Shots of Summer

Hi Everyone,

We have been keeping pretty busy what with the move at the start of the month and then two weekend trips away - one to Kelowna to visit my mom and Wayne and one to Harrison Hot Springs Resort with Ben's parents. Ben and his mom did a "first" triathlon together and they both did great - Ben finished 1st overall and his mom was first in her age group (I'm just impressed they both completed it). Of course, we've been trying to fit in a few visits to see our newest niece and to hang out with our other nieces and nephew. Here are a few shots from our summer so far!

Miss you all,
Erin



Jake at Ben's mom's birthday party at the end of May

One of my naps on the couch, note the interesting pose

My sister and Kiley - lots of smiles!

Grandpa Tom and Kiley in her snuggly.

Amy's birthday hula hoop at Spanish Banks beach (this
was in June and it was cold).

Ben and his mom ready to start the Triathlon.

Emerging from the cold water

At the transition point between biking and running - he was in second at this point.

And the winner is....

Other people from Ben's lab did the race too!

Walking along the lake shore

Dinner at the resort restaurant, complete with four-piece band, and dance floor. The whole resort reminded me of the film "Dirty Dancing" minus all the nasty bits.

Another day, another shot with Grandpa.

Lazing around with Dad.

Here is a primo belly shot - 3 weeks to go and still playing badminton (albeit somewhat lazily).

Spring

Hi All!

Summer is just around the corner but it doesn't really feel like it's here yet. Well, ok, yesterday and today have been pretty nice but we have been experiencing a lot of grey days, which to be honest don't always make me want to get out of bed.

This weekend is Father's Day in Canada so we're spending some time with our Dads and also celebrating our niece's 5th birthday. We also have to go to a pool party at Ben's boss' house but I have to admit that I'm not sure I'm going to be parading around in my bathing suit at this pool party (or even getting in the water at all). My belly has grown substantially in the last few weeks and I'm starting to feel like I'm carrying around a watermelon.

We recently went to Victoria on Vancouver Island for a weekend away. We had fantastic weather and were able to enjoy walking around downtown Victoria and just chilling. We also spent some time with Ben's family (most of whom live on the Island) and Ben managed to squeeze in some late night trout fishing with his cousin.

Here are a few shots of our spring:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=454131&id=842465120&l=5d29538a35

I hope you are all doing well. We miss you!
Erin

The Olympics

Hey there! Well I finally figured out how to transfer images from our phone to the computer so I thought I would share a few snaps of our Olympic experience. We didn't get out to enjoy as much of the festivities as we would have liked (what with me feeling crappy and all) but we did get to the Men's Mogul events, where Alexander Bilodeau became the first Canadian to win Olympic gold on home soil, to a men's hockey match between Slovakia and Latvia - there was a great deal of sportsmanship on behalf of the fans at this game (we all wanted Latvia to score a goal by the end) and to a men's sledge hockey game at the Paralympics, which was quite the fun experience.

I know these are somewhat overdue (like three months) but better late than never right!

This is looking back at downtown Vancouver while we waited for our "Olympic Bus" to take us up the mountain for the moguls event.

Ben, wearing his Olympic gear, waiting at Lonsdale Quay.

You had to walk about a km to get to the event. Note the lack of snow everywhere except on the runs!

Where it all happens. We lucked out and had such a beautiful day.

The crowd waits for the event to start.

We switched sides during the finals. We only had standing "seats". Behind us at this point were about 4 men from Sweden. I think we surprised them when we asked, "Varifrån i Sverige kommer du?" (Sorry if this is grammatically incorrect). They then proceeded to tell us we had to cheer for the Swedish guy, Jesper somebody. I told them "Vi ska hålla for båda Sverige och Kanada."

Another beautiful day in Vancouver, where the sun always shines (hahaha). We are on our way to the hockey game, slowly making our way through the crowded streets of downtown.

A pick-up hockey game in the middle of downtown.

Shots of the city all decked out.

Slovakia vs. Latvia

Making our way back to the bus after the hockey game.
We went to a sledge hockey game with our friends, Sheena and Ryan. This was Canada vs. Norway. Canada won this one but ended up losing to Norway when it counted.

My new niece - Kiley Burton

My sister had her baby on Sunday night - almost the same day as my b-day. I went for a visit today and everyone was doing well. Thought this was pretty cute, although probably not that comfortable for her. E.