Backwoods Wife

{pretty, happy, funny, real} - The Happy-To-Be-Outside-Again-Without-Snow Edition

Okay, that was probably my longest blog post title ever.  We are sure enjoying the warmer temperatures around here.  The snow has gone, plants are starting to green up a little, the trees have tiny buds, and the mosquitoes are making their prescence known.  Spring is finally here!  Here are a few photos from a recent playdate in a friend's yard.  We spend a lot of time there in the warmer months as her yard somehow seems to have fewer mosquitoes than anyone else's!  Don't know why that is, but we love it!  There's been a lot happening in our yard the last week or so as well.  I don't have pictures yet though, so those will have to be for another post.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Skip on over to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more everyday contentment! :)

 

 

Evening sun

 

The daylight hours are getting longer and longer.  Sunset is now around 9:40p.m.  It makes for later nights because it is so easy to lose track of time.  We often look at the clock and say, "Is it that late already?  It doesn't feel like it."  Those extra hours of sun in the evenings can give quite the energy boost.  Tonight, my energy boost is being split between cleaning the windows (sunlight also reveals all the dust you may have missed!) and trying to organize the clothing storage upstairs (again).  

We are keeping European supper hours, and rarely eating before 7:30p.m.  Tonight we are barbequing.  The kids are roaring around in the yard, Dwayne is edging logs for the addition, and Emma and I are plodding away inside.  I will go out and join in the fun before the sun disappears, but it is nice to have a few quiet(er) moments to get some tasks done.

 

Aquarium!

Okay, I just have to share some photos of our trip to the Vancouver Aquarium.  It was a little bit intense keeping track of seven children, but all eleven of us went in and eleven came out, so I guess we did alright!  There were so many interesting and beautiful creatures to see.  I'm sharing some of the photos over at the Imagine Childhood blog today.  Hop on over and have a look!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Revelation

On our trip I discovered why Riley goes from this...

to this...

 

for certain family group photos.  Normally, Riley loves to have her photo taken and to perform.  Try and do a family photo with extended family or while away from home and you will often see a very unhappy child in the photo.  We always thought Riley was just tired or overwhelmed by all the excitement as most photos tended to happen in the evenings.  This trip Riley enlightened us.  After much protesting about not wanting to be in the photo and fussing while the photo was being taken I heard her say (while playing behind the couch), "I don't like getting my picture taken.  I don't like saying goodbye."  It suddenly became crystal clear.  This pattern has been going on for years, since before she could say more than a handful of words.  Riley is our extrovert and loves intensely, so it is hard for her to part with people.  Apparently, the timing of the requisite family photo is generally right before the people involved are leaving to go home or we are leaving to go home.  If it's a birthday party, backyard playdate, or family event with people she sees regularly then all is well.  Poor kid!  We should have picked up on it sooner.  Time to move the family photos to the start of the visit instead of the end!

 

Hendrik and the Wishing Pond

 

 

On our way out of the Vancouver Aquarium, we passed by a pond where people had been throwing coins and, presumably, making wishes.  Hendrik asked if I had a coin he could throw in so he could make a wish too.  I found some change in my wallet and passed the coin to him.  He tossed the coin into the water, and a few seconds later I hear the words, "I wish for lots of lizards."  Yep, sounds like a 6 year old boy's kind of wish to me!   I asked where he wished for lots of lizards to be.  His reply?  "Everywhere."  Here are some photos of the coin pond and the lizard-wishing boy.

 

 

 

(I love how kids try out so many different smiles and smirks!  You never know what you're going to get when you say, "Cheese!")