Trip To BC Part 4

Actually, this time the title should read Trip to Lynden, Washington, for that is where we stayed from Friday to Sunday. This is where our very dear friends, Ryan and Michelle, live. There is a whole lot to this friendship but I will save that for a post all on its own :o)

We got to their place in the morning sometime and before Michelle and I could blink our eyes, the kids were gone together, picking up where they left off last year when Ryan and Michelle visited us, and Ryan took Nathan on a hike. That left lots of time for Michelle and I to catch up, even though we do this every couple of weeks for hours on the phone :)

Nothing against Ryan, Michelle and the boys, but this trip was planned to meet a very special little girl, Anna, whom Ryan and Michelle adopted last fall from China. We of course brought her a few gifts...

After picking up the kids from school, Michelle treated us to ice cream! Lincoln refused to sit with us and the "little" kids, but promptly plopped himself between the big boys, Joel and Tyler. Or Joeler. Or Tylel. Yes, it took Lincoln all weekend long to enunciate "Joel" and "Tyler" as two separate names. He kept combining their names into one!

 

While we indulged in some tasty sweets, Ryan and Nathan were sweating it out on quite a hike:

 

 

That night, Michelle and I had organized for people in her church to participate in the Stewards of Children workshop that I now facilitate. 16 people came out and learned different ways in how to prevent child sexual abuse. It was a very good evening.

I am noticing I never sleep well after facilitating a workshop, and so I am thankful that Ryan and Michelle ky-boshed their original plans for us and let me sleep in. Once I got the sand out of my eyes, we hopped in the car and followed them to Boulevard Park, where we could stroll about, play at the park and watch trains go by - Lincoln was beyond thrilled.

 (don't worry - Nathan and Ryan are right beside Lincoln as he watched the trains go by)

 Keziah absolutely fell in love with Anna - taking care of her, playing with her, and just enjoying Anna's company. Slides were not Anna's favourite thing, but after going down with Keziah a few times, Anna was very excited to go down by herself!

It was a beautiful spot to spend a couple of hours and we are thankful Ryan and Michelle took us there.

Sunday was spent at church and together, hanging out and having fun. Ryan taught us all his Hotdog game. I have a video of this but I think I better ask him first for permission. Believe me when I say it is hilarious!!

 

They found out that Keziah has been saving every coin she finds for a trampoline, so before we left to go back to our rental, they were sure to give her a zip-lock bag full of coins.....they are Canadian coins, not American. If they were American coins, I think that trampoline would be bought and paid for!

It was a fantastic weekend together. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. We have been through thick and thin and we look forward to years ahead of being there for one another, even if we live in different countries. We love you guys!!

Trip To BC Part 3

After resting our weary legs from all the walking we did yesterday, we figured it was time for a hike! Every mountain and hill we have passed, the kids have asked to hike it. So off we went for a drive and hike up Sumas Mountain.

 

The trees here were just so tall.

After our little hike, we decided to do some off-roading. I mean, we have a rental car so it's the best time to do that, isn't it?!

After some spinning of tires and dodging fallen rocks, we got to the top!

 

 

Of course after all that hiking and driving, we were out of fuel, both car and us. So we stopped to fill up the car first, which was right in front of a rail track. Someone LOVES trains!!

And then much to Lincoln's delight, we found a restaurant also beside the train tracks. "I don't know what I am going to do when my food comes. I can't eat it because I want to watch the trains." Say what?!?! This boy has NEVER turned away from food. Ever. We have found out this trip that trains trump food. I do believe we will be building a train track in our back yard......while there may be an initial cost to doing that, I truly believe we will save money on food in the end! :)

Once we were all full, we hopped back into the car to enjoy some more of the sights that the Fraser Valley has to offer, including making a stop at the side of the Fraser River to throw in some rocks.

 

 

 

 

We made it home just in time to welcome Nathan's dad for supper. He also was visiting the province for work and it happened to be in the weeks that we were here. So he joined us one evening.

Another day done! The next day was Friday and we packed up our bags once again, traveled across the border and stayed with some very dear friends of ours, Ryan and Michelle, for the weekend. As you guessed it - that'll be next time!

Trip to BC Part 2

Wednesday morning woke us up with the sun shining - yay!!! So we packed up and headed down to Vancouver, using the Sky Train. What excitement for our dear boy who loves all things trains! I was much more relaxed once we were on the train - these platforms make my heart stop, especially with a boy who doesn't realize that a yellow line will not catch him!

 

 

We wanted to go to Stanley Park, which meant putting our legs to the test of a very good and brisk walk. We can't get over how green everything is, as well as all the blossoms in bloom! Wow!

 

While I have been to BC a few times, I have never been to Stanley Park. I am glad we could go and see these amazing trees! We also saw some bald eagles!

 

 

 

We enjoyed a very yummy lunch - the kind where you make sure there isn't a crumb left and every ice cube is sucked due to the expense of it all!

And then off to the Aquarium to be amazed at some more of God's astonishing creations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kiss me. I dare you.

And as if that wasn't enough for the day, we thought we would hop the ferry and head to North Vancouver.

 

 

You can imagine we were nearing the end of our energy levels, and so we headed back home. On the way, we were blessed with glimpses of Mt. Baker. Although we had driven this road the past 4 days, this was the first time we got to see it, thanks to the clear weather.

 

Gorgeous. The next day was also going to be nice and sunny and so a hike was in order. Next time!!