Ward Campout

Once Lennard got home from work, we loaded up and headed out to the Spring Glen Campground for our Ward Campout.  We got there in good time and the kids were off and running before we even found a campsite!  We were all supposed to do our own dinner that night.  The kids weren't interested in eating, so we let them play for quite a while.  We ended up having quite the group congregate around our site, so when it was time to eat, we ended up eating in front of everyone!  ha! ha!  

There was a great talent show at about 7:00pm and everyone had lots of fun... especially since Brother Leavitt handed out candy to whoever participated!

Brother Boehmer recited the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee".  It made us think about Lennard's mom.

The Bishop got a bunch of the little girls involved in his number... Emma was thrilled - since she then got candy!  ha! ha!

Ben got to go up to and do the haka with a bunch of the dad's and sons.  Lennard had gone to help Emma right then so he missed out, but Ben had a blast.

After the talent show, we ended up with a big group gathered at our trailer again.  We set up the propane fire pit and had a nice visit.  The kids were so excited to just run and play that we decided to just let them stay up.  It was after 10:00 by the time we finally got them into the trailer to sleep.  They had so much fun running around in the dark with flashlights and 'exploring'!

This morning we had a pancake breakfast for everyone and a few games for the kids.  They had water balloons that they were supposed to toss back and forth, but kids went wild and just chucked them at each other.  They also attempted to play a game of baseball with them.

Most of the adults just hung out, watched the kids and visited.  I was enjoying talking with everyone when I looked over and here was Lennard driving up with the truck and trailer!  He'd gone and packed everything up by himself.  Guess he was ready to head home!  It was a fun way to spend the weekend.

Family Reunion

We had such a fantastic time at our family reunion!  We headed out at about 3:00 on Thursday and were very happy to arrive at Moyie Lake, BC.  We'd hoped to leave as soon as Ben got back from a birthday party, but last minute things took a little longer than we planned.  Oh well... 

Once we got to the park, Lennard dropped the kids and me off at the campsite with everyone else while he went to fill the trailer up with water.  We then attempted to get everything set up so that we could make dinner!  The kids were only concerned about getting their bikes out.  They were SO excited to get to play with their cousins and it was nice to be able to let them!  Our campsites were super close to the playground and bike park so it was great to let them roam.

 Mindy, Roger and Melissa's families were across the road from Rachel and us.  We were all on double sites, so it was great to have us all close together.

 Shauna & Matt had planned to go hiking in Waterton since their kids were all off at a camp, but all the back country trails ended up being closed because of the fire hazard.  They surprised us and came to visit for the one night!  Mike & Melissa didn't come until Friday night, so they used the tent and stayed the night.

 The kids played so well together and everyone loved taking turns in the hammock!

 There was so much dust everywhere that there wasn't a chance of staying clean... yuck!  The kids didn't care though, they just had fun.

 We had a yummy dinner of ribs and potatoes with mom and dad and then we played cards and visited for quite a while.

 Friday we played!  The kids rode bikes, we walked down to the lake, they played on the playground, etc.  It was such a beautiful day!

 Everyone hung out and watched the kids going back and forth and then I pulled out a big container of sidewalk chalk!

 The kids had a blast drawing outlines of themselves, etc.

 Emma and Lauren were best buddies during the entire time we were there.

 Dad enjoyed one of our chairs and, in between reading his book, took a few well deserved naps.

 Shauna and Matt enjoyed Roger's huge Costco chair for a while before they had to head home.

In the afternoon we headed over to the lake.  It was a bit windy and not as warm as we would have loved, but it didn't matter to the kids!  They were off and playing immediately!

 We had so many toys, floaties, boats, kayaks, etc for everyone to play with that everyone was entertained.

 Mike & Melissa arrived that evening and we had a big potluck dinner with hot dogs on the bbq.

 A bunch of us went on a short walk afterwards.  It was such a beautiful night!

 I loved seeing Roger and my mom as we walked.  He may tower over her, but he's still her baby boy.

 Saturday morning, mom put on a huge pancake breakfast for everyone.  We had pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, etc.  Yum!

 Most of the family went down the the lake in the morning to play again.  It was a perfectly calm morning and they had a great time.  We had a big lunch of taco salad... Roger was kind enough to help me out by cleaning up one of the bowls. LOL

 I pulled out some paints and let the kids go to town painting rocks.  They all got into it and made some interesting creations.

We had another big dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread and caesar salad.  Everyone was so full from all the food!  We then pulled out our propane fire pit (since there is a fire ban on this is the only way we could have a fire!) and let the kids roast marshmallows and make s'mores.

 Sunday we all got cleaned up and went in to church at Rachel & Cub's ward in Cranbrook.  When we got back, everyone snacked on whatever they'd brought until we were ready to do our big meal - corn on the cob, potatoes, salads, etc.  It was also Liam's 2nd birthday!  We had fun singing to him and having DQ ice cream treats.

 Mindy made a bunch of popcorn and Lucas thought it was all for him.  ha! ha!

We all had so much fun visiting around the fire pit after we got most of the kids to bed.  We played Speak Out and we all laughed so much it hurt. I'm sure the people camping near us were glad when we finally went to bed!  It was almost 11:30pm.

Monday morning was a whirlwind of packing up and getting everything cleaned up.  We were on the road mid-morning. The kids were sad to leave but we distracted them with the idea of the solar eclipse!

Good Friends

After being away so much in July/August, it was nice to get a chance to catch up with Shannon.  It feels like we haven't been able to sit and visit for months.  She's had family here from Utah most of the summer and we've been gone, so it was great to spend the afternoon chatting.  Emma had a blast getting to dress up and do a fashion show for us (multiple times).  I love that these girls play so well together.

 And Gwen just had fun trying to feed herself and watching the girls race around.  LOL

Even though I had a thousand things I could have been doing at home, it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon!

Heritage Days Parade

We had such a fun day at the Heritage Days parade here.  Lennard went out at about 6:00 this morning and saved a space for everyone.  We had Shauna, Melissa, and Roger's families there to watch with us.  Lennard got a call at about 8:00 asking if he would ride on the Flying Club float and Emma jumped at the chance to throw candy, so I dropped them off before the parade and then Ben and I went to sit with everyone else.

 The kids had a blast drawing signs with sidewalk chalk and it kept them busy while we waited for the parade to start.

 Ben absolutely loved this mini-semi truck and is convinced that he 'needs' one now!  I told him he'd have to talk to Grandpa about that one when he gets home from Nauvoo and see if he'd build one. lol

 There were a lot of neat old cars that my dad would have loved.  Can't wait til he can get his done and drive it in the parade!

 Emma was excited to find us and throw candy.  Lennard was on the other side of the float, so I didn't manage to get a picture of him.

Once the parade was done, we all headed back to our house for a barbeque of hot dogs.  Everyone brought stuff to share and it was fun for the kids to get a chance to play together while we enjoyed the time to sit and visit!