Strider Bike

Sometimes things don't go exactly how we think they will with our little ones. Yesterday we gave Juliette a Strider bike. We thought it would be fun for her to have one for the summer and she is about to become the middle child, so she could use a treat. Juliette has been asking for a bike for the past month and she sees Ella riding hers all the time. We were very excited to give it to her and thought that she would be thrilled so we got the video camera out to film the excitement. Instead, she threw herself on the pavement and cried. The video is quite funny and eventually she came around and now she seems to like her bike. Who would have thought that this would be so upsetting?

Here's a video of Ella on her Strider. She is getting very fast and loves to put her feet up to glide. 

A Visit from Grandma Jo-Ann

The girls were very excited to have Grandma Jo-Ann stay with us last weekend. They had so much fun together, and Momma and Dadda even went for a night away!

 We spent Saturday night in Vancouver. We went for a nice dinner and swam in the outdoor pool in Stanley Park. The weather was beautiful on Saturday and the pool felt very refreshing! The girls and Grandma had a great time and Ella has been asking when we will be going on our next date.

 On Monday we went to Chapters and Grandma bought Ella her birthday present, a doorbell house. It is a little wooden house with 4 doors that open and close and that all have doorbells that make a different sound. There is a doll that lives in each door and a set of keys to lock and unlock it. Ella loves it!

 Our traditional trip to White Spot.

Our friend Natalie...

Yesterday, we were able to visit with Natalie while her Momma went to the gym. The girls had a great time together. Natalie is 16 months old and she is getting cuter and cuter. We love her smile and her curly hair. 

Week 36

We are now in week 36 of pregnancy. You may look at the side of our blog and wonder why I say I'm in week 36 when the ticker says that I'm 35 weeks pregnant. This is because it makes me feel like I'm closer to meeting our little baby. So rather than saying I'm 35 weeks pregnant, I say that I'm starting week 36. This mentality doesn't work well in some areas of life. For example, when Ella turns 3 I will not say that she is starting her 4th year... that just sounds way too old.



So far I've been blessed with a great pregnancy and have had very few days where I haven't felt well. If you haven't already voted on the gender of our baby, make sure to do so!

Mother's Day

I felt very appreciated and loved on Mother's Day. On Saturday Dadda and the girls said they needed some time in the kitchen to make me a special surprise. Here are some pictures of them making me a "garden cake"... so creative and delicious!

Here is a picture of the garden cake. It is a chocolate cake covered in cookie crumbs (the dirt), it has gumdrop candy flowers, and wafers around it (a picket fence).

On Sunday morning Dadda and the girls brought me breakfast in bed. I'm not sure which one of these 3 girls enjoyed it the most. Ella kept saying "are we eating in Momma and Dadda's bed?"

On Sunday afternoon we went to White Rock and had some Subway sandwiches on the beach. It was such a beautiful day, and I didn't have to cook dinner!

The girls had a blast at the beach. They loved picking up shells and throwing them into the ocean. At one point Juliette said "throw a crab, throw a crab", and sure enough (before we could stop her) she had a little crab in her hands and threw it into the water. Gross!

Thank you for a great day!

Teamwork

The girls are getting very good at building block towers together. They usually work together quite well and take turns knocking the tower over.

Wedgie

Sometimes when Dadda is taking care of the girls, he teaches them strange things. Here is a video of Juju giving Ella a wedgie.

Run For Mercy

Today we took part in the Mercy Run. Dadda ran the 10 k while Momma walked the 5 k to support an organization called "Mercy Ministries". "Mercy Ministries" is a non-profit home for women who are facing life-challenges. Our friend Juliet works there and a team of people from our church took part in the race today.

Dadda and the girls doing a pre-run stretch.

During quiet time Ella likes to get in her "car" with her stuffed animal, Zoe. They put the pillow over their laps and "drive to Superstore". The other day, Ella had lots of fresh air and fell asleep at the wheel.

Spencer and Ella love to eat corn on the cob. Grandpa Rob will be pleased to hear that Ella is surprisingly good at getting all the pieces of corn off the cob so that none of them go to waste. 

Happy Birthday Baby Hope!

This weekend we celebrated Baby Hope's 1st birthday. Hope's family used to live a few doors down from us, but they have moved to a new townhouse complex just down the hill. Hope's momma hosted an amazing butterfly themed party.

 Ella giving the birthday girl a kiss

 Hope received lots of fun presents.

 The goodie bags came in little butterfly catchers. The girls have been having a great time playing with the catchers and the little goodies inside.

Juliette found a comfy seat at the party.

There was even a bouncy castle at baby Hope's birthday party!

 Dadda with his 2 girls after going for a run.