12th Annual European Festival

I had no idea there was such a festival and that it's been going on for 12 years!! I guess we've been missing out because it was quite fun. A co-worker of Josh's mentioned it to him so we thought we'd check it out. At the very least they must have some good food!

We went straight to the food stands as soon as we got there. They had different foods from many European countries but we couldn't resist the croquettes from the Dutch stand. They were SOOOO good. It's hard to find a place that serves croquette in Vancouver. We usually hit a place called The Amsterdam in Kamloops on the way to Revelstoke. These were even better! After a taste we shared a plate of potatoes, sausage and buns from Germany. Then we went back to the Dutch stand for a second hit of croquettes and pofertjes (little tiny bite sized pancakes with icing sugar). By then we were stuffed and ready to check out the rest of the festival.

They had some stalls you could visit to see things from each of the participating countries as well as stalls selling things. Maddy's favourite was probably the entertainment. She was completely mesmerized by the Rhythmic Gymnasts from Russia. She wouldn't take her eyes off them. Another favourite were the giant puppets and she was thrilled but scared when they actually moved and walked away for the parade.

We stayed until dinner time but we were still full, so Maddy had some perogies (well we helped her) and headed home. The bonus was that by the time we left it was dinner time, so the traffic had eased off and we had no problem!! I'm so glad that it's festival time again. Looking forward to many more.

Josh said Maddy was hanging on to him with a deathgrip

The one and only belly shot so far of this pregnancy. Sorry 'Peanut'!

Maddy really liked the dancers and entertainment

Happy Birthday Dad!

The birthday boy

This weekend we celebrated my dad's 70th birthday. It's hard to believe that my dad is 70, he doesn't look it all. With the ever growing number of grandchildren, the thought of going to a restaurant was a bit too overwhelming, so Joanne and Philip offered to host at their house. (Thanks again you guys). It worked out really well because we were able to hang out for the afternoon and let the kids play. Actually, I think the dads had quite a good time playing hockey themselves as the kids ran interference in the middle of the game with their bikes.

To make things a little easier and more special, we had the dinner part catered. It was awesome coming in from playing outside, sitting down at the table and dinner was served!! Shortly after, the kids started to leave the table and we were so happy that they could just play off to the side without the worry of them bothering other restaurant goers.

We stayed as long as we could, but these days with Maddy, that usually means about 8:30 or so. We could tell that she had so much fun because as we were getting in the car, she kept saying "Fun! Fun!" I think she would've stayed longer if we let her.

Happy 70th birthday dad! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We love you very much!! Maddy says, "Haappy toooo yoouu!"

Maddy the goalie

Frances takes such good care of Maddy

Shauna, Mick, Mack and Reese came down from Prince George

Maddy and dad in the treehouse

Frances and Pippa

Maddy blocking Uncle Mick's shot for Dada in goal

Auntie Phyllis, Dad, Mom and the girls

Playtime

With the recent weather being so rainy, we've been staying home more often. What used to keep Maddy entertained (reading books, playing with puzzles...) no longer cuts it anymore. We are now into the 'forts and tents' stage of play. We started off small, using just a small blanket and the coffee table, but that is hardly comfortable for pregnant mom to crouch under. So the other day I pulled the kitchen chairs into the living and draped a big blanket over top so that we could camp in style!! We had a great time until later that afternoon, after all was cleaned up. Maddy went to the kitchen and started tugging on the chairs saying "Tent! tent!" I'm hoping I haven't started something that I can't keep up with.

The first tent

Luxury camping


Maddy the bus driver

Weekend full of visits

There are some Sunday evenings when you look back at the weekend and think "We didn't get a thing done." This was not one of them. We took advantage of the rainier weather on Saturday to get our chores like groceries, laundry and cleaning done. That left us with enough time for THREE fun visits with friends and family for the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon we went to see Yvette, Brian, Joshie and their newest addition Avery. She just turned 3 weeks old and it was so fun to hold a newborn again. It was especially cute to peer into her bassinet and see two plastic motorcycles that 'Big Bro Joshie' had put there to keep her company. It was also nice to see Joshie comfort Maddy when she cried by saying sorry and giving her hugs. You'll definitely make an awesome big brother, Joshie. Avery is a lucky girl.




On Sunday morning we were up early, but not to run the marathon. Instead we headed to Sharon, Travis and Nora's for a yummy breakfast of pancakes and bacon! Much more satisfying than running for 4 hours. Maddy was in a good mood and especially enjoy her 'bonus' breakfast. We had a great visit, watched the girls play and even talked about non-baby related topics.


In the afternoon, Joanne, Frances and Pippa came by to play. Maddy just went down for a nap so the girls played until she woke up. Maddy was surprised to see her cousins when she woke but soon warmed up enough to play. By the end she was really taken by Auntie Jo, giving Josh and I hope that one day she can go over to their house to play while we sneak away for an early dinner!

The house is clean, the laundry put away and the fridge is stocked. It's an awesome feeling to have all that done AND get a few visits in there. It really makes you feel ready for the week ahead.