August and already September

We're well into September already aren't we? I guess that's one thing everyone around the world has in common - it is September 12th for us all. And the start of school affects plenty of us as well. Around here that has been a large part of our focus this past week as our big boy began grade one and is now at school all day. It was a very different week from the one before where we enjoyed a trip to Minneapolis and then rushed out to the lake for the long weekend. This weekend is the first weekend that we are not at the lake. Running errands yesterday (Sat) was not something I really missed and would rather be at the lake but I did enjoy a movie premiere with the boys and my mom and I did get to attend my friend's housewarming party for a bit. Today Chris is off to the Bomber game and when he comes home we will try to enjoy some fall right here in our own backyard. We've had so much fun bikeriding at the lake and haven't once gone riding down our own street!
We did have a great time in MN at Valleyfair and just being together as we drove all that way. We also went with our brother and sister in law and nephews which was so much fun. They also came out to the cottage for the first time all summer and it was fun to watch the cousins play. I've got a bunch of pictures to share that kind of explain a little of what we've been up to.

August!

I've never had a summer this busy! The number of kilometers I've put on lately are a testament to that! This week will hopefully be a bit calmer. We are now done the 2 week everyday swimming lessons and the week of camp for both the boys at 2 different places. Both of these activities were very successful and I was happy that I had done them but it was tough rushing around like that. Then on the weekend we were rushing to the cottage. The boys made huge strides in their swimming skills and also in their social skills which is a great thing. It was the first time Caleb had been dropped off anywhere like that and he didn't even hesitate. He was ready. Carson had a sleepover one night at his camp and I didn't hear from him from 9 am Wed. morning until Thurs at 6 pm. That was sooo weird! He did very well but he is still 6 and there is still growing to do! We had a great time with my family that came to visit and were so excited to host them at our cottage for the day. There were almost 20 of us all together and we had a great time. This past weekend we had a fun fair at Falcon Lake and some awesome fireworks that the kids thought were going to hit them they were so close! All in all we are having a nice summer but I am looking forward to getting our rental properties sorted out as we have several empty in need of renovations and this has us very stressed. Put it this way, if only the kids knew how to paint! In between all of this I am still trying to do some activities with the kids because they are afterall 3 and 6 and if you have seen me lately, you can attest to the handful they are and that is putting it nicely. With a dog and 2 kids to train, I think I could use some sort of schooling. Oh well, off to the races!!

The Swing of Summer

I'm a full time mom now, my 5 mins breaks in the morning are over and more importantly my baby has successfully completed Kindergarten. I was so emotional last week as we raced around to last days and birthday parties. I tried to get stuff done in the morning as I used up my last few moments with just Caleb to lug around. It's been very busy around our household these days and it almost makes me miss the huge snowdrifts that forced me to stay inside and keep up with my laundry! The big news is that we bought a cottage and that has kept me quite busy organizing and buying things. We got possession last week and spent the whole weekend there where we worked our butts off in the extreme heat and humidity. We got lots done and I came home with another huge list of supplies that I will work at buying this week. Soon we will make it our own and will hopefully be able to relax! Who us? That's the plan! I will post some pics of the cottage and maybe talk more about it later but now I must stop my kids from beating the snot out of each other...

My Baby is 6!

So last Thursday was Carson's 6th birthday and I sent these great animal sugar cookies to school for the class and they were a big hit. Then on Friday he had a fun time with his cousins and his Auntie Jill who was visiting from Vancouver. On Saturday my mom and my sister helped me take 6 of Carson's friends to the zoo where we had a great birthday party. On Sunday our family came over to celebrate with us and so Carson has had a whirlwind of birthday activities. He is a bit tired and sad that it is over! I can't believe he's 6! By the way his face looks like that because he had it painted by a 10 year old at the church picnic. He's a cheetah-of course.

Fargo...again.

Yes, I like Fargo, a lot. I like to shop. Well, I like a deal. Since my bday was coming, I guess I thought I deserved a little fun and to do something that I enjoyed. It was a bit complicated to get organized but my mom and Stacey were on board so that was great. Chris wasn't sure if he would be able to make it but as it turned out he did and we had some wonderful family time together. We stayed at the Settle Inn in Fargo for 2 nights and it was a great hotel with a waterpark and it was brand new. We swam and shopped and did our usual rushing from store to store to fit it all in. I did get to have dinner at TGI Fridays for the first time which was absolutely awesome! We also got to go to the new zoo in Fargo which was just behind our hotel. We could practically see the animals out the window and Carson was beside himself! We were excited to get some great deals on dog food. (About 1/4 of our price)Even I got several new outfits! It's nice to have the chance to look for myself as I save this for the times we go to the States. You should have seen the great deals I got at Walmart!! When I looked at my bill and saw that the shirts I thought were 3 dollars rang through as 1 dollar it took everything not to turn the van around and head back! HAHA! Anyways, we had some great weather in Fargo (35!) while the weather back at home was terrible with severe flooding all over the city. We were fortunate in our basement but had a few shingles missing and Chris's parents had terrible flooding in their basement. Anyways, here are some pics of out weekend.