Little People find

We have a thing for Vintage Little People toys. Actually, Kevin started it by finding them on e-bay and at thrift stores and I just kinda got hooked too. Yesterday we were at the MCC auction and we spotted a Sesame Street Clubhouse with all the accessories at the toy table. (We saw a few other sets for sale too but we had those already!) The seller was open to offers and she took what we offered her. So after a good clean, it was presented to Kendra and Owen. Well, lets just say we have had quite a good day at the deWolde house because they have spent ALL day playing with their new toy! There are lots of slides and merry-go-rounds and secret exits to keep them busy. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon enough but for now, it is great fun!!!

Day at Rolley Lake

We decided with all the beautiful weather we've been having, we should get out for the day and enjoy it because the rain will come again soon enough. So, on Saturday, we packed up a picnic lunch and drove out to Rolley Lake, just north of Mission. It is a beautiful place with a very nice, flat walk all the way around the lake. Some of it is boardwalk but most is through the trees, just along the lake. It was so neat to see and listen to Kendra as she asked questions about everything she saw: "What kinds of "aminals" eat mushrooms?", "Who made all the holes in the trees?" "Can we find some bugs or frogs or turtles in the water?" She loves to explore new places and discover new things.

There were lots of little "seats" from fallen or cut down trees that were perfect for taking a little rest!

Owen wasn't too thrilled to have to be in his stroller but once we started moving and bouncing along the path, it was all okay! We did let him out running later and he had a blast playing in the sand and water after lunch!

My little ballerina!

We were looking through the cupboard this morning and I found a hand-me-down set of ballerina slippers and Kendra's tiara from our family reunion last year. We put on the little dress-up skirt we had and "voila" - Kendra was a ballerina! She went spinning around the house doing pirouettes and standing on her toes. It was pretty cute - almost as cute as watching Owen try to copy her!!

Rainy day fun!!

For the past week, we have been experiencing lots and lots of rain. Not the greatest weather for the end of August but what can you do? The kids have been doing quite well cooped up in the house. It is amazing the things that they find to do! Here are just a few shots of life in the deWolde house over the past week!

Kendra and Owen being silly in their toy tubs!

Kendra usually has a nap in the afternoons but every once in a while she decides she doesn't need one. So, then she gets to scrapbook with me!! I have been working on our Lithuania scrapbook and getting lots done due to the rain! One this day she spent over an hour just cutting up scraps of paper into tiny little pieces!!

Owen playing with the "new" tool set I found at a garage sale on Saturday. They have found lots of things around the house that need "fixing"!!

Owen loves to do puzzles. I pulled out some alphabet ones for him that I had stored in the cupboard. This kept him busy for quite a while. Now if we could just train him to not throw all the pieces everywhere when he is finished!!

"I love the zoo!"

Monday was holiday here in B.C. so we decided to call up some friends and head to the zoo for part of the day. We had a great time walking around and looking at all the different animals. Kendra loved the scarlet macaws that were riding one of the zookeeper's truck and the flamingos. For Owen, the best part of the day was coming out of the stroller and playing with the rocks and the playground!!

By about 1:30 it was getting too hot outside, so we headed home for a few beverages, naps and a BBQ later. Thanks, Tim and Monica, Daniel and Zachary, for a great day together!

Dentists and "bonks"

Kendra had her first visit to the dentist this week. I was so proud of her and couldn't believe what she all let the hygenist and the dentist do! She sat in the chair like a trooper while they cleaned, polished, poked and flossed her teeth. I didn't even tell her that she would get a prize after it was all done so that was the icing on the cake!

Owen has had a little bit of a rough couple of days. He climbed out of the straps in his umbrella stroller, stood up and tipped the whole thing backwards, banging his lip on the handle as he hit the ground. That caused a fair bit of blood to come from his mouth. Good think there was a nice 'gramma-like' lady in the store who got me some kleenex and helped calm him down! Then, this morning, he missed a step on the way down the stairs and tumbled the rest of the way. The goose-egg on his forhead is the result of that fall. He walked around for a while whimpering, "bonk, bonk". He was fine after a few M&M's! So, he looks a little rough but seems to be okay!! Good thing kids are as resiliant as they are!!

Home Sweet Home!

After almost 7 weeks away from home, it feels good to be back. That being said, we had a great experience as a family on our little adventure.

To update from our last entry: We left our little apartment in Klaipeda and went to the capital city of Latvia, Riga, for a few days. It is a very old city, whose Old Town is actually a World Heritage Site. We spent our days wandering though the old town, looking at lots of old buildings, taking in some of the Latvian Folk music festival, wandering through one of the largest markets in Europe.

The view of the city from the top of one of the churches.

Sitting in from of one of the "11 speaking rocks". Kevin is getting Kendra to read his Lonely Planet book and turning her into a true traveller. (Because everyone knows you don't travel anywhere without a Lonely Planet guidebook!)

Owen and his applesauce! For anyone who is familiar with the eating habits of our son, we didn't go anywhere without a jar of applesauce to mix his dinner with. It was the only way to get through mealtimes!

After a few days, we packed up just a small bag of stuff (we were able to leave most of our stuff at our hotel, as we were returning there later) and hopped a train to the small town of Sigulda.

Kendra keeping us all entertained on the train!!

It was a much different pace from the big city. We did lots of walking along paths, each took a ride down an Olympic training bobsled run (the bobsled was on wheels) and actually found a real playground for the kids to play on! Of course, we had to find a few castles to explore as well!

Kevin in the back seat of the bobsled, ready for his 30 second ride down!! It is amazing how fast we went!

Me and my little man checking out the scenery out the window of our gondola.

We each took Kendra on a tobaggan-on-a-rail ride. What a hoot!!

Owen simply enjoying life out of his stroller and on a real playground!!

We got rained on a few times in those days so that definitely changes how you spend your day! We returned to Riga for one night before taking an overnight ferry to Stockholm, Sweden. I'll save that for the next post as this one turned out to be quite long!