Awesome Day to Awful Day!!

The day was amazing....perfect in my books....spent with friends, in the sun, with happy kids!

 Fuller lake with Nic and the girls and Elliot while Isaac was in school!

 Just a quick snap shot....love it!

 Then we picked up isaac from school, grabbed slurpees on this gloriously hot day and headed out to see Christie at her place in honeymoon bay!  Here we are in HER happy place (mine too!) but she is showing it well!!

 Who knew a moment later from this blissful moment, the day would turn to one of the worst?

 Beautiful, happy, puncture-less Elliot!!

 Seriously, so beautiful, isn't he?  He just takes my breath away and makes my heart fill!!  Which makes it that much harder when a moment later, he stepped on a piece of wood that punctured right up into his right heel.  It was the beginning of a super long, awful, scream-ridden, tearful night.

 We had 3 adults try to get it out....finally, we had to load him into the car and take him to emergency.  Here is the little soul on the way there.....

We went to the ER and was told that there was to be a 3 hour wait and for a sliver, we would have better luck at the walk in clinic....so 2 hours at the clinic, screaming that I could hear across the street while Elliot was in with Chris and the doctor while i cried out in the street with Isaac....we headed back to the ER because even after all that, she couldn't get it out.  Here we are waiting in the ER....its almost 10 at this point...he stepped on the wood at 4.

After a student doctor had a go at it, he wisely went and grabbed the best doctor ever!!  She came in, took over, froze his heel {student doctor AND Chris both had to lay on him to get this done}...but after the screaming and the freezing was done, he sat up and watched her with a very detached interest as she dug around in his heel.  It took, in the end, a scalpel to dig it out.

 Here she is showing Elliot.....i hug attacked her after it was all over. 

One of the worst nights of parenting career so far....so we are doing well, aren't we?  New found respect for parents of sick kids...but nothing gets to your soul than your baby screaming in pain. 

 I am so thankful he is ok today.

Chris was my hero today. Taking over when I just couldn't be there.  He is my perfect partner.  I mean, I am all in for medical emergencies, but it was Elliot....my sweet, sweet Elliot....screaming for mercy.  I couldn't do it...which surprised me, but Chris stepped up and comforted Elliot when he could, whispered and sang in his ear when he was able, and laid on him with his full body weight when he needed to keep him still.  It broke my heart to watch this last part happen, because Elliot wrapped his little arms around Chris's head, hugging him, but still screaming for him to 'please, please stop'.....oh...i still get sick just thinking about it....

But he is well this morning, he came up on tip toes into our room this morning and crawled in with us saying his foot still hurt....but he didn't say much else about it.  So thankful we live in Canada....where we have such a great medical system.  I saw on the wall that if you were out of canada or just visiting with no insurance, a visit to the ER is $545 and treatment from an ER doctor would be $245....and we had freezing too...so this could have been a really big night financially too.

Just feeling thankful.

Mom and Dad stop in on their Harleys to say "hi!!"

It was short and sweet.....but mom and dad have been touring the sunshine coast visiting friends and we were one of the last island stops!  Here are a few shots of our visit!

This one just totally made me laugh...i mean, look at everyone individually!! hahha

 Sweet little Elliot taking a ride with Nona on the Kayak....

 Just some proof that I was there too!!

 My dad in his happy place!!!

 I actually think we were all in our happy place.

 Hitching a ride with mom.....swam to wildside and back....feel much safer with a kayak beside me!

 This picture of my dad just made me laugh....

First day of GRADE 2!!!

There wasn't alot of hype or even much talking about today.....he just knew he was going.

Got up, got dressed...usual routine, except today dad came along too!!

Best friends met him in line....picked up where they left off.

Summer?  What summer?  Weren't we just here???!!

 

 

Soon little Elliot, it will be your turn...next week! 

Til then, you are helping me clean the house and wash the car tommorow!!  mwahhahahah!!!

Best last day of summer day EVER!!!!

Starting out with Chris taking the boys to duncan for Timmies {of course!}....so i ignored my dirty house {i will clean it when the kids are in school!!}....and headed out to the dock with a book!! 

They came home and chilled out playing video games together, isaac had a nap {he is fighting something, we think}.....i was still out on the dock until they joined me a little bit after lunch--what a wonderful, quiet morning!!

When the boys joined me, the little ones took out into the rowboat and isaac was doing a good job paddling.

 So, I am unsure why he accepted the offer for the neighbor to come rescue them and swim them back to shore?  Pretty girl? not having to row back?  i guess it was a no brainer...he rode on the front of the boat while yelling 'hya!! hya!! --you know, like a horse...or a slave...whatever!  Sheesh...some peoples kids.

 This is their new favorite pose.....don't ask!  I don't know the answer.....

 Elliot learning to chill.....

 Chris finally taking his surf board out!!!

 Isaac and Chris....they didn't move for quite a while....

 Driving Isaac out to our dinner spot with Nic and Steve tonight!!  He still wasn't feeling too well.

 After swimming and rope swing fun!!!

 She was to look very impressed at his bbq'ing skills!!

 Such a sweet couple....after we bbq'd, we played badminton and had a bonfire til after 9....it was a really great day.....

 We feed our friends really well....but the kids we feed cheerios and rice cakes!!

School tommorow.....

Elliots Pre-Kindergarten Trip!!! Rockin' the South Island!!

I have been dragging my feet a little on this post due to the enormous amount of pictures that were taken!!  I tried to narrow them down, so here we go!!

Wednesday evening Elliot and I were to leave for Washington for our trip, where Susan was going to meet us.  Wednesday morning, because of a few signs that were pointing to staying a little closer to home, i called Susan and invited her to come to the island enstead.  Spontaneous, wonderful woman she is.....she grabbed the early afternoon ferry!!

We stayed at the timeshare which is right on the harbor downtown:

 Do you see the harbor ferry in the background?  Elliot sees it and exlaims "ooooh, i have ALWAYS wanted to go on one of those little boats!!".....guess what we did the next morning?  nope, not miniature world as initially planned.......

After a really nice dinner of corn, roasted chicken, raspberries, brie and crackers and gingerbeer......

 We did my new favorite thing!!!

 Tie DYE!!!!

I wish the shirts stayed as vibrant as when they are unfolded......

 We did tank dresses......

ok, we did tank TOP....i mean, who are we kidding...we aren't 17 anymore.

 We walked to the harbor in the morning.....

we hadn't used a stroller in ages, but i am so glad i threw it into the car....

we did ALOT of walking for a 5 year old!!

Fun on the Pier......

 

 Meg joined us for lunch at Red Fish Blue Fish.....check the line behind us!! 

We were there at 11 for the 11:30 opening, and we still weren't first in line! 

TOTALLY worth it though...i have never had such amazing fish......

 After lunch we walked down to the harbor for the looong awaited ferry boat ride -

he HAD been waiting all his life, after all!!

 Little bit of wildlife off the side of the dock is always a perk!

 We headed to Sidney to the Ocean Discovery Centre.....



 

 After a really nice time with Susan....we left her to peruse at her leisure some of the shops in Sidney minus the company of the 5 year old before catching her ferry home......Elliot and I drove towards home.  I was getting tired and asked if he wanted to have a short visit with grandma and grandpa.....he says yes, but also that he wanted to have a sleepover.....i didn't think so!!!  After getting there, Elliot had a bath, we read books....we were both cuddled up in the giant bed upstairs together and sleeping by 8:25pm!!!  Guess we weren't going home after all!!

I remember reading the back of cereal boxes as a kid.....

so i found it nice to see my boy do it too.....

 Sweet grandpa making cinnimon toast for Elliot.....

It was a nice little holiday....i loved that Susan came over for it.  She was there for Isaacs pre-kindergarten trip, so it was only right for her to be at Elliots!!!

Elliot, you are about to go to school!!  I am sad and excited at the same time!!!  You seem excited to join the ranks....I feel unsure about my own life and how not having you in my day to day hours will affect both of us!! So I don't think about it! 

I still have a week left with you....and I will make it count.  I love you my dear boy......you are going to have a fantastic time at school!!!

Driving = Happy Place!!

I forget how driving makes me so happy....i love to watch people laugh, scream, succeed, freak out...

I didn't drive too much this summer.....a little bit for staff and a few days at one of the camps.

 Here is Sarah....just learning...but rocking it like a pro--clearing the wake and doing 180's already!!! 

This girl is staying for the rest of the year too - so we are all pretty excited about that.....

Here is Mitch and Jake....Isaac and Elliots favorite Frackson boys.....seriously, they would ask for these boys every day....camp is over now and they were talking about them at breakfast still.  Truth be told, i really really like these boys too....

And little Elliot....always with something to say!!

Camp is over.....

Dinner out with our family after everyone leaves is a tradition....as Chris and I drove away, i cried.  And even thinking about it now, i can get a lump in my throat about it all being over.  {When tears started to come, a kleenex flew from the backseat to the front seat in front of me...i just had to reach out and take it to wipe my eyes...strange hey?}

But the summer was incredible and hard to put into words how much i loved the people who were here these past 4 months.  Nobody had anything to prove, there were no attitudes, just alot of love and respect for eachtother and what we were trying to do here.  What softens the blow is that some of my favorite people are still here and some of my 'soon to be favorites' are moving here in a few weeks......but God is so good.....so good....and i am so blessed.