Ellison Park Camping Trip

So, this weekend the fam went camping to Ellison Provincial Park. We went with the Larnder crew and fun was had by all. Here's Sonya and Gary celebrating their 14th anniversary!

Posing for the camera...

The kids hanging out on the beach...I thought this picture was pretty typical...the girls are posing for the camera, and the boys are fighting over a bag of chips! :)

Hope this is something we can make an annual event!

Well, here I am...with nothing in particular to write about and no exciting pictures to share...but alas, my audience of about two people is requesting I update my blog for her entertainment...so I must oblige! On Monday, my cousin came over for lunch and to watch a movie, "The Family Stone". I guess if I were a more experienced blogger, I would have taken a picture of the delicious chicken wraps I made. Then on Tuesday, I went to the movies to see "You, Me and Dupree" with Sonya. Again, I guess I could have taken a pic of me and my best gal outside of the theatre. I'm inspired right now by a movie quote..."Quick, get the camera....learn from me!!" Other than that, I've just been working and getting ready for another camping trip this weekend. Nothing too exciting here...oh wait...I guess last night there was a tiny bit of excitement when I discovered that Kenton's crickets had been escaping all evening. I had just bought 8 crickets earlier in the afternoon and went in to his room a few hours later to see a tiny cricket head poking through the lid of the container. When I opened up the lid, I discovered there were only 4 crickets left! We found two under the bed, one in the bathroom and one in my bedroom. Whew!
Well, I guess that's should appease my audience member for a few days. ;) See y'all soon!

Sneak Preview!

Today, Heidi and I took a drive out to the airport. Talk about good timing...the Snowbirds were flying while we were there. We had our own private show! I've always loved watching the planes fly and am still in awe of how much skill it takes to do what they do. The sound the jets make when they fly by still sends shivers up my spine. Hopefully, the weather will clear up and we'll take in some of the show this weekend. I've heard it might be the last year for the Airshow.

Not sure which plane this is, but Heidi was impressed by it's size, so I took this pic for her!

Camping at Chilliwack Lake

This weekend we went camping to Chilliwack Lake. I've lived in the Fraser Valley my entire life, and had never been before. The lake was absolutely gorgeous! It was extremely cold, but we all went for a dip anyway.

The kids kept busy riding bikes, going to the park and feeding the squirrels and blue jays. By the end of the weekend, the little critters were eating right out of our hands!

We had a great weekend with great friends, good food and lots of relaxation!

Changes

Ahhh....finally! I've been trying to decide what I wanted to do about my blog all week. I wanted a change, but was searching for something unique. As you can see, I finally just went with the crowd and went to the site that was easiest. :) I do like having some colour and patterns to look at. I never really liked my blog name either, so we'll see how this one goes.
We're taking off for the weekend, so I guess when I get back I'll see what everyone thinks and I'll have some pics to publish! See ya....everyone have a great long weekend!

Yummy!

Yesterday seemed like such the perfect day to make a batch of rollkuchen. I've only made it once before, and this time they turned out much better. I learned a few things and know that next time they will be perfect! This is Sonya's recipe, which I absolutely love.
Coincidentally, my parents invited us kids up to their house for rollkuchen for dinner last night! My mom's were crispy and mine were softer. Both delicious!
After dinner we had cake and coffee to celebrate my brother's 19th birthday. I forgot my camera though! :( Oh well, there's always next time! :)

What a Cutie!

I've had the pleasure of seeing my little niece, Peyton, twice this week. Besides my own children, she is the most precious little one in my life. My husband teases me that I have more pictures of her in my house than my own children...not true...yet. :) I thought I'd share her most recent picture with all of you. She just turned six months old a few days ago. What a cutie!

Coffee Night!

Last night, a bunch of gals from Blog Land, went out for coffee to ABC. It was a nice night out. For me, this meant the chance to take a picture of my food. I am proud that this is the first picture of food that I will be publishing on my blog. I now truly feel like I'm part of the gang.
Enjoy!

Karaoke Time!

My best friend, Sonya, came down from Kamloops for a visit yesterday. The first thing we did, after catching up for a bit, was try out the karaoke machine that's been sitting in the basement since Christmas. Of course, my husband thought it would be really funny to catch the whole thing on camera. So, since I'm so secure with myself, I thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

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Streaking Fun!

Today I streaked the boys' hair for summer. Here's Christopher looking impressed, as usual.

Kenton, though, is obviously enjoying his makeover.

Here is the final result...

The boys thinkin' they're really HAWT!!!

Sports Day Fun!

Here are some of the highlights of Sports Day today...

Heidi and Kenton in the tug-of-war.....

Showing off our ribbons....The yellow team came in third place.

Treats for everyone!

Happy Summer!

Well, I guess it's my turn to wish everyone a happy summer. Some of my favourite things about summer are sunshine, BBQ's with family and friends, camping, and relaxing in my backyard. Here are some of my roses to enjoy...May all of you have a fun, sunny, relaxing summer!

Happy Father's Day!

My dad is the best. He's the hardest working person I know. He's also the biggest family man. I have wonderful memories of my dad playing hide-and-seek with me and my brother. We'd play with the walkie talkies and he'd make funny farting noises to make us laugh and give up where we were hiding. Dad is always saying something funny or making a funny face to make us laugh. I love to be able to see him doing the same things with my kids now. I also appreciate that my dad made God important in our family. I've always felt special and cherished by my dad, and I hope he knows how special he is to me and how much I cherish him!! I love you dad!

Let Me Introduce You To....

Heidi....Heidi came to live with us about two years ago. It's been tough at times getting used to having a girl around, but Heidi has found a special place in our hearts. She is very much a girly-girl...she loves shoes and fashion, and she loves anything pink, something that had been missing from my home for many years. :) She is a very gifted artist and loves writing stories to go along with her pictures. She loves swimming and has so much fun playing with all her friends. The best thing about her is how much she adores having me for a mom! I always prayed that God would drop a little girl off at my doorstep and here she is. What a great gift!

Day at the Zoo

Here's some of the wildlife at the zoo.....

Today I went to the Greater Vancouver Zoo with Kenton and his class. It was actually quite a nice day. The weather turned out to be gorgeous, the grounds are full of beautiful flowers, and the animals are always interesting to see. Our favourite part was seeing the lions and tigers being fed. I also really enjoyed the new bird show they have, which included owls and falcons. If the kids come home with free passes with their report cards, it's definitely a nice place to take a picnic and enjoy the sunshine!

Camping at Cultus

This weekend we took our new (new to us) tent trailer out to Cultus Lake with a few of our neighbours. It was lots of fun! We were so close to home, yet I really felt like I was on a vacation. I hope we get a chance to do a lot more camping this summer. If anyone knows of some good places in the Fraser Valley, or not too far away, let me know!!

Happy Birthday Kenton!

Yesterday my baby turned 9 years old! My how the years go by. This is Kenton with his new present from mom and dad...a fire bellied toad. This is in addition to an aquarium full of fish, a hamster, hermit crabs and a cat who loves them all. My kids are lucky...their birthday always turns into a week-long celebration. First, we have the family celebration...all the grandparents and aunts and uncles come over for cake and coffee. Then is the birthday party for their school chums...this year will be a swimming party. Of course, none of these events usually fall exactly on their actual birthday, so they get to celebrate their birthday with a cake, a present from mom and dad, and their choice of what's for dinner. Oh, to be a kid again. Hope you have a great year ahead of you buddy...Happy Birthday Kenton!

Hamsters and Car Crashes!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mom's out there! I had a wonderful weekend, but there were a few blips...Saturday was a typical mom's day, what with driving one kid to football, picking one up from a friend's, and a trip to the nursery to get some flowers (to pick out my own mother's day present I might add), amongst other things. Now in the middle of all this, I went in my youngest son's room to discover his hamster cage sitting on the middle of his bed, opened, with no hamster in it! There were shavings everywhere and all his fish food had been dumped out as well. At first, I thought the cat had gotten into some mischief, but realistically...if the cat had been the culprit, there would have been hamster carnage all over my house. As it turned out, the neighbour boy had made his self feel right at home. We did a quick sweep of the house and weren't sure what to do next when I heard a scratching noise coming from my bedroom. After turning out several dresser drawers, I found hammie looking at me from under my bedside table. What a happy ending!
The car crash part came the next day. I was feeling especially happy and obviously misjudged my speed and proximity when pulling around a parked car to pull in to my son's friends driveway...I clipped the poor guy's bumper and tore a hole in it! Not to mention, my whole side is scratched up. My husband took it amazingly well and I am very grateful to him for that. This story ended happily as well, seeing as we both have such good records that this will not affect our insurance. Whew!
Well, I guess now I'll see what other mischief I can get in to this week and let you know all about it! :)

Grade 7 Camp Pics

Here are a few pics I tried to post the other day and finally got to work!

Arbor Day Field Trip

Yeah, yeah....I know...I'm a sucker for punishment. Today I went on...let me count...my fourth or so, Arbor Day field trip. For those of you who don't know, Arbor Day is where we go to learn all about the different types of trees. At least this year we got to learn about different trees than last year. We all had a great day, except for the astonishingly cold weather. I think God is telling me that I need a hot tub with all the coldness I've been experiencing this week. On the bright side, according to my calculations, I have just one more year of Arbor Day. Then it will be on to other field trips, such as Playland and then, you guessed it...another Grade 7 camp out. I better be getting something good for all of this on Sunday. Will it be a popsicle stick photo frame? Or perhaps a popsicle stick pen holder? Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it!