Canoeing

After the tea party, we went to Deer Lake to try out our new canoe - it was fun! Holly even took her own paddle and helped us with the paddling.

New canoe

We bought a new canoe today. No, it's not an OC1 (solo outrigger) for Daddy - it's a big canoe for all 3 of us! We can take our tents and sleeping bags and go camping with it. The plan is to make use of my paddling skills, since my hiking is not the best (with my asthma). I think Holly is excited because all 3 of us can go in the same canoe.

Canada Day

Today my family had a picnic lunch at Burnaby Mountain at the bench that was erected in honour of my grandparents. We took my grandparents' Canada Flag with us. Every year, they put up the flag in front of their house for Canada Day - this year we put it up a day early because my grandmother's hearse passed by the house on the way to the church yesterday. She would have been so proud to see it there in front of her beautiful, recently-weeded garden! You'll see one of the bags of chips we brought with us, too - my grandmother loved her potato chips!

Funeral

Holly and Daddy after the funeral service for my grandmother. Holly wore her purple dress, which coincidentally was my grandmother's favourite colour. The day my grandmother passed away, Holly decided she had to wear this fancy dress - I have no idea why, because it's one of her "party" dresses, not one of her usual day to day dresses. It really touched me because all I could think of was my grandmother seeing her in the dress and loving it. I thought it only appropriate that Holly wear the dress today. She is also wearing a purple ribbon that everyone in my family wore to honour my grandmother.



















Kayli, my friend Helen's daughter, playing with Holly - she was really great playing with Holly & her cars - very patient for a 10 year old!

Corvette girl

Holly napping on my mom's bed - she looked so cute and peaceful lying on her blankie ("Bedang"), I couldn't resist taking a picture!














Lucky Daddy is currently driving a Corvette for work! Today he met us at my grandparents' house after work for dinner. We're having a quick family meeting, so he took Holly home to get her to bed - tomorrow will be an early start and a pretty long day.

Gardening

This afternoon, some of the cousins got to work weeding my grandparents' garden. We wanted to make sure the garden looked extra nice and there were NO weeds because the hearse carrying my grandmother is going to come by on Tuesday before the funeral service and we want it to be perfect for her.














My cousin Christopher & my grandfather - supervising.

Meet Baby Owen

Little Owen was born yesterday - Alison went into labour early in the morning and didn't need to be induced as planned. Owen is very similar in size to Holly when she was born - he was 7lb 7oz and 20 inches long (Holly was 7lb 6oz and 21 inches long).

Tai Kong with his second great-grandchild.



















Owen with his Poh-Poh and Mom.














Holly was a bit shy at first, but eventually sat down to "hold" Owen. She's hopeful that we'll have a baby in the future - she will tell you if asked, "I want a girl baby, Daddy wants a boy baby." I think she's ready to be a big sister!


















Separated at birth? Steve and a little bouncy elf Belinda got on her retreat in Coombs...

Parents to be

Alison & Steve will be parents tomorrow! Alison is overdue and they will be inducing labour (if there is space at the hospital for her).














Some of the cousins (and Darryl, who is Alison's brother).
L-R: Darryl, Brian, Miranda, Ellena, Alison & Lai. I think Alison's belly looks like she's ready . . . don't you?!

School girl

Today we went to get Holly's uniform for school in September. She looks soooo grown up - I can't believe she's going to Junior Kindergarten (JK) - she looks like she's 6 years old! I'm not sure I'm ready for this. . .

Beautiful bench

Yesterday was a very sad day for our family. We lost my grandmother, Holly's great-grandmother, who passed away in her sleep. We're happy that her passing was peaceful and are so grateful and blessed to have had her for so long in our lives. Who can ask for anything better than at the age of 90, to go to sleep beside your true love of 72 years, in your own bed, and just slip quietly away?

We will miss her so much - she was such a big part of our lives and really was the heart of our family. Today, Paul and I went with Holly for a quiet anniversary dinner at Horizon's on Burnaby Mountain, which is where we got married. Upon arriving, I saw a newly placed bench on the path... and immediately knew it had to be the one we had been waiting to see for quite some time. It's a bench we had purchased in honour of my grandparents' 72nd wedding anniversary this year. It was heart-breaking for me to see it there, just the day after she left us. My grandmother would have loved to see Holly sitting on the bench - the first person to do so, and I'm sure she did see. . .