Drumheller - Royal Tyrrel Museum

The Royal Tyrrel Museum in Drumheller Alberta is world renowned for it's paleontology.  The museum is dedicated strictly to dinosaurs and the science around them.  Although this is a top-class world famous museum we hadn't made the trip yet as we had been a few times to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Brooks and were told that was where they had uncovered and recovered most of their fossils from.   But the time had come to check it out for ourselves.
It was a nice museum, large and interesting. There were lots of fossils and some fascinating walking paths.  As Christians though and believers in a young earth as well as in the world wide flood as described in the Bible, the museum leaves much lacking. There is so much speculation on the age of the bones as well as how they became extinct.  There was a lady scientist sitting at a table there who was carefully scraping away at a piece of bone/mud and was telling us all about how it was about 70,000 years old.  It's a ridiculous amount of years, especially for the way they treat it.  And its remarkable at how they throw around thousands of years, give or take a few, but refuse to entertain fewer.  We see so plainly how the flood could have drowned all these big creatures and it all makes so much sense that way.  It's too bad the museum refuses to give two sides to a story, but it gives way to much conversation for ourselves.
The town of Drumheller is cute.  Very touristic, plasticine dinosaurs for photo ops everywhere.  It made for a very enjoyable day out.  In the town itself is a little park with this suspension bridge crossing the river and it was the perfect stop for a water and bathroom break.

End of summer - September 2018

 We came home to dive happily into all the farm and yard work; garden mulching, produce preserving, school activities and of course some animal lovin'.

Abby was thrilled to help Daddy with her little wheelbarrow

If you can't pet the bunnies from the outside of the cage, just crawl right inside - cowboy boots and all.

I came home to onions and potatoes ready to harvest.  Bliss for me 😃

Some produce we took inside to use up.

A Hutterite colony owed Andy some $$$ so he asked to be paid in produce.  It was amazing to say the least. 

Canning is just that much more fun when you have helpers.  💕

Another school year had to start as well and we were ready. I had lower expectations than the previous year and so things went much more smoothly.
Seth grade 5, Tristan grade 4, Rowan grade 1. 

Kittens and school at the same time? Why not.

Our middle man, Mr. Tristan, turned 9 at the end of August and he received a cowboy hat and belt with a belt buckle.  And of course, cream puffs.   He sure is a cheery and pleasant young man, and we are blessed to take care of him.  xox

Note the belt buckle ;)

Second week in Ontario - August 2018

The trip away from Niagara and to Elora started with a convoy of Natasha and myself and our nine children :)   It was quite funny because we decided to do a Costco trip (so Natasha could use my membership card) in Guelph and there were were toting NINE kids thru Costco.  Everyone stared and we laughed.  Ice cream was purchased at MacDonalds and we decided this was what we always wanted to do - go out with all our kids all together. 
This second week was a very exhausting week. I mostly remember how tired we were. And the kids were all out of sorts and hard to manage.  We had had a really fun week and friendships were forged but sleep hadn't been good due to no air conditioning and humid nights - which they didn't understand so had a hard time coping.  This next week the children had to meet and greet many "new" people again and that was hard on their countenance.  So there were many expectations, not enough time to actually form friendships, and when they did hit it off we had to run and leave again.  It was good to realize and take note of so it we ever do this again, I think I would do the weeks in opposite order so they arrive with enough sleep. 

Playing with Beppe's toys.  She has more toys than anyone I've ever met! It's like a toy store for the kids!

We went to the St Jacobs Market as tourists this time (used to go as locals lol). Funny feeling.

We also walked around a bit in Elora.  It's a pretty town!

We met up with all of the cousins at some point or time.  Below they are with Inge's kids at a park.  It was fun seeing all the cute cousins and their similarities. Hopefully someday longer. You are welcome here anytime btw... ;)

Seth and Tristan had a sleep over with Haaye and Sacha from Marten and Margriet.  They felt right at home there, running around shoeless, frying eggs for breakfast on their own (they loved that) and playing with calves.  I'm glad they had that opportunity. 

Piet and Tineke were at Mem's for supper on Sunday and they have a little boy and girl Abby and Marla's ages, so that was nice to see them there.  

Abby, Waylon, Aldrik, Rowan, Marla and Harriet.

Cute cousins 😍

Friday I went up to Owen Sound to visit Natasha.  I owed it to her as she came out when I had Marla;)  The kids were thrilled to go play outdoors again in the bush and make forts together. Uncle Ken likes big toys so that is a novelty for us and keeps everyone entertained. 

Argo rides and car rides into town for Timbits and photo ops. Way to make a good impression :) I've been told boys thrive on excitement, novelty and a little bit of danger.   This combined all of that, no wonder they didn't want to leave.

Saturday was spent with Jocelyn and Willem and family, Tyler and Janneke and kids as well as Auke and Carina at Sauble Beach. The weather was cloudy so it didn't feel like beach weather for us spoiled sun lovers from Alberta, but that was ok, we still had fun and it was relaxing.  We went to the cottage where Auke and Carina were staying at for supper. In Alberta we talk about Ontario's beautiful sandy beaches, whereas here we get small pebbles or rough sand. But the best is really just what you are used to as seriously, fine sand in hair and cars is nasty! But the sand castle building was intriguing.  

Marla and Lilian - two tiny girls cousins

Rowan, Tahlia, Marla, Abby and Asher.

On Monday morning the kids were raring to go to Opa's farm as they hadn't spent any time yet there at all. They had high expectation to put on boots and go work in the barn.  They really really wanted to go work for a while. So that's what we did for the last day.   I think they needed to feel useful, and so they worked their little hearts out.  Of course now the two oldest have dreams about starting their own layer farm someday. Always entrepreneurs with big dreams.  💙💚

 After that it was Home Sweet Home to our very loved and missed dad and husband.  He was getting pretty lonely I think, although he bonded well with our Rocky who also missed the commotion of us all.  We came home Tuesday to a stocked fridge and cake and flowers on the table. 💘 Always thoughtful.
 I think we talked his ear off for the next week which was wonderful apparently 😀  I don't know if he will let us go again anytime soon, or even if we want to go. But it was good to know we all are happiest as one big family.  💙💜💙💙💙💜💜