Tenting it

Seth and Tristan wanted to sleep in out beach tent for weeks already. They ask daily and my answer is always the same.  "No."  Sometimes things really don't seem fair do they?
This is where dad's come in. They are the best ever, and they come up with amazing ideas. Sleeping in the tent in the basement!!!!   That way if someone does get scared or have to use the washroom in the middle of the night its not a big deal since you are already in the house! 
Andy and I crept downstairs when we went to bed to gaze on our sleeping beauties, sleeping soundly, in a tent, in the house.  Ahh. This dream fulfilled:)

Taber - for the second time

So we are moving. If anyone has read anything from this blog, I'm sure they got that already:)
We are packing up and moving West, to a chicken farm that is really really far away from all that we know.  It's so exciting. And scary.  And.. so many "ands".  Somedays we want to jump up and go, other days I get jittery and want to crawl into my bed and never get out and face reality.  We made this decision together, thru lots of prayer and with the best interests of our family in mind.
But the fact of the matter is, we've only ever seen the pace we are to call home ONCE.  Yup. We were there for three days last year.  Thats not much time to base something this life-changing on. So we decided it might be a good idea to actually go again and see it before we really pack and bags for good and call it home.  We went for four days this time, with Rowan, while my mom and dad graciously cared for the big boys. 
And we loved it. Truly we did.  Driving up felt good.  Walking around was great. The town of Taber is not too small, not too big. Just perfect.  The skies are huge.  The ground is fertile.  There is room for growing boys. There is a congregation of fellow believers.  There are no traffic jams.
And the best part?
I will get to see my husband, the love of my life, Every. Single. Day. Breakfast. Lunch. and Supper.
Who wouldn't be excited about that?

We flew a red-eye flight out of Hamilton

Calgary is three hours from Taber so we caught a Hotel. Rowan LOVED it!

Tristan is 4!!

Wow. Time flies.  Because our Trissy is such a little guy - meaning petite and feather light - I always think he is younger then he really is so he gets away with alot:)  But Tristan is (according to him - finally) FOUR, and he was pretty excited about it. We love this spunky, bright, incorrigible character.  Tristan is inseparable from Seth, and they share everything, including birthday presents.   
We thank God daily for giving us this son to raise to the glory of His name.  We love watching you grow Tristan and pray that God will continue to bless you and keep you, that we may enjoy you for many more years, and that you may bring glory to your Father in heaven. I have to learn daily to stop and enjoy the small moments, to count my blessings, and revel in the dirty fingers, gooey kisses and messy floors. Children are only small once and I want to cherish every moment.

Four years old with lots of new little legos!!  How fun!

While the big boys played with the new Legos, Rowan dove for the Fishy game.

Party Time!

Cousins Aldrik loved the icing - sugar, sugar and more sugar

Trailer

We bought a trailer.  And it's pretty exciting. Who ever would have thought?  I had seen it a few times before purchasing it off a friend, and it seemed alot bigger when they owned it....:D Our whole house has to fit in it, we'll have to wait and see how that goes:)

A regular day...

Do these boys {sweethearts} ever know how to play.  And I love it.  Their imagination is healthy, and so are their bodies. It seems that a conglomeration of Dad's and Mom's things make the best toys for them too.  They are so involved in their "work" that it happens frequently that when Seth has to go to bed he breaks out in tears saying "But Mom, I haven't even played yet today!"  Oh dear.  To be a child, to let the days roll by with no worries, cares, lists... and play all day.  What a life they have! God is good.  

Sunday Hike with Friends

Our time in Ontario is running out!  So we decided we'd better do all that touristy stuff that other people do when they come visit, but that locals tend to miss out on:)
Sunday August 18th we asked our dear friends, the Meerstra family to come hiking with us in the Elora Gorge.  It's so much fun doing these things with children, you get to slow down and see creation thru their eyes.  They marvel at things we think are"normal".  Like a deep ravine. Tall old cedars trees. Woodpecker holes.  An ancient cave with graffiti marking it up. "Dad...do you think those are hieroglyphics? Did the Egyptians used to live here? WOW, we are really looking at history!" That's our Seth.  His brain is always working at 190.   And then Tristan who thinks he is braver and bigger then Seth all the time... "You think that rock is too high? I can do it no problem!"
Our boys bring us so many smiles!
A nice hike, good talks, delicious BBQ dinner at the Meerstra's place, makes for a fantastic Sunday afternoon/evening.  Colin and Laura, we will miss you and your family! 

In Elora "pretending" to be tourists - note the Mennonites picnicking in the background:)

The Gorge Falls

"Gottcha Laura!"  :D

Family shot in the cave...

...group shot in the cave!

Rowan thinks he is quite the King Kong riding in that backpack!  LOVE garage sale deals!

Looking out from the cave, we came from the other side of the river bed.

Good thing Colin could help Tristan get down, the whole hiking-in-flip-flops thing was a bit dangerous!

Silas Meerstra peeking out from the cave! He made it up by himself - what a little go-getter.

Waterloo Park

This has proven to be a cool summer.  Which makes it feel shorter then normal too.  After a week of fall-like temperatures in the beginning of August we saw a warm day in the forecast so I decided it was a great time to take advantage of it and round up some cousins to hit Waterloo Park. In Waterloo, obviously.
Margriet came with her 4 kiddies as well as Jocelyn with Tahlia and Michaela.
 What a great way to spend a day!