A Trip to PG to Visit Jackson

We usually go up to Prince George for the July long weekend. The weather is nice and Canada day at Fort George park is a tradition. This year was extra special because my new nephew Jackson had been born just days earlier. He was born on June 25, 2014 and was a healthy 7lbs 3ozs. Callie and Carter were very excited to visit with their new cousin. Having such a large family I usually get to tell them about a new cousin every three months or so but this one was a 'real' cousin. Not a fourth cousin twice removed situation.

We went up on the Monday and the following day was Canada day. For the first time in a few years it managed not to rain on that day which was a pleasant change. I think the highlight this year was the giant inflatable Mr. PG. The kids always know when we're in Prince George when we hit the corner of 97 and 16 and see the real Mr. PG, but we never get out to visit him. This time he came to them.

For the afternoon on Canada day we went out to West lake. This year we went every single day, even when the weather wasn't great. The kids really enjoy putting their life vests on and playing in the water. They get much more adventuresome with the life vests and even Carter was going out over his head. I even managed to get them both into the canoe. Callie came with me last year but Carter would chicken out before we could get him into the boat. (Once they are in there is no escaping.) We went on several trips including to the boy scout camp, the plane dock and the provincial park.

For the evening on Canada day, (It was either a very busy day or I've mixed up a few of the days here) Eric and Tara brought Jackson and we went down to get GG Jackson and bring her up for dinner. This was the first opportunity for her to see her newest Great Grand Child. We got some great photos including the traditional four generation shot. I had it printed at Walmart and when I went to pick it up, the photo centre clerk loved it and asked if it was a four generation shot. (I guess she saw it come out of the machine and was intrigued.)

The remainder of the trip was filled with the usual, playing in the play house in the backyard, trips to the lake and of course several meals with GG. It usually takes a few days for Callie and Carter to warm up to people and we don't see GG very often. I also think the wheel chair scares them a bit. By the fourth day however we did finally get them to interact with her somewhat including a high five from Carter.

Callie's Dance Recital

In May we got see Callie's long awaited recital. We don't get to watch her for most of the year with the exception of one open house so the recital is the only time we get to see what she's learned. This year she was in 4 different dance styles with ballet happening twice per week. The theme for the recital this year was 'British Mania' and we got front row seats. I didn't mind them but the ideal row is actually the third row if you're a bit short. I was tall enough to see over the front of the stage.

The first dance style up was hip hop and the costume theme was Harry Potter. Kerry and I were both absolutely amazed at how out going and smiley Callie was on stage. The second dance style was Jazz and the song 'Twist and Shout'. I didn't get any individual pictures because I taped the whole thing on video. Technically we're not supposed to be video taping because they want you to buy the $50.00 video but once the show is started they're not about to try to stop you.

Up next was tap dancing. I feel this particular style is a bit old fashioned but I guess each type teaches a different series of techniques. It was definitely the sharpest of the costumes. She looked very British in her Bobby uniform.The last dance style was ballet and I believe the them was Beatrix Potter. I'm not familiar with it but apparently it's a children's book series. Callie passed her grade one ballet exam this year and the two classes per week give them lot's of practice. They still don't stand on their tippee toes much but I guess that will come soon.

The OWL Sanctuary

In April we went to the OWL sanctuary in Delta. It's a wildlife sanctuary that specializes in birds and has animals that have recently been inured and are being prepared for release as well as animals that were too injured to be released. Callie's favorite bird was the owl that apparently flies upside down. We never got to watch him fly but apparently he had severe brain damage when they found him and it impacts his ability to sense which way is up.

Carter's favorite part was the helicopter that he got to sit in. I'm not entirely sure what they use the helicopter for but it was an official wildlife rescue copter.

Kerry takes her class here every year and it was good to see so many people for the open house. There was lot's of woodworking type volunteering happening so maybe I'll sign up to help.

Mini-golf at Rattlesnake Canyon

We're in Oliver this weekend and we were pleasantly surprised to find that Rattlesnake Canyon was open on weekends already. It's only open during the summer and previous years Easter has been too early. When Carter found out he was very excited. He really enjoys min-golf. I think he feels he's on a more even playing field with everyone else. He's pretty good on some holes but on others he seems to forget whether he's right-handed or left-handed. On those holes his foot becomes a more critical club.

For the adults I should mention that no good ever comes from a mini-golf game between spouses. When I lose I don't hear the end of it ever. When Kerry is losing I have to watch out I don't get hit in the head with a club or a ball. Today was not Kerry's day. She started off with a quick hole in one but I followed that up with several pars to her bogey's. It took a turn for the worse when she found the water on the 8th. She made up a few shots at the end of the round but fell by three strokes.

Easter 2014

This year we went back to Oliver for Easter. I didn't come last year because we had just come back from Maui and I had had enough family time but this year there were a few weeks in between so I made the trip. A good thing too since Barb and Reg are always right on the ball with some very well prepared and tasty meals. We weren't even going to come this year since Barb and Reg had just been down to visit with us but Callie and Carter insisted on coming so that we could do the annual Easter Egg hunt.

Things got off to a rough start when Callie discovered some weird goo in the bottom of her Easter basket but we got lucky because they decided to do the different age groups at different times which meant they could share the same basket. Carter went first and if I was a more competitive parent he would have found the sacred golden egg which results in a bigger prize. I gave him hints but didn't rush him. The egg was discovered at the next tree we were going to check.

I attempted to cheat with Callie by using my zoom lense on the camera to find the golden egg before the race to the hunting grounds started, however I couldn't quite find it and it wouldn't have mattered anyways since Callie was in the 8-12 group and a 12 year old ran ahead and found it in seconds.

I guess we're coming back for at least another 4 years so she can keep trying.

Grade Three Science World Field Trip

On Thursday Callie went on a field trip with her grade three class to Science World. Since Kerry is a teacher I get to be the field trip parent and Callie gets quite excited when I come. (She even hugged me when I got there.) The class took the bus and due to space constraints the parents had to meet them there. This works out fine for me since my office is right on the Skytrain line and I can come straight from work.

I went with her last year and I ran into a bit of trouble as a chaperon when I lost two kids. In my defense they kind of ran away. It was only for a few minutes as one of the other parents returned them to me. I was hoping for better luck this time however it started off a bit rough. When I got there Callie's teacher handed me a bag and asked me to hold it. I didn't know that she was handing me four kids at the same time. When we got inside the building Callie was quick to point out that I'd already lost two kids again.

The managed to find their way back and there were no more incidents other than one of my kids named Tommy who would randomly run around the entire floor. He always returned so I just had to trust that that trend would continue. We started the day up stairs in the music section before heading to the structures workshop. It was quite neat to see them build a model of Science World with triangles and pentagons. We finished up with some time in the Lego exhibit and I managed to return all four kids at the end of the day.

Maui 2014 - Our Final Day

We woke up pretty late on our last day. This was a bad sign for getting back to our routine back home as it meant we were now used to our new time zone. Callie and Kerry went down to the beach and when they got back we stopped by the Dukes to say goodbye. They had arrived earlier then us and were leaving a day earlier as well. Afterwards we went back to our room and got ready for our big drive. Most destinations are pretty close in Maui however today we were going to try the road to Hana. Hana is on the other side of the island and gets a lot more rain so it's much lusher.

I should probably say that our destination wasn't exactly Hana. Hana is about a 3 hour trip one way on a narrow highway with 60+ one way bridges. Our goal was actually Halfway to Hanna which is an actual destination. We downloaded an app to Kerry's phone that tracked our progress and gave us interesting bits of trivia as we drove. As we got going we saw just how narrow the road was. Many of the bridges had blind spots and you had to be quite aggressive or you would get caught waiting for ever. Our first destination was the 'Garden of Eden'. A very naturally looking tropical garden with lot's of animals.

We got to see waterfalls, bananas, many birds, a banyan tree, a koa tree and lot's of flowers. Carter's favorite part was meeting his friend duck. Duck was at the ice cream place and made panting sounds like a dog and even wagged his tail. He seemed to really like Carter though it was probably like the dogs at home. They knew he was the weakest link for stealing food. Once we had wandered around the gardens a bit and took in the view, we decided we had seen enough of the road to Hanna and turned back. I think we officially made it to half way to 'Half Way to Hanna'.

We got back after lunch and Kerry went to see her old principle John. His wife had won a trip through work and he was staying not far from us. We decided Kerry would just go but in hindsight we realized we all should have gone since the kids could have hung out around the resorts pool which was apparently quite amazing. John did come back to our place for drinks.

We finished off the evening with our last steak dinner and one final sunset. Another great trip.