British Columbia: Traveling With Kids of Varying Ages

After our quick semi-tour of beautiful Northwestern Washington this summer, we ended at Port Angeles where we caught the ferry to Victoria BC.  We took our van with us, and it was so crazy to drive right on the boat.  Q was so excited about it.  He and Dennis couldn't get enough of the ferry and decks, getting their sea legs and watching the ocean.  We weren't in downtown Victoria for too long, we just wandered around the ocean front and ate gyros. At one point we had some maple creme cookies at the park and on our walk back, we took a break and Miss B plopped the babe down on the grass on the only dog poop around.  Luckily I had dressed him in two pairs of pants that morning, not knowing how cold the ferry would be...so I quickly took off the outer pair and we were good to go!  Annnd we teased Miss B incessantly from there on out. :)  That's what memories are made of right there.

When planning this trip, we thought a lot about how to entertain everyone since we have a wide range of ages and interests.  We knew a lot of what we did would be outdoors (hiking, exploring, enjoying nature) as all of us like to do that.  We also knew we would be seeing some gardens and that the boys may not be as overjoyed as the rest of us so we threw in other things for them, like the ferry rides, awesome playgrounds, rivers and ice cream. :)  It worked out great and everyone was happy as clams (why do we say that anyway).  We also didn't stay in downtown Victoria for long because it's hard to keep track of and entertain five kids in a bustling city.  Plus they don't really enjoy much of the city scene.

Butchart Gardens was next and it was fabulous and pretty warm that day.  It was also CRAZY busy.  I always have THEE hardest time trying to capture the essence of a place and lug a heavy diaper bag plus camera bag and chase after one kid or another all while enjoying the scenery and take it all in.  It is a juggling act for sure.  That is why I am thankful for pictures, because I can look back and remember what we did.

Then we headed to Vancouver, BC via another ferry ride.  We had a good time exploring the boat and deck again.  Dennis and I had a little photo shoot at the front of the boat where it was VERY very windy!!  Miss B stayed decidedly inside as to not blow her curls to bits.  :) 

(It was super bright outside...they aren't ornery)

After the 1 1/2 hour ferry ride, we loaded back into the van and waited for our turn to drive off the ferry and on to explore Vancouver.  We went to Stanley Park straightaway and found a lovely little spot to have a picnic and explore.  The kids went wild over the little bit of woods and claimed giant logs as kingdoms and had me take very dramatic photos to stake their claim. Then they spent the next half hour explaining to each other what awesome features each kingdom had, such as bridges, lookout towers, entrances, etc.  WP (Dad calls the babe WP because those are his first two initials...and it has sort of stuck) enjoyed his first experience with the swing and being out of the car.

And I still have more photos to add.  Sheesh I took a ton.  And these are only the best ones!