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!

Trip to Niagara - Part 2 (August 7)

"Opa’s takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow
Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow
Opas’s takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow
We can stay all day

We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too
We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo"

That was the song sung around our home for the last week or so leading up to this little trip. Finally, tomorrow had come and we were GOING TO THE ZOO!!!
After weighing the options it seemed like Buffalo had the most to offer (and of course the most fond memories - seeing as that's where we went when we were little) so it was off to the US of A!
Five little boys and their mom's strapped into the van once again, passports in hand, CD cranked.
Make way for the Dodge Caravan Convoy!

Waiting for our entrance tickets, and taking a washroom break!

 Buffalo zoo is a small zoo - which makes it very child friendly.  There are still a wide variety of animals to look at, but the distances between the cages are small, making it very do-able for small feet.  Even so, it was a good thing we took strollers.  Oma even rented an extra double one - just in case. First stop was the rainforest area.

This little birdie wanted Rowans rice crackers.  It was so cute!  It walked right up to the glass to come get it.

 

The cousins all had such a good time together, for which we are extremely grateful!  So sweet:)

Richard and Lyndsay

Dad is a very good Opa, playing right along with the kids.

Snack time for the kids and coffee time for us:)

mmmm...coffee...  (Thanks Richard and Dad)

So much to look at, so much to admire!

....a cranky mom face... "Where ARE those kids now? "  hehe:)

Going out for the day was alot of work for the littles, as the picture below shows. I was driving so Thanks to Natasha for the following pictures (as well as half of the ones above)!  I hope our children grow up realizing what blessings they have received and not to take all of this for granted.  It's a good life we have.

Trip to Niagara - Part 1 (August 6)

Richard is staying at Mom and Dad's place with Sydney and Norah while Elora visits family in Vancouver with Judah, so Natasha and I figured this was as a good a time as ever to go for a little holiday to Vineland! 
We packed into my van like sardines, five kids in carseats in the back two rows, us moms up front, luggage, bottles, cds and strollers everywhere in between. We arrived around lunch time, and let the fun begin! 

Checking out Uncle Micah's chickens and rabbits

Tanner and Rowan, keeping close eye on the kitten

After supper we all left to visit Port Dalhousie, on the shore of Lake Ontario.  It's a must-go-to-place for tourists and locals due to the FIVE cent rides on the historical merry-go-round.   Ops spoiled us all and let us each go on 4 times.  I'm pretty sure all the children's eye's were as round and shiny as those nickels spent on the admission.  :)

 

Between rides we enjoyed the park....

 And the water... 

Shells!! Baby clams.

Sydney - oldest cousin on the Oosterhoff side! 

Picture with Opa and Oma everyone?  FAIL!  

And finally, Oma brought out the icecream.  If you want to get a childs attention, bring on the chocolate!  What a fun evening we had.  Thank you so much Mom and Dad!

Oh dear, I think Rowan spotted the colour brown!  (my little chocolate lover!)

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