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! :)

have i been bitten? #fitfor30

my 30th birthday is exactly 8 weeks away and

i'm feeling like i'm needing all the support i can get.

since i turned 29, i decided that my goal for this year was to

get in the best possible shape before the clock strikes 30.

so as further motivation, the hubs suggested i sign up

for a 5k run which conveniently falls 3 days before my birthday.

so. i've been running.

i hate running. 

at least, i thought i did.

i have been running on my treadmill during lunch breaks

at work or running around the big vacant lots by my work but really

how much running can you do in a half hour..not even?

i swear every time i was gearing up to run i'd have that annoying

inner monologue going. it would sound a lot like this:

"ugh you're just gonna be all gross and sweaty

when you're done and you still have to go back and work"

"there's a pebble in your shoe. didn't you feel that?

that pebble. yeah. it's totally gonna bug you the whole way,

you know you can just stop right?"

"okay one more loop around this bend and then you don't have to keep 

going, it's okay, you're tired"

"my knee is clicking, yep i'm pretty sure it's clicking. great.

just great. i'm getting injured before i can even start"

 i'd press on (of course) but i'm terrible with distances and 

i never actually knew how far i was going in the

time i was running.

finally i went on my first road run a couple of weeks ago

and kind of just ran around my parents neighborhood on 

streets i remember riding my bike on when i was a kid.

after about 30 minutes i made my way home and

mapped out my route.

4.19k

wow. i didn't even think i had it in me! my lungs were burning (no lie)

and my brain would not shut up..but i kept going and when i was done

i felt like a million bucks. 

since then i've been able to get to 5k in around 30 minutes!!

i'm confident that by september 29th i'll be running that 5k in

great time..and i think it just might be safe to say that

i've been bitten by the running bug.

i am so excited to be on this path to a healthier lifestyle 

and incorporating my entire

family to strive to be active and eating good

wholesome food.

the countdown begins!!

why having kids is so cool.

in the midst of our totally awesome summer,

i can't help but gush to myself 

how awesome it is to be a parent.

sure, there can never be enough hours in the day

to squeeze in that 'me' time or that date night

but having the opportunity to teach, create

and well, just be a kid with your kids

is a time that can not be replaced.

here are my top 5 reasons why having kids is so cool:

1. they never judge. they don't care how you dress,

how you look, what you have or don't have, they just want you..

but they may make a comment on your horrendous morning

breath (who wouldn't?)

2. relatively easily pleased. whether it be watching you cook,

helping you garden, or actually engaging in imaginary time,

it doesn't take too much to get your kids out of that bored

state of being. 

3. always around. yep, they sure are! but they're also

your grocery store buddy, or change room pal or somebody

to talk to or croon songs with in the car. they can also be great

movie dates and sometimes dinner dates too. and they are always

waiting for you to come home from work so they can tell you about

their day or ask about yours.

4. incredibly affectionate. i don`t know about you, but affection

is one of the many things my girls crave from us. a simple snuggle,

kisses and tickle monster fights..you can guarantee that your kids

will always have their arms open to you.

5. they make every family outing awesome. after separating the kids

and putting at least one of them in time out there is something more magical

about experiencing outings with our girls. from puttering around our great city

or hopping on a plane to a far away place the memories we have from

doing those things as a family will never be forgotten.

when asking emma why she thought we were so cool, 

here are the things she came up with..verbatim:

you take us somewhere

you are nice to us

you help us

you give us treats

you play with us

you put movies on for us

you help put princess dresses on us

you help wash us

you love us

`nuff said.

my baby is 2! (june vol 2)

i can't even believe that this day has already come and gone! 

last year we got lost in a wonderland and this year

we boarded a ship on the happiest

cruise on earth for an it's a small world theme!

olivia has been obsessed with it's a small world since

our second visit to disneyland and then even more so (if that's 

even possible lol) with it on our most recent trip to the happiest

place on earth

here is a glimpse of her fantastic party!

one of the activities we had was a coloring station

where the guests could color disney pages

out comes the face painting kit (see, i knew i was smart when i bought it!)

auntie gaby and olivia's favorite little cousin

sadie!

not only did the kids get goody bags but these home made white chocolate

sails and blue raspberry jello!

it's a small world facade cake

pin the face on it's a small world..

mama and olivia

olivia, you are the curve ball that the good lord

sent down to me to bring me balance.

you are imaginative, talkative (beyond words, literally!)

sarcastic, funny and the sweetest little sister

and littlest daughter i'll ever know.

happy birthday!

lets take a look at how much she's grown in the last year shall we!

     

july

august

september

october

november

december

january

february

march

april

may

june!