Crazy busy weekend but still time for a tender moment.  Eric helped Jia feed Tinkybell.  Who is sometimes a boy and sometimes a girl or as Jia says a 'gurel'.

Jia's last music class.

We had a group FCC play date at the river on Sunday, we went early to eat lunch there.  Eric tried to place Jia down at the waters edge but she clung to him like a little monkey and he tried shaking her off and she yelled 'You CAN'T put the baby down here, it's DANGEROUS!'.  I was howling laughing.  Some of the stuff she says is just soooo mature for two.  Apparently she was listening a couple weeks ago as I told her repeatedly that the current was dangerous.

Jia and Fei fight the most of our three but they are so close other times.  Amazing how Fei can pack her around, there isn't really that much poundage between them!

The water is still so cold and the weather wasn't that great.  There was thunder and lightening and finally some rain, so we all packed up and carried the party to our house.  Didn't have time for any group shots.

Everyone left quite early.  We had time to stay outside, Eric dunged out the storage area of the rv, I weeded for a couple hours, Lili kept a close eye on Jenny and Lacie (we have owls and eagles all around us right now) and Fei taught Jia how to ride her scooter.

Eric has started prepping the pool site!

Just keep working, just keep working.  Your girlies want swim, swim, swim!

Dance Recital June 2012

Mom has been taking the girls to dance this year so I'm not privy to much of what goes on there.  Many years ago I wanted the girls to do Irish step dancing because I love to watch it.  They were too young, ankles not strong enough, they've been doing Highland for six years now.  So imagine my surprise, the curtain comes up and my girlies are dancing an Irish Reel.  Wild.  I had no idea.  They think it's really funny.  Anyways, Lili claims it's her last year of dance and although I've enjoyed watching her for six years, this last dance was my favorite performance ever and I got all teary that this was the last recital.  Fei is considering another year but isn't keen to go without Lili.  Jia asked after every dance if it was her turn yet.  Not sure Shelley will take her this young but we'll try in September. 

Youtube video of the Irish Reel

http://youtu.be/TkfoA3j1Tls

Lili was totally dismayed at wearing pink and sparkly.

Fei was totally delighted at wearing pink and sparkly.

Youtube of the girls class group dance.

http://youtu.be/rtInsvxiydk



Piano Recital June 2012

Wow!  Great job girlies!!

youtube link:

http://youtu.be/aK5vdUq6Vfk

May came to play.

May came to play and she brought her Mom, sister and friends with her.  Jia was so happy to have May over to play.  They were very sweet together.

Chihuahua Puppies!

Barry and Deb had more puppies, well their dog Cheech did anyways.  We went to visit and play with them on Sat.  Is there anything cuter than kids and puppies together?!  The girls were great with the puppies and Jia has been talking about them ever since.  She was very aware that they have a mommy and she was so careful with them.  She even kept her voice down.  I know you're all having a hard time believing that, but she did really great there.  The even better news, we made it in and out without picking one out.

Gardening tools.

Ok, so I've been struggling with the camera, all blurry.  Eric sat with it, fiddled with some settings and voila' it's been great ever since.  I can even use the zoom now.  Wild.  Eric isn't actually planning to garden at all but Jia wanted to play with the kid size tools he found in the garden shed.  I'm up on the deck taking these shots.  Feeling a bit better about taking the Nikon to China.

Long House field trip

I don't typically do field trips with the kids.  Eric or Mom do.  This time it was me who went, we went to the Clem Clem longhouse and then to the estuary, visited the new nature house and then walked to the bay.  They have been reading a book about a first nations girl living in Cow Bay and the kids got to see the sights from the book.  Fei seemed interested.  I had Fei in my car on my own (no time to get drivers abstract) so at the end, we got to stick in Cow Bay and we went to Udder Guy and had locally made mandarin/chocolate ice cream.  My favorite, hands down.  Might be Fei's now too :)

ACDC - Back in Black

Our Rock Star Fei had her drum line concert on Saturday.  Very cool.  I've never seen anything like it.  Her drumming teacher had 120 kids in the show.  The opening show was amazing, all 120 of them playing their sticks in the air and on the floor while walking around the audience.  It was really loud and the drumming just moved you to move to the beat.  There was a break while a new drum set up was happening and Jia said 'is there more beautiful music?' and we told her there was and she clasped her hands together and her eyes got huge and she said "will it be Winnie the Pooh?!".  Ah, no, no Winnie the Pooh tonight sweetie.  OMG how cute is that?!  Love it.  I've been laughing for days about it.

Now, I couldn't get my camera to take a decent indoor shot in the dark church at rehearsal so I took Eric's camera instead and it was completely glitchy and wouldn't take any pictures at all.  Arg.  Mom was with us and had forgotten to put her memory card in and my memory card didn't fit her camera.  So frustrating.  Thankfully I took video of the rehearsal.  Her hair is covering her face, she is fourth from the right and the kids aren't in their matching black and white but you get the idea of what her drum line is all about.  I had to order the dvd of the show because we didn't 'get' the actual performance. 

http://youtu.be/Pi-UJtV6zU0

Now of course I'm not sure what to do about the stupid cameras.  Seems I eat up digital cameras.  I think they should last longer than I get out of them.  Obviously carrying them in my purse is causing some wear and tear and I do take an enormous amount of pictures.  You all only see a small number of them here on the blog.  I had planned to take Eric's on our trip to China because it's smaller.  Now I'm stuck with my big Nikon.  So, what camera are you all using and do you like it?  I like my Nikon but I miss a lot of shots with it, always looking for a setting.  The auto just doesn't do much on any indoor shots.  Seems I take a lot of pictures with blur. 

I sent in our visa applications and got a call last Monday telling me that Lili's would be denied because I didn't include a Chinese passport.  I tried my best to explain that she didn't have one since she's Canadian and all but I was left feeling a bit distraught.  Can you imagine all the work this trip has taken to arrange and then not be allowed to go because Lili was denied access to China by the very people who invited her!?!  Wow.  Anyways, our passports arrived here at the office on Friday with visas in them!  So, we're good to go now.  All paperwork is done.  Five more weeks.

River camping

We met with three other fcc families this past weekend at the river campsite near our old house.  It was our 20th anniversary, not very romantic but lots of fun.  The kids loved playing at the river.   On Saturday it was so hot that eventually we had five kids in their undies and a naked Jia in the water.  One of 8 kids thought to bring a bathing suit.  The water was SOOOO cold.  Bless Penny for getting in and helping Jia walk on the slippery rocks in the current.  It was funny to watch the slow progression of shoes off, pants rolled up, layers off until it was just a full on get in and get wet.  I'd like to go back when the water calms down, is a bit warmer and we're prepared for getting wet.  When we got home Mom stopped in to let us know that we won the grand prize from a charity raffle, three nights for two at a fancy resort in Tofino.  Kids want to go too of course.  We'll see.  We can't use it until the fall so the plans can wait.  I didn't pack a camera in the campground so the pictures are from Shannon who used her phone.