Kicking Horse Resort

September brought our family vacation!  It was something we had looked forward to for a very long time.  We hadn't been away from the farm for an extended amount of time since we had gone to Ontario in April of 2015.  And there is something so refreshing, mind cleaning and eye opening about going away and recharging, it's reinvigorating!  Before we left we were a little anxious about leaving it all behind - the barns were full of chicks, but we had hired help - another first for us.  We knew we needed to go though as Andy and I were feeling uptight and exhausted about everything. In short, we couldn't wait for a change of scenery. 
I'm not writing the above to say to anyone that we aren't/weren't happy.  But we came home after 11 days thoroughly refreshed and with new vision, new goals and seeing the bigger picture once more.  It was so nice to get some space from the little area we call home and to enjoy what God has given.  Its so easy to get caught up in bills and the mundane of everyday, chores and yet more chores, and so when we were fed one Sunday by a faithful pastor from the book of Ecclesiasties on enjoying what God gives as he gives it to be enjoyed it was another good reminder to find time to bathe in sunlight, relax, laugh and slow down and really enjoy what He has given - without guilt! - including take-out coffee and road tripping in this beautiful world. 

First stop in Claresholm!

Five hours of driving and we made it to the BC border - thru Banff and Lake Louise. 

Our destination was Golden BC. Just a tiny town along the Trans Canada highway past Yoho National Park, before Glacier National Park.  Golden has a beautiful ski resort (Kicking Horse Resort) 14 km up into the mountain side and that's where we found a beautiful condo.  The location was perfect for day trips in all directions and the condo was luxurious and big enough for days at home.  We got a good deal since it was "off-season" and it was a lovely way to roll into school, which we did accomplish some of.

Stay tuned for our adventures....
:)

Bylsma Wedding

Yes, Bylsma with a "Y".  Andy's cousin Dianne (who grew up where we now live) married Adam and we were invitied to the wedding which was fun for us as basically it was a date. I even had to get a babysitter for the oldest four kids for an afternoon and evening (which we literally never do) and it was such a beautiful occasion :). It was an elegent, yet simple, summer wedding. Blessings on your marriage Adam and Dianne, thanks for letting us be part of your special day!

Marla was our sweet companion, in her newly made dress and headband. Our little princess!

Dianne looked radiant!

Andy's Aunt Binne and Uncle John Stegenga from Ontario were in Alberta for the wedding. They also came for a coffee to our place. It was good to see them.  💓

Crowsnest Mountain

{Post from Andy}

The Crowsnest mountain can be seen while driving through the Crowsnest pass along Highway #3  For travelers who are coming from BC towards Alberta this mountain seems to stand all alone like the Lonely mountain in the Hobbits tale. The mountain was originally named by the Cree Indians due to the ravens that nest in the area.
Ever since I saw it for the first time I imagined the beautiful views you will behold from its lofty peak. After having looked into the matter it was clear that it could be scaled without too much difficulty. One of my friends from church (Ewoud) who also has a love for mountains and hiking agreed to come along and together we decided we would scale this landmark.

Since there were no signs we had to do some route finding. At a higher elevation we could follow the cairns. A cairn is a human made pile of rocks that are put along the trail to guide you.

On our way up we had a view of the seven sisters, its northerly neighbor.

There was an easier piece about three quarters of the way up and here we are looking down on the sisters.

 The top of the mountain has a commanding 360 degree view.

One of the rock bands we had to climb through was secured with a fixed chain to aid hikers.

Once back at the car we had a good cup of coffee and could cross this mountain off our bucket list. Mission accomplished.  Thanks Ewoud, can't wait for the next hike!  

Family Photos 2017

"This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Picture Credit; Ashley M Photography - Taber Ab.

A summer of water fun

With the constant heat this summer it proved to be a few months that had a lot of water involved! Here are a few of the activities that we enjoyed either by ourselves or with friends. These next pictures are taken at Rolling Hills reservoir where we spent a day with other families from church.    

Having a backyard pool leaves me always humming and hawing with whether its actually worth the work and cost of keeping it nice (we fill it with pond water so it is can be hard to keep the phosphate count down) and also the worry of having a pool with a two year old.  This year it did provide again hours of fun for us and friends who came to enjoy it with us, even though it is quite small.  Those days when it was 37 degrees outside even I (I would go a whole year summer without once wanting to go in if it was just me) jumped in along  side the boys and we cooled off and felt refreshed.  Sometimes at the end of the day Andy would join us which of course created more fun than anything else.  Funny how dads have that effect.
It was remarkable how brown all of us got from being out there and when I would go to town I was often stopped by people wanting to look at "such a tanned baby!" .  I wasn't sure if this was a compliment or not. ;)

Seth, Tristan and Rowan have a little hobby which is fishing.  They aren't very good at it (or maybe we pick the wrong spots to stand??) but sure have a ton of fun keeping the rods in good shape and also collecting new tackle whenever a few spending dollars land their way.  Often Andy took them to the pivot pump site while he was working by it and the boys would don their life jackets and fish by the canal.  What a good life these boys have!

We have friends with a boat and every summer they ask us to come along for some time together at Sherburne Lake. This year we got all three boys on the water skis.  The three pictures below feature Rowan.  We were all surprised by how well he did, being the youngest, and it was very much fun to watch him ski.  So much intensity and determination. It was a fun opportunity for them all.

Andrea and Andy helping him off the shore.

Andrea helping Rowan come back to shore. (He refused to fall)

One proud little man.

On labour day we spent the afternoon at the same above mentioned beach, this time we could do some wind surfing, and more sand digging. It never seems to get old. Always treasure hunting and shell finding.

...and that's Tristan!  There is hope for Andy to have a surfing buddy in the not too distant future!