Falcon Lake with the Martens'

We got back on Thursday from 5 great days of camping with the Martens family in Falcon Lake. There was so much to do and the weather was awesome (sunny and hot every day). The kids were kept busy riding bikes, playing in the fort they made in the trees on our site, playing at the playgrounds, and the beach. We also did a lot of things as families as you will soon see. We had such a good time and the kids all got along so well. They even met new friends one night and had a great time playing with them. We will definitely have to do it again.

Swinging in Elroy's hammock. This thing was awesome. For anyone out there (parents, husband) who is looking at what to get me for my birthday which is coming up, they sell these things at St. Vital mall in Winnipeg. Just a hint! :-)

Jody took this shot of Jaxon as he was eating his morning cereal in the lawn chair. That's where we ate most of our meals. Lots to look at and be distracted by outside. So feeding was done quickly and with minimal mess.

One of the many bike rides the kids went on.

One morning, before it got too hot out, we decided to take the kids mini-golfing. They had a great time. But, Carter and Cole had to learn that it was not hockey, it is golf. The swing does not need to knock the ball 3 holes over. It was very cute though.

We took my parents' boat with us and the kids all loved being able to play in it at the site and ride in it on the water. It was a big hit. Thanks mom and dad. We spent most of the evenings either, fishing from the boat, swimming, or just cruising around the lake to see the cabins. No fish were caught and not even any 'salad' Pa. But they all had fun trying. Many times they were convinced they had caught a big one, but we figured it was hard to catch any with no real hook on the line!

Elroy had the idea to go swimming in the 40 feet of water while the kids fished. But that didn't last long. As soon as the kids saw him jump in they were quick to follow and so there we were, in the middle of the lake at 8 p.m., with no swim suits, or towels and everyone going in for a dip. It was hilarious! Robin, Jaxon and I stayed dry as someone had to look after the baby and stay with the boat.

A group shot of everyone who went into the chilly water. They said it wasn't that cool. But how nice can 40 feet of water feel at 8 o'clock at night. Brrrrr!

Well, I finally got to go riding horse again. What made this even more special was that Carter was able to come with me on the horse. He had fun, even though it was hot and his bum was getting sore. It was an hour long ride and the horse flies were awful. Our horse was named 'Bonnie' and she was pregnant. Carter found it funny how she kept wanting to brush up against the trees to get the flies off and how she shook. Cole, Mackenzie and Robin were with us too.

Almost every afternoon was spent at the beach. It was a huge beach with great sand to play in. Lots of race tracks and sand castles were made. Elory even made a turtle with the 'help' of the kids.

The great turtle 'Crush'. Awesome job Elroy!

Jaxon even made it to the beach for short visits. He has mastered the sitting thing and loves the new vantage point to see the world.

One hot afternoon, we rented a tube and took the boat out to a quiet spot in the lake and went tubing and swimming. Carter even went with me a little bit. It wasn't as fast as Mackenzie went, but it is a start and he had fun. So did I.

Last day there and it was once again off to the beach to get one more swim in before we headed home.

Our little surfer dudes and dudette. Crazy kids!

One last shot of the boys together. Well, as you can see, we had a great time camping with Elroy, Robin and the kids. The boys are best buddies as they would put it. All three of the kids had so much fun. Loved the time together and can't wait to do it again.

Random July shots

Carter and Jaxon love taking baths together. We finally bought this contraption for Jaxon, so he could sit up like Carter and splash around. He loves it!




A warm sunny morning and Carter thought it would be a good idea to give his bike a wash.
So much like his daddy it is crazy!

The first weekend in July was the Harms reunion in Gretna and Altona. About 200 and some Harms invaded the area and enjoyed catching up with eachother. It had been 10 years since we all got together. Now there are 352 Harms in total (not everyone came of course). Jaxon was the newest Harms. Saturday afternoon was spent at the pool in Altona. It was hot and muggy, so the pool was the best place to be. My Grandma came out to the pool and cooled off a bit herself. Here are a couple of pictures of her with the boys. Carter saw that Jaxon was getting his picture taken with her and of course he had to be in on the action.

Sunday of the reunion was a day for baseball. People of all ages came out to play and had a blast. Carter was very excited that he got to play with his Papa. However, he was not too impressed that no balls came out to them way out in the outfield. So he didn't last very long. But he still had fun.

After he was done with ball, Carter met another boy his age, Nolan (Jeremy and Lisa Hildebrand's boy) on the trampoline. They started to play chase on it and were entertained for quite a while. Jaxon couldn't handle the heat, so he slept in his stroller inside.

My Auntie Val was kind enough to keep an eye on Jaxon while I was outside with Carter. It was so nice to see everyone. There was not enough time to visit with everyone as there were about 200 there on Sunday when me and the boys went. But I did get to catch up with quite a few of my relatives. It had been a long time since I had seen some of them.

Enjoying another hot day at the pool.

The boys got into the cherries and by the end of it were wearing most of the juice on their hands and face.



Time to go home. This was the last time Carter and Cole would see eachother for a few weeks when we would meet up with them at Falcon Lake.

Birthday party #2

On July 5th Carter had yet another birthday party. Jody took the day off and him and Carter spent a lot of it together. They even were able to track down Herb in his grader and go for a ride. That was a definite highlight of his day. They took ice cream sandwiches to share with Herb. What a great start to his birthday. Thanks Herb!





The birthday boy! He was so pumped about having 'the grown-up party' as he put it. Both sets of grandparents came along with, Uncle Eric, Auntie Marlo, nieghbours Herb and Val, friends Kyler, Mila, Cole and their mommies and daddies, Auntie Ruth and Uncle Ken, and Amy and Mark Loewen. It was a big party for a big boy! Thank you to everyone for coming and for the gifts. He was spoiled again.


The cake! Carter didn't know what kind of cake I was getting for him. He was so surprised!

It was late and everyone had left, when Carter realized he had not played with this gift yet. It would be just awful to go to bed without at least playing with all of the gifts a bit first I guess. We finally got him to bed and he crashed. He had such a busy day and yet he had so much fun!

He had to take as many presents to bed as we would allow. So here he is fast alseep listening to his Lightning McQueen CD on his new discman from Herb and Val. Lying beside that are his 2 flashlights that he got from Grandma and Grandpa. The rest of the gifts are on the floor right beside the bed (they didn't fit on the pillow).