Canada Retreat!

This past weekend, Nathaniel, Brigham, and I went to Vancouver, B.C.! We had a great time seeing the sites and spending some time together without all our kids. (Don't get us wrong, we love our boys, we just needed a vacation!)

Nathaniel and Brigham posing in front of the gate to Chinatown.

Me in a grove of Bamboo at the garden in Chinatown.

Cool-shaped rocks in the chinese garden.

A fun looking building in Gastown.

Granville Island: Huge plant near the splash park.

These cute little geese didn't care that there were a ton of people walking this path too!

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge!

As long as I didn't look down, I was fine!

 The waterfall near the bridge

The pathway down to the river. It is a beautiful hike!

The river was just full of these large rocks and boulders.

One of the swimming holes.

 We tuckered Brigham out!

Walking around Stanley Park and seeing the skyline of the city. Stanley Park is so big that we decided to see half of it one day and the other half the next day.

Totem Poles in Stanley Park.

They had a walking path and a separate bike path. You can rent bikes and ride all around the park. 

Lighthouse with path going underneath.

 Nathaniel's first selfie!

 Seaplanes were constantly coming and going.

The last day we went to the University of BC Botanical Garden. I am standing next to a Rhododendron, They were soooooo tall!

They had a catwalk up in the canopy of the trees, made me remember my dreams of living in a tree house!

 Tunnel under the road that leads to more gardens.

Big tree in Stanley Park.

 Beach side of Stanley Park.

Jonas' Birthday and Camping

Jonas got to decorate his own cake this year. He was really easy to please with a regular cake covered in chocolate frosting, sprinkles, and gummy bears. He got a 'Simon' game for his birthday and has been constantly playing it. His record is 33!

 Last weekend we went camping at Pacific Beach, right on the coast. We had fun playing at the beach and most of the kids braved the cold water up to their knees! This is how we fit 8 people sleeping in the tent. One sleeping bag is missing from the picture. It was nice to have the cots to store our bags under so they were not in the way.

 Besides having to sleep and eat outside, the camping is rather posh. There is a playground outside and an indoor one, Bowling alley, Theatre, large hot tub, Wii and Xbox. Plenty of stuff to occupy our time. We also brought bikes to ride around the campground.

Here is a picture of the view from the Whale watching station at the campground.

Sunset!

This is just a silly picture I had to capture when Wesley chose to come to dinner wearing my gardening hat!

Growing Baby!

Look what we pulled out of storage this past week! Brigham is now old enough to sit in the high chair and to start tasting baby food. He always sucks his lips and tongue, so I just put a small amount of baby food in his mouth and he swallowed most of it. My other babies would get more on their bib than in their mouth!