Well - it's been a while since I've posted anything - but there is a very good reason . . . DIAL-UP INTERNET!!! It is next to impossible to upload anything (or download for that matter) when you are on something like dial-up internet. And I bet you all thought that it didn't exist anymore (and it really shouldn't!!!) but it does . . . on the farm in Imperial, Saskatchewan. So now that I'm back in Ottawa I will finally update you all on our goings-on and WARNING . . . this is going to be a long post!!!
On July 8 the kids and I went to Saskatchewan while Daddy stayed at home (poor boy!). There was a Bryson Family Reunion (once every 20 yrs kind) that we went to and it was really cool to see everyone again. The kids had a blast playing with all their "new cousins". Emma was her typical self - while all the girls were off playing whatever they were playing I looked out into the field and there was Emma with two boys playing tackle football. Pretty impressive if I do say myself! The cool thing was that she could take a tackle just as well as give one - yay Emma!!!
We spent a lot of time on the farm in Imperial where Gramma and Grampa found a riding instructor that Emma took lessons from - twice a week. That little girl went from being led around by Grampa to galloping with him chasing cattle! He'd take one side of the herd and she'd take the other - quite impressive! She absolutely LOVES horses and has now decided that she's going to be a rancher and go in horse shows. It was a really cool opportunity for her and we are sooooo thankful that she was able to do this - it wouldn't have happened in Ottawa! She did fall off once - but it is a story that she loves to tell so it didn't change anything for her when it comes to riding. I guess the saddle came loose and it slid off of Taffy, taking Emma with it. She ended up underneath Taffy's feet, but Taffy didn't move and Emma only received a sore arm from it - oh - and a great story! I've always told her that she's not a "real" cowgirl until she falls off a horse - and, well, now she's is REAL cowgirl!
Kaleb loved being on the farm. He actually turned into this boy that I didn't totally recognize. He only asked for the computer one time and barely watched any TV. Instead, the boy that I have to ask and ask to go outside to play decided to play outside pretty much the entire visit! Before breakfast he's be on the trampoline and then during the day I'd find him wandering the farm, looking at everything around, whistling like crazy and then when something caught his eye you'd see him kick his feet as he wandered over to it to explore. It was really neat to see. The flowers especially seemed to catch his eye. One day he was sitting out in the flowers looking intently at each one and then checking the flower book that he held to see if he could find that exact flower - sooo cute! Another day he discovered seed pods and thought that he'd pick a few (or more) of them to plant and help out Gramma. It's a good thing that Gramma didn't mind and next spring she just might have some unexpected flowers coming up - hee hee!
Navia was in her element too - being able to open the door and just wander around the swings and be a VERY adventurous girl on the trampoline! She scared all of us, but wasn't really hurt the entire time. Okay, so there were a few calls from the siblings saying that Navia was hanging onto the trampoline by a leg or an arm or upside down or just did a flip or needed saving - but overall - no real injuries!
For me it was just nice to hang out without any responsibilities or a long list of "to do's". It feels like sometimes when I look back on a week I haven't really done anything really fun or interesting but just kept up the normal everyday laundry, cleaning, housework, yard work, meals, etc. It was really cool not to worry about much of that and just hang out with the kids and my family. My parents watched the kids too, which made it easier to do this - thanks mom and dad! One example of a part of a great day was when my dad was out in the field haying and I think my mom was sleeping after working nights. The kids and I decided to have a picnic lunch and it was hilarious because they thought that the best place for this was on the other side of the playhouse and trees. We were only a short ways from the house, but couldn't see it, and they loved it. And here I thought that we'd be traveling out into the pasture to find the perfect place - hmm - doesn't take much for these kids! When we got back from lunch (that we actually used the cell phone video to take a video and show daddy what we were doing) we made homemade strawberry ice cream - YUMMY!!!
The kids did a lot of things that they haven't done before or haven't done in a long time. They had fireworks two times (once with their cousins at the Burgess farm and once at our farm), went for rides on the quads at Burgess', boating on the "lake", horseback riding, bale-jumping, trampolining, exploring without telling mom where they were going (which is perfectly fine out there!), tree climbing like you haven't seen before, field picnics, semi rides, strawberry picking in the rain and were "dog-owners" for a month (they miss you Kiley!)
The biggest thing that they haven't ever done before, but don't want to repeat, is being without daddy for 3 weeks! They missed him soooo much (and so did I) and when we went to the airport to pick him up their entire bodies seemed to smile. They went from being tired (it was late) grumpy kids to the kids that just got the best present that you could have ever gotten for them! Kaleb looked at me and said "I'm glad that we're a family again" - and well - that pretty much sums it up . . . we're not a family without daddy!
Braden came down at the end of July and only had a morning with the kids before we took off to Moose Jaw for 2 days as he was officiating a friend's wedding and I was singing at it. We stayed at a really cute B& B in Wakamow - which I'd love to do again sometime. It was in an old mansion - wrap around veranda, etc. The wedding was great and I think that I was crying even more than the bride! Congratulations again Pam, Chris and Amarha!!!
We didn't just stay at the farm when we were in Saskatchewan though. I made a trip to Regina (the kids stayed in Imperial) to help Braden's parents do a bit of "purging" of their household stuff before the movers came to pack up all their stuff as they're moving to a new house whenever the builders decide to finish it - hee hee! (it was slated for the end of July and now the mid/end of August - yuck!) I also decided (on a whim) to head up to Melfort for 2 nites to hang out with my sister Coralie and her family. It's always a yummy trip up there as my sister is the most amazing cook - her bread is absolutely amazing, along with her buns, pies, cookies, squares, cakes . . . and the list goes on - AMAZING!!!
I also did a lunch trip to Tisdale to catch up with my cousin Angela and her girls. Wow have they grown - sooo cute! Then I went to Regina again with the kids to see all the Bailey family and then when Braden came down we spend the most of our time in Regina with his family. Being in the middle of a move (they're in a two-bedroom apartment until their house is done as they have already sold their other house) and with Mom (B's mom) still recovering from major surgery, etc it was better going there at the end of our time here. It was incredible actually - the Mom that I first saw when I came down was definitely not the Mom that we stayed at with the kids and Braden! She is making HUGE improvements and is looking soooo good now!
The first time that we were in Regina we all stayed at Grampa and Gramma's apartment - along with Auntie Rhonda who was up visiting for almost a week. I can't believe that we all got ready in time for church on Sunday - 3 kids and 5 adults all sharing 1 bathroom!!! Quite a feat in itself!!! When we were in Regina the second time Braden and I stayed with Navia in Garrett and Laurel's basement while Emma and Kaleb stayed with Grampa and Gramma at their 2-bedroom apartment. We spent a lot of time at the parks (the kids LOVE splash parks) and had a lot of fun just hanging out. Emma spent a lot of time playing frisbee with her uncles and she is actually quite good - probably better than me!!! The uncles got to see an older version of Emma than they've ever seen before - an Emma that chose to sit and 'chat' with the adults at McDonald's instead of playing in the Playland - what's with that!?!?!? It was told to me that when Uncle Jesse told her that sometimes adults just chat about things she replies something to "Well, let's talk about the news. I don't know much about it but I can comment." And when asked what about the news she'd like to talk about she decided "the high price of gas" and went on to say how it is making everything hard for truckers, etc. Oh my goodness!!! My little girl is growing up!
The kids also had lots of fun playing at the 'zoo' at Uncle Garrett and Auntie Laurel's - two cats and two dogs. The little dog didn't much like that the kids were there, and that's pretty much how the cats felt too - but then there was Boomer! Boomer (a yellow lab - i think) couldn't get enough of the kids. Emma and Kaleb would jump all over him as much as he would on them, and Navia would want to play with him and then run away and cry if he actually took her up on it - it was kinda funny watching!
On our last morning there Auntie Jenna, Uncle Jesse, Uncle Garrett and Gramma took the kids to McDonald's for the traditional breakfast without Mom or Dad. The kids know that this is coming sometime in every visit and just LOVE it! It's crazy because Jenna and Jesse have both taken all three by themselves before - very impressed!!! And - it's kinda nice to have a morning to sleep in and not be hounded by the kids!
Coming home to Ottawa was kinda hard for all of us as it meant coming back to city living with not as freedom and way more responsibility, but it is nice to be back and start living our life as a family - all 5 of us - doing our sometimes boring things, but loving each other while we do it. The kids actually can't wait to start doing their chores again - weird!
So, now we're back in Ottawa - holidays are over and school will soon be starting - so we're off to spend the last days of summer doing sleep-overs, splash parks, fishing, finishing the basement (that would be Braden!!!) and all the other fun things of summer until we start the back-to-school shopping and summer is over. But . . . school shopping is happening a bit sooner than we'd like - YIKES!!! Only a couple more weeks and they're off - Kaleb to Sr. Kindergarten (5 mornings/wk), Emma in Grade Two and Navia in Monday morning playschool. It's happening - they're all growing up!!!
Well - that's all for my post to get you up-to-date on what we've been up to for the past month - busy, but fun!
oh - this is just a little shot of how Daddy thought it was fun shooting his kids up in the air!!!
(obviously taken a few months earlier - before the drywall dust turned our hair white!!!)
(obviously taken a few months earlier - before the drywall dust turned our hair white!!!)
