oops!

after weeks of taking kai to his ski lessons, we show up today without his jacket.  duh, right?  he doesn't get to ski.  wearing only my fleece jacket, he has some fun with his papa in the snow... for about 5 minutes before he is freezing.

then, he finger knits in the warmth of the chalet. grouse mountain has a pretty decent restaurant and so we decide to have some lunch before heading back home.

kai didn't get to ski but we had some snowy fun anyway. 

image by kai

spring is blooming

it's usually springtime weather right about now in vancouver with the first of the flowers growing.  this year, the snow has been plentiful in the city and it doesn't want to leave just yet.

 

image by kai



mountains

the school kai attends is located in such a lovely location. i don't believe i will ever tire of the view, no matter how long i live here. collecting kai from school never seems like a chore. for one, i get to watch him interact with his friends, he's so free and happy.  secondly, i get to bring him home and have some one on one time with him before stefan returns from work. and thirdly, how can coming to such a place put a damper on my day?  i hope the little ones can appreciate it. 

i remember visiting my family in toronto when kai was about 2 years old and one day while swinging him in the local park he asked me, shrugging his shoulders and looking around, 'where the mountains?' 

tweaking

i am always itching to change things around in my house a bit. nothing too drastic, just some tweaks here and there, moving stuff around. i love this space, house beautiful calls it bohemian, and i think i will use it as my inspiration. i like that it's earthy and natural but has colour and it's kind of hip. i think the rug is the trick, it ties everything together.

big white

we somehow invited ourselves on our friend's weekend vacation to big white. dan, sam, and jacob have been long-time friends from our toronto days.

sam's awesome, she's smart, funny, and cans the best peppers ever!

big white is a ski-in ski-out ski resort.  a winter wonderland really.  when we were there the weather was cold but sunny, the company wonderful, and our private hot tub was very welcoming (actually, i think sam was in it everyday and maybe even twice a day). 

i went snowshoeing (i think we've already established that i don't ski/snowboard).  it was so very peaceful until i spooked myself into thinking a coyote was following me.  the imaginary coyote gave me quite the workout!  despite my wild imagination, the view didn't escape me.  it was breathtaking. and i made stefan come with me the next day, just in case the coyote showed up again.

while the other adults enjoyed their ski and snowboard runs on the white powder, the little ones had fun in ski class.

the spectacular“Snowghosts” (snow caked trees) create a magical backdrop in this winter playground

the end of the day relaxation...

kai's favourite part of the weekend was skiing the moguls with his dad

kai's other favourite part of the weekend was hanging out with his buddy jacob

the last time we were in big white kai was very little, just 4 months old.

carnations

kai and i did an experiment from the big book of science things to make and do.  we picked up white carnations and placed them in water mixed with food colouring.  see the results after just a few days. we both thought it was very cool.

knitting #2

kai completed his scarf - turned -neck warmer! isn't it awesome? he wears it alot, i think he may be a little proud of his newly acquired skill. i certainly am. i love his 'decorations' (what i call his 'knitting mistakes'). we also made bookmarks.

kai's first knitting project

kai's bookmark

my bookmark

brilliant bangs

how i wish i could wear bangs like these women below.  sigh.

image from this awesome jewellery line... love the necklace. 
isn't the blue string perfect?

 

the above two images came via the blog down and out chic

happy valentine's day



kai used this image for his valentine cards



avalanche warning

my weekend snowshoe hike was cut short due to weather.  so instead, while kai skied, i retreated to the chalet for a nice warm chai and a book.

and, a happy birthday to my sister mary!

cuddlebugs

when stefan is away, kai sleeps with me.  it's the best to wake up next to him and watch him slowly rouse out of sleep and then be greeted with a smile.  it was a rainy day today and therefore very hard to remove ourselves from bed. 



however, kai had a commitment to play soccer and i was providing the snacks for today's game. stefan is still away so no home-baked cookies for the players, i picked up some store-bought ones instead.

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kai is in the stripped hat

the snack bag

olympic anniversary

one year ago this weekend vancouver hosted the winter olympics.  my favourite part of that time was the beautiful energy in the city, overhearing the different languages being spoken, and watching the accomplishments of amazing athletes. here's a peek of the city back then.



kai's favourite olympic mascot, miga









the olympic torch









entertainers at granville island







visiting olympic mascots on ice







street corner







the bay department store





celebrating team canada's win





celebrating team canada's win





celebrating team canada's win





granville street bridge closed for celebration





athletes' temporary home





store windows welcome visitors





building given a facelift with canadian flag





the olympic line from the olympic village to granville island