Sweaty September

Our summer finally came....in September. And when I say 'summer', I mean hot, humid weather with temperatures in the mid to high 30s. Love it!!!

We ended August and started September doing what we do best. Camping :) This time we went with friends as well. Where we camped was just 20 minutes from our home, yet once there, it felt like miles away. It was a very cool weekend, with only an hour or two of "warm enough weather for the beach" weather.

 

 

 

There are mountain biking trails nearby and so a bunch of guys went and enjoyed themselves.

 

 

 

 

We came home in time to start school the next morning....a very eager Gr. 3er and a very nervous Gr. 1er. They've nicely settled into their respective grades now, and Keziah has learned that having me as her teacher is not so bad after all. "It's going better than I ever thought it would!!" her words :)

Part of Keziah's birthday present was to take her to a Blue Jays' game. She loved it!! Lincoln? Not so much - it was too loud for him. It was a very exciting game and we saw it all! The Blue Jays won 10-9. We took the train in...and of course had to enjoy a sausage from a vendor as part of the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite Blue Jay player....

 

Nathan took Lincoln to the Farm Show. He made the mistake of telling Lincoln back in August. I believe Lincoln asked his dad every single day if it was The Day to go. They had a GREAT time together!

 

 

 

 

Nathan and I headed to Texas for 5 days, 3 of those days spending with his peer group. We had a fantastic time, experiencing things we would NEVER experience in Canada due to the fact that what's allowed in Texas is NOT allowed in Canada.

Texas-big clubhouse! Those are sweet potato fries - they were HUGE!!

 We stayed at a very nice resort that had a few pools and waterslides. While it was very hot back home, it was way hotter here!

 

Is it bad to say that this was the highlight of the trip?! While it was so much fun, it certainly spurned a discussion of why these guns are even needed in Texas - why is it legal to have them? Are they really that necessary?? I don't think we would have had as much fun, if any, if what happened in Vegas had happened already.....

 

 

By the way, my aim was worse than a boy and a toilet. Well, with that pink and black one just above I was able to hit every single target, but not with any other weapon.

That was our September. By the end of the month, we were all getting into the groove of school. Lincoln is absolutely loving  it and is soaking up everything very quickly. It is so good for him. Keziah is also loving it, "soaking" it all up in her very methodical way. And I am thankful with the priviledge of being at the front of the classroom again, seeing my students grow in so many different ways. I love my job! Nathan has been very busy with the business and is looking forward to a time when things will slow down a bit. It has been a tough year with all the rain we've received - but it's been a year of reminders of Who is in control of everything. We are thankful for that comfort.

We also got family pictures taken in September (first time in almost 5 years!!), but that'll be the next post. Take care and thanks for reading!!

Jumpin' June

I seem to do my monthly reviews when the next month is more than halfway over!! Oh well, better late than never :)

June. Jumpin' June. Was it ever a month of jumping - between report card writing, organizing a Play Day for the school, wrapping up curriculum with my students, saying good-bye to them, then packing, packing, packing everything in our school as our school is moving into a new building. Jumpin' June?! I'd say so!! And that was just SCHOOL stuff!! Never mind HOME stuff! But we got through it and I managed to take a few pictures as well.

Play Day - a day where the student body is divided up into teams and they play different team building games as well as track and field challenges. Here are some of the games:

Kids had to pour water from cup to cup till the end of the line, where the last person then filled a pop bottle. The more pop bottles they fill, the more points they get.

 Not too sure how successful these two were, considering they weren't watching what they were doing :)

Spider Web - where each team member needs to go through an opening (that has not been used yet) of the web without touching the sides.

High jump! Keziah did quite well in this event.

 

Water balloon Volleyball - using two bed sheets, they need to pass a water balloon back and forth. The more complete passes, the more points the team gets.

Skis (that Nathan made!!): the team needs to work together to move the skis past 6 pylons. The more pylons you pass, the more points. Very tricky!!

It was a fun day. I was one of the Play Day Committee members, and I managed to put 23, 000 steps on my Fitbit that day! The kids weren't the only ones exhausted that night!

Nathan was gone for a few days and we discovered skype!! That was pretty exciting for the kids. And me :)

We had some marvelous sunsets!

 

 

My dad comes to visit often (when he is not off motorcycling, atving, snowmobiling, traveling etc.), and the kids LOVE it when he reads to them.

Goofball

 

This girl has discovered chapter books!! It's slow going but she is getting there!

The cozier the spot, the better to read!

Keziah found a couple beautiful butterflies on the way home from the bus stop. Aren't they gorgeous?!

 

 

My old classroom, almost done packing!

Lincoln's self portrait :) Not sure about the orange teeth....but everything else is pretty accurate :D

And that was June. It was a busy but fruitful month. Oh, and our basement renos also finished. But that's another post for another time. We are enjoying our summer holidays thus far - enjoying God's creation and all that summer has to offer. I hope you are as well!!