Lots of New Posts!!!

Just wanted to let you know I just did 4 or 5 posts in a row, so keep going down if you want to see ALL that has been going on with us :)

Some new things!!

Here are a few pictures of things that have changed in our lives :)

How you get the carts up and down in a 2 story store!!

Emma rollerblading home from school.

Gardening club after school on Tuesdays.

Ty riding his bike home from school.

One of the grocery stores I frequent downtown.

Emma and Ty on the SkyTrain.

Ty went on his first field trip this week. The field trip was taking some salmon babies that they had raised since they were eggs to a creek in Stanley Park and releasing them, then playing at the park. It was totally different for us in that we walked the whole way--no buses for this one :) I would say it was probably about a 1.5-2 mile walk there and then the same back. Which doesn't sound that bad, but with kindergarteners, they were pretty tired by the time we got back :)

Walking to the park.

Ty's turn to push the baby carriage that had the bucket of fish in it.

Getting to the creek.

Ty waiting his turn.

Ty looking at the creek.

Ty getting his salmon.

After adding some creek water to each cup, the kids had to count to 60, with their hand on top so the fish didn't jump out, to let the fish adjust to the water.

Ty letting his salmon go into the creek.

Ty on the climbing tree in the park.

Ty with his class.

Ty's Baseball so far!!

Well our big 5 year old is playing baseball again this year. He is loving it again!!! He had his first game this past Saturday and had a great time. At Ty's age in Vancouver, he is supposed to be doing tball again this year, but b/c his age group was full he is playing with the 6-7 year olds and it is machine pitch. He did very well this past week and can't wait for his game this Saturday.

Ty before the game.

Ty at bat.

Ty at 3rd base. At one point we had to tell him to quit blocking the base b/c he wasn't letting his opponents to the base :)

A new tradition for us, but something they do every game here, is a relay with the other team after the game. This is Ty running on his turn around the bases!!

This week Ty gets to be catcher!!! He is super excited about it and has had a countdown going all week for it.

Emma and Ty were pretty nervous their first day of school, but fortunately both of them LOVED it. They were both very welcomed by their teachers and classmates, which helped a ton. Not sure why they wanted to turn sideways for these pics, but it was the pose of the morning :)

Emma--Grade 2 (that's how they say it here :)
Ty-Kindergarten

Emma's Birthday in Vancouver

We thought the kids would be starting school on Emma's birthday, but because we were not from Canada, we had to wait on the placement office to process our paperwork, then make sure there was room for Emma and Ty at the school. So needless to stay, the kids were out of school for about 3weeks total from leaving MS. We had Emma's party before we left, but we still wanted to make the day special. Emma woke up and had her #8 pancake, then we went swimming at the pool in our building, then we went up to Shannon Falls and had a picnic lunch. After lunch we went and got ice cream. She had a GREAT!!! day!!

Emma with her pancake :)

Emma and Ty swimming.

Standing on a giant tree stump in the woods by the waterfall.

Emma and Ty at Shannon Falls.

Emma blowing out her "8" candle that she picked out!!

Our new City!!

Here are some of my phone pics from our first couple of weeks in our new home!!
The top left is Emma and Ty's new school, the next is something they were shooting for t.v.
The next one is on Emma's 8th bday with her 8 pancake, the next is Emma and Ty on a giant tree
stump. On the bottom are Em and Ty on a tree at the waterfall we went to for her 8th bday. After that is Ty in his little league uniform at the opening day ceremonies. Next is Ty and Emma in one of our elevators going to an Easter service. The last one is Emma and Ty riding bikes in Stanley Park. I promise to post better pics soon, but wanted you to get a glimpse of our lives here.

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...

Leaving Southaven was not an easy thing to do. God has blessed us with so many friends there, and we knew it would be hard. However, our friends made us feel SO SPECIAL and LOVED!!! About 2 weeks before we left our neighbors/friends, from our old neighborhood had us over for dinner. It was so fun to get to spend time with them and to be able to see how God had given us and our kids friends in our neighborhood. on our last Friday night in town, part of our U.S. team ( the one's that live in MS) got together at Scott and Anna Katherine's for dinner, games, and prayer. We all had such a fun time and it made us hopeful for what God has in store for all of us in the months and years ahead (forgot to take pics :(. Our last Saturday night in Southaven, Bubba and Whitney put together a party for us where the people we were close to at church, got together and we ate, and they prayed for us, it was a very sweet time. The Sunday before we left, 2 of my friends who have daughters who are friends with Emma and one of those also having a son who is friends with Ty, threw a party for Emma and Ty at the skating rink. Emma and Ty had so much fun and felt so special. Those ladies also made Emma a scrapbook with pics of her friends from school and church with notes throughout that her friends had made that said: I like Emma because... and then the child would fill in the blank (brings tears to my eyes even as I type about it). Emma's teacher at school, Mrs. Smith, also had a canvas frame made that had a pic of the whole class in the middle..it was precious. Sunday night the church prayed for us and then had a reception for us afterward, Emma stated it best when she said, " I feel like a queen" The whole church made us feel so loved (sorry no pics of this :( . Tuesday, Ty's last mother's day out, his teachers gave him a party. They had made our family (or more we had made it) a special wall hanging, with our feet prints on it, and it said "Blessed are the feet of those who bring the good news" They also gave Ty some gifts ( one of those being a scrapbook from his teachers and they even put a pic of him in his "cap and gown" since he won't be there to "graduate" with his class), had special food, and played games. Finally, on Wednesday night Ty and Emma's Awana's teachers made big deals out of them!! Emma's class threw her a party and she got a beautiful cross necklace, and Ty's class had a missions emphasis, and so Ty, Jeff, and I got to go in and talk about Vancouver, and then they had a special cake for him and gave him a bat bag and Canadian money (sorry, no pics of this either :(. We were seriously overwhelmed at the outpouring of love shown to us over and over before we left. Every one in Southaven will hold special places in our hearts, and we will continue to keep up with them.

Emma and Ty with their neighborhood friends.
Emma with Ella and Adyn.

Jeff and I with Raul and Leah, and Chris and Tiffany (neighborhood friends).

Decorations for the party Whitney and Bubba threw.

Cool and thoughtful sign Bubba made for our Sat. night party and Sunday reception.

Jeff and Bubba.

Lacey and Daniel Saturday night.

People at the Sat. night party.

Emma and Gracie.

Jeff, Bubba, Frank, and Parker.

KB and Riley at the skating rink.

Gracie G. and Emma.

Emma, Abby, and Maddie, at the skating rink.

Ty with Parker at skating rink.

Ty with Conner at skating rink.

Taylor (our babysitter) with Emma at skating party.

Emma with Emma Cole at the rink.

Ty with his class at Mother's Day Out.

Cookies Ty's teacher made for his party.

Ty was definitely having a good time at his party :)

Ty with Mrs. Sandy, his Mother's Day Out teacher for 2 years.

Ty's class playing musical chairs.

Ty with Mrs. Gina (Ms. Amber had already left)

Emma with Mrs. Smith, her teacher this year.

Emma with Mrs. Patti, her other teacher this year.

Mrs. Laura (Emma's kindergarten teacher) and Emma.

Mrs. Julie and Emma (one of her 1st Grade teachers).