phew!
it was an absolutely fantastic canada day long weekend for us
filled with nothing but the outdoors.
we've been kinda waiting for summer around here so the second the sun came out
some strawberry picking. both emma and olivia just adore strawberries
so we thought it would be nice to show them where they come
from and what hard work it is to pick them!
their mouthwatering shop has a bunch of cutesy
novelty items along with local honey, pastries and fruits & veggies from their farm
my parents decided they'd join us and enjoyed a DELICIOUS
strawberry milkshake..
daddy and emma waiting in line for buckets and a wagon!
time to start pickin!
olivia the little daredevil would not sit down in the wagon, so my
dad had to keep watch behind her! she pretty much rode around everywhere
like this hehe!
me and emma gettin right in there! there were rows upon rows of
ruby red strawberries. i haven't been strawberry picking in ages and i don't
know if this is commonplace at u-pick farms but
i really appreciated the order they commanded when you come to pick.
each family is assigned a row to pick from both sides
so that they're efficiently picked and not gone to waste.
olivia enjoying some snacks while we picked..
grandpa and emma! she did excellent picking strawberries,
though needed a little guidance to not pick out the ones
that weren't quite ripe..so grandpa would show her where the really
red ones were!
grandma strawberry picking!
grandpa needed a little break as his back was getting sore,
and as a matter of fact, within minutes of picking, ALL of our backs were getting sore.
even emma complained a bit of discomfort but we all
happily scoured the patch for more juicy strawberries.
being there totally put things into perspective and i have a new found
respect for those in the picking industry..its a lot of squatting and bending and i
could not imagine a whole day of doing that!
here's olivia going to town on a strawberry..she
could not resist the buckets in the wagon.
all that picking sure built up an appetite! we had their home made corn
pizza..i swear i ate the equivalent of 3 corn cobs..it was very tasty!
after lunch, the girls and daddy spent a little time at the playground.
then we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the farm, emma
was lucky enough to be co-driver!
here's the stash! i've already made strawberry smoothies and
had strawberries and cream...i think i'm going to attempt making ice cream!
after the farm, we headed back home to freshen up and recharge our batteries.
we wanted to do something to commemorate canada's birthday, so we headed
to the cloverdale millennium amphitheatre to join in the festivities!
there was lots to see, but man was it ever packed. these are the only pictures
i took because it was just too crammed to have the camera out!
we ate dinner there: emma had a mr. tube steak and the rest of us
had ukrainian food. couldn't resist the freshly squeezed
lemonade and the mini donuts either!
the next day, we hopped on the sea to sky and set up
shop at alice lake. alice lake is our family favorite place as it brings
back memories of the countless times we camped there. our whole family joined us up there
and we made it just in time for a little bit of sun!
emma getting the beach toys ready..she had her mind set on
building a big sand castle.
the view from our spot of the lake, there's a really nice
trail that goes around the lake that we took sometime after lunch..it definitely
built up the appetite for our dinner!
olivia enjoying emma's princess camping chair..i think she's the perfect
size for it!
it might be time to get emma a bigger chair of her own...
grandpa and emma playing catch with the velcro ball and mitt..
total memories from back in the day..note the fluorescent pink and green ball!
our olivia is fearless..she just trudged into the water and plopped down..
even put some sand and dirt into her mouth which sent me and her
daddy in a frenzy! the wind was blowing, i had the camera, my hat and olivia's
hat went flying..it was chaos.
mama and olivia..all bundled up!
then emma wanted a turn in the lake..didn't last long as the sun
got clouded over..
but the sand castle did happen!
emma and jacob at the playground..
we had a great time just being amongst nature..listening to the birds chirp,
feeling the sun and wind on your skin and enjoying the company of family!
finally, yesterday we took a little trip to white rock beach.
we very seldom come out simply because the age demographic that
frequents that beach isn't always the type you want your kids around..
but i thought we'd just go for a little stroll and see where the day takes us.
we packed the girls up in our bike stroller which we thought would
be more fun for them as they could sit side by side rather than behind one another.
this turned out to be a fantastic idea as you'll soon see..
me and the girls!
i guess all that fresh air got to olivia..she fell asleep on her big sister's shoulder!
emma was sooo sweet, we could hear her singing 'rock a bye baby' to
olivia and she even covered her little ears when a train came by!
love, love, love..
and a little more love...
we walked all the way to the end of the promenade and noticed how quiet it was..
like waaaay quieter, and that most of the families had set up shop over here.
the tide was out so after having some ice cream, we brought our bike trailer down to the
beach to have some beach-y fun!
the water babies just couldn`t get enough of the ocean..and i don`t blame them..
the water was soooo warm!
then it was time for silly camera fun..
just has to squeeze in a little more love...
it was bound to happen. olivia got her dress wet so we figured it
was warm enough to have her right down to the diaper..she was having
a blast satisfying her curiosity!
we finished up our day at the beach having fish `n` chips at -in my opinion-
one of the tastiest little joints on this part of the strip:
we got the 4 pieces and fries..which was just perfect for the 4 of us
as to our surprise, the girls loved the fish! it came with a big container
of tartar sauce and extra cups for ketchup and vinegar if you wanted it.
you know its a good day when your daughter can`t stop telling you how
much fun she`s having..it warmed our hearts very much hearing her say that!
we will be back to this side of white rock very, very soon..this time
more prepared with beach toys that the kiddies can play with.
there was ample parking, a wash room nearby and just the perfect
environment for the little ones.
phew, right! it was a fantastic weekend..and i definitely look forward
to the next sunny day we can spend outside!
