Summer is in full swing and it's been a doozy!!
In between, we did a lot of taking things down and packing. I was getting so stressed about it all, but Dave was a huge help and we got a ton done! It's hard with Sydnie at the age she is, as she likes to take things out of the boxes and climb on them and it's hard to get anything (let alone moving) done, but the older kids have been great, too.
The following weekend, we went to Canada. I dropped the kids and Dave off at the hotel to swim and then I went to the Regina temple. Word traveled so quick that I came 2 1/2 hours all the way from Scobey to get there...hey, that's half the distance of our assigned temple. There is such a sweet peace in the temple and I'm thankful temples are being made more accessible around the world. The next day, we visited the Parliment building and took a tour, which was very fascinating. We walked around downtown and enjoyed some beautiful gardens and playing by the waters edge. We went to the park by Wascana Lake, which was a very fun one for the kids and went to the island at the Wascana Center. We went to the store to get a few things we needed (Canadian maple syrup, anyone?) and got some poutine for lunch (our kids' favorite!). Then we finished off the day at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. We played at the park, went to the beach and played in the sand, and ended up redneck swimming. The kids were delighted to find giant shells, they hunted for crawdads, and even found one in the shells we collected when we got home which they named Jaws. We were going to observe and feed it for a few days and return it to the water on our way from church, but we totally spaced bringing it with us and it ended up dying the Monday after. Poor guy. It was another fun weekend though. It gets stressful sometimes, but I'm glad for our big family and thankful for the time we have together.
Cal, Lucy & Cov were able to go to the nondenominational Bible camp. Cal enjoyed being with his friends and playing pew battle ship. Lucy liked all the crafts. And Cov enjoyed being with other kids and being old enough to attend! On the last day, Cal put on a bunch of bracelets before he left, but we had him pick on for each hand. It was a great week for them!
We had some crazy weather. Rain storms, hail, lighting - we had some great shows out of our front window. Because of the really wet spring we had, we had lots of cotton in the air. Some days it looked like it was snowing! The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it was crazy!
We held a summer bake sale to benefit No Kid Hungry with a few of our friends, the Coles and the Anderbergs and the Funds. The kids all got to pick out treats they wanted to make and I helped them. Emma did peanut butter bars (all by herself!), Cal did s'more brownies (which we made up and were delicious), Lucy made chocolate rice krispy treats, and Cov and I made almond poppy seed bread and almond snack mix. The kids did such a great job and made $200 to benefit their cause and are ready to do it again. They even made it into the paper!
"Oh what do you do in the summertime when all the world is green? Do you swim in a pool to make yourself cool?" Yes, that's what we do! The 3 middles had swim lessons but only 2 did it. Em loves meeting up with friends, Cal is all about doing fancy tricks off the diving board, Lucy pretends she is a whale or dolphin, and Cov finally overcame his fear and got in for open swim and then didn't want to get out!! And Sydnie enjoys watching them and getting in also, she can't get enough of the water.
The kids have been doing lots of crafting and baking projects. Lots of origami, painting, and other things going on. Emma loved making Harry Potter hats, wands, and wand boxes, and Cal enjoyed making origami claws. Lucy has done lots of drawing and painting and Cov just does whatever everyone else does and is really getting good at drawing. We also have made lots of baking projects. Cal made these emoji cookies Grandma Di gave him and we celebrated donut day by making our own healthy strawberry donuts. Yum!
Not all fun, some work, too. Emma's been given the new job of mowing the lawn and she loves it and asks if she can do it every day! She does a great job, too. Cal has done it a few times as well. Lucy does pretty much any chore we ask and Cov prefers to clean the toilets. Sydnie has been into helping with dishes lately, haha! Such a good helper!
Got to enjoy Pioneer Town week! Yay! Started off with the delicious Thresherman's breakfast, a rainy afternoon in Pioneer Town walking through the buildings, listening to bands play and staying dry by playing pool, then playing outside, visiting with friends, and seeing the parade. Of course we had the Dirty Shame show, which I missed being in this time around. If only I'd have known we would've still been here! It was great though! This is a tradition we hope to come back for!
We were able to hike Four Buttes. We got through all four and also got to find the cave and carve names on them. We brought along the Bear Cub Scouts, and they all had a blast, as did our kids. So many great wild flowers, some cool bugs and great views of our prairie. It was a great day!
We've been out biking a lot and walking and playing in the backyard and hunting for bugs and enjoying the weather....beautiful!
We've also been trying to get in as many play dates and sleepovers as we could with our besties!
I sure do love summers and wish that all moments were picture perfect. But, sometimes they drive each other (and me) crazy, there are tears ("it's summer! Why do we still have to do workbooks?" "That chore takes too long!" "He hit me!" ), and I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up messes ("mud fight, anyone?") and restocking the fridge and pantry ("I'm hungry!" after just finishing a meal 15 minutes earlier). This is what summer looks like a lot at the Ryerses:
Good times. mostly good and a few bad too! But always an adventure!
The following weekend, we went to Canada. I dropped the kids and Dave off at the hotel to swim and then I went to the Regina temple. Word traveled so quick that I came 2 1/2 hours all the way from Scobey to get there...hey, that's half the distance of our assigned temple. There is such a sweet peace in the temple and I'm thankful temples are being made more accessible around the world. The next day, we visited the Parliment building and took a tour, which was very fascinating. We walked around downtown and enjoyed some beautiful gardens and playing by the waters edge. We went to the park by Wascana Lake, which was a very fun one for the kids and went to the island at the Wascana Center. We went to the store to get a few things we needed (Canadian maple syrup, anyone?) and got some poutine for lunch (our kids' favorite!). Then we finished off the day at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. We played at the park, went to the beach and played in the sand, and ended up redneck swimming. The kids were delighted to find giant shells, they hunted for crawdads, and even found one in the shells we collected when we got home which they named Jaws. We were going to observe and feed it for a few days and return it to the water on our way from church, but we totally spaced bringing it with us and it ended up dying the Monday after. Poor guy. It was another fun weekend though. It gets stressful sometimes, but I'm glad for our big family and thankful for the time we have together.
Cal, Lucy & Cov were able to go to the nondenominational Bible camp. Cal enjoyed being with his friends and playing pew battle ship. Lucy liked all the crafts. And Cov enjoyed being with other kids and being old enough to attend! On the last day, Cal put on a bunch of bracelets before he left, but we had him pick on for each hand. It was a great week for them!
The kids have been experimenting with fashion lately. Like Cov, who likes to dress himself and wanted to be a hipster one day. Pretty cute guy! And the kids had to do hair chalk on Sydnie, since she never did on the last day of school like the other kids.
Sydnie has been growing up so much lately. She is a little stink, but a cute one! She doesn't love sleeping in her own bed, got into vaseline for the first time, loved eating lemon (and just about everything else), and loves sticking her tongue out.
We held a summer bake sale to benefit No Kid Hungry with a few of our friends, the Coles and the Anderbergs and the Funds. The kids all got to pick out treats they wanted to make and I helped them. Emma did peanut butter bars (all by herself!), Cal did s'more brownies (which we made up and were delicious), Lucy made chocolate rice krispy treats, and Cov and I made almond poppy seed bread and almond snack mix. The kids did such a great job and made $200 to benefit their cause and are ready to do it again. They even made it into the paper!
"Oh what do you do in the summertime when all the world is green? Do you swim in a pool to make yourself cool?" Yes, that's what we do! The 3 middles had swim lessons but only 2 did it. Em loves meeting up with friends, Cal is all about doing fancy tricks off the diving board, Lucy pretends she is a whale or dolphin, and Cov finally overcame his fear and got in for open swim and then didn't want to get out!! And Sydnie enjoys watching them and getting in also, she can't get enough of the water.
The kids have been doing lots of crafting and baking projects. Lots of origami, painting, and other things going on. Emma loved making Harry Potter hats, wands, and wand boxes, and Cal enjoyed making origami claws. Lucy has done lots of drawing and painting and Cov just does whatever everyone else does and is really getting good at drawing. We also have made lots of baking projects. Cal made these emoji cookies Grandma Di gave him and we celebrated donut day by making our own healthy strawberry donuts. Yum!
Got to enjoy Pioneer Town week! Yay! Started off with the delicious Thresherman's breakfast, a rainy afternoon in Pioneer Town walking through the buildings, listening to bands play and staying dry by playing pool, then playing outside, visiting with friends, and seeing the parade. Of course we had the Dirty Shame show, which I missed being in this time around. If only I'd have known we would've still been here! It was great though! This is a tradition we hope to come back for!
We were able to hike Four Buttes. We got through all four and also got to find the cave and carve names on them. We brought along the Bear Cub Scouts, and they all had a blast, as did our kids. So many great wild flowers, some cool bugs and great views of our prairie. It was a great day!
We've been out biking a lot and walking and playing in the backyard and hunting for bugs and enjoying the weather....beautiful!
We've also been trying to get in as many play dates and sleepovers as we could with our besties!
Of course, we've been hitting up the library for their summer reading program. We will really miss Miss Kris Baker, she's been amazing!
I sure do love summers and wish that all moments were picture perfect. But, sometimes they drive each other (and me) crazy, there are tears ("it's summer! Why do we still have to do workbooks?" "That chore takes too long!" "He hit me!" ), and I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up messes ("mud fight, anyone?") and restocking the fridge and pantry ("I'm hungry!" after just finishing a meal 15 minutes earlier). This is what summer looks like a lot at the Ryerses:
Good times. mostly good and a few bad too! But always an adventure!
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