Kelowna

Our trip to Kelowna was wonderful, as usual. My sister and her kids came out for a few days as well, so the Girls got to see their cousins again, which they were thrilled about!

We spent our days eating ice cream....

laying on the beach....

playing in the lake....

soaking up `rays...

hanging out with Nana....

playing in the sand....

and eating more ice cream....

and chocolate!

We also went to some orchards and enjoyed petting zoo`s and other things, like what looks like a headless cow with rubber boots on his hooves and a garbage cab tied to it`s tail...

And, lastly, what trip to Kelowna would be complete without a boat that broke down, in the lake, that my dad had to swim out too and help bring back to shore!!  Ah, yes, the traditions!  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us invade you, once again!

Finally!

Finally, here's the day Keeley had been waiting for....for a month.  The day we left to go to BC. :-)  She was definitely looking forward to being home, by the end.  Or maybe the beginning.  You'll have to ask her!

We stopped at some waterfalls just outside of Mt. Robson for a little hike to break up the drive.  Something we've never done before.  It's been cool, as the Girls get older, to be able to do such things!  It was a short little hike through the woods...just enough to stretch our legs! 

The Playhouse....continued

Well, some of you may remember that last fall, we started another project....

The playhouse posts were put in, as well as the swing set (which incidentally, I'm not sure that I posted pictures of).  Anyhow, a friend of ours graciously helped with that.  We (or should I say I) knew that this project would drag on....and on...and on.  Well, this summer, our friend came over and helped Art frame up the house...and the stairs.... (after Art called him 4 times from the store!)

Ah, yes, men and boys...not much different in some things!  Here are the bare bones...

And here`s the house.  We now have (2) stairs...

Big Girl!

The Girls loved watching Keeley straighten her hair.  So, one day, she decided to straighten Molly's mop.  Here are the results:

Molly was THRILLED with the results!  She would've had it done every day if she could!  We couldn't believe how much different she looked!  Good work, Keeley!

The River

We all know that summer wouldn't be complete without a trip (or two) to the river.... we made it a couple of times.  Once with our family, another time, just us girls.  It's fun to see, as the Girls get older, how much more they enjoy things!

Here we are....all the Girls, plus two more!

Abby, enjoying her lunch.  The River was crazy high, with all the rain we've had...and not too clear!

I had to document the fact that Keeley was actually here...with us....in Alberta! 

Here's Ellie Mae...once we made it home!  She crashed! 

My Niece

As I mentioned before, we had my niece, Keeley here from Chilliwack for the month of July.  She did lots of baby-sitting for us, and I taught her come basics of cooking and baking.  I had to take a picture of this to document the fact that she actually made dinner.  All of it.  (Almost) by herself.  Her mom wouldn't have believed me otherwise!!

She even donned an apron!!

She made a broccoli/chicken/curry dish, with a fresh garden salad and herb wild rice.  Yummy!

Keeley even got (a little) in baking....and we produced this strawberry/blueberry shortcake.  Good work, Kee!  It was a pleasure having her here, and we were very sad to see her go!  No more evening drives with no kids for us!

Backyard Party

This summer, we hosted our annual Canada Day Party.  I'm not sure how many years we've been hosting this, however, it's something we all look forward to helping kick off the summer!  I had fun this year decorating my back yard a bit - these pictures are minus the food, of which there was plenty!  It's fun to have friends over, let the kids run wild, and enjoy a good wiener roast!

Flowers to set the table, picked from my garden

The food/drink tables

Where we kept the s'more supplies stashed so the kids couldn't find them!

The washtubs we filled with ice for adult drinks, the incubator we had ice with juice boxes for the kids.  I wish I'd gotten a picture of them full, but oh well!  It looked quite fun!

Thanks, friends, for coming to a great evening!

What?!

We were outside, quadding and playing today.  And I had to wear a t-shirt, hoodie, fleece jacket.  AND GLOVES.  I was wearing gloves, people.  In August!  This is an all-time low.  Gloves.  August.  Blech!

Ft. Edmonton

One Sunday afternoon, we headed over to one of our favorite places in the city....Fort Edmonton.  We have seasons passes there, so to go for a few hours is a lot of fun.  We packed some snacks, played some games, ate some ice cream, enjoyed visiting with friends....the makings of a great day!

They had lots of different "old games" for the kids to try

The Ab-miester

Ms. Bashful

Molly-Dolly

Ellie Mae

Every time we go to this place, we talk about how hard women (and men) had to work to carve out a living....we really do have it easy with our modern day conveniences!  We had a great day!

A Small World

It's amazing to me how something that happens in once place in the world will affect something halfway around the globe.  I recently heard on the radio that if a butterfly flaps it's wings in Africa, the effects can be felt in Canada.

The air here in ridiculously smoky - so much so that visibility is very low, and it literally smells like a campfire.  Everywhere.  Since we have 2 girls with asthma, naturally, this affects them. 

I took these pictures just after lunch today....when the sun should be shining....but rather, it looks like an early morning fog!  I heard today in the coffee shop that this is due to forest fires in BC.  No, it's not halfway around the world, but the news is saying that our air quality will be affected until at least Sunday.  This means that last night was spent sitting up with one of my girls, listening to her cough and wheeze until just about midnight.  She had been given all that I could give her, and, of course, her exhaustion didn't help matters!!  Finally, she fell asleep, but my "window" was lost, and I was up until 3 am, then 4, 5 6, and finally, 8 am.  A great night... not so much. 

Today, this little lady was very, very sad to not be able to go to VBS, but I think that a morning in better was more constructive for her body than a morning spent running around, inside and out.... Hopefully, she'll just up for returning tomorrow.  I hate that there is nothing that I can do to help her catch her breath.  That something going on hundreds of miles away has such an effect on our lives.... It's a small world, people.  A small, small world!

Almost Over...

I cannot believe that our summer is almost over.  Really.  I can't believe it!  Three of my 4 girls are at VBS this week, so it leaves me with a little bit of time to get myself organized for the upcoming year.

I've ordered the girls math curriculum (yipee!), bought their english books, and now just have to pick up a few school supplies.  I'm checking the schedules of the activities that they will be enrolled in, hoping that they do not conflict....

It doesn't really feel like we've had that much of a summer this year.  My niece was here for a month, which provided us with (way) more than average date nights, many of which were spent pick up a slurpee and heading out for a drive down a country road that we'd never been before.  We walked more than a few fields and trails just to see what was around the next bend.  It was glorious!

We headed out to Kelowna for a week, meeting up with my sister and her family to (sadly) give my niece back.  We tried to convince her that she should live with us.... However, that 16 yr. old wanted to get home to her friends and boyfriend.  How rude!! :-)

So, things are winding down on one hand, but on the other, I feel as though I am ramping up for the fall.  We are hoping to get a few fun things in yet - hopefully another trip or two to the river, and another day or two of garage sale-ing.  Speaking of which, we were told about a "highway garage sale" that is happening this weekend.  It's out in the country, and, needless to say, I am very, very excited!  I'll be sure to post pictures of any finds!

Anyhow, enough of my musings for this grey day!  Once we get back into a schedule, I am hoping to get back into regular blogging... :-)  Hope all is well!

Something old (again)

Here's an old clock radio that we purchased at a farm auction the first year we lived here.  Art was at the auction, and I had left already because our first daughter was just a baby.  I believe that this was the very last thing sold in the auction (he likes to stay until the bitter end!), and he bought it for $7.  I think that the radio still works!  This is hanging out in our basement right now.  I just can't bear to get rid of it!