lego wall

for a long time now i have had a photo of a lego wall (riped from a magazine) attached to the fridge with the intent to do something like it for kai.  i googled 'lego wall' and found this image from the ohdeedoh site.  very cool, but i am not sure i would devote an entire wall to lego.

well, i tried... it lasted for a few days then the whole thing fell down late at night. i think the weight of some of the sections kai was building his master pieces must have been too heavy.  thankfully, i used only 9 plates for a half wall we have by the kitchen. to adhere the lego plates i used sticky strips. i have also read velcro works too. perhaps i will give it another go. 

jericho beach park

we spent the day today at jericho beach participating in pedalheads' treasure hunt.  pedalheads is a summer bike camp that kai has been a part for many years.  they put on a treasure hunt event every spring.  clues lead the kids from bike challenge to bike challenge.  there was lots of riding and prezzies at the end, much to kai's delight.

jericho beach is a popular destination in the kitsilano neighbourhood.  it's sandy beach is surrounded by a park that is home to a lovely duck pond.  the views of downtown and stanley park are gorgeous.  the jericho sailing club is located here so sailboats and windsurfers are plentiful.  rabbits can be seen hopping around here too!  we have fun with kai spotting them (and we always forget to bring carrots!).

after the pedalheads event, we ate at the sailing club, their restaurant the galley is quite good and the view is spectacular.  this is a place we often bring visitors.  then we had a little football match before heading home.  it was such a lovely afternoon and so nice to be sunkissed!
 

flower shop in the kitsilano neighbourhood

hide and seek

it took stefan a very long time to find kai and lucy!

leaving the nest

a mama and papa bird decided to make their home in the tree outside our front door.  i think they were careless and perhaps should have considered scoping out the neighbourhood before settling down in their new home.  and certainly before pushing their fledgling out of the nest to begin its independent life! 

for the past couple of days, the cute fledgling has been wandering about our place trying to get flight.  apparently, it takes a few days.  in the meantime, our cats hope to catch the baby bird before it finds its wings.  the cats have been attacked by mama and papa when the cats get too close.  rest assured that once they left their little one all alone to fend for itself, the cats were kept indoors at all times. 

i am glad the birds in the nest have dispersed, it was noisy!  but i am also glad to have witnessed nature outside my front door.  i think the fledgling will be okay.  it tries and tries to fly and soon it will.  it will learn to find its own food (the mama, while here, fed her little one).  it will find adventures once it takes flight, and eventually mate and have its own family.  this made me think about kai and i am not looking forward to the day that my little 'fledging' leaves the nest...

oprah

oprah broadcasts her final show today.  i will probably watch.  i have not always enjoyed the show but for the most part i must admit that i have.  i especially love the good that the show encourages.  i love how it inspires people to change their life for the better.  i love the life lessons it has shared.

the one thing that deeply resonated with me was when i heard maya angelou say these words (paraphrasing), "when my child walks into a room, he should see my face light up every time."

image from here

some other 'life lessons' from the oprah show that have been a good reminder (in no particular order)...

+ everyone just wants to be seen
+ make your passion into your job
+ instinct is a kind of wisdom
+ gratitude is the better part of joy
+ when people show you who they are, believe them
+ we teach others how we want to be treated
+ doubt means don’t
+ forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different
+ what you give attention to grows
+ it’s not what you’re eating; it’s what’s eating you
+ your experiences are just things that happened to you; they aren’t you
+ this moment is the only one I know for sure I have
+ when you know better you do better
+ never allow yourself to be taken to the second location
+ be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more
+ you are responsible for the energy you bring into this space
+ be the change you want to see in this world
+ you are (worthy) enough

will you watch today?

scenes of a holiday monday

it was a lazy day today.  i like these days of dawdling about the house, tidying, laundering, and gardening.  i want to sit and read and relax but i am not always capable.  i need the house tidy and peaceful before i can engage in such simple activities.  i do take after my mom in this regard.  i have never known her to sit still, from her perspective there is always something to do in the house.
 

i spent most of the time outdoors in our little patio, it needs work.  yes?  there will be a small renovation happening, hopefully sooner than later.  nothing too major, we want to place a gate into the fence so the planter will need to be shorten. i will keep it's rainforest/japenese appearance. i love how these plants show up each year seemingly effortlessly.  my kind of garden!

i did plant some herbs.  i am trying basil again (as i do every season) and hopefully this time i will be lucky.  i have not been able to successful grow that herb!  i welcome any tips... please.



we have discovered lego games; they are so much fun.  highly recommended!

even loki had a relaxing day...

  

just because they made me smile

available from here

(and thinking about getting one for stefan :))

vanier park

it's actually not raining cats and dogs and so we headed outdoors (it is possible for the vancouver weather to change without any notice!).  we took lucy, the best-next-door-neighbours' daughter, with us for a ride along the seawall to vanier park. 

     

freezbie and crab catcher

vanier park is one of the most scenic parks. located on a peninsula, the park has waterfront views of false creek, english bay and downtown vancouver.  vanier park is home to the museum of vancouver, the h.r. macmillan space centre, and hosts a number of summer festivals (i.e. bard on the beach). it is a great place for kiting too.

the canucks

i have not watched hockey since living at home.  the game was on the television all of the time during the hockey season (the boys ruled what was watched in the house).  i remember watching the toronto maple leafs with my dad.  i remember having a crush on darryl sittler. i remember the nail-biting playoffs (at a time when toronto was great). 

image from here

i am remembering all this because the vancouver canucks are in the playoffs.  it seems everyone is talking about it, excited by it, and wearing the jersey.  what i love about it is the happy energy everywhere in the city.  it is really nice.

image from here

the oldest of my two brothers was a huge fan and i thought it would be fun to have kai make him a card about the fact that the canucks were in the playoffs and the maple leafs were not.  as the little sister, i think i am entitled to poke some fun - i did have to endure hockey season after hockey season after all!

playdate

after sports day today, kai invited a few of his classmates over for a play (school ended early).  i love the energy and chaos of having kids running about the house.  kai is a good friend and i love watching him interact with his buddies.  the giggles are the best!