Settling in... in Laval

Last Friday afternoon we left Vancouver on a flight to Montreal. The girls did so well on the plane. Thanks for all of your prayers for our travels to go well. We thought the novelty of being on an airplane would lessen after the first hour, but it didn't. The girls were fascinated by everything about flying. We gave the 2 "big girls" chewing gum to have during landing. When we asked Ella what her favorite part about flying was (expecting her to say something like "being way up in the sky, seeing the stars...), her answer was "chewing gum."

Karis on her first flight. She wooed the flight attendants and one of them even asked if she could carry Karis around for awhile. 

Arrived safely in Montreal - our kids way too awake at midnight.

We are staying at Robin Joanne, and Raphael's home just outside of Laval. They were away the first couple nights on a camping trip, but we got to meet them when they came home on Sunday night. They have been incredibly welcoming and hospitable. Raphael is 12 years-old and the girls love hanging around him. He even practiced his English reading by reading some of the girls' books to them.

On Sunday morning we had a special welcoming committee. These girls are Martin's (pastor at Ste. Rose) and Mathieu's (worship leader and Martin's brother) daughters.

These girls have been so kind to us and have shown our girls so much love. Ella and Juliette have been getting along famously with Frédérique and Sarah.

Frédérique, Sarah, Ella and Juliette enjoying a picnic lunch after church.

Yesterday we went to the St. Joseph Oratory to learn some of Québec's religious history. We now have a much better understanding of why the church is rejected by the vast majority of people here and how they have been incredibly hurt. Our hearts are growing for these people and longing for them to know the Truth.

Please pray for us as we prepare to host the kid-zone at the Peace BBQ this Sunday. Please also pray for lots of people to attend this event and get a more accurate view of the church. 

Kelowna Visit

Before heading to Laval, we made another visit to Kelowna. This time Uncle Matt and Aunt Jaynie were also there, so we were able to spend a few days together. The girls had a great time and were showered with love.

Karis

Here's a little video of some of Karis' new words and skills. At the end of the video she gets tired and says "no" when we ask her to say doggie. I love this stage. She is learning so many new words and trying to copy most things her sisters do. She has a really fun personality. She makes us laugh because sometimes when her sisters ask her to do things she gives a very big head shake and says "no no".

Deception Pass

This year we went to Deception Pass for our annual camping trip. The girls loved it! They rode their bikes, played in the dirt, ate smores, slept in sleeping bags... 

Deception Pass is located on Whidbey Island. It was our first time camping here and it had some pros and cons. Pros: we loved the beautiful beaches and the privacy of the campsites. There is also a lake there, so at one of the beaches you have the option to swim in the lake or the ocean. Cons: it was pretty cold, and it got quite loud because it is right next to the naval base. On our last night our tent was literally shaking as the planes buzzed by. They fly very low over the area and continued on into the wee hours of the morning. It was so loud that we felt like we should be wearing earplugs. For whatever reason, our girls slept right through the sound of the planes, but tend to wake up if one of us sneezes.

A morning spent snuggling in the tent and reading books.

Smores were a huge hit!

North Beach was beautiful! Even Karis likes throwing rocks into the ocean. She was so sweet on the trip, trying to do whatever her sisters were doing.

Our attempt at getting a picture of the 5 of us using the camera timer.

We drove into Coupeville one day and met these 3.

The girls loved walking down the Coupeville Wharf. Ella observed, "this is like White Rock, except the rocks here aren't white."

Junior camper in her Columbia sleeper.

Karis loved playing peek-a-boo in the tent. She also started saying several more words on our trip. She now says:

hat = haaaa (her favorite word)

birdie = birdie

water = wawa

Dadda = Daddy (another one of her favorites)

Momma = Momma

Juju = shu shu

Ella = Ella

Doggie = Doggie, woo woo

ball = ball ball ball

Great Grandpa's

Last week we went and visited with Great Grandpa. He gave each girl a little bucket to put around their necks and let them pick blueberries in his backyard. More blueberries went in their mouths than in their buckets. 

Five Years

We celebrated our fifth anniversary last week. We had a lovely ceremony to officially invite God into our marriage. More pictures from the day coming soon. Thank-you to all of our friends and family who have supported our marriage and our family. We feel incredibly blessed.