July

July was full of good times for the Schoepp family. We did a lot around Ladner, and took a few trips.
The lamb roast at keats island was great. We were glad to be able to make it and catch up with lots of family. Here's a shot of James getting better acquainted with the beach:

We had some great weather at home, too, which called for lots of lounging in the nude:

Here we hike up Cypress Mountain. I had just handed Eli off and was tired! Jed didn't have the luxury of sharing his load. He got very sweaty and very tired.
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The boys and I took a trip to Kelowna while Jed was at creation fest. Our first flight (for all three of us). It went a lot better than anticipated.

While in K-town we caught up with cousin Hana:

and spent lot of time at the beach:

At the end of the month Sonya ran the third trail race with me (Jed was still gone). It was at Cypress and was hard but beautiful! Here we are before the run - clean and energetic....

Sorry this has taken so long Jacki - I know you've missed me and the boys. Now that summer is over (for the most part) I'll be a more faithful blogger.

Barnabas

Jed and I decided to spend one week of holidays at Keats - but not the usual. Instead of staying at Fairview (our cabin) we were 'guests' at Barnabas Family Camp. We had a great time, and are saving up for next year. The staff was amazing, the speakers were great, the food was a huge treat (no cooking, no dishes, no thinking about what to make for dinner)!
The best thing was that there was something for everyone: lots of learning (adults only - sessions) so we were 'fed', the kids were well taken care of, we got to spend some time together and had some good chats as a couple, and there was lots of 'family time' where we had lots of options of what to do with our time.
Here's a shot of the building we stayed in. Our room was on the lower level looking out over the ocean. It was beautiful.

The view from our front window:

Quality Time:

James' favorite free time activity:

James' second favorite free time activity:

Behind us is the store - where we got our ice cream and hung out as adults at night while our kids were being baby-sat by some great staff. They also have an esspresso machine in there! Nothing wrong with sipping a great cup of coffee and overlooking the ocean...

Oh, I think this was actually James' favorite activity - there was a big boat-sandbox full of trucks and buckets. If we lost sight of James we could always find him here...(don't worry, Dix, we didn't let him run wild)

Eli enjoying the view and the breeze:

Some Keats island flora:

we miss you, Hana!!

Auntie Maris and Uncle Han were down for some fun on the coast last week. James had a GREAT time with his cuz Hana! We hung out in Ladner for a night and went to Stanley Park to go to the aquarium. James keeps asking for Hana ("Anna"). It was great to see you guys - thanks again for the great picnic, Maris.

Daddy and James waiting to go inside the aquarium:

An alligator!!! (or crocodile... I don't know)

Eli chilin in the stroller:

Elias Update

Eli hit the five-month mark not too long ago, and things are going great. I can't believe we're already at five months. It seemed to take a lot longer to get to this point with James. He's started sitting up the last couple of days and he's getting stronger every day. He needed a lot of support when this picture was taken, but now he holds his own for a minute or so before tumbling to the side and onto his back.

I've tried giving him rice cereal a couple times but he doesn't love it (eats some - maybe by accident, and kinda spits the rest out). His big brother, on the other hand, loves eating Eli's left overs and 'pretending' to be a baby. We'll keep casually trying (ie - when it is convenient) - but I don't expect much for an other week or two.

Eli has had his two bottom teeth for a couple weeks. He cut his first tooth at about 4.5 months and the one right beside it appeared about 2 or 3 days later. It's not as scary nursing a toothy baby the second time around. Probably because I didn't have any 'accidents' with James. I might not be as comfortable once he gets top teeth.

Our little man is not the greatest sleeper and not the worst sleeper - somewhere in the middle. I'm still feeding him occasionally in the middle of the night (rarely - but it does happen) and really early (around 4am). It's not as easy to put him back down after he's finished eating as when he was 3 months old. But it's not bad...and no trends (positive or negative) seem to stick around for long anyways.

What a fun stage this is! Busy - but fun and exciting. It's incredible how quickly they grow and change....Eli's wearing size 12-18 months. It won't be long till they're sharing/steeling clothes...and everything else...

My Little 'Gardener'

We've been spending a lot of time in the yard this year and James loves it. He follows me around in the garden and does what I do. We pull weeds, dig holes, water stuff, etc. However, when unsupervised, my little green-thumbed child was curious about these geraniums...well...what can I say....I was nursing Eli in the kitchen and I thought it was a little too quiet. I did replant them, but he wanted an other look at the roots (I guess) and it's happened again, so I'm just giving up.

He has a collection of his own shovels and buckets (meant for the beach) and he spends a lot of time in this spot putting dirt and leaves on his shovel and into the bucket. He does know which plants are weeds (at least one weed) but he asks if the flowers are weeds as well - sortof asking for permission to yank them out of the ground. He is getting a bit better at not tearing up my young zucchini leaves and uprooting my little beans. Our plants have taken a lot of abuse, and I fear this is only the beginning....

Brothers

I'm loving watching the boys interact. They're a lot more interested in each other these days and seem to adore eachother in an older-brother/younger-brother sort of way. Eli loves watching James, and James loves making Eli laugh. I consider myself one luckey mama....(at times).
I have this picture on the fridge and love it! I wonder if it represents their personalities....it's a bit early to tell, but you never know.

More Birthday Pics

I was way too exhausted to add any other pictures or comments about James' birthday last time. Kids' parties are draining!! So here are a few more - they'll give a fuller experience for everyone who wasn't there. James (and I) missed Baba, Grandpa, cousins Hana, Jake, Sib, Kian, Isaac, and Zephyr and all his Aunties and Uncles. Nanny and Papa, as well as great-Nanny were able to be there. His best bud Aksel was there too and James keeps asking for him every morning and throughout the day. The 'ladies' were there too: Siena (Aksel's sis), and the three sisters Allysa, Mikaela, and Kiara (cousins of Aksel and Siena). Our friends Denise and Rodney were able to make it out too, which was great. Anyway, here are some more pics. They're self-explanatory.