Birthday Season Strikes Early

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: having two girls born in the same month is a bit of a challenge.  Especially when family is here just before the birthdays bashes begin.  We wanted to include Tata, and our friend Ash, in our birthday fun before they both left.  So ... heck!  We decided to start celebrating early.

The girls made fruit tarts, with lots of help fromTata.

Party time!

This was a party meant to celebrate both girls

(who really need haircuts).

Really, I can't believe I am now the parent of a four year old and a six year old.

But, their excitement is still the same as when they were smaller (and much better attention spans).

This is sort of a bad picture -- Kerry was excited and moving so much.  But, I had to catch a photo of one of the two things she specifically asked for:  A chicken.  It took some looking to find this thing too.  Apparently, not many children ask for stuffed chickens for their birthdays.  The other item is a fishing pole.  That shows up later... (and no, she decided she will not be using them together).

The last item was for both of them:  a new fancy dollhouse.

Naturally, it took the adults an hour or so to put it together.

Happy girls. 

Let the "wild rumpus begin!"

Return To Cama with Tata

Still getting caught up here in blog-land.  This was another great get-away we did with Stefan's sister:  we went back to Cama Beach.  Really, going down during the week was a great choice:  We practically had the whole place to ourselves.

We also had some beautiful Springtime weather -- the clouds were amazing.

We were only there for two days, but it was super relaxing all the same.

Lots of beach time,

time to sit and do crafts,

play with Daddy,

nap with Tata.

And before we knew it, it was time to go.

Until next time!

Lummi Island with Tata

OK, it's true.  The time has gotten away from me and I have no idea where it went.  Been busy, that's all I know. 

We had such a super good time with Stefan's sister, Patricia, whom the girls call "Tata" -- it was very hard to see her go.  But, until her next visit, we have lots of great pictures to browse through to remember. The next few entries will feature some more of the great things we did.

We've lived here five years and I am embarrassed to say:  we had never visited Lummi Island, which is only about a 10 minute car ride and then a 10 minute ferry ride.  So!  Tata's visit was a great reason to finally get on that ferry.

It was a beautiful Spring day.  Strange -- we've had Spring since January, but it never gets old...

Gorgeous.

Once we arrived it was time for lunch.  I am constantly hearing about how wonderful The Willows Inn on Lummi is, so we decided to check it out. 

Everyone's right. It's beautiful. 

Upstairs is a very nice restaurant, white tablecloths, the works.  We headed downstairs

to the Tap Room where it's more informal -- coffee shop and sandwiches during the day and pub at night. 

(Got to come back some night, sans children).

We had a light lunch, then crossed the street to explore the beach.

Honestly, (I've said it before), the beaches in the northwest are bit too rocky for my taste, but this beach... well, this one is well kept secret.

Again, beautiful.

The girls spotted a "dragon" to tame and then ride on.

Loads, loads, loads of fun.

And now... not so much of a secret. 

:)

Some Great Days with "Tata"

Where to begin?  We've all been so busy with Stefan's sister, Patricia since she arrived.   The girls have been simply delighted to show her around some (even though this is about her 5th visit).  :)

Let's see -- just some highlights:

Of course we had to schedule a visit to the tulips

which is always spectacular.

And the photos just cannot be beat.

There has also been plenty of...

practicing music and concerts for mom and dad.

We were also able to attend a wonderful birthday party for one of Jenica and Kerry's good friends at nearby Padilla Bay, which is an estuary.   This is always a good time because there is

so much to explore and see.

And loads of gooey,slimy mud to trek through

and dig in.

Overall, we've been busy busy.  We'll have to catch up more in a few days... 
To be continued!

In and Out of Canada

Living close to the Candian border has so many super benefits.  We explored another one today:  Point Roberts.  What's really odd about Point Roberts is that it's actually in the U.S., but you have to go through Canada to get there.  Sounds like a bit of a rigamarole, right?  But not if you have NEXUS passes! 
Wikipedia describes it as "A geopolitical oddity, Point Roberts is a part of the United States that is not physically connected to it, making it an exclave of the U.S. It is located on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, south of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and can be reached from the rest of the United States only by traveling through Canada or crossing Boundary Bay by sea or air."  The area is really quite nice but what I really wanted to see was this:

I've read quite a few really good reviews of this park -- it is supposed to be a nice place to walk, whale watch, fly kites, picnic.  As it turns out, they were right!  We did all of those things, and lots of exploring and playing.

The whole park is a photographer's dream.  Everywhere you look, spectacular scenery galore.

I think I took about 60 pictures.

Promise not to include them all.  :)

This was neat... HUGE old anchors and a sun dial made a neat sculpture.

Even though I am still battling a chest cold, it felt good to be outside...

And to spend time with family.

Our kite was really not quite big enough to handle the big winds that come around the point.

But there was plenty of water,

rocks...

and sand with which to play.

(and nap on).

It's looking like more good times ahead as the weather continues to improve.  Then maybe we won't need to look quite so much like Abominable Snowmen at the beach.

Here's to the sun!