Saturday, October 13, 2012

Sunday Fun

Revy and the kids get to know some new friends at the dog park

Madison speeds through the youth park

Kai loved hangin' with the kids on their skateboards, bikes, and scooters

Caylie got into the action too!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Farm Bag Dinner

Climbing aboard the wagon for a tractor tour of the farm
 We were invited to visit the farm where many of our farm bag vegetables are grown.  It was a beautiful evening, the sun setting over the ridge, and folks eager to have a look at the crops nearly ready for harvest. 
The children were allowed to pick a giant carrot from this huge carrot patch!
 We had a close-up look at the chicken coop, a ride behind a tractor all around the farm, with some lessons about several of the fields and crops.  There were several children, and they ran around the orchard, fields, and took turns on the swing tied to a huge old weeping willow in the yard. 
Playing in the orchard before dinner
 Long tables were beautifully set, a kitchen was prepared under a tent, and we were served a lovely array of fresh, local vegetables and dairy.  Creamy potato soup with artisan bread, roasted vegetable soft tacos with local cheese and cream, and "Okanagan Mess", a scrumptious dessert of ripe valley fruit with cream and flavoured meringue.  It was all fantastic!  
Waiting for a delicious meal
This was all in honour of the launch of another year of the Farm Bag fundraiser, where we can buy a monthly bag full of ripe, fresh fruits and vegetables grown here in our own valley.  Each bag has seasonal fare, a newsletter about the farms that produced the food included that month, and some recipes for how to prepare some of the interesting delights.  Looking forward to another season with Farm Bag!

Kai's Birthday Party


 Kai and his friends had a blast at his 8th birthday party last month.  His real birthday is over summer holidays, so we decided to wait until school started to have the celebration so he could invite buddies from his class.  There were 10 kids (including his sisters whom he reluctantly invited) gathered to while away the afternoon at Okanagan Amusements. 
Marcus leaps out of the way for Kai to putt his ball home.

Over the little bridge.
 First the guys tackled the mini-golf course.  They sped through it, but enjoyed the little castles, windmills, and water hazards of the game. 


 Next the boys played with balloons while we waited for the girls and littler guests to finish their mini-golf session.  After that the kids wandered through the arcade while we prepped the food, and then we all had lunch.  Hot dogs, muffins, veggies, chips, and cake were scarfed down in record time.  Once the last plate had been cleaned, they lined up for go-karts!  At this point my camera's batteries gave out, so no pics of them driving around the race course, but they had a blast!  The littler people went with adults, and sped through the race, while the older kids tried their hand behind the wheel.  They had so much fun - and it was quite a long turn each, and they were pumped when it was through!

Once the drivers were grounded again, we gave them some change for the games in the arcade.  They had a great time playing and collecting tickets to spend at the trading post for prizes.  Who could get the most tickets?  Who could pool their winnings for bigger prizes?  They never got tired of it!

Pac-man cake
When the last quarter was spent, the prizes all chosen (the employee was very generous about rounding up), the parents came to collect their tired little party-goers and we cleared up the debris. Each guest left with the prizes they chose at the trading post, and a monster goodie bag with pencils, pens, and candy hidden inside the zipper mouth.   Kai was pleased with his celebration this year, and had a grin on his face the rest of the day.  "Remember when I passed Dad on the race course in my go-kart?"