8 Days in B.C.

Russell and I arrived in Victoria on Saturday, the 19th. Russell did great in the airport and on the flight but decided to run away from me once I got to the customs/immigration desk in Victoria. It was our turn to be processed and I had to dash and catch Russell while the other 60+ passengers waited and watched. When I grabbed him, he decided to go limp and if it wasn't a public forum, a definite spanking would have been in order! My dad and sister Brittany picked us up and we had a family lunch at Grandma's house.

The rest of the week we spent at my parents' home and visited Grandma twice to make sure she got her 'fill' of Russell. Grandma loved to hear him talk and play in her house. Not too hard to impress her with his cute smile!

My parents took us to a little beach in Mill Bay for three mornings in a row. Russell loved to throw rocks in the water and he fussed when we left. Glad he loves the ocean!

On Friday evening, Candice and Brittany and my parents and R and I went out to dinner in Cowichan Bay. There is a very nice seafood restaurant that my family frequents on special occasions. Afterwards, we took a walk on the pier but Russell had a hard time because I insisted I hold his hand because the guardrails wouldn't 'guard' anything. Very independant child.

On a last-minute whim, my friend Wendi (center) flew out to the Island from Calgary on Friday. We haven't seen each other since my wedding, almost six years ago. My friend Kelly stopped by from working at the local summer camp. I last saw her about 1.5 years ago. The three of us were raised in the same church and we have some great memories together. Our visit was short but so nice!

On Saturday afternoon, Brittany took Russell and I back to Victoria to spend a night with Grandma before leaving the next day. When we did have to leave, Russell ran into the sunroom and sat on the sofa. It was a perfect moment to get a picture of Grandma and Russell together. I know each time we visit may be the last time so I try to take some pictures. Russell will never remember how much he means to his great-grandma but I want him to see that she loved him very much:-)

The flight home was easy. Russell kept his airplane seatbelt on the whole time and didn't run from me in customs. He only made a stink when Dan insisted he sit in the carseat on the drive home. I think Russell liked the idea of not using the carseat on the plane and hoped the car ride would be the same;-)

Off we go!

After nap time today, I hauled out the suitcase and started to pack for our week trip to B.C. Russell was very enthusiastic and ran to his room and grabbed as many clothes as he could hold and tossed them into the suitcase. Eventually, we got packed with only some of his clothes and not all of them. Since then, he has been concerned that he is going on the "pane" to "Cokkle" (the plane to Cobble Hill). He sure isn't going to like his stuffed 'Lambie' going through the x-ray machine tomorrow. Poor kid.

Snack Time for Two

I love my community of friends in this area. We can use each other for impromtu babysitting during the day when it comes to non-friendly appointments (dentist, doctor, spa- just kidding). Russell and Jack are only 19 days apart and play well together. Yeah for buddies!!

Sweet Treats

Summer time has always been the perfect time for sweet treats- namely, ice cream. I remember as a child, my parents would buy the 4L buckets of neopolitan ice-cream and we each would scoop out our favorite flavor instead of taking all three.

We don't buy too much ice-cream for the very fault that it gets eaten but when Dan was fixing our car battery the other night (it had died during the day), I asked him to pick up a box of treats. It has been in the mid-high 90's this week and we don't have A/C. It has been a bit of a problem for Russell because when he gets too hot his nose bleeds. It doesn't bleed badly but he rubs his nose and then he sees the blood. Thankfully, we still had some Drumsticks left in the box and Russell quickly forgot his plight. Not a bad remedy!

Big Dan, Little Dan

On Friday, we were getting ready to leave for Sacramento to visit Dan's cousins. As Dan was getting dressed, Russell rushed out of the room and returned momentarily with his red sweatshirt in hand. He insisted I put it on so he could be just like Dad. Precious.

Just Life

So here we are in July. I love turning the page on my calendar on the fridge to reveal a (somewhat) clean slate for the next month. I note the upcoming birthdays to make sure I at least get a card in the mail and write in the Sundays that I'm volunteering for nursery. As the month progresses, I write in who is hosting play-date Tuesday and doctor's appointments. Occasionally there are out-of-town weekends to plan and birthdays to attend. By the end of the month, the calendar is blackened with details like phone numbers and addresses and crossed-out days. By the end of the month, I look forward to a new page- a clean page. I guess it is purely psychological, considering next month is really another week. Oh well;-)

Russell and I will be flying direct to Victoria on the 19th. We'll be there until Sunday the 27th. Later on the 27th we'll attend an open house for our friends who are moving to Eugene, Oregon (sniff, sniff, cry openly). We've come to love Anne and Jeff and will miss them and little 'Gace' as she (Grace) is known to Russell.

So, for now, only four days are scratched out on the calendar. I'm looking forward to this summer and the fun we'll have and the days that God will unfold for us.