Summer fun - finally!

We found a great deal on a family tent, just in time for a season of camping!! It's a little gem that's not so little... the Kelty Pavilion 6 is our new favourite. Might just get used to this "tenting" thing after all, as we sold our little trailer last month.
We also got a great deal on a little 8' trampoline for the kids a few weeks ago, only to be given a 12' trampoline for free this weekend! Lesson here? Patience. :) Haha. The kids tried out the "big" one with water balloons today and we could hardly get them off again to come in for supper (a very late one) and bedtime! It also ended in an all out family brawl when Daddy hit Mommy in the ear with one of the water balloons and she jumped onto the trampoline to tackle him.

Our weekend away to witness Leah Nikkel & James Cazemier's wedding, March 24th 2012, in Canmore AB.

It was a beautiful (and emotional) day for us, to see our close friend Leah get married and her little (big!) boy Finn receive a wonderful Dad... can't wait to go camping with you guys!!!!!

We stayed in a beautiful King suite condo unit in the StoneRidge Mountain Resort (Canmore AB)!! LOVED it :)

Whew!

Look at me go! 3 posts this month! Have I outdone myself? Perhaps... haha. I just read an article which my cousin posted on facebook and I got a "helluva" laugh out of. Every Mom on the face of the planet needs to read something like this while she still has young (demanding) children. Or every person who tells her to "enjoy every moment", which is a common on-lookers theme and I hear regularily but somehow don't appreciate in specific moments such as the ones described in this article... you must read for a good laugh and some inspiration! :) It's called, "Don't Carpe Diem" by Glennon Melton.

Love will hold you together...

There is a little girl whom I've never met, who jumps for joy at the sight of Jesus today. She has bright red hair and calm blue eyes. She has an older sister, a Mom and a Dad. She was diagnosed with a sPNET brain tumour nearly two years ago, before she had even turned two. This is a post her Mom wrote in their family blog shortly after her diagnosis and first surgery. I pray that Love continue to hold you together Amsing Family! May you have Hope amidst confusion, may Grace flow through every circumstance, may Peace reside in your hearts, may Joy overcome anger, may Kindness be given to you, may Patience heal your hurts, may Faithfulness find you daily, may Goodness be shown all around you, may you know that Love has triumphed over death and you will see Charlotte again ♥ Our hearts ache with yours... (Here is a post in the Amsings Blog written this evening. Quite beautiful.)

A friend had this link posted on her facebook page and I decided to take a few minutes to read it, only to discover some very interesting suggestions on parenting "gently". I found it somewhat annoying to listen to the 10min. home-video posted in the article but it was well worth some of the tidbits I caught from it, so I encourage you to do the same... she suggests an interesting parallel between food and teaching, such as Jesus often did!

Ski weekend

We took part in a couple free ski days for locals this weekend, the kids' first time skiing!! It was a big success in that they did well and really took a liking to it! The hot springs following Day 1 in Fairmont were a big hit too, as always :) Day 2 was spent at Kimberly, where we met up with a couple friends who watched the kids so Kevin and I could ski. A great weekend!!

2011 Christmas Photo & Newsletter

Once again, we're sorry we weren't able to mail this out to everyone. If you prefer to sit down infront of the tree with newsletters and mug in hand like I do, feel free to print this out by clicking on each page (or photo for your fridge). We pray you each have a Merry Christmas and the New Year brings blessings of every kind!

Christmas begins!

I think it's safe to say that the Christmas season has officially been rung in this weekend! Yesterday was the annual Invermere Light-up with the winter parade, bonfires and hot chocolate. This morning we headed out (post rain) to find a tree for our livingroom... it was an interesting experience in mild weather with little snow around (all melted). Infact, we got all bundled up in anticipation of cooler weather & wind higher up the mountain road, only to find the perfect tree about 30 seconds after leaving our house. No joke. Kevin said, "hey, look at that one!". It was a "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" moment where the tree sings a perfectly pitched "Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!!" and you just know it's the one. BUT - the moment passed in a flash with the realization that our tree hunt would be cut violently short and really no fun at all. Seriously, 20 minutes of bundling up for 30 seconds of driving? I think not. So on we drove! The roads proved to be a challenge with watery ice but we eventually found another perfect tree (not quite as perfect to be honest, but still great!). Without further ado, here are some pics from the day: Tadaaaa!!! We had to re-arrange our house a bit but found something that works.

2011 Summer Vacation

What may not seem like a very far distance to most, we took the plunge in driving 3+ hours (plus a 35min ferry ride) to our vacation destination this summer: Kokanee Creek Provincial Campground in the beautiful West Kootenays. It was a "plunge" b/c our 15 month old Isla is our cry-la, our screech owl, our Ring Wraith (Lord of The Rings, if not familiar), our youngest and most neediest fuzzy duckling. She does not like to travel. Especially when tired. Period. We're hoping next year will bring change for our baby duck, as this destination was a HUGE hit for us all and we hope to make it an annual visit!!! Definately worth the torture we endured allll the way home in our extended cab truck, where the young wraith was mere inches from all ears... anyway, that's that. Onto the pictures!!!!! Kokanee Salmon Spawning Channel, a 5 minute bike ride from our campsite. The kids loved watching the fish so, needless to say, we did this one quite a few times. Daddy and his girls hangin out by the creek. This little boardwalk likely isn't for bikes, however it was a favourite for Aiden b/c you could go "really fast!". It wound up over the creek (spawning channel) and into the woods, only for about 1 minute worth of walking distance. The beach was beautiful! It was about a 5 minute walk from our campsite... warm, shallow water and fine white sand perfect for castles and mermaid legs! The playground was fun but we spent most our time biking and hiking. This was the best nap she had... slept through every noise and bump, which is VERY unlike our light tummy sleeper!! Playing mini Snakes & Ladders in the trailer. A hit! A little fall at the top of one hike. Spirits of adventure lead the way! One family photo that sort of turned out - shocked! Camouflage boy pushing log. Too funny Aiden, you're such a card pal. Happy hikers :) Gluten free pancakes, blueberries & bacon. Mmmmmm! The beautiful Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park (Gibson Lake loop). Taking a break after 20 minutes of "hiking" our lake loop trail. What's a walk if you can't stop to smell the flowers?? Cute little boy pushing very large rock. Funny guy... :) Our campsite! Too close to the washrooms for comfort but at least the kids went by themselves every time they needed to (and we could hear them yell if they needed help)! You win some, you lose some. All in all a georgous campground and we hope to make it an annual event!! One downside was the last half hour of the drive as our oldest two munchkins began feeling sick as we winded (reallllly winded) around the lake road to the ferry point. Crazy curvy!!!!! Georgous park though!!!!! So relaxing. And fun.