A short visit to the farm, Pt 1

Josh was to be away on business immediately following Chloe's visit, so the girls and I took advantage of the free ride Foremost-way and hopped in Auntie Chloe's van to go to the farm and get in on some harvest-time fun!

We were supposed to go to the Hutterite colonies the first day we were there, which is why I got the girls dressed up a bit, but it didn't end up working out. Oh well. Pink and denim will always be an adorable combination. :o)
While Hopey played with Granny's miniature measuring tape...

Joy and one of the Uncles got down to business with the big one!

The trampoliiiiiiiine! Hurray! The girls spent many hours at play on it during our four-day stay at the farm.

Hello cute child!

Oooofph! Bouncing down means you also gotta get back up again.

Here she goes again. :o)

My tall brothers getting the morning instructions from Dad. Avery runs the grain cart in the field and Luke runs the trucks to and from the yard while Dad drives the combine.

Meanwhile, Joy thought she should drive the golf cart.

I laughed out loud at this... catching her trying to see if she could reach the gas pedal. Short legs are a mother's mercy sometimes!

The girls like the little Tupperware cup/pitcher set at the farm, so Granny let them eat lunch with it one day.

Helloooooo durum. :o) With no sandbox currently available at the farm, and with 12 dozen cobs of corn for my Momma and me to shuck, we needed something for Hope and Joy to do outside.

As girls, my sisters and I used to play in the wheat pile inside the big hopper-bottom. Dad pulled it out for Hope and Joy, but it looked pretty greasy and grimy to use anymore, so... we had to be creative.

The girls were thrilled. They literally played there for over two hours while Mum and I shucked corn in lawnchairs beside them. :o)

Of course, Granny's Monster Cookies make everything better... Hope told me "Mom - I'm relaxin'."

Oh right - all was grand except for the part about Joy not liking chocolate. Oops. Her face, hands, and shirt were rather decorated with dark blotches. Oh well. Granny cleaned her up. :o)

We weren't the only ones at the farm that week....

Much to my brother Luke's delight, (and everyone else's too) his lovely friend Pilar (that's her on the left) and some of her family were also able to visit for a couple days. Pilar and Chenoa graciously jumped in and helped de-cob all those dozens of cobs of corn, and Mum and I were very relieved to have the extra help, as we would have turned into corn cobs ourselves by the time we got it all done if we were doing it just the two of us. Especially since I had to take a nap as things were getting going... :o)

YUM YUM YUM! Oh my - fresh Hutterite grown super-sweet-corn-on-the-cob.... makes me wonder how old the stuff in the grocery store is when I buy it, because this stuff just about melted off the cob into your mouth... you didn't have to bite and pull. :o) Oh well. I'm thankful for the produce we do have available here.

 More fun comes to the farm - Auntie Lydia and Auntie Chloe pulled themselves away from their jobs in Lethbridge to join the party down at the farm for an evening. :o)

They had the girls bouncing to Sunday school songs for nearly an hour on the trampoline before supper.

Then Auntie Lyddie asked if Hopey wanted to go see the kittens in the barn... Didn't take long to answer that one!

Enroute to the barn with my camera I had another picture to take... :o) Luke and his girl backing up the cart to unload it together in the yard. :o)

Hopey was de-lighted!

Joy, not so much.

Things went a bit better for Hope once she learned how to hold the kitty.

Listening to wise Auntie Lydia recount stories of when she, Chloe, and I would spend hours in the barn looking for kittens to tame as children... mostly Lydia. Chloe and I didn't always last as long as she did.

Hope wanted me to take a video of her holding the kitty.

"Joy - don't you want to hold a kitten too?" "NO!" Okay then. Glad she knows her own mind, I guess.

Auntie Chloe comes to visit

August 13th was a happy day in our house - Auntie Chloe arrived to spend a week of summer vacation with us. She was also here to take in some classes at our church that were happening that week, so she had some time out and about as well as some time with us every day. 

And of course... Auntie Chloe means... presents!!! Hope and Joy didn't take long to spot the delightful packages Chloe brought with her, and they were delighted with the new clothes she had made for them.

Along with the clothes came a delightful stash of red, green, yellow, and blue building blocks for the girls, and a Scrabble game with a rotating board for me! :o) She lucked out at a local garage sale back in Lethbridge, and brought us the treasures. :o)

Chloe said it was Joy who came up with this idea - tickling the face with the tip of a pencil crayon. Chloe called me in from the kitchen to take pictures because it was making Joy giggle merrily when Chloe would do it back to her.

And my dear talented sis helped us out with haircuts again. :o)

I think the pencil tickling idea got Chloe's brain going, and she introduced the girls to a game our Mum used to play with us when we were little. A simple Kleenex is all it takes... (and yes, that unfortunately is a plastic hammer you see in contact with the top of Hope's head... Ahem - JOY!)

I remember not being able to last very long at that game myself, unless dared or provoked by some overly successful cousin or sibling. :o)

Hold still Joy.... YEAH RIGHT!

This game was well suited to her personality! :o)

That week also brought more company to our house. Reid and Bev Wilkie had asked to stay with us several months prior, as they were to be in town for the National Floor Hockey Championship, which Reid was competing in. :o) We had an extra grand time with them and Chloe at our house both at the same time, and Auntie Chloe was gracious about the amount of sleep lost due to bunking in with Hope and Joy. :o)
Skilled Uncle that he is, Reid charmed Hope and Joy with new activities when he was around between games and the word "hockey" was merrily added to their vernacular.

Just cute. :o)

Bev (Reid's Mom) was a fast friend of Hope and Joy's as well, as she has four granddaughters of her own, and is great with kids!
Josh had other plans this evening, so Bev, Chloe, and I toted the little girls off to watch one of Reid's evening games. At breakfast the next morning, Reid asked Hope if she had seen him. Her reply couldn't have been more honest - "No - I couldn't see you because you were running too fast. You need to run slower so I can see your face!" This, of course, made all of us laugh, and required an explanation as to why it was not a good idea for Reid to run slow!

Reid helping Hope trace some shapes for her to colour.

Someone to read stories! Reid and I agreed afterwards, that as children it never seemed that books like Curious George or Berenstain Bears were long when they were being read to us, but boy - when you're on the adult on the other end of the picture, they do seem a tad lengthy!

The Wilkies left on Saturday, and while Auntie Chloe was occupied giving someone a massage in our basement, Daddy and the girls put together Hopey's new bed, which had just arrived that day.

They wasted no time in trying it out.

Joy seemed quite content to pose as the doll...

...while Hopey, motheringly covered her up with a blanket. :o)

Just us for a week

August has been our busiest month of the year, with the blessing of family and friends staying with us most of the month.

With all the busy-ness, we still find time for everyday things like attention to personal care. :o) I decided to take out Hopey's second set of mini-braids before her bath, instead of letting her wear it crimpy this time, as last time it just bothered her because it was fuzzy and in her face. :o) Had to get a picture, just because.

With the deck now completed, and a long weekend to boot, Josh picked out and assembled something he has always wanted - a Webber BBQ. Thanks to his Mom for her anniversary gift to us, which paid for part of it. :o)

The girls were all eager to help him assemble it in the garage.

Hopey, working away at getting that plastic off.

And while Daddy tried out the new grill, the girls had some pool time. I guess Joy decided to wash off the new deck. :o)

Happy with himself. :o) In a good sort of way. :o) Thankful for the Lord's provision. :o)

Pork chops cooking and garlic bread heating.

This girl decided to get in the pool, not just walk around it like her sister.

We had music playing in the house after breakfast, and they were playing with their pink rhythm shakers. Joy reached into the cupboard and pulled out the frying pan screen and added it to their play mix... I guess maybe it was a cymbal or something. :o)

If there's something climb-able, Joy will find it.

This particular day I was emptying the fridge, as we were expecting a new one to be delivered later that afternoon.
After observing her, I realized she climbed up because the ipod dock was playing music on the counter instead of on top of the fridge. Joy looked closely at it, and when each song would end she would clap her little hands, and then look expectantly at the player, waiting for the next song to begin. :o)

Now that she's figured out how to hold markers and pencils properly, colouring is one of her most-asked for things to do. :o)

Enjoying their trikes in the summer weather.

Joy wanted to swing, but didn't want to let go of her dolly, so it went with her into the swing. :o)

While making a birthday present for one of Hopey's friends, I duplicated the gift for our girls - simple report covers filled with white paper, with their name in stickers on the front = their own drawing books for just over a dollar! :o)

You can't see it too well due to the sunlight, but the large circles around the grey circle are the wind. Hopey called over to me "Mommy watch - we're drawing the wind. .... Windy, windy, windy!" :o)

Joy needs help with stickers most of the time, but she can get a good bit of scribbles on the page when you give her a pencil. :o)