Just Like Daddy

Cody started it all with this stack of deck board cut off's.

"Whatcha making Cody?"

"Turkey barn!"
Which immediately sparked the imaginations of two of his siblings and together the three of them designed quite the turkey barn layout.

It kept getting bigger and better. None of Opa's neatly stacked wood was safe.

Not even the heaviest of the logs!

Go, Cam, go!!!

Uff da!

A pretty grand turkey barn if I ever saw one. :)

Anyone want to guess what Papa was framing up back home while we were on holidays?

When Cody went to bed that night he asked me, "how long till we go home to Papa?"

Imagination = wonderful hours of fun for kids!

Legal Fires

One of the wonderfully cozy things we did with Opa and Nana.

Home Again!

So thankful to have been brought safely home again.

It only takes one semi to carelessly put on his signal and start to move over to be reminded that there's not much we can do to keep ourselves safe on those busy highways. God has been so good, we (my mom, the kids and I) travelled a lot of pavement this past week and it really is so good to have been brought home safely!

Today's highlight, besides seeing Steve, was seeing this grizzly bear. Gramma spotted him on the side of the highway and backed up so we could get a better view. He was about 6 feet from the passenger side of van! That kind of moment squeezes my chest with awe of our amazing Creator.

It was the sprinkles on the cake-with-icing-extra-ice-cream-and-caramel-sauce-kind of week we were able to spend with Opa and Nana. Hope to share some more pictures of that next week. A few pictures to wade through first.

Ps. I had a good camera this time so no excuse there. Sure wish I knew how to use it well!

heard in the van the other day... Cara and Cody were on opposite sides of the back seat with a car seat between them!

I forget what the argument was about but it went mostly like this. did not, did too, did not, did too, Did Not, Did Too, Did Not, Did Too, DID NOT, DID TOO, DID NOT, DID TOO, DID NOT!!!!!!!!!!!, DID TOO!!!!!!!!!!

And then there was about 2 seconds of dead silence.

Cara: Cody?
Cody: Yes, Carwa?
Cara: You arwe my herwo.
Cody: Fanks, Cara!


You think they're picking up on the "a soft answer turns away wrath" instruction? :)

Some more remembering

Tonight the 3 oldest and I went to the library to take out a mountain of books. Before we could get in the doors I was convinced to first walk to the pond and look at the ducks. There was a mama mallard with her 9 little ducklings that hopped into the water the minute we got too close. There was also a line of roosting Canada geese. Cam walked up to them calling, "here lucie goosie, here lucie goosie." Mama goose must not have liked the well intentioned moniker cause she quickly stood up, spread out her mighty wings and beat the air a couple of times.

"Get away, Cam" I warned, "those geese can get a little mean and grumpy." (yup, I would know)

"And break your front toofs in half, right Mom?" Cam queried. And I had to laugh. I couldn't believe he would remember that. It's more than a year ago now. Apparently though, it's firmly settled in his mind. Be careful around geese. They can take out your front teeth.

Thankfully he didn't mention the last mother goose had a bit of help from my clumsy, stupid self. Hopefully that part of the story got lost in the maze of gray matter.

Now, if you haven't already read my post about the time I "fought" a goose and lost, you can read it here. But please, don't hold it against me :)

new friends

you know when you come across an afternoon and when you ponder the incredible blessings piled high over a 6 hour period and you wonder...

where did this story actually start?

Was it at the BBQ where Leah met her new friend or did it in a way start before that.

Last Friday night we went with our gang to my friend Heather & Richard's for a BBQ. Every kid on this end of the valley counts their place the best backyard ever to explore. So we were a little pumped at our house. (Side note: this is the same friend Heather who a couple months ago warned me one morning at Bible study to be dressed at 8:00 that night because her and my friend Laura were kidnapping me for the evening. A couple months ago = cold rainy days in which I was cooped up in the house with my dear children and as some of you can well empathize this kidnapping was a precious breath of delicous appetizers & copious bouts of laughter fresh air. Yup, I'm blessed with friends like that!) Anyway, back to Friday's bbq Heather had a neice visiting from a more eastern province and Cassandra and Leah clicked like bic pens. (Do bic pens click?)

Cassandra's one of those girls that if you could hand pick friends for your kids you'ld surely include her, she's a sweetheart like that and those two had so much fun that night Leah begged for the next three days to have Cassandra over to play some more before she boarded that plane and headed for home. So in a way, Tuesday afternoon's story started Friday night.

But in a way Tuesday afternoon started years ago. Long before I was even dreaming about being a mom. Way back to the days when we used to organize basketball games at the school gym on Friday nights. We knew Mom always had cake and if weather permitted a campfire for anyone and everyone to show up at to spend our Friday nights in good clean fun. The older I get the more I'm realizing what a huge blessing this was. Kids knew they were welcome and they knew they would always get fed something great.

So, when Leah asked for Cassandra over to play I knew without consulting my mom that we could invite her for the afternoon of fun planned at Gramps and Gramma's house and mom wouldn't blink an eye at one more kid added to the mix, one more kid to hand out snacks to. And so invite her we did.

Don't have a single picture of those hours of fun that had my mind sliding back to Friday nights of old but lets just say Gramma bought one of those blow up waterslides (you know the ones that run off an air compressor and act like a bouncy castle?) Tons of fun.

Then Cassandra came home with us, did the whirlwind supper that's Tuesday night and came vaulting.

The sprinklers weren't switched on so the sand was one dusty sandbox so we started our evening outside. What a beautiful evening it was!



Then we went inside and watched Leah practicing on the barrel


and on the horse.

And then Cassandra was allowed to take a turn.

Second time around the ring and she was already up on her knees. On Sparkle! I think she would agree she was a long way up but she sure didn't seem to mind.

Before we left and I got all nostalgic they thanked their ride with pats and carrots.

And that's the story of how Leah got a new friend and sent me spinning into a reminising mood. Sorry if you couldn't follow my logic or lack thereof.

Note to Parents

Cara would like you all to note a fabric reuseable bag is a wonderful fun time of gunny sack hopping. She is currently training for future olympic races.

She will petition for races with and without big baskets on the head.

And will sway popular opinion and judges in her favor everytime with a grin like that.