Halloween

This year Halloween was a bit chaotic for us. I was waiting for our family to get sick, as Bella had been sick a few days before and it hadn't hit the rest of the kids yet. As of the day before Halloween I had no idea what anyone would dress up as. A friend dropped off a queen costume for Cheyanne and so we had one kid planned for sure and Mason intended to be a fat cow. Come Halloween morning when we brought costumes up from the crawl space it turned out that we couldn't find the cow and none of our other costumes would fit or suit anyone else. So it was time to get creative! 

First it was Bella, she decided for some strange reason she wanted to be a funny snail. I browsed online and found someone had used nylons and material to create a shell, so we went from there. Using a pair of tights from my closet, our spare sheets and a hot glue gun I was able to create her shell. From that we found clothes in her closet, a head band, pipe cleaners, and of course a little bit of lip gloss completed the ensemble.

Next came Emmeresen. Her struggle was she couldn't decide what she wanted to be. It was like there were too many options running through her brain and she just couldn't commit to any of them. Luckily, I found a white dress stashed away that had been passed down to us and was still too big for any of the girls. With that it was decided she would be a bride. We used pins to make the dress fit, an old dress up tutu/skirt for a veil, fake flowers from our wedding decorations and a little bit of make up to complete her look. She was all about the mature elegant pose and expressions when we took her pictures. She has obviously looked at a few fashionable brides who don't smile. lol. 

And finally it was Mason. He has a pair of ugly camo pants that he likes to wear and I think are tacky but they worked perfectly for him to become one of the famous bible loving characters from the crazy show Duck Dynasty. I found an old orange and black wig from our youth sponsorship days when we went to the football game and cut out as much of the orange as I could. I took the wig and gave it a hair cut saving the pieces I cut off gluing it onto a piece of foam to be used as his beard. A bandana and mirrored sunglasses were the finishing touches in creating little Willy. :)

Cheyanne inherited her costume from a friend so she was nice and easy. All we needed to add was some fancy hair and a bit of makeup, always her favourite part! She was definitely very regale!

Daddy wasn't able to be done in time for us to head out, so our first stop was to head to the barn to trick or treat and see what Daddy and Henry had for us! 

Next we hit our wonderful neighbour. The kids love going to her place because she always has a festive house and her costumes are the best! 

As usual we bumped into the crazy Derksen clan along the way. So while we went up and down the road I grew up on the kids car hoped along the way. We had some crazy minions join in the fun :)

I think my favourite part about trick or treating is how we end up visiting with people we never see. We take our kids to my old neighbourhood and they knock on the same doors that I knocked on as a kid. For the most part it's the same people answering those doors and exclaiming just how cute the kids are, laughing at their costumes, and catching up. It's pretty neat to see the kids getting to know the people that I grew up knowing, even if it is only once a year to get candy :)

And.....our Halloween ended with........the dreaded flu I had been waiting for. It started with Emme around midnight throwing up all over her bed and the floor, next Bella came into our room with a tummy ache. As she crawled into bed, tucked herself in she sat up and barfed all over my side of the bed, luckily I jumped out of the way just in time, but unfortunately for me, I had glued my spare sheets into her costume :S. The next morning Mason and then Cheyanne followed suit. 

Mason and Bella passed out on the couch, Emme was smart and went to bed for 5 hours. Woke up feeling fine :)

This was a long and violent flu, nobody could go too far without their puke bucket!

Fall Field Trips

-->

We have gotten off to an awesome start this year in terms of field trips, and not just the kind that involve grocery shopping or the odd Costco run, haha. The kids have been fortunate enough to take in some really cool places.

The first was a favourite, however, no pictures were allowed. They were able to sneak a peak at a local movie set for a big Hollywood movie being filmed in the area. It was really neat to take a behind the scenes look at things. No movie stars were there or anything, although I don’t think that would have mattered to the kids at all, lol, I may have found it exciting though. One of the highlights of this trip for the kids was having one of the house painters measure their heights to put in the door jam of the house. Now they are pretty excited to watch the movie and look for their names, lol. The learning highlight was realizing a new “artistic” career. When you look at a movie set you don’t realize just how much artistic talent is necessary to make something new look old or stage things just right. After visiting the set we were able to see that another career for an artist could be in set design, and Miss Cheyanne realized that she might like to turn her fashion design aspirations into movie set costume design. 

-->

We also started off the school year by participating in a family run to fundraise for Kelowna’s Hospital. It was a colour run, so along the route there were people who threw powdered paint on you as you ran. The kids thought it was great, it definitely made it easier to complete the 5k! It was an opportunity to have a lot of fun as a family doing something active, and at the same time raise funds for a great cause. I think hospitals are something that we take for granted most of the time, but when you yourself or someone you love becomes dependent on the care and equipment at these hospitals it really opens your eyes to how important they are, as well as how much funding they need. I feel so blessed to live in a country where medical is covered and we don’t have to go bankrupt to pay our hospital bills! I am also thankful for the dedicated men and women who choose to become nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals, a career I could never do!

 

Before in our crazy outfits

  

and after... full of beautiful colour :)

-->

Davison’s Orchard was our next field trip. It was a lot of fun. We were able to go with a few other homeschool families we know, as well as join in a larger group of homeschoolers to take in a class tour. The crew showed us around the orchard, the processing and packing houses, apple juice making, and the huge refrigerators. The kids also got to check out the petting zoo and kids’ coral. The kids took in a train ride around the orchard where they grew all kinds of vegetables, and then made a stop at the Empire apple trees. Here Farmer Jim taught them how to properly pick an apple and how delicate apples are. “Turn the eye to the sky” and you will pick an apple without bruising it or yanking on it causing other apples to fall.

The kids got a kick out of trying to find all the minions hard at work!

  

checking out the warehouses and learning how they make apple juice

  

 waiting for the train to take them into the orchard

 learning how to properly pick an apple "point the eye to the sky" and the names of some of the many varieties they grow

-->

The Gleaners and Village Cheese Company were another interesting field trip. I wasn’t able to attend but the kids were able to go along with friends, and apparently had rather fascinating conversation all the way there, it may have involved just a little potty humour! At the gleaners the kids were able to see how they are able to take fruits and vegetables that farms can’t use or are donated an turn them into foods for needy and starving people. One small bag of soup mix can make 100 cups of soup. The operation was truly impressive! It is pretty amazing to see so many people volunteer their time for those who are in need. I hope this is something that we will do as a family as our kids get older, and definitely in our retirement! The kids were also able to try some of the soup. The kids weren’t huge fans of it, but beets have never been a big hit for them. When they were done at the Gleaners they carried on to the Village Cheese factory. The highlight for them there was learning how squeaky cheese was made.

 learning about the steps of dehydrating and making the soups

 some of the many volunteers

 

 this bag of soup can make 100 cups of soup

 learning how cheese is made

-->

The Okanagan Youth Symphony was our latest field trip. It was so inspiring to see such young kids excel at music. There is something about a chorus of violins that just gives me goosebumps! The symphony always brings out so much emotion. It makes me tear, lol. It was really fun to chat with the girls about what their favourite pieces were and how different pieces of music made them feel. It was really cool to go, and I can’t wait to attend the next symphony event with the kids. Unfortunately for Cheyanne she was feeling awful from having had a nasty flu so we only made it through the first half of the performance, but it was long enough to have the girls loving the music and wanting to go back. So, to me that’s a win! 

 waiting for the concert to start

 Merida and Snow White made the trip too!

 A pretty impressive crew between the ages of 12 and 25.

And of course we have had our typical shopping field trips :) Most recently we went to the mall to find a dress for the upcoming dairy conference. The girls pretty well reenacted "Say Yes to the Dress" so I figure that must cover drama learning outcomes right? They were constantly telling me that this one didn't have enough sparkle, or that one's too plain. They were quite opinionated, in the end we did say yes to a dress, but it wasn't their favourite, lol.

The First Day of School!

I am not sure what it is, but it seems that the first day of school is not getting any easier. With each kid I keep thinking that kindergarten should feel like no big deal, I mean two have gone before and loved it, but for some reason it seems just as hard to watch that little one go so young to be with someone else for the majority of their day. There are aspects that are different or easier once you get used to it. I am definitely not as nervous about letting her out of my sight or sending her on the bus. I mean, with Cheyanne we drove her, Emme we sent her on the bus because she had a friend, and Bella we sent her on the bus, no friends necessary.  I guess that with each September, with each child starting their first day of kindergarten it’s that reminder that time passes quickly, that the kids are growing up, and that the time we as parents have to invest in these kids is passing away faster then we’d like. It makes us wonder if we are doing enough, loving enough, and sharing life/Christ with them enough.

This September it seemed that kindergarten kind of snuck up on us. I couldn’t believe Bella was going to school this year, my baby girl! Bella seemed too young to be going to school, which is strange because she was actually a lot older then Emme was when Emme started school. There is just something about her that keeps her young in my mind. Maybe it’s the fact that she has such a wild joy in how she sees the world. Always giggling and laughing at herself, or at some silly joke she has come up with. She’s a little spitfire and I love how she looks at the world. Her little personality is so special, she brings so much joy into our family. I think what I find hard about sending her to school is wondering how it will change her. How she might learn hard lessons, face hurts, feel she needs to change. It seems like school can be so full of lessons that aren’t related to academic learning. It’s easy to be afraid to send your kids off and put them out there for the world to help shape. I definitely feel the pressure to love them better, talk to them more, and build stronger relationships as I watch them grow up, that and cover everything they do in prayer! That being said, in many ways I look forward to seeing what she will learn, how to be independent, make friends, and think for herself. I am also interested in watching her interact in a group of kids without her sisters to rely on, it will be neat to see how she handles these social situations. I know she is loved and prayed for by her teacher and she will thrive in the setting. So, as hard as it is to watch my baby girl head off to school, I know she is going to have a wonderful year, and for that I am excited!!

Bella was pumped for school. She had no fear of heading off to kindergarten. I have never had so much fun back to school shopping. Bella is hilarious when it comes to shopping. She absolutely loves all things girly and love to pick out her clothes. She likes to wear dresses and glitter and pink. We spent a whole afternoon trying to find a Barbie backpack to match the Barbie lunch kit she had chosen. In the end she had to settle for the princesses on her backpack, but she picked the prettiest pinkest Princess backpack I have ever seen, lol. She also loved choosing an outfit, but couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted there was just too much to choose from. She has her heart set on a pair of floral print jeans but when the store clerk told her they didn’t have anymore in her side she stomped her foot and sighed, lol. She settled for a pretty pink skirt and cute little cat shirt.

The first day of school came and she was ready! Up, dressed, and excited for the whole first hour, lol.

Ready to go with her 3D back pack :)

Her teacher sent her a letter in the summer telling her to bring her favourite stuffie and a drawing of her family.

First day in front of the school, luckily not old enough to be embarrassed by me taking her picture out front.

Seeming all grown up finding her name and hanging up her backpack.

Having Emily working in her classroom has made school that much more exciting for Bella!

First day riding the school bus, she was pretty excited! The excitement is starting to wane already though, lol.

Meanwhile, our first day of homeschooling went well too. It’s always exciting for the kids and I. New books, new notebooks, and fresh pencils make it fun to get started. I also try and have some type of fun activity book or little gift for them to start every year off. This year the younger two got cool sticker books and the older ones had some doodle books to work through. Our school year started off with a crazy first week due to graduated kindergarten entry. Cheyanne and Emmersen had to be very flexible in their studies. WE did school work in the hallway of Bella’s school, McDonald’s play place, and the playground.

First day of school!

Doing school work in the hallway of Bella's school while she attends her first day of orientation.

Another half day for Bella means school at McDonald's.

PE at the playground!

We Finally Sleep (well, minus that 4am alarm) :)

 Both Bella and Mason have never been good sleepers. Neither one of them has consistantly slept through the night since they were babies. They weren't really bad sleepers, they would just wander into our room, Bella might sneak into Michael's side for the night, and Mason would come for a quick cuddle and hug then be tucked back into his bed for the night. For a long time it seemed I didn't even notice how much these little interruptions were affecting my sleep. Finally one day after realizing that between Michael's 4am alarm and both of them coming in on a nightly basis, on top of my own difficulties falling asleep, it was creating a very interrupted sleeping pattern! I had read in a magazine that a lady used a board game to help her child overcome a bad habit, and it triggered an idea for me. I knew that both of these two were coming from habit, rarely were either of them upset or scared, they would just wake up for whatever reason and instead of rolling over and going back to bed they would come to ours. So I made a board game, at the halfway mark there was a square where they earned a sucker, and at the end I said I would take them out for ice cream. If they didn't come they moved their piece forward, if they came in they had to move backwards. The effect was immediate on Bella, she cruised through the board hardly moving  backwards at all. For Mason he didn't seem to get it, maybe too young for the long term reward, but the day Bella reached halfway and got that sucker he was hooked! So far it seems to have worked like a charm, both of them are continuing to sleep now that the game is over, and I am enjoying a much better sleep pattern!

Enjoying their reward! I am not sure what they were happier about, their ice cream or the fact that they got ice cream and Cheyanne and Emmersen didn't.

Penticton and Paisley!

This year we decided to buy concert tickets to Brad Paisley for our anniversary. He is one artist that both Michael and I have always wanted to see. I just think he's a ton of fun and love the lyrics of his songs, and Michael has always been impressed by his guitar playing skills. As it got closer to the actual day we thought it would be a lot of fun to go down a day early and spend a few days in Penticton to make a mini holiday of it. If you aren't able to get away on a beautiful week long tropical vacation, I highly recommend taking a few days in Penticton in the summer! It was so beautiful and relaxing. Our weather wasn't awesome, but it was nice enough to sit on the hotel's beach, go for a run on the boardwalk, and enjoy paddle boarding on the lake. We absolutely loved our time! I came home feeling refreshed and incredibly blessed to be able to go away like that.

Penticton is a fun little city to explore and there are all kinds of unique shops and restaurants. We even stayed at the same hotel as Ryan Getzlaf, which was kind of cool! We crossed paths a few times and had breakfast next to him one morning. Michael politely chatted him up and shook his hand. And, in talking to the waitress at breakfast she said they get all kinds of hockey players and famous people in there, they had recently had Ovechkin and Joe Sakic. I looked for Paisley though with no luck!

 Yup, I ordered poutine on a sandwich! Sounds crazy, but I just couldn't resist trying it, cuz it was just so weird! It was actually a chicken poutine sandwich and I have to say, it wasn't bad, pretty tasty, but I am not sure if I would order it again. It kind of felt like I was clogging my arteries with each bite I took, lol.

I would just like to clarify, I am not wearing a fanny pack, lol, it's an inflatable life jacket!

 I found a place down the beach from where we were staying that rented paddle boards for 10 bucks if you liked them on facebook so we took them up on the offer! It was fun, I still think the river is a lot more fun, but it was still a pretty nice way to spend a morning!

 Enjoying some quiet time on the beach reading! Thanks Munroe family for the reading material!

 Our hotel had a private beach and a little beach bar. It felt like we were in Mexico, well, maybe that's just because we haven't been since our honeymoon, but I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this little vacation!

 All ready for the big show! It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed spending time people watching while we waited for the show to start. Seriously, there are some crazies that come out at concerts!

 He was amazing!! Seriously such an incredible performer. His guitar solos are absolutely stunning and he was full of energy the whole time! He even gave a guitar and his hat away to a couple of fans!

 

He got pretty close to us! It was kind of neat, he just all of a sudden was running through the crowd and then played on a little stage right next to our seats! If he'd a had a water bottle I totally would have swiped it for you Renee ;)

This was a fun song, where he had his character come out on stage as well. It was "Celebrity," one of my favourites :)

And while we were gone, the kids were kept busy at Grandma Haak's house. We came home to some happy children! They had a ton of fun, did lots of arts, and even grandma said "oh, you're home already?" So it must have been a good time for everyone! It really was a blessing to be able to leave the kids for a couple of days and enjoy some exclusively adult time and know that the kids were having just as much fun back home. Cheyanne did tell me she was a bit concerned that we would have too much fun to miss them, but other then that they were completely happy to be left behind!

They brought home a lot of cherished creations! My favourite were their googly eyed characters!