Summer.....

Our Summer started out great with a family trip to Northern saskatchewan for a much anticipated fishing trip! It included 9 days off, 6 days of driving (a total of about 42hrs!) and 3 days in the boat fishing! It was a wonderful time for our little family to be surrounded by so many grandparent, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles. Everybody caught fish, ate fish and brought home fish! Our kids did wonderful in travelling and playing in the boat.

Celebrating Dexter's 3rd birthday with candle

lit pancakes before heading out in the boat!

He got his first fishing rod!

He loved the whole fishing experience!

everything from catching fish to eating them,

to the snacks in the boat to just playing

and being together!

Lexi enjoyed the trip as well!

We made lots of good memories!

Hanging out with Aunt and Uncles!

OUr kids were so priveledged to have so many grand-parents

on this trip! all but one great grandma we here!

What a blessing for our kids to be so loved!

We carried into July with lots of company which included a variety of family and friends who stayed with us, unseasonable cool weather (which this is probably one of the few summers i won't complain about cool weather;) and spending time at kids bible camps. First we spent a week at Gardom Lake Bible camp, where Daniel was the speaker, then went to Ness Lake Bible Camp in Prince George where Daniel spoke and I was camp nurse. Dexter's favorite thing at Gardom was catching frogs etc with the directors boys, while Lexi enjoyed all the "high-fives, and pound-its!" At Ness Lake Dexter loved shooting pellet guns and the zip line, while Lexi liked dancing to the music. Both weeks were full of lots of fun, cool weather, watching kids be loved and witnessed to, and time together as a family.

July ended with the biggest shock and greatest loss we have ever experienced. A dear man who we consider family (and who is family to my sister and brother in law) lost his life in a farming accident. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a pillar in the church, an example to the farming community and a mentor figure to many of us. His love for the Lord, his family and for others was mirrored in his everyday life. He truely lived out what he believed and was an encouragment for us to do the same. He always made our family and Daniel especially feel valued in the church and he supported us in so many ways that you usually only expereince from family. It breaks our hearts to know the loss us and our kids are experiencing, but is more then we can bare to think of what his dear family is experiencing. They are a family of unbreakable faith, they have always loved, lived, laughed and lossed together. God will bring them thru this together but it is so overwhelming right now. He left a beautiful legacy!

Now, we are less then 2 weeks away from school starting and its hard to believe summer is coming to an end. It was far from the summer we expected and anticipated, but we are looking forward to the fall with excitement to meet our new little munchkin! This pregnancy is flying by and there is still a few things on our list of "things to do before baby arrives!" We are looking forward to having Daniel's parent around for September along with his grandparents as well! We appreciate so much having family in our lives!