July

I admit it - I've been bad about keeping this blog updated as of late.  Life has been flying by at warp speed and there's never enough time.  I know July was forever ago, but I still want to get these posted.  There may be less descriptions than usual, but you'll still get to see the fun.

This summer, Bradyn and I planted our first garden.  Since we're in a townhouse, we had to use pots instead of a flower bed, but we still had great success.  Here are our first peas, harvested on July 1.

Bradyn and I also made a trip to Ontario in July.  I had to work in our Toronto office for a week, so I took Bradyn with me and had her stay with my family while I was in Toronto.  Always good fun when we get to spend time with the Thornton/Moody clan.

Quick stop at the Calgary airport en route to London, getting in the spirit of the Calgary Stampede. 

Dip in the Moody backyard pool.

DAC summer outing - a boat cruise around the Toronto harbour.

On Friday afternoon I headed up to Huntsville to meet everyone and FINALLY experience the Moody cottage.  So sorry it took so long for us to get there, and can't wait to go back one day.  By the time I got there, Sherri and I were anxious to break into the coolers.  I think this is our first official drunken selfie.

Bradyn had an amazing time with Kiera and Robee exploring and doing lots of firsts.

First kayak ride

First speed boat ride (my kid has a love for speed!).  God bless Uncle Jason for taking her out so many times over that weekend.

Fishing off the dock

I think my favourite part of Bradyn's first time tubing wasn't the glued-on smile that masked her terror, but the confession after they came back in.  "Mom, don't get me in trouble for saying this, but I said the S-word a LOT"  "Shit, shit, shit".  Then Robee chimed in and said "Don't get me in trouble either, but I said it too".  Adorable.  

Wake boarding

Back 'home' we went to a great place near London called Clovermead which is an 'adventure farm' where they have honey bees.  Good fun!

My little Laura Ingalls

Beautiful

We also got to watch Robee play soccer, which was awesome.  So proud of that kid!

Back home, Bradyn and I made our first major harvest from our garden.  Carrots, peas and 'hot shot' tomatoes.  Our cucumbers and peppers never work out, but we were still thrilled.  Big plans for next year's garden!

Blackberries are everywhere in our area during the summer.  After picking Bradyn up from summer care one day, we went and picked blackberries.  It didn't take us long to get a ton of them.  New favourite dessert?  Vanilla bean ice cream with fresh blackberries.  YUM!

Bradyn spent hours one day at the cottage using Robee's mask and snorkel.  So much that I promised we'd get her own so she could take it to Osoyoos in August.  Best $15 I ever spent.  In Osoyoos, she wore it for at least 2 hours every day. (By the way, that's her shark fin hand in case you were wondering.)

Last big milestone for July.  Bradyn went to Sasamat day camp again this summer and loved every minute of it.  When I picked her up on the first day, she was proudly showing off her blue wristband which means she passed the swimming test and didn't have to wear a life jacket to jump off the dock (her first year passing the test - a VERY big deal to Bradyn).