Our Canadian Thanksgiving in Provo!

Don and I were crazy to head south for the 'weekend', but we wanted to celebrate our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with Beth, Brenan, McKay and Dillon. Since it was Dillon's birthday, we wanted to hang out with him this year and we had a lot of fun eating out. It was fun to see his apartment too.

McKay was a highlight, as he is changing so fast! He was fun to play with and to hold, so I tried to get a lot of that in with our few days there. It was also fun to see their new apartment and all the room they have. It was so wonderful!
Brenan was the man as he carved the 'bird' for our Thanksgiving dinner. Way to go Brenan!
Beth did an amazing job of preparing such a wonderful feast for us all! Here she is in her roomy kitchen. It was such a treat to be served such a delicious meal.
Don enjoyed little McKay a bunch too, and he was such a good boy while we were there. We can't wait to see them all again for US Thanksgiving when they travel north to hang with us for a week! Yippee!!

A Piece of Paradise!

Now that school has begun, I often dream of going to Hawaii when the winter has set in. Luckily we have had very gorgeous weather for September. When I was shopping for groceries this week, I spotted this beautiful potted plant and just had to bring it home. If I can't get to the islands, I can at least bring them into my home with these amazing flowers. I just love it! It's a piece of paradise for sure!

Fall Fun!

I love going to the scrap booking card club that I belong to. Here are two of the cards I made in class this week. They are called 'spotlight' cards, and I think they are pretty unique! I just love going to this class, as it is a fun to create and the girls I hang with are great to be with. We always have a hoot as we work together. If anyone is interested in buying any Stampin' Up products, I can sure hook you up! It's a fun hobby!

Ready for Fall!

I'm not really ready for Fall weather, but I did take some time to decorate my living room with some of my Fall things. After summer break, I needed to thoroughly clean this house, so I decided to get the Thanksgiving decorations out. Lindsay wanted to see what I did, so I'm posting this photo for her and anyone else who is interested. I do love the colors of Fall, however it has been extra green in our country. With the consistent little rains in July and August, we have a very lush countryside. All last week the temps were in the 90's so the flowers and greenery thrived. Tonight, as I post this, the temps have dropped and Don and I have just finished covering up all my planters and hanging baskets. I'm not ready for them to freeze. We saw lots of snow in the mountains as we drove home from church! Such extremes! I guess I better get more ready for Fall!

Labor Day Snow!

For the Labor Day weekend, Don and I decided to head over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park to Kalispell, Montana for a bit of relaxing. The drive was beautiful and we had a fun time swimming and shopping and eating Mexican food. On the way home, we got to the top of Logan Pass and found it snowing! What a surprise! The countryside was so green and lush for Autumn and we really enjoyed the scenery. Don't you agree?!

Growing Things

Just wanted to share some of my beautiful flowers from summer. Don picked up some really unique plants and they have grown so well this year. They are really liking the hot weather we're having right now!

My Baby...

After spending the summer here in Alberta, Dillon finally packed up his little Jetta and headed south to BYU for the fall semester. If you look closely, you'll see braces on his teeth. The only package that never arrived in Kenya was the one with his retainers. So...his orthodontist willing put those braces back on to do some minor correction. What a joy that was for Dillon! He's a good sport, and hopefully that will keep him studying more! This car is packed to the max!

The Klain's Visit to the Farm

It was super fun to have Beth and McKay join us for a couple weeks in August too. Beth flew up with McKay and we had a blast together. He and his cousin, Wil are so close in age and it was fun to see how they were alike and different! You can see them here together getting to know each other too. Beckett was so good with  both little boys and always wanted to help if he could. McKay was so smiley! He had a hard time sleeping at first, but soon liked the idea of sleeping on his tummy. He enjoyed that and caught up a little. He learned to roll over from his tummy to his back while here and that was a pretty momentous event. I love the picture of him in the swimming pool with his cute little rash shirt on. He loved splashing all of us! When Brenan finished his summer internship in Provo, he headed up for a final week of summer before starting his last year before graduation. It was great to have him join us! As you can see, I'm loving having all these children to love! I miss my Addy and Mckenzie too, but know that we will be seeing them at Christmas time.

The Roberts' Visit to the Farm...

In August, Lindsay, Beckett and Wil joined us on the farm for a wonderful three weeks! Nathan flew up for a week during their visit and we had so much fun in the sunshine. Beckett loved playing at the 'park' in our backyard. He loved the slide and swings. It was easy for him to talk either one of us into 'playing outside' anytime of day!

Beckett and his Babu, after some time at the park! (our backyard play set)
Dillon enjoyed spending some quality time with one of his newest nephews, Wil. 
This Shosho (grandma) adored her summer. What can be better than spending time with little boys in the sunshine. Eating outside was a favorite!
I loved having Dillon around. We had lots of laughs and had fun hanging out together.
Dillon, Beckett Boy, and Lindsay
Beckett got to have his first driving lesson in the truck when we went up to our land in Beazer. This is something all of our children loved to do, and how they got all their great driving skills!
We went down to Kalispell, Montana to do some business for a couple days, and we had fun at the hotel pool and around town. Beckett usually had a small car in at least one of his hands!
After our local parade, Dillon, Nathan and Beckett took in the Mud Bogging Event, and sat in some very hot sunshine while trucks of all kinds got stuck in the mud. Beckett loved it!
Wil gave us smiles and smiles every day. What a happy baby he is. I love his dimple.
Beckett climbed and played each day, and never tired of it. Not sure about Babu, though.
Nathan and Lindsay were able to have Wil's blessing while they were here. What a treasure it was to be involved and witness such an important event. He was so good through it all and then we had a nice meal here afterwards. 
Wil is wearing the same outfit that McKay had. What a precious little one!
Beckett loves his little brother so much and takes such good care of him!
I couldn't get enough of this bright eyed little one. He has such a cheerful disposition.
Babu and Wil, just hanging out together.
Beckett was a bit shy around the horse at first, but soon got on and loved it. Babu's loving it, too!
We played with play dough...
and washed lots of dishes (and floors!), before their time ran out. What a great way to spend my summer vacation. I loved having them here. I hope they come back next summer!

A Special Blessing Day for McKay!

After celebrating the Fourth of July, we celebrated little McKay's Blessing Day. What a beautiful blessing his dad gave him while both of their families were there to witness it. We had a beautiful day and a delicious meal afterwards!

What a sweet mom and baby!
Getting us all together that afternoon was work, but we did it!
Don and I were so happy to be there!
McKay Brenan Klain, so precious to all of us!
Our three newest babies in our family. McKay was just so tired from all the fun.
The girls were determined to get some other shots so I volunteered to hold two of the babies. That was fun, and they cooperated pretty well! It doesn't get better than this! McKay and Wil...