Last week was a bit of a crazy one. We thought we were going to family camp in Little Harbour Nova Scotia, but alas, those plans fell through. We decided to make the best of it and have a stay-cation, doing what we could close to home. On our first day (which was actually Tuesday, since our van was in the shop until then) we stopped by a local nature park for a picnic lunch. I brought my camera everywhere we went, even though we were staying mostly in our own city, because I still wanted it to feel like vacation. Katie was delighted, and asked me to follow her around taking pictures while she posed. Whenever I ask her to smile she makes this crazy, forced grin where you see all her teeth and she looks kind of scary. So I asked her to think of something really sweet and she made her kiss face. Adorable!
These are my kids, on the beach at the Nature Park. We played in the water for a little bit, but I'll admit I was terrified! The current there can be strong, although my husband assures me it's not dangerous unless there's a storm. But I had just had surgery four weeks ago for a hernia repair and could not do any heavy lifting or straining, so feeling like I couldn't go after one of the kids if they did get out too far was a little nerve-wracking, since my husband had to hold the baby. I kept a death-grip on my toddler's hand, and didn't allow the kids to go much beyond their calves, and we survived it. They had so much fun letting the waves crash into them!
On our last day of vacation, we spent the night with a friend in Fredericton. We've never really spent time in the city, but when Jeff was there for an event last weekend he saw how beautiful it was, and we took the opportunity to visit as a family. It was raining when we arrived on Friday evening, and we arrived at a gallery we intended on visiting 20 minutes before closing, so we wandered around the city in the rain for a bit, then went to our newlywed friends' house for the evening. The next day was much nicer, and we returned to the gallery and spent the afternoon strolling the city. It was a great day.
So far our summer has consisted of a lot of beach and water time. These guys don't mind a bit!
Jeff and I managed to get away for a date - our first without the baby since she was born! It was fun to get out. We went to a movie and while I enjoyed it more than Jeff did, it was nice to be out just the two of us.
My two oldest boys attended a drama camp the week before our vacation. The oldest had done one last year, but this year he was one of the older kids, and they were the only two boys. I was so proud of what they had accomplished by the end of the week! Being homeschooled, they don't get much opportunity to come together with a group of kids and put on a production, so I am grateful for these opportunities when they come around. They were so great!
This is another shot of our trip to the Nature Park. The kids were loving posing for me, and I came away with many great memories captured in photo.
After almost four weeks of not being able to lift my baby, this felt like Heaven! I could sit with her if someone brought her to me, but I couldn't pick her up and carry her around, which was good (so good!) for my husband and both of her grandmothers (who came to help me when Jeff was at work), but a little sad for me because it meant that when she was upset, she wanted them. Even when I was able to get down on the floor with her, once she figured out I wasn't picking her up it didn't take her long to find someone who could do stuff for her. It felt so good to have my arms full of her again, but already she is clingy to me. Perhaps I spoil her just a little bit? I'm just making up for lost time.
This last photo was taken by my oldest son, and is possibly one of my favorite pictures ever. It is at the top of a hill near a beach we visited last week, and the kids were having so much fun running up and down. I love the way the kids are all to one side, and all the clear blue sky. I think I have a budding photographer on my hands!
Even though we didn't make it to Nova Scotia, and my heart still sinks a little whenever I think of it, I am still immensely grateful for the time we spent together at home. God is so good, and has given us so many great things to celebrate! I sure do love this little life.
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