We were happy that after days of rain, we woke up to clear, sunny skies for the first day back to school. Caleb is in grade 2 and Joshua is in grade 1. Caleb came home to say that Grade 2 is way better than grade 1, and Joshua was excited to get a new "science book" (day planner).
Andrew thought he needed to be in the picture too, and was probably quite disappointed that he couldn't go to school too.
Yay! Joshua learned to tie his shoes about a week ago...after much "teaching" and frustration on Mom's part.
And they're off! Joshua is way out in front, then Andrew, and Caleb conserving his energy at the back.
Natalee had her 18 month picture taken yesterday. Here she is pre-pictures. The real thing turned out great! I moved the vacuum cleaner away from the stairs, and now she's suddenly going up and down all by herself!
Got our first glimpse of Baby #5. Little legs curled up on the right hand side.
One of the few wading pools in the city that has waterslides. Here's Caleb!
And Andrew...
And Joshua!
Travelled out to Selkirk (twice) to the Marine Museum. The first time our trip was cut short by a sick kid. The second time it rained, but we managed to get through all the boats, more or less.
One evening we went up to "Garbage Hill" for a picnic/snack and I successfully managed to capture a half-decent group shot.
Strawberry picking. The berries were huge & yummy! Plus we got a hayride! Andrew still asks to go strawberry picking.
Andrew mowing the neighbour's lawn. We did lots of playing at home in the afternoons while Natalee slept. Fortunately, the weather wasn't too hot this year to enjoy being outside (that, and the air conditioner was a welcome relief whenever I needed a break!)
Travelled out to my good friend Shelley's farm. She was kind enough to let the boys each have a ride on her mini. Caleb seemed to have the most natural horsemanship of the boys. Maybe because he's actually ridden a horse before!
Andrew was more into the John Deere tractor at the farm. Andrew also learned how to ride the trike this summer. Joshua conquered the monkey bars - no broken arm was going to slow HIM down! And Caleb is a pretty good skateboarder now. He's also big into Donald Duck too. Natalee...well, she's been busy working on walking all summer. It's not so easy outside, but inside, it's pretty much a full-time thing. Yay!
Travelling south.
We stopped for a picnic lunch in Grand Forks. It was hot, humid and smelled of cows.
Pit stop. Someone does NOT look impressed!
It wasn't THAT bad. Look at these faces!
Our first stop in Minneapolis - Fuddrucker's.
All ready for swimming.
Caleb and Joshua in a tub ride at Valleyfair.
Joshua & Natalee.
Andrew & Caleb.
Daddy & the boys taking a ride in the "fancy car".
Andrew and "Mater".
The sign says it all.
Hangin' out in "Radiator Springs". You gotta watch the movie Cars to get that.
Natalee got new shoes. She's a shoe girl, through and through. At least there's only one in the family!
Today, I'm as giddy as Scrooge at the end of "A Christmas Carol". Finally, central air!! Bring on the heat, we can handle it!
Finally broke out the sprinklers! Not that it hasn't been warm enough before now, although today has been our hottest day yet (31 degrees C), but because Joshua finally has his cast off!!!! He's still in his sling until Thursday, and suddenly life seems like it's on hold until then (it's been a looooong time since he last rode his bike! I don't quite know why it's suddenly so important now).
Andrew had a fun afternoon with both of his brother's home all day! He was laughing a lot today at Joshua, despite the start of a cold making him feel kinda yucky.
Boys being boys. Noodle war. Yup, someone got hurt. But it was fun while it lasted!
Andrew driving his trike. Ignore the blood on his arm - he just scratched a scab off of a mosquito bite and spread around the mosquito sauce.
On Sunday, I was brave (crazy???) and decided to pack the four kids and my growing self into our van and head out to my old stomping grounds...way, way back when I probably wasn't even really stomping yet. My Dad's side of the family was holding a gathering of sorts, and I decided that even with Mike working, I wanted to be a part of it. We made it for lunch (after a 3 hour, 45 minute or there-about drive) and afterwards, took a school bus on a bit of a tour to where I remember my Grandpa & Grandma living before they retired into town. It was Andrew's first bus ride - and Natalee's too! - and he loved it! Above you might be able to see Joshua and Andrew on the bus.
And Andrew and Natalee on the bus, enjoying their freedom from car seats!
It was a quite a warm day, perfect for swimming, and a bunch of my cousins took their kids to the outdoor pool where I spent time learning to swim as a child. My cousin Jill was kind enough to take the older two boys into the big pool, while Andrew was forced to enjoy the wading pool, for a good half hour. They had a blast!
This is the "homestead" that was the destination of our bus trip. Unfortunately, the buildings were pushed down shortly before we got there - apparently they had been standing just a couple of months prior. One of my Uncle's even found a coffee cup that had been used by the family! These are some of my Dad's brothers and sisters standing in front of what used to be the old house.
Sometimes Caleb is overlooked because he is at school all day, because he's the oldest and expected to behave as the oldest, and generally because he can be pretty quiet (compared to Joshua and Andrew, anyway!). However, I decided to dedicate this entire post to just Caleb.
Caleb also has been learning a lot about insects and nature at school this past month. So it's no surprise that he has taken a keener interest in these things outside of school too. One day on the way to school, he stops in the middle of the lane, bends over right in front of me, lifts up a broken off piece of square concrete and peaks underneath. He says, "Well, that's what I'm SUPPOSED to do!" I just said, "Oh" and then he proceeds to explain to me that his teacher told him that all different kinds of bugs live under rocks and that he was told he should take a look sometime! 
Soccer season has ended. Here he is after his final game with his team. It was definitely a learning year! What a change from the much more relaxed pace of the 4-6 year old mixed teams he played on the last two years. He is in the back row, second from your left.
And he seems to be doing much more of this lately! I don't know if he's growing, if his night-owl brother Joshua is keeping him up too late at night, or if school has just exhausted him! If he gets a time-out, he'll fall asleep within 5 minutes, and it's very hard to get him to wake up!
And that's just a bit about my son Caleb.The cutest thing these days is whenever the front door opens, Natalee says "hi!" Even when I'm carrying her and we're heading out together, as soon as I open the door, she calls out "hi!"
I know every Mom thinks that their kids are the cutest kids ever...and I am no exception. Well, I've seen other cuter kids, but I've forgotten about them already. I will never forget my children's smiles or their beautiful blue eyes. Natalee and Andrew enjoying their morning snack together.
Smile!
Andrew eating his afternoon snack outside - an ice cream treat. Yum!
Turn your speakers on and hit the play button! Here is our first listen of Baby's heartbeat, from my June 5th appointment. It's beating at approximately 160 bpm. I always find that first listen to be so incredibly remarkable!
Caleb had his second soccer tournament this past weekend. And he scored his first goal on Saturday!!! Unfortunately, I missed it because I had to recover Joshua's sunglasses from a basketball thing. At the end of each game, he got a hot dog and soda drink and on Sunday, after his final game, he received this small trophy, which he is very proud of! He played pretty well; he has his moments where he's on fire, and then there are times when he seems too tired to run. Overall, his concentration on the game is really, really good.
Natalee, enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon. Caleb wanted to take her for a walk in the wagon, and usually she sits and enjoys the ride. He had stopped for a few minutes to examine a spider, so she was getting restless.
