Our First CANADA DAY!!

Canada Day is on July 1st. I never knew when Canada's independence day took place or what they did to celebrate, so this was a fun first experience! We took part in the Burnaby celebrations, which were held at the Burnaby Heritage Village Museum at Deer Lake Park.

Kyra and Logan with miniature Canadian flags. Whee!

There were all sorts of fun games, like ring toss, bean-bag throwing, and a variety of other "old-fashioned" carnival games.

Kyra throwing softballs in a carnival game.

After the carnival games, we ate some lunch. The sign at the lunch stand said "Canada Day Souvlaki, Eh?" Oh, that good 'ole Canadian humor. Chicken Souvlaki is Greek food. We received two skewers of grilled chicken with spices on a bed of rice with some green salad. Even Logan loved it!

After lunch, we watched a sword fighting demonstration, and then saw a parade down the main street of the village.

Some of the Royal "Mounties" in the parade!

After the parade, we listened to the mayor and a few other local officials speak, and everyone sang the Canadian national anthem. We were the only ones there that didn't know the words...(we'll need to study for next year.)

And then it was finally time for the best event of all...Canada Day birthday cake!! The line took us over an hour, but the cake was really good.

The Canada Day cake tent.

Canada Day cake! (Strawberry short cake) Can you see the Canadian Flag in the top of the cake?

The kids loved the cake! (Even Logan ate a WHOLE piece!!)

After the cake, Kyra helped make an "eco-sculpture". It is a large shape, usually an animal, that is living with plants growing in designs all over the surface. We have seen many different ones around Vancouver, including eagles and salmon. This one was in the shape of a cow!

After the cake and eco-sculpture making, Kyra and Logan both rode on the carousel. It was a busy, fun day! Happy Birthday, Canada!!

Canada Has Awesome Parks!

Canada has awesome parks! We go to a different park almost every day, and they are all different. Some have wading pools and splash pads, some have giant climbing towers and tires, others have swinging saucers and minature chairs. Below are some pictures from our favorite parks:

This giant geometric climbing tower was at Taylor park, a beautiful hilltop park in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.

Logan swinging at Central Park.

Logan in the Splash Pad at Steveston Park in Richmond, near Daddy's work!

Kyra in the "flying saucer" below Taylor Park (notice the giant cement dining table and chairs in the background!)

Kyra climbing the giant tires at Sapperton Park.

Logan spins a wheel at Stanley Park.

Logan lounging at Central Park.

Logan and Kyra love these grates that they put up in most of the kid's climbing structures. (They are very safe in Canada, I've never seen these used at parks in the states.)

Stanley Park is the largest park we've been too and by far our favorite, so it deserves a page all to itself. Look for another blog on Stanley Park soon!