a dream dressing room

hmmm, i wonder if a dressing room like this one would 

make it easier to get dressed in the mornings?

bathroom visit

one boy

a bed of cushions

a blanket

2 cats and a litter box

sleep

image by stefan (i'm still asleep), who found kai asleep in the bathroom.

tennis and cherries

kai is spending his first week of camp at the community centre on granville island.  he explores the local beaches and pools and plays outdoor games.  it's a long and tiring day and he sleeps well at the end of it.  today, after i picked him up, we hung out at granville island trying to play tennis (we weren't so good) and eating cherries (we were very good at).  we then met up with stefan for some dinner at edible bc (yes, twice in one week!).

some images of granville island and our visit:

i loved this couple napping in the middle of the comings and goings of granville island visitors

 

 

cherry stained lips from cherry eating!

 

don't you love the dog riding in the wagon? 

  

this is a regular stop when at granville island, a tiny playground we have spent many hours playing at over the years

 

  

 
 

i appreciate you

i love visiting beansprouts, a local children's store (new and consignment). you can always find the perfect little something for your little one. i also love their website. in particular, i love the song playing on it, 'i appreciate you'. sometimes i visit the site just to hear it. it's a catchy, kid-geared song recorded by a father and his son. have a listen, you can download it for free here.

finally, a weekend with family

melanie, stefan's sister, and her family spent the weekend with us!  they arrived from spain and hope to not go back.  they decided a couple of years ago to move their family to british columbia and i am giddy with happiness.  the one and only thing that was missing for me living in vancouver was family.  they started the audacious immigration process one year ago and should hear whether they stay or not before the end of the summer.  we are hopeful!  in the meantime, they have house swapped and plan to spend the summer on the island.

but first, they hung out in vancouver.  we had fun lounging around the house, catching up, kids playing like they have been hanging out together all the time, eating well.  i loved the chaos. it reminded me of dinners at my mom's house when my siblings and their families would gather.  i always looked forward to those days.  sometimes, i think i need to pinch myself to ensure i am not dreaming this.  will kai really have his cousins just a ferry ride away?  will i be able to hang out with melanie whenever i want?  it seems all a bit surreal!

ruben, 9 years old

maya, 7 years old

india, 5 years old

melanie (i can't believe i don't have a better shot of her!)

craig, brother-in-law

diego

we spent the day at granville island playing in the waterpark followed by a yummy lunch at one of it's new restaurant, edible bc.

 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 

a few images at home:

 
 

messy knots

i have been told all my life that i have great hair. it's healthy, thick (although not as thick as it was when i was 16), long, and it has some wave. but inevitably someone will wonder why i don't do anything with it. wash, brush, and go - that's my hair routine.  i really don't do much with it. i fantasize about it but it seems like such effort when i could simply wear it down or put it back in a ponytail. recently, i came across a few hairdo tutorials in the land of blogs.  i am loving the knot.  who knows, maybe i will give one of these a try one day.

      

              

(top two images from here.  bottom two from here.) 

i tried

cooking is simply not my thing.  it's stefan's thing.  it's my mom's thing. it's my sister's thing.  it's not mine.  i tried cooking this mango curry from the nigella express cookbook.  thank you stefan for eating it; it wasn't very good.  there have been times that he simply cannot consume what i have cooked.  true story.