Signs of Spring ~ Mar. 30th - Apr. 18th

These photos are simple, just a glimpse of a few pleasant days we had, to go out and appreciate where we live. (Especially when the rest of Canada was still in the throes of winter!) My Dad was in his second month of hospitalization at this point, so this is to also show him what was going on outside his four walls.

 Thomas rediscovers the joys of biking... Living in a cul-de-sac,
that involves going round and round in circles... pretty much his norm. :)

 Never fails: Rosie believes that if you stare at the ball long enough, it will somehow move!

If the ball is placed in her mouth,
 she will not try to bite
the bike tires. Everyone's safer.

 Rosie is also happy to be
back outside. She's now recovered
 from her surgery in Feb.

Nora is figuring out this cool bike from Ann.

 Don't forget your helmet!!

 I love the flowering heather each year~ reminds me of Scotland.

 Also, the star magnolia  blossoms smell lovely.

 Our mountain snowfall this year was minimal ~ amazing view no matter what.

 Looking so grown up~

 Attempting spring back in February.

 A new spring outfit for Sunday~ bring on the pink!

 A rare shot of Lewis, as he avoids the camera.

 Thomas... not so much. :)

 Once Nora figures out how to coast, we'll be in trouble... this bike goes fast!

 She's loving it though. I try not to bite my nails as her brothers
 always come so close to her on their bikes, no matter what we say.

 Bikes can give us special memories...

... Helmets can help us keep them. :)

And just a few repeats from Dad's blog of times we were up visiting. Grandpa teaches Nora about shaving...

 A late night visit with Rob ~ not so busy then.

Spring Break, AKA March, Part 2 ~ Mar. 19th-23rd

As in previous years, the two week break from school is always daunting in figuring out how to occupy the kids, while making some memories at the same time during rainy season. This year was more challenging, as Scott had to be in Anaheim for 6 days, as he works towards his Senior Mastership rank. Anaheim at Spring Break while he would be busy did not seem like an ideal time to go there with the kids, so I was left to my own imagination. Still working steady evening shifts, I had do some swapping to get 5 off in a row during the time Scott was also away. For the first time, I decided to take the youngest three away by myself, although I was not imaginative enough to go anywhere much different. So.... you guessed it, Parksville awaited. But first, one night in Courtenay, an hour north of Nanaimo.

As it turned out, I got sick the day before we left, and basically went downhill as the days progressed. But if you have to be sick, why not be sick somewhere else? Our first day away was just going on the ferry, driving around Courtenay to check it out, feasting at Boston pizza on a huge combo meal, shopping at Target for late-night snacks and then swimming at the hotel pool. The excitement there were the indoor water slides... doesn't take much. :) Worst part: Thomas, Lewis and I reading by the light of the bathroom in the hotel room while we waited for Nora to fall asleep in the playpen... almost 11 pm at that point. I'm sure some of you can relate to that memory!

Where we stayed~ very new and lovely.

Next morning we drove around a bit more, checking out this cute town. Wasn't long before we found a toy store, where the kids all picked up something unique for our journey.

 A view out the van window of Comox Glacier.

We were just putting in time until we could drive up to our ultimate destination, Mount Washington. This was to be my attempt at winter fun, the something new we'd never done before. With minimal snow this winter, I guess the resort attendance was also affected but I couldn't tell the difference.

 Squinting into the sun. And yes, we may have been slightly overdressed...

 Definitely not fashionable, I will need to buy a
 new toque, having just grabbed this relic of Scott's!

 We had to wait for the opening at 1 pm... Nora was very patient.

Now I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to do this... I hadn't been tubing since I was young, and never in an official way such as this. Nora had to lie in my lap as we descended, and she did very well. I, on the hand, was terrified! The tube turned backwards, making it hard for me to see the jumps we were going over. By the time I realized how scary this was, it was too late... we could only go down. As we waited for the next ride, it took about 20 minutes for my heart rate to get back to it's normal rhythm.

 The carpet ride was "fun" unless you're trying to keep a 4 year old behaving...

 The hay on the runs helps you slow down but you feel like you're at a farm. ;)

 Yes, the slope really doesn't look that threatening. By the fourth run, I
 could do it without heart palpitations. Thomas, and then Lewis, linked
 tubes with me the 2nd and 3rd times to coach me through it. :)

 After a time, it started to snow so the extra layers of clothing were worth it.

 Missing nap time caught up with Nora, so we headed back earlier
 to change and eat more from our cooler. It was a fun experience though.

After our afternoon of tubing, we turned towards Parksville to check into Beach Acres, our favourite home away from home. A new twist this time would be staying with my girlfriend Lynn and her son Trenton, who were also looking for a break from home. 

 Lynn and I have been friends since Grade 4!!

We drove up to Coombs to eat a quick dinner there at their newest restaurant, Cuckoo, which serves delicious pasta. Somehow we fed the six of us with three entrees, and only spilled one glass of water. :)

There's always time to visit the goats. 

 The  icons of Coombs.

 Where the trolls live?!

 Nora had three boys to watch over her.

We got settled into our cabin, buying all of our favourite snacks and treats at the local Thrifty Foods first... love that store! A quick swim at the pool, and we were ready to start our Parksville adventures the next day.

On Friday I unfortunately forgot my camera in the van, but we enjoyed a lovely picnic at Englishman River Falls after a quick hike there. (It's all about burning off BOY energy...)

 It looks like this... green everywhere and beautiful!

Next was driving into Errington to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association. Our friend Lori, from Nanaimo, was going to meet us there with her two sons, Adam and Andrew. Nora was truly outnumbered. :)

 Soaking up the sun as we waited for Lori.

 My beautiful friend.

 The Centre's latest additions in need of rehab... or would that be me?

While not a huge place to tour, it is very interesting to see owls and eagles up close. Many of the ones that live there would not survive in the wild, but otherwise the birds are rehabilitated to be released at some point.

Magnificent!

 The cutest eaglet~

 The turkeys and Lewis were interested in each other.

 They are the strangest looking creatures!

 Five boys and Lori.

 Unlike me, my friends have tall boys... which doesn't phase Nora one bit.

 We're not the only ones enjoying the warmth of the sunshine...

 The ultimate gift store for plush bears,
 owls and birds... we escaped with just a photo. :)

The next morning, to appease the clamouring, we played mini-golf at Riptide Lagoon before the rain came. I have now learned from past experience that it works best if I just take Nora ahead by herself, while the others play a real game. That way she can break all the rules, and even try to do each hole twice, after 20 strokes and pushes to sink the ball. :)

 A pink ball of course!

 Looking back, the guys had a great time.

 It was so sweet to see the camaraderie with the boys despite the age differences.

 A brief moment of focus.

I'm unable to download videos properly, but this
shows Nora getting a hole-in-one by ...throwing the ball!

A fast-forward display of exuberance!

 Saying farewell to our cabin Sunday morning~

 Our children behaved so well together... a nice break for us Moms.

 Enjoying Parksville's public park before heading out of town.

 Trenton is a fantastic kid... just like his Mom. :)

Our time at the mall in Nanaimo was quite pointless, as I had forgotten how impossible it is to actually shop with kids in tow, but we enjoyed our meals at the food fair. (I was still feeling unwell... this was not a vacation of resting as I would cough most of the night, lost my voice more each day, and was tired after staying up late working on my Dad's blog after nightly phone calls to my Mom. My one consolation of being sick was that I wouldn't have been able to visit him in hospital anyway, so it was good timing to be away...)

 With this truck parked near us at the ferry line-up, Nora and I
 were able to say, "Hey... we saw those snakes last year!"

 Pleasant weather for the ride home.

 Nora loves to travel...

 ... and I'm happy if she is.

 Glad we got away, sick or not. 

 Farewell, Lori.. Farewell, Parksville. Hope to see you soon!