Snowballs in July

Yesterday we made a spontaneous decision to take a day trip up to Mount Baker in Washington.  Erik and I unanimously agreed that our family was overdue for an outing.

Erik and I had been up there once before - years ago - and although we expected some snow, we definitely didn't remember there being this much snow last time around...

 Even the bathroom was immersed in a giant snowbank.

 But it was sunny and 16 degrees - a beautiful day.

Unfortunately I made a very poor choice in footwear... (honestly, I didn't expect I'd be climbing up 3-storey-high snowbanks!)

 But numb toes and flip-floppy grip on the snowy trails didn't stop me from climbing high up where we could get a 360 view of the surrounding mountains.  There were lots of people up there with sleds and even skis and snowboards having a blast on all that snow.

We didn't have a sled, so we made snowballs instead.

Micah's look of satisfaction after hitting his target.

The target:

All in all, a beautiful day for a summer drive and a bit of winter fun :)

Note to self:  Come back soon.  Bring sled.

Oh... and don't forget boots.

Cue the Dogs

Ever since we moved to our property a year ago we wondered if it was the right time to get a family dog.  It just seemed like living on a farm and having a dog should go hand in hand!   I was really hesitant to have a puppy to train so we started looking around for a "previously owned" dog.  That's when our good friends told us that their parents were selling their farm and needed a new home for their 2 black labs.

After meeting the dogs a few weeks ago, we decided it was a good fit.  So this past Saturday we adopted 1-year-old Marley and her mother, 6(?)-year-old Koda.

Koda was hit by a car as a puppy and has lived most of her life with the use of only 3 legs.  She holds up her lifeless front right paw and hops along on her left.  When you first watch her lumber around you tend to feel a little bit sorry for her, but if you wait long enough she'll spy one of the cats and amaze everyone with her speed and agility!

We were given the option to just take the younger dog, but after observing the 2 of them together we just couldn't split them up.  Without Koda, Marley's hyper puppy-like nature would probably take over.   But with the calming presence of her 3-legged Mama, she seems much more relaxed.  

They're just like 2 peas in a pod.

And so, the animal to people ratio just continues to grow around here...

Family Photos

Signs that summer is in full swing:

- kids are staying up as late as the sun and waking up lazy in the morning

- mealtimes and naptimes seem to happen randomly throughout the day with no set schedule

- grocery store trips include stocking up on KD and alphagetti for all those at-home lunches

- and I haven't posted on my blog since the beginning of the month...

Yes.  Summer is here.

And though we're missing our Manitoba summers a little bit, we're also enjoying our first full summer on the farm.  And we got to host some Manitoba-folk at our place this past week.  My sister and her friend came out to Abbotsford for a photography workshop and we really enjoyed having them.  They came away from their workshop with some renewed inspiration and we got to be the beneficiaries.  The last evening they were here we headed out to the pasture for a quick photo shoot.  Experience has taught me that my kids have a limited window of enjoyment for this type of thing but they actually did pretty well.  

We lucked out by getting a sunny, warm evening (we wanted the sun setting behind us for the pasture pictures) and we also had some nice tall grass out there that would've been sadly missing if we hadn't sent our cows away for the last few months.  

And while the 2 professionals took pictures, I - the unprofessional - took pictures of them taking pictures...

Erik was a good sport too.  After a long, hot day at work I made him go out and use the tractor to move one of the old garden bathtubs and then haul the hose all the way out to the pasture to pressure-wash it.  

And he also did a good job being the sail holder-upper.

And I think he would agree that the effort is worth it when you get adorable shots like this one...

I'm a big fan of the family shots in the pasture.  I love the light and the muted colours.  I'm envisioning this photo gracing the walls of my home...

Then we headed to the lawn for a more classic family pose.  I love Silas' grin in this one :)

If this is just a sampling of the rest of the photos, I can't wait to see them all!

If anyone in the Winnipeg area is looking for some great photographers, check out Erin and Melanie's work.  They've also joined forces to create Hello Love Photography for engagement and wedding photos.

After the family photos were finished, the unprofessional (a.k.a. me) got to take a turn behind the fancy lens for a moment to capture a photo of the photographers.  Thank you girls for a great week and for such beautiful family pictures!

Freezer Box

New freezer: $400

Giant freezer box: free (with purchase of freezer)

A few extra moments of peace for Mama?

Priceless.