Magrath Water Slide!

My good friend Heather rents out the Magrath Stake Campground waterslide a few times a summer. Luckily we were home for one of the days she rented late in August, and it was a gorgeous hot day! Leslie and Benson were with us too, but somehow escaped the camera. I don't know how I missed his cute shark hat swimming suit. :( They must have left before I got my camera out. Anyway, my fam...if we do the 2014 reunion in Southern Alberta we will probably camp and/or play here for a day! I can just imagine the 27 cousins playing together on this. :)

These boys were at it all afternoon long! They loved it, for HOURS. This is Zach and his buddy Marshall.

They had so much fun riding down the slide together. It was fun to see Zach with his friends again.

They even got fancy and started doing tricks and flips and swirls down the slide.

That's right. Don't mess.
:) 

 

 Of course I went on the slide! Here I have Kara on front (getting sprayed in the face like no other) and Kate holding on for dear life on my back. 

 

And here is the fabulous host of the party, Heather Jubber! :) Love her.



And Karley! (Marshall's mom) The best thing is Heather, Karley and I all have babies within a month of each other! Adaleigh, then Benson, and then Lincoln. Our ward had SUCH a baby boom this spring. And it continues...the mother's lounge is rarely available during church! :)

These great girls kept taking my girls up and down the slide. It was really helpful, especially since I had to tend to Adaleigh sometimes...and take pictures of course. This picture just makes me happy. Summer is so great. Fun and carefree. :)


 Quite the train! :)

 Thanks Heather!!!

Apples!!

Our tree grew more than 5 apples this year!!! It actually had tons. The bummer part was we were gone for a lot of the picking so only really 2 times was I able to get a good crop and make delicious stuff with them.

Our apple tree! When I found out the big tree in the back was an apple tree I was super excited. It is a gorgeous tree, gives perfect shade, and now even some yummy apples.

 

Just a "why everyone needs a twin" moment. Kate was just feeding Kara some water while they were watching a show. Didn't even need to ask or say, "hmm, I'm thirsty." :)
 (do you feed water? Hmmm...what's the word I am looking for?)

 I just thought it was cute.

 So happy to be home and getting bathed regularly again!

Final Week in Olds

Well, our time was finally wrapping up in Olds. Since we were less than 2 hours away from Edmonton, and I planned to get there some time within the 2 months we were there, I decided to take the kids up to Edmonton for an overnight trip. We visited with The Baldwins. Oh how we miss them!! It was so fun to watch the kids play together again and pick up right where they left off. 

Here are Zach and Avery. I can't believe they are both in Kindergarten now?!! We met when they were less than 2 years old! They kinda look alike, eh? Same face shape...chins...

 

It was funny to me that they even chose some of their favorite games they used to play together. Zach loved this Elephant game they had. He found it again!

Then we took them all for a bike

ride to see a beaver dam. Right there in Edmonton! Pretty cool. Look at that cute little gang of kids.

We stayed at Jason and Kamry's house. My kids LOVE Talia and love playing with her and often fight about who Talia loves more...goodness. They had a lot of fun together. And I had fun after they were all asleep and Kamry and I could just relax and talk. :)



Pictures wouldn't be complete without a Kate face.

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Addie, after a car ride, a bit delirious. Happy or sad?? We still don't quite know.

We also made one last trip to see my friend Athena and her kiddos, Kyle and Robbie. Athena rents a farmhouse and has a bunch of animals too. Since we had been there last there were some kittens born AND her chicks had arrived. I brought Jordana to meet Old McAthena and her farm. :)

Kate LOVES horses. This is Atticus. Pretty cool name.

 

Checking out the turkeys.

Zach found a couple eggs in the hen house! I really want chickens. Mostly for eggs. And they can eat all of our fruit and veggie scraps.

Kara with the few week old kittens! 



Kitty Kate. I love this picture of her.

And this is Robbie. He is awesome.

 Scaring the daylights out of me...the first time we went to the farm I was a stress case. My kids are a little curious and busy and are not used to farms, ladders, heights, but also not afraid of them and are very independent. I could see them EASILY getting hurt because of what they didn't know. Luckily, no one got hurt the 3 times we went there.

Jordana's cutie patootie, Kiera. She is such a doll baby! She turned 1 while we were there.

Someday they will be friends. :) The best shot we could get of them "playing" together. :)


These girls loved to play together! Well, mostly my kids adored Jayna and Jayna mostly wanted to hang out with Jordana and Addie and I. :) But whenever we weren't at their place, or when we were in Cardston she would say "I want to go back to Olds...I miss Jayna!!!" Cute, yes, but not when you are driving 3 hours away from Olds with a deliriously tired Kate crying and say that over and over and over and...


Kara on Smoke...the 29 year old horse! The view here is A-MAZING. Especially the first time we went there. It was surrounded by hills of canola. My favorite! I wanted to live there. It was so neat. Then I realized I didn't have my camera. Where was my camera? That's when I realized...it might have been stolen. :(

Kate cuddling the big kitty while every one else took their turn on the horse.

Kara the little rancher.

Kate's turn! I really wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being a barrel racer. She is my little cowgirl horse lover. And we live in Southern Alberta, so why not?! Just embrace it!

I love this picture. The true Athena. Don't you stick your tongue at me young lady!

Zach was HILARIOUS. This was the 2nd time he rode this horse, but he wouldn't even sit up! He did last time! He was funny about it.

 Finally at the end he sat up a bit more. Silly boy!

And Addie did great! 
 

 

...for the 5 seconds Athena held her on the horse! :) Look how chubby she is getting. And that is a month ago!

I need to learn how to use my camera on manual. Or edit. White balance? Over exposing...i have no clue. :)


Kate was also obsessed with the chicks. I think I was probably a lot like her as a kid, seeing as I got "kissed" by a chicken (hard enough to leave a scar on my lip) and scratched by a cat (another scar up my forehead!) by the age of 2? 3? Gentle...or like my parents always said, "You don't know your own strength." Whoops.

Our LAST morning in Olds, we stopped by to say by to the wonderful Fitzners. I don't know what I would have done without you guys. Oh yeah I do...NOTHING! Thanks for moving to Olds!!! :)

 

These two turned out to be buddies. They rode bikes together and played with Kepler's awesome airplanes.

There is an amusing reason I posted all of these. Scroll and see if you can figure it out.

 

 

Besides the fact that they are all darling children, did you catch Gibb going into the pantry and hiding so he can eat treats without the kids noticing?! HA HA! I loved this when I saw it. Gibb, you are awesome. Now share with us!

Bye Jordana!! :( I will miss you! Shorty...

And we had to get one of the boys too. I am sure they really miss each other.