Surfing time!

It is time to SURF!!!  I have always wanted to try surfing and I decided it was now or never.  Everett was old enough to get out there with us so I found a surf school and booked us in.  The kids were excited to try but Trent was not to sure .... however he was a great sport about amusing his wife  :-)

The kids had no school on the friday so we made our way out to El Palmer beach to a small hotel called the Bay View Hotel which was decent.  Their rooms were clean which started our weekend off great.  The pool was just what we needed and the food had taste.  I am not sure if you are sensing my amazement but it is hit or miss here sometimes.

El Palmer is just over an hours drive from our house which makes for an easy trip out except for the crazy drivers on the road.  I do much better now on the PanaAmerican Highway by just sticking my nose in a book and reframe from commenting on drivers (Trent included)  :- )

Welcome to the Bay View Inn!

(The entrance when we drove up)

(our room was on the second floor behind the palm tree)

(I am standing at our door, not hard to tell the Schmu's have moved in... our laundry was everywhere to dry fast)

(the pool was shaped like a fish which was nice and clean.  It was hard playing Marco - Polo in this big one)

(our little fish... Ev you look so funny)

FUNNY STORY! I was sitting by the pool reading, trying to relax.  Emma said "Mom come play in the pool."  I told her I was into a really great book I could not put down.  Her response to me was great, she told me very matter-of-fact.  "You can read all you want when you are almost dead in the hospital when you are old, right now lets swim!"  Music to my ears... my daughter was straight to the point.  I put the book down and we played for hours in the pool.  I did eventually finish the book at night with my little book lite on  :- )

Hanging out at the beach!  This beach is on the Pacific side which has mostly black sand.  We like black sand, it is fun to play in it and makes for interesting creations.

(I was fooling around with my camera and I came up with this... a different way of capturing Easton so peaceful on the beach that he had to himself) 

(the boys all lubed up and getting ready to play on the black sand beach)

(hi beautiful... you got some sun   :- (

(Easton my sweet guy told Emma to sit down and he would do her hair for her.  The kids LOVE heading out on the weekends checking out new places.  We all crammed into this small room... nice and cozy.  It would not have been so bad but our air mattress deflated and three of us had to sleep in a bed.  My kids are getting to big for 3 of us cuddling (I don't sleep, they push me off the bed now.. stinkers)

SURF TIME BABY!

( Crossing another thing off my (LETS DO IT) list! )

(Time to head out... my surfer dudes)

(Saturday morning... it was time to try this surfing thing.  We spent time on the beach practicing our paddling, our stance on the board (if we get up) and syking ourselves up for this experience.  It was so peaceful)

(hey there cute surfer, what's hanging?   Trent all ready to head out and take on a few waves)

(a little yoga on the beach to get our bodies all limber before heading out in the ocean)

WE GOT UP!!!

We loved surfing... Everett was surfing in the first hour.  He was so lite and his instructor was great.  Easton also was up and at it.  Emma has really taken to surfing, she really really loved it.  Trent my dear husband... He did his best but I am not sure if a 300lb man should be on a board on the water.  Trent did not give up and gave it all he had both Saturday and Sunday.

Myself... I LOVED it.  I was a bit apprehensive at first because the kids were off with their instructors and I wanted to make sure they were ok.  Once I saw them up on their boards and the instructors were right with them I was good try to concentrate on what I was doing.  Trent and I shared an instructor who was a young 17 yr old professional surfer from Hawaii.  He was super patient with us, which we needed.

Surfing is great exercise and I can see why surfers are all in good shape, you need a good core strength.  I have a new found respect for this sport.

Turn up your speakers and watch some funny wipeouts on our surfing video!

It is so much fun... this is a sport you need to practice and practice.

(I LOVE this picture ... Everyone had a great attitude about trying something new and we all gave it our best.  Proud of you Family!!  xoxox)


Have a fantastic rest of the weekend.  Stay healthy!  

All our love

Trent. Jody. Emma. Easton. Everett

Back to Panama.. again

Landed back in Panama on August 26th.  It was later than we expected but we made the most of it.

The kids like always were awesome travellers, it is so easy going anywhere with them.

We have been in Panama almost 3 yrs and wow has it changed in that short time.  The Tocumen International Airport is moving from a half fast airport to a high tech Latin hub.  Trent and I both noticed the functioning baggage screens as well now you have to pay for your luggage trolley which are organized.  Even when you pass the customs check point the porters assemble the luggage on the trolley instead of their big red carts.  Things are changing.

Now the city.  We were blown away at the Avenida Balboa overpass which was a huge improvement for the cities crazy traffic problem, it is not perfect but an improvement.  Panama city is moving forward in many areas and yet so far behind in many respects.  The new president wants to bring in a new transit system and that my friends would be unbelievable.

The "red devils" a.k.a public buses can be very dangerous.  A good percentage of the drivers are either high on marajuna or cocaine (police has done surprise check stops)  However in saying that the rojo diablos are a symbol of Panama's culture and some of these buses are beautifully decorated so to loose them would be a shame.

So Panama is changing ... for the good yes but also sad that the country that was, will not be in years to come.  It still is home for now and we intend to experience all we can while we can.

(my always funny kids with a spunk in their step ready to head to school.  They love going to school and they all have amazing teachers)

(I am not sure if I have sent a picture of where we watch the kids ride bikes while we walk and talk some evenings.  It is beautiful and peaceful)

(We are back honey... adjusting to the Panamanian ways again) 

(Sunday morning playing out at the park before the rain came)

(this is Lucky... our borrowed dog.  He belongs to our neighbor and we play with him any time we want, so the kids can have their fill of playing with a dog.  The kids get their fix and then we get to give him back... a win win all around)

HOSPITAL Again...

(Upon our arrival back to Panama Easton had a small blister on his arm.  Within 10hours it had spread to this and jumped to his armpit.  It was a staph infection that the emergency doctor at the hosptial diagnosed quickly.  The Doc prescribed antibiotics while wrapping the area with medicated bandages.  It took a while but after a few weeks no marks were left except all the residue from the tape stuck to East's body)

RAINING CATERPILLARS!

We came home to find it was raining caterpillars.  It was dark one night and Emma yelled "what is that?"   (the kids are good at spotting weird things now).  We were all intriged at this new creature we found, inspected it closely and then Trent moved him to the tree and we went in to get ready for bed.

THE NEXT MORNING.... we woke up to more of these capterpillars on our front porch.  Elia our maid was freaking out and would not go near them.  It turns out that these insects that are poisonous reproduce every 2 years with a life span of 10-12 days.  We had 18 all around our front door!  It was discussing.  In total we had at least 50 in our trees, on our house and up the driveway in 4 day period.  Then day 5 and they were gone!

(a picture before we knew they were poisonous... This creature is sized up to Trent's size 13 foot)

(a closer look at his friendly spikes... I have searched for hours to find the name of this creature to no avail.  I have found one similar, again unnamed but documented to be poisonous from Colombia)

Along with raining caterpillars we had a snake in our tree.  Trent and the kids were very excited about the snake.  Trent wanted to try to catch it so for some crazy turn of events I was the one who ended up out Emma's window (second floor) trying to reach the snake with a pole.  Trent was hanging onto my arm and there was a good amount of screaming and excitement.  Unfortunately during my nervousness I could not quite grab the snake and it got away.  I felt bad yet still relieved ... no snake in my house!

INTERNATIONAL FAIR... at school... A fantastic day to celebrate such diversity!

Each elementry class represented a country and created games for the fun day.  Emma's class was Italy, Easton's represented Switzerland and Everett was the red, white and blue... the USA.

It was a funraiser for the school and each game cost 2 tickets, so 50cents (i think)  However the best part of the day was the food.  There was homemade food from different regions like the Mediterranean, Italy, Canada/USA, India, Latin food and the very delicious desert table. It was a great day!  

This is our 3rd fair and it gets better and better each year. The teachers do such an amazing job and the time they put in to organize is wonderful, they really love their jobs and the kids!  Thank you teachers!!! 

(Everett in his red.white.blue representing USA.  Love your hat buddy, he had fun making it in class)

(Easton at the Crossroads Largest Spaghetti Bowl, fishing for a prize with his toes... it was so gross but the kids loved it.  East was at Emma's Italian booth helping to support her class)

(I loved all the Chinese lanterns.  The Grade 1 class represented China and these lanterns looked awesome)

QUICK VIDEO...

(a very quick view of the atmosphere at the fair... Love the music)

(what would a fair be without sugar high cute kids... the boys were all over getting nice and sticky)

(this was a fun idea.  One of the teachers painted this picture and charged 2 tickets for a snap shot.  A great way to raise money and East got a chance to knock his sister out of the park)

(East and his buddy JuanFra went at it for 2 minutes... A great bonding activity....hitting eachother.  Trent and I thought about going up but I had a dress on, so it was not lady like for me to get up there and possibly embarrass Trent...haha)

TATTOO PLEASE!

Sandra opened her booth of Henna tattoos and I was her first customer of the day.  I went for a big tatoo which was Arabic meaning "Peace"  I loved it!  The tattoo is to last about 2 weeks, so I guess alot of halter tops for me.  Sandra did an amazing job!

(Sandra starting small and created a beautiful Arabic piece)

(my finished tattoo.  Trent was a bit speechless, the kids didn't really say much and everyone else said it looked great.  I really liked it but not quite ready to make it permanent ... I think I will have to just stick to the henna tattoos every month until I fall in love with something to get the real ink)

(oh I love my boys.  I got called into the bathroom after we got home from the fair to find the boys in the bath looking like this.  They were in the bath cooling off from the hot afternoon and discovered that this shampoo made some great suds)

This blog was short and sweet.  

All our love to you out there.

Until next time....

Trent. Jody. Em. East * Ev.

xooxo

The Lake... change can be good!

AHHHH summer memories from the Okanogan!  This was a summer of change on Kalamalka Lake.   All my life we have stayed at Owls Nest Resort and after 30yrs. we made a huge move  (so it felt) to Klub Kalamalka.  At first, change is always interesting but we seem to be accustomed to it now..haha..   Klub Kal turned out to be a great change.  Our friends the Drew's  made the move also and we met some wonderful people at our new digs but missed special families at Owls Nest.

Like any move it takes time to set up and settle.  Once everything was in its place  it was time to play.

p.s.  My blog is doing some funny things... so just excuse some of the odd things... 

(I should keep better track of the hours we spend pulling the kids on the tubes.  It is a minumum of 3 hours a day ripping these guys around.  It is great to be a kid!)

(this year Emma took up wakeboarding.  She  loved it, even got her own board.  It is fun to watch and it has given me time to practice my patience.  Em and I are alot more alike then I realized, she wants to figure it out NOW... love you chicky!) 

(there was a lot of opportunities for the kids to exercise their entrepreneurial spirits.  Here they set up shop with a tattoo stand.  I think they came away with a pretty decent profit but I couldn't tell  you what they did with it.... (l-r)... Amy, Hillary, Avery, East and Emma)

(time at the lake is shared with the Drew Clan who expanded by one.  This was Ally's first summer out and she was a trooper, no shortage of attention.  I look at this picture and I realize why we get looks... It is fun being out numbered....oh, the memories) 

(Easton and Emma loved spending time with Ally.  They said they love playing with her making her giggle, then when she cried Aunty Jodie took her back.  Yes it is a great setup!  haha)

Family came to visit!

(we had alot of visitors this summer.  We make up for lost time when we come back in the summer because BC is alot closer than Panama   : - )   It's awesome seeing everyone.   Mom, Bonnie, Harlow and Keidis and my cousin Jill came out.... It is so much fun spending time together)

(Keidis and his buddy Uncle Trent.  Keidis truely thinks Trent is a Transformer. ... I have to laugh because Trent has been called alot of things and this is the first as a Transformer)  

(Keidis loved chopping Uncle Trent's legs and watching him fall like a tree)

(cutie pie Harlow!!!  Harlow spent 10 days with us this summer and she did fantastic with no Mommy around.  She jumps right into the grove with our crazy cats)

(Keidis is somewhere in there... his chauffer ride to the beach)

(Can you believe it?  My mom is on the tube with the boys.  This is the second year in a row.  Good for you Mom!)

(Can you believe it BONNIE is on the tube?  Harlow and Keidis loved tubing and they wanted their Mom to come join in on the fun... You had fun, now next year you and I have to go on a good ride!)

(Mom and Linda Mill (Jodie's Mom)  Oh the stories and experiences they have weathered over the years.  Great to see your beautiful smiles)

KIDS DAY! 

Another fantastic event this summer was Kids Day!  There was 7 teams of kids with seven events for them to compete in.  Events included... water balloon sling shot... cherry spitting... bubble gum blowing contest... ring toss... bocce ball... obstacle course...and a tongle ball toss.  Other fun events were the egg/spoon relay... the three legged race and... pop the water balloon on a chair with your butt.

It was so much fun and the kids can't wait for next year.  Thank you Klub Kal!

(My snake man Ev... you look great buddy.  Our kids love their face painted)

(the very colorful parade.  Everyone got into the spirit of decorating their bikes, scooters, motorcycles, tractors to parade around their creations... it was a Hoot!)

(Ev and Harlow were on the green team.  Their first event was bocce ball)

(Here Barcley, Jim and Trent (aka big kids)  demonstrated how the three legged race would work. They had as much fun as the little ones) 

(the girls kicking butt on the milk jug relay... It was a great day!  I love all the enthusasim everyone had for eachother.  At the end of all the events was the challenging scavenger hunt)  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!  oH... 12 blissful years! 

(August was our 12yrs. wedding anniversary!  Wow 12 yrs of fun and excitment.  It has been a ride honey thanks for all the memories.  The day of our anniversary we played in a beach volleyball tournement and had a dance on the beach... It was fun)

THE SOCKHOP!!!

Klubkal had a tennis tournement followed by a big dance.  OH MY what a party, the kids ripped up the dance floor.  It was a blast, our kids love to dance just like someone I know!  (wink)  Watch the video to see what moves East, Em and Avery shook out!

(Amy and Easton ready for the dance.  The theme was "Bad to the Bone" and these guys look B-A-D! ... nice tattoo East)

(Joe and Trent... our poll holders had fun with the kids doing the limbo)

(Avery. Amy. Emma... the girls... they were a blast to watch)

(Av and Em, a friendship since birth.  The girls are growing into young ladies...ahhhh hold back their Dads)

(Life's always fun with Trent around.  Here he is shaking it up with Sandy Harder and her niece Jackie)

(lets dance honey... try and keep up..(lol)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5jRFxVM3Zk

(BUST IT OUT GUYS!!! I love watching you move!)

Reid's came to visit!

(every summer the Reid Family comes to see the Schmu's.  They came the day after the Sockhop, wish we could have move of a visit ..haha . Great seeing you guys. (thanks for the picture Jodie)

(Awesome picture of Bruce and Alicia... thanks Jodie)

Branscombes swung by!!!

(it was so great seeing the Branscombe family. They came out to the lake for an awesome visit. We were neighbors in Calgary in what seems many moons ago. I miss our afternoons in the park and checking out eachothers renovations) Here is Tracy and Evan out for some fun tubing...

Newman's annual trip!!!

(The Newman's ventured out for their annual 4 days with us. Jen is always a hit with the girls because she gets them all excited about knitting. Thanks for making the big drive out... 
it is always fun)

(We are a "show" somedays.  The kids love going through the canal on the boat to get ice cream.  It is interesting getting all that helado into everyone's hands.  We picked up a few kids along the way)

Monty ... still young at heart!

(the kids had some qualitity time with Monty (our family dog for years).  My Uncle Ian, Tammy and cousins brought him out to the lake when they came.  It is always so wonderful to see Mont.  He is 13yrs. old and young at heart.  He is living a simple life with my Uncle and Tammy which we are so grateful for)

Galbraith Clan... Always great spending time together!

(here is a fun pic of Trent. Allan Mill (jodie's dad) and Uncle Ian... boys will be boys) For some reason my cousin Quinton elluded me and I never got a picture of him this year... 

(I couldn't find the boys.. they hitched a ride in the camp taxi... the tractor!  Thanks for the ride Mr. Nole)

(the summer would not be complete with out a game at Scandia)

HOSPITAL TRIPS...

What would our summer be without a couple trips to the hospital.  Easton for an ear infection in the middle of the night and Emma... well she had a run in with her scooter handlebar and the road.  Em was heading down a hill on her scooter and the next thing was everyone was running to come get Trent and I as she did a number to her face.  Emma is so lucky, her injuries could have been so much more sever than what she walked away with.  These pictures are GRAPHIC so beware.  Em was a trooper.  I can't thank everyone at KlubKal enough for all their help with the Emma and the boys.  THANK YOU!!!

(Emma was a trooper while we waited for the emergency doctor to take a look at her.  She went into shock at first but with extra warm blankets and some funny jokes she turned things around.  We are so proud of her)

VERY VERY GRAPHIC... IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH SORRY!!!

(you can see where her handlebar made contact.  It tore right through her lip.  She was so blessed to have not lost any teeth and none of her bones shatter from the impact.  Em walked away with  9 stitches and a great story to tell in years to come)  Last year it was Everett in the hospital with a face injury.... the joys of parenthood  :-  )

(Em was very hungry after her visit to emerg so Japanese food was on her pallet.  Her extremely swollen lip made it interesting to eat.  Em kept the stitches in for 4 days and then I had the honor for cutting them out.  Thanks for trusting me babe)

LAST DAYS IN BC!

(i love this picture of Everett!  He had some of the best jumps off the diving board... free as a bird)

(the very funny boys building and destroying their creations at the beach.  Everett. Kyle. Nickolas and East)

(A HUGE thank you to Dr. John for being so great with the kids.  Dr. John sounded his air horn twice a day to summon the kids for free slurpees.  It was extremely comical because no matter where the kids were they had super sonic ears for the slurpee horn and they all went a run-en)

(all the sugar high slurpee kids)

(our last night at the lake.  A fun time we had and great memories to cherish.  Here is to another year of sunburns, hospital trips, awesome family and friends.  Let us not forget about my  labeled  drink glasses   ... haha)  

TIME TO HIT THE ROAD!

We are bound for Calgary before heading back to Panama.

(packed up yet again.... We have this all down to a science now... well almost.  I still seem to be loosing my mind shuffeling from one place to the next, but we would not have it any other way)

(stopped for a pee break and my cutie Everett got all flowered up by his big Sister... Ev your an awesome sport and you look so danty)

(Em and I at our pit stop at the edge of the beautiful Rookies... I appreciate the amazing senery so much more now.  Is it age or because I leave and recognize what I left?  Answer:  A little of both)

(this was a day of pictures... My kids wanted to snap some shots and I was more than willing.  I have decided that I better get in a few more pictures or the kids will never know what I looked like so I bought me a pole...)

(Say good-bye... see you when we see you.  We will miss you xoxoxoxooox)

It was an interesting summer filled with lots of family and friends.  I have a hard time when it is over but it was time to head back to Panama and settle in to life of school and to more adventures that lay head.

All our love to everyone and I hope you enjoyed some pictures and the quick recap of what the Schmu's are up to.

Until next time.

All our love.

Trent. Jody. Em. East and Ev

xoxoxo