Vancouver Island Camping, Victoria, & Butchart Gardens

So, I would certainly recommend camping on Vancouver Island. As for camping with a 9 month old ... yes & no. Overall we had a great time. However, Ethan is at that stage where he wants to get into everything and his only means of mobility is crawling. So, you can imagine how time at the camp site was with him crawling all through the dirt, rocks, and pine needles and trying to follow Maddie around and getting tangled in her leash. So, time was spent trying to keep him busy and exhausted with hiking, playing in the ocean and rivers, and entertained in his stroller as he watched the other kids at the camp grounds.

We spent one night at China Beach which was your bare bones campground, with pit toilets and occasional water spigots. While I prefer a few more amenities, the grounds were very well maintained and the scenery was amazing. We were a short walk from the beach which was beautiful, but very cold. Despite the cold water, Ethan was eager to play in the ocean and played until his little toes and lips were purple. Our first night in the tent was restless, as Ethan is used to having his own sleeping space, so he had a very difficult falling and staying asleep. Luckily he figured out that we were all going to be sleeping together and decided that was OK and slept well the remainder of the trip.

Our next two nights were spent at Goldstream campground which had flush toilets, showers, and sinks for washing dishes. What a treat! Here we found lots of beautiful hiking trails, waterfalls, and warm (compared to the ocean) streams to play in.

All showered and clean, we decided to take a day to visit Victoria. In planning our packing for this trip I decided to save one 'nice' outfit for Ethan for our day trip to Victoria so we wouldn't look like complete vagabonds. As soon as we arrived we had a picnic lunch on the front lawn of the parliament building and Ethan unleashed serious furry in his pants! Jairo was so kind to offer to change him, but as it seemed there was some struggle I decided to go help. Too late! The blowout was of epic proportions and we ended up 'bathing' Ethan with baby wipes on the front lawn for all to enjoy. So, needless to say, I didn't get to make the impression on the Victorians that I hoped for and Ethan spent the remainder of the day with just diaper bottoms. After a 'poopy' start to the day, we had a great day in Victoria. Beautiful architecture, wonderful ocean views, parks, museums, and GELATO (we had some after lunch and dinner)!

On our last day we spent the afternoon at Butchart Gardens ... GORGEOUS!! I'm so glad we finally visited. The gardens are beautifully designed and the flowers were so colorful and fragrant. Ethan seemed to enjoy all the color and fountains as well. While there, we ran into a group from Colombia so Jairo took time to reminisce about home with them. Also, for gelato lovers, there is a super tasty gelateria just as you complete the tour of the gardens. A perfect way to end your visit.

On the ferry ride home through the San Juan Islands our trip ended with an awesome sunset. So, my recommendation for anyone planning to visit Canada, I would say, skip Vancouver and go straight to Vancouver Island.

9 Months and Gettin' into EVERYTHING!

So, lately Ethan likes to hang around the dishwasher while I put away clean dishes. He reaches around the edges and pulls out whatever he can reach, plays with it for a minute or two, then drops it to the floor so I can wash it again. Because of this, I typically empty any sharp or dangerous objects first. So today I turned my back for maybe 30 seconds to put the knives away and when I turn around I find Ethan as pictured above. Man he's a fast little dude these days and he's so quiet about too. Needless to say, all safety latches and gates are up and we are quickly learning by the minute about any other dangerous areas of our home that we previously had not thought of. He has a much more creative mind than Jairo and me.

At 9 months he's crawling all over the place and climbing up whatever he can find. He has even mastered the stairs! He now weighs 21 lbs and is 2ft 5 inches tall. I'm just realizing he's about 1/2 of my height ... he may surpass me by grade school! Anyway, Ethan also experienced his first bike ride, as a passenger anyway. He really enjoyed it and totally conked out on the way home. By the time we got home he was well rested, but I was exhausted. Next time I'm joining Ethan in the cart so I can take a nap and let Jairo get his energy out.

Summiting Mount Rainier, Father’s Day, Petting Zoo, Water Parks, & Build-A-Bear …

On top of Mount Rainier - 14,410 ft



Checking out ducks with Dad.

Ethan's favorite cow ... second only to wood chips!


Lovin' the water park.

So excited about Mr. Monkey at Build-A-Bear.

I’ve been a bit behind … so here’s a quick catch up. Father’s Day weekend … Finally, after 2 previous attempts, Jairo & a few friends from our ward were able to summit Mount Rainer … all 14,410 feet. Jairo was psyched of course and brought home some great pics as well as a nice sun burn. I’m just glad everyone made it back safe and that item is finally checked off his “bucket list.”

Father’s Day was finally a start to beautiful weather here in the Pacific Northwest so we've tried to get out as much as possible. First we visited Bothell Country Village where Ethan had a blast checking out the ducks and chickens. Since Ethan is so into animals we also visited a local petting zoo where he was more interested in the dirty wood chips!! We've also spent some time at the new water park in our neighborhood. Ethan loves playing in the water which means we get wet as well.

Last, we took Ethan to Build-A-Bear. I had visited a few times to give him some relief while I did some shopping. He had become quite attached to a monkey they have so we finally took him in to get his own. It was quite entertaining. We’ve never seen him so thrilled over a toy of any kind. You’ll have to check out the video.

Now we’re in the midst of entertaining family for a bit … we’ll check in sometime after the 4th. Happy 4th of July!

Just Being Silly

Toys R Us...

Here is Ethan's new toy and since it did not come with training wheels then someone else gets to ride it...

This morning after going jogging with Ethan and Maddie (dog), I went out to test drive my new bike. The weather this weekend has been amazing and I am glad it was still nice today. A buddy of mine and I went out on the back roads to a lake somewhere around this neck of the woods... to tell you the truth half of the time I did not know where I was, all I did was enjoy the ride.

We then met with Mel, Ethan, my buddy's wife and son and had lunch at Applebees. After some good grub, I told Mel that now she could go out on a ride and I would take care of Ethan, but she decided to take me on the offer of taking care of Ethan and went out shopping instead.

One of the requirements from Mel for me to get a bike was that I had to post it on the blog... so there you have it.