McDonald's?

Just thought this was funny. We decided to stop for ice cream at McDonald's before heading home from Parksville. They had just completed some renovations there and this is what we found. It is the nicest McDonald's that I have seen and the kids thought that it was so much fun to sit at this high table and get to watch t.v. Tate fell asleep while waiting for his ice cream, but once awake again he and Darren enjoyed this very much (we don't have cable and Darren never watches sports, as his wife I love this about him. But he is a guy and Ice cream and sports! What more could a man ask for.

Parksville

This past Saturday was the first Saturday so far this summer that we didn't have any commitments so we decided to go to one of our favorite places. A park in Parksville. It is so nice there and so much fun. They have an enormous play ground, a cute water park, bathrooms and food stands (we always bring our own, but it is nice to know they are there). There is shade if you want it, sun if you want it, tons of grass to sit on and all of this is right beside a beautiful sandy beach. There you can find all sorts of creatures, swim, play with your sand toys, skimboard or just relax! Which is exatly what I got to do (for about half an hour). I even got some sun on the backs of my legs, which haven't seen the sun all summer, as I have not been able to lay on my stomach and I am getting very uneven. I dug a hole in the sand big enough for my tummy and laid down, it was actually quite comfortable. The weather was perfect, the kids had fun and we are looking forward to going back again very soon.

A Sandbox Or Slave Labor?

We spent the day today as a family building a sandbox. It was hard, hard work, but so much fun to do together. The kids helped out from clearing the area, to building the frame, moving some big rocks and filling with sand. Grandpa was a BIG help too. Tate had the most fun just climbing in the pile of sand. Who can blame him! My favorite part was when Darren picked Tate up with the shovel. Tate and I thought that this was pretty fun, although I didn't get aturn

TaeBo Troubles And Tate

I have not exercised since January because of being so ill and have thought of a million different excuses, since feeling better, not to start again. Today I couldn't ignore it anymore. As usual when I exercise it attracts attention from any children who happen to be in the house at the time, so I usually have a couple of little workout partners and always have an audience. I try my very best to keep everyone out of harms way - with Tae Bo there is a lot of punching and kicking. Despite my best efforts, Tate got a kick to the head today. I felt so terrible. Even more so because it is not the first time nor probably the last, but it is the first time I left a mark. Poor Tate! Nothing makes you feel worse than when you know you've hurt your own child. I am pretty sure that he forgives me though and hopefully he will remember it just enough to keep his distance from now on.

Would You Like A Bath To Go With Your Bubbles?

The kids rarely ask if they can go in my bath tub for a bath because the answer is usually no. The amount of work it takes to make sure that they don't get water everywhere, which they always do anyways, usually takes more energy than I have at the end of the day. But Noelle had a friend over last night and I thought it would be fun for them to have a bath in my tub. Then it's fun and not a chore, for Noelle anyways. The other kids will take a bath anytime, anywhere. She brought her CD player into my bathroom and played some music. They stayed in there for an hour until I pulled them out wrinkled as two little raisins. They had a great time. Bergen and Emma, of course, asked when it was their turn, so I let them bathe in my bathroom tonight. As I watched and listened to them giggle with delight, I wondered why I didn't let them do it more often and then I remembered. Unlike Mia and Noelle who actually got very little water outside the tub, Emma and Bergen didn't have as much success, but they had just as much fun.

Canada Day

We went to the Forest Museum, as we do every year to celebrate Canada Day. The kids ask all year long when they get to go on the train (which is the main reason we go). We rode on the train and had a picnic. We went on a walk and got some ice cream cones. They had a bouncy castle, a scavenger hunt and face painting. It wasn't to hot, it was just perfect! After we left the museum we went down to the beach and just relaxed. We then had a nice dinner with Grandma and Grandpa McCullough outside. Corn on the cob, burgers and watermelon. It was a very nice day.

Backyardigans

One of our favorite things to do is play in the backyard and now that it's hot, it is even more fun, as we get to include water!