making memories in beautiful b.c.

We just returned from BC, where we enjoyed a lovely weekend with Grandmom again. Lydia joined us this time, which was great; although it means extra bickering about who gets to sit next to auntie for each and every meal and ride in the car, it is still, of course, a pleasure to spend time together.

Since we bought a membership to the Vancouver Aquarium last time we went, and also didn't get to see all the creatures, we decided to return for another visit. Saturday dawned bright and clear, and we packed a picnic and planned to spend time outdoors in the beautiful, 1000 acre Stanley Park (wherein lies the aquarium) before going inside. Grandmom was game enough to come along, but stayed in the van for our long walk along the sea-wall, as she thought it far too cold!

Josiah was so pleased to find this little fox head hiding under and overhang. As we started our walk along the sea-wall, he decided to be uncharacteristically daring and walk right on the ledge the entire way. The tide was up, and in some places a little deep, but I decided we could save him if in fact he fell, so didn't say anything and let him proceed. I was so pleased though to still be dry by the end of the first leg.

We set the Lion's Gate Bridge as our goal, and the children made it with ease. What a varied and beautiful view...

We jumped off on a dry spot under the bridge to look at the shells and rocks.

After a little less enthusiasm on the return walk (isn't it always that way?) we fetched Grandmom, coaxed her from the warm van, and enjoyed our picnic in the brisk sunshine. Then we headed over the the aquarium. I couldn't resist snapping the picture below- a "green wall" on the side of the aquarium that I am just smitten with- the sort of thing I love. I know I must never consider building one as my dear husband is completely against plants of any sort touching structures, heaven forbid growing right out of them, but isn't it a beautiful thing? I look forward to watching it fill in over the years.

Josiah was thrilled to see the octopus, which he was so upset about missing last time. It was truly amazing. I won't add anything else about the sea life as not to steal Eva's thunder if she wants to blog about it! :)

I think this looks like a sunset behind Grandmom, but it is really a crocodile habitat.

A real, lovely sunset was happening on our way home to Langley. We were all worn out from our active day. Lydia snuggled with the girls in the back seat, and Grandmom read to Josiah off and on and looked at his "bug cards" with him. They were talking about something, and she couldn't remember what something was called. Josiah looked at her with concern and said, "Grandmom, do you have Alzheimer's?" "Yeah!" Naomi chimed in from the back. "I've been wondering the same thing. You always get our names mixed up with each other! Do you?" Grandmom laughed gleefully for a good while, and then replied that, thankfully, no; she had been doing that for a very very long time. She usually called their daddy, when he was a little boy, by saying, "Owen,Aaron,Gabe,Jason!" I told them they ought to feel grateful that their great-grandmother had such a good sense of humor.

the truth in love

So I've already posted about our trip to BC, but a few things came out Josiah's mouth that I just can't let be forgotten...

#1- Josiah and I were alone in Grandmom's kitchen, looking at the pictures on her fridge...

"Mama who are those people in this picture?"

"That is Siphiwe, and that is Grandmom."

"Huh! That does NOT look like Grandmom! Is she still old in that picture?"

"Um, well, one goes from being young to old, and doesn't go back to being young, so..."

"Well, how long HAS she been old? Like, dozens of years?"

"Why don't you just run upstairs and ask her!" (He did)

#2 Josiah in the back doorway with Grandmom, and spots some tools she had been using outside

"Grandmom, whose tools are those?

"Those are mine, dear."

"Yours! You can't have tools- you don't do any work!!"

"Ha! I do plenty of work, dear!"

"But you CAN'T do work- if you did, you would be strong! And really, you're an old lady!"

(Thank God for Grandmom's great sense of humor and ready laugh!)

#3 We had just returned from hours at Dim Sum. Josiah had barely survived the near torture of staying seated while "yucky things" plopped onto his plate, and looking longingly at the tanks of cool sea creatures (to look at! not EAT!) who were calling him over for a visit. Finally home after NOT eating, he was very hungry... Grandmom cheerfully opened two tins full of little cookies for him to eat at will. He sighed in pleasure, bit into a sugary cookie, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly with his hand on his chest, he said, "Oh, Grandmom... These cookies just bless my heart."

busy in british columbia

This weekend we made the trek up to B.C. to visit Grandmom. She has been looking forward to our arrival, and planning carefully to spoil the kids. She bought two packages of bacon to fry for Josiah (He was thrilled- "I can even eat two strips at once!" he said. ) and had a lot of overripe bananas to make the highly acclaimed and expected banana fritters. It was wonderful to spend the weekend with her, though we packed it full of activity and it passed too quickly.

The children love to hear Grandmom's stories- she tells them, usually accompanied with a song- late into the night. We arrived at her house at 9:30 pm, but the kids got a burst of energy, of course, and she said they could all sleep with her. They scurried into their jammies, and asked for some water- Naomi said discreetly to me "Apparently Grandmom doesn't have a kitchen sink! I'm glad to see she has one in the bathroom!" Confused about her misperception, I questioned her, and she told me that Grandmom had poured her a drink from a little jug. Naomi, having read so extensively about foreign lands (and Canada being one) just assumed she had fetched it from a well somewhere. I had to explain that actually Grandmom just has a filtration system, which we don't. Finally ready for "sleep," they laid in bed (and I later heard, jumped on the bed) and heard stories for hours... Jason and I fell asleep quickly, but just before drifting off, I heard from the next room "Once upon a time there was a shepherd boy named David..." and my heart was glad. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how blessed my children are, and most of this is because they are surrounded by so many dear people who love them completely.

The next day, after Josiah had his fill of bacon, we went to Dim Sum with Grandmom's Taiwanese neighbor, Landy. She wants to take us to her favorite restaurant every time we visit. We enjoyed sampling all the different treats- the girls were quite adventurous and tried nearly everything but the chicken feet. Josiah was adventurous for him, and tried the "outside white part" of a few things. Jason enjoyed one of his childhood favorites, "hum bow." Landy remarked that the hum bow there was not good- nothing like homemade or from Taiwan, and she didn't usually order it. For dessert, we tried to order mango pudding, but it never came by. Landy said that it was easy to make, and she would come over that evening to teach us how. Well evening came, and she kept calling mysteriously to delay her arrival. When she finally came over at 9:30, she was carrying a steaming plate of homemade hum bow! She wanted Jason to try the real thing. It was truly far superior to the restaurant version. Homemade bread dough filled with gingery seasoned ground pork and perfectly shaped into a decorative dumpling- no easy feat! As Grandmom said, "Do you see what sort of person Landy is!?" Her generosity is inspirational.

Sunday we headed off to the Vancouver Aquarium, one of Jason's favorite places to visit as a child. It is a great aquarium, and we were all fascinated by the variety of life inside. The kids could have spent the entire time in one room- they never wanted to move on from a display. A highlight was seeing the baby beluga, just born this June. Brings the much loved Raffi tune to life!

After a few hours at the aquarium, the kids were "starving," but, cheapskate parents we are, we couldn't bring ourselves to buy even one order of french fries for $5.95, so we loaded them up hungry, and promised food soon. Poor Josiah doesn't do too well with hunger and fatigue, and when we got about 45 minutes down the road, all of the sudden I felt his hand on my arm! He had just unbuckled himself and walked right up to the front of the van because he was so sad that he "just wanted to snuggle." I was alarmed at his dangerous behavior, which made him even more upset. Just when you think you know what your kids will and won't do... Anyway, he got some food shortly, and was a different boy.

We stopped to buy ten salmon from a family friend who fishes the river in Fort Langley; they are great looking fish, and comparatively local- exciting to have them in the freezer for winter! Then we took Grandmom home, and said our farewells. As Eva said wistfully, "It's hard to say goodbye." Grandmom is so dear to us, and we would love to see her more, but will cherish the time we have with her, however short.