Soccer Season 2008

So both boys are in soccer this year which is now the start of our life with 3 kids in activities all at the same time! Declan is back into the sport he loves with the same team and coaches from last year and so far Gabe is opting to watch his team from the sidelines ... Mommy will now be the one taking Gabe to his games so Daddy doesn't blow a gasket. It's all good .. he's only 4 and the exposure to the game is the most important part right now .. right? not just participation .. that's what we'll keep telling ourselves. Oh well, at least he looks good in his uniform!

Back to Preschool

This is Gabe's first day of preschool. He's smiling here but don't let that fool you ... Gabe is really enjoying his time alone at home with Mommy and preschool gets in the way of that. It is a struggle to leave him at school crying but apparently he stops soon after I leave and he is always excited to tell me what he did when I pick him up. Hopefully he'll grow out of this soon!

First Day of School

Here are their pictures from the first day of school for Declan in Grade 1 and Faith in Grade 4. Mommy's first year with 2 kids in full time school. Must say I am enjoying it! Declan is so far enjoying Grade 1 coming home with lots to tell and saying that he had a great day. Huge difference from Kindergarten which was a struggle for most of the year. Faith is not liking the amount of homework (and neither is Mommy) but we'll get used to it. It's a big year for her to become more independant and responsible for herself. She's taking up a lot of my attention and challenging our parenting skills these days!

First time in a dingy

On our last trip to Birch Bay, Faith and Declan asked if they could play with the dingy. I said yes assuming that they meant swimming with it. They meant rowing around with it. I let them get in the dingy and pushed them out saying don't go too far out. I should have realized that they had no idea how to row because this was a skill I had not yet taught them. It eventually turned into a freak out fest because "It is too hard!" and the tide was taking them down the beach and I was not willing to wade out that far to get them. Eventually they got close enough to the beach that I could reach them and walked the dingy with the two of them still in it back to the cabin where they got out and asked if they could do it again next time we came down. I of course said I would think about it.

Painted faces

My artistic friend, Deneen, painted the kids faces to be like dragons and Faith's face is a Birch Bay sunset with a sailboat in the middle. These pictures don't actually do justice to what they looked like in real life.

On a side note the t-shirt Gabe is wearing says "Every great idea I have gets me in trouble". This was the shirt I put him in for his first day of preschool last year and told the teachers that he came with a manufacturer's warning.

Needless to say we had 3 roaring dragons running around for awhile!!

Declan's Birthday

Declan had his pool party on one of the coldest days in July but all the kids were troopers and went in the pool for at least 10 minutes! He invited 9 of his closest friends and we played relay games to get them warmed up before hopping the pool.

All the boys thought it was great that they could have more than one cupcake at this party! And now Declan has his own soccer/street hocky net so we can challenge the neighbours for some serious street hockey games this Fall!

Kettle River Camping Trip pics

At the end of July and beginning of August we went camping to our favourite spot - the Kettle River in Rock Creek, BC. We went with our friends the French's and had a fabulous time!

Declan became quite the little scuba diver looking for fish to catch in the evening with his dad.

Faith was more of a floating swimmer choosing to look for the fish from the top of the water.

This is a fish that Gabe cast his rod and landed the fish without any help from Daddy. In fact Daddy was on the shore looking for something not realizing that Gabe had cast his rod until Gabe started telling Raph "Daddy, he's jumping!".

This is our favourite swimming spot - it has all the amenities for everyone including the white sandy beach for Mommy! I can close my eyes and put my feet in the sand and pretend that it is the Bahamas!

Lunchtime back at camp.

Declan fishing for the fish he spotted with his scuba gear earlier in the day.

On the way fishing Declan and Raph came across some deer on the trail.

Everyone loving the yellow watermelon we picked up in Keremeos on the way to Rock Creek.

More fishing with Gabe, Dawson and Faith.