Happy Birthday to Kaes!!!

Wow, our little boy is FOUR. Its amazing how grown up four seems in comparison to three. This year we let Kaes decide what he wanted to do for his party. He wanted a party at home with some of his friends and to just "play".
Pascal set up all the toys in the living room and we waited for the guests to arrive. We had 8 boys total and they were all wonderful!
No, really. It was honestly hard to believe that there were eight little boys playing in the next room. They all played together so nicely. Six were from preschool and one was a friend from down the street who Kaes plays with weekly.
Yum! Chocolate Batman cake! Pascal made Kaes another fantastic birthday cake that was enjoyed by all.

It may have gotten a little louder after the cake...

We had another party for our friends and family later that same day. We all met at the A & W for supper and it was a surprise for Kaes that everyone was going to be there. Unfortunately, I did forget my camera for that one. Here is Kaes playing some of his new Lego with Taylor and Arwynn a couple of days later. It took Pascal a few days to get all of the new Lego put together. Kaes is is very loved and lucky boy who I know had a great birthday!!

Brityn's 5th Birthday

Wow, Brityn is FIVE! She started kindergarten in the fall and is just getting so big. I don't think I have missed one of her birthdays yet and this was no exception. Although her party was not until the following weekend, Pascal, Kaes and I went to see her on her actual birthday. She even had a Pro-D day so we got to spend almost the entire day together. This is her beautiful new party dress from Nana and Grandpa.

We spent the morning with the Crete kids and after lunch took Kaes and Brityn to the mall to look at toys and have some ice-cream. The kids also decided to ride the little kid carousel, cute!

We enjoyed our visit with Mom and Tim as well. A little short, but sweet none the less.

Kaes received an early birthday present from Nana and Grandpa, lucky guy. Here he is playing his new Leapster; can you say gamer like his Dad?

Our new living room!

We spent the first part of November renovating the living room. It is quite a change from the bright green it used to be and we LOVE it! Funny how it spiralled a little out of control though. The new TV as seen above is what started the whole thing. Pascal had been wanting a tv for quite some time and had this one all picked out after some in-depth research. Then, it went on sale and the fun began...

I said a new tv deserves a new paint job. We had rearranged a few weeks prior to starting the renovation and the room really did need paint. The old paint was 7 years old and honestly did need to be refreshed. However, the new tv also led to the new tv stand and the new couch. No, it is not white, but it is very light colored. The guy in the furniture store actually tried to talk out of such a color with having Kaes and all, but we knew what we wanted and then went for it. We love it, do you? If you haven't seen it , stop by and check it our sometime!!

A couple of birthdays and Hallowe'en

Wow is this post a little late. Ok, maybe a lot late seeing as Kaes's birthday has now come and gone. Oh well, better late than never, right?
We wished a happy birthday to both Pascal and Erin at the end of October. Shirley had us over for a double birthday roast dinner complete with presents and cake, yum!
Halowe'en this year was SO FUN!! The weather was chilly and wet but that didn't stop us. We were quite a crew: Kaes, Arwynn, Taylor, Mya and Max plus a whole crowd of parents for a total of 12 people.
We trick -or-treated downtown in our neighbourhood first before driving over to see Oma and Opa, Aunty Heather and Papa Ray and Granny. It is Dec 4th as I write this and we still have candy left. But, Kaes hasn't asked for any for a while so maybe its safe to get rid of the rest...
Am aiming to get November and Kaes's birthday up in the next few days. Wish me luck.

Family Bowling

A while back, my sister decided we needed to have a monthly Revy-family activity. We had all been meaning to check out the new lanes for some time, and thus Family Bowling was created.

We ended up going on Thanksgiving weekend. Although a little more expensive than anyone remembered, it was tons of fun. Most of the family has bowled in a league at some time or another. While we weren't as practiced as we used to be, there were still quite a few strikes and spares being passed around.
What you see in the background here is a ball ramp for the little kids to use. Kaes and Taylor both though it was just great and it made it easier on us parents too!.

Gymnastics

Kaes has been attending gymnastics for quite some time now. It is one of the few things that children under the age of three are able to do. Up until now, we had been attending the Baby Bears class where the parents are on the floor with the kids and the emphasis is on trying everything and playing.
Now he has moved up into the Cubs class. It is a much smaller class with a little more direction. Us parents now sit upstairs and watch, ready for the call of "I have to go pee!" as Aunty Heather doesn't do potty breaks.
I was worried if Kaes would listen and follow directions, especially since the coach is Aunty Heather. Turns out there is no need to worry. I am quite impressed with how well Kaes listens and is able to follow directions and learn new things (well, most of the time!). They are learning different moves on the trampoline and how to properly bounce on and land off of the double-mini. He can even do a forward roll on his own now.
The main thing still is fun. The 45 minute class whizzes by and no one is ever bored. First, there is the elaborate race course to go through a few times. Then there is trampoline and double-mini; with skills or games in between while you are waiting for your turn. Last there is usually an extra activity as well, such as the rock wall, rope swing, twisting belt or parachute.
We are very fortunate to have a gymnastics center here. Who knows? Maybe one day Kaes will follow in my footsteps and be a competitive gymnast too.

Pierre's Point, and A Quick Trip to see the Crete kids!

We spent our last camping trip of the summer at Pierre's Point in Salmon Arm. Pierre's Point is one of the very few campgrounds left on the Shuswap that you can actually camp on the beach at. It has become a bit of a yearly thing to do for my Dad's and my birthdays, but this year we were there a little later. It was great timing for some R &R after the triathlon, and Pascal even happened to have a week off so he was able to join us as well. The weather was nice, but starting to cool down at night. Even at the end of this hot and beautiful August that we had, you could still feel fall knocking at the door. That wasn't the only reason this was our last camping trip-enroute to the triathlon we had some pop-top trouble with the westy. A big gust of wind hit us while travelling at highway speed with the windows open and caused the top to fly up. We were lucky that it stayed attached and no one got hurt, just a little scare for Kaes and a completely destroyed canvas!! Guess gowesty.com will be getting some more business from us this winter.
On the way home we just had to stop at the go-carts. I can't believe how expensive they are, but they are fun. Actually, REALLY fun when you are 3 1/2 anyhow! This was Kaes' second go-cart experience of the summer as we had also stopped at the ones in Salmon Arm on our trip to Washington. He really wants to drive by himself, but has a few years to go yet!
We were only home for a few days before we headed back to the Okanagan. Jeanelle and the kids were all going to be in Vernon for a few days to do a little back to school shopping, so Heather, Kaes and I went down to visit. We always go to Polson Park, but have never been there when they have had the water park on. I had forgotten it was even there, so we didn't have bathing suits, but when you're a boy it just doesn't matter. And when you have a westy, you can always find a towel to dry off with.This picture cracks me up. I wanted a nice picture of all the kids, but Rayne is missing. And Brityn is not looking. But in the other one I took Kenzie isn't looking and Kaes looks even funnier than he does in this one. I guess this is why people pay professional photographers.

Feeding the ducks seemed like a god idea, until they started to swarm us that is!

Rayne, what a cutie!

I love this pic of Brityn. Even though you can't see her face, you can just see her personality.

The IPE happened to be on when we headed back home to Revelstoke, so we stopped for the afternoon. We checked out the animals and Kaes went on a few rides. It was a fun afternoon, and a great way to end our summer!

So, that's it! I finally got all caught up. I know that it is October now, but there is not much to report for September. I forgot the camera when I was in Vernon working on the 4Runner. The first day of school came and went without me even thinking about taking a photo. I worked in the dam for a couple of weeks and Pascal headed to work in Invermere at the end of the month. Other than that, it feels like we are now back into routine and starting to get ready for winter. Which will (hopefully!) mean more time to keep up to date on my blog...

Soccer Camp / Happy B-Day to Kim / The Triathlon

Kaes spent the week after we returned home from the Shuswap attending soccer camp for one hour each morning. Isn't he cute? This is the best and only happy picture taken from the whole week, and it happens to be on the first day before we have even done anything. The weather was hot and I think that played a huge part in the less than successful soccer camp experience. The coaches were fantastic and so patient with the twenty or so 3-4 year olds and their parents. But, it was hot. And the kids were hot, so... I thought it was all for nothing, but on the last day both Pascal and I went and Kaes played and ran around the whole time, so it ended on a good note anyhow. I hope that he wants to play in the spring so that I can coach his team, but we'll see I guess.

Yep, its true. I turned the big 32 this year. and what a day it was. I knew that Pascal and Catherine were up to something, but I just didn't know what. And I have a hard time with just not knowing! After soccer camp and family lunch out at the Last Drop, Kaes and I went over to Andrew and Deanna's house, where Catherine and Deanna were waiting to whisk me away for a pint. Turns out that the pint was also to kill time and get me downtown for my fantastic, surprise pedicure at the Ambrosia Day Spa. After that, my new toes and I headed back for sushi, birthday cake and the company of great friends. Thanks to everyone who made my day awesome!!

Ahh. THE RACE. The Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon to be exact. Sometime back in May, (after doing the Womens Try-A-Tri-athlon) I decided that I had to compete in a real triathlon. I decided to do the sprint distance: a 750 m swim, a 20 km bike ride and a 5 km run. At that time I had not competitively swam for over 10 years, had never ever rode that far on a bike and although I have been running for a couple years now, 5 km has been my max distance accomplished and at a very slow pace. What was I thinking??
I must have been thinking about the feeling of accomplishment that goes with crossing the finish line. My sister had finished before me and was waiting for me. She said that my first words were "I did it!" I don't even remember saying anything, just thinking that its over!! Thats Ben crossing the finish line by the way, not me.
It was a great experience. The race was very organized and the course was easy to follow. Learned a lot about the logistics of a triathlon as well. And, I didn't come last. After figuring that I could actually complete the trithlon, my goal became just to not come last. I am proud to say that I placed 26th out of 32 in my age category. My times were what I guessed they would be, and now there is definite room for improvement. So, will I do it again? You bet. And next year, I'm going to go out and sprint, not just finish!

The best place on the Shuswap

In the beginning of August, Kaes and I got to spend one week with Catherine and Sofia at their family's cabin on the Shuswap. Catherine and I used to come out for a couple of days here and there when she was living in Revelstoke, but it had been 2 years since I had been there last. I remembered thinking the entire time previous how Kaes was going to fall on the rocks and smash something as he was not that confident of a walker yet. How time flies.

Its funny how time passes, but the view at the cabin always stays the same. I have many pictures with this same view: looking out over the water at the mountains beyond. This one happens to be a little smokier than others though as it was still fire season. Nothing near us to worry about thank goodness!
The neighbours' daughter was visiting with her children for the first couple of days we were there. Funny that it was a boy and a girl around the same ages as both Sofia and Kaes. We hardly heard a peep out of the kids as they were occupied playing with their new friends. Catherine and I played many games of 'nurtz'; a card game that I still have yet to beat Catherine at more than one time in a row! On the neighbors' last day before heading home, the kids are all ready to watch 101 Dalmations for a movie night, complete with yummy popcorn.
The weather was beautiful and we hit the beach every afternoon. The water was so warm that we all swam every day. We even went for a swim after supper one night. That one was a little cold for Kaes and I. Needless to say, we skipped out when the girls did a little skinnydipping late one night...

Vanita, Amy Lynn, Austin and Nicola came to spend a weekend too. We all did crafts, coloring and made jewellry. The kids played superheroes, sandtoys, Harry Potter and who knows what else. And Nicola, well, she just got into everything! It was tons of fun having a full house as there was a lot of noise, laughter and outhouse trips.

Well, after the week was up, we were all ready to go home. Although the cabin is beautiful and more like a house than a 'cabin', it was time. Kaes was missing Pascal a lot, and us gals were missing flush toilets. We are grateful for the chance to spend time at such a beautiful spot and hope to go again next summer.