Vacation Part 3 - Seattle

We arrived at Mom and Dad Israelson's house Sunday evening and headed straight to the Woodland Park Zoo the following day. Little Tucan Sam and his friend, above. Not so little lioness. We all took turns pushing and chasing these two around for over four hours! The penguins were pretty cool:) Atalie's first ride on a Merry-Go-Round. Atalie poses with Nana infront of her favorite animal. Who doesn't love otters? The kids squealed with delight as they raced to and from each side, trying to keep up with the otters. That evening Atalie helped Papa pick blackberries. I think Atalie picked a few and ate a few more;) Tuesday was a full day as we hit the Aquarium, Science Centre, Animalopolis Imax and finally the Space Needle. Above, Atalie touches the starfish in the child-friendly tank:) Nemo had his very own tank. More starfish:) The Salmon Ladder. They hatch salmon here year-round. This tank was in the shape of a dome so you could look around about 360 degrees and above as well. There were huge fish, star fish, small octopus and a couple sharks. I'd feel pretty small too;) Watching the sea otters play. The Science Centre was a hit, mainly b/c of all the toys... nothing was really learned I suspect. The Animalopolis Imax was fun though and the kids had a lot of good laughs during it:) This thing above is a big submarine with a slide coming out of it. They didn't want to leave! More toys... at least they're interactive toys;) )Perhaps the only lesson learned here was, "for every action there is a reaction". ? Space Needle... obviously. The highlight of our day. Sitting down for a coffee! ...I am slowly going crazy... one two three four five size - switch! Finding seashells by the seashore. Forget the seashells. Play in the seashore! The beach is always a good time:) Okay this one is good. We celebrated Aiden's 2nd Birthday while in Seattle so Mom put two fireworks in his cake (ran out of candles - who wouldn't think to use fireworks instead???). He couldn't take his eyes off the cake until the fireworks were lit. Then he was off! Kevin had to chase after him and bring him back so we could finish singing Happy Birthday to him and take a few pictures. Poor guy ~ hahaha... we couldn't help but laugh of course... and poor Nana and Papa ~ the only other birthday they've been to of the kids' was Atalie's 2nd Birthday and she cried when we lit the sparkler. We had to stop singing and convince her of her safety. Oh my children. The after-results of using fireworks on a birthday cake. Just don't. Trust us. It seems like a good idea at the time (and Nana's reputation really has gone up in the adventure category!) but every bite you take afterwards will taste like the smell of Yellowstone National Park. Haven't been there? Well, then imagine your last trip to the hotsprings, multiplied by a hundred. Haha!!!! We scraped the top off the kids' cake so they wouldn't cringe... we, on the other hand, insisted on eating around the sulfuric flakes but couldn't seem to get every last molicule... it was bittersweet! But mostly bitter... with a lot of laughter!! Aiden and Atalie CAN sit still for a picture!?!? Unpresidented!!! :) Kevin and Mom light the rest of the fireworks we didn't eat. Aiden opens his gift! A Little People car/garage. Aiden LOVES cars and trucks! He is a boy thru and thru. How we feel after a week of vacation. Ok, not really;) Self portrait of our growing little family:)

Vacation Part 2 - Wedding

We arrived in Kelowna in time to have dinner with both our and Jana's family on Friday. The Eidse's have a beautiful home on a vineyard, close to Summerhill Winery (who they supply with grapes) on the South bank of Kelowna. The wedding, reception and evening concert took place in their yard outside. It was a lot of fun and a georgous day! Overlooking Okanagan Lake. We all arrived to be accessorized in mustaches. Sounds like a Tyler/Jana idea;) Way too funny:) ...I AM wearing a top, just to be clear!! ;) Setting up for the wedding. Tyler and Jana each spent time with their own friends and family Saturday morning on the wedding. It was great to hang out with my little brother beforehand on his "big day" to have some breaky, converstion, fun and prayer. Water seems to be a good thing to migrate towards.. especially in the hot and sunny Okanagan!! Greg, Kevin, Tyler and Trevor, having a bit of fun... Good times!! Atalie is a pro at entertaining herself... she's playing with rocks, oh so innocently:) Aiden has always been good at entertaining himself as well... in a much less orderly fashion;) Mom and Dad catching up with Jan and his girlfriend. A great start to the day! Atalie looks less than impressed about this photo but it's only due to the fact that she hasn't had much sleep in the past 24 hours. She was actually in great spirits and looked cuter than ever, of course;) My family on my Mom's side, minus a few cousins. Tyler, looking especially suave;) walks up with Mom and Dad to meet Jana. Jana, beautiful as she could be, with her parents. The lei's she's wearing were brought with (and made by) her sister from Hawaii... Jana gave the dark green one to Tyler as they joined up front. Jana's family. She's the second to be married in her family, with 4 other sisters and 1 brother. Waiting for the ultra organized, uber speedy photographer to take our photos. Really, you had to snap to it or you'd get into trouble! This guys rules!!!! He's on his own now;) Sharing their vows which they each wrote. A little smooch to seal the deal =) And a (very cute) curtsy, of course! WOOHOO!! Married alas:) Congrats Tyler and Jana!! We couldn't be happier for you! Reception included a VERY yummy BBQ!! These chairs were cleared for the evening concert, the musicians of whom were friends of Tyler and Jana. It was a beautiful evening being able to sit under the stars in the warm Okanagan air... a georgous lake view behind you, live music infront and friends & family all around:) So much fun! There was even a little dancin' at this mennonite wedding;) hahahaaa! Perfect details lit up the night:)