The Rest of Summer

This is more for my own record than anyone else’s, so that’s why I’m posting summer photos right before Christmas. That, and I have to remind myself that we did indeed have summer. ;) I caught her sleeping in her sundress Dressed up for church I caught her pouty lip…ha ha! Getting creative with his shirt, a plastic pipe, a pail and stool

We surprise the kids every summer by taking them to their favorite place with rides

Holding hands…SO sweet! They went on the spinning apples for the first time and they liked it!

They went on this ride over and over that drops, goes back up, then drops again

We took them to our favorite crepe restaurant after and I saw these flowers nearby The kids enjoyed having the sprinkler under the trampoline and Blake was adding soap in this picture Haley turned 3 in August and we had an outdoor party at a school playground

They were so cute trying to play velcro ball

The kids had 2 weeks of VBS, one at a different church in July and then at our church in August.  This was their final performance and they were making a presentation to local emergency medical services workers and police We went to the park a couple of times after we were done at the splash park We went to the beach with friends which was super fun We had a wonderful summer together and I really enjoyed the weather with my family! :)

My Cousin’s Wedding

I figured I would dust off the ole blog today, since this post (and some others) are WAY overdue. My cousin from B.C. got married to a girl who was from this area at the beginning of December and Blake was asked to be their ring bearer. :) My sister and brother-in-law weren’t at the wedding, since they live far away, and I forgot to show them pictures when they came out for Thanksgiving. So now I’m finally posting them, 2 months later. The grounds were very pretty that they got married at At the wedding rehearsal, Blake and Haley found a dog while they were waiting for the rehearsal to start. Kiera played with my cousin, Eden (the groom’s youngest sister) and the bride’s youngest sister The entrance of where the wedding was in

Inside the tent

From left to right: my cousin’s husband Shawn, my cousins Ezra, Elisha (the groom) and Emmanuel, and the bride’s youngest brother, who ended up fainting during the wedding I think he is SOOOOOOOO cute!!!!

My cousin, Elisabeth, with her husband (both in the wedding party)

Blake got pulled in a wagon with the flower girl by the bride’s sister Handing off the precious cargo Whenever the bride comes down the aisle, I always like to look at the groom’s face. In this case, the bride ran down the aisle! My handsome man with my beautiful daughter

My Grandpa led them in their first communion together

My dressed up munchkins

Elisha and Elanna at the reception

Blake and his 2nd cousin found a tractor to play on

Maybe I’ll get around to posting pictures of the first day of school and Thanksgiving some time before Christmas. We’ll see! ;)

August Long Week-end

Every August long week-end since I was a kid, my Dad’s side of the family has gone to the lake together. Jared + I skipped a bunch of years because we were having babies and the idea of going on a long(ish) drive to the lake with babies and toddlers, messing with their schedules and trying to enjoy our time there was daunting to us. Last year we went just for one day (it’s a 3 1/2 hour drive one way) to see how it would go. Our kids LOVED it and we all had such a fantastic time that we decided we would go for the week-end this year. I love how the scenery changes along the highway When we got there, our booking had been messed up (aka erased), so we didn’t have a cabin in the same area as the rest of the family.  THANKFULLY, there was one cabin available just a short drive away right on the water, so we took that one.  It was actually newer and more spacious than the cabin we would have had otherwise, so that was a plus.  It had a huge deck on it which is where we ate almost all of our meals. My Mom came out and stayed with us the 2nd night The view from our cabin Most of the week-end was spent with our Aunts, Uncles, cousins and the kids’ 2nd cousins by/on the dock visiting, sun tanning, snacking, swimming and going for boat rides. I think there was around 60 of us in total! SO much fun! Kiera and Haley got tube rides behind my cousin’s boat. Blake didn’t want to but was fine to sit in it by the dock. The kids tried to catch minnows throughout the week-end.  The water was very high this year, so we all had to walk on those boards to and from the dock.  It was a bit scary and several people slipped and fell in. My cousin on the left built the kayak on the right!  He showed us how he could flip himself underwater and then back up again. That guy has skills! The boys tried to all stand up on a tube at the same time which was VERY amusing! I think this was the closest they got Kiera’s (and maybe Jared’s) first time in a kayak We got introduced to the game of Sticks and we stayed up very late in our cousins’ cabin playing it the 2nd night. Blake and Haley ended up falling asleep, which is very rare for them to do when we’re at someone else’s place.

Haley fell asleep on my Mom’s lap and my Mom ended up falling asleep, too. Very sweet.

We transferred her to a couch and she didn’t wake up. I was fascinated by the lily pads the next morning, especially by the flower growing out of one close to the top of the picture. The beautiful drive home I love all the trees! I love the shades and contrasts of blues and greens Very tired kids We booked a cabin for next year and are already looking forward to it!  We LOVED spending the week-end with all of our family. I feel like between my Mom’s side and my Dad’s side I have the best family in the world! :)