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!!