Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Summer Plans

Life continues to move at a startling pace. Is it really June already?

Maybe it just hasn't felt like June because it's been raining here for about a month. I'm ready for some summer!

And speaking of summer, it has come to my attention that I neglected to mention the fact that we are spending the entire summer in Manitoba with my family. I was SO sure that I had mentioned it in this post, but apparently I didn't! So, yes - for those of you who don't know - we're leaving next week to spend the rest of June and all of July & August on my parents' farm. Erik is going to be doing some renovations on my parents' cabin as well as some other random jobs (we've been assured that there will not be any lack of work for him!). And the kids and I will enjoy the wide open space of a HUGE yard and a wide open schedule to connect with family and friends.

After last year's trip, we knew we wanted to make another road-trip through the prairies this summer. At Christmas, my parents started talking about us coming for an extended time so Erik could do some work there. And eventually it has evolved into us spending our entire summer there. We thought originally that we might sell our house before the summer so we could avoid mortgage payments on a house that we're not using! But selling just isn't feasible right now (a couple of mortgage payments are way cheaper than those realtor fees!) so we found ourselves wishing we would've planned ahead to find some renters.

But, apparently God can work with last-minute time frames :)

We made a connection last week with a fantastic missionary family who needs a place to rent until sometime in August when they leave on their next term. Um, could it have worked out any more perfectly??

So, now we're trying to tie up all sorts of loose ends here. Plus, we have to make our house "live-able" for another family, which means packing some things away and creating a bit of space in closets and cabinets for their things. It feels good, though, to know that our house won't be sitting empty.

Anyway, besides that, I have pictures to post! It's been much too long...

The days that the sun has happened to peek through those persistent clouds, we have maximized it! Keziah was enjoying her lunch outdoors the other day:


Silas is a professional crawler and I don't believe he aspires to do anything else at this point (i.e. standing up on 2 feet and walking). I've never had a crawler in the summer before and I'm being introduced to the dirty hands and calloused knees that come with this combination.



I'm not sure what elicited this look from Micah, but it is definitely consistent with his personality :)


Fun times with Daddy!


I dressed the boys in matching shirts for the first time a couple of weeks ago :)


We hung a swing in the garage last week for Silas to enjoy (for lack of a better place to hang it!). Swings are his absolute favourite thing these days and he will squeal and screech even if we just drive past the park! It's been great to have a place to stick him when the kids are riding their bikes outside or Erik is working. As you can see, it's also handy for getting baby boys to sleep when nothing else seems to be working...


This is Silas's special blankie. It was a baby gift for Micah several years ago and I brought it out of storage for Silas. It has quickly become his favourite. I bought him a different one in hopes that we could make a transition (since the current one is already thread-bare and see-through!), but I'm afraid the old, thin blanket still holds the key to his heart :)

13 comments:

Kathy's corner said...

Today I organized closet space as well for you guys when you come. Getting really excited!! Great pics. the last one reminds me of Noah and his blankie.

Erin and Rob said...

Yay!!! I couldn't be more excited that you'll be in MB all summer! Can't wait to hang out with you guys! Very sweet pictures of the kids - love Silas in his swing. Can't wait for him and Henry to meet up. My parents have a baby swing at their farm, so Silas will have to try it out.

dt said...

Will miss my little grandchildren but am so glad for you. What fun for them to have that big yard to play on and for all the new experiences they will have. I'm glad also for the time to spend with your family.
Grandma T

rachel joy said...

We'll miss you too, but I'm so excited for you. I love spending extended time at my parents house, too bad they don't have a paying job for my hubby! Looking forward to the prairie edition of your blog.

Elissa said...

Oh Keziah... that picture cracks me up! She look like she's pulling out the wink and the gun... :)

kelly ens said...

yep - we'll miss you guys too! but so glad it's worked out for you.
love the picture of keziah in your sunglasses. also love Silas' spikey hair and matching shirt to Micah.
And in the swing picture, it looks like Silas has a black eye???

Jamie said...

Ha, you're right, Kelly - he did have a black eye. Keziah threw the shampoo bottle at him a couple of weeks ago :P

Rosanna Toews said...

So the first version of my comment had the word cocaine in it... but due to the possible misunderstanding I am abandoning it.

These pictures are perfect. Love them. Love you guys. Miss you. A lot.

Jen Glen said...

I agree...enough with the rain already!! That is so exciting that you're going to spend so much time in MB. Please let us know when you'll be through Regina. You can totally crash at our place if you want (just keep in mind, it will be tight!) But we'd love to spend some quality time with you. We're also going to be making a trip out to Winnipeg and I was talking to Janelle about trying to get a bunch of Bethany people together that I haven't seen for awhile. That would be so awesome if you could come too! Okay, I'm now excited!

Trev and Rebekah said...

Oh how the outdoors will allow for imaginations to run wild. That's awesome.
I love the picture of Keziah. Such a beautiful girl.

We'll miss you but hope to keep in touch over the summer

Melissa said...

Hope you enjoy relaxing and fun adventures with your family. Wishing you safe travels!

KDees said...

I'm sure you're looking forward to a change of pace and the chance to spend time with family and old friends. I hope you have a wonderful summer! The photos of Silas in the swing with his blankie are so precious! Tyler STILL has a thread-bare blanket that he sleeps with every night. I love when kids have something like a blankie or teddy that reduces even the toughest boys into softies!

GSFALK said...

Have a wonderful summer in MB. Love you.