well in now

It's mid July already so we're well into summer holidays now and somehow 2 months doesn't feel very long after all. Henry and Sam are gone on their Dad-and-son camping trip right now so each weekend has felt a little different with all the prep and clean up and one boy gone in the middle of it all. Last week Henry and Walter went to VBS every morning and then finished with a special Sunday presentation at church. It's been an excellent program and Felix is incredibly excited to be able to go as well next summer ... while I am incredibly excited to have those mornings all to myself, I can't deny! This past Wednesday I took the boys on a long driving day up and down the Island to Parksville to visit old friends (and sisters) Brenda and Cheryl who had come "home" from Alberta for a week's holiday. All those hours in the car were worth it once we got to their hotel right on the beach and the kids were able to get in the water. The waist-high water and the beach which goes on forever is the best playground any West Coast kid could ask for! Pretty spectacular. On the drive home it worked out great to stop in at Nana and Grandad's church site for a potluck supper and a game of soccer after with Grandad. So it ended up being a very long, tiring day ... but I heard many times from the backseat that it was the best day ever, with "2 fun things", imagine that! We also ended up at one of our favourite local beaches on one of Sam's off days a couple weekends ago. That day was also at the height of the Island and BC-wide forest fires so the skies were dark and eerie and ever changing from brown to grey to orange to almost clearing in the 4 hours we were there. It wasn't our typical bright and sunny beach scene but it did make for some amazing photos! Walter found a bunch of "eagle feathers" on the beach and proceeded to stick them in his shorts while he entertained us with a crazy bird dance. Henry and Felix soon joined in and we were treated with a real choreographed show featuring the dancing and squawking group self-named as Bird Basics. Funniest thing I've seen in a long time ... my boys as birds!