Camping - Part Deux

Okay, so where were we? Oh yeah - Halfway Lake and Keziah just turned 7.

Keziah was excited to go fishing with her dad. Little did her dad know that fishing to her was NOT to catch fish, but to catch pretty reeds! Pretty yet very stinky reeds!

Family hike, enjoying the landscape of Northern Ontario.

 

 

 2 days before we left, we were surrounded by more friends! They and us booked Halfway Lake 5 months earlier without realizing we were going to end up at the same park :) So we had such a good time again those last few days.

But alas, despite our good times, it was time to stop feeding the black flies. They would not leave our kids alone, so we were thankful to say audios to Halfway Lake and travel 2 hours south to Grundy Provincial Park. On the way there we knew there was quite a bit of construction, with waits up to 30 minutes. Nathan was prepared :)

Does it Have to End?!

It is hard to get our minds wrapped around the fact that it is September. Here where we live that means the school year is about to begin. In fact, it began TODAY!!

It's not that time goes by so fast that makes it hard to adjust to it being a new school year. It's the fact that it is plus 40 degrees C (with the humid-x)!! And no, our school does not have air conditioning. Today we melted. I know because I was in the classroom all day. That's my job now - surrounding myself with 13 lovely little treasures from God. They are 7 and 8 years old, an age where for the most part they still love school. An age where feeling arms around my waist as a student says good-bye is still okay. Gr. 6? Nope. But Gr. 3? Yup!! :)

I am teaching all day Monday, Tuesday and then am done Wednesday at lunch. That leaves Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday to carry out my first priorities: taking care of my husband and our two little gems. In my mind, it seems like a great balance. I guess time will tell!

But before we woke up this morning to a brand new normal, we made sure to enjoy every moment of our summer-normal yesterday:

 While I didn't shed a tear today, a few fell out of my eyes yesterday. Why, you ask? Well, just look at these pictures of Keziah and Lincoln. This is what they did all.summer.long. They played. And played. And played. Sure they made a mess everywhere they went, but I honestly would not see them for hours at a time as they were so busy adventuring. Isn't this childhood?! I love it. And that is why I cried. Tears of thankfulness for them. Tears of thankfulness they have each other and are blessed with such a close bond. And tears of sadness, knowing once school starts, the freedom of playing whenever goes to a minimal.

 

 

She's in there somewhere......see her hand poking out just under the table?! Her and her forts.

We also made sure to spend lots of time in the pool yesterday:

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great last day of summer. Maybe it's a good thing summer is winding down - my chocolate brownie is turning into a blonde brownie, thanks to sun-kissed hair!

(yes, I realize I jumped from camping pictures to first day of school pictures without finishing my camping posts. They are coming!! :)

Camping Trip - Part One

Ready for picture overload?! When you go for 19 days, you can be certain there will be a few pictures :)

On August 1st, we left early and headed north. Like 6 hours north, with our destination being Halfway Lake. We had never been but had heard lots about it. So we thought we'd try it out. Overall we had great weather. The beach and lake was bea-u-ti-ful!!! The park was pretty nice - not quite as much shade on the sites like we'd prefer but it was okay. We just made sure we were at the beach during those really hot hours.

Anyway, I'll stop talking so you can flip through the pictures:

Keziah has taken quite an interest in cooking, thanks to Chopped. Here she is trying to mince a garlic with a press:

 

 

Before his buzz-cut. The little black flies were so bad they were getting caught in his hair. So we buzzed it off. Poor Keziah - she didn't have that choice. They ate her alive as well, especially on her freckle and scars.

 

 

 

Haha - this picture cracks me up!! No, Nathan is not enjoying the fire by himself. The two kids are behind the chair - they thought it was too hot!

 

 

 

Yes, her mean momma made her do school work on holidays! Not every day....just a few days a week. When school doesn't come easy, and momma knows how quickly kids lose what they've learned in the two months off, then school work is somewhat of a necessity. Just for 1/2 an hour or so.....

This was part of the his morning routine:

 

 Do you see why we call it glamping and not camping?! Oh, it's rainy?! Here, let's pull out the dvds and cotton candy to pass the rain away! :)

 

My parents came up for one day, which was so much fun!

 

Little did we know that on the same day, our closest friends made the trip up.....and had also booked a week here with us at Halfway Lake! Jenn, the stinker, never told me this. She knew we were there and we had told them we would love it if they could join us. That was a month earlier. The next day she booked it but every time we talked about it, she told me all the sites were taken. So weren't we surprised to see them! It was so awesome. Love this family so much!!

How nice it was for Keziah that on her birthday while camping, there were a few friends from back home to help her decorate and eat her birthday cupcakes!

 

 

 

Doesn't every 7 year old choose chewy steak (aka as rare....), broccoli and baked potato for the birthday meal?!

Can't believe she is 7! She brings so much joy to our family. She is such a contemplative thinker, creative, incredibly sensitive and responsible little girl. We are so blessed with this gift of a daughter.

Well, we are 6 days into our trip. 13 more days of pictures to go!

Bug Spray + Suntan Lotion + S'mores = 3 Weeks of Camping Fun

Well, after 3 weeks of camping, we have made it safely back home.

Yay for no more:

• vault toilets
• sharing said vault toilets with some 100 people
• showers that spray (or drip...depending on pressure) water that is so unpredictable in the temperature department
• showering in said showers that have been used by said 100 people
• smelling nice from said shower for only 3 minutes before slathering oneself with sun screen, and then a layer of bug spray
• living/sharing a space of about 250 sq feet
• sweeping our beds of sand before jumping in
• worrying about bears enjoying our campsite
• sleeping in a bed that is too short

Hmmm, makes you wonder why we do this then, eh?

Well, let's see....

• unlimited time with the 4 of us
• lots of reading happening
• sleeping in is enjoyed
• s'mores. And lots of them. 
• seeing sights around northern Ontario
• lots of games played
• time spent with friends
• enjoying the outdoors through biking, hiking, jumping and swimming
• away from the busyness of life

Still wonder why we do this? Well, you'll have to stay tuned so I can show you using pictures. But for now I am going to go frolick in my own shower and then crawl into a bed without a grain of sand, a bed that even our feet get to rest in!! :)