August Rush 2011

Off the Wandzuras go for the August Rush Adventure!

We did not actually rush, but we did go from event

to event to event for the entire month!

Across Western Canada and then across North America...

First stop: Bridal Falls Waterslides
Second stop: Calgary, AB
Amazia is enjoying her first home-made tree swing in AB

Calgary Zoo

Calgary Cousins!!

(Left to Right: Hannah, Sarah (Chris' sister's kids) & Amazia,

Ena, Toryn, Lauren (Our bonus brother's kids) & Javen

Next big event: Great Grampa's 90th Birthday Reunion

Family came to Saskatoon from Victoria, Abbotsford, Langley,

Calgary, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, & Regina
What an amazing time to reunite and celebrate GG!

Next visit: Daigle Casa

Auntie Care keeps Javen warm after some serious slip 'n sliding!

A ride on KODI with Uncle Rick...

he kept taking the kids down to the ravine, through the bog

and then through the forrest.

Never a dull moment with the Daigles!

Next Stop: Visit Chris' fam in Saskatoon

Auntie Leah gave the kids some good looking hair cuts and

we spent some fine time playing at their place.

Amazia has a special friendship with cousin "Luksie"

He takes very good care of Mazy and Javen.

Next stop: Grampa's Farm...we checked out the wheat

and it is an amazing crop this year!!

The kids got to ride in the HUGE John Deer tractor! Wow!

JV at the farm

Mazy with her mouth full of hottie dog

Grama keeping Amazia warm in the evening Grampa and Grama just love their grandkids

- it is special to spend time together as they rarely get to see each other.

Fun family rides on the atv

Next stop: Saskatoon

We got to try some of the fun events for kids - like Kinsmen Park.

Next stop: Visit Baba (Chris' Ukrainian Grama)

Next stop: Marean Lake, SK

Grampa has a cabin by a lake

and it is so special to spend time there!!

Fishing in the boat

Javen is watching movies in the cabin

with cousins Andrew and Lucas

Amazia is so brave! She started by going in the tube with Mom,

then she went on the tube by herself and then she tried knee boarding!

She got up her first time and we were sooo proud of her!

JV climbing around

Amazia has become so much more expressive

and joyful in the past year!!

August 18th, 2011 marked a very special 10 year anniversary for

Chris and Jody. Chris planned an amazing trip to Jamaica to celebrate!!

Gpa and Nana blessed us by keeping our kids.

Wow! It was our best trip together!! Soooooo special for us!!

First, we went to Kingston and worked at an orphange for 5 days.

We had been at this place in 2003 and 2004 with our school's outreach

program, so it was VERY SPECIAL to return and see the kids again.

We spent a whole morning repairing chairs for the children's eating area.

We covered the old material with duct tape

before recovering it with the new material.

These chair covers will hopefully last forever!

Here is Chris putting on the new covers.

We had so many kids wanting to help,

we spent half the time trying to find our tools!! Ha, ha!

We spent the next 5 days in Negril at a hotel.

It was so relaxing to play volleyball, go snorkeling,

kayaking, sailing, wind surfing, and boating all day long!!

I think we laid back in chairs for less than 30 min all week...

Now that is the kind of holiday that we love!

JOOOOOLLLYYYYY 2011

HAPPY CANADA DAY!! Our annual Canada Day Carnival!

This was the first year that we could actually do the events

without getting scared, breaking down in tears (b/c waiting is too long)

or changing our minds in 2 minutes.

Yahhhh! Our kids love fast rides that spin in circles!!

Rollercoasters - here we come!

HAPPY 3RD BIRDTHDAY JAVEN!!
Javen was sooo excited for his birthday!
When we brought out his birthday cake,
he ran around in two little circles, dropped to the floor
and burried his face in the carpet with his feet kicking.
It was soooo funny!

Here are some of the kids at Javen's party

Here is Mazy and her friends - the older siblings of the birthday friends

Amazia has the biggest brown eyes - they melt Dad's heart!

Javen has the best little smile that he can sport on demand...

he can go from crying to an immediate grin - just to be funny!

Amazia was so excited about starting Kindergarten after the summer

that she asked if she could wear her uniform.

Then Javen, of course, wanted to put on his uniform

(which he won't wear for another year!!)

Our fave family event - WATERSLIDES!

We went 5 times this summer!!

Both Mazy and Javen go down the slides all by themselves.

It is so cute to see the reactions of all the other kids

when they see Javen go by himself,

"Look how little he is - and brave!"

By the end of the day, Javen and Mazy were an inspiration to so many kids;

if they can do it, so can I!

Javen just loves to make us laugh!!

One of the reasons that Javen was so excited to turn 3,

was to go to our dentist, Dr. Chu (great name, eh?).

"Mama, if I sit sooo stiw, then I get to choose a spesho treasure

and I get my own fyoss."

Dad got to spend everyday with the kids

while Mom ran PACE summer camps

Our family loves camping! We went 2 times this summer!!

One of Javen's best buddies

Amazia went to 4 camps this summer:

clay art camp, basketball camp, water fun camp and
Jeepers Creepers science camp (shown here)

JUNE 2011

CANUCKS Game 7 with Opa and Oma

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GPA!!

JV loves to rock-out on his guitar

Amazia and Dad in our boat at White Pine Beach

Our little star

Amazia's drawing of our family

Pacific Academy's Gr. 7s celebrate Greek Day each year,

so Mazy and JV though they would sport togas to support

Amazia grads from Junior Kindergarten;

here she is with her teacher, Mrs. Barr

Mazy with one of her friends from class

Nana and GPa came to cheer Mazy on as she sang her songs

Amazia and Javen were bug hunting;

they went from crying when they saw bugs

to catching them and holding them in their hands!!
I am so happy Javen isn't screaming anymore...ha, ha!!

Javen doing a little break-dance

Oh little Mazy...she is already 42 inches

which is quickly catching her mom at 62 inches.

Our family made up songs to the Dora Sing-Along;

Javen kept playing "Mama's Fave Song"

called "I will praise the Lord"

First freezie of the year and matching, too!