Weddings, weapons and no more wheels.

The past month was a time for weddings, family visits, and learning new things.

Mike's younger brother Brad was married up island...

and then his dad was married down by the water near my place.

Brynn was pretty excited to have another aunt and grandma, as well as the opportunity to take pictures. She's getting pretty good with the camera, and people are just way more willing to be goofy with a 5 year old behind the camera.

It was also an introduction to family she had never met, and reintroductions to others, as everyone came from around the world for the celebrations.

I also managed to get out to the shooting range again, mind you looking a bit more surfer girlish than Karen, who joked she looked a bit like a crazy militia chic.

I've learned I have a definite preference for the rifle, suck at shotguns, and don't like centre fire handguns because they have too much kick. In general I just like shooting spinning targets because it makes me relax and focus.

Later in the month Karen and I headed to part of her home territory for the first time. It was an amazing experience.

The beach is so rich with life that when the tide goes out you can just reach down, scoop up oysters, clams, and seaweed.

I went for a walk a couple of hours in one direction and found myself standing in an oyster bed so big there was no place to stand except on the oysters and they were all the size of my hands or larger.

It's amazing (and tragic) that the shores used to all be this fertile.

I definitely want to take Brynn there. On the munchkin front, she is now riding without training wheels and has learned to skate. And yes, she now has a bigger bike than in this photo. :)

She has decided to replace gymnastics with skating. I think gymnastics just became too much like work and not enough about fun, although she still want to learn how to do a cartwheel and a hand stand. Of course, we had a bit of a blip the other day when she landed on her face skating backwards, not only was it no a lot of fun, but after xrays it looks like she will be one of those kids that loose their two front teeth early, but don't get their adult teeth in for a while. We still have to wait a week to see if the one turns colour and has to be pulled.

Ahhh parenting. :D