raspberry face

little things

It's been so handy and fun to play around with the camera on my pretty new phone.  The good camera has been on stand-by, sitting heavily in the basement and waiting for me to remember it.  The phone camera isn't nearly as good, but so much quicker to use for those golden in-between kind of moments.  So today, because I have no new regular photos, I give you "the phone dump" and a few little things that have made the past week sweet:

:: It's been really hot here, like everywhere else, so we've been hiding out in the cool basement, and eating popsicles, and going to the beach, and squeezing both girls into a tiny bin of water on the back deck to cool off.  Too hot to venture out very far, but lovely and summery.

:: Avery's started to use a funny expletive lately, throwing the word "soaking" around, as in "I'm so soaking hungry!!" or "This is taking so soaking long!!".

:: Ella's completely on the bottle now and we are both loving it.  She's noticeably more satisfied during milk-time and is plumping up before our very eyes.  I'm so happy to be free!

:: Still working on a new batch of dollies that will hopefully be shop stock soon.  I'm trying out new brown dollies and am in love with them already.

:: 10 days until I get to board a plane bound for Idaho where I and four of my dearest friends from Vancouver days will be gathering for a retreat.  We'll be roughing it in Grace's family cabin in the woods, by a lake, with nothing to do but spend time together.  No husbands + no babies.  CAN NOT WAIT!

day camping

Levi and I took the girls and raided my parents campsite out at Kettle River yesterday.  We packed up just enough for the day and it was a perfect mini getaway.

The beach down by the river, while tiny, has the most beautiful, smooth sand.  We weren't prepared to swim since we knew the water would be too chilly, but Avery loved wading in up to her bottom and hauling buckets of water back up to her mud pies and sand castles.  Levi stayed at the site with Ella so she could have a hot and sweaty nap in the trailer and so he could take advantage of a nice nap, too.  Nothing like the hot sun and a lucky day off to induce sleepiness. 

(Ella's version of the summer peasant dress.)

Levi showed Avery how the ponderosa pines smell just like warm vanilla if you get your nose right into them.  It's not a trick.  The first time he told me to check it out I was sure he was planning to smack my head into the tree.  He's not the malicious sort, but I am perhaps the untrusting sort.  They do smell delicious and on a hot day the whole air seems infused with a spicy sweetness.

 (Go ahead ... smell it.)

Other than soaking up the sun at the river, we just enjoyed spending time with Mom and Dad, having picnic lunch and supper, roasting marshmallows over a fire (or "marshing marshmallows" as Avery said), trying to convince Avery to sleep so we could stay late, and playing a little rummy after the sun went down.

I had to laugh at this picture.  It was taken at the end of the day and you'll see that Avery has a tiny speck of moss in her hair, a freckle of sand on the bridge of her nose, and a few smudges on her shirt.  If her cousins had been there with us, they'd look like they'd just been working in the coal mines compared to her.  This is one girly little girl.

summer sewing

I took the girls down to the fabric store the other day, which is dangerously within walking distance.  Big clearance sale on half the store.  Also dangerous.  Avery picked out the fabric for this dress herself because it has a sparkly stripe (too subtle to see in these pics, which makes it un-princessy enough for me to still think it's a super cute choice).  I'm never more inspired to try sewing clothes than in the summer when I can get away with whipping up super quick, detail-free items (i.e. all day pajamas).  

Would it be weird if my kids end up wearing the same dress in different prints all summer long?   

swing

There's a lovely park across the way from where we're living with a great playground and a creek and woods and trails to explore.  Once Levi got home from work tonight we took a picnic over to the park for supper and kept the girls up late so we could have a little together time while the sun still shone.

Avery climbed to the highest rung yet on the monkey bars, and let Daddy push her the fastest yet on the swing, and she earned two scrapes on her knees as marks of a true explorer.  Not to mention she jumped on the trampoline with her feet earlier in the day for the first time yet.  It was a day for beating personal records.

This baby peach had her very first swing today and surprised me by thinking it was the funnest time she'd ever had.  I may or may not have assumed she'd wail from the separation and abandonment to the bucket and two chains, but now I'm beginning to wonder if she might be just a tiny bit more adventurous than I'm expecting.  Little baby thrill seeker giggled and smiled and even let go for part of the ride.  I did my best to snap pics of her in action with my phone and even got a little video of her sweet giggles.

As we walked home I laughed at how much I enjoyed such a simple outing, but it really did feel remarkable.  I am just so happy to be here.  

water baby

The driest kid around at the water park, but still convinced she was having a great time.

 Totally satisfied with swimming in a plastic bin out on the back deck.

Eager for Daddy to take her swimming at the BIG pool early one morning = breakthrough!

This summer is 'operation get Avery comfortable with water deeper than her ankles'.  She hasn't had much experience with water up until now.  She never requested an upgrade for her infant sized backyard pool, enjoyed the lake from the distance of the grass last summer, only recently got over a paranoia about lying down in the bath tub, and had an epic melt down when we took her to a public pool this past winter.  As we talked about moving to Kelowna and enjoying the beaches and lakes and public pools, she talked bravely and with enthusiasm and we hoped that something would click that would enable her to have fun in the water.  There are so many water activity options here!

The very first time Levi took her to the pool something did click.  She went in bravely and started having fun right away.  They've been several times since and each time she absolutely loves it.

Water park: she has to muster some courage in that department still.  The most she did this first time was wiggle her little hiney into the odd spray of water.  

The lake: We have yet to see.

canada day

We celebrated Canada Day this past weekend just hanging out together.  Levi had two days off in a row, which was a treat after a long week of back-to-back shifts at his two jobs and overtime at the main one.  We dragged the girls out with us to wait patiently while we hooked ourselves up with new cell phones, then we picked up donuts and frosty lemonades and hit up the park near our home to soak up the lovely air.  Cell phones are fun.  We're so green.  It's been pretty addicting testing everything out and seeing what all they can do.  Our poor children ... Avery keeps telling me "Mom, turn your head this way!  Look at my face!".

Later on, we were offered babysitting so Levi and I went out on a date.  We left the house and felt almost overwhelmed by all the options and directions we could go.  We've led a pretty date-less and option-less life over the past three years.  We opted out of downtown's festivities and fireworks in favor of just hanging out on our own.  We picked up burgers at Carls' Jr. and sat by the lake at one of the beach access parks.  Seriously the best burgers we've had in a long time.  Guacamole, bacon, spicy chipotle, and all chargrilled and homemade-like.  It's been a long time since we appreciated take-out food of any kind.  It just doesn't cut it where we came from.

It'll be another long stretch before Levi has a day off again, so thank you Canada for giving us a couple days to have fun together!