Keisha Turns 8

Yesterday was Keisha's 8th birthday.  We got together with Doug's family for a hot dog roast at Christine's acreage because we are packing and they are packing so it was easiest. Auntie Merry and Uncle Chad came up and we were really thankful that Merry brought her camera.

 Auntie Merry with Keisha and Shaun prior to hot dogs, and you ask how I know.  Shaun had a whole bunch of ketchup and mustard on his face and then he wiped it on her shoulder.  

 Blowing out the candles.

 Taylor

 They have a pond on their property, which really is a favorite.  The kids caught some minnows.  Here is Elyssa, Jayden and Eden.

 Boy + stick + water=lots of fun.

 Elyssa fishing for algae

 Shaun with the neighbour's dog.

Family Camp 2013

This is now the third year that I have taken the kids out to family camp.  We all just really love it there.  It is very tiring and relaxing and lots of fun.  We were not going to go this year because the price of the food had jumped up so much and with all of our intolerances there was not much point.  I was fine with out going until I dropped Keisha off at camp and then I realized how much I wanted to go.  So we ended up talking to my sister in law and we borrowed her trailer, and I was able then to control food.  It was a little different this year as Doug was only able to drop us off and pick us up and with his schedule we were out there for 10 days, which is longer than we have been before, and we were staying on the 'family side'.  Our first year we were on the crossing and last year the youth side.  The other big change was that we all went to the evening program, which the boys and myself had not gone to (last year Keisha missed a few too).  Wow do I have tired kids.  Once it got rolling we had program in the morning and then we met up again for lunch, spent the afternoon swimming, playing in the river and one day we did archery, and then we would have dinner and we were off again. These are not in the order that they were taken, it depends on whether or not I had my pone or camera with me.  I did not get to take any at the pool.

 Shaun loved playing in the mud this year.  He did hate getting cleaned up.

 One day we went to part of the river where someone had built a wall so here is Taylor and Jayden working on it.

 Elyssa throwing rocks in and me trying to catch the splash for her from my phone

 Taylor spent a lot of time floating down the river and then crawling up on her hands again.

 Jayden showing me a rock he found

 Jayden trying to carry a huge branch

 It is ok because here comes Elyssa to help

 Elyssa and her blue mouth. MMMMMM Blueberries

 There was a carnival Friday afternoon, so we had a bit of head to head competition.  Keisha ended up winning but only because Shaun stopped to watch what she was doing.

 Jayden and Taylor getting some lessons on how to use the impact driver.

 Taylor won

 I went up against Elyssa.  I got the tickets for winning.

 Elyssa showing off her strength

 Hey wait Taylor aren't you supposed to milk goats now?

 Jayden and Keisha getting off the tramp

 Back to the river.

 The area that we went to the most this year had a little inlet and it was faster moving on one side and not really moving at all on the other.

 Shaun and Keisha testing out the gentle side.

 Elyssa and Taylor figuring out how fast the river dropped off.

 Shaun

 Hey look mom is holding te camera at us, we should smile

 Oh and now we should hug

 and call Shaun over.

 Elyssa likes to look in the rocks and find things.  She also liked to throws the rocks down and break them.

 This is her heart

Walking with sticks was very popular this year.

Elyssa found a tortilla chip

Yummy

Elyssa and a stick

Boys with sticks

Me playing with the camera.  Boys and Elyssa wit sticks

Keisha playing on the river bank

Still Keisha

Keisha

Keisha

Keisha with a stick

Keisha and Jay walking with sticks and Taylor sitting in the water.

Other side of the river Elyssa and Shaun with sticks.

Keisha floating down the river.

This area was just a big puddle and Shaun called it his hot tub

Elyssa found a shell

Close up time.

Look at that eye

Mud right by the water.

Boys building with the rocks.

Taylor and Keisha floating on their hands down the river.

At the camp site.  Every year the kids are put out to raise money for missions and they make it a competition between the boys and the girls.  The kids have to earn the money you are not just supposed to give it to them.  They become so helpful around camp especially when the boys are winning.  We had brought a marker with us so that we could label water bottles in the trailer.  Taylor came up with the idea of writing on rocks from the river and then selling them.  I told them that it may not work and people may not buy them, but boy was I wrong.  I am not sure how many they sold because they did it on donation.  They raised $90 selling rocks.  In the end the girls ended up winning.  It will be interesting to see what happens next year when Shaun is in the kids program and we have a boy and girls in the program.

Jayden found a circle of rock which became a race track for his cars which were tiny rocks.

Hey Grandma J this pout is for you

More mud for Shaun

Jayden trying to rescue Taylor with the stick that Keisha has above.  Elyssa coming to help out

We need to get it closer

Ok Taylor you need to try harder to catch this.

Lets keep trying.  Taylor is sitting on her bum to give you an idea of how deep it is

Hey we are saving her

Keisha coming to get in on the action

Hey if we walk further into the water it will reach. And we got her

Now we have to pull her up but we saved her

Meanwhile, Shaun is playing in the mud.

We saw a frog, now how do we find him again and get him.

We have to call Jayden in because he is the only one that will touch it first, and will have the determination to stick with getting it.

Where did he go

Hey look what I caught.

Hey he jumps and jumped out of my hands

Got him again.

Getting a touch

Introducing Bob

A boy and his frog

Yeah I have a friend to play with

Keisha had to try holding Bob too

Elyssa trying to skip rocks.

Jay trying to find a rock

More mud.

Hey I think that it looks like that is at least 2 skips.

Jay trying.

Not sure this is the right technique.

One day we went to do archery.  We were going to do the climbing wall but it was closed because it looked like it was going to rain.  Keisha getting lessons.

Taylor waiting for the call to go ahead.

Look at that form.

Elyssa up

This is what Shaun found under a rock

Taylor making a pout for Grandma J.

I even gave it a go

A look going up the hill

going to get our arrows.  Yes I am wearing a sweatshirt and pants.

On Saturday morning they did a free pancake breakfast so those that could eat that went.  Here is Keisha enjoying her pancakes and sausage.

Elyssa spinning on the swings.

After breakfast the kids did their songs that they had been learning, here is Shaun.

And Jayden

Then it was time for the big kids.  Here is Keisha.

And then I had to find Elyssa.

Then it took me a couple songs to find Taylor and that is the best shot that I could get. We had a great time and we are very thankful that we were able to use the trailer to go