Jeremy's Family Vacation Weekend 2013

Another highlight from our summer was a weekend with Jeremy family (missing Alex and Boky :( ) My pictures were rather scarce from the weekend, but here are a few to record that it did happen. 

Zachary (4 months), Joshua (3 months)

 The kids LOVED the tea party Grandma Flo made for them.  This may become a tradition! 

7 Minutes

I told the kids they had to get ready for bed at 7:30.  That gives me 7 minutes to blog.

• We just go home from Family Camp at Covey Valley.  We had a great weekend.
• Todd Wilson (FamilyMan) was the speaker.  He was hilarious and very encouraging. 
• We stayed at Jeremy's parents house instead of staying at the camp.  We were too lazy to camp in a tent.  It we nice to be in a familiar place to sleep.
• The kids are EXHAUSTED but had so much fun.  
• I am sitting on the couch.  Behind me, on top of the couch, are clean and folded clothes I didn't get a chance to put away before we rushed out the door on Friday.  Beside me is a bike helmet with dirty underwear in it?!?
• I should note here that because we didn't stay at the camp we didn't have a room so the kids changed for swimming in the van.  What a mess!
• I haven't even opened the suitcase yet. There's always tomorrow
• Tomorrow night our church starts a week of VBS
• Neither Angela or Kate had their babies over the weekend. :(  (Angela, I'm much more excited about your baby than Kate's, but I only have 2 minutes left so I didn't want to use up to bullet points:))
• Zachary is sleeping and can't wake up.  He did great at camp, but didn't get very many long naps. Now he's catching up. 
• I pulled out our Sonlight instructors guide for this year (instead of unpacking!) I'm excited about this coming school year. 
• It's now 7:31.  Time for bed.
• One more, my cousin and her husband just loaned us their treadmill.  Now I have no excuse!
• Maybe tomorrow. 

Thunder Bay 2012

I'm only a month behind on this post. Not bad.  We had a great time!  Some of these pictures may see a little odd, but they bring back memories for me so I'm posting them anyway. :)  

The view from about 2/3rds of the way to top of "The Sliding Board".  You'll know it if you've been there.  It's great.

We spent a couple days in Nipigon.  So peaceful and quiet.  We sent the mighty men fishing while us ladies stayed home and did girly things like soak our feet and paint our nails and drink  Tim Hortons coffee and eat Tim Hortons Timbits.  Someone had to keep the bears away from the trailer.  The fishing trip was a huge success.  The boys are spoiled for life I'm afraid.   Isaiah told me when they got home that if they  had more money they could have brought home about 40 walleye.  Oh the pain of learning about your "limit".  

The might tree thrower

Nate the Great.  What's it to you? (Like the cape?  Mom made it out of a t-shirt!)

We didn't go fishing, but we did get a boat ride. 

This picture just makes me want to take a deep breath and sigh a happy sigh.  The  water, the sky the people.  

Paddle to the Sea park

We tried

Don't mess with my S'more! 

Grandma time

More from Thunder Bay next time I get around to posting...

Life

Jeremy is scheduled to meet with a surgeon at Hopkins next Tuesday afternoon.  Somehow setting up doctor's appoints at Hopkins so my husband can have surgery to remove cancer is not a very uplifting thing to do.  However, I have lots of things to be thankful for and to dwell on.  I found these pictures the other day.  They all make me smile. :)  Life is good.

This was taken sometime during the last crazy weeks.  Yes, Callie's in her pj's (picture was taken late afternoon I think) I have no idea what nef guns, swords, rubber boots, ladders and lawn chairs have in common, but they were having a great time. 

I never got around to blogging about our week at the beach with Jeremy's family way back in March. What a fun, beautiful week!  I love this picture of the kids.

When this family goes to the beach we take big shovels and this is why.  The kids LOVED this pool Jeremy made for them and were rather sad the next day to find it all washed away.   These are 7 of the 8 grandchildren on Jeremy's side.  

Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began."  

More...

After I hire someone to clean and do our laundry maybe I'll also hire someone to blog for me.  I feel I can't blog unless it is all posted in order.  So I'll blame the long silences on being way behind.  In order to get back on track I am going to finish posted about Thunder Bay TODAY!  

More food on the back porch

One of the wonderful things about Thunder Bay are all their amazing parks.  And the fact that you get some sweatshirt weather in August!

The Big Slide.  The trick to this slide is sitting on wax paper.   It's a blast.

This is what happens when you sit on wax paper,  and put wax paper under your feet.  All while holding onto your daughter.  

I recently read a book on insecurity.  I post this picture to prove to myself that I am secure enough to show this to the world.  Something like that.

A favorite picture from the trip

I think they are soldiers.  or something 

3 Generations.  2 of us are happy to be part of this family.  The other one just wants to pick the flowers.

Blueberries and That's all.

My mom's blueberry pictures turned out much better than this, but this is what was on my camera so I'll just use these.  

Picking blueberries...a first

Eating lunch after the big pick.  

Isaiah was a great blueberry picker

Cleaning the berries.  

Another favorite

Thunder Bay -Boat Ride

The evening we spent in the boat was a highlight for sure.  The boys were in their glory.  Callie just sat there.  When we were finished I asked her if she wanted to go for another ride.  She very seriously  shook her head NO! I think deep down inside she really did enjoy her self.

I always relive my childhood when I ride in a boat.  Some know what I'm talking about.  I won't bore the rest of you.  It's just something that's hard to forget. Sometimes I wish I could go back for just a few minutes. 

I think we took this picture to show my grandma...

This may be my favorite picture from the whole trip.  They were soaked!

Stone face

Later in the trip my dad took Isaiah and Nathan fishing.  There are no pictures of this event, but from what we've heard it was an adventure!  Sadly, the only fish that was caught was some poor tiny thing.  They boys were disappointed to not have caught a fish, but they'll be back!

Thunder Bay -Marina

A favorite spot to visit when we are in Thunder Bay is the Marina park. Sadly, half of it is being redone and is torn up. Why do thing have to change?  Am I getting old?

Anyway, here are some pictures from our evening at the marina.  Love this place.

"Muscles"