Grandpa Jim comes to visit

Grandpa Jim came for a visit.  He arrived on Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Monday.  Despite the lack of photographic evidence, we did get out and do a fair number of things.  Guess I should have hijacked Grandpa's memory card and copy the photos before he left!

Akis did have to work while Grandpa was here, but he did manage to spend some time with us during the day before heading off to work.

Our list of activities included: 

 * Walking along Spanish banks (the one instance where I got photos, because Akis took them!)

 * Walking to the pet store to get Hugo his 'sticks'

 * Heading to Point Roberts to pick up what I thought was a blind for Grandpa Jim to hang, only to be saddened to discover it was in fact just the samples.  

 * A quick morning at Jellyfish where Grandpa was able to see where we hang and play with Westin and Beth.  Unfortunately we just missed them the day we went.

 * Visit to the Farmer's Market at Trout Lake and a walk around the lake.

 * Burgers at Moderne Burger ~ Akis' favourite burger joint

 * Swimming lessons at the pool

 * Walk to Britannia park where we played on the swings and listed to music in the park and on the street corners

 * Trip to the library to return some books

 * Walking through the UBC Endowment lands ~ definitely gave the new all-terrain stroller a work out on the pedestrian path.

These were the photos from Spanish Banks.  I'll see if I can get some photos from Grandpa! 

Dinner at Spanish Banks

Akis is still working 6 days a week which means by the time we get to Monday ~ his day off ~ we are both pretty tired and I have to admit I can be a bit cranky.  After a rough start to the day, it was about 3 in the afternoon when we decided to be spontaneous and head to Spanish banks for a BBQ.  Stopping at Safeway en route, we picked up a couple burgers, some buns and made our way to the beach.  

I love coming here as the whole park area is dog friendly which means that Hugo can come and we can let him explore.  He doesn't manage to go very far, and often is rather noisy when it comes to finding other dogs, it is still a nicer place for him to run as it doesn't require a leash.

They have some tables ~ which are hard to come by in the summer ~ but it appears to be fairly open on a Monday afternoon.  Go figure.

It was a nice way to end the day.  Much better than how it started.

Jolly Jumping

Sofie inherited a Jolly Jumper from Westin.  While a bit tentative at first, she is really getting into it now and loves her 'bounce, bounce, bounce' time.  She always has a great big grin while she is there.

One of the early stints...

A few weeks later after we have mastered the art of jumping.

We love jumping to Elmo.

Hangin' with Sofie

Our mornings start with a lot of time hanging out on the floor.  We've become really good at sitting up on our own and reaching for stuff.  The crawling hasn't begun, but Mom is OK with that.  

Both Sofie and Hugo like the flyers.  It must be a Lavery thing.

With Dad ~ ohhh, those glasses look fun.

Chillin' with Mom.

A sweet girl named Avery

For the past few weeks I have been following the blog of a sweet baby girl named Avery.  She was 5 months old when she was diagnosed with a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  Most babies diagnosed with this disease do not make it past their second birthday.  With this diagnosis, Avery's parents decided that they would make the best of the time they had with her and opted to create a blog with her bucket list.

I enjoyed reading of her adventures and the strength of her parents.  Sadly Avery passed on April 30th.  I was saddened to hear of her passing but have been inspired by her and her parents.  Lessons I have learned include making the most of the time you have, people are what matters most and when you believe in something you can make a change in this world.  Despite being here for only a short time, Avery has taught many, including myself, about SMA.  Through this teaching, her following has been able to make substantial contributions to the funding for research.  While sad that she is no longer here, I am inspired by the change she and her parents have initiated and hope that one day a similar story will have a different outcome.

Avery's story is very touching ~ I hope you enjoy it.  Avery's Bucket List