Chuck-E-Cheese Adventures

If the littles ever get to choose the activity the answer is a unanimous Chuck-E-Cheese :) 

Always an afternoon well spent, especially when Gramma gets to join us!

~ Mrs. P

summer is...

eating outside

homemade popsicles

~ Momma P

Carson Lake Camping

 Graham's good buddy Dion set up a group camping trip out to Carson Lake by Whitecourt, it was such a blast!!! So we had our first camping trip of the season. We are still recovering from Graham working the crazy 10 weeks shutdown and the highlight was honestly just being together.  We sailed through the shutdown this time, I was proud of us all (I think it helps that the girls are getting older).  We had greatly anticipated the weekend. After the Canada Parade we hooked up and pulled out!!!  

We actually have a busy run of things coming up; this camping weekend, home for two nights then Jenny at Young Women's camp, Gramma Hinko babysitting and then right after YW camp a 10 day family road trip to Vancouver and down to Silverwood, Idaho.  In preparation I had three different piles for packing, ugh I love me piles and things spread all over (insert sarcasm).

The weekend though....oh the beautiful weather, oh the goodness of old friends, oh the wonderful family time. The spot was gorgeous and the girls had a blast playing around our campsite in the mornings and then making our way over to Uncle Dion's.  He had the hub campsite where everyone gathered and the girls LOVED playing with baby Jack and of course the pups that had come camping. It was just a wonderful few days.  The beach was small and pretty busy but it honestly didn't matter because the woman had a blast :)  We checked out the parks and Amelia even got to shoot a Bow n Arrow that a fellow camper had. Also a highlight was post kid bedtime (sorry kids) but it was awesome to hang out around the fire with our friends visiting. We all stayed up too late but it was worth it!

I must also note that I LOVE watching my favourite people be together!

~ Mrs. P

Canada Day

We couldn't leave to go camping without participating in some of the fun Canada Day celebrations our city does every year. We had been invited by the Sollitt's to watch the parade together.  Our ladies LOVE their kiddos - clearly - check out Amelia and Raimo! Stella and Ruusu were in Joy School together for half of the year, Otso's smile is so darling. The Sollitt family is actually from Finland.  We had met them last spring when they came here for a work term and then when they decided to stay in Canada the momma and kiddos went back to sell their house. They came back the end of June were dearly missed but so glad they are going to be close to us again in Sherwood Park.

The kids had a blast during the parade waving, collecting candy and watching the stellar floats. It is always such fun to watch your kids have fun. Parenting gives you the best moments of pure joy and we are so grateful for our girls, the joy they bring to our lives. We grabbed lunch and then needed to hook up the trailer to head out camping.  The girls were so pumped up, I just couldn't get enough of them and their excited, goofy, sister love!!!!

~ Momma P

school is out, summer is here

This playset has been much anticipated. It has literally sat in our garage for almost two years.  Grandpa Ed bought it for the girls as a joint birthday gift but we didn't get grass until this past August because of the conflict between the city/builder/developer BUT we can finally play in our backyard! Graham went on a solo building mission and hammered out 30+ hours putting this crazy thing together. He is a work horse, is a guy who works until the task is complete and we are thankful for it. The next morning the girls ran out before they even ate breakfast, I just had to let them ;)

I have been dreaming of doing a chalkboard for the back yard and am super thankful for a husband who helps my dreams become reality.

Yup, bring on summer! 

We're ready for ya.

~ Mrs. P

last days as a kinder kid

I love this picture of our ladies ready for a day at the Spray Park! I know the matching won't go on forever but it is so sweet when they ask to match.  I just love these darling ladies!!!!

Amelia has had a great year in kindergarten!

It has been a  blast to watch her grow and learn new things, eager to show me and eager to return home to play after working hard at school.  Her teacher and aid have been great, truly Miss Russell and Mrs. Dunmore have chosen the perfect careers and rock 'em!!!!  There were high expectations and a lot of encouragement in her class, both of which I love. I so enjoyed the opportunities to volunteer and to get to be in 'Amelia's school world'.  I have felt like Stella and I were there a lot this spring; swimming lessons meant we brought the wagon and walked with the class as they went the three blocks to and from swimming (Amelia was often tired after swimming because of our muscle condition), the class had a field trip to the zoo and a wrap up party at the Spray Park. Stella was a fabulous sidekick and pretty much fit in with the kindergarten class, she is such a great little listener and will be a stellar student when it is her turn in another year.  It was such a great June full of fun stuff!!

I think these two pictures below sum up Amelia's love for school hahahahaha!!!!  The one on the left is her last day standing by our countdown in the mudroom, there were real tears in the morning before she went for her last day and real tears as she left her teachers. It was a little sad actually but I think she will smile when she is 15 and CAN'T WAIT for summer vacation.  The one on the right was her first day, looking so pumped up giving me the thumbs up after she found her locker.  Oh my baby!

Just when I get the hang of something as a parent it changes. Gosh having Mia gone for the morning was a big change and I just started to get use to it and now in a few months she will be gone the WHOLE day! (She tells me that she is excited but is "really gonna miss me" oh tear!  It is weird to think about others having her for a majority of her day as she goes off to grade one in the fall.  I just hope and pray we have given her a good foundation.  I know that experience is essential to our growth, but it is hard to let go I tell ya!!! 

I am in LOVE with this picture of my women from September. We were walking Mia to her class, we hold hands a lot in our family and it was just so sweet to have them walking hand in hand off a head of me.

 

Summer vacation here we come!!!!!

~ Momma P

Farmer's Market

 There is something so awesome about the Farmer's Market.  Even if we don't buy anything (which is rare) just being there is so great!  I love meeting the artisans in our community and who doesn't love not having to cook dinner, hello hot dogs n pop ;)

~ Momma P