Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Holly picked out a birthday card at the store for Daddy. She must have seen it on a show (maybe on the Disney Channel) - that "bananas are for birthdays!" The card had a lot of writing and pictures on the front, so we had to write on the back. Holly drew her usual happy face - this one is of Dad, complete with his little goatee! Then, I told her what the letters were to print "Dear Dad, Happy Birthday, Love" - she wrote all the letters by herself and then wrote her name (but I don't need to tell her how to write that). The "Happy" letters were pretty big so I told her to write the "Birthday" letters a little smaller so they would all fit on one line - she went really small! She wrote Holly going down because the Hallmark logo and barcode were in the way - clever! Daddy loved it - especially because it was the first card she wrote all by herself - not just her name.

Birthday party painting

Today we went to Sarah's birthday party. It was held at an art studio and the kids all got to paint a picture and then help Sarah paint a big canvas to take home. This is Holly tentatively starting her painting - she doesn't like getting dirty. I loved the finished product so much that I got a frame for it!

Quatchi

After the birthday party, I had to head to the Convention Centre to set up a booth for the World Police & Fire Games - we walked around to check out the other booths and found an HBC booth selling 2010 Olympic Games stuff. Holly wanted to pick up the giant Quatchi, but he was attached to the chair, so we took a picture instead.

Tent!

My cousin, Ho was playing with Holly tonight and he set up a "tent" for her in the living room at my grandparents' house. We always loved playing tent when we were young, what kid doesn't?! Holly had so much fun playing in it - thanks Ho!

Family BBQ

Today was the Annual Family BBQ for Paul's work. We are usually in the Gorge paddling, and haven't ever been to the BBQ, but this year, Paul is too busy to take time off work - we had to cancel our 10-14 day camping trip and missed staying at one of my favourite resorts, Skamania Lodge.

The BBQ was a lot of fun, though. Holly participated in a running race with other 3 and 4 year old girls (they had races for each gender in heats). All of the kids got a ribbon (first, second, third or participant) - Holly was soooo excited about getting a ribbon, she thought she'd won the race! After the race, the kids also got to pick prizes from a table - Holly chose a Strawberry Shortcake DVD.














Holly and Daddy then participated in the "Girls & Dads vs Boys & Moms" tug-of-war. Girls and Dads won. . . but not that easily, in fact it looked kind of iffy for a few seconds!














We also took the water guns we picked up at the Dollar Store. They are pretty good shooters and Holly had a lot of fun getting us wet. Some of her little friends tried them and they all loved getting their parents wet, too.


















After playing in the playground with Daddy, having the complimentary hot dog (or hamburger) lunch, eating snow cones, running in a race, playing with the water guns, and eating ice cream sandwiches provided to us, Holly and Dad then took a dip in the pool - where do kids get all that energy?! (And in the heat, no less!)

A Child's Eye View

So, someone thinks I have extra time on my hands... and has suggested that Holly needs her OWN blog to showcase her photos! And I'm the crazy one, because I've done it!!!

You can follow Holly's artistic talents with the camera on her blog:
http://a-childs-eye-view.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!!

At the park

Today we met Isabelle and her family for a playdate at the park. First we went into the petting zoo. Holly doesn't always like to touch the animals, but today she pet the baby calf and the little kid . . .

















On the teeter totter with Isabelle - the girls had fun playing together and then we went for lunch at White Spot!

Buntzen Lake

Today we went for a paddle at Buntzen Lake and took a picnic lunch with us. It's been a while since Daddy had a day off, and we had picked this day last week. It turned out a bit cooler than anticipated, but we warmed up quickly once we started paddling. Because of the weather, we were the only paddlers on the lake!

Lost Lagoon

Today we went with my Mom for a walk around Coal Harbour and up to Lost Lagoon. We even stopped to try a Japadog! It was pretty tasty... teriyaki sauce, fried onions, Japanese mayo, and shredded seaweed.



















At Lost Lagoon, we saw a couple of herons and some swans, too.














Holly walked around pretending to be a butterfly and bird, and also got my Mom into the action!

Princess Tea Party

We were invited to a Princess Tea Party today. Holly went to her friend Claire's house for the tea party with her other friends Sarah & Danielle. Even Auntie Susan dressed up as a queen for the occasion! Holly decided she didn't want to wear her Sleeping Beauty or Belle dress, but opted instead for one of her "fancy" dresses.



















Princess Claire (in the purple dress), Princess "Snow White" Sarah, Princess "Belle" Danielle, and Princess Holly.















Auntie Susan lent Holly her crown after she changed out of her "queenly" outfit.




















What a feast! Thank you Auntie Chi for hosting such a fancy event - the princesses even got to pour real juice from the teapot into their cups! Holly had a great time.















After eating, the girls had to bounce off some of their energy - Claire and Sean recently got a new trampoline in their back yard and it was a hit with everyone!