Creativity

How do you cultivate anything but by putting yourself in the presence of it?
How do you cultivate a relationship with God but by being in the presence of God in all the many different ways that you can be in God’s presence?
It’s the same with imagination.
Go to the great cathedrals and stand in awe.
See the great paintings.
Hear the great music.
Read the great books.
Look at nature, which is, again, God’s imagination expressing itself in an infinite number of ways.
Then realize this isn’t just what other people have.
God gave me an imagination too… find a way that you’re supposed to express it.
Use it to the fullest to the glory of God.

-Daniel Taylor contributor to The Power of Words and the Wonder of God

I came across this writing the other day and appreciated it.  God created us all to be creative, some more than others, but all creative.   

Splish Splash

 

Bath time got a little wild tonight.  Thought I would snap a few pics of the madness, these make me smile.  These kids may be a little crazy but at least they're happy.

 

 

 

Take me out to the Ball Game

On Sunday afternoon we went to a Canadians Baseball Game in Vancouver, along with Dan and Andrea and their gang.  We actually had a great time!  There was a large area for the kids with bouncy castles, etc which kept them occupied and happy for many innings. 

A&W had $1 root beer floats which were a big hit with everyone!

 

Our littlest checking out the game.  Sweetness.

 

 

Our wild child (one of them)

 

At the end of the game the kids were invited onto the field to run the bases. Sarah took off right away but Calvin got a little scared and waited for daddy to come to the rescue.

So a baseball game doesn't need to really be about baseball.  It was about having fun together as a family with friends, playing, cheering, singing and just having fun. 

Chloe Turns Four

 

On Friday evening we celebrated Chloe's birthday with family.  It's been so nice living closer to family again.  Love seeing our kids playing with their cousins.  I brought my camera "just in case" and just snapped a few photos of the girls.  Love these.

 

Fun Times at the PNE

We got back from holidays on Wednesday night and went to the PNE all day Thursday.  he timing wasn't ideal but we knew that this was our only chance to go to the fair.  We ended up having a wonderful day!  We watched Chuck Wagon races, the Super Dogs, a Motor Bike show, etc. 

The kids loved the farmer for a day activity.  I decided to leave my dslr at home and just bring the point and shoot.  I haven't done that since last July (according to the photos on the memory card).  Boo to the quality but it was nice travelling light.

 

Seaside

After a wonderful time at Cannon Beach we packed up and headed down the road to experience Seaside.

 

We ended the afternoon with super tasty Tilamook $1 ice cream cones.  I really wanted to get a great pic of David and the kids.  Sadly, this is the best we could do.  Calvin even has ice cream in his hair.

Cannon Beach

We spent a couple of hours at Cannon Beach. The kids LOVED playing in the sand and feeling the waves.   Cannon Beach is so beautiful; it was a wonderful day to be alive!  I think I could have spent a whole week here, perhaps next summer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids loved laying in the water and feeling the waves.

 

 

 

 

 

Portland

Last week we went to Portland to see some of David's family and enjoy the sights.

The kids loved the Wii

We had to check out VooDoo doughnuts while in Portland!  We had maple and bacon doughnuts for breakfast!  They were actually pretty good.

We spent the evening with Marselline (David's aunts neice on the other side of the family), she showed us around Paris 5 years ago. 

This is where we ate dinner that evening.  I LOVE these kinds of lights, these moments make me feel happy. The next day we headed to the Farmers Market.  I love markets!  Sometimes I think I could wander around markets all day.

Next stop was the toy store. Auntie gave each of the kids a red envelope so we told them they could each pick out ONE toy.  Calvin had a really hard time deciding what dinosaur to buy (he went with the brontosauraus)

 

Then it was time for lunch.  David and I love the Food Network and have often seen them feature the food trucks in Portland.  One of our recent travel magazines also noted Portland as the best city in the WORLD for street fare.  We weren't disappointed!  If anything there was way too much to chose from.  I don't have much pics of this since we were either looking for food, eating or just keeping track of our kids.  If you like food, check out Portland's food trucks!

 

After lunch we headed to Powell's Books.  The book store is an entire city block!

 

And just a couple of pics of our kids with David's aunt (from Paris)