Our trip to San Juan Island

Henry & I were able to get away for an overnight trip to San Juan Island. The weather was beautiful - somewhat cooler at times than the mainland - but the weekend really was perfect. We had a gift certificate to use at Anthony's - one of our favorite restaurants and then we went on to Anacortes. We stayed in a tiny little hotel room - Captain's Cabin - and in the morning took the ferry to Friday Harbor. We rented mopeds to tour the island. We spent time watching numerous orcas playing in the water - they put on quite the show!! By 5:00 we had toured the entire island, stopping whenever we liked what we saw. When we arrived home we had enough time to unpack & spend a bit of time preparing for my cousin's family from Ontario who will be using our driveway as a camping "pad" for a few days. Lots of summer fun!

Oh baby, it's hot!!!

So, what's been happening this past week? Um...it's hard to think when it's this hot!! We've been enjoying beautiful summer weather again this past week but the last few days feel a little like I remember Ontario weather. You open the door from an air conditioned building and there's a wall of heat & humidity that hits you! I'm not complaining - but it takes some getting used to. I just don't count on getting much done this week. In fact, I'm packing to go camping at the lake for the next few days. We'll be tenting it but having a lot of fun on the boat, I'm sure.

Here's a few photos from the past week. Alec gave Henry a certificate on Father's Day to take him out golfing at Raspberry Ridge. This is his second time golfing and he absolutely loved it! It's genetic I'm sure - just not my genes. Here's a picture of him practicing his swing on the lawn.

The next picture is of my finch feeder. I know it's only one bird but we finally have been able to attract finches. The feeder has been up for a month and I was thinking our dog & cat were just too scary for them. It appears they can live together because we now have both yellow and purple finches - especially in the morning there can be up to 5 at a time. I'm thrilled because I've always been inspired by my mom and sister who are able to attract a wide variety of birds to their back yards. What should I try next? (Not blackbirds - they came the last time I tried to feed the birds...)

The next photo is of Alec having a lot of fun at the creek. We don't have a pool this year as we decided to sell what was left of our last one. We don't always have such heat and there have been years where we spent a LOT of money on chemicals and a LOT of time keeping the pool clean only to have the kids swim in it occasionally. Henry thought a few trips to the pool made more sense. But with this number of hot days & weeks it does not make sense for me to be driving to the beach or pool each day. So we discovered that the creek down the road works well to cool oneself off. I try hard not to think about what's all in that creek so it's a firm rule that the kids shower down completely when they get home. They're making a nice little spot there. I helped to cut down some reeds today and make some steps with a shovel while Alec swam.

Hot Summer Days!

This past week has been very beautiful!! It seems we've had hot, sunny weather for most of our summer so far and it's been wonderful. Hannah returned from Stepping Stones just bubbling over with excitement - her week was fabulous, the counsellors were wonderful, the chaplain did an amazing job teaching through the theme of "God is our Fortress". We picked her up on Saturday morning and each cabin pack did their "cheer", we sang a bit, saw a power point of the week, kids received their certificates, etc. and we ended with a lunch.

While she was away, Jocelyn turned 16 and I took her for her driver's test. She is now the proud owner of a Washington State Driver's License and I no longer have to take her back and forth to work each day. The only downside to her turning 16 is that she no longer can cross the border because we've been waiting to apply for a passport. We wanted to wait for the over 16 version which is good for 10 years instead of 5. Alec had a friend sleep overnight and they had a wonderful time playing boy stuff - sword fighting, going to the creek and getting rides on the 4-wheeler. Since the house gets so hot by dinner time we managed to escape to the lake with our boat and enjoy our dinner in a cooler spot and get some tubing and skiing in.

Who took the batteries out of my camera?

I won't have many photos to add to this post as each time I picked up my camera to take a picture I found there were no batteries inside!! I broke down and bought rechargeable batteries for my camera and made the mistake of telling the kids. They have a few books on CD they are listening to on the "walkman" so they took the liberty of using my batteries and not returning them.

This past week has been busy with lots of visiting and kid watching. On Tuesday a little 14 month foster girl was added to our household for a week. This is just for respite - a foster family went away on vacation and needed someone to take her. On Wednesday we had friends from Australia over for a BBQ as well as a birthday celebration for Hannah and her friends. It wasn't the warmest day so the hot tub was the perfect place to hang out together. Her birthday was a week later but she will be away to Stepping Stones Bible Camp this week so we decided to celebrate early.

On Thursday we had our friend's 2 year old come for a couple nights as his parents were in California. On Saturday morning we went out for breakfast with my sister & hubby from Ontario and hung out for the morning at our house. They came for a very quick three day trip to attend a nephew's wedding. They were gone maybe half an hour and Henry's cousin from Manitoba arrived & stayed till the following afternoon. We ended up going boating on the lake that evening & staying till sunset. That was a lot of visiting and I went to bed early Sunday evening because I was tired and it was fairly boring without guests to talk with :) I'm off this morning to bring Hannah to camp and then out for lunch with a group of ladies for a 40th birthday celebration!! This week looks to be quieter so I'm hoping to catch up on some inside-and-outside-the-house work!!

Reformed String Camp 2009

This past weekend was a busy but enjoyable one. With 4th of July celebrations as well as three concerts from the 2009 Reformed Strings Camp we were kept hopping from one event to another. Jocelyn spent the past week in Langley with her cousin and friend from Ontario at this camp. They had 3 performances on the weekend - we went to the last two. The final one was held in Langley and we think it was their best one! Jocelyn played her quartet piece again that evening and we were thrilled because we had missed hearing it on the first evening. The girls were very ready to be done - it's a long, intense week of playing music but it was worth it! Here's a few photos - some of them are a bit dark. We're happy to have a dvd recording of the last evening - a nice keepsake. The girls were too tired to come to a 4th of July fireworks at a friends so I made sure to make something patriotic to celebrate on Sunday - it was very yummy!

The relatives came...

This title is one of my favorite children's books (Cynthia Rylant). The pictures are just great and captures a house where a group of relatives come to visit and stay for part of a summer. We have relatives staying here as well - maybe not quite as many as the book describes. My nephew is here as an end of eighth grade gift. We've been on several fun outings but I've only managed to take my camera once and take two pictures... There's just too many other things to think about when you're taking a bunch of kids somewhere... and I'm sticking to that excuse. Here's a picture of the boys hanging out at the Windmill Mall. That day we went to visit J at the Lynden Dutch Bakery where she works. As we were waiting for our food she got a migraine and needed to be taken home. The places we didn't take the camera to were Cultus Lake Water Slides, Lummi Island (biking), Company BBQ in Mt. Vernon (view of the ocean & islands), Fourth of July BBQ & fireworks at a friend's and a picnic at Birch Bay (ocean). Kaleb's sister & friend were also with us this weekend and are now at the Strings Camp in Langley.

Looking Good...

I showed you this planter a couple months ago and said I'd show it once it had grown. I planted two of these knowing it would be used as decoration for the senior grad. It filled in nicely and looked beautiful at the back of the church. It now looks great on my back deck!!

Lorelle's Grad

As soon as I returned from Ontario I was immersed in the prep for Lorelle's senior grad. At our school the parents (moms...) of the graduates are responsible for the setup and decorating of the church (ceremony) as well as the decorating for the dinner which is held before the ceremony. Our group felt a little challenged in that department but we really did an amazing job!! Here's a few photos I managed to sneak. I'll post more later as the graduates had a wonderful photographer who took hundreds I'm sure. The following Sunday we had an Open House to celebrate with family and friends. Lots of fun and now it's a bit quieter as summer holidays have begun!! Ahhhh....

Trip to Ontario - Mom's Birthday

It's been a while since I posted but there's good reason for that. My Mom turned 70 on June 6 and I decided (with a little help from my sister) that this warranted a surprise visit to Ontario. A "gourmetten" dinner had been planned at my sister's in a gazebo/greenhouse type building they've built on their property.

I arrived in Buffalo on Thursday evening after traveling by Bellair bus to Seattle airport, one leg to Newark and then another to Buffalo. It was a good flight because I finished a great book! I spent the weekend visiting with family - got to see my new niece Ryeanne as well as my new great nephew Tyler. It was lots of fun and Mom was totally surprised when I walked into the building for dinner.

But officer....

This weekend J was able to spend some hands-on time with her Bellingham Police Explorer program. She's been involved in this program for the past year but has so far only been to meetings where they learn different aspects of the police program (search & seizure, citizen/officer rights, drugs, taser use). She absolutely loves it. Yesterday we dropped her off at the police station and after being briefed on their task she was paired up with an officer. Their task was to patrol an area of the Ski to Sea Parade. Although this was definitely the least exciting task they could be assigned she thought the experience was fun. Here she is in full uniform.

Jr. Ski to Sea

Last weekend Alec was on a team for our local Jr. Ski to Sea event. His leg was to run 1.5 miles, with others on his team were biking, three-legged racing, moving a soccer ball, and doing an obstacle course. The middle picture shows him thinking about what he's got to do - very serious business. There were around 75 teams and their team came in at 12th place - not bad!

Surprise!

This week L was scheduled to play in the Abbotsford Music Festival. She's been so busy with school work that's she didn't feel she was prepared and badly wanted to just not show up. Her teacher (as always) encouraged her to practice a certain way throughout the weekend and just try. So, on Monday she went - all nerves - complaining all the way. I was not able to sit in and listen since I had committed to driving H's class to a Government Convention in Bellingham. So, Grandma and Grandpa came from Chilliwack (thanks!!) and supported her. I saw her later at school and she showed me the adjudication paperwork & she had been awarded First Place. Even her teacher was surprised!! So she goes on to play in the "playoff's" this Friday morning. I'm looking forward to being there with her this time.

Here's just a sneak preview of the beautiful photos Lisa took last weekend. She's definitely talented with the camera!!

What's up?

So I'm finally sitting down after a busy Saturday morning. We had a friend over for breakfast with her kids. After a fine breakfast she went out with L to take her senior photos and I stayed with the kids. You'll probably see some examples of what she took posted here in the future. I managed to make a big pot of chicken soup and banana muffins for tomorrow. You've got to love the Day of Rest - so necessary to stop and reflect on God's blessings during the previous week.

So what's kept us all so busy? H has been working to prepare for a speech competition. Each year our school decides on three best speeches/speakers and they go on to compete in the Quad School Competition in the valley. H was chose as one of the three from CCS. She gave a winner of a speech on the lost Roanoke colony but the competition was very stiff this year and she didn't place. This was her second (and final) year in this competition with last year bringing home the fourth place trophy. Today she also completed (graduated) from her babysitting class. It's held over three Saturdays at the Fire Station and is largely funded by the Lions Club. It's an excellent class - first aid, cpr, babysitting as a business, fire safety, etc. Her only serious babysitting job is for a neighbor who is planning to move to Australia.

L has been practicing with renewed energy for her upcoming piano festival and her 8th grade RCM piano exam. So much so that her wrists began to hurt badly and she couldn't play her scheduled volleyball game. She wasn't happy with the results and as wise parents we tried to explain that going from 0 to 100 mph in the matter of a few days just isn't good for any part of the body. She's taking it a bit easier but is feeling a bit of pressure as the dates are nearing quickly.

J has been practicing a lot on her violin as she is accompanying a musical performance of Fiddler on the Roof. She's having a lot of fun with it. I'm so happy sometimes when I push my kids into doing something they don't want to do... :) She will be accompanying 6 different performances and I'm sure she'll be tired of it at the end.

A tries not to be bored - but it is sometimes tough when your sisters are all busy with things and you don't have a brother to play with. He points that out quite often and we do try to keep him happy. He loves lego - especially castle lego. You should see his medieval setup - keeps him busy for hours. He also loves his ripstick. He's got tons of energy and is often found ripsticking on the driveway and sidewalk. Of course, he also loves his dog Carman - not sure what he'd do without him. His latest interest is chess and he is happy if anyone would come over to play him a game.

Another week...

Well, it's Monday morning and I've got a list of things that I'd just love to get done. A few loads of laundry are partly finished and I think it's time to enjoy some green tea (yup, I like green tea) and do some important work on the computer :).

The last few weeks have been busy. We had an adorable little 3 year old living with us for 1 1/2 weeks while her parents were in Australia. Her dad is Hannah's teacher and so Hannah had a substitute teacher for the time they were away. It all went really well but it does change life somewhat and your expectations are somewhat lowered as far as what you think you will accomplish. The first thing she said once she was awake was "go bye bye?". She just loved to go out and so my busy lifestyle suited her just fine.

At the end of last week was also our annual Plant Sale - a two day event where we sell an assortment of perennials and annuals and crafty gardening items. It is one of our biggest fundraisers and so it also takes up a bit of time planning, potting, advertising and working at the sale. I don't have the figures yet but we feel it was successful. I could not help both days because I had our annual "Sisters" Retreat. We get together with 10 - 12 friends for a two day overnight retreat. We enjoyed a hike, bible study, craft (succulent wreath), and just hanging out together and enjoying each other's company. Lots of laughter! It's a real blessing to have good friends that share your faith in God and are on the same path together as moms, wives and women in the church.

Spring Break

This week has been Spring Break for our kids. It began with a couple days of gorgeous weather - between 60 and 70 degrees. We just enjoyed being outside, reading, gardening and just sitting in the sun with shorts on. Lorelle was away for a few days to Idaho visiting a friend that's in college there.

It became a bit cooler mid week but still quite nice. We visited Boulevard Park which is a beautiful park by the ocean and the kids enjoyed rollerblading, ripsticking, etc. while we just walked the trail. I also spent some time working as I have begun to work part-time with an agency that provides transportation and supervision for foster children and parents who have scheduled court ordered visits. It's going well - a lot of documentation as the reports I need to make are used in court cases at times to determine whether the child can return home, to which parent, or not at all. At this point it's very part-time and we'll see where it leads.

The last two days of Spring Break our youngest two are busy at the Youth Fair - one enrolled in Chess and the other in Photography. It's a nice way to fill up the week if we're staying home and not making any trips. I am also busy transplanting perennials as I am on our Plant Sale Committee. This is a big fundraiser for our school and it's coming up at the end of April. I went out and bought some cool spikey plants for my two large planters I bought last year. Now I have to figure what else to add to it. I hope to use these also as decorations for Lorelle's grad ceremony as their school colors are burgundy and black. I'll show you the pots again when they're full & (hopefully) beautiful.

Mass Band

This past week just flew by. I've been busy getting ready for our mass band guests, making sure there's food in the house & beds and rooms are ready. The group from Winnipeg arrived last Thursday and all of them are staying on this side of the border. We have two young girls staying with us - they're quieter than we're used to but they're slowly becoming a bit more talkative.

We hosted a welcome dinner at our school on Thursday and then had a volleyball & basketball competition afterwards. The kids were grouped into teams which included both schools as a way to get to know each other better. I think they had a lot of fun. They spent Friday practicing together with the 5 schools in Langley. On Saturday they went out together as "tourists". J had to work so she did not join them. Our church service was fuller than usual & we enjoyed a potluck lunch with whoever wanted to stay between services. Today is the last practice before their Mass Band Performance in Surrey tonight. We're looking forward to it!!

I made sure to include some photos of my garden. After my negative post last week I felt I needed to show something a bit brighter. We've had a few sunny days and I made sure to go outside & work in the garden a bit. Here's some of what's up in my bulb garden where I was able to sit and enjoy the sunshine.

Ho Hum

So what's happened since I came back from Arizona? Well, it has rained almost every day and I'm seriously thinking that a permanent move to Phoenix might be a good option. Each day the weather forecast is slightly modified to include one more day of showers, sprinkles, rain, sleet, or whatever other synonym that can be thought of to describe precipitation. Sorry if I sound a bit negative - I'm really trying to see the bright side of things. I do think if the sun shone just a bit then it would be a bit easier to see that side... This week was just a regular run of the mill kind - book study meeting, library duties at the school, volleyball, dog sitting for a friend (well, that's not too regular, thankfully). We just came home from our school's Fine Arts Evening. It was a beautiful evening with band performances, individual performances, displays, etc. This was a first for our school and hopefully we can build on this idea in the years to come. Well, it's time to have a glass of wine and unwind. I'm sure our lives will become a bit more interesting in the next few weeks that I'll have something more significant to post about.

Back from Arizona

It feels like quite a while ago but from what I can remember our trip to Arizona was wonderful... :) We had amazing weather and came back to cold, rain, hail and now snow. The terrain was beautiful - it really struck me that there is beauty in every region and that a desert is just as beautiful as a rain forest. We made it to the Grand Canyon - a long day but worth our drive. We went on a Jeep tour of the Tucson area, including the hills and desert trails. While the guys were at meetings we enjoyed a bit of shopping and mostly relaxing by the pool. It certainly was warm and just being in the sun makes things better. I think it's time for spring - once the snow melts I'm sure I'll have some time to work in the garden and keep my tan for summer. Unless, of course, we're getting another round of winter. sigh...