oliver

Spending time at my Grandma's house was always a summer highlight growing-up.  On hot days, we lived in the pool and our blond hair would turn green from the chlorine.  We would sneak into the garden for fresh raspberries, strawberries and sweet peas - Mmmm.  My Grandma also has a ginormous jar of Smarties that she still fills for us, every time we visit.  They never stand a chance.  It is so special to be there with Jake.  

This visit was filled with swimming, sunning, gardening, berry picking and wine tasting.  Jake especially loved the "gardening" he did.  He was covered in dirt and so happy about it.   

a swim

We went swimming the other day but the clear highlight for Jake wasn't the pool, but instead, a pool noodle.  Running around with this pool noodle couldn't have been funner.  He 

didn't even want to go into the water without it.   

 

an anniversary

I feel so happy to have married my best friend and look forward to this forth year of marriage.  Participating in a happy

marriage it the very best thing.  Ever. 

Hester Creek

Hester Creek Winery is always lovely.  I had been saving this Trebbiano for a couple years now and figured it must be enjoyed.  The Trebbiano vines were brought over from Italy long ago and are the oldest on the estate. 

"The nose has apple, citrus, and passion fruit, with mineral and grapefruit notes on the palate. Enjoy our Trebbiano with Asian food such as Pad Thai, spicy barbequed chicken, or an arrabiata pasta".

When we were tasting it at the vineyard they also suggested pairing it with curry dishes or sushi, so that is exactly what we did, and were not disappointed.  

sand, shells and sea walls...

and water too.  Lots of water.  That was how the majority of our days in Vancouver were spent.  Beautiful sunny days with a nice breeze coming off the ocean.  So perfect.

Jake did a lot of digging and throwing sand.  Huge highlight. 

Thanks Kait for taking some family pictures.  The beaches of Stanley Park was a perfect location.  In fact, we spent-up all of our time at the beach and didn't have any left over to walk the sea wall or explore the forest paths.

Exploring the beach with Aunty.

More Kitsilano beach, splashing in the sea and watching the ships sail into the English Bay.

Granville Island waterpark!  We had lots of fun while Billy and Tim took a tour of the Granville Island Brewery.  One of their summer specialties was Ginger Beer. 

 
We even suck in a few dates, which couldn't have been nicer.  Kait and Tim were the perfect hosts and it all went by unbelievably quick.  This entire summer has felt that way.

more maps

How lovely is this map of the United States from These Are Things!? Very clean and modern.  Fitting for a very belated happy fourth of July. 

 

 I am just swimming in photos here and trying to sort through some pictures from our most recent trips.  Hopefully I will get myself organized and post some travel pictures shortly.  Until then, enjoy this pretty little map.

patio dinner

We are back from our mini Vancouver vacation, fully settled-in and enjoying our home as much as we possibly can before it is time to pack-up for France.  One of the things that is making me happiest these days is barbecuing and eating dinner out on the patio.  Two things greatly missed while we are in Europe.  We put up the umbrella, drag the highchair out and just enjoy the evening heat.  If you peek over the south end of our balcony you can even see a tiny sliver of lake.  It's perfect.  

papaya avocado salad

I think this has to be one of my favourite salads!  And it's so great for summer.  I am notorious for not following recipes.  I add, remove and never measure anything but this is one recipe that follow to a tee.  It really is that good.

The recipe is originally from the Best of Bridge, a little group of women in a bridge club who decided to make a cookbook.  Eventually one cookbook turned into twelve and they have some great recipes.
 

Note: I know it sounds strange to blend papaya seeds into the dressing but trust me, it works.  Also good news, this recipe makes way too much dressing.  You will have dressing left over and it stores really nicely in the refrigerator for several days.  The dressing is fantastic and you will want to use it on other salad combinations.

 You will need:

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce
1 ripe papaya (papayas are ripe when they have turned yellow)
1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
red onion slices

Papaya seed dressing:
2 - 4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. papaya seeds
1/2 cup white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
2 green onions, finely chopped 
…………………………………..

Wash and dry lettuce. Tear into bite-sized pieces and place in salad bowl. Halve and peel papaya. Scoop out seeds and save 2 Tbsp. of the seeds. Slice papaya. Combine dressing ingredients in a blender until papaya seeds have the appearance of ground pepper. Store dressing in refrigerator. Just before serving, add papaya, avocado and red onion slices to lettuce. Pour dressing over salad and toss.  

beat the heat

All you really need on a nice hot day is a bucket full of water and a happy baby.  Just ask Jake, it's a lot of fun.  Enough fun to spark plenty of exploration (and plenty of splashing too).  The perfect activity for an afternoon at Grandma's! 

family holiday

These past eleven days have been busy and fun filled.  We visited with parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and second cousins...  and accomplished a lot of much needed catching-up.  Jake received so many hugs and kisses, he will never forget how much he is loved.

We were also able to attend a grad party (congratulations Mike and Jarrett), go on a lunch date, take a ride on a mini train, explore the great outdoors and found out that Jacob does NOT like carousels.

Jake and Jayna got to do a little playing this summer.

Last year around this time they mostly did a lot of sleeping.  Look how tiny they both were!?

Playing in the grass at Kinsmen Park was the highlight for Jake.  The train ride was just okay and the carousel was a little too scarey.