The Dunes

We hit up the dunes again this year. It was sort of a last minute thing. Honestly we just weren't sure if it was the right thing for our family to do. But some of our good friends were going and convinced us to come too. I also remember how healing it was to go there last year after our miscarriage. So maybe it was just what our family needed. In the end it turned out the be a great trip. There were lot's of changes for our family this year. One...we didn't have a machine to ride other than Ben's quad. Which was ok. Even if we did have a machine, Nora was still too young to go in one. So we made do with little individual rides on the quad or we borrowed Bryce's Razr for 2 person rides. Still it was different not being able to get us all out there together. We also couldn't all go caving either because...Nora. Just too little. Which was find by me actually. For how much I LOVED the ice caves last year, I was so tired with a new baby this year that I was fine just sitting back and relaxing. And I did get to do a LOT of that. The kids had a blast! Hailey went out on lots of rides. Paige wouldn't get on a machine other than her trusty pink quad that she rode around camp. Cait got a new helmet and loved testing it out. There were lots of other kids in our group and it was fun for them to always have someone to play with. We spent lots of time at the 'lake' with out huge homemade water slide...and even did some wake boarding around the edges (pulled by a side by side). One of the days there were honestly 20 HUGE sand Rails sitting at the top of the our water slide while their drivers were having fun on the slide. My goal this trip was to bum a ride on a sandrail...and I got lucky this time. Some poor guy gave me, Ezra and Josie a ride around. It was awesome. Like soooo different from driving anything else on the sand. It felt safer and scarier. Just so cool.

Anyway, It was just such a nice trip. I'm glad we went. It was just what our family needed. Something fun...and a little taste of our old quadding life. I feel like it was a good way to get Ben 'back on the horse'...without really getting out riding like he normally does. Sort of a transition back to normal. Which honestly will never be 'normal' again, but we're at least moving in the right direction.

Hailey's Baptism/Nora's Blessing

We decided to baptize Hailey AND bless Nora on the same day. It just seemed to make so much more sense to do it all at once rather than host two major events this summer...such a GREAT decision! I did Taco's for the lunch-in after...Hailey's favourite food of course. Taco in a bag, taco salad, Soft shells etc. It was a great choice...not a ton of work, well liked and delicious!

Anyway, Hailey had her big 8th Birthday on the 14th...she was sick the day before. Got better the day of...just in time for her party. Then was sick again the next day and the day after! I had really really wanted to take some pictures of her in her gorgeous baptism dress, but she was too sick. Finally I pulled her out of bed the day before her baptism and forced her to smile for some pictures in our backyard. Poor girl still looked so sick....and yet so beautiful! We decided to give it a try another time when she was feeling better. But I still love this picture...the look of a girl who is so happy to be baptized even though she feels so sick! Hailey really is such a lovely and amazing young girl. Her kindness to other will be a strength of hers throughout her life and I'm so happy to see her making such good decisions in her life!!

Ben gave Nora a Beautiful blessing...I didn't write it down...and I didn't record it...and I can't remember a single word!! But I know it was beautiful. Because how could it not be?? She's destined for greatness!

p.s. Here are the pictures from a few weeks later...and healtheir

Hailey's Party

So once again...I was feeling overwhelmed with life. Story of my life!!! So for Hailey's party we decided to take two of her closest friends and two of her closest cousins to Chucky Cheese!! I was a bit worried it would be old and run down...but it was NOT at ALL!! IT was such a great positive experience. I booked the party online and was able to pick and choose what we wanted. I ordered the cake through them (still too overwhelmed to do a cake) and I'm glad I did. When we showed up the hostess met us at the door. She was assigned to our party exclusively and was there to help the entire time. She ushered kids around, served them pizza, cut and served the cake, coordinated the big store wide Birthday song/dance etc. It was seriously the easiest party I've ever done! I just sat back and let it all happen. The kids had a BLAST!! I would for SURE do another party here!! Anyway, I'm glad it all worked, Hailey sure felt special that day which is just what she needed! Now I just need to come to terms with having an EIGHT year old!!!

Waterton

When you've got a 4 week old baby and your life feels like it's completely out of control, you go to Waterton with family. Because even though it might seem like a crazy idea...it's the exact kind of thing that soothes your soul!! I'm so grateful for Ben's sister and her lovely family for all that they've done for us this summer. They really saved us! Like seriously. And Waterton was just part of it. Just a perfect day with perfect people!