Summer in one big nutshell!

June was a month around the house and yard... July was packed with birthday parties (1 bowling party for the girl I watch, 1 pirate party for the boy I watch and 1 party for Gramma Dyck!) as well as typical summer fun... August has been flying by, with one (Israelson family) camping trip down, one (Dyck) wedding, one baby shower (for two families) and plenty more summer fun... Moose (Alces) Lake, Whiteswan Provincial Park (half hour SE of our house). Ryan Dyck & Stephanie Pigeon were married August 6th in Okotoks, AB. Indian Battle Park, Lethbridge (post wedding day, before heading home again) My first baby shower cake, for Alena Baltrus and Sofia Huscroft. Sitting on hay bails at Nana & Papa's as we pack to go home. The remainder of summer will include one (Aiden's 4th) birthday party, one final camping trip (likely West Kootenays) and plenty more memories to sort through before beginning a new chapter in fall (Kindergarten for Atalie and a possible, very part-time job for me - to be determined)...

Isla's 1st Birthday & Festival Fun!

The Annual Cranbrook Childrens Festival was held today so we made our first appearance! The kids had been looking forward to it all week and could hardly wait to take part in all the food, face painting, hair tinting, train rides, bouncy castles, music, crafts and more... so we did it all! We made sure to be there as soon as it opened up so we could beat the line ups, as neither Kevin or I have patience to wait for hours amongst herds of people. "Crazy Hair" and Face Painting!! (Aiden is our Tiger) (Atalie is our "Beautiful" Butterfly) (Isla is our cute Kitty cat) Car painting!!! --- wait, whaaat??? --- Yup. They got to go nuts on this van, as well as a huge canvas type board, which I plan to frame and put up in their room :) Decorating cookies (post hotdogs) ! My almost 80's kids. Way too funny.... they have added their new biking padding (as they will BOTH! be attempting to ride w/o training wheels this summer!!!) to the crazy-hair and face-paint. Kevin FINALLY found a nice, well-fitting, Canucks t-shirt in town today. So here it is! Isla and I stop for a birthday picture before cake and gifts :) Isla opens her baby-doll from Nana and Papa (also has a new swing in the backyard, which she loves). First bite... ...mid-cake ...post cake! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Isla - videos

So for some reason I was only able to add one video. I'll try again in a new post for the other. Fishy Face:

Growing up all too fast!

These three amigos are growing up so fast!!! Isla turns 1 in three weeks, Aiden is now (finally!) potty trained, Atalie starts Kindergarten in the fall.... what more could possibly happen at this rate?!? Well, sad as it may be to pass by such cherished, sweet memories of their youngest years, I am greatful for their health, their hearts and their hilarity (is that a word??) that continues to fill our home and hearts! Here are some recent pics, taken in April: Kevin is making Van-fans of even the most innocent! Haha :) Sweet.... ... mischievious! Our first bike ride of the season!! We went on another "treasure hunt" (geocache search) and exchanged a couple gifts in this one... Koda is now the lucky recipient of a bear bell. Not so sure she thinks so. HA! Atalie finds the geocache :) Isla discovers grass!!! Wasn't a hit the first time... or second time! Aiden checks out the bikes ;) Hee hee... This boy LOVES swings. "Mommy can you push me on the swing???" How can I not?!? This boy is bath crazy! Mom and Dad I. came to visit while Moms foot was still on the mend... Atalie had to try on her "leg", which fit like a glove (haha!)!! Isla found another friend - Papa!!! :)

Beautiful

Nearly 3 years ago a great friend of ours, Buckey Ruggles past away in a car accident. One of Buckey's close friends served on the local volunteer fire department with him and was the first one on the scene to find Buck, already gone. Nearly 3 weeks ago (April 3rd of this year), this same man's son began having sudden, multiple seizures and is now fighting for his life in the ICU of Calgary's Children's Hospital. The doctors haven't been able to give a diagnosis but are thinking he has Mitochandrial Disease and aren't giving much hope for recovery. An around-the-clock prayer program has been set up for this little boy and his family. I'd like to post a music video as a prayer for this family and their struggle, particularily the Father, Bucky's good friend. May God provide for you the miracle which your heart longs so deeply for! If you click on this link please say a prayer for a little boy named Baret, and his family, while you listen. Thank you!

Kevin's 34th!

Kevin had a birthday today! It was low key. Full of blessings though, if you asked me! It began with a yummy breakfast of gluten free pancakes, perfectly crisped bacon and fried eggs. It continued with a cup of coffee on the sofa. The coffee was followed up by an eager setup of birthday gift #1 (the black-brown one) and a special delivery (made by his truely) of birthday gift #2 (the black one), which was filled up with a perfectly brewed cup of Kicking Horse mocha. We all sat down to enjoy gift #1 with the rental of this movie and casually made our way upstairs again to enjoy our first unofficial BBQ'd hamburgers of the year (gluten free, as per usual) and birthday cake. The day ended with a huge answer to prayer: work! Literally, a previous boss of Kevin's knocked on our door while we were polishing off our cake plates and offered him a sub-contracting job. Praise the Lord! Here he is, the birthday boy himself: