A Canadian Cookout

While staying with Uncle Erv & Auntie Sandra, we had a fun cookout/BBQ in their backyard. We grilled hot dogs and made S'mores. They hadn't had S'mores (at least in a really long time), so this was a really fun thing to do! Micah's friends were there, too (Ben & Arthur). Ben's girlfriend had never cooked a hot dog over a fire and it was fun to watch her have this experience.

Here's Ruth sitting beside Uncle Erv, enjoying every bite.

Benjamin was instant buddies with Micah. He was Micah's little shadow all week. In this picture, Sarah had colored on Benjamin's face with face paint (and this was the remnants).

Evonne enjoying her fire-roasted hot dog!

The two Bens!

S'mores getting a thumbs up from Micah.

Uncle Erv's S'more was finger-licking good!

Micah taught Benjamin how to play hockey while we were in Canada. Benjamin learned quickly and Micah said he has a lot of natural talent. He has his own stick (thanks to Micah!), so he's been practicing on the street with the neighborhood kids since we've been home.

A Visit With Cousins

We had a great time visiting with Uncle Kal and Auntie Sylvia while in Alberta. Danika played a beautiful piece on the piano for us. The kids had such a great time playing with my cousins and have asked several times when we are going back to visit them again!

The Three Hills Gazoo

While in Three Hills, we visited the world famous Gazoo! :) I've never seen a place where the kids could touch and feed so many animals. They were able to ride donkeys and horses, pet and feed goats, pick up bunnies and kittens, pet the HUGE pigs, and all sorts of other things. They also have bigger animals like lions, tigers, and camels that you can walk around and look at through the cages. It was definitely a lot of fun and something we'd love to do again. The last picture is of the Gazoo's most dangerous animals...be careful of them if you ever visit!

Canada Part 2: How You Cut Meat

On Sunday we had hamburgers on the grill for lunch. Uncle Erv showed us the best way to cut hamburgers in preparation for grilling. :)

Step 1: Put a brand new blade on the sawzall.

Step 2: Take the frozen roll of hamburger out of the freezer.

Step 3: Have someone strong hold down the roll of hamburger on the cutting board.

Step 4: Saw the frozen meat in 1 inch slices with the sawzall.

Canada Part 1: The Trip Out There

I'm now going to start the series on our trip to Canada. Here are several pictures from the trip up there. We left from Family Camp and drove until about 2 am. After a few hours of sleep, we were back on the road.

Family Camp 2011

We had a great group at Family Camp this year. It was definitely a lot of fun and something we plan on each year. Here's our traditional group picture on the last morning at camp.

This isn't our cabin, but just wanted to show a typical cabin. Most of the cabins have bathrooms and then they each have bunk beds for everyone. They are rugged, but actually not too bad as far as comfort...much better than a tent!!

This picture was taken while we were waiting at the High Ropes Course. Rachel and Abigail climbed up into Mrs. Mandery's walker and were pretending to be her. I have no idea why Rachel is making the face she is, but they were having a blast!

Here is Sarah on the rope ladder at the High Ropes Course. This is as far as she made it, but I'm proud of her for getting that far. It is no easy task!!

Here's Pastor, preaching and teaching the WORD!

The beautiful scenery we enjoy at camp. I haven't seen it rain here yet! Next year I really want to hike some of these mountains. I was planning on it this year, but was so sick with the pregnancy that it just wasn't a good idea.

One of the ladies at church brings her bike carrier every year just to give the little ones rides in it. Rachel and Ruth had a great time being biked around in their "ride"!

Taking notes and studying the Bible while Pastor is preaching:

Garth's Company Picnic

Each year, Garth's company puts on a picnic for the employees and their families. They go all out and had literally thought of everything...food, entertainment, sunscreen, activities for all those young and old, etc.

Here is our little bug, trying out a kazoo. She was quite good at it!

A human carwash...great for cooling off little kids!

The biggest Radio Flyer wagon I've EVER seen. This was full of ice and soda for anyone and everyone to enjoy.

All the kids practicing for a hula hoop competition. The winner had 4 of them going simultaneously for quite a while!

The infamous Broom Ball tournament before the start of the other activities. A group of interns won this year!

Sarah conquered the rock wall!!

We sat and soaked in some sun while watching a magic show on the entertainment stage. This guy was quite good!!

Garth and his tall friend...ok, just kidding. :)

Ready, Set, Go...

I finally have the pictures off of the camera and nearly ready to start uploading to my blog. I have pictures from Garth's company picnic, our trip to Canada, family camp, the fair, and some miscellaneous things. So watch for lots of updates here in the next little bit!!

I'll leave you with one picture. Rachel started dance (tap and ballet) this last week. Here she is at her first class.