Kindergarten ended with so many events and activities that the following week I took off to spend with B felt slow and quiet in comparison. We still managed to have some fun - we went to the zoo, we went swimming and went to Tommy K Play. None of our little friends were around to join us but we made the most of it.
Soon B was off to his first of many summer camps. He only did about two weeks of camp and attended the Stampede, before flying to New Brunswick with this dad for nine days. While I marveled at the calm and cleanliness of my home, the boys were busy riding quads, swimming at the beach, sitting by evening fires, feasting on lobster and visiting family and friends. They stayed with Jamie's sister and Brandon loved hanging out with his older cousin Julien. I guess they would play from dusk til dawn. They would ride bikes or jump in the pool whenever they weren't on the road going somewhere. I'm happy for B - I think he had a really wonderful holiday spending time on the East coast with family.
Jamie and Brandon were only back a few days when we packed our bags and headed to Invermere for the August long weekend. Our friends had been gracious enough to lone us their cabin for four days. It was so nice! The weather was hot and the view off their deck was perfect. We spent many hours hanging out at the beach by the lake but we also enjoyed going to town to grab some food. We even had the pleasant surprise of seeing my brother and his family as they passed through Invermere on their way home from an Alberta road trip. On a day that was a bit cooler than the others, we went to the Fairmont Hot Springs. It was busy but the facility was beautiful and had a lovely view from the mountainside. It was here Brandon first tried the diving board. With barely a hesitation he hopped off the 3 foot board like he'd been doing it his whole life. After about five tries he decided he wanted to go off the 9 foot diving board. I personally didn't think he'd do it but if he had any fear up there, he didn't show it. He looked down for maybe 5 seconds and then jumped off. People in the hot tub beside me started cheering for him saying "way to go" and "good job kid". He tried the high board another four or five times before deciding that was enough. I have a feeling our time at the pool will never be the same again :-)
August was a busy month with Brandon attending both a YMCA swim camp and a U of C adventure camp. In the evenings we'd go to Confederation Park where he'd practice riding his new mountain bike. On the weekends we did our best to connect with friends over play dates, wine and bbq's. On August 21st my mom flew down to pick up Brandon. She was taking him back to Victoria to have some fun before my dad's big 70th birthday party and family reunion. Jamie and I had a few days to ourselves before we too jumped on a plane to meet up with the rest of the family.
For three days we partied like it was 1999! The first night was Dad's party held at his house. About 30 or 35 adult family and friends came out to celebrate. Mostly we just mingled and ate until about 7pm. From there songs were preformed (written for Dad), a roast given, some speeches made and then we wrapped it up with dancing on the deck.
The next day we enjoyed a family bbq in my brother's back yard. All the cousins, aunts and uncles turned up to fest on burgers and cake. My brother and I hired a photographer to take family pictures but other-than-that it was a pretty casual affair.
On Sunday night we met up with a smaller group of family at the Bear Mountain Golf Resort. Dad treated us to a buffet dinner that was quite wonderful and it was nice to spend some quiet time with the smaller group. Early the next morning, Jamie headed home while B and I stayed around for a few more days. We went swimming, shopping, out for lunch, to the movies and all around just relaxed before making our way back to home for the long weekend.
So that was summer. Just as I predicted it would, it went by really fast. I don't know about Brandon but I'm looking forward to Fall. I love Thanksgiving, family birthdays and Halloween. This year though - I can't wait for Hawaii. Bring on the palm trees and soft white sand. Summer may be done but I'm not ready for long hot sunny days to be over just yet!
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