Miracle Beach

I think the easiest way to document our vacation is with three separate posts, that way I can give you all a quick summary of what we did and then just a bunch of pics. Honestly I could go on and on about this whole trip and make this one HUGE post, but instead I think a quick summary of the highlights may work the best...both for you and for me! Now...I just want to get one thing straight first. This may look and sound like a dream vacation, and it was to many extents, but it was also filled with many, many bumps and stresses along the way. We had issues with the truck and at times thought we could be stranded on the side of any remote highway, we had lots of scraped knees and wipe outs, lots of whining and arguing and time outs, quite a few late bedtimes due to warm temperatures and kids being very over tired on travel days, and there were many moments that Brent and I questioned our sanity as to why we did the trip. With that out in the open, you can see it wasn't all fun and games. However, over the last few days as I have been going through the hundreds of pics that were taken, those moments of frustration are dwindling away and being replaced by so many amazing memories that make me so glad that we did this trip. It gives truth to the old expression that pictures are worth a thousand words! I am sure the pics below will justify this!

In order to be brief, I have decided to just list all of our highlights from the first 10 days at Miracle Beach, followed by a whole lot of pics! Enjoy!

Highlights:

-the discovery of shells and sea life for everyone, especially Bree & Jenna

-packing up the stroller and heading off to the beach almost every day when the tide went out

-making warm bannock bread served with cinnamon sugar or jam

-picnicking harbour front in Campbell River with Dick's Fish and Chips while watching BC Ferry Boats

-heading to the outdoor amphitheatre every night for a presentation or a movie...awesome!

-hiking in the fern forests

-Aidan and Maelle scootering everywhere they possibly could

-morning yoga on the beach....this was mom's favourite!

-Aidan and Maelle taking part in Jerry's Ranger's programs, earning their stickers to become a Ranger

-mini golf

-picking huckleberries and salmon berries with some newly made friends on the campground

-Brent and Aidan getting a huge opportunity to attend an astronomy night

-making drip castles on the beach

-beachcombing everyday

-Bree and Jenna chasing and trying to touch the hermit crabs

-campfire s'mores and "spider dogs"

Our ride to the Island arrives! This was one of Aidan's highlights by far.

building drip castles....

...and then watching as the tide slowly creeps in and swallows up all of our hard work.

Bree liked the seaweed....Jenna, not so much!

Phew....I think that just about covers Miracle Beach! I love that place. It was definitley my favourite place out of our whole trip. I loved the freedom that it gave the kids to just run and explore, I loved the people that we met both on the beach and in the campground, I loved all the things that you could do each day and how every day there was something different, but most of all I loved sharing this place with family.

Next up....Tofino!

we're back!

Yes....we made it back. We are slowly getting back into routine after a fantastic camping trip on Vancouver Island. We saw and did so much that I am still trying to absorb it all and figure out how to tell you everything without boring you silly! So...if you will be kind enough to give me a few days to sort out about 600 pictures, and all of the stories to go along with them, I am hoping to have several posts outlining our holiday over the upcoming few days.

On the beach in Tofino!

island fever!

Greetings from sunny and warm Vancouver Island! I am just popping in to say a quick hello - I am currently sitting outside at our fancy schmancy resort campground using the free Internet while inhaling those cool salty ocean breezes! We are all having a fantastic time here and it's hard to believe that we are already two weeks in and only have one week left of this trip. We have enjoyed amazing weather and have spent most of our time outside and at the beach. I have posted a few (I have taken over 300) of the pics I have snapped so far and once we are back home I will do a much larger post summarizing our entire trip. That is, once I finish about a weeks worth of laundry!


Our first day at Miracle Beach.



Discovering the sea life first hand - in this case sand dollars.


Searching for shells.

Enjoying a somewhat peaceful moment - these were far and few between!

Discovering a new friend!

island bound

And we're off!
Off to discover fantastic new places, off to discover the hermit crabs and all things lurking under rocks and seaweed, and off on a brand new adventure with 2 new travelling companions who will experience their very first ocean camping trip. The excitement level is very high at the moment as everyone is eagerly anticipating hitting the road on this summer's biggest adventure. We have lots planned for the next 3 weeks and even though I am expecting a few bumps along the way, I am also looking forward to the many moments and discoveries that will make this trip so very special and oh, so worth it! I am looking forward to those salty ocean breezes, tide pools brimming with new sea life every day, building sand castles and then watching them get washed away by the incoming tide, and wriggling my toes in the cool ocean water. And if all goes very well, a little whale watching for Aidan and Maelle....and maybe, just maybe, a bit of sea kayaking for me! Ahhh....can you tell that I too am very excited about this trip?
So, on that note, I will see you all back at this space at the end of the month. If I am very lucky, I may be able to fire off a quick post from the Island towards the end of our trip. Needless to say though, I am sure I will have a huge post full of stories and pics from our adventure upon our return.
See you soon!

thank you!

A big thank you goes out to Auntie Heather!

Thanks for a fabulous visit over the last few days. It was so nice to have you here to share in Canada Day, your birthday, a little shopping, mountain visits, haircuts (including Bree & Jenna's very first!), visiting and playing. Also, thanks for teaching myself - and Aidan - how to crochet! I am envisioning a winter afghan already! Better get started now!

Thank you Auntie Heather!

Happy Canada Day!

There was a whole lot of celebrating going on here today in honour of Canada's Birthday! We are lucky enough to have Auntie Heather visiting for a few days so we were busy today riding bikes to the park, having coffee at Cafe Crema (my all time favourite coffee house just up the road - convenient, yes,I know!), the Canada One tournament at Spruce Meadows - where Aidan got to ride a pony for the first time, and a lovely Canada Day bbq here with Auntie Ky, Uncle Lindsay and Rory. A day of fun for sure!







We still have lots planned for Auntie Heather's visit, including a trip to the mountains tomorrow, Millarville market and some scrapbooking stores on Saturday, and some birthday celebrations on Sunday before she makes her way back home. And....hopefully I will actually learn the basics of crocheting, and we still need to fine tune our afternoon drinks - frozen hot chocolates! Yes, they are as good as they sound! The kids have kept Auntie Heather on her toes an Aidan got a little one-on-one time this evening showing Auntie Heather the basics of digging in the dirt Aidan style!


Happy Birthday Canada!

up, up, and away!

Almost a year ago, I had given Brent a birthday gift that consisted of a monetary value that he could use for an introductory flying lesson. Well...given that our life was extremely busy he was never able to use it....until now! Yesterday Brent got to fly a plane! Yes my friends, Brent was airborne! His lesson was about an hour and included all of the safety briefings that go along with the aircraft, taking off, landing, the standard stuff. But most of the time, he was in the air! You couldn't have asked for better weather too! Blue skies, sun, and very little wind!
Way to go Brent!

And no....we are not buying a plane!

yumminess

Some people dream of having a lot of money, others nice cars, some dream of having a nice piece of ocean front property (ok, I would be included on this one)...but today all I am dreaming about is being able to savour in the yumminess of these...

Oh, how I do miss the fresh Ontario produce. Don't those berries look absolutely devine?

Thanks for sharing (ok teasing) Grandpa Werkman! Enjoy that strawberry shortcake, and sand which, and ice cream....all of course with a side of whipped cream!

lunch....and a table for four!

Yet just another reason why I love summer days...lunch outside.


I wonder what they are thinking?

is that you summer?

Finally! It's here! I think it's actually really truly here!
Summer....where have you been?
We woke up the other day and noticed a very peculiar thing....this bright warm ball of orange illuminating a blue sky. That's right folks. It was the sun! We have so missed the sun here as of late. It has been cool, grey, and wet - typical June weather - but the nicer weather was welcomed with open arms. Especially for Father's Day weekend!
Needless to say, we spent the entire weekend outside.

We explored.


We blew bubbles - a popular pastime around here lately.


We had homemade Popsicles. A first for Bree and Jenna.

(*note-Aidan is wearing his "best" today in honour of Father's Day. It was really warm here today but he insisted he wear his special occasion clothes all day. I should also mention that he spent most of the day helping Brent dig in the dirt. He was the best dressed garden guy I have ever seen!)

I'd say that they liked them!


Jenna probably took a good 45 minutes to finish hers, most of which I am sure melted away into the grass, but I think she was more concerned that someone was going to take her special treat away! She kept a very close eye on her surroundings.


It was such a treat to have a weekend just to putter about. Brent was able to finish off our new deck step and planters - awesome job too by the way, we did a little gardening, bbq'd as much as we could, played in the backyard, went for a walk with Kylie and crew at Fish Creek Park, hit our local coffee shop for a few yummy treats, and had a fabulous Father's Day dinner. Ahhh....now that's a weekend!

Not too mention that we also observed a couple of half moons!

Lots of exciting things happening here in the next week and a bit. Aidan finishes kindergarten on Thursday so I am looking forward to seeing all of the year's projects and work finally making its way home. I am hoping to paint our living room feature wall - don't know if Brent knows about this one yet, but I guess he will soon! And, we have Auntie Heather making the trip out west next week for a few days! The kids are very excited about this as we have lots planned for her visit - Canada Day bbq, Drumheller, the mountains, a little scrapbook shopping, and I am sure lots and lots of playing! And then....it's off to Vancouver Island for 3 whole weeks! I cannot wait to get out to the ocean! It gonna be a busy trip, but totally worth it. So....I'll be popping in and out over the next little while and then taking a little bit of a break while we are camping. Actually, one of our campsites has internet so I am hoping to do a little update of our trip up to that point. This particular campsite is not how we normally camp (hence the internet) but we have stayed there before and it's right on the ocean and has tonnes of amenities and fun for the kids. It's a "big" treat for us and a great way to wrap up our stay on the Island before heading home.

lots of fun....and a whole lot of dirt

Well....we made it back. Dirty, tired, exhausted....but still anticipating our next adventure. Our weekend of camping was filled with many ups, and many downs, but all in all it was a fabulous way to spend a few days. The weather for the most part cooperated nicely as we had a good mix of cooler temps and showers, followed by two glorious days of sun and warmth. Bree and Jenna did great. They actually ended up sleeping in the same bunk - something of which I was sure would not work (kudos Brent!) - but they in fact loved it. It took them about an hour to fall asleep but it was such fun listening to them chit chat and giggle - something that I am sure will only continue in our upcoming years of camping! We enjoyed many (many) walks on the shore of Lower Lake and in the campground, bike rides, meals outside, a little bit of hiking, a lot of exploring and treasure hunting, bubble blowing, and we even had a grizzly roaming in the woods across from our site. Now, I didn't see it, but our neighbour did and so did another family a few sites down. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing not getting the chance to observe these magnificent creatures, but hey...it kept the kids on their toes!
When asked later what my favourite memory of this trip was it came down to many things. The hike was great. The campsite was awesome. The lake was as beautiful as ever. The mountains were fabulous. But the one thing that sticks out the most was likely the simplest thing of all - watching Bree trudge down a hill, pick up a pine cone, bring it back up the hill, and walk over and give it to Jenna and smile. That my friends, makes all of the exhaustion totally worth it!

Here are a few (ok...a lot) of pics from our adventure.

Let 'em loose and watch them go! Bree and Jenna loved their new found sense of freedom. Every day they tested their limits and the boundaries and explored just that little bit more.

There was (believe it or not) some time to sit and enjoy the surrounding peaks and moments of quiet here and there.

Taking it all in.

Aidan, Maelle and I escaped for a few hours and did a great little hike aptly named The Canadian Mount Everest Expedition hike. A few kilometres of hiking and climbing up series of switch backs and steps had my little hikers grinning from ear to ear. The peanut M&M's helped too!

Not a bad place to stop for a snack!

Bree and Jenna have a go at a little rock tossing. Here is where the little ladies decided to see how cold that water really was. It's here I should also mention that sandals and mucky mud really don't go hand and hand. Especially when you are little. Just after this shot was taken both girls got stuck and promptly sat down to wait for help. Yeah. You get the picture.

In between biking down the rugged campsite hills, Aidan took breaks to blow a few bubbles for the girls. We were also joined by Kylie, Lindsay and Rory (his first trip to the peaks!) for Saturday afternoon. I think Uncle Lindsay had more fun than the kidlets blowing bubbles!

A great way to spend our last night in the mountains....by the campfire and a quiet mountain lake.

Funny thing though....I asked Aidan and Maelle what their favourite part of the trip was and it wasn't the mountains, the lake, the hiking, the biking or the bubble blowing - it was this:

Getting to ride in the camp managers golf cart! Priorities!

in the grips of summer...

...and it's only June!
We are in full swing here at the moment. We have been very busy outside gardening & landscaping, finishing up the last few weeks of kindergarten for Aidan - there have been many performances, field trips, and end of the year festivities - and best of all, kicking off the camping season. Hence this post.
You'll have to excuse me for a few days as we are all heading off to Kananaskis for a little r & r - running and rock collecting. We will hopefully be spending some sunny days in the fresh mountain air, cooking under those crisp blue skies, hitting a few hiking trails, and maybe just maybe having a few quiet moments to enjoy a warm cup of coffee at the water's edge. One can hope right? I haven't lost the grips of reality though I assure you, as along the way I am sure there will be a few scraped knees, some missed naps, cranky kids (due to the missed naps), some good wipe outs, and many struggles trying to keep 4 kids on the campsite. Sounds like fun huh? But....as I have learned in the past, nothing calms kids down more than a shoreline of rocks and a vast lake in which to do a little tossing. So...on that note, I will be back early next week with - I would imagine - some fresh new pics, some funny stories, and hopefully a re-energized mama!


Aidan making his famous "munchie mix" for our trip.

Oh...and here's a little eye candy for you.

How cute is little Rory? Don't you just want to munch on those scrumptious cheeks? And that smile! He's gonna be a charmer I tell ya!

favourite pastime

Both Aidan and Maelle (ahem....I should also add myself and Brent) have been totally into this lately....

...yep, finding Waldo! We have had a few of these books laying around for quite sometime and finally they're getting attention. A lot of attention! These kids are so addicted to these books that they go to them first thing in the morning....even before breakfast! I can see adding a few more of these books to our camping gear this year! I think I'll head on over to the good ole Chapters website and see if I can find Waldo lurking over there!

adventuring

Today was a big day around here. A big day for everyone. Aidan had his very first full day field trip, where he got to ride on the bright yellow school bus with all his friends (likely the highlight for him!) to the zoo - while his very nervous and worrying mama tried her best not to follow and instead keep herself busy throughout the day. See....a big day for mom too.

What a better way to pass those minutes slowly ticking by, then to pack up the rest of the gals and head off for a hike at Fish Creek Park. What a beautiful day too! We headed out in the early morning hours (my favourite time of day to be at the park) and enjoyed the trails and benches all to ourselves. I decided that since it wasn't busy to let Bree and Jenna do a little exploring on their own.

Looks of bewilderment followed as I let Bree and Jenna out of the stroller to hit the trails.

Both girls stood very still not sure what to do next....they looked at me....then at the trail ahead...then back at me as much to say as "really? are you crazy? like walk on our own...not secured in the stroller?....Woohoo!....what fun!"

And then they took off. Surprisingly though they didn't get too far away from myself or Maelle. Always making sure that yes they were supposed to be out there, in the wild, exploring at their own free will.

Maelle was such a big sister doing her very best to keep an eye on our newest explorers and she even went out of her way to find them each a pint sized hiking stick.

Everything was intriguing. Sticks, pine cones, rocks, flowers, short grass, tall grass, even their own shadows. A day of discovery for these little tykes. And yes, they loved every minute of it. And yes, so did I. Outdoor gals! I love it!

So, in the end, I managed to keep control of myself today, relying on Maelle to keep me busy and always telling me that "he's having fun mama" and "don't worry." Such a sweetheart. My little rock today this girl. It's so hard when they grow up, but on days like today, it's nice to have a little bit of "grown up" conversation, and for once to turn the tables and have someone else - smaller than me - assuring me that everything will be ok.

Oh, and just for fun. I thought you all might get a good chuckle out of this pic from a week ago. Nice isn't it?

Stop laughing now. We are slowly warming up and drying out. And if you do recall, we did have snow in June last year. How do I remember this? We had just listed our house, and literally days later we got hit. Love the west!

girl's weekend

What a fantastic long weekend away for Maelle and I! Us travelin' gals flew to Ontario last Thursday (the start of the long weekend) and spent 5 very busy days jam packing as much as we could into our very short time.



We spent a lot of time chatting and visiting family...

We dined alfresco for every meal - even breakfast....gotta love warm Ontario mornings!

We spent a day at Storybook Gardens (London) with Auntie Heather....

....where Maelle had her very first "big girl ride" on a pink and white elephant!


A day of summer like rain showers lead the way for a little puddle jumping with our freshly painted toes. A big thank you to Auntie Heather for treating all of us to pedicures!


We caught up with Grandma and Grandpa Snider at a fantastic lunch hosted by Auntie Heather and Uncle Ian....yummy! Thanks guys!

We visited many playgrounds...

and enjoyed many a puzzle and story outside.

It was a fun filled few days of non-stop activities but oh so much fun! I did some damage at a local fabric store, drooled over cute clothes at a favourite kids shop, but behaved very well at Pottery Barn Kids! It was hard, but I persevered! We enjoyed a cloudy but warm day down in The Beaches (Toronto) where Maelle and Grandpa & Grandma Werkman went to the beach while I attended a "business meeting" (aka awesome visit & lunch and a sampling of some of the local shops and bakeries. All in the name of research my friends! Thanks Lori and John!

I also forgot how warm it gets in Ontario and not just late in the day like out here, but first thing in the morning! Funny though...as I type this post it is currently 5 degrees here in Calgary and it's snowing. Yes....you read that correctly...it is snowing. Typical western weather. It was supposed to rain....but well....hey, you get the picture. Anyways...a big thank you to everyone who made our trip so much fun. We will definitely be repaying the many favours and fantastic hospitality for everyone who ventures out this way! Well....maybe when the weather warms up! Thanks everyone!