Fasten Your Seatbelts! Our Epic Story Of Summer, In Pictures, With Gratitude

So much thankfulness for a life undeserved...

836. a fun-loving mom 

837. cool family (Happy 65th, Aunt Lorraine!)

838. the way she photographs (always creating, Meghan :)

839. how Annie gently, but strictly (yes, it's possible) taught my little ones to swim

840. Anna's patience in teaching my children French-end of the year skit

841. majestic lions that remind me of the Lion Of Judah

842. the way those baboons just hop right up onto our car

843. the way she looks like she's counting her eggs all lined up on the ground (and the size of them!)

844. our season's pass to this amazing place

845. the way she carried her baby--I felt like this for several years :)

846. how at this age, turning to watch other teams during your game is just plain cute

847. and waving to her parents, in pride of how well she plays

848. how our big one smiles and runs harder when we cheer her on

849. small ones trying their hand at photography

850. how the park holds so much scope for the imagination

851. look-alike sisters

852. boy jumping contests

853. my niece, the most talented Tinkerbell

854. a captive and supportive audience for our homeschool Peter Pan play

855. hard-working children

856. pirates who were more entertaining than nasty

857. beautiful "stars" who narrated the play

 858. a dancing Tiger-Lilly

859. their relationship

860. early morning at the lake

861. catching her during a kick

862. godly men who help each other run the race

863. for 39 years

864. the way my mom-in-law and her mom have trained their children to work well

865. beautiful sisters-in-law

866. big and little cousins just hanging out together

867. the respect and admiration of small cousins of their universty-level cousin

868. finding a cousin of your size at a family gathering

869. two peas in a pod

870. Grandpa's speech to the graduates about sticking with Jesus as they go off to further education

871. older ones with great character

872. red and wrinkled strawberry-picking fingers

873. perfect, sweet Ontario goodness

874. strawberry-stained knees

875. having this tradition with my sister since we had babies

876. following in his footsteps

877. finding the best row for picking

878. my handsome biker husband

879. a dirt-biking summer

880. finding the biggest strawberries

881. homeschooled girlfriends

882.climbing a cherry tree and eating along the way

883. golden sunlight

884. for great volunteer barbequers at our church picnic

885. goofy friends of the family

886. for a great youth pastor and his daughter (so long, Pastor Rob)

888. fantastic church office staff (and friend)

889. and her cool sisters who are also great friends

890. special staff who makes our children's lives way more fun! (Hi Lisa!)

891. a few of the many talented musicians with Pastor Tyler (homeschooled boy! Just sayin' :)

892. fellow teachers and beautiful women

893. the way she allows me to be the adoptive mommy of her babies :)

894. amazing God-surprises for this family--yay!

895. great families who give so much to our congregation

896. watching our children enjoy their church friends

897. inventing ways to stay cool in this hottest of summers

898. water, in abundance--we praise You for it, Lord and we don't take it for granted

899. for a favourite place--Rainforest Cafe

900. even though the animals going crazy in the storm can scare a little

901. a brave boy who encourages his sister

902. until he hears the thunder, LOL!

903. dress-up days at Vacation Bible School

904. sisters-in-law through thick and thin

905. summer nights and ice cream treats (too many times to count--blessings!)

906. hearing the words, "You gotta listen to this, Mommy... " from my new chapter book reader

907. God's beauty at a local zoo

908. and God's imagination!

909. watching this baby's antics for half an hour

910. being able to lose ourselves in the day, just enjoying creation

911. cool streams filled with treasures

912. climbing with siblings to search for new and interesting places

913. losing our shoes in the stream and the adventure that ensued

914. summer chores and quiet time (Meg's best time for using her imagination)

915. my beautiful, growing-up girl

916. mowing the lawn with Fisher Price...one day it'll be a John Deere :)

917. the way she never complained about this daily chore

918. visit from B.C. friends

919. and how he flew here with three kids by himself for two weeks (Hi Jodi!)

920. how they surprised us by driving all the way from Alberta instead of flying and arrived within minutes from their ETA!

921. how she attracts all the little ones with her playfulness

922. a dad who humours the children by making videos with them (ex. 'Brushing Hair For Seniors")

923. family reunions where so many make and effort to attend

924. an inspirational and mentoring sister

925. how younger cousins are now heading toward marriage

926. a gracious hostess

927. backyard picnics with even more cousins (yes, we hang out with a lot of cousins on both sides!)

928. my little fish who would stay in the water all day

929. sand burials and a boy who wanted it again and again

930. camping at the best old-fashioned playground ever!

931. a Papa who loves to watch the kids play (and roast marshmallows on his barbeque)

932. finding a place that still has one of these!

933. the joy of spinning (thanks, Uncle Terry!)

934. the result of spinning too fast (and perhaps why you don't see these things at parks anymore)

935. paddleboat ride paid for by a big sister

936. the way they could hardly contain themselves over feeding these fish

937. and the show the fish gave them

938. a sweet and inquistive boy

939. Uncle Terry's crazy dives that kept my girls giggling all afternoon

940. homeschool planning evening with friends

941. how they teach me--even if they're just beginning this journey

942. how God is molding this girl's character

943. how He answered our prayers and how I nearly cried the during this vow renewal

944. how they asked us to read Scriptures that helped them along the way

945. the beginning of a new journey

946. how His ways are not our ways, thankfully!

947. kissable sunsets

948. pyjama campfires

949. comfort in his big sister

950. the sillyness that falls upon them just before bedtime

951. making s'mores

952. the hiking path just below our campsite

953. how they often camp a few sites over each summer and let the kids run between sites all day

954. for perfectly roasted marshmallows by my patient girl

955. turning tubes into jumpy castles (poor Jake)

956. our two Terrys cooking together

957. how she drives her four all the way here to spend the day with us

958. how she is the most imaginative and loyal playmate for my daughter

959. how her rambunctious spirit keeps us entertained

960. our trailer and the joy we receive by vacationing with it

961. energetic and daring little boys

962. how he keeps Oliver at his side and helps him with whatever he needs (thanks, Caleb)

963. her explosive laughter

964. how he can fix just about anything

965. how I know I can find her here each morning

966. playing washers and how she obliged (thanks to Eric for making it for us)

967. for this favourite ice cream shack, built in 1920

968. taking time to decide on flavours and ending up with the same one everytime

969. the way he gets quiet in the afternoon (when he could be napping)

970. how she walked my mom's dogs every day and how she has a big love for animals

971. how they're still small enough to fit on these closet shelves

972. how she brought her knitting to the beach

973. wide open spaces that allow one to see different types of weather

974. impromtu boat ride on one of the most balmy days of our trip

975. waiting for the "gates" to open at the locks and my giddy husband whose memories of childhood include many of these days

976. trying to keep cool but loving every minute of boating

977. stopping the boat in the middle of the lake to dive in

978. how he worked on building his "fort" for days

979. how she makes me get my camera for her poses

980. standing and staring at the Big Dipper each night (can you see it?)

981. pure joy for this soccer boy--they scored!

982. receiving her medal and the award that read, "" from her gracious coaches

983. the joy of receiving hers and how she was so glad the season was over :)

984. how this girl, on her last night of the season, couldn't wait for the upcoming tournament

985. for a patient husband who waits just a minute longer for me to grab a shot of this lioness roaring

986. how we can't get enough of this place (more like Terry and I) and we see more beauty with each visit

987. the way they move and chatter and are interested in us

988. how they could go in that barn with the ball pit again and again

989. four kids on a caboose and the scenery we enjoyed

990. eight and a half hours at the soccer tournament on the hottest day of the year (yes, this is a gratitude post)

991. how she could have played eight and a half hours more!

992. how her siblings barely complained but found ways to occupy themselves

993. the "good game" handshake after each game and how they're all friends again

994. how her daddy's blood runs within her veins... semi-finalist? ... it's alright

995. art night with homeschool mom friends (thanks, Tanya for teaching all of us!)

996. how the moms felt empowered and inspired that they could, in fact, do art with their children after this night

997. homeschool kickoff picnic and swim (thanks Annie!)

998. hanging out with moms who have similar vision

Kid Adventures and Romantic Surprises

My 39th birthday began with a cinnamon toast and fruit breakfast created by my children. I was led like a cowgirl, in my pyjamas to my place at the "saloon" where I read several signs along the way. One in particular stood out to me. It read, "You should see the drinks WE have!" Well! Whoa, is all I could say to that! Where do they get this stuff!? :) They lavished me with gifts that were their very own trinkets from their bedrooms, wrapped in love--and homemade cards. My favourite kind.

Our day continued and we opened our school books.

At noon, my husband came home and announced he was taking me out for lunch. Meg put out sandwich things for her siblings and off I went. Terry drove me to a trail/park outside of town and said he wanted to go for a little walk before lunch. I wondered how much time he had!

The breeze was gentle, the birds sang and grasshoppers jumped across the path. We came upon a shelter along the path and, much to my surprise, there sat my sister-in-law guarding a picnic lunch he had prepared. She hugged me and went back to work. And there, with the picnic was a brand new bike with a big bow and flowers attached. Oh the glee :) After much gushing and hugging and kissing, we sat down and ate our lunch and talked in quiet solitude (rare for us at this time of the day).

Just when I thought my day was memorable, my husband stood, then crept around the side of the shelter and pulled out his own old bike. "Let's go for a ride!" he smiled. Could it get any better?

We rode with the wind in our hair, sometimes racing, sometimes enjoying the scenery. The only shame was that we had to use his Blackberry phone to take photos. If you know me, that is a tragedy. The memory of the moment will last and the phone pics... well, they're adequate :)

Upon arriving back at the shelter, we packed up our lunch and my bouquet and headed home. A glorious birthday it has been. Praise God for his blessings.

Warrior Weekend

It's a guy thing. They go away with a bunch of men and their boys for the weekend... this was the second annual. My boy came home with the warrior name of Nubuck. It has something to do with being the youngest boy but also "made of strong material". Tubing, archery, swimming and campfires, the list goes on as to what they experience together... not to mention, peeing outside the tent and other guy stuff. But the most important thing these boys are picking up is that the men in their lives love Jesus and are training their sons to be strong men of God.

And because this boy's daddy was changed so incredibly by God's love and mercy, Oliver will know all about a big Creator who adores him and has a very special purpose for him.

Never Pass A Lemonade Stand

Someone once said, "Never pass a lemonade stand". I've searched and cannot find the author of this quote but

I love it.

My children begged me to allow them to sell lemonade at the end of the driveway and although they had done it a couple of years ago, I wasn't really in the mood to manage the whole thing. Somehow it happened anyway (ever have those times?) and the purity and sweetness of their activity blew me away. Being just that much older made them independent little entrepreneurs, and as it turned out, I hardly lifted a finger.

When they began to attract several passers-by, I thought it might be a good idea to have a worthy cause for the money, rather than filling their pockets. They agreed, and since we had just viewed photos online of the devastating damage that a tornado had left in a nearby city, we decided to help a family rebuild.

Of course, with $36.63 in the end, it wasn't much of a rebuilding fund, but in this family, we believe in

God's multiplication abilities :)

Biker Babes :) and Stunt Riders

Making the most of the wee last days of Summer and looking forward to a bike-able Fall :)

Hugging Home

We turn into the driveway and my children release a cheer. Jumping from the carseats they've been adhered to for the few hours it takes to return from our vacation spot, they race toward the house. The girls are eager to get inside to maul our long-missed pets but Oliver goes straight for the garage. I grab some loose items from the van and follow them and I notice my boy has attached himself to the brick beside the garage. I stand for a moment staring and finally ask what he's doing with his leg up and his arms wrapped around the corner of the house. He replies, "I'm hugging home, Mommy."

Nine days of glorious family time left us closer to each other and... longing for home. I didn't quite realize how much :)

Peely Eggs and Mud Bikes

He rubs his sleepy eyes and pulls up a stool to the kitchen counter. I ask him what kind of egg he would like this morning and he dozily replies, "Peely egg... no, melty egg, please." I smile and turn to the frying pan to make an egg for my boy that drips just right, not too squishy, not a peely egg, which is hard-boiled. I think about prayer time last night when I stroked his stubbly buzz cut and listened to his words as he began, "Dear Jesus-God-Lord..." I love this boy's terminology for things and I never correct them (although he's quite correct in his prayer address :) I want them to last and last.

A few days ago, my husband took him down to the nursery parking lot and showed him how to ride his two-wheeler, which is a "dirt bike" given by his grandparents. Terry had barely a minute holding onto the back of that seat before that boy took off at high-speed, as though he'd always known how. His face was beaming and he happily declared to me that now he can ride his mud bike :)