Just pictures...

Off to pick Raspberries at the U-Pick Farm!

Warming up after an early morning bike ride.

New park in Rosetown

Cute little cowgirl

Saskatchewan Roughriders doughnut from Ms. Karyn:).

Gotta love this little monkey:)

Caleb riding in Glidden(excuse the red eye). He acted like he was born on a horse!

Elyssia taking pictures...

28 weeks...

Elyssia's in L-O-V-E

Summer fun with friends...

Garrison's ride...

Facepaint at Glidden

Worn out!

LIke Mother, Like Daughter...

Today was my day with Elyssia. We don't get these often enough and today was a reminder to have it more frequently. She was very excited and chattered most of the way there. I was observing her and how she's growing up so fast lately. Her poor little legs are scarred up from so many bike and tree climbing adventures. Another top tooth is loose and ready to come out any day now:). So much about this little girl is changing and I'm thankful that the Lord gives us these moments as parents to enjoy them.

First stop was the Salvation Army. Their 50% off sale is this week and I wanted to have her try on some shirts to make sure they fit before I bought them. She had a lot of fun looking through them, saddened by my rejection of some and rejoicing that I said Yes to others:). She tried to pick some out for me too, sadly they were the wrong size. Flattering that she thinks they'd fit me, but nothing we can do about that. She was disappointed that I didn't buy anything I tried on. I tried explaining that it's not wise to buy things that don't fit. Someday she'll understand... We found some cute little skirts and shirts for Kiersten and even a couple pairs of pants for the boys. Elyssia didn't want to go home without something for them. She's very thoughtful that way.

Next stop, the LIBRARY. Here's where we enter my favorite territory as a little girl. Elyssia is no different. She walks in, eyes a couple books, picks one up, sits down, cracks open the cover and enters her own little world. I remember doing this as often as possible growing up and LOVE that she has the same passion for reading. Mind you, it does get in the way of school and chores sometimes, but all in all it's a blessing. We had 20 books to enter for each of the older two in the summer reading contest. The Librarian ran out of fishes to write the names on. We were taping some up and I looked around to see how the other kids were doing. Sadly there only seemed to be one other avid reader in the bunch. I know that the other kids are probably outside playing, but I have to say that our kids probably spend an average of 4-8 hours outside these days. There is still a lot of time in the afternoon and evenings for reading when it gets hot outside. So, it was kind of fun to see the Librarian's surprise at our list of books. She's very nice and we always enjoy visiting with her. Leaving is the hardest part. Elyssia's usually halfway through a book, with another one in mind. We did find a really cute one to borrow though. It's a book by Tim McGraw about spending the day with his daughter. She wonders what exciting adventures they will have and it ends up that just being with her Daddy is the biggest adventure of all. I know that Scott treasures the times with his girls(and boys) and I'm very thankful for that. Trips out to their "African Jungle" become pretty wild sometimes. The other day I heard lots of tiger noises. They've decided to add animals to the mix and then I see Scott's head pop up out of the brush with a big smile on his face. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living out in the country. Where kids can be loud:). I don't enjoy the noise everyday, but it's nice that they have that freedom.

The last stop was for Elyssia to get some crayons and for me to pick up some things for the missionary gift basket. We ran inside as some raindrops started to fall and enjoyed the last part of our adventure. Oh, there was also a stop at the local bakery for a cookie and a loaf of bread. Yes, we could make it at home, but what's an outing without a little stop for snacks:). The other kids were jumping with excitement when Elyssia got home. They could hardly wait for her to tell them about her adventure. Wait til they find out that tomorrow we get to all have a big adventure together. I think it even includes pony rides for free:).

So, I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures in the next couple days and post the ones from yesterday too. I've got an especially cute one of the little Princess. Tonight Garrison said, "I love my little sister cause she gives me messy kisses." Caleb gets a big kick out of Kiersten too, even though she tends to follow him around more than he likes. He tells her, "Follow me little beebee." His pronunciation of baby. Heading off to dream about the day now...

The more the merrier...

Okay, so last night we went over to a friend's house to pick apples. We were done picking in less than 30 minutes and had 4 full bags! We had a lot of fun just visiting for the next couple hours. The kids found it very hard to say goodbye. Right before we drove over there we had a bit of an accident though. Scott was backing up and we heard something under the car. Yep! You probably guessed it was... Garrison's bike. There were some tears, but also the realization that it was his fault. When we got home Scott pulled the bent tire off and spent at least an hour before bed fixing the bike with parts off Elyssia's old one. He kept it around for spare parts and there's not too much left of it. Elyssia needed a new pedal awhile back, and now there's only one good tire and the handlebars:). Thankfully we didn't spend much for the bike in the first place. They were reminding our company tonight to watch out for their bikes, even though they were on the sidewalk, where they belong:))).
Today was pretty productive and a much needed nap was taken. After supper I was getting ready for one couple to arrive, when our friend Karyn called. She asked for directions to the house. We thought that she might have time to stop for tea on the way back from Saskatoon, but hadn't heard anything, so assumed that she hadn't had time. I was getting snacks ready for Russ and Sharon anyway, so I just added a bit more:). Karyn arrived with donuts. She even had two with the SK Roughriders logo on them:). I do have a couple pics, but I'll have to upload them tomorrow. She wouldn't let me take any of her, so I'll have to wait til we go to her tea house to get some:). The kids were so excited with all the company that we had to send them away a couple times, but they did pretty good. Kiersten started something that was kind of funny. As soon as Caleb would go to sit on my lap she'd run over and try to get up first. Then she'd do it if he headed for Scott. Way to frustrate your brother, little girl. She was pretty pleased with herself. I refused to pick her up after the 3rd time and she stuck out her little lip before heading over to sit on Mrs. Sharon's knee. The kids had to pull out their quilts to show Karyn and Elyssia made sure she saw where she was missing a tooth. Kids are funny that way. I don't remember whether I showed off like that when I was little. I remember looking forward to people coming over, but I don't think I was that outgoing. All in all, it was a great night and we enjoyed the extra company. Thankfully the house has stayed pretty clean, so sweeping and dishes were the main part of clean up. It's been great having the kids playing outside so much. Definitely saves on the messes.
Kiersten is still doing great with potty training. Last night was her 3rd dry night. She's had two accidents the past two days, but I have to admit that they're probably more my fault. I didn't ask her at Shirley's when we were picking apples and today I got a bit busy at one point and didn't ask her for over an hour. We might go without the diaper tomorrow night if this is another dry one. We'll see. There's still going to be quite a lot going on this next month or so and I'm not sure I want to do the complete switch to underwear when we're going on a trip to Edmonton next month. I don't want to confuse her by going back and forth. I'm very thankful for how quickly she seems to be catching on though.
Well, we've got some things planned tomorrow, including a trip to the library, so I'd better try to head to bed earlier tonight. Saturday is a full day with Glidden's festivities and the Michel's arriving. Praying for a good turnout Sunday. Looking forward to getting to know Collette's little ones too:).

*** One more prayer request before I go. One of my mother in law's students has been diagnosed with Leukemia. She's either grade 3 or 4, since that's the grades she's teaching. I'm sure that the family would appreciate all the prayers they can get for this little girl. Can't help thinking, "what if it was Elyssia?" Those of you with children, make sure to give them a little extra love as you think of those with sick little ones. We're not immune and someday it may be us needing the extra prayers. Take care and remember to count your blessings this weekend!