Port McNeill

We left Ucluelet around 10 am and arrived in Port McNeill at 5 pm. We didn't have a map so didn't really know what we would pass along the way.  It's about 1.5 hours past Campbell River on the north east side of Vancouver Island.   

I've been up there once before to hike the Cape Scott Trail but that was about 11 years ago!  The weather on the way up was wild; sun, rain, hail, snow, repeat. We were so excited to reach Port McNeill!  Our friends, the Voses, live there.  They moved there last summer so it was fun to see where their new home is.  Port McNeill has less than 3,000 people and there are islands around them with different communities and ferries connecting them all.

We arrived in time for dinner. Brent and Melissa spoiled us with yummy food the whole time.  So great!  Look at all those kids.  Our kids combined makes for 5 boys and 2 girls.  I was a little nervous how everyone would get along but it went wonderfully!

The view below is from their kitchen window in the morning.  So nice, hey?

Amarys and Nya, although 1.5 years apart, got along so well!

We went on a little hike to the beach.  I LOVE hiking and miss it so much.  The kids did a great job and our kids had to learn how to stick together a bit more due to the cougars and bears.

The beach was awesome.  So many varieties of seaweed!   Tons of crab, sea stars, mussels, clams, barnacles and chitins.

Chitin below (they have 8 bony plates which is how you can recognize them).

I should point out that it was sooooo sunny!!! So great.  Seriously.  The vitamin D was aplenty.

The boys played on the fort for a good hour.  Koen may have fallen through the roof.

My little assistant.  `Cheese'.

I'm so thankful that Nya did so well!  She didn't nap, was struggling with digestive issues, and was still pretty chill about everything.

Below is Team Vose.  Those guys can smile :)

And us.

I love the outdoors.  I always have.  I love the ocean (Kai's name means `ocean'), I love the rainforest, I love the sun.  I love BC.

The view below is also from their kitchen window.  Two bald eagles and a BC Ferry.  Beautiful, ya?

After lunch, we went for a walk down to the marina.  

The kids threw rocks in the water and we went to their fishing spot and then we went to Mugz for smoothies and hot chocolate.

It is so interesting to hear about how things work in a small town.  The hours, churches, ferries, schools, programs, resources, doctors etc.

The next morning, Nya and Amarys had a tea party and continued to play well together.  I was sort of surprised because they are both pretty strong willed girls.  So great.

It was then time to head home!  The trip back went so well.  Just a short 4 hour drive (I say short because the highway is such easy driving!) and then the ferry and another hour.  The kids did wonderfully.  I think in another year or so I'll actually be able to read a book on the ferry :)

I love visiting people in places I've never been too.  It allows you to get to know a place so much better!  Thank you to Team Vose for having us, we had a wonderful time.

Yay for Spring Break, friends, family and sunshine.

Love, Louise

Tofino

We spent three nights in Ucluelet and then just took one full day to explore Tofino.

If you are looking for a good place to stay with your family in Ucluelet, I would recommend the West Coast Motel.  Super friendly, affordable, and they have a pool.  Usually it is super pricey for us to find a place with two bedrooms and a kitchen but they have it for about $120/night.

This is the view outside of our room...that big boat is a restaurant.

On our last full day there, we did our day trip to Tofino.  We went to Wickaninnish Beach and did the Bog Walk that we always do.  Super easy walk and the vegetation is so cool.

We also had tacos from the Tacofino truck.

We got to Long Beach and the kids just ran and ran.  There isn't a lot of life on the beach as it's just sand but it's fun for the kids to run in the waves and just go, go, go!

I'm so thankful that we had a sunny day for it.  Gary's parents have never been there so I think it was a great way to see it!

I love all these marks in the sand.  I think it's just from the waves.

After exploring the town of Tofino (great playground there!) and going to Cox Bay, Wickaninnish Beach and Long Beach, we went back to our motel.

Kai spent some time doing up his brackets for March Madness and made me do one as well. I chose Duke as the champion and they are out already.

Then, I went to the lighthouse in Ucluelet to meet up with my friends, Mark and Maria.  They were on the island celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary!  I don't usually work on holidays but in a location like that, and the dates lined up, I had to!!  It was sooooooo windy but so beautiful.   Gary and I had a chance to go to their resort for dessert after the kids were in bed and Gary's parents could watch the kiddos.

Kai got a special trackable geocoin in the geocache in Tofino.  We've only had one before; in Oregon. 

On our last morning, the kids went over to grandma and grandpas for breakfast.  Later I found out that breakfast may have included ice cream.  Gary and I got a quick walk in to see a bunch of sunstars and seals!

Then, we were on our way to our next destination; Port McNeill.  On our way, we stopped at my oma's house for her 91st birthday!  It's always great to see her, talk with her and hold her hand.  Nya and Koen sang happy birthday to her and she loved it.  I wish I could see her more often, but for now, it's just every Spring Break.  It's my mom's mom so it always makes me feel closer to my mom when I hold her hand and look in her eyes. 

We stopped in Courtenay for lunch.  We had A&W and the kids were sooooo excited!! It was their first time there.  Kai's excitement faded quickly when Gary checked out the latest scores in March Madness.  Kai was really hoping to do better with his brackets.  Look at his face.  Poor guy.

Next stop?  Port McNeill to visit our friends, the Voses!  Will post on that tomorrow :)

Thankful for a safe trip and for kids that travel pretty well!

Love, Louise

Oh Happy (and Sunny!) Day

I was shopping for some new shirts last night (I decided it's much easier to buy new clothes than to try to lose 10 lbs right now..usually I can do it but not right now) and thought, `Oh, I should get Gary some back to school clothes!'.  I totally thought it was summer holidays.  It's just sooooo crazy warm and sunny and I feel like we have been hanging out as a family for FOREVER.   So ya, our Spring Break has been wonderful.  I wouldn't have minded if this 18 C weather came while we were on the island but I'm sure glad it showed up this weekend. Awesome.

Kai is a mini Gary. Sports. Sports. Sports.  Here is he is checking out the standings for March Madness.  I do hope he keeps being obsessed with sports because that kept Gary out of trouble when he was a teenager ! 

We went to Gary's  parents for the Chapman Easter dinner.  The kids loved their Easter egg hunt which provided them with enough chocolate to last a month.  They have a hot tub that the kids always go in as it's a kid friendly temperature...Nya just had to go in so she just went in her clothes.  She loves the water more than the boys ever did, that's for sure!

Nya with her gramma.  She likes gramma because gramma wears necklaces to play with.  I have to say that it has taken a long time (7 years!!!) but I now feel 100% `normal' when she is with the kids.  I no longer feel a sense of resentment (that word is too strong but can't think of another) in the sense that I wish that MY mom that could also hold/play/be with the kids.  I can't explain it but if you've been there, you know.  I am thankful for Gary's parents and the role that they have in our lives.  They love our kids.  Dan, Gary's dad, even chose this shirt for Nya to wear when I was dressing her. So cute :)

Nya loved her first egg hunt although we quickly replaced these eggs with plastic ones as every single thing goes in  her mouth these days.  What age does that stop? One?  I forget.

On Saturday, the kids went to my niece and nephews birthday party.  Their birthdays are 2 weeks apart so it worked to combine them :) 

{I did pictures of them this week as well as two other families.}

Then, my sister Jackie (a Public Health Nurse) came over to give us our Hep A vaccinations.  We got the prescription through our doctor and they could have given it to us in the office but it was much easier to have Jackie come and do it.  By the way, this saved us $200+.  Had we gone through the travel clinic, we would've had to pay a consultation fee AND the price of the vaccine is double there for the kids and 25% more for adults.  We are going to get the kids their boosters in 6 months so that they are good for life.  Might as well as I'm sure they will do more travelling!   I know we could have gotten way more vaccines but that is the only one I feel we need. 

{Mentally insert photo of Kai freaking out about the immunization.  Poor guy.}

In the afternoon, we all went to my sister Maria's house for Easter Dinner. It was perfect!!!  They have a great yard so all 11 kids could just roam around and play.  I had decided to make a ham and turkey which was a little crazy and we ended up finishing the ham in the bbq so we could get the turkey done in time.  So good though and enough leftover meat for the week!  So glad my husband is so good in the kitchen!  I had a really good time hanging out with my family.  I like Gary's too, don't worry.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by so much love.  And seriously, all the little `babies' roaming around??? So cute!!

The bad news for the holidays is that we brought our car in and had to pay $800 in repairs plus another $250 or so that Dan is doing for us (thank you Dan!!).  Our car is only worth $1200.00 but it's worth it to keep it running well for another two years, in my opinion.  I just don't want to invest another $10,000+ into another vehicle right now, especially with our big trip coming up.  We will be replacing our van and our car in about 2 years.  My car is ugly but man, it has been great.  I've had it for 12 years and it has been so dependable.  It's been great for Gary driving to and from work.  

After church and Nya's nap, we went to Brae Island in Fort Langley.  We were wearing shorts, sandals and sunscreen.  So awesome.  I just carried Nya on my back and gave her a stick to play with.  She is just a little ball of giggly cuteness.  She is so happy and I think Gary even melts a little when she waves and giggles at him saying `Dada'.   Seriously, she brings so much happiness to us all, the boys LOVE her and have all the patience in the world for `Cutie'. 

We did two geocaches and then the boys were able to go in the water and Nya went straight in too.  The Fraser River is not warm but she did not care.  It made for a messy but happy kids.

She now has 4 teeth! The top 2 are half way through and this means that she is waking up at 3am each night (along with an 11pm feed and then getting up at 6am for the day).  I'm tired.  One day I'll sleep!  I've decided to give her one bottle per day.  I do feel that I need some freedom.  So, tomorrow we start!  If we lay her on the ground, by herself, when she's thirsty enough, she'll take it.  We just have to ignore her and leave her alone. 

I am very ready for Kai to go back to school.  Sometimes I think that I could homeschool them and then a holiday comes around and we are all together and the boys start fighting.  If you have two boys who are both very `boyish' and physical, you know what I mean.  Koen is such a pesky monkey and knows how to drive Kai crazy (Koen will often say `Koen knows everything!! Woo Woo!!' and that drives Kai CRAZY).  Kai reacts physically to him.  They are both physical.   When they are on their own, so easy.  Together, sooooooooooooooooooooo frustrating!!!  And yet, they are best friends and can be so good together.  It's payback for all the fighting my sisters and I did when we were teenagers. 

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend.  It was good reflecting on Easter with the kiddos each day and listening to Kai sing `Oh Happy Day!' numerous times.

Love, Louise