days of summer...part 3

today's blog post takes us back to our family fun camping trip

to golden ears provincial park and campground

in beautiful maple ridge, bc.

the nice thing about this campsite is that its about 30 or so minutes away from home

but very nicely tucked 10km into the woods by alouette lake.

there's nothing our kids love more than being outside 

so what perfect way to spend a family weekend than

in the great outdoors!!

this summer emma finally mastered riding her bike sans

training wheels, so she was pretty stoked to take her

bike for a spin around the campgrounds.

sadly, she took her very first spill going down a hill...

it was a moment that literally happened in slow motion

for me, i could see it happening but could not get 

to her fast enough to stop the fall! :(

alas, like the trooper she is, she got back up again

this time only walking down hills she felt were too steep

for her and in the end, managed just fine.

we did a lot of wandering around, and really, a lot 

of sitting around..i mean camping is all about r&r right?!

i think my nephew knows how to do it best!

the kids also took part in creative arts and crafts..

followed by a lovely stroll to the lake.

now to unbeknownst to us, this very day would be the only day

we'd have hot weather, so instead of packing up for an 

evening at the beach, we thought, 'hey, lets dip our feet in and visit the lake

and head down tomomorrow'

right. because then it clouded over and rained.

but while we were there, the kids managed to create some fun

by skipping rocks!

it was time to head back to the campsite for dinner

and a roaring campfire to roast s'mores in!

i think i lost count as to how many this girl had..

the next morning, the kids were craving fruit loops while

moms and dads prepared a real camping breakfast complete with

pancakes, eggs and bacon!

olivia pondering the meaning of life in the woods...

the kids dubbed the little forested area near our campsite "the jungle cruise" (from

disneyland no less) and spend countless hours exploring their

little piece of jungle.

i've said it before, she's destined to be a star!!

i wonder where she gets it from.....

the sunday would mark the last day of our cousins camping with us

but i think this picture describes the kind of fun they had over the weekend!

and then there was 4....the girls enjoyed poking their sticks in the fire..

with parental supervision of course! they even managed a s'more each!

the next morning we were packed up and ready to go home!

the minivan is a godsend!!

success! another great family trip that we

hope will become an annual tradition!

days of summer...part 2

we kick off part 2 of my days of summer series with

our family's first visit to bowen island, a charming little

island off the coast of vancouver only accessible by ferry.

it was a beautiful august morning when we hopped onto the ferry

and a perfect day to spend on the beach.

we went to the top deck to enjoy the spectacular view..

and after a 20 minute ferry ride, we arrived at sandy beach,

a beautiful little inlet just off the ferry terminal with a big

sandy beach (no kidding) and shallow warm water.

a very cool 'ship-wreck' was not far off from where we set up,

there was lots to explore here.

after soaking up the sun for a few hours, we headed back to the little town that is 

situated just off the ferry terminal. a public market was set up with lovely

hand-made items, we always enjoy a good window shop.

we also stumbled upon a great little gift shop that sells a lot of

marine-type home decor, so we'll definitely be back to pick up a 

few things for our home!

we built up a pretty good appetite lounging at the beach so

we visited a little family owned mexican food joint and watched

boats and ferries come and go at the marina.

the girls had an awesome time and the hubs and i

discovered another awesome little place to bring the family

for a little getaway.

up next, we're roughin' it!

days of summer, part 1

well i don't know about you guys, but around here 'back to school' mode and anticipating fall (one of my fave seasons) is in full swing. i love summer days and nights and of course the warmth of the sun but there's something wonderful about taking a walk on a crisp fall day or snuggling with a good tea an night.

we had a fantastic summer this year and were very fortunate to do a lot of great activities. 

join me in reminiscing them won't you?!

first up: the water park. 

our summer was sprinkled with many visits to various water parks, fleetwood park

being our fave. lots of grassy areas to set up your blanket, the water park is big so there's lots

of places to explore, yet its well contained too.

emma sure loves her water! she makes friends easily so it wasn't

too long before we she was off running around with a bunch of girls!

this little beach bum is an independent soul, so she 

found herself either basking in the sun or running 

around with her toys!

how she could sit on that scorching concrete, i'll never know..

(don't worry, after this photo was taken i ran over to bring a towel

she could sit on!)

another one of our favorite things to do is visit krause berry farms

to pick ourselves some berries and have a delicious

farm fresh milkshake!!

a winery you say? as you may know from previous posts, we loove our wine

so it was neat to see that this family owned farm has expanded with an estate winery!

sadly we were unable to taste their wines as they had not 

opened their tasting room yet, but we sure hope its worth the visit!

the girls were ready to pick some berries for sure! 

this time around we picked some raspberries, which were 

super delicious, even as you can see, we have our own

personal taste tester..

emma decided she'd have a go at pulling her little sister around..

that got old real quick...

our pickins! 

a visit just isn't a visit without a taste of their

delicious strawberry milk shakes..the girls quiet down pretty quick when they

get one in front of them!

never a dull moment in the de paz family, stay tuned for some more

summer fun! :)