Juliette is 5!!

Our sweet girl turned 5 on Wednesday. We thank God everyday for Juliette. She is full of love for others, she tells great jokes, and she helps us see the world through her eyes. We love you, Juju!

On Monday I took Juliette on a special date to the swimming pool and to White Spot. We had a great time! I loved our conversations and how delighted Juliette was to be at the restaurant "just the 2 of us."

We had cinnamon buns for breakfast.

For her birthday, Juliette wanted a scooter - just like her big sister!

"Happy Birthday Juliette It is fun to be matching with our hair. It was fun playing in the fun park inside. Do you like the yellow tunnel slide i do and i like this food Do you xoxo Ella"

Ella wrote Juliette her own special card for her birthday. We had a special family day and celebrated by going to the kids adventure zone at Granville Island and out to dinner at the Sandbar.

On the way home, our birthday girl was worn out!

Peter and Juju's Party

Last Saturday we had a Mickey and Minnie Mouse party to celebrate Peter and Juju's bdays. Originally we had planned to have the party at the beach, but there was a huge windstorm that day and so we had the party at our house. The power went out halfway through the party. The kids had a great time and it will be a party we will always remember :)

About the bday girl and boy!

We made some Mickey Mouse ears.

Peter made short work of his first cupcake!

All the party guests with their ears (except for Caedmon, who was napping).

Hailey, Moriah, Karis, Riley, Tessa, Juliette, Natalie, Peter, Ella, Hudson, Ethan, Alexis.

Thanks to all of our friends for celebrating with us in our basement suite! We are blessed by each one  of you.

The girls have been talking about the moment when Peter will "make a huge mess with his cupcake" for weeks. I love the enthusiasm in this video.

Karis Rides a "big girl bike"

Some video of our girl riding her "big girl bike." Way to go, Karis!

Peter Rocks

Shuswap Lake

Last week we went camping at Shuswap Lake. We love the Shuswap campground. The lake campsites are beautiful, there are tons of young families, the lake is great for kids, and the weather is usually perfect as well. 

All ready to go to the beach!

We had a fun trip, but we were definitely ready to come home and sleep in our own beds at the end. It didn't help that Juliette threw up in the tent on our last night. Thankfully she was feeling better the next day. Camping with little ones is always an adventure!

Juliette's birthday gift from Grandma Jo-Ann arrived in the mail. Juju is thrilled with her Rapunzel dress-up outfit and wig! And she was kind enough to let Ella wear the Cinderella dress. 

Karis is doing really well on the pedal bike these days and asks to practice often. Today she made it from one side of the court to the other all by herself! This girl is pretty serious about keeping up to her big sisters.

More Summer Fun...

For the August long weekend we went camping at the Coquihalla Campground. We went with 3 other families and had a fabulous time.

The girls loved lying in the hammocks. 

All together, there were 8 little girls on our camping trip. And 1 baby boy ;)

The girls loved doing Rainbow Looms, playing in the woods together, and playing in their fort - imagining that they were the characters from Little House on the Prairie.

Peter was thankful to spend time with the men in order to get a break from all of the girls!

When we came home we had our dentist appointments. Everybody's teeth look healthy! And Karis decided to share with the dentist that one time she dipped her toothbrush in the toilet. The dentist didn't say much in response, and then Karis looked her in the eye and said "and then I brushed my teeth without even rising it."

The girls completed the summer reading program at the Surrey Library. We had so much fun doing this program. We went to the library often to get stickers on our charts, to find the picture of the building that the librarian hid in the kids section, and to enter our names in a draw for a prize. Each of our girls ended up winning a prize.

And they got medals for completing the program.

This year our garden was a success!! This may not seem exciting for you, but it is for me. This is the first time I have ever grown any vegetables that actually turned out. The girls love eating fresh carrots from the garden.

Rainbow Looming with our friend Diya.

Karis loves getting french braids in her hair these days.

And yesterday we went back-to-school shopping. Each girl got to pick one new outfit. 

7

7 years ago today Spencer and I got married. 

Last night we went out to dinner and to Les Miserables to celebrate. We ate at Maria's in Kitsilano - the same restaurant that we had our first date. During our dinner Spencer said he thought our server was the same lady who served us on our first date -11 years ago. I was doubtful that this would be the same lady after 11 years. After talking with her, we discovered that she indeed was the same lady that served us on our first date!

I am incredibly grateful and humbled that God blessed me with Spencer as my husband. It is also always amazing when we hit a milestone and talk about what our lives looked like "then and now." God is good.