Trying to Beat the Heat!

As we go day by day thru this heat wave the kids have been enjoying some water time in the backyard.  Yesterday they were outside from 10am till 4:30pm, and today again from 10am till 3:30pm - they have definitely made good use of the pool!

 Lots of splashn'

 Sometimes observing

 Hmm....yes, I was too lazy to go upstairs and get the swimmer for Sara - therefore the "big butt diaper" full of water...she was walking funny by the end of the morning ;)

 I had a good chuckle when I saw the kids in the kiddie pool.  After Sara went to bed I told them it was a free for all (they weren't allowed in when Sara was awake).  I didn't think they'd ALL actually cram in there!  I guess the water was quite a bit warmer then their bigger pool!

 Sara and Caidence playing together

 Sara really enjoyed the water today - I think that she'll be a water rat soon enough...

 I spoke too soon...she IS a water rat already!  She was just lounging in the pool today - loving the water!

Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?

Waaay back in 2006, I caught this video of Caleb helping himself to my baking...I love going back thru old videos - it reminds me to keep taking them now - the kids grow up so fast!!

Close Call

Man oh man, I had a close call tonight.  I will admit that we were both guilty, me and the other driver to the right of me, we were both going a little faster then we should have been. I would like to insert an excuse here of why I was going over the limit, but alas there is none to be told.

I am just very thankful that it was the other driver and not me who was chosen to be pulled over...while I continued on my way, trying to calm my breathing and convincing the pit of my stomach to leave my throat and return back to where it belonged!

All I can say is "PHEW!!"...and that I'm going to be extra careful with my speed from now on!

No Fear

I'm not talking about Sara here - I'm referring to the bunny.

Yes, he's still hanging around, earning his keep by eating clover now (I think I gave him such an evil stare when he ate my lilies that he'll never do that again!).  The bunny is in each picture below...can you see him?

 Sara still gets really excited every time she sees him, so I sent her outside to say hello.

 Sara started walking towards him and he took a couple hops in the garden to be a little safer.

But she was able to get within about 2 feet of him - then his nerves gave up and he took off.  But really...he has very little fear of us and all the noise we make around here - born and raised as a city bunny I guess!

Bridal Shower

We enjoyed a nice hot day for a bridal shower for my sister in law, Bianca

Glad to be outside, it was decorated nicely (thanks Sandi!)

 Even the food matched the colours of the wedding

 Congratulations Bianca!  We look forward to your wedding in August!

Vacation Bible School

I'd love to post a ton of pictures from the actual week, but unfortunately I didn't find the time to ask all the kids' parents permission to put their picture up on my blog ;)  So, this one of Caleb enjoying the last day festivities, will have to suffice.  The kids had a great week overall and we ended off with a little program for the parents, then water games and other fun stuff outside for the morning.  We thank God for a great week with the kids and pray that He uses this week to work in the hearts of the kids that attended!

Baseball?

Needless to say, Caleb was NOT too into his baseball game tonight...hopefully next week is a bit more exciting for him!

Laurel Creek

Tuesday evening we enjoyed a taste of camping with Alvar's parents at Laurel Creek in Waterloo.

 The kids wasted no time digging for worms and other creepy crawlies.  I think from now on we give them a pail of dirt with the promise of a worm or two for their birthdays, they would seriously be happy about that!

 Sara practicing her throwing skills at the waterfront.  I could probably give her a bucket with stones for her birthday and she would be very happy with that! 

Sweet find!  Some kind of moth that looked just like dried up leaves.  We thought it was hurt, but soon after they kids had a chance to hold it, it revved up it's wings and flew away.

Just a moon shot - soon after we left the campground, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen!  Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture as it was behind us on our way home - but it was beautiful reminder of God's handiwork in creation!

Beach Blast!

This week I have the privilege of helping out at our church's Vacation Bible School. I'm just in the kitchen - keeping the kids fed and juiced for the morning, but I suppose keeping the kids happy is an important job too, right? :)  The theme this year is "Beach Blast"...and we certainly have the weather for it!!  So far we've had a fantastic turn out - many of the kids being from the community.  We pray for a great "rest of the week", and that God blesses this outreach program in our community!

All By Herself

It might look like Sara started undressing herself here - but in fact, she was getting dressed all on her own (well, her shorts anyway).  She at least got both legs thru the holes, but they were on backwards and she couldn't quite get top of her shorts over her butt ;)  We'll have to work on dressing with her...it was a good first try though!!

Being Watched

This little guy has been hanging around my lilies - not causing any trouble (not like our little rabbit friend) - just keeping an eye me!

Sleep Ethics

 I went to go check on Caleb the other night and found him nicely tucked in still.  Problem was that he was tucked in under his bottom sheet...you know, the one that has the elastic around it to keep it nice and snug on the mattress?  Apparently Caleb just couldn't resist a "snug as a bug in a rug" kind of sleep that night...

It was quite a fight for me to get him out and back under the covers properly ;)  Ahhh...that's better.

Science Experiment

 Carnations

Plus food colouring and water

Should equal a pretty cool experiment.

Unfortunately not.

The colour was supposed to travel up the stems and change the colours of the petals - but it didn't work.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact I didn't do well in science in high school :)

"A" for effort!

Albion Falls

Today we ventured out to Albion Falls - Becky and the kids and I left with a few spits of rain on the windshield, but ended up enjoying beautiful sunshine on the hike!

 Becky and Anna posing for me

 The kids just LOVE the freedom of walking around on their own

 Becky and the kids

 The water level was pretty low - we haven't had much rain lately, so it made it easy to walk along the riverbed on dry rocks

Crossing the river 

Kids checking out the water

 Love the layers of rocks...so many shelves!

 We were happy to see the waterfall (our goal)!

 Lots of rocks jutting out on the ledge

 From rain to blue skies, we were glad to just go rain or shine :)

 Esther made her way to the middle of the falls on her own (she's growing up way to quickly!!)

 Since Sara was "stuck" in the backpack, I gathered some small stones and let her throw them in the water (also getting me wet) - she was tickled pink to be a part of the hike this way!

Finally at the end Sara was allowed to wander on her own for a bit - feels good to stretch the legs after being couped up in the backpack for over an hour!

Splash Pad

For the first time this summer we ventured over to the park down the street from our house to try out the splash pad.  We had some friends join us in our trial run - and I think it ended up having positive results :)

 Caleb in awe at the water spout

 Anna braving the ring

I love Logan's expression in this shot - utter amazement that he made it thru the ring!

Mikayla enjoying the cold, cold water!

 Sara just couldn't be bothered with the water - she wandered over to the swings instead!

Swimming, Swimming, in My Swimming Pool!

And eating popsicles...whatever works to keep them happy this summer!

Oh Yeah

Now this was a tasty dinner tonight :)

Canada Day - The Fireworks

To end off Canada Day, Danielle, Timothy, Esther and I headed out to Caledonia for some fireworks.  Although a short show, they had some very neat new fireworks on display (unfortunately I couldn't catch those ones on the camera - I suppose my memory will have to do!).

 It was a beautiful evening for fireworks over the Grand River

 The "fireworks" tab on my camera turned out to work quite well ;)

 The reflection over the water was pretty neat

It was a great way to end off a busy but fun day - Happy Canada Day everyone!!