Camping at Lake Koocanusa July 27-30, 2010

What a great camping trip!!  First of all, we only decided about a week before that we wanted to go camping and we had decided on Surveyors Lake at one of the first come, first serve spots.  Brad was told that this was a great spot to camp and that the lake was warm and there were turtles there.  It sounded great. We were to arrive on a weekday so we thought we would have a better chance of getting in.  When we got there, I was very saddened to find out that all the campsites were taken at Surveyors Lake with a waiting list of nine - no chance.  But we were told there were a few open down the road at what was called the Ponderosa Campground.  We went and checked it out and we ended up finding a really great campsite overlooking lake Koocanusa.  We were only about 100 yards away from the lake so we were able to watch the kids as they played.  We really enjoyed ourselves and had a fantastic time.  And best of all, there were no mosquitoes!!

Roasting hot dogs

Amy was really funny.  She started doing this thing she called making a filling.  She would first make a hole in the ground with her stick and then she would fill it up again and she probably make 12 -15 of these all though out our camp.  Here she is making one of them.

We did go and spend a day at Surveyors lake and Adam had himself a great time finding and catching crayfish with a buddy that he meet at the lake.

Jenny was absolutely hilarious.  As we were leaving the lake one day, she had picked up a rock and she started to have a conversation with someone on the "other end of the line".  It went on for a good 5-6 minutes. She was so funny and expressive, I couldn't help but laugh and take a few pictures.

And then there was Billy.  I had to tell you it was Billy cause the next few pictures, he's camouflaged.

Here's just a few more random pictures.

We went for a walk around the lake looking for turtles.  I was determined to find them so after not finding any the first night we went for a walk the next night and we did finally end up spotting some turtles.  I was so excited!

On our way home from our wonderful camping trip, we stopped in at Frank Slide to take a look around.  While we were there, there was a Mad Science show put on by Mad Scientist Steve.  He was pretty cool and the kids loved the show.

Science Center

Yesterday I wanted to do something a little different with the kids, so we decided to hop on the C-train and head downtown to meet Brad and go the Science Center. The kids have never been on the C-train before so that in itself was an adventure. Jenny loved the tunnels and all the kids thought that was a great way to travel. When we got downtown, I realized my battery was dead on my camera (ugh!!) so all these photo's were taken with my cell phone and therefore, some of them are not very good. Oh well.

Because Body Worlds and the Brain is featured at the museum right now, we decided to take that in as well. We were not allowed to take pictures at Body World but it was quite fascinating. All the bodies and pieces were actually real human beings. The kids thought it was neat and I even learned some things I never knew before (or forgot I learned it in biology class). The kids even made sure to ask me nice and loud things like "Where does the pee come out?" and "How do you know if it's a boy or girl?" among other questions. It was definitely a learning experience.

When we finished at Body World, we went to the Creative Kids Museum at the Science Center which at the moment has a big Lego exhibit. I thought Billy might like that because he LOVES playing with and creating things with lego. I'm sure there had to be millions of pieces of lego at this exhibit. It was amazing.

There was a little room about perception. Hence the big chair and the little chair.

There were other things like lots of different sound making centers, a video booth, lego making stations, drawing stations, and some lookout towers. The kids had a good time.
  Billy was totally in his element here. He loves to build and create things and he likes playing with lego. So he was building a car to race down the track that was there.
 

Here are some pictures of the different things that they had built with lego and put on display. I didn't get pictures of some, including the space shuttle at the front entrance that was taller than I am.
  Then it was time to go home. So we went in . . . lego cars!
  Just kidding. The kids were actually really excited to ride the C-train again so we walked back to the train platform, got on the wrong train, rode a few stops, got off, got on the right train and headed home. The kids enjoyed their "field trip" and a burger and frosty from Wendy's on the way home. It was a good day!
 

My Baby is Growing Up

That's right, it wasn't all that long ago that my oldest baby needed a babysitter himself but last night he went off to his very first babysitting job and it made me realize how very fast he is growing up. He was really excited but about an hour before he was to go he told me he was nervous. But he was ready with toys and books and games and he was armed with his babysitting manual and first aid kit. At the end of the night, I think he had a really good time and really enjoyed it. And the thirty bucks was definitely a highlight . And then today, he was asked to give a talk in church next week. Yep, he's definitely growing up. He's no longer a boy but becoming a young man.

AMY CAN RIDE HER BIKE

Amy can be a little fearful when it comes to trying something new and riding a bike was no exception. Actually, she had no interest what so ever in trying to learn how to ride a bike. She was most content to run behind Jenny or ride with her training wheels. I was OK with that but every once in a while, I'd push her to try because I knew she would like it. Well today, after a little grumbling and a little whining, she took off and there was no looking back and she rode all the way to the park. Stopping is a bit of a challenge considering the bike probably weighs twice as much as she does but shes getting the hang of it and I am so proud of her. Way to go Amy!

I can't believe we are already halfway through July. Summer has been great so far, just going a little too fast. It started out with girls camp which was a lot of fun. I was the camp director which was a lot of work but I had great help and I think the girls had a good time. While I was at camp, Brad had taken Billy and Adam camping with BP and Amy and Jenny were with Grandma in Raymond. Thanks Mom!! Then it was off to Raymond for the rest of us for the First of July celebrations. We did the parade, the pancake breakfast, the road race (I ran a personal best in the 5k), picnic at great grandma Mae's along with a toonie to all who did well in school and passed their grade, a family fun fair on main street and of course the fireworks. It was a great time in Raymond. And the boys got a haircut. Don't they look handsome! We also took Billy to the temple for the first time to do baptisms for the dead. That was a great experience, one that I hope he will always remember.

Wow, it's been two years since my last post. I'm really good at this. No gaurentees that I am going to keep up this pace but I'll give it a try.