Squamish / Whistler

Since we were stuck in traffic, we decided to make the best of our day by heading back to Alice Lake to spend some time on the beach.  Josh brought his GPS so that we could do some geocaching, but unfortunately we could not find the two caches that were located close by.  We had a good time searching the area and doing our best job to be as stealth as we could.  We went back, sat on the beach, and watched Emma making her sand soup.  Emma does love to play in the water.  It is amazing how a bucket, shovel, and some water can keep our kids entertained for hours.

After a little while, we decided to get away from the wind and go for a hike through the trails . . . lets just say that hiking is no longer hiking as the boys love playing Man Tracker.  Even my little Emma started to say, "I am Man Tracker, you go and hide".  As we came out of one of the trails we were surprised to find a little bike park that the boys just had to try.  The boys rode for awhile and Emma spent most of her time sliding down the slide at the park.

Another spot that we have enjoyed going to is Shannon Falls as it is a good spot for the kids to stretch their legs and get out of the car for a bit.

I must admit that I do love the kid's sense of humour as they are always looking at ways to ham it up!

Slowing down and enjoying the little moments in life.  

Cautious Josh crawling along the fallen tree, whereas Jamie casually strolling behind him . . . I love this picture.  A tale of two kids with different personalities.  By the end, Josh was practically running across this log and jumping off of it.

A new flavour to add to my Road Trip diners would be . . . FAT BURGERS.  Yes, Fat Burgers, doesn't sound too healthy or appetizing, but I must admit that it is one tasty, cardiac stopper of a treat for the road.  The Californian Burger combo is definitely a four napkin meal as the insides become the outside . . . there is no real subtle way to eat one of these burgers.  If you are trying to impress someone on a first date, this is not the place for you as you will walk out with more grease on your face than in your gut!

Whistler is one of my favourite weekend getaways as there is lots to do as a family.  We always hit the local bike park and the boys get a kick out of riding the dirt trails and watching the older kids perform their big air jumps.  Josh is beginning to whip around on his bike trying new things on the bike park and the skate park.  It is amazing how well Jamie rides as he is already riding some tracks that Josh could not ride by himself last year.  Even Emma got into the action as I took her on the dirt track on my bike . . . I couldn't see her myself, but the constant giggling from behind me was enough for me to continue riding around.

Finally, we found our first geocache of the weekend.  This was a cool one that the kids enjoyed opening up and picking out their prize.

Perspective

There have been two events for whatever reason have really made me think about me and more importantly my family . . .
1)  My soccer accident that occurred about 14 years ago . . . yes, 14 years ago.  I have always been one of those people that believed that it would 'never happen to me' so when it did, it really made me think that I wasn't the Superman that I thought I was.  I could be hurt and become sick even though I didn't have any serious side affects to Kryptonite . . . and that there were other things out there that may hurt me.  It was really from that event, that really changed my perspective on life and how fragile life can be.  Every time I look at a picture of me, I am often reminded of my accident as I notice some of the differences in my face . . . it is not a sad thing for me, but a good reminder for me to live as positively as I can.
2) On a more recent note, we were driving up to Whistler and we were stopped on the Sea to Sky Highway.   As the seconds turned into minutes, we began to wonder why we were at a stand still.  With three kids sitting in the backseat, we decided that we would try to investigate and find out what was going on.  As Michelle walked up the street, I turned on the radio to see if any news was being aired . . . much to our horror there was a head on collision about 5 km up the road.  I couldn't stop thinking about how the two families would be changed from this point on . . . it is not only the families, but the "villages" that care for the occupants in the vehicles.  Life can change in an instant and unfortunately this event has reminded me that I can't control everything that happens, therefore, I need to make sure that I don't take things in my life for granted.
Perspective . . . lets just say that I held my family really close to me this long weekend and appreciated the big events, but more importantly the little things that we did together from the hugs, kisses, and the many giggles shared by us all.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day that we love to spend together appreciating the little things in life . . . and Michelle is one of those little things in life . . . okay, maybe just in stature.  I am not sure how she does it, but she manages to do it all for our family and her friends in a thoughtful and caring way, despite having the most difficult job in the world, which some believe is tolerating my antics as a dad and husband.  Yes, I can be a pain once in a while believe it or not.  As I read over different parts of our family blog and reminisce about our adventures, I am continually reminded of how lucky we are to have such a SuperMom in our lives.  If it wasn't for her, we would all have scurvy and be eating a daily diet of Ichiban.  Happy Mother's Day!! We love you all the way to the moon!!!

Looking for mussels, crabs, and throwing rocks into the water.

Climbing a Mt. Everest.

Look ma, no hands!!

Kits Beach has a great park for all of the kids.

What Were We Thinking?

For the past few years, Michelle and I have talked about how the boys birthday parties are becoming a little too big to be held at our house . . . too many kids in a confined area is not a recipe for a sane birthday experience for the parents. We tried to pursuade Jamie to have an "offsite" party, but Jamie wanted to have a party at home. Don't get me wrong, Jamie has come up with some great ideas, for example, he had a chocolate party, a rock star party, a workerman party, and this year he wanted the ultimate game show party. So after a few nights spent googling game shows we came up with what we thought would be a fun, but organised party for 16 boys . . . yes, 16 boys!!! Despite the overly excited and hyperactive boys walking through the threshold of our backyard we tried as best we could to ignore the sarcastic parents as they turned their backs on Michelle and I mumbling, "good luck". Lets just say that some of the parents were not even in our backyard before they sprinted the other way with a huge grin on their faces. I must admit that the party was successful because at the end of the day the only thing that mattered was whether or not Jamie enjoyed his party and he did. We started the party with the kids running the Gauntlet in our backyard version of Wipeout, which required them to run across our backyard and back again while the other kids threw beachballs and balloons. Next, we played Deal or No Deal, where candy, hockey cards, and Pokemon cards were the prizes. It was really funny because for the rest of the party the kids would say, "Deal" or "No Deal" whenever we offered them something. "Who wants a cupcake?" "DEAL!!" The final game that we played was Silent Library where the kids were subjected to some interesting challenges.  Another fun, but exhausting party for our not so little Jamie.

Gee, I wonder how Josh and Jamie both lost in Silent Library this round??

A great time had by all, but I do think that next year I will push for the "offsite" party a little more.  I can't wait to hear what theme Jamie would like for next year.