was so sweet and cute. To think our baby will be going to Kindergarten next year, to a big school and be gone a half day every day. She had a great year at preschool and her teacher said "Sundee - eager, determined and ready to get involved with new activities! Sundee is always ready to share her thoughts, ideas and concerns." (They also played sappy music to really get you going- don't know why they didn't hand out tissues at the door).
Congratulations graduate!

Father's Day

To three of the best dad's in the world. Happy Father's Day!!

We had a great day. After a delicious and nutritious barbeque lunch we drove to Witty's Lagoon. After a little hike we arrived at the beach and had a look around and what did we see but a baby seal. Very cute and chubby. Green peace got involved and so after that we weren't allowed to even look in the direction of the seal lest we harm it. Ter wanted to throw some rocks at the seal to see what kind of reaction he would get from the people but instead decided to chant "Free Tibet", instead. So to distract ourselves we buried Willow in the sand and collected shells. We headed home only when it was clear that the seal was left in good hands. Now we can sleep in peace knowing that all is well at Witty's Lagoon.

Here's to all the great dad's in the world and especially Ter. Dad of the Year!

bucket 'o caterpillars

perhaps victoria will have no butterflies.

bubbles

my favorite thing in the world (just ask my father in law), sometimes i even let the kids blow the bubbles. they are so free and beautiful and fill me with joy.

spring......

brings out all the beautiful creepy crawlies, otherwise known as our new pets.

Long Weekend

Showing off one of her collection of favorites

Sundee on French Beach

Log Beach- see the logs

I'm so happy that Canada has a long weekend just for my birthday. It's the best. We had fantastic weather and just a great fun family weekend. Saturday started with pancakes ( of course ) and then we packed up and headed for French Beach. We walked and checked out the rocks, and since the beach is rocks this was one of our main activities. The kids went in the water to their knees and when they came out their legs were red. Brrrrr. After that we headed back to Sooke for some fish and chips. The rest of the day was spent at home blowing bubbles and playing in the back yard. Sunday I was sung to in bed by Sundee and then I got to open my presents. After breakfast , Ter made omelets, we went for a walk on what we call Log Beach ( I don't know what it's really called). Had a super relaxing afternoon in the sun and at about 6 Ter decided to dig a fire pit so we ended the day with a weeny roast, complete with watermelon and marshmallows. It was perfect. Monday I woke up to harsh reality when I was told " OK we partied for 2 days your birthday is now over". Never mind it was great while it lasted.