THIS EVENING'S PERFORMANCE

After dinner Clara announced that there would be a performance in the water, featuring HER, and that we needed to take our seats on the rock in 8 minutes.

Act I: The Dance of Diamond Sparkles

Act II: The Blue Slipper

Act III: The Lake of Terror 

(very scary)

And of course, every performance is followed by a curtsy...

THE END

LOTS OF CANDY AND A WEDDING

Clara, Sam and I left Daddy and Will on the Island so I could attend an afternoon wedding back in town today.

On a side note, this will be the longest time I have been apart from Will.  The last I heard, he was hardly missing me, he consumed great amounts of halibut fritters for dinner and went to bed happily after an afternoon of playing with Daddy.

While waiting for our ferry, the big kids and I discovered a candy store on Bowen Island and spent $12 on sugar. Clara choose a candy necklace that went down to her knees and Sam opted for a giant sucker. I got some fizzes which, I might add, used to be 25 cents back in my day.

The wedding (and the bride) was lovely!  I didn't take many photos which is very unlike me,

but I particularly liked these things:

My kind of wedding!

THE DRAKE BALMERS

The Drake Balmers is the name of our newly constructed seaside bar and lounge, on our newly cleared beach.  We were inspired by Craig's bar on Thormanby. Jake served the first drinks last Saturday (lemonade for the kids, champagne for the adults and Will).

We just need to work on the lounging area and create some ambience (cushions, lanterns, music, things hanging in the trees...)

Jake and Will hard at work

The first drink.  We are calling it CC's lemonade.

NANA AND THE GIRLS, AND BOY

Nana came for a Pasley visit back in July 

and brought her 2 girlfriends

and one of her girlfriend's grandsons

who is 4, just like Sam!

we had a lovely time!

WEEK WITH HANNAH

Hannah (Clara's 10 day older cousin and bosom friend) came up to the cabin with my mom and Uncle Josh for the week.  

It was nice for Clara to have a playmate and very nice for the mommy to have a little break from featuring in one of Clara's elaborate games of mermaid kingdom, princess in distress and petshop.

It is a bit tricky trying to get a nice picture of 2 silly 6 year olds...

My mom got this one...

Sam really wanted to join in on the fun, so he offered gator rides from the castle (the deck) to the royal ball (the trampoline)...

And then he took the princesses on a rowboat ride...

To search for hidden treasures (clams)...

Hannah was a good sport and joined in on the communal bath...

This is how it is done on Pasley...

20 MONTHS OLD

Some things I love about my 20 month old

• His round belly
• His cuddles after he first wakes up
• His pats on my back when he is hugging me
• When he rubs his chest to say please
• That his only words so far are ow, hop (hot) and ba (bye)
• That when I ask him what happened? after I hear him upset, he points at his brother or the dog
• That he loves treats as much as I do
• That he loves champagne as much as his Daddy does
• His hair, that turned blond sometime after May
• His giggles
• His squinty right eye
• That he gets into his bed, pulls up the covers and goes to sleep until the morning
• That he shuts his eyes when he is uncomfortable and wants to be somewhere else
• When he plays with Sam and Clara
• When he points and makes "his sound"
• His sense of adventure
• His curiosity
• His love of shoes
• His love of pillows
• That he can't say no, I'm bored or I hate mommy, yet
• The joy he gets from simply pointing at Jake's belly button
• That he thinks doing household chores is great fun
• That he loves being in my arms 

Quite simply, I love all of him.

35 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I TURN 36

1. Make a chocolate cake from scratch
2. Buy a pair of black heels
3. Learn to make great French Press coffee
4. Go to Halfmoon Bay to visit good friends
5. Try tennis lessons
6. Dress up and take Clara on a date to the theatre
7. Own a nice winter coat
8. Throw a party 
9. Design and mail (on time) a family Christmas card
10. Go on a romantic getaway with my husband for at least 2 nights
11. Make homemade jam with the kids
12. Give a gift to 5 friends, just because
13. Go see the Nutcracker 
14. Make an erupting volcano with the kids
15. Get abs like Sam
16. Organize the "Basement of Horrors" once and for all
17. Take a hand lettering class
18. Pick our pumpkins at a pumpkin patch
19. Go on a trip with "the girls" and shop, eat, sleep and watch movies
20. Take Sheye Rosemeyer's Eye Candy Photography Workshop
21. Meet Jake for a monthly lunch date
22. Train for a 10K race
23. Own bras that fit, including a low back number
24. Play the piano more
25. Have some family photos taken by Anastasia
26. Have a French party and make French food and talk in French
27. Print a photo book on Blurb
28. Go skiing with Sam and Clara 
29. Make our courtyard magical 
30. Update the photos on our photo wall
31. Take a cooking class and get inspired again
32. Have a weekly creative evening
33. Buy some make up and learn how to apply it
34. Purge my closet 
35. Surprise Jake

My birthday was actually over a month ago, but I don't think it is ever too late to make and tackle a list...

**Thanks to Andrea at Hula Seventy for this idea