Updates!

For the August long weekend, we travelled to the interior to visit with Scott's family. Arlene and Dan were wonderful hosts! Their place, which sits atop a hillside, is simply exquisite. Evan especially enjoyed Charlie, the resident bow wow :)

During our stay, we attended the family pig roast at the cottage. Shirley and Neil were so kind to us. It was really nice to see Scott's cousins (and their families) and for Evan to meet his family for the first time!

Since our trip we have been quite busy. The Evsters is a handful to say the least and Scott's business is keeping him on the go. I am now back to work half-time (10 days a month) and in many ways, I am glad to be back. My brain, which was atrophying at an alarming pace, is starting to make up some of the losses. What I don't miss is the marking! On Monday I went home with one hundred and twenty writing assessments to evaluate. Yipes!

Summer Happenings

The Evsters

Evan is 11 months old now and is changing even more rapidly, or so it seems. He's been walking well for over a month now, but started furniture walking several months ago. General information on our Evsters:

Teeth - 8

Hair colour - he's becoming a blond

Words - yellow, ball, balloon, momma, dada, bow wow

Sign language - he can sign 'more'

Interests - balls and balloons

Favourite Foods - Q-tips, toilet paper, shoes (preferably flip-flops)

Favourite Activities - pulling computer cords, splashing his hands in water, especially toilet water :(

Temperment - naughty (well, only sometimes, but mostly he's a calm and happy wee thing)

The only major issue we have with our Evsters is his disinterest in sleep. Evidence of this is his crib, which he has chewed quite extensively. I joke that he's working on his escape, much like the one in the movie Shawshank Redemption. He only sleeps in small increments, which, as I'm sure many of you know, is a KILLER! Basically, sleep is a work in progress.

Maui

In June we travelled to Maui for a week and had a spectacular time. We relaxed on the beach, went on tours/boat/snorkeling adventures and the list goes on. We stayed at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas and had the wonderful luxury of having a kitchen and in-suite laundry. The resort also had a grilling area that visitors could use. We took advantage of this amenity quite a few times. Overall, we really enjoyed our time together.


Grouse Mountain

I have also included pictures of our outing to Grouse Mountain. I hiked the Grind while Scott, my mom and the Evsters took the gondola up and met me for lunch! It was a beautiful day.

Happy 60th Birthday Auntie Judie!

Yesterday we spent a wonderful afternoon at the Beach House Restaurant in West Vancouver. My cousins, Sara, Chris, and David put on a wonderful cocktail party for their mom's birthday. The locale was exquisite; the balcony overlooked the boardwalk just west of the Lions' Gate Bridge. The food was wonderful and the company was even better! It was especially nice to meet Miss Avery for the first time and to introduce her to the Evsters.

We are very busy these days. The Evsters finished up with his semester of Mother Goose and Jump Start. In light of these openings in our days, we are ramping up our attendance at Strong Start, which will end with the closing of the school year. I'm thinking about enrolling Evan in Gymboree and maybe even Little Gym if there is one in our area. If this fine weather holds we will be utilizing the salt water pool in our complex for sure. We will also be attending Storytime at the local library. Phew... we have a lot going on these days.

Recently we went to Whistler for the weekend. Scott spent Saturday afternoon in the trees, literally. He went on a zip trek for three hours and had a very relaxing, exciting time. We ate wonderful meals, walked about and even enjoyed a picnic at Rebagliati park. The weather was absolutely perfect.

Last weekend we took the Evsters to Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver. As per usual, Evan was not afraid to get up close and personal with the animals. He had an especially fun time hanging out with the goats in their enclosure. Afterwards we went into Deep Cove for lunch on a patio.

On the horizon for us is our trip to Maui! Yeah! So many people we know have gone with their babies and have given us great tips for our trip.