Flying!: Okanagan Lake

We spent the weekend at Sarah and Padra's in Kelowna. At one point on Sunday afternoon, their neighbour arrived in his helicopter. The kids have seen this before and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Even cooler, though? This time, unbeknownst to them, he was touching down in order to take them up!

All the kids wanted a turn, even the smallest ones! That's six kids altogether. So sweet neighbour John took us up in 3 trips! An adult and two kids each. They were stunned.

Riding up front. She looks like a pro!

I love all the lines.

I didn't get a shot of it, but I was amazed at the amount of backyard pools in Kelowna! I guess it's the Vancouverite in me. I felt like I was flying over LA!

View of the dock, coming back home...

He won't forget this!

Breathing: Spring Break on the Island

Inhale. Exhale. 

Time to do some deep breathing on Vancouver Island. Oh we needed it. 

This time my brother, Graham, and Kyla joined us for 4 nights. It was fun to show them the places that mean so much to us. 

***

On this day, it was just the five of us. At one of our very favourite places. I'm so thankful that my whole family feels the same way about this place as I do...

On their last night with us, my brother set up his fancy-pants iPad and projector and stereo sound system combo, and we watched a couple of episodes of Game of Thrones. Jay got right into it, but after the emotional angst of reading the novels, I don't know if I'm able to go back and now watch it all...

It was fun to watch a big screen in the little house though!

Celebrating: Maya is a Teenager!

We are celebrating my niece's 13th birthday today! 

Her birth was the first I witnessed. Before I had even heard of the word "doula", let alone become one. What a long birth it was, too, only one birth in my doula career matched it! We set up shop at the hospital and it was a place of celebration. The whole family filled the waiting room, friends too. My mother-in-law brought us a picnic for the birthing room. I still cannot listen to this song without getting choked up. We listened to it all throughout that birth. (re: the link...I love that she is singing it at the Grammy's a few days before Maya's birth!)

 My sister's pregnancy was not planned, and was...hmmm...controversial in my family, shall we say? But this babe was meant to be with us. We all raised this girl in her early years. She taught me how to be a Mama before I became one. She taught my sister a whole lot too. Dare I say she changed the course of her life. 

Now Maya is an amazing big sister,  giving Brynn all the love and attention and care that we lavished on her all those years ago. She's such a great kid. I cannot believe she is a Teenager!!

at the Folk Fest with us this past summer...

I made her a cheesecake. The mother of all cheesecakes, by way of The Barefoot Contessa. That woman knows her way around a dessert! 2 1/2 pounds of cream cheese, a boatload of organic sugar and eggs,  and frozen raspberries from our garden. And love, of course. She deserves it.

We love you, Maya Papaya!

xoxoxoxo

Celebrating: Valentine Simplicity

We're having dinner in the dining room tonight, ooh lala...

I tried to think of something "sexy" to do while with our children on Valentine's Day...it came to me suddenly...eat Greek, of course! 

 Greek food is sexy to me. 

(Maybe because lamb that is braised for hours, then served with lemon roasted potatoes and homemade tzatziki just makes us all moan with love and happiness?)

Enjoy this Happy Heart Day.