The Sunday of Summer

Our time in Manitoba is rapidly coming to a close and we've been trying to pack in all the summer fun that we've left until the last minute. Trips to the lake have been more frequent and each time my mom and I convince ourselves that all the prep work and clean-up is worth it!

It doesn't take much convincing when you enjoy an evening like this one at Lake William with a few cousins:

Unfortunately in the haste and chaos of leaving the house with 3 whiny kids, my mom and I forgot the bag that contained the plates. But, hey, it's "camping" right?

So, we made do.

I even convinced the kids that the flap in the paper bag was the hot dog holder.

They totally bought it.

Oh - and to explain the bandage on Micah's arm -- it was still bothering him a bit after he hurt it at camp. I had visions of us coming home with another casted arm like last year. But we kept an eye on it and the tensor seemed to help. He hasn't complained about it in a few days so I think we're out of the woods.

In Micah's words, he probably just "spranged it".

When Erik asked who Micah's favourite Manitoba cousin was a few weeks ago, he surprised us by announcing that it was Olivia. They do play together quite well...

Maddy patiently worked on her mission to befriend Silas. And her secret to success?

Rocks.

(My camera kept focusing on the sand in the photos, so I decided to go with it and have some fun with iphoto edits...)

Silas and Judah.

Then a couple of days later, my mom and I packed up the kids and hopped in the van once again. This time for a day trip to Clear Lake (Riding Mtn National Park). Brad & Nichole were camping up there for a few days and I hadn't been to Clear Lake in ages (my favourite camping location growing up).

The kids had a blast at the beach.

Silas had a great time right up until the moment this happened:

And then I was even able to transfer him to this:

Overall, a great day was had at Clear Lake - though we all agreed, it was too short!

Another thing on our must-do-before-we-leave-Manitoba list was to take one more ride in Grandpa's pontoon boat.

So, last night, that's what we did.

We even stopped mid-lake so that Erik and the kids could jump in for a swim.

And practice some new swimming moves...

To me, August will always feel like the "Sunday" of summer. You know -- the second half of the weekend where you're already thinking about going back to work or school (who I am kidding, I haven't gone to a job or a school in years... but I definitely still look forward to the weekend!) In the same way, August marks the shifting of that entire-summer-stretched-out-before-me feeling into the only-a-few-more-weeks-until-this-all-comes-to-an-end feeling.

Thankfully there are plenty more good things to look forward to.

Camp

We had another first in our family. Last week Micah went to camp for the first time!

Turtle Mountain Bible Camp had a Pee-Wee camp for 2 nights and my 6-year-old nephew Liam was already registered. We talked to Micah about it a few times but he was unsure, and we decided not to push it. Then, when he saw all of his older cousins heading off to camp the week before, he told us that he would like to try to go to camp too.

Since Micah has always been our anxious child, fearful of new and/or unknown situations, I wasn't sure how it would go. I was a little worried when his older cousin came home early from camp the week before due to homesickness. But it didn't seem to deter him. Then, my other concern was that Micah and Liam don't always see eye-to-eye.

But when camp day came, they were best buddies.

Two short nights later, we drove back to pick them up - mildly surprised that we hadn't received any homesick phone calls.

They were still smiling!

Micah told me that he hurt his arm falling off the swing but didn't seem too upset about it. It helped that the camp directors are sort of related to us (their son married Erik's sister) and they made extra-sure that Micah had a great time at camp. He even got a "Get Well" note with an extra treat from the tuck shop :)

Micah also told me that he felt lonely at night and that it was hard to fall asleep, which doesn't surprise me. I think 2 nights was just the right amount of time for him. Any longer and I'm sure his camp experience would've felt too long and lonely.

And I'm glad these two 6-year-olds were able to put their differences aside and enjoy their first time at camp :)

Poolside

Silas has spent some of his hot summer days cooling off in the froggy pool on Granny's deck. He isn't put off by freezing cold water. And true to his "I'm-a-3rd-child-and-I-can-do-everything-that-everyone-else-does," he's become a "jumper" -- off of stairs (like 2 at a time) off of kitchen chairs...

And off the edge of his pool...

Whoa! Was that ever fun!

And true to my "this-is-the-third-child" parenting style, I let the kid jump.

Nomads No Longer

Over the last few months a lot has been happening for us - moving out of our house and in with Erik's family, traveling to Manitoba and then living with my family.

We've been like nomads; a family of wanderers, drifting from place to place, without a home to call our own...

OK, that's a bit extreme.

But there has been a sense of "homelessness" and the feeling of looking forward to getting our things out of storage and settling into our own space again.

The good news is that as of the end of August, we WILL have a place to call home. Because at the end of August, this beautiful piece of British Columbia will be in the possession of Erik & I, along with Erik's parents:

The four of us started looking at a property to buy together back in the spring and when this one came up, it had a lot of the qualities we were looking for: 5 acres of flat (useable) land, a shop, located on a quiet street, close to the kids' school, close to town... and LOTS of potential. Our offer was accepted the week before we left for Manitoba and Erik's parents' current house sold very shortly after.

(The property includes this field behind the barn - what we will do with this space is yet to be determined.)

The "new" house itself leaves a lot to be desired. It will be a "make-do" kind of situation for now until we decide on permanent changes. But we'll be able to create two separate living spaces that should work for everyone involved - at least for the short-term.

(back of the house)

Here's the space between the house and the barn.

This is the side of the house looking down the driveway towards the street. We're right at the end of a cul-de-sac, which I love.

This is the green space to the west of the house/shop/barn area. I'm excited to imagine the kids playing outside in this space as opposed to this space.

I'll share some indoor house pictures once we move in (let me just say the house wasn't the main drawing card for this property). So, stay tuned as we embark on this new adventure. Hard to believe we'll be living there just over a month from now!

Morning Walk

Silas' sleeping has been all over the map since we've been here. He started off sleeping well at night and having 3 hour naps every day. That has been demoted to sleeping poorly at nights and having 45 minute naps. And then there was this week when he flat-out refused his afternoon naps.

And the boy is up early. Usually around 6 am.

Yesterday was no exception.

But the temperature read 28 degrees and it looked like there were storm clouds looming in the distance, so Silas and I went in search of some thunder.

After waiting 10 minutes for my camera to "de-fog" from the humidity, I was able to take a few shots of our little walk.

Dee-dee and puppy had to come along of course.

How can I resist this sweet little face...

Heaven

Today marks another year since Erik's brother Nathan was taken from his earthly family. There's not a day that goes by that we don't remember him or feel affected by what happened on that day. It's forever changed us. It will always be a marking point in our lives. We refer to things in terms of whether it happened before the accident or after the accident. It is an event that is irrevocably stamped in our history. And we still wish it wasn't so.

But there is a bigger picture. A greater story. And as much as I know in my heart that Heaven and Jesus and all of it is real, I think it can still feel very distant and disconnected from the here and now.

But then I read this book. In fact Erik and I both read it in less than 24 hours.

It wasn't hard.

It has really affected me since then... in a really good way. And I love what God spoke to me through it all - that God hears our prayers... that he really, REALLY loves us... and that Heaven is a real, tangible place. More than ever, it makes us want to be there and see Nathan again, but even more than that - to meet Jesus face to face.

I Spoke Too Soon

Remember when I said I hoped we would avoid injuries like head lacerations this year?

Well... last week Keziah's head met with a windowsill.

And today Silas' head met with the metal base of an office chair.

At least we don't have any broken bones.

Yet.

Fireside Supper

We've got some more cousins visiting this week. And with the men working overtime at the cabin, we needed an entertaining way to pass the hours before bedtime.

So, it was time to build a fire.

The kids worked hard to gather sticks for the big blaze.

Liam was determined to cut this thick branch with his pruning shears.

No branches were too green for these boys to add to the fire.

Breaking for a tire swing ride.

Then it was time for a supper of hot dogs, chips and pop.

(Liam & Micah)

(Cassidy & Aidan)

And dessert?

S'mores of course :)