This past week we took a little trip north of the border to meet the Kuban family at their home away from home on Mayne Island.
Simply put we all had a wonderful time! Chris and Corina were gracious hosts and we enjoyed every minute. As a kid, I grew up going to the Islands and it was so fun to watch the kids experience some of the same things that I did growing up. In addition they got to experience so many 'firsts' that were just so fun for them!
The boys were so excited to see their cousins and when we arrived the kids wasted no time and got right into their playtime groove. Jonas and Sam were right back together again just like last time they saw each other. Annika took excellent care of Eliza and Cole and Mathea were a good pair (although I don't know if he really knew how to play the game of 'pirate bunnies' that she wanted him to play so badly!)
Cole was a little unsure of the stairs at first with his weak leg. Mathea however took excellent care of him.
We spent our first afternoon mucking on the beach and checking out all the tide pools filled with crabs and starfish. Cole had no fear of the crabs and after Chris caught a huge crab Cole had no hesitation to grab for it. I am surprised this kid hasn't been pinched! The beach was very difficult for Cole to navigate with his poor balance right now so he stuck pretty close to Drew but had a ball. Sam hoped from rock to rock with ease and loved hunting for creatures with his older cousins.
Look I found a little crab!
After some playtime on the beach, the boys took the older kids out to check the crab traps and the moms stayed back with the two littlest gals.
This was Sam and Cole's first time on a speedboat. Of course Sam our little rule follower hung on for dear life when told to hold tight.
They caught some!
All ready for a surf and turf dinner. Seriously how spoiled were we! The Kubans fed us well while we stayed with them!
We dined while the sun set and enjoyed this view! It was so nice to relax and enjoy a meal with them and have a chance to have some grown up talk and get to know them better. Eliza was already in bed and the kids were all in the house watching a movie so it truly was a relaxed dining experience.
We have a lot in common with the Kubans but one difference we discovered was the waking time of our children. Oh our children slept terribly that first night! Eliza was a wreck and ended up in bed with us (which meant we got no sleep) and Sam was up at the hour from 3:00AM on while Cole woke up around midnight confused as to where he was. By 6:00 AM we were done and took our wide awake kids, loaded them in the car and toured the island while we let our hosts sleep. We found a great park and played away until returning back to the house just in time for breakfast.
That morning the boys again took the older kids and decided to try their hand at fishing. The water was a little rough so they didn't go far, just out to where the fishing boat was docked and fished off the boat. The boys were thrilled that they both caught a fish - I so wish I had a picture of their first catch! They were just little fish but still - so exciting and a fun new experience.
In the afternoon we had a window of calm water so we jumped at the chance to take the boat over to Ganges Harbor on Salt Spring Island. I don't get out on speed boats often but boy, I just love it. It makes me want to get a boat. It was stunningly beautiful and so peaceful (in a speedy kind of way). So peaceful in fact that both Cole and Eliza fell asleep (that's what you get for being up all night!). Sam loved his time on the boat and felt pretty big sitting up front with his cousins. We docked at Ganges and made our way to a local park while the grownups tag teamed and took some time out to shop. A quick ice cream stop was in order and then we made our way back to the boat as the water was getting a little choppy again.
All the kids (minus Eliza) rocking the horse.
We had beautiful weather which made sitting outside for meals and just wonderful. In addition, it was so calm at nights that one night Drew and Chris went for a late night kayak. Drew loves doing things like that and it was nice that he had a partner in crime to join him.
The next morning (and after a much better sleep) we headed out to the park again at 6:30 AM to let the house sleep and when we returned we got ready and made our way to a small church fair that was going on. It was cute and the kids had fun playing the games, feeding the pigs sitting on the miniature horse, and cashing in their tokens for prizes.
After lunch and then some more time on the beach we had a mad dash to catch an evening ferry and make our way home (with yet another stop at Tim's on the mainland of course). The kids were exhausted and promptly fell asleep once crossing the border and didn't make a peep when we popped them into their own bed.
What a perfect weekend! One we will not soon forget!
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