Crimson Lake

 We made our way to the lake again today! This time I made sure that Ollie was dressed and ready to swim. It didn't take him long to make his way into the water. He played and splashed for a long time while Daddy built sand castles with the others. I loved soaking it all in, listening to the littles chat their Dad's ear off as they built and dug in the sand. The delight in their eyes filled me with joy and reminded me how special childhood can be.

Berry Pickin'

This morning my girl and I went out to the strawberry patch together. The plants were speckled with juicy, red berries that we picked and ate. There is nothing tastier than organic, fresh fruit. 

 

Camilla ate until her tummy ached! And I may have gotten in trouble for taking pictures while I should have been picking! Ha!

 By the end, we had filled a whole bucket full of red, delicious strawberries. We washed them up and ate them with a sprinkle of sugar for dessert.

 The afternoon brought us to Crimson lake to cool off. Alberta seems to have found itself in the middle of a heat wave. 

 The littles were excited to splash around in the lake for the afternoon! 

 Finley loved running out into the lake as fast as he could and then tumbling into the water.

 Hyrum and Camilla have gotten pretty brave. Their swimming has improved so much over the last little while! 

 I totally thought Ollie would be content to play in the sand on the shore. When he became discontented I sat him near the water to splash around. He got into the crawling position and crawled his way out into the lake as fast as he could. 

It was the funniest thing I had seen in a while. We got a few cute videos to remember later!

 It was such a lovely afternoon! As we left, the littles were already begging to return again tomorrow. I am so happy that they enjoy the lake. It's the perfect place to cool off!

Canada's 150th Birthday

 We had such a lovely Canada day with family! It started with a nice big breakfast and visiting around the table. The boys ran out with Grampa to help water the greenhouse and ride their bikes. They love the extra space here at the acreage to run and explore. There is always something to do, or someone to help!

Ollie really enjoys being outside. Anytime he starts to get fussy we take to the outdoors. 

 He is getting way too big! And yes, I smooch those cheeks all day long!

 In the late morning we went over to the historic park to take in the festivities. The littles enjoyed the firetruck and their new fire hats!

 They were running this way and that, but I managed to grab them when they were standing in close proximity to one another.

 The boys got starry eyed when they were asked if they wanted to drive the truck. 

 Finley really didn't want to get out after.

 When I look at this picture all I see is how BIG everyone is looking these days. Time seems to be flying by lately and they are growing right under my nose!

 We made it to the face painting booth just before the big line up. We didn't have to wait long, and the results were fantastic! Hyrum sat on the tall stool and asked for a grey wolf. His was pretty impressive. It's probably the best face painting job I've seen!

 It rained for part of the afternoon, but we managed to get our new canoe out just after dinner! The littles were begging all day to go to the lake and ride in the canoe. It was their first time and they did pretty good! We had a few who were afraid of tipping and screamed in protest, but they all survived!

 I got to hang out with my little buddy while the rest were out on the lake. He is such a sweet boy and I just love him so much!

 We had fun throwing rocks and running along the shore.

 This is childhood...

 It felt so good to get out on the water again! When I got back to the dock Finley was in the lake up to his chest, fully clothed. I should have known that they would want to go swimming.

 Joe finished off the night practically naked!

 I loved soaking in the last of the days rays at the lake with my family, enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

 

 Camilla tried paddling for the first time and ended up going out three more times after that.

 It was sure nice having this handsome guy around for the day!!

This crazy girl kept making funny faces at the GoPro while she paddled away. This girl is such a nutt lately and keeps us laughing. This morning she said, "I hope I look as good as Canada when I'm 150!"

 

It was the perfect day with just enough cloud cover to keep the temperature down.

 I was able to video our adventures on the lake and my favorite part of the video was when Camilla tried to splash Grampa in the back of the canoe.

 She ended up losing her balance..

 And in a split second...

 She found herself stuck like this while my Dad and I laughed hysterically! 

 We finished off our day with my favorite part, the fireworks! It's a late night for our littles, but they look forward to them all year! We found the perfect place to watch from and didn't have to walk ten blocks from our car to see. 

 I've seen a lot of fireworks, but it never gets old for me!

I had fun practicing shooting in manual on my camera. I managed to get a few cool shots while Finley snuggled on my lap.

 I am so grateful for this wonderful country! Happy Canada Day!

Tourist for a Day

 Last night my brother came to town with a friend from Chile (where he served as a missionary for two years). We woke up early, enjoyed breakfast together, and then headed out to Drumheller to show her "the bad lands". It was so weird having just Camilla, Fin, and Ollie with me. The drive was quiet and there was zero fighting.

We arrived at the Dino museum in the late morning and it was already packed with cars. The weather was hot and dry and I felt like I was baking in the sun as we walked in. We enjoyed walking around and seeing everything. Camilla couldn't wait to get to the gift shop at the end, and picked out a little stuffy.

On our way out we walked up the stairs to the lookout and stopped for water and snacks on a bench. We met a few friendly gophers (one of which climbed right on Finley's lap!) who were looking for food.

Finley fell asleep on the way to the hoo doos, so I opted to stay in the car with him and let him sleep. I sat in the back bouncing Ollie on my lap while a breeze blew through the open doors. It was a pretty cool place and Camilla loved scrambling up with Uncle Arland and Karina.

On the way home we admired the canola fields blooming and the vast farmland. I am so glad to call the prairies home!
 

(Thanks for the pics, Arland)