Bikes and such

 Jaymeson has a new strider style bike.  He is really getting confident on it and he loves it to pieces.  Bikes have been a big thing around here this month as the older two girls have gone on multiple bike rides with Manya and Jarett through Fish Creek Park.  They both got new bikes and have been LOVING it.  This particular day, Kaia and Kienna were with Manya, while we took Saryn and Jay to the church parking lot to practice with their bikes.

 Benson watching Jay and Saryn learn to ride their bikes.

 Look at that speed!!

 On a walk with cousin Macy.  These happy faces didn't last long.  They pretty much cried all the way through Fish Creek Park.  But it was a fun day!

 Benson discovered the goodness of grapefruit.  This was for Grandpa's birthday breakfast.  Benson beat everyone to the table (true Benson fashion).

Benson really enjoyed his smoothie that morning too.  Mom didn't enjoy the laundry so much though...

Heritage Park

Probably the most frequently visited park this month was Heritage Park.  We started doing it the right way where we focus on just one decade for the day and really learn about it.  Of course, we always end up on the Midway in the end and have to go on the train, but it's been really interesting learning about different aspects of Canadian History.  For example:
 
Sam Livingston had FOURTEEN children living in the little house they had there.  And if they had a guest, the boys slept in the barn and gave up their room.

Father Lacombe actually started a little settlement just south of Calgary for French Settlers.  It was just north of the River (now in Downtown Calgary).  His work was so extensive that he started an orphanage and a Seniors Residence down here in Midnapore.  The water tower that went with the orphanage still stands high and my kids call it "Rapunzel's Tower" as it is all enclosed to avoid freezing in the winter.  The Seniors Center was still there until it burned down recently.  It has recently been rebuilt with great historical accuracy.  The weird part was that Father Lacombe wanted to be buried in Edmonton (as that was where he was from), but he wanted his heart to go to Calgary, because that's where it belonged.  So they have his heart in a jar at this retirement home.  It is now buried under the monument that was built for him.  Perhaps the rivalry of Calgary and Edmonton was existent even way back then.

 We learned how "First Nation" people make fried bread and bead pouches.

Did you know that voyageurs worked for 18 hours a day, were not allowed to bathe for months at a time (so as to keep the black flies and other pests away), they sang to pass the time as well as keep the rowing in time with the others and they measured the distance they went by "pipes".  We get our "15 minute smoke break" in our culture from them.  They also are where we get "pot luck" dinners from.  They would all go do a little trapping and whatever they caught (aka, what "luck" they had) went into the pot for that nights stew.  You also couldn't be a voyageur if you were over 5'5".  There's so much more too.

The RCMP were, of course, doing law enforcement, but they would also deliver the mail to the settlers as they were making their rounds to see how things were going.  The traveling judge would come around every 6 weeks or so to put on trial any criminals and depending on the severity of the crime, would either be charged a fine or executed or taken to the county jail.  This means that if you were caught right after the judge left, you could be in their "jail" (aka a chair in the corner of the RCMP office with a foot chain attached) for 6 weeks until he came around again.

in a 1960's car at the "drive in"

 We also learned how to do our laundry.  Benson really got into the agitate part of the cycle.  He wouldn't let go of the plunger and just wanted to lift it up and down over and over again.  The lady who worked there commented on how a family just left where their six year old could barely pick it up, but Benson could do it and wouldn't even stop.  It was quite funny!

We've learned so much on our trips.  It really is fascinating if you take your time to really sit down and learn.

(Benson was scared to sit on the seat, but if he saw on the floor in between the seats he was as happy as a clam)

Benson and Macy in June

These two are ALWAYS into trouble.  Macy likes to empty any and every cupboard, and Benson likes to climb up them and get to the top of everything.  Either way, they're both adorable and I thought I'd post just a few pictures of them from the past month... plus a couple others from around the house!

The Zoo Pictures (see below post)

 One of the times we went, our cousins, Jasper and Kindred, came along.  We had so much fun learning and teaching them some of the things we had learned on other trips!

Possibly the cutest Grizzly in the world...

 We got to the Penguins right at feeding time.  SO amazing!  They were right up in your face.

 Jaymeson defended us through the entire dinosaur park.  This is him shooting a bow and arrow at a Triceratops.

Of course, we're always pretty tuckered out at the end.

The Month of June (and the end of May) in 5 minutes or less.

This month has been anything but dull, but compared to the craziness of packing and moving, it has been a relaxing paradise!  My kids finished up their curriculum and met with the facilitator at the end of May, so we have been having "The Month of Field Trips".  We have gone to the Science Center, Heritage Park and the Zoo multiple times.  We've gone on walks, learned how to ride bikes, had a Wiener Roast in Fish Creek Park and learned about nature.  We had a Celtic Feast to close our Social Studies group, got our eyes checked, and caught a Matinee at the cheap theatres (Mirror Mirror).  We went out to Spruce Meadows and got to pet a few horses (our favorite was named Catalina).  We've had play dates with cousins and friends, earned money, started going to a new ward and met new friends, did a bazillion doctors appointments (gotta get caught up when you have a built-in babysitter) and just hung out!

Now, realizing that there's still over a week until the end of June, I am re-capping the month simply because we get POSSESSION OF OUR HOUSE on Monday and I will be spending the following week doing pretty much nothing but sanding, taping and painting... then moving.  It has been a crazy fun month and I'm so excited that I've been able to have this down time before the craziness of summer holidays sets in.  Either way, I know I won't be able to blog for a little while, so I'm going to add some pictures of the fun we've had in a couple new posts.

But, at the end of May, we also got to go to Lethbridge and celebrate my Granny turning 85.  I'll throw those pictures now!


@ Henderson Lake

@ the Birthday Party "Happy 85th Gran, hope you like the Dandelions that my kids picked for you!"

(17 out of 34 Great Grandkids)


My cousin, Justin, became my kids hero when he brought over his girls quad and let them ride it.

He became even more loved when he took them down into the Coulee on his big quad!!  It's so awesome that my Uncle has this all in his back yard.  Makes the traveling much easier!

thoughts and pictures

We're in the midst of moving.  We've relocated to my moms and we're waiting to do the big move on Saturday.  Note to self:  don't move again unless you have to.  What a pain in the neck.

Home school is wrapping up.  I'm really happy that we get to spend the month of June just having a blast while everyone else is still in school.  We're going to be going on Field Trips multiple times!!  So excited.

I've recently discovered the goodness of thepianoguys.com  If you haven't heard them, look them up on youtube or go to their website.  AMAZING!  Jon Schmidt was actually at an EFY that I went to and I fell in love with his abilities right then and there.  I remember him playing the piano upside down (lying on the piano bench with his head under the piano).  The cellist, however, I've never seen, but boy would I want to!!  This recent discovery has refocused our whole family on music and we're doing better at practicing (despite moving etc).

I got to talk my sister, Kim, on Mother's Day.  She's always so happy and smiling and I really miss her.  She's been sent "outbound" to Louisiana for 3 months.  She seems to really be enjoying both settings for her mission and I know she really loves it!

I'm down 9 pounds!  It's taken forever, but that baby fat is starting to budge.  Here's hoping it stays away!  Now that I'm at my moms house, I will be able to go to the YMCA and start a workout routine.  Jarett is down almost 30 pounds and is inspiring me and I'm determined to keep him strong and try to keep up with him!!  Maybe we'll even be able to go together - I know he'd love that!! ;)  (Jarett hates working out with other people - but he'd be biking and swimming and I'd be running/walking, so I'm sure he'll be okay!)

A Favorite Moment

Just had to write down a moment from today.  We were driving to Costco and Kaia said to me, "Mom, I think that Jaymeson is T-I-R-E-D!".  Before I could say anything, Jaymeson (who doesn't even know all his letters, let alone how to spell with them) responded and said, "No I'm NOT!  I'm A-E-S!"  (Of course these are the only 3 letters he has down pat).  Then we all burst out laughing and he's been saying it over and over all day long!