My shoulder, Tokyo and things to come...

I ran into Allison Chang a few months ago and their family is always traveling.  They had just returned from Nepal and I asked her if a seven year old is able to appreciate a cultural experience and she said enthusiastically YES!  So I started thinking about a trip for us, Will and thought Tokyo was a good choice.  So tomorrow we depart on our first big adventure together and we are both so excited!  We are going to ten days and are staying in Shinjuku in the midst of it all.  Much more to come.

In other news, my shoulder has been steadily worsening and I had an MRI recently.  I went to see my doctor for the results yesterday and he ordered active rest.  So I am officially off work starting now.  I am hoping that this time off will rest my shoulder enough to heal.  It has been sore for ten months now!  The diagnosis from both the ultrasound and the MRI is superspinatus tendinosis so that is pretty definitive.  I am on a list to have a steroid shot by one of the orthopedic surgeons in the hospital under giudance but apparently that is months away.  So for now I guess I am a kept woman, and that does not agree with me.  I feel adrift.  We will see how I feel in time.  I am so happy to get to spend more time with my boys of course.  But I also want all the best things for you in life and so I am torn.  

Sayonara!

Comox Celebration of the Seas

 I heard about the annual Celebration of the Seas festival in Comox and bought tickets for us to tour an oyster farm.  It was such a fun trip (you boys were a little cooped up on the boat).

But you both got a chance to drive and that was fun.  I think you even learned a little about how oysters grow, and us adults did too!

 

These seeds will be a full grown oyster in a few years:

 The man who gave us the tour and owns the oyster farm.

 Lunch is served!  We ate oysters right there on the boat prepared by a chef!

 This sealion was huge!  And made a whole lot of noise...

Cottage time!

 Aaron gave me the gift of getting away this weekend.  I went up to the cottage on my own a full day early and spend the day at the spa, then a night on my own and almost a full day on the dock solo reading and being in heaven.  Thanks Dad, sometimes a Mom just needs a little alone time :)

I was super recharged for all that followed:

BEST THING EVER!

Love my new flamingo floaty.

 A rare quite moment:

 This was part of your Birthday spoils. Hotdoggin!

 Dad worked really hard to get you off this thing:

 Dad won:

Will's Father's Day portrait

A masterpiece!  Will I signed you up for this class so that you had a beauty of a gift to give Dad and boy did you ever make one :)

I absolutely love it!  You said "It is black like Dad's soul" the family joke, no offense Dad!

We hung the two portraits together outside your bedroom door and they are perfect!

Cable Bay Trail

 Dad and I have Fridays off in the summer so while Will was in a camp we three went walking!  We decided to do the Cable Bay Trail in Cedar.  Mom and Dad did it will the Shih Tzus way back when before you guys were born but today was even more fun!  There are a ton of little plastic dinos hidden along the trail and we had so much fun finding them.  We found 23!

 We've been talking about going back and doing it again ever since and hiding our own dinos too!

 My only beef with this trail is that it is downhill at the start and all uphill on the way back.  By the time we got to the car I was wiped!  But I sure got my 10,000 steps that day. Take that Will!

Charlie is Four!

Charlie, you birthday was the day after school ended and fell on the first Saturday of our summer at the cottage.  On the Friday night I tucked you into bed and told you that this was the last night you would be three.  That when you woke up the morning you would be four.  And you were very quiet and processing this, I think it really threw you for a loop.  So you repeated, tomorrow morning I will be four, and I said yes.  We went over that many times.

In the morning you ran into our bedroom and asked excitedly "Am I four?!"  We said yes, you're four!  And your face was priceless:

 

 Then you saw the pile of presents we left on the kitchen table for you:

 

Lots of fun things to be had, and of course cash for your piggy bank.  Everyone you meet since then hears that you have $200 in your piggy bank at home...

 

 We celebrated your birthday at the Drinkwater Restaurant down the road and we even had a Minions cake just for you.

We had such a fun weekend at the cottage.  Oh as an aside I should explain the fitbit watches situation...

Another gift I gave Dad for his birthday this year was a Fitbit watch that can track calories burnt, heart rate, stairs climbed, steps taken and even sleep quality.  Will, when you saw it and got in the info on it you had to have one.  We ordered you one on Amazon and you paid us out from your piggy bank, nearly $300.  It was what you really wanted, we discussed it at length and it is your money to decide.  I thought the week waiting for it to arrive would kill you.  Every morning you would come into our room asking "Is my Fitbit going to arrive today?"

Finally you got it and frankly, your stats are unreal.  You often to get 10,000 steps by noon.  No wonder you can't keep any fat on you!  Some days I get home from work (Oh right, I got one too...) and you check how many steps I've taken that day.  Sometimes it's in the 2000s and you look at me asking "2000?" with disgust.  Ha!  So I tell you "Will I sit and work all day!"  But you are still incredulous.

That bring me to this photo.  You and dad started going up and down these stairs as a sort of competition.  Will, you got to 250 and Dad did 215.  We went for dinner and put you boys down for the night.  Then Dad went back outside in the near darkness and all I could hear about footsteps on the back stairs again....he just couldn't be outdone but you!

In the morning when you came into our bedroom the first thing Dad said was "Check this out."  He had done 300.  You were shocked!  Oh dear, once again, I have no idea where you get your competitive side from...

Final Assembly

 The year end final assembly is so emotional!  I find it so every year but this year in particular.  The theme was stars and the JK3 class sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while waving your handmade stars.  It was adorable.

Zinda Fitzgerald, the head of school retired this year.  Charlie was chosen to present Zinda with a huge bouquet of flowers.  No one had any idea it was coming, what a surprise!

Aaron and I agreed you were chosen because you are so confident and capable.  You were perfect and we were soooo proud!  I cried!

Another year gone, can't believe it!

Grade 2 and JK4 here we come!

The Duncan track opened and Dad turned 39!

 Mom got Dad this gorgeous wooden, 3D map for his birthday this year.  Happy Birthday Dad!

Look how proud Will was to carry this cake.

 Sunny Tatra invited Dad to watch race cars at the track for opening day.  David Foster and the Jenner boys were there, it was kind of a big deal!

 

Spirit Day at Aspengrove!

 Go Arbutus!  On the last week of school we had Spirit Day with art projects, activities and face painting among other things.  Lots of fun now that the sun is out!

Layton has a special love for you Char, every time he sees you he runs to you and picks you up to spin you around, it is so cute!

First hot summer day!

 Today it was the three of us since Dad was up at the cottage doing a boys' weekend for his birthday (Mom organized it, wife of the year award).  So we went old school and went to Walmart to pick up some fun toys for the playing in the yard.  These are relics of my youth!

Of course, me Slip N Slide was nothing like.  We had a plain banana yellow sheet of plastic.  This thing was so fancy it took me a while to actually figure out that water flows inside of it and spurts out??  Who knew?  FANCY.

Anyways, you both loved it because when you smashed into the end it sort of exploded and water went everywhere for a big splash.  Oh and of the course, the hose water was quite cold so I spotted a red tap beside the blue and tried it.  What do you know, we got warm water onto the slide for you guys, I swear you are so spoiled.

At the end Will was actually lying at the end in fetal position like a bath.

 Oh and I had a clown whose hat flew up and sprayed around, it was my absolute favourite toy in summer.  This was a little guy hands that fly around, same idea.

 We also went to the water park in Departure Bay (can you tell we were excited about summer?). 

You both had a blast!