Family Visit part 2

The 4 cousins had no problem entertaining themselves. They played games and the boys even made up their own game which they convinced one adult to play with them. But we all know Uncle Tim is just a kid at heart.

Have I mentioned that my mom is the ultimate party planner. One night Robin and I were surprised with an early 25th Wedding Anniversary party. 

There was a special dessert.

And of course, decorations and gifts. It was quite a surprise and a lot of fun.

One of the birthday gifts from earlier in the week was Bananagrams so we had a few giant games. It's just a treat to find a game that all the kids can play and that they all enjoy and we know they are learning in the process. Pure genius. 

We ended the visit with what was always a highlight for our older kids. They missed it this time but the younger kids all enjoyed it. We walked there. By this time the youngest grandson had joined us from Massachusetts. Just a side note on him. I wish I had more pictures to illustrate how busy, joyful, smart, and loud he is. What a lot of fun. Gaelle did her best to boss him around but he could easily hold his own.

We did see some fun things, but the price was a little high at this one. 

Gaelle did her best to be the big cousin. Sometimes David obliged her, sometimes not.

Just a moment to take a little rest and a little breather with Aunt Herlinda and Uncle Tim. 

This seene was repeated over and over. The house was full. But my mom had everything under control. We had such a great time with lots of laughs and lots of play time. Lots of baking and lots of sharing. Just a great time of connecting with family.

On the way home one of the rest stops in Maine had this moose statue. The kids still don't get that. But they wanted their picture taken with the moose. And they weren't the only ones. We noticed others walking over with camera in tow. 

Family visit part 1

When I heard my sister and her kids were planning on being in NJ this summer, we worked it out so we could go down and spend some time with them and with my parents. The 4 cousins had a great time together. The oldest was just so patient with the youngest. I was just so impressed with her sweet and helpful spirit. Plus she's a ton of fun. The boys are vastly different in so many ways and yet they have an absolute blast together. They get along so well. I really wish they could get together more often but California is kind of far from Nova Scotia. 

Even though the kids did great at entertaining themselves, my mom had different activities to amuse them. She organized a candy hunt and it's pretty easy to see they got into the spirit of the hunt.

Grammy and Grampy with half of their grandkids.

Me and my mom.

My mom is far away from her grandkids and because she doesn't get to see all of their birthdays, she always organizes a GIANT birthday party for all of us. Complete with decorations and lots of presents.

A party wouldn't be complete without candy.

Peter and Joseph getting into the thrill of the presents. My mom doesn't just pass out presents, she makes it an event. We have official present passer outers and then some kind of game is involved with the presents. This time the presents weren't marked. We opened our gift and then had to guess who it was for. Hilarity ensues when Grampy is given the princess tiara meant for the 6 year old girl. 

In Nova Scotia our beaches are beautiful but the water is usually cold. There are a few times when the currents are just right and we are treated to nice swimming water, but all too often, the water is ice cold. So I wanted to take the kids to the Jersey Shore to swim in warm water. It's not bath water, but it's pleasant. 

The sand was just right for digging and playing.

Grampy did his best to not get burned by the sun.

We went to Sandy Hook which is a beautiful national park, but the beach we selected was different from other Jersey beaches I've been to. The shoreline took a pretty drastic drop and there was really only one crashing wave instead of a set of them. But when the waves came, they were powerful and fortunately all the kids did well with it and didn't get scared by the force. 

We also chose Sandy Hook because of the historic sites. We took a tour of the oldest working lighthouse which was fascinating. And we could see the old military village where in WW2 there were 12,000 residents. Hard to believe. 

The light was working and it was warm up there. 

Apparently the boys counted the steps all the way down. 

Another activity we did with the kids was the Turtle Back Zoo. Robin really wanted to take the kids to the Bronx Zoo but we decided the smaller closer zoo would be preferred by the kids. It was a good choice. There were numerous water sprays throughout the zoo to cool the kids off. 

There was a canary house where the kids could feed the canaries with see on a stick. The birds didn't really want to eat until they were sitting right on the stick. 

Grampy and the boys soon learned the secret of getting the birds to climb on their sticks.  

Just a quick break to rest from the heat.

One nice thing about this zoo was the volunteers who walked around the exhibits and talked with the kids. Here we are at the Gibbon enclosure learning the difference between monkeys and apes. We all enjoyed our trip to the zoo and I'm glad we were able to share family time together. 

First time at camp

During our vacation, Peter went just up the river to Caton's Island Camp and went to his very first overnight camp all by himself. He was really looking forward to this and was so excited. The camp was a large one and so Robin volunteered to help with parking, luggage and traffic duties. Needless to say, Gaelle was along for the ride.

Josh spent many summers working on the island as a counsellor and various other positions and so Sunday found him helping to register the kids for camp. This was his last day of vacation and I think he enjoyed getting back into the camping spirit.

On Tuesday Robin and I just had to go to the island to check on Peter. We knew he would be doing great, but it was just a bit of reassurance and home. We found him doing crafts. Not much of a surprise there.

We got a picture of him waiting for lunch. Not much of a surprise there either. We thought he might not get enough to eat, but he seems to have been well fed.

Cousin Danny was also working on the island. So, when it was time to pick up Peter, Gaelle was thrilled to run into her.

Here's Peter with his counsellors, Scott and Brecken. 

One of the fun things about this camp is the fact that it is on an island. You have to take a boat there which just adds to the experience for the kids. 

We knew Peter would be exhausted and sure enough he laid down on the hammock at 6:30 and stayed asleep until 8:30 the next morning when he was still a little groggy and slow. But he had a wonderful time and is looking forward to next summer. 

Oh Beulah Land

It was once again time to take our summer vacation and head to Beulah Family Camp. I just couldn't resist a photo of the bikes. They are everywhere during family camp. It's a great way for kids to get around but they do seem to multiply.

Our first Saturday we had a bit of rain in the afternoon. So the kids came in and played some games. That's a favourite memory of Robin and myself. We loved the rainy afternoon games. 

Emily came for one weekend and Peter decided it would be good to try some origami. His bat turned out perfectly. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that, just the extreme concentration.

We had a treat when 2 of Dick's friends came for a visit. Grandma Fern was full of patience and good humour with the kids and Grandma Carol spent quite a bit of time with Gaelle creating new games. 

Robin and Papa Doan were quite the team. Robin cooked most evening meals and Papa Doan did the dishes. A win-win for everyone.

On our last day of vacation, we finally made it to the wharf for some swimming, jumping and diving. Gaelle was anxious to try it but waited until mom made it in the water. Fortunately the water was beautiful. A bit of a novelty as the St. John River can sometimes be cold.

Peter passed a huge milestone. He swam off the wharf without a life jacket. His swimming is getting much better and he is getting stronger.

I don't know how Papa Doan stays so calm and cheerful with our clan around, but he does. We all just have an amazing time with lots of laughter. 

                           

Just a snapshot of some Sunday afternoon music. 

                                      

Behind the cottage we stayed at there is a field with 2 horses. If she could see the horses, Gaelle would go out and call to them and they would often come. Of course she had a couple of carrots in her hand. The first time she tried to feed them, she dropped the carrot, but she became more brave and did a great job keeping her hand steady. So cute to see these big horses coming for her.

                                       

The weather was amazing the whole time we were at Beulah. We were able to go swimming almost every day. Gaelle loves the water and especially loves to be thrown in the air by her day. Overall, our time away was wonderful, relaxing, and just plain fun.

Red and White

Sunday afternoon we stayed in Halifax and went to the Commons to participate in some Canada Day FUN. One of the reasons we love the Commons on July 1st is because of the diversity. It's one time in our activities where Peter and Gaelle are not the only brown kids around. There are people of every shade of peach and brown. And I particularly enjoyed watching all of the brown kids with their various hair styles. They weren't all neat and tidy. Some of them were fuzzy and even free. Love it.

Some father and daughter love. Just hanging out.

There's a sprinkler and pool at the commons and of course, we never remember the bathing suits. But that's ok. It was such a hot day, the kids got soaked and easily dried off by the time we headed home.

All kinds of freebies on Canada Day. Here Emily is trying the Pepsi Challenge. She did it. Josh would be so proud. She knew which one was Pepsi because of her big brother. "Josh says Pepsi is sweeter." So that's the one she chose.

Dalhousie Summer Camps had a little booth set up. The kids could make structures out of tooth picks and gum drops. But don't eat them. 

Laser Tag was a hit with Peter. 

A dance group had a short dance instruction for the kids. Gaelle was eager to join in. I expected her to be front and centre but she managed to stay off to the side and was a bit hesitant with the moves.

We ended with some Canada Day cake.