2 Weeks of Visitors!

So I've been intending to blog for about 2 weeks now and it's been impossible to get to it with my kiddos crazy sleep schedules and the normal excitement of the day. But I really do want to spend a little bit of time sharing our adventures over the past week. I'm hoping that some of the pics and stories will entice a few more of you to visit our wonderful home in the West.

Here are some pics of which I'll explain almost as if we were having a little vacation slideshow.... yes I am that corny and apparently think I have time....

This pic is of our rafting trip the first full day Jamie and Annette rolled in. It was pretty awesome. Jamie was the only one that was dumped (and dragged under) by the "mighty" Chilliwack River. No so  wild as the water I grew up near (the Ottawa) but just as dangerous as it is shallow and rocky. High points- jumping over board in my ridiculous wet suit and finally being in the water without dying of cold or being afraid of swimmers itch (a whole other story).

A quiet afternoon with just my little Kara and some tea was just what the doctor ordered when we'd be out and about so much exploring with family and friends.

Auntie Annette with all 4 of her nieces who adored her company for the two weeks.

Silly girls enjoying a pre-bedtime movie while the adults had tea and a game.

Uncle Jamie playing with Emily who looks freakishly like her cousin Silas in this pic!

The next set of pictures are from our hike to Lindeman Lake. This hike isn't too difficult but has some spectacular views of the gorgeous aqua coloured Lindemon lake and the surrounding mountain vistas. There are definitely some steep stretches but they don't last long and the beautiful flora of the BC rainforest is enough to distract through the tough spots.

Chris V was up to visit us for a couple of days and was a help to me while Dave was working. He and Jamie took turns carrying Kara.

A group of us scrambled along the old rock slide to the end of the lake for a better view.

Group shot!

Uncle Jamie was a hit the entire two week too. Often he was enlisted for rides, snuggles and even bedtime stories.

Uncle Jamie resting with his two nieces.

Emily asleep! Means a whole new world of longer hikes are in my future!!

The next 4 pictures are from one of many games nights. This one was at the Farr's house and was my first experience with Settlers.

The girls played pretty well together for the two weeks of combined life!

The next day we headed out to Bridal Veil Falls. A very short little hike up offers some breathtaking views of the 200 foot cascade. There are huge red cedar, western hemlock, broadleaf maple, and red alder that form a dense canopy over a fern gully like understory.

Having Chris around was a little breath of fresh air from home on top of our family. He will be missed.

Two weeks with these two was very easy to enjoy. Come back next summer guys!

The next set of pics are from our stop at Cathedral Grove, a spectacular old growth forest, on the way to Tofino during our weekend on the Island. Unfortunately, Kara was sleeping so we took turns staying with her and Emily got to play the part of "only child".

The largest tree in the park, a giant Douglas Fir, standing 250 feet tall dwarfs the leaning tower of Piza and was already over 300 years old when Christopher Columbus came to North America in 1492!

Emily was in her element running through these well groomed trails!

The next set of pictures shows our adventures camping in Tofino on Vancouver island. The Ferry ride was not captured but was a great way to travel with the girls as there was lots to see and do.

Our first campsite ended up being a little too risky... so we cancelled our booking and began the search for another place.

A group site in a much more accessible and public campsite in Uclulet just south of Tofino was where we pitched the first night. We saw deers as we perused the campsite but no Cougars!

The next day we head to Tofino early to find a site and set up camp in the rain. It was two tiny sites but we were positive because the price was right and the ocean was a 5 min walk away.

Until... we discovered a better site right on the ocean! I made lunch and the rest of the gang moved our tents!

Not sure if Jamie is running from the pelting rain or just super excited about our beach front site.

Saying goodbye to our very cramped campsite after being there for just long enough to set everything up...lol.

The view from our final destination campsite (4th attempt). It was perfect!

The girls were not at all discouraged by the rain that day and played on the beach for hours!

Marcel and Annette taking in the view from inside the vestibule of the Farr's tent.

Kara was ecstatic about the tides and the sand of the "woshen" which she now talks about every day.

Daddy and the girls running from the waves as the tide came in.

Emily wasn't a fan of the temperature and clung to Daddy (no hands!)

I love that she shares my love for the mud and the sand!

A classic I've seen in both my childhood and Dave's photo albums

Their "cacoons" before they became beautiful butterflies

Another sleeping Kara... naps were so sporadic, some days she'd just put herself to bed.

The next set are randoms from our Tofino trip; including, surfing and an evening visit to town.

Emily was not happy to see the crabs eating the salmon.

Naps in the car were typical and often too short but they did fairly well despite.

We went out for dinner and Kara just would not wake up so we walked the pier first

Beautiful sunset

Emily has a fixation on wrestling her sister right now...

Surfer Dave!

Back in Chilliwack!

A evening stroll along the Vedder River with icecream

One of the last things we did when J and A were here was climb the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver. The following is from their website:

The Grouse Grind® is a 2.9-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.”

This trail is very challenging. Keep in mind that there is a wide range of mountaintop trails that might better suit the average hiker.

Trail Facts

Length: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830 

Statistics: Annually, over 100,000 people hike the trail.
Average Time: On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended.  (Having only been a hiker for 2 months, I would consider us Novice but it only took our gang anywhere from 50mins to 1hr 20, so not sure if this stat is too accurate).

The bears that were rescued as orphaned cubs have grown up on Grouse mountain and were quite fun to watch.

Celebrating our climb with smoothies.

Dave being a dare devil :)

This adventure was not one we took with the girls on our backs! We enjoyed having the day just to ourselves (and Nate, and J and A) Thanks to Marcel, who watched the girls that day. I can't say my little afternoon babysit the next day came even close to the time and effort she put in!

Other highlights that aren't captured here are beach days, dinners, tea on the deck at the Farr's heavenly home, praying together, and our awesome night chatting and praying when Andrew and Heather were visiting.
Well family, I hope you enjoyed this slide show as much as I agonized to finally get it done. In general we had a blast. I feel so blessed to have family that will visit us and look forward to many more visitors in the years to come!!