Annual Canoe Trip

This year we had a whole bunch of the little cousins join us for the annual canoe trip. Naomi & I were the drivers and got to go see them off down the river and haul home the vehicles and trailer. We've done this so many years now that it feels super easy to gather gear, pack, and load the canoes. We also have older kids who are great helpers!

We made sure to snag an obligatory group picture before everyone left!

The little cousins had a blast playing in the water while we loaded and organized canoes.

Near the end of packing, the older boys walked out a ways and started fishing.

Sawyer and Daddy also got some fishing in while we waited for forgotten gear to arrive!

They  did their annual wash in the river before bed and it looked like a pretty good day!

 

Canoe Training

This Summer we had the opportunity to sign the oldest three up for some canoe training on the North Saskatchewan! They spent all day Saturday, and all day today on the water and learned a lot. Truth be told, none of them were really looking forward to it and we may have had to bribe them to go with the friends that were also going, but after their first day they came home super excited! The boys were both asking to do it again next year! Since they are paddling the North Saskatchewan for young mens camp this year, we thought the extra experience would do them some good. They had a fun group of friends and adults to do it with and really enjoyed learning new things on the river and hitting the rapids. 

Check out their awesome reel here if you'd like a glimpse into what their days were like!!

Choosing Joy

Trying to "Choose Joy" as my toddler wakes with the sun each morning. The golden glow pouring through the fireplace definitely helped! Our Summer days have been full and our July is booked, so I'm cherishing these quiet moments early in the morning when no one else is awake except for me and a few littles. 

Mid-morning snuggle Lily turned her head and looked up and me and whispered, "I love you, Mom" and it was just the best! My eyes are tired, but my heart is full!

 

Cupcakes

This morning the girls whipped us up a batch of cupcakes! We needed an afternoon snack and I knew they'd do a good job!

We are cherishing the freedom that Summer brings to swing in the tree and use our imaginations. 

I hope the children look back on these days and smile!

 

Full Days

The day began with a trip to Red Deer to test drive a few vehicles and a stop at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant!

The afternoon brought us out to the greenhouse to check things out... 

The turkeys have all survived and are doing so well!

In the evening we went adventuring to rescue the boys from the mud they got themselves into on their ride. Grateful for the side by side and winch to help with big jobs like this. 

 

Canada Day

Today we finally managed to get the boat out onto the lake. It's been an especially busy year with teens, church callings & the like and we just haven't been able to get to a lot of the things that we usually do. It was nice to be together as a family on the lake for the first time this season and enjoy one another's company. It was also fun seeing the shift in bravery this year and watching the big boys get on the tube with their sister for some mildly crazy rides. Oliver enjoyed some knee boarding and some tubing as well. Fin was still wrestling with a sunburn from our last afternoon at the beach and came along (covered up) for the ride and a cold swim. The little ones mostly enjoyed eating snacks & jumping off the boat to swim around in their life jackets. All in all, a pretty epic day on the lake to celebrate Canada Day this year!

 

 

Farewell June

Today we bid farewell to June with an afternoon at the beach with friends! The older kids were out playing in the middle of the lake for majority of the afternoon while I kept an eye on the littles on the beach. They enjoyed boogie boarding, digging in the sand, and creating holes near the water with trenches nearby. It was a pretty hot afternoon, so I was grateful to have found some shade for our beach mat so that we could sit out of the sun for a few moments at a time. By the time the big kids made their way back to shore, they were famished and demolished all of the snacks in sight. We had stayed far longer than we had anticipated and needed to get home to make dinner. Everyone helped load up and it didn't take long before we were saying goodbye and heading home for showers and food.

In the Hall

Sundays are usually spent walking the halls with this stinker. 

He has a scream like no other and is not easily amused. 

The hallway is his happy place.