Saturday at the PNE

Who's crazy enough to go to the PNE on the last, sunny, Saturday of the summer. Well, that would be The Gimp (Russ is still dealing with a pinched sciatic nerve) and The Prego (I am 24 weeks as of Friday!). But we did it for LOVE! We knew how much Robynn would love to go, and we wanted to do something as a family before I head back to work on Tuesday, so... crazy, crazy, crazy...

Robynn did love it: painting cars, running around the park, the parade, the food! But She loved going on the rides most of all- and waiting for 30 minutes before almost every ride didn't even phase her! She always found a friend to chat with or run around with - and of course there was cotton candy! She had so much fun on all of the rides, well, with the exception of one: the little kid's "Hellavator." When we asked her if she wanted to go on it, she pointed to the real Hellavator beside it and said "I want to go on THAT one!" Well, after the ride, she certainly didn't want to go on it a second time let alone go on the real one!

Russ and I took turns going on some of the rides with Robynn, and some rides she went on all by herself - because she's ALMOST 4 you know! But for the last ride of the day we all went on one of the most harmless rides of all: the Ferris Wheel. I can't even rember the last time I went on a ferris wheel, but I know I won't be going on one again soon. It was SO nerve racking! I was petrified - literally! Russ couldn't even pry my fingers off of the handles. Notice how happy and relaxed Russ and Robynn are compared to the death grip I have on Robynn when she came over to my side of the ride. Needless to say, she wanted to go back to Daddy's side. He was laughing so hard that he even hurt himself further (serves him right!). And Robynn kept saying "This one isn't scarry Mum." Thanks kid.

When all was said and done, we did have a really good family day. Robynn is looking forward to next year (we'll go on a weekday!). She want's to give the "scary ride" another try when she's REALLY 4!

Rain Rain Go Away...

... come back another day.

That has been Robynn's theme song for the past couple of weeks. Last night in prayer, she asked God to give us a sunny day. When she realised this morning that God hadn't answered her prayer, I tried to explain that we don't know the workings of God's mind, and that in this case, all of our trees, flowers, and grasses are getting watered. She was quite apeased with that. Of course, a cup of hot chocolate and Sing Along with Disney's Princesses helped!

Today, was the open house for the new location Preschool/Daycare Robynn attends, so we got to walk over. Unfortunately, when we decided to leave, the sky opened up and poured down on us! We were very wet by the time we got to the there - which is only a 3 minute walk away! Robynn is very excited to be starting there. It's a brand new, fresh, clean, and lots of fun! She said that it is even "more beautifuller than the other one!" We are looking forward to a year of fun and friends - and maybe even a little bit of sunshine!?!

Welcome Baby Susanna!

Congratulations to our friends (Uncle) Dustin, (Miss) Lynda, and Joelle!

Baby Susanna Kate (and don't even try telling Robynn that using only "Susanna" is adequate!) arrived this month! Susanna was born on August 2nd in the wee hours of the morning, and we are so happy to welcome her into the world!

Although I had the great honour of meeting Baby Susanna Kate only a couple of hours after she was born, Robynn patiently (?) waited until Susanna's 3 week birthday before their first greeting. Joelle, Robynn, and Susanna make a beautiful trio, and we all can't wait to see her again soon!

Tulameen '08

Nearly every year the Reid's (yup, all of them!) try to go up to Tulameen for a weekend in August. Usually the weather is iffy, but we always manage to have some fun. This year, with so many kids: Nathan, Geena, Robynn, Grace, Abby, and Baby Isabelle, having an awesome time was a given!



Of course we have to go to the beach - even though it is glaicer fed!!! Who's crazy enough to go swimming? Well, that would be the kids, my husband, and his older brother Greg. The sane ones stayed dry this year. Of course, we sisters-in-law had to forego our annual moonlight skinny dip, because Rachel gave birth to Isabelle only a couple of weeks earlier, and she's not supposed to go into lake water that soon after - but Jodi and I didn't complain...



This year, Robynn's bike was a hit! I hear Grace will be needing one of these contraptions when her birthday comes in October... But Robynn kindly (with a little prodding) shared her bike and helmet with Grace, and the girls with Abby and Uncle Russ made rode or ran back and forth in front of the cabin giggling and having a blast.



I'm sure one of the highlights of this weekend was getting to spend some time with our newest Reid, Baby Isabelle. We didn't really have to worry about who should hold her next, as there was always a line up, and Robynn tried very hard to be at the head of the line up every time! Thank you Isabelle for being so cooperative!



Until next August...

Special Siblings

Joelle and Robynn are honorary siblings. Given that their mothers – Lynda and I – are best of friends, the girls have been in each other’s company since birth. And just like siblings, they play together (usually), share their toys (sometimes), and love each other (always).

Lynda is expecting the arrival of Baby Lew, any day now, and Russ and I offered to have Joelle spend a night. We wanted Lynda and Dustin to have a little time alone, as it’s not likely to happen for some time to come, and we wanted Joelle to feel comfortable staying with us for a night on the chance that she may be doing so in the future when her brother or sister arrives.

One of Joelle and Robynn’s favourite songs, Wish for a Fish by Bobs & Lolo, is about the “great white sturgeon of the mighty Fraser River.” Since we live so close to the Fraser, we took Joelle for a walk to see if we could spot one of these “prehistoric fish.” No fish, but we did jump and clap a lot!

The girls each took a dolly on our walk, and had a blast racing them on the pier near our home. And the big grassy area was a great place to run around, chase, and be chased by Russ.

Joelle brought along a great book called Prince William, and Russ had cuddle time with the girls while reading and doing Bible devotionals.

Two is definitely a handful, as both Lynda and I are looking forward to discovering, but oh so rewarding.

Shhh, It's a Surprise!

This past July 25th marked the 35th birthday of my amazing husband, Russ. I wanted to do something extra special to show him how much he was loved – not just by Robynn and me, but by all of his friends and family. So, I embarked on the journey every spouse must undertake, at least once in their marriage, and I arranged for a SURPRISE party to celebrate the occasion.

Food, fun, and fish? The food was great – no party is complete without a banquet of appetisers and munchies, followed by a feast of burgers, dogs, and salads. Fun was had by all – especially the grandparents and parents as we watched our children run and play together. And well, no fish, but all of the kids sure did act like it, large and small kids alike. The pool was a great big hit, and we had ALL of the cousins in the pool with their Daddies and Uncles.

Was Russ surprised, not really – especially after he asked for my work login and password and received a fierce “NO!” After all, how was I supposed to keep this secret from an IT guy, unless I used my work email? But he was a good sport and played along that he didn’t know what was happening. Russ was surprised, however, by the wonderful people that showed up: all of his family and mine, friends from as far away as Vancouver Island, even a school buddy that Russ hadn’t seen in months – and don’t forget our HA representative! So I guess Russ was surprised after all. He certainly enjoyed himself and felt very loved. Thank you to all of our friends and family for making this such a memorable 35th birthday.

The story of Robynn and Kai

Back in the spring, I went with Robynn when she began her first day at her new preschool/daycare. Robynn was very uncomfortable and shy all through welcomes and circle time. I was worried that Robynn was going to have a hard time adjusting to this new space, when a beautiful little girl came up to Robynn. It was Kai. Kai introduced herself and invited Robynn to play with her. My heart was so warmed by the compassion and empathy shown by this little angel. From that day forward Robynn and Kai became fast friends at the preschool.



At the end of the year, I had the chance to meet Kai's Mom, Tammy. I told her the story of Robynn's first day, and Tammy told me Kai's version. Apparently, on coming home that evening, Kai told her parents that she had met a new friend named Robynn who had red hair just like the "red-bwested bird." How sweet!

Today, Tammy and I met at the park with our girls for a play date. The girls were so excited to see each other again that they had been counting the sleeps and hours before seeing each other again. We had a beautiful time playing in the park and later in the water area. The girls are kindred spirits - both a little hesitant and cautious, but both caring and loving. I know that Robynn will be counting the sleeps until she can get together with Kai again!