Love the Free Store!!

Some days it just pays to stop in at the local free store!!

Because some days, there are super nice couches, wrapped in plastic when you arrive,

just waiting for you to pile them onto your roof rack and take them home!!

It was our lucky day!!!

Todays Happenings.....

Isaac had piano this morning at 8am....I will be happy when these early morning lessons will be over for the summer.

After kid drop-off this morning, I stopped at Starbucks for a quick drink and had a nice spontaneous visit with Kelly, Evans mom....its been awhile, so it was nice to catch up.

I went to Jazzercise after Starbucks...with much wrestling in my mind whether i would go or not.....I arrived 5 minutes late....sabrina sees me, waves her hands and goes over to the stereo and says "sharons, here!! We're starting over!!!"  FINALLY, someone who knows who i AM!! {right Elizabeth?!}, but no really, i was pretty flattered....it had been ages since I had come, so it was nice to be missed and noticed.

After class, i picked up Elliot and headed to Jinny's.  We had a nice visit out in the sun, as always she fed me a wonderful {healthy} lunch, we watched Ella and Elliot play around in the yard and drive the little jeeps, we also played a few games of Blokus!  I love visiting with Jinny.......

Picked up Evan and Isaac, picked up Mirium, dropped off Evan, drove home to drop off Mirium....got home and crashed into the bed in the office around 4:30 and didn't move til almost 8.  Yup...staff made dinner, isaac brought me that dinner {homemade pizza...which was awesome, and i was thankful for a)dinner that i didn't have to make and b)that my child is old enough to bring it to me when i am too exhausted to get it myself!!

I read and napped in the that sunny room for almost 3 hours.....my friend Sherilyn recommended "Riven" a few weeks back and i am now half way and actually want to get this post done so i can crawl back in and continue reading!  I still have yet to learn what "riven" means.

But Elliot and I just got back from a 'run'....he has been running everywhere and love to run.  So, tonight i decided to see how he would do with 1 lap around the property.  And he did so great....i had visions of he and i doing marathons together...i know! i know! premature, but i have great dreams for my beautiful children.......

oh, and the canucks won tonight...so chris is happy...he actually just walked back in from a 'joyride' through lake cowichan!

Happy Birthday Nic!!!!

My good friend Ashley has mad photography skills...i mean, LOOK at how awesome she made us all look on our super fun Girls night out last night for Nics Birthday!!!  Oh my, we laughed alot in that short amount of time.  Here are a few of my favorites, but it really was tough to choose!!

Celebrating Nics birthday with the custom-made "Nikotini!!!|

Yes.....we are fierce.....we know....we know!!

 Looking 'yonder'......

 Here i am contemplating with my new bear spray!! 

I grabbed it for protection as we got out in a sketchy neighborhood to take these beautiful shots.....

my dad would be proud that I found a multi-use for the spray!!

 please note: still holding the bear spray.....don't mess with us!

 Can you see us?  We're HIDING in the pretty flowers!!

 BOO!!!!!!!!!!!

 Hey birthday girl!! Want a Budweiser??!!  i just found it on the ground!!  Ashley said i am JUST like isaac in this picture!  You know, trying to be cute, but probably being totally annoying!!!?

 This was Nic trying not to be "too sexy", cause she said we wouldn't to see THAT!! 

I sorta think we would have liked to seen THAT, especially with THAT kind of disclosure! 

Here is Nic trying to talk me out of not pointing the bear spray at her......

 I have to say, that there was a point last night as the 4 of us were curled onto a blanket in a park, sipping our starbucks, that I thought to myself, I am lucky.  I am lucky to have these 3 girls who know me, still love me despite my flaws, and they DO know i have flaws mom and dad....;-) {just including that disclosure for my folks who think i have no flaws!! haha}......but i have known kim and ash since they were little, and if you had told me 15 years ago, that these small girls would one day be good friends of mine, not just my campers, i would have laughed out loud.  And i have only known Nic for just over a year, but in that time, she has become such a dear friend to me.....boy, this girl makes me laugh!!  She is so funny and beautiful and doesn't take herself too seriously and is a real pleasure to be around.....I just felt really blessed last night to have these 3 strong women of faith beside me being my friends.....i hope they all felt that too.

Sabrina Swoops In!!

Just like Elizabeth, her jazzercise co-hort...Sabrina (my super rockstar jazzercise instructor), swooped in this evening for a short visit!!!  She sent me a sweet email this morning saying {in regards to my lack of attendance lately at jazzercise} "If you aren't going to come to ME, I will come to YOU!!"  {It wasn't lost on me that her son was here with his school....but it was still sweet!}

Here is the rockstar taking the kids for a quad ride.......I hope it made their night!

 Here she is upon return from the ride, trying to tell us about her steller quad skillz!!

There have been plans made to have her and elizabeth swoop in together with all kids in tow this summer some time......should be a blast....perhaps the 3 of us will do a flash mob for the campers!!

Elizabeth swoops in to visit!!!

Thats how it feels when she comes.....she just swoops in, graces us with her presence for not too long, always has a ton of food along, and then swoops away!!  The visits are too short, though she always leaves saying the same thing "Sorry for the chaos!"......its lovely having her and all her kids!  I wish she would come more often, but i am probably the most 'geographically undesirable' friend out there....so I know that when I have friends come to visit, that they really love me because its a long drive!! Either that, or its a hot day out and I am the only one they know who lives on the beach??!!

Here are the little buddies having ice cream before departure time!!

 And just so she doesn't forget this stage, as i already have:

 :Shoveling food into their mouths as they are distracted with other things!!!! 

Actually, i do remember.....it sucked.

But little mathew is talking in full sentences....it blows my mind to hear his little voice speak!!  I love watching my friends kids get older too......turning into such nice little friends for my own boys!

This girl makes me happy.....

She snagged a ride with her hubby and his school who took in Imadene for 3 days......

It was such a short visit that the camera didn't come out at all...

though it sat on the counter the whole time!! 

 Time just flew......

I was telling my sister this morning, that Gina is the only person, other than Carrie,

who can make me laugh like a hysterical, gut busting hee haw!! 

Already counting the days til they come back this summer for 3 weeks!!!!

Burdges come to celebrate Isaac!!

It was a last minute get together with family on Saturday to celebrate Isaac turning 7 the next day but it also helped that the weather was amazing AND there was a Canucks game on.....here are a few shots of the nice, spontaneous evening with the Burdge side of the family:

 At one point, Elliot took out a candle and sucked the wick-end!! 

Luckily it wasn't hot....

 The canucks rocked the Saturday game...this is what the Burdge men look like when they are thrilled out of their minds!! haha.....{its also how they look when they are totally bummed watching them lose, sort of how chris looks now as i listen to the canucks get spanked right now.....my house is currently full of people, but its very quiet}

 Introducing the In-Laws to my new fav game: Blokus!!

 Taking Aim!!

 After dinner walk......

 Play at the beach......

 Oscar takes his job very seriously......

Sunday Summer Night....a boy turns 7.

We had fun with steve and nic last night...............

perfect summer afternoon to celebrate isaacs real birthday!!

 Chris tries to comfort adessa after she launches herself off one of our deck steps.....

 It wasn't the first time those steps have fooled her, and she was not easily comforted!!

He was so sweet all day...patiently waiting as mom and dad tried to figure out what to get him!

We mulled over a trampoline all day ...

and settled on a nerf gun that he has been wanting for awhile!!

He was HAPPY!!!

 See isaac aiming at the girls??  Can you see his bullet flying past Sarah?!

Isaac invites his class to play!!

Isaac had a blast this morning with his WHOLE class coming to play at the camp in celebration of his birthday, ahem, i mean Field Trip!!! 

When they all arrived, they broke into 2 groups and rotated between fun field games with Kevin...

And Challenge Course with Mel and Jon {all 3 were fabulous with these youngin's!!}

Pokeman Cake as requested by Isaac and made in love by Aja!!

 Surrounded by friends......

 Happy Birthday!!!

 After cake and fruit, it was time for a Bear and Cougar workshop! 

Wes, the instructor brought in a cougar and a few bear rugs for the kids to touch and look at!!

 Here Isaac initiated a baseball game with his friends in front of the sports shed.....Taylor (in the pink), is standing behind Isaac with her arms crossed, mad that she wasn't the one batting!

 It was so fun to watch these little personalities out in the 'wild' today!! I never would have been able {or willing!!} to put on a party for 22 kids....so it was such a great experience to watch my big boy play with his friends in his own place!! 

Ucluelet 2011!!!!

Its going to be a hard post because there were just so many good and special things that happened these three days with 4 special people........here Elliot and i watching a black bear....

It all started with mom going away to a silent retreat.....and it ended with 2 of my favorite people being able to make it to the West Coast.  Here are a few key shots from our time together.

 Susan and Dad.....on the afternoon/eve of gary's death 10 years ago. 

We were wondering about the divine power that got us all out to this 

specific place, at this specific time...

 Susan.....a wild and fun partner!!

 My DAD!!!!  Always there to hold my hand!!!!

 

 This is where one of the boys slept...but when they were awake, they explored the

 galaxies on dads new ipad!

 

 

Having my Dad AND Susan all to myself for 3 days was really special to me.   

 ....it was time very well spent.