Category — Family

Well the Blog Title just about sums it up as far as our Web Blog.

We can’t believe it’s been this long since we last posted and so much has been happening. Perhaps that’s why we haven’t done an update or a post………. or at least that’s our story and we are sticking with it.

So rather than bore you all with what we have done, where we have been and how we have been spending our days, attached are few photos and you can figure out what we have been up to.

One of the side benefits of attending Ryan and Jen’s wedding in Kelowna and visiting with the Smith Family was the chance to see Zachary, Oliver, Jeff and Lindsay.

The one fun project we did get done during our visit was to make stepping stones for the garden with imprints of Zachary and Oliver’s feet. Zach was really helpful in decorating the stepping stones with glass beads.

We also managed to fit in a picnic dinner in the park, lots of play time outside, a few naps and some snoozes………. it doesn’t get any better than this.

On the August long weekend we headed to Kelowna to attend the wedding of Ryan Smith and Jen Williamson.

Ryan is the oldest son of our good friends Fred & Barb Smith from North Vancouver.

Ryan and Jen’s wedding was at the Cove Lakeside Resort on Okanagan Lake. The setting was beautiful, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome…….. and it was +40 C; so to say the least it was toasty warm.

The following pictures are of Fred and Barb, their oldest Son Ryan and his new wife Jen and their youngest son Marshall and his wife Tara. What a great looking family.

Last Friday we met Tamara, Sage and Conrad in Merritt for lunch and then the grand-kids headed back to Kamloops with us for their annual “Summer Vacation at Namma and Pops. Kevin was working so he was unable to make the trip to Merritt.

Once we got back to Kamloops we immediately got the kids into their swimsuits and it was off to Prince Charles Park to cool off and enjoy the summer weather. Prince Charles Park has the only wading pool in Kamloops. All the other kid friendly parks have water spray parks. It seems that most cities are installing these as they are most likely easier to maintain. Guess what we forgot to take the camera out and take some pictures….. Oh Well!

Right after breakfast on Saturday morning we worked on a stepping stone project which involves them putting their foot into a pie plate filled with mortar and then they get to decorate around the foot impression. Each year the kids have visited they have made a garden stepping stone, it’s great to see the changes in their feet sizes each year.

After that we got ready and headed off to the Kamloops Wildlife Park. This is always a fun adventure and one of the kids favorite things to do when they visit Kamloops.

No visit is to the Wildlife Park is complete with out a ride on the park train, some climbing inside the demonstration tree and of course an ice cream or a slushee.

After a little bit of quiet time at home we headed down to Riverside Park for a late afternoon swim.

Sunday morning started with silly face pictures and lots of laughing.

Then we headed over to MacDonald Park for some playground time and a few more pictures.

Of course no group photo shot is complete without at least one “Silly Family” photo.

Later in the afternoon we made a picnic dinner which we took down to Riverside Park. This gave Sage and Conrad lots of time to play at the beach and in the water spray park.

This is the best picture we could get of Conrad he was just too busy building sand castles and playing in the water to have his picture taken.

Here is a classic picture of our little water grand-daughter under the spray stream.

Monday morning we headed back over to MacDonald Park to meet GGPa and GGMa for  picnic lunch and a visit. Unfortunately Conrad was tired of Grampa Paparazzi and was not that happy to have his picture taken.

In the afternoon it was back to Riverside park for a quick swim, a play in the water park and a snack. .

Then we got everyone packed up and drove back to Merritt to meet Kevin and Tamara for dinner, before everyone headed home. It was a busy and exciting few days.

Last Wednesday we took GGMA for a day trip to visit Baby Oliver.

GGPA stayed in Kamloops as Wednesday is his day to volunteer at he Red Cross. Pretty good for a person at the age of 89 to still be active and giving back to the community.

On the way to Kelowna we stopped at the road side farm to pick up some asparagus to take down to Jeff and Lindsay.

Unfortunately we did not a get a chance to see Zachary as he was at Little Owl Academy……… Oh the life of a 18 month old…. school, school, school.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

Oliver Rae Sill arrived into the world at Kelowna B.C. on June 23rd at 1:05 p.m. weighing 8lbs 3oz.

Brenda and I were on call waiting for a baby to arrive. The due date was actually June 29th, although all the indicators were that this baby was going to arrive early.

We had our bags packed and were ready to go at a moments notice. It was kinda funny because on Saturday morning we had gone for a walk and then decided to come back home and put another coat of paint in the basement suite kitchen. We jokingly said that we would probably just open he paint can and get started and Jeff and Lindsay would call and sure enough that’s what happened.

Once Jeff called we hopped in the car and headed for Kelowna so they could head to the hospital and we would look after Zachary.

At first Lindsay thought it was a false alarm, but after a half hour she knew it wasn’t and the baby was on the way. The contractions were coming faster so Jeff called their friends who lived near by to come over until we arrived. It was good thing they did as Oliver arrived at 1:05 p.m. and we did not get to Jeff and Lindsay’s house until 1:30 p.m.

A little later in the day Jeff came home for a visit and Brenda and I went to the hospital for a very short visit.

When we held Oliver he was only 4 hrs old and we both remarked that the last time either of us held a baby this new was when we held Jeffrey as a newborn.

Jeff, Lindsay and Oliver finally arrived home on Sunday afternoon and Zachary is adapting very well.

We are truly blessed. We now have 4 wonderful grandchildren?

Welcome to the family Oliver.

Last Saturday (June 16th) we drove down to Merritt to see Sage in her first swim meet since she has started with the Princeton Swim Club.

GGMa came along for the day and GGPA stayed at home.

Well, it was quite the experience. Swim Meets and Swim Clubs have their own little culture going on. From the different Clubs set up under team tents, to how they get ready for the various swimming heats, etc.

Sage did very well for her first time. She freaked out a little bit in her first event when she saw the that the pool got deeper where the bottom tiles changed color, but she finished her first race and won a prize and a ribbon.

Of course Tamara and Kevin were involved with helping out with getting kids ready for their next event and timing races. So, this gave us a chance to take Conrad for a walk downtown and give him a bit of a break and find a treat.

You have to appreciate the fact that Princeton has a shorter outdoor pool and their swim club has only been active for about one month. Where Clubs like Kamloops and Kelowna swim year round in full size pools.

For lunch we headed back to where Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad were camped for the weekend. We got to see their new trailer that they recently bought and enjoyed a picnic lunch with them.

After lunch it was back to the pool for Sage’s final race which was a Medley. There were four teams in this heat the the Princeton group almost got third place. In the end it was great to see everyone and to spend a bit of time with them.

Last Sunday we met Jeff, Lindsay, Zachary and Willow in Merritt for lunch at the Home Restaurant. After lunch and a visit Jeff and Lindsay headed off to Vancouver for work and we headed home to Kamloops  with Zachary and Willow for their spring vacation.

We have been having so much fun and Zachary has decided the favorite spot for his water cup is on the stool near the front door.

Monday morning we went out to GGPa’s and GGMa’s for a quick visit. GGMa is off to England for 3 weeks with Dean, Judy and Judy’s mom, Betty.

In the afternoon we worked in the backyard picking weeds. Zachary carried the bucket that is almost as big as he is.

Monday was also designated “Silly Hat Day”; if you didn’t have a silly hat you couldn’t be in the picture.

On Tuesday Zach woke up a little early which worked out well since we were going to go to the airport to say goodbye to GGMa as she headed off to England.

Tuesday afternoon we did a little shopping and inside stuff since it was kind of rainy. Zachary did get a new Sun Hat and then he was a crazy driver of the shopping cart complete with engine noises. But he was such a good guy that he also got a helium balloon from the ladies at Save-On.

On Wednesday Willow decided that we needed to be awake at 5:00 a.m. and was full of mischief………… however after she settled down we were able to stay in bed till a little after six and Zach slept in till 7:20. After breakfast it was off to Costco. Then some much needed house sweeping….. it’s so great to have a helper.

Wednesday afternoon, after Zach’s nap we headed off to Pioneer Park and from there we walked over to Riverside Park. It was great to get out and Zachary enjoyed the visit to the park and he really enjoyed it when we fed the geese.

Thursday afternoon we drove back down to Merritt to meet Jeff and from there they headed home to Kelowna. This picture was taken by Jeff at the Merritt Tourist Rest Stop.

Last weekend we headed to Princeton to look after Sage and Conrad while Tamara and Kevin headed off to Vancouver to go in”The Sun Fun Run”.

Like dough-heads we forgot our camera at home so unfortunately never captured any pictures from the fun times on the weekend.

We arrived just after lunch and after a quick “hello” and “goodbye” to Kevin and Tamara, they were off to Vancouver and we were off to pick up Sage at her school.

There is definitely a protocol when picking up kids at the school. Parents line up in the hallway just past the library and for few minutes it is relatively peaceful and quiet and then all of a sudden the doors fly open and it is chaos….. we survived!

Once we got home it was off to Lions Park. Lions Park is Sage’s most favorite park in Princeton. We and she are not quite sure why, but she absolutely loves it. After the park it was time for dinner and then a movie and bedtime.

Saturday morning the kids watched the rest of the movie and then it was time for a quick lunch and Conrad was off to a birthday party at the Bowling alley.

Once we dropped off Conrad we headed to the local coffee shop for Namma and Pops and Sage got an chocolate ice cream sundae from D.Q. Then it was back to Lions Park before we picked up Conrad.

Once we picked up Conrad we headed for the local water-park and playground which has lots of fun stuff to play on, climb on and play hide and seek. Sometime during the playing around Pops was designated a “Tickling Grizzly Bear”. Part of this required Pops growling very loud causing the park neighbors to head inside their houses shaking their heads and Sage and Conrad to scream and giggle with delight. There is absolutely nothing more heart warming than hearing grand-kids giggle and laugh and having fun just being kids.

After a bit it was back home for dinner, another movie and then off to bed.

Sunday was little more laid back with a walk to the water park, off to Coopers to pick up something for dinner and then an afternoon movie. A note on Coopers in Princeton – we stopped by there three days in a row and each time the kids very politely asked for a free cookie at the bakery and each time they tried something different; the bakery staff at Coopers is excellent. Also, be aware of crazy kid buggy cart drivers they spin in circles, try to crash into things and cause grand-kids to laugh uncontrollably which causes smiles on most of the shoppers and staff.

Just as we were finishing dinner Kevin and Tamara arrived. They did very well at The Sun Fun Run, had a great weekend together in Vancouver but were happy to be home to see the kids.

This week we have had our grand-daughter Sage here for a visit…… what fun!

Last Sunday we drove down to Merritt with GGMa and met Tamara, Kevin, Sage and Conrad for lunch at the The Homestead Restaurant….. food is always very good there. Unfortunately GGPa could not make it as he is still getting over a bad cold he has had.

We have been keeping very busy with lots of activities and lots of fun stuff.

From making Jello.

To swimming at the Canada Games Pool.

Lunch at GGMa’s and GGPA’s.

To shopping and watching movies.

Wearing funny hats.

Feeding ducks, geese and seagulls at Riverside Park.

And then a very special event, we all got dressed up and went out for dinner to Pete’s Pasta.

It’s been so much fun having Sage visit. Special times with a special grand-daughter.