Bronwyn turned 10 - Happy Birthday!

Hard to believe that my little girl turned 10 last Saturday! She partied the night away with her friends, Cammi, Gala, Emma...and also Nicky and River.

I have to say, it was way more crazy than I thought it would be! I saw a different side to the kids...as if I was seeing what 10 year olds are like in the 'wild'. They shrieked and giggled and yelled and danced around like mad. I wish I'd got video of their freeze dance game. It was hilarious as they moved and gyrated and tried to imitate what they think of as teenage or cool. Mike and I were very much in the background. In fact, we were hiding in the kitchen, drinking our moonshine and exchanging looks of shock and horror; "Really? these are our little kids!" They know way more than I thought they did! Mike made his oreo/cream cake in the shape of a number 10 and we supplied pizza, disturbingly pink cream soda, and junk food.

I got them t-shirts and fabric paint (will post a pic) and they all decorated their t-shirts. I managed to smudge every t-shirt in my attempts to hang them to try. "Mummmyyy!" said Bronwyn, as I wrecked yet another masterpiece. "Errr...well, a smudged t-shirt is all part of the memory!" I offered...somewhat apologetically.

They tried to watch Grease. Grease was the first movie I ever went to see without my parents. I think I was about 13. If someone had told me that my daughter would choose that same movie for her 10th birthday xx amount of years later (I cannot do math), I would have been amazed. I am amazed! They only got about half way through. The requirements for movie watching; i.e., sitting still, could not be managed and it quickly deteriorated to giggling, poking and inappropriate talk. Every so often I would creep out of the kitchen and say, "Be appropriate"...but mostly I tried to resist doing that. I'm not good at organizing parties - or being trapped with wild 10 year olds...but I think it all went well.

We got Bronwyn a beautiful blue scooter. A little over budget, but I think she'll get a lot of use out of it. (will post a pic).

River was mostly included, which was great. I wondered if part of the added craziness was the simple addition of Nicky; a 10 year old boy in the group. It seem to make a couple of the girls get even sillier in a kind of game of one-up-man ship in saying outrageous things. I could be wrong. Maybe that's what they are like when let lose and jacked up on cream soda and cake. Anyway, they had fun and I think Bronwyn had a good birthday. There were a few occasions when I saw it was a bit much for her. She looked over at me at moments with an exasperation as she tried to rally her friends. It was a responsibility that she's not used to. I was pleased to see we weren't completely forgotten...they still wanted us (as adults) to watch this or that. They haven't completely gone over to the other side...still little kids!

No encore, thank you!

I went for a mammogram and ultrasound the other day...always fun! I was hoping for the all-clear...silly me. Oh no, not so fast, you don't get let off that lightly. A few days later I get a call from BCCA.
- 'You need to come in for an ultra-sound guided biopsy. Monday at 11:00am.'
- 'Errr...say, whaaat? Okay...what is that?'
- 'It's a biopsy guided by ultra-sound.'
- 'Oh thanks for clearing up my confusion.' So helpful.

Apparently it is ordered by the radiologist and done under local anesthetic; it takes about an hour. That's the amount of information I have been given. So here we go again. Nothing to worry about, lots of women have biopsies. Only it is not so easy for me to say that now. I was disappointed, to say the least. Called back in for yet another examination on the other breast. Excuse my language but...fuck that! I'm hoping they're just being hyper-vigilant, as they should be, but really? But do I need this? No I fucking do not!! Deep breaths...and try not to think about it. At least I will get another opportunity to flutter my eye-lashes at the handsome Oncologist...joke! I would never do anything like that. It would be very unprofessional and I take my patient responsibilities very seriously. I debated whether to say anything to anyone; sympathy and concern are not always welcome because we'd rather not need either. But of course I appreciate it is well meaning. And it is always nice to be cared about.

Despite having that in the back of my mind, we had a good week. It has been fun hanging with Jenn and Sapphire and Little River...as well as Nicole and Gala. The girls have had a great time playing in the sun. They seem to have ironed out their differences and are having a good time together. Bronwyn can be very bossy. But I have absolutely no idea where she gets it from.

So I am just trying to look forward to a relaxing weekend with the kids. Weather looks good so we will spend some time at the beach, feed carrots to fat rabbits, and maybe take a trip to Granville Island. And I will try not to think about Monday or any of that.

The Party

Crazy week. Bronwyn turned 7 on Tuesday. The Canucks lost the Stanley Cup and Vancouver erupted in riots...again. I won't start ranting about that. Instead...some pictures from Bronwyn's birthday party. It was a lot of work...but fun. I think next year it will be pizza and a movie with a couple of good friends (actually, I said those exact words last year). I did a bit of preparation this time. The party had a dog theme, of course. I made a dog-bone shaped pinata, a dog-boned shaped cake, dog-boned shaped cookies...AND the pin-the-tail-on-the-dog poster. Oh yes, I was one of those mums. But it was all good fun and relatively easy stuff. Unfortunately, it rained on the day (two years in a row) and so we couldn't do some of the outside stuff we had planned. Oh well. Thanks to Emma, Virginia Mae, Gala, Nicky, and Callum for making the party so much fun. Here are some pictures.

First the pinata..shoe box, newspaper, duct tape and paint. It did take a while to break...

The cake was a mixture of "Devil's Food" and "Golden Yellow". I am not sure exactly what flavour "Golden Yellow" is. At first glance it sounds like some kind of fetish thing rather than the description of a cake. Devil's Food is Chocolate as you can tell by the translation into French on the packet. I'm the first to admit my French is bad, but even I know that Chocolat is not the French word for "Devil's Food". At least it describes it though. What flavour exactly is Yellow? It did taste good though.

The careful observer will note that the cake is a beach scene...you got that straight away, I'm sure.  More pics...

The ever-popular "dance-freeze"

 

pin-the-tail-on-the-dog...

Watermelon and candy...the perfect combination

 

The finale...present opening. Phew, almost there.

Unfortunately, Father's Day had to be postponed to a future weekend. Poor Mark! This weekend was too busy and anyway Mark had to work. So we will plan something for the next weekend or so.

Oh what fun we had!

We had so much fun this weekend when I went camping with Bronwyn and her friend Nicky. Up until the last minute we thought the weather was going to be terrible, and I almost cancelled. Even as we left there was a hailstorm in Vancouver. No point in going on about the crappy, rainy Spring weather we have been experiencing. 

Having fun in the rain on the lakeside trail

As it turned out, the rain came and went and by Saturday afternoon it had gone completely. Sunday was a beautiful warm and sunny day. The kids had a blast and so did I. It was actually more fun than I anticipated. They are good friends and just listening to their conversations was worth the trip. A little portal into the world of 6 year old kids with few constraints on their time, and when they are free to explore, make discoveries, get dirty, and have fun.

The above picture was taken after they been jumping, fully clothed, into a mud pit. Bronwyn is trying to help Nicky take his mud and water filled boots off. I tried to stay in the background; providing (near constant) food, clean clothes, some safety tips (NO! you cannot cross the rapids on that unstable slippery log) and a goodnight kiss.

They both posed for this picture...very cute

We went on a couple of long walks and even found a trail that we didn't know existed. It was a lovely gentle walk around the other side of the lake that led to a fast flowing stream, which I believe is called Mahood Creek. Nicky carried slugs along, much to the shrieking delight and grossed-outness of Bronwyn.

The amazing Slug-boy!

 The Spring run off is in full force and the water was churning and frothing; flowing noisily around rocks and fallen logs. We could hear the roar of the running water get louder as we approached. It was quite impressive and the kids had a great time jumping rocks and throwing stones and sticks into the torrent.

Racing sticks through the torrent

 

From there we scrambled up a hill and found ourselves on a logging road. We explored the area for a while. There was a curious clay underfoot...it moved and turned liquid when we stepped on it. Bronwyn and Nicky were fascinated by it.  However, the kids, and me, found the area kind of eerie. Nicky said, "This is like a place in a dream. If I was dreaming that I was here, then I'd probably pee my bed." I knew what he meant. It did have a strange, otherworldly feeling. I suppose trees are meant to be there, not stumps and piles of discarded wood. An odd, but interesting, landscape.

Later, as promised, I said we could go fishing. Bronwyn and Nicky wanted to fish off the dock, but I knew we wouldn't catch any fish there. Still, they insisted; some universal image they both had in mind that one must fish off a dock. There is a spot just around the lake that is good for fishing. Anyway, they only lasted about 5 minutes before they tired of it and ran off, calling back to me to let them know when I caught a fish. Which, of course, I didn't....because I was fishing off the dock. Sigh. Bronwyn held the rod briefly...but that was about it for her.

They really had a lot of fun splashing in the mud puddle at the campsite. Sliding down a log and landing thigh deep in a mud pit...I doubt their clothes will ever come clean again. But that's okay. I just hope that their memories of our trip will last at least as long as the mud stains on their clothes.

A little blurred...but Bronwyn's smile is priceless

 

But can you eat them?

Mark went camping this weekend so it was just me and the kids. On Saturday we joined a Children's Edible Herb Walk led by our friend, and herbalist, Nicole (who is also an amazing henna artist). It was the inaugural walk and I think it was a success. It's a great idea and the kids loved it. Nicole focussed on herbs found in local parks and gardens that are edible and we sample a small selection at Jericho Park. The kids were excited to try eating different plants, and curious about what they could and could not eat. The parents also had fun. I will try adding daisy petals or rose-hip petals to my next salad. And you can cook and eat dandelion leaves. There is lots that are edible. I look forward to the next walk. I only managed to take a couple of pics. I would have taken more, but I spent a good bit of time running after River who was more interested in exploration than in herbs.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach; kids keeping busy as only kids can. The concession stand was open even though it was a somewhat chilly day. I am eagerly anticipating summer; tanned and salty, snacking on fries at the end of a "hard" day spent playing, lounging, and swimming at Jericho Beach. Bliss.

Spring Break 2011

No updates for a while...no reason. I haven't really been in the mood to write much of anything. And that's just how it goes sometimes.

We are now on Spring break...almost at the end of the first week, in fact. A recap on the recent week. Quiet weekend. Bronwyn went to a party on Saturday and I have no idea what we did on Sunday. On Monday Bronwyn and I did some errands. See...that's why I didn't update.The excitement is too much to put into words.

On Tuesday I planned to take the kids on the skytrain...a first for both of them. We also invited Nicky along. His mum had an unfortunate incident involving her dirt-bike and a tree which resulted in a broken leg. Mike was back and forth to the hospital. She is home now and recovering well. We had a good day out. River loves the bus and Bronwyn and Nicky had a good time playing around. Taking the skytrain is an interesting experience, in more ways than one. I hadn't taken the skytrain in over 10 years. It's fun to "fly" over the tops of the houses and parks and factories. Fun if you do it once every few years I suppose, and not if it's your miserable daily commute to a grey cubicle inside a grey concrete block day after day...year after year.

Bronwyn and Nicky taking flight

 

New West, unfortunately, is a dump. For those that know Grimsby, it is like the end of Freemo where the dole office used to be (maybe still is) and the scary Rainbow pub (I think it was called). And the small greasy spoon cafe that my friend and I used to go to after we'd signed. Making one cup of tasteless instant coffee last a couple of hours. It was run by a woman with 5 sons, a couple of whom used to regularly beat her up and steal money etc. Pleasant little flashback. We walked along the main street looking for somewhere to eat (that didn't look scary, or wasn't a bar). Fabulous buildings. New Westminster was once the big thriving centre of BC. Then along came the Canadian Pacific Railway, reaching all the way to Vancouver in the late 1800s and New West lost out. It seems as though there was once an opportunity for it to avoid becoming a dump, but things have been allowed to decay; cheap stores selling cheap rubbish, bars that mostly operate during the day, lots of wedding shops (for some strange reason), and greasy spoons. Not much character and virtually no charm that I could detect. I apologize if anyone from New Westminster, who is proud of their town, reads this. I know what it is like when your town is called a dump so I can kind of sympathize...except that I happened to agree. Westminster quay and the "market" (I think there have to actually be vendors in order for a place to qualify as a "market") was completely deserted. We still had a good time and the kids played at the quay for a while, making up their own games. The trip there and back was a lot of fun...interesting people-watching too.

Tugboat "interior" playground leftover from Expo '86

 

New Westminster quay

On Thursday I took Bronwyn and her friend Gala on a trip to Steveston. It was a really grand day out.  A treasure hunt in the charity store, a play at the playground (Steveston has a really cool playground), a trip to the candy store AND the toy store.

 Bronwyn found this treasure...

Not sure what to say about this...it's errr...interesting

 They had a lot of fun and so did I. Steveston really is a good place to visit. And the sun came out!

Gala balancing on the teeter-totter at Steveston Playground

 

Hanging around

The boardwalk

"I love you Anchor"...to quote Bronwyn. She loves me too.

Weekend escapes

Not a bad weekend. Escaped for a sleepover at Michelle's on Friday night. We stayed up until the early hours drinking and eating; blueberry crepes at 1:30am anyone? Why not. Watched the A-Team movie...good bubblegum for the brain (I was a big fan of the A-Team), and re-runs of Seinfeld and Friends. I would post a picture of us...but it's not pretty. We decided that our new slogan should be, "No one gets hurt laying on the couch". This is a direct response to my ongoing saga of injuries as a result of trying to be healthy and active.

Bronwyn had her own sleepover at her friend Emma's on Saturday night. They went swimming and saw a movie. This is a lot for Bronwyn who burns out very quickly. She had a great time...but was very, very tired on Sunday (and this means that she is beyond cranky with the rest of us). On Sunday I took Bronwyn to the Museum of Anthropology to see the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival. We saw them a while back (actually 2 years ago...wow, time goes by fast) and she still talks about them. I promised I would take her. It was well worth it. We watched the dancers for about an hour and a half. They were excellent; great dances and movements, and fascinating stories. The costumes and masks were stunning. Of course the batteries for my camera ran out...so I couldn't get many decent pictures. At least that meant I could concentrate on watching and enjoying.

We ran into Mike, Sarah, Nicky and extended family while we were there. Nicky was running around in a batman costume with yellow wellies on...pretty funny.

Otherwise we are just experiencing shock, along with the rest of the world, at the horrendous devastation in Japan. It is unbelievable.

Robert's Creek

Bronwyn and I had a really fun weekend on the Sunshine Coast. We went to Robert's Creek to visit our friends, Laurie, Dave and Laurie's daughter, Odelia. We haven't seen each other in quite some time so it was great to visit and get re-connected. I think we'll take another trip during Spring break and take River along too. It was a pretty crappy weekend, weather-wise; cold temperatures, a dumping of snow on Saturday that fast turned to slush, and rain. But Bronwyn and I got the ferry on Saturday morning and sailed over. We met up with Laurie and Odelia in Gibsons and took the girls for a horse-riding lesson.

 This was Bronwyn's first time on a pony and she loved it (in her own understated way). She got to groom the pony, Lilly, and then saddle her.

Cleaning the hooves

Odelia and Violet

She looked so proud of herself as she was riding. She even got to trot a little bit. Laurie and I watched nearby, gradually loosing all feeling in our feet. It was cold!

Off to the trail...

An apple treat for Lilly when they finished

We stopped of at a new knitting store opened just outside of Gibsons (Laurie is a fellow knitter) and had a look around much to the excitement of Bronwyn and Odellia (not!). Bronwyn: imploringly "Are we going to stay here forever?" She also announced loudly that I was not permitted to buy any more yarn because I had enough already and needed to finish my projects. Thanks, conscience...I'm glad I brought you along!

Laurie and Dave have a lovely place in Robert's Creek and we hung out there for the rest of the weekend. Odelia entertained Bronwyn the whole time and Bronwyn was very enamoured with her 12-year old friend. I loved watching the interaction between Brownyn and Odelia. Odelia is so patient and kind with Bronwyn, and Bronwyn is trying so hard to be a big girl and say something that would interest Odelia, or make her laugh. They had fun.

They have a gorgeous dog named, Cooper. He is mellow and well-behaved...and big. He's only 18mths so still a bit of a puppy, or rather he thinks he is a puppy. They also have 2 cats and a bird. Bronwyn loved it! "The House of Pets" she renamed their place.

It was great for me to catch up with Laurie. We used to hang out a lot and do all kinds of arts and crafts together. It was a lot of fun. Her place has a wonderful art studio and they also have a workshop (Dave makes guitars, kayaks...almost anything. He is an excellent wood-worker. I really hope we can get over there more often. We had a lazy Sunday morning and then headed out on a walk down to the shore.

Bronwyn, Odelia, Laurie, Dave...and Cooper