The party never stops

The fall is a bad time to diet in my house.  William birthday in September it feels like an endless round of birthdays, feasts and parties. The celebrations definitely help to counter some of the dark days.
William turned six this year. He has always had a soft spot for animals. Living close to Banff means that we have the opportunity to experience some really awesome things. William's birthday activity was a horse ride along the river in the national park. He had a blast! And is still talking about it.

 

 

 

He actually rode better than some of the adults and was not afraid to "go reallyfast"

 

 Jeffrey turned eight a week later.  Jeffrey loves just about everything but is really taken lately with art and construction.  So he now is our Artist-in-residence and master Lego builder.  The details in which he paints I find really neat.  He is very observant and loves to express feelings with colours.  And who doesn't love Legos?

 

As if that wasn't enough, the week after Jeffrey's birthday was Thanksgiving. Canadian style, that is.

 

Nothing beats the smell of Thanksgiving

I was happy no one knocked over the flowers :-)

We always go on a hike to see the last of the changing colors. And to run some of the feast off...

 

 

So... what's up next for the Andrus tribe? Well, Elena 's birthday, Halloween, a family wedding, Jeffrey's baptism, American Thanksgiving, school Christmas program, Church Christmas program, Christmas, Ethan's birthday, New Years, Bryant's birthday and then Nathaniel's birthday. And that's just the stuff set in stone.  I think there might be a few more surprises happening, but we'll see.  I don't know if I'll make it, but if I die, at least I'll go out with a smile.

 

Changes

 

 

 

 

The seasons have changed.  Every morning the sky remains dark longer and the wind is a bit colder.

We have put away the shorts and brought out the thermals and gloves and heavy coats.

Weather isn't the only change we have had.  The boys are back in school.

I guess that's not really news, but it has been a big change for us.

I am still having a hard time processing that four of our kids, our babies are old enough to be in school.  Time really does fly! We had been home schooling for a while and felt like we needed to pray about schooling.  I don't know why, but the answer came that we needed to put them in a specific school.  This school has the highest academic standards for a public school here in Calgary.  The program also is very aligned with our teaching and techniques philosophies. The biggest difference is that the school is a Catholic sponsored school.  All in all, so far, it has been a good experience. The boys and I often have really good gospel related discussions, that they initiate, on our commute home. They have no fear naturally sharing what they believe, and remarking on what things are good about both faiths.  Anyway, there are things I really miss about Homeschooling, but this path we have been placed on, I feel will be good for our tribe.

 

  

Here we are after morning scriptures... there is always someone watching the clock

Excited for Grade 1

 Mom is not thrilled that the Grade 4er is taller than her shoulder

The king of grade 3

Kindergarten has been taken by storm.  They don't know what hit it!

The kindergarten class, including Ethan, is only 7 kids.  Everyone jokes that we bring an entire class to school each day

 

 

 

 

Nathaniel and Elena are having fun being best buddies. They are often chasing each other or climbing around or singing while "playing" the piano.  Some days they really are upset to stay behind with me, but I am sure glad for it.

WHY do I have to stay behind?

she's so happy her brother shared his cupcake

Camping adevntures

So we went camping.  That single sentence says a lot.  We drove eight hours west to camp in the middle of British Columbia on Lake Okanagan, in the Fintry Provincial Park.  This park was really interesting.  The historical aspects of it Bryant and I very much appreciated and enjoyed.
http://www.fintry.ca/history/index.php  Check it out- it was pretty neat! 
But even camping at an interesting historical sight is not why we go.  We go to have fun and torture  play with the kids as a family.

Here we are getting ready to hike up to a waterfall. Despite some of the faces, we have a good time exploring and discovering things.  And we made it !  Bryant and I were feeling our years ( or perhaps one too many late night goodies) and realized that our kids are part mountain goat.  They had no problem whatsoever.

 

First family picture with all eight of us :-)



 

The entire family had a lot of fun explore the grounds of the old Fintry estate. The kids had fun looking at the old fashion stuff, discovering the barns and playing in the gardens.

This was the view from our tent

This is the original manor house. Great workmanship and incredible engineering.  First to have electricity in the area,  And the impossible- underground sprinkler irrigation.

Beautiful roses planted in memory of the owner's beloved wife

incredible barns and sheds.

The grounds had this great labyrinth on the manor grounds just north of the house.  It was constructed, copying the design of the great garden labyrinth at Chartes Cathedral in France.  I thought the boys were be completely bored with this, but everyday they wanted to come and do "the maze".  Some days they ran, but other days they walked it.  It was incredible.  If only we could find a way to put one in our backyard...

Then Bryant surprized us by renting a boat for a day.  The boys had so much fun.  And truth be told, so did the parents.

 

 

Every boy had a turn out on the tube.  Even Nathaniel was determined to not miss out on the fun.  I went with him and helped him to hang on and he had a blast.  We all did.  Perhaps a little too much...

 

This was Seth and Jeffrey's view. 

This stud can still pilot a boat, even with sleeping kids all over him :-)





Playing with the kids (and Bryant of course) was a blast.  Camping with our tribe, despite all the invariable complications and hassle and headaches, is something that has blessed us.  Sometimes it is the shared memories of fun and family.  Sometimes it is simply making the time to slow down and realizing the innumerable blessings around us.  Our last views helped us understand that. 

 

 

 

 



Vain Babies

Some asked me the other day to describe my kids.  How does a mom begin to describe her children? Where do you even start?
Well, my kiddos are vain.  They love to be the center of attention and are always wanting to be in a picture.  Most of the time I give in, either to conquer some personal insecurities or simply because they are so cute.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

I love my children.  Without reservation, shame or limits.  Each one is special and valued and treasured. They are individually and collectively my great effort.  I am richer because of them I strive to be better for them.  In short, my kids are wonderful.