Not one, but TWO fairs this year!

Kind of overkill, I know, but it was fun. We certainly are blessed! We joined up with Jenn & kids at the smaller local fair without Steve on the free day. The kids had lots of fun looking at and holding the animals. Now I'm hearing a lot of pleading about getting an animal. "A bunny, Mommy? Please please??" "OK, then how about a cat? a dog? a goat? a chicken?" (We're waiting to get a shed built before we get some sort of small animal, and in the meantime there's a wonderful dog next door who loves attention.)



Sooo many cute baby bunnies!

Baby chicks... they got to watch some of them hatch.

Petting a goat...

Yesterday we spent most of the day with Bobby and her girls at the Lynden Fair, and then Steve came in the evening with Joel & Holly. It worked out well because the older girls got ride passes and went on rides together while Bobby & I walked around with just Naomi & Jenna (very peaceful without lots of kids tagging along!). We got to visit with Jenn there too; after searching for her mom's booth most of the day, Bobby called her and we found out where she was.

Nice hair, Bobby!

Naomi's first experience with cotton candy

Emily & Marie went on the "good" rides (upside-down/fast ones -- they have my genes :) but it's hard to get pics of those.

The reptile display was amazing! This alligator is pretty old; in the wild he would be over 9 ft. long. They feed him a controlled diet to keep him small. He's always been around people so supposedly he won't bite (here's where trust really comes in :) I thought it was interesting which of our kids were cautious (scared!) and which ones weren't (couldn't get Holly near him). Joel almost stepped on his tail, which could have been bad.

Holly pulls weird faces for pictures!

Jenna's latest thing is pointing. I think it's cool because you can see a little bit of what's going on in her head. She did A LOT of pointing at the iguana, so I think she found it fascinating.

Love those big powerful draft horses!

Jenna's clapping with Clint Black's singing :) We didn't go to the concert but I did get to hear a bit of the music.

Wow! My favorite picture in the photo contests, taken by an amateur! (I didn't see any signs that said not to take pictures of the entries, although I have to admit I purposefully didn't look for one :)

WATCH conference and a company picnic

Last Friday we attended a wonderful conference with the whole family. I was worried it wouldn't work too well with Jenna and Holly, but being family-oriented, they had childcare and a great family room on the balcony level where the kids could play while we listened and watched the conference in a sound-proof room (kids can't exactly be expected to sit still for a full day of speeches :)

Ken Ham and Todd Wilson were the keynote speakers; we've heard Ken Ham before but it's always so good to hear him again! Todd Wilson was new to us; he spoke about homeschooling, character-building, and priorities and he was also the funniest speaker I've ever heard. He has an uncanny ability to recognize and point out the tendencies & typical behavior of husbands & wives.

We went to McDonalds for breakfast since nobody felt like eating at 5:00 in the morning. Marie sat down and promptly threw up on the table... what a wonderful sight (& smell?) for all the other customers! She had the flu a week before, but apparently she got another bug. Since we had already driven all the way down and the conference was just about to start (Marie's really good when she's sick), we stayed anyway and she camped out in the cry room with a sleeping bag and pillow kindly lent to her from another homeschool coop mom, and she felt much better by the evening.

After it was all cleaned up, Marie still had a smile on her face (the empty cup is there for a reason :)

They provided a BBQ supper, and had a talented blue-grass family band playing.

Holly and Jenna loved the nursery (and I loved that they loved the nursery)! The attendants were really sweet.

After the last seminar, Joel asked, "Can we come back again tomorrow? Please please?" (we weren't planning to come back the next day). We asked, "Is that because you really liked listening to Ken Ham and Todd Wilson?" Turns out it was because of the little toy people he'd been collecting that were hidden all over the church, which were to be turned in for tickets for prizes. Hopefully he still got something out of the seminars too :) I think Emily did for sure.

Wiped out after a long day...

The Tesoro picnic was the next day, always a highlight for the kids. How can you beat a meal and lots of games, treats and entertainment for the kids, all for free? :) And the snow cones booth and the Schwann's truck, where the kids run up all day and point to the one they want and they give it to them... I'm afraid our kids were more than a little spoiled and completely overloaded on sugar by the end of the day.

Can you see the oil tanker in the background?

The girls spent most of the day riding the train, which goes through the grounds and the campground too (did I mention Tesoro has it's own employee campground right next to the ocean and we've never even camped there? :( A lot of people bring their boats and go crabbing). Joel played in the bouncy things and the water-spraying basketball contest most of the day.

It looked like fall with all the leaves on the ground, but I think the trees are dropping them early from shock because of drought. Here you can see the refinery in the background.

What we've been up to...

BBQ at Steve & Nic's
to celebrate Steve's status of legally living in the states now!

Camping at Lake Shannon

For the first time, Steve took Emily, Marie & Joel on the annual 4-day church camp-out at Lake Shannon. This is roughing it all the way... they drive for a couple hours, take boats across the lake, and create their own campsite out in the middle of nowhere. The fathers take turns making meals and they do a lot of fishing, tubing and campfires. They had fun but the kids came home very sun-burnt and VERY crabby from lack of sleep.

Kayak Point

While the guys and older kids were away at Lake Shanon, I had a marvellous quiet couple of days at home. I even read a book just for fun! (haven't done that since I got married, because I'm not disciplined enough to not let it get in the way of my work :). One day Bobby & Jenn & I took the younger kids to Kayak Point.

We managed to fit everyone in Jenn's van!

Luke & Holly played so nicely together!

Tea Party for Hannah's Birthday

Marie & Holly went to a tea party at Hannah's house, and then stayed for a sleepover. This was Holly's first sleepover! I thought she was a little bit young but she did pretty well. The tea party was so neat, with all the girls dressed up like princesses, and pretty decorating. Shalom and her sisters made all kinds of sandwiches and snacks. Unfortunately some of my pictures were corrupted on the memory card :(

Getting the girls "dolled up" for the party

Amadea is almost always smiling... what a sweetie! Jenna won't sit still for 2 seconds which makes it difficult to get a picture of the two of them with my slow camera.

Vacation Bible School

Our kids go to VBS every year at First Baptist Church. They absolutely love it and we have gotten to know many of the people there; it's encouraging to meet other Christians not within your own circles who are very godly, loving people. They are the most skillful motivators of children that I have ever seen :)

They learn a good portion of scripture, play a lot of group games, and have a parent night on Friday evening. This year they had a zip line going from the top of the balcony to the front of the sanctuary, a reward for anyone who brought friends to VBS. I thought the disclaimer you had to sign ahead of time was not just a formality... wow, they really gave them a crazy ride!

The Cenex BBQ

This is a yearly event which we always look forward to, and I also took no pictures of that. They had more entertainment this year; the usual band, and also face painting, pony rides, free T-shirts & toys, sky-divers, and of course an amazing meal with steak and salmon.

Some ridiculously hot weather!

And I was probably the only one who is loving it! (We did turn on the A/C for two days when it was in the mid/high 90s. Most days it cools down at night and our house is well-insulated so it stays cool in the day, to the point that some days my kids walk around the house draped in afghans, even though it's in the 80s outside :) ) One day we went to McDonalds to eat and play because I didn't feel like cooking and it was so much cooler there.

At the risk of over-doing it, here's some more pics of Jenna (they change so fast at that age!). She is almost a year now, and has 6 teeth already.

Hailey stayed over for the day. She was a very good little girl; a bit overwhelmed with so many kids around her though.

Clear Lake Beach is free this year (YAY!!!) due to budget cutbacks, if you can believe it. (I'm thinking, why did they ever charge admission in the first place if it saves money to have fewer employees and not charge???) We hope to visit it quite often since it's only a few minutes from our place.

Our latest visitor, the flu

First Joel, then Holly, then Marie, then Emily. Jenna has not gotten it and I hope she doesn't. It was a crazy one with high fevers, headaches and some throwing up and runs.