ten days in duncan

Our longest stay was back on Vancouver Island where we stayed with Sam's parents and spread out in 3 bedrooms upstairs, enjoying the space of the house and the backyard. It was a busy, fun-filled 10 days but we were able to sneak in some child-free pockets of time too, amongst all the outings and friends' visits and the day-to-day parenting usuals. Sam got in a few rounds of golf with his Dad, as is their custom, and I was able to enjoy a long morning eating my way through Duncan's amazing Farmer's Market the first Saturday, plus have a few shopping days for new bras (I'm a happy woman), winter shoes for Henry, and one or two newborn outfits. And maybe a Starbucks. And Coldstone Ice Cream ... yum.

The boys loved spending time with Nana and Grandad, out in the pool, on the swing, throwing rocks on the lying-down ladders, watering the tomatoes in the greenhouse, endlessly "playing balls" up on the pool table, pillaging through Nana's toy bins, taking walks up Townend Rd to feed apples to the horses, and wandering in and out of the house and the backyard as they liked. We also spent a morning up at Fuller Lake on a perfectly warm day, with the beach all to ourselves for over an hour, with coffees and cinnamon buns and two little boys who were utterly content to simply throw rocks and mud into the water. Over and over again. Our last day on the Island we went out to Shawnigan Lake to visit Sam's Aunt and Uncle (and Nic and Daisy!) for more coffees and cinnamon buns and two little boys who were thrilled to get out on the speedboat for a zip around the lake. Cousin Nic let Henry drive the boat and he took his job very seriously, ha! And I was able to get a duplicate picture of Walter in his life jacket with the exact same worried expression as Henry did last summer ... makes me laugh!

Friends Michael and Kelly from North Carolina (Sam and Kelly were classmates at grad school in LA) met us in Victoria as part of their Babymoon getaway to Vancouver and the Island. We haven't seen them in over 4 years and so it was great to finally catch up face to face. Nana and Grandad had the boys while we four enjoyed a night away in Victoria which, to be honest, consisted of lots of happy eating and non-stop talking! Perfect for the two big-bellied, tired, hungry pregnant girls. We brought Michael and Kelly up to Duncan for the second night to meet our boys and then Sam's parents took them back to Vancouver as John and Diane were flying off for their own holidays to the UK. My good friends Joy and Lorna (they're sisters) brought all their kids over for a BBQ one night and Henry and Walter couldn't believe their luck in getting to play late into the evening with those five fabulous kids (read: be the complete center of attention). Joy, Jeremy, and Amy stayed overnight with us as an extra treat, as usually our visits are a quick afternoon up at Joy's house or a little hello to the kids before the Mums go away for the night. And lastly, to add to this year's friend visits, I was able to meet up with my blogging friend Erin at a Starbucks in Victoria one morning ... to finally meet in person and to finally share a latte together! It was so much fun and Erin is exactly as she appears and speaks of herself on her blog. I love the world of blogging and the community of women it brings together!

It was indeed a busy and fun-filled 10 days back on the Island and yet a wonderful time in seeing friends and family at a leisurely pace. The next time we are in Duncan, there will be a Christmas tree in Nana and Grandad's living room and a one month old baby in this Mum's arms!