Camping

In July we headed down to Ogema, SK for a family camping trip and a family reunion. We camped for five nights and it went SO MUCH better than I had envisioned with two kids! We did quite a bit of camping when I was a kid but I do remember that it usually rained on a Skeldon camping trip. In fact, to this day when I smell rain, I usually have the urge to go camping! Surprisingly it only rained a bit on the first day. What was more detrimental was the wind storm that blew in while we were setting up our brand new tent (only been tested in our backyard once) and caused one of the poles to snap and rip the sleeve that it was going through. Not so good but duct tape came to the rescue...thank you Red Green for teaching us it's the handy man's secret weapon. :) The rest of the week was sunny and hot. A nice switch for the cold and rainy weather we had been having up in Nipawin. We had fun cooking outside, playing at the park, driving around the countryside, swatting only 4 mosquitoes, and playing games in the evenings. Besides the tent incident, we had a really great time.

She's got style

Okay, is that what it is? Style? I think the phrase we are looking for here is "style of her own." Coming from someone who doesn't necessarily follows the styles, I think she's doing fine. She's creative and has a special love for shoes. In these pictures she is sporting Liam's footwear and is coming up with new ways to carry a purse. The last two pictures show her wearing Liam's pj shirt in a whole new way...as a shrug sweater. We laugh at her now but maybe she will be designing her own line of clothes some day!

Summer

Here are some shots from the last few weeks. Hope you are all enjoying the warmer days where you are.

The boy has a green thumb

This is the third year now that Liam has helped me plant all the potatoes. It has definitely become a tradition in the Anderson home, or should I say garden? Each year Liam is able to help a little more than the last and this year he finished off a row all by himself. I was so proud of him. This tradition is actually partly responsible for why Liam likes eating potatoes. As a 2 1/2 year old he was not crazy about them at the supper table until I was able to tell him that what had put on his plate (once again) was a potato that he planted! He stopped, looked at me, looked at the potato and proceed to inhale it like his mother would a piece of double chocolate cheesecake. Ever since he has been fascinated with the process and loves to have his afternoon snack in the garden among the veggies and raspberries. That's it, I've mentioned cheesecake and raspberries in the same blog. I think my subconscious is telling me that I need to make some dessert :)

I Brad, take you Rachel

The day has come. Last weekend my brother Brad asked Rachel to marry him! They plan to get married this fall, probably in September. For those of you scrapbookers out there, Brad called me up last Friday and asked where I would go if I needed to purchase a really cool scrapbook. I gave him some direction and then he proceeded to explain his plan. He was going to put together a scrapbook for Rachel and then tie the ring with ribbon to the last page. Apparently it went over very well. I'm excited to see the ring he picked out. For those of you that don't know Rachel. She's great! She and Brad were students at Nipawin Bible College together and dated while here that year. They decided to end it at that point and got back together after a couple, three years. Not sure on the exact dates. We are super excited that she's going to be a part of the family. It actually feels like has been that already. We are thankful for God's timing and his plan.

I'm still a cityslicker aren't I?

Yes, after almost nine years of living in Nipawin, Saskatoon has gradually lost it's position of "home". Lindsay and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage in the fall and we've lived here for most of it. We've had wonderful times up here and I have had a chance to broaden my experiences. The city has many things that we love but I had never been quadding or snowmobiling before we moved up here. I think that fact was really obvious to my friend Joanne two years ago when I ran her quad into a bush, thankfully it was not a tree and she's very patient! Lindsay learned more about farming when he worked at large operation south of town for two summers. I tried water skiing for the first time in Codette Lake. I pick Saskatoon berries...in the wild! I've learned how to garden. I've been to a pig roast or two...where you actually watch the impaled pig turn around and around over the fire while you fellowship and play games. At first the thought of this kinda grossed me out but then I tasted it. Yum. I've been on several sleigh rides with real horses, a real sleigh and real people getting pushed off. :) I've even got used to hearing coyotes in the middle of the night. I know they say they rarely come onto campus but some nights it sounds like they're so close that they could just as easily be in my kitchen, opening up the fridge and having a midnight snack. I feel like I've come a long way from my city years but other times, like the other day, I realize I have a ways to go.

Horses. Beautiful creatures but I definitely lack the confidence. I'm sure my lack of confidence comes from my lack of knowledge but the few horror stories I've heard about broken backs has left me unwilling to dive in...or climb up, as the case may be. The other day Andrea called and said that they were taking the kids to the McArthur's to ride horses. Perfect. All I heard was "kids ride horses" nothing at all about moms! I'm in. We got there and it was only a few minutes before Liam was up on one of the horses with his friend Lincoln. It was great that he was not the only little person there that day because I'm sure he was encouraged to try because they did. They were on the horses for quite a while and were guided all over their land. Libby was very interested in the horses. I realized about half way through our time there that I would have to get on one of these horses. I've only been on a horse a couple times and not since high school. Thanks to Curves getting onto the horse was pretty simple and thanks to Judy, who guided our horse around the yard, riding was pretty simple too. I felt a bit like a little kid at the carnival grounds. Better that though than a freaked out 30 year old making a fool of herself in the middle of a field as she gallops away on an out of control horse. My friends might have voted for the latter option though. All in all it was a wonderful day. I was so proud of the kids and it was neat that we are one step closer to being Nipawin veterans. Here are some pictures of the day.

Our little lady...she's growing up fast!

Soon to be a year and a half, Libby is full of life, loud squeals and spunk. I'm actually a little worried that she will take after me in the brat years department but we are praying for mercy. :) Most moments she is joy to be with. She loves to cuddle and I'm soaking in every minute of that because Liam was not so much that way. She loves to try on shoes and clothes. Okay, so she's not taking after me in all areas. One wardrobe change a day is good for me. Many times a day she comes up to us with jacket and/or shoes in hand "asking" to go outside to play. She really could be compared to a hyperactive dog who tears the house apart when someone mistakenly whispers the word "walk".

As I write this post Libby is in the living room by herself and she's watching hockey. She's been a bit out of it all afternoon and has a lowish grade fever. Now that she has some Tylenol in her she's sitting in her little rocking chair and "dancing" to the warm up music of the Vancouver/Chicago game. She definitely keeps smiles on our faces. Come on now, with the following looks coming at you every day, you'd be smiling too.

The Skinny

Has it really been that long since I posted last? And I was doing so well for a while there. These last couple months have been a struggle for me physically. I've been to the doctor four times, been on three different antibiotics and at the end of it all found out I had pneumonia. I've had a very patient husband through it all and children that are flexible. Thankfully there were only a couple weeks out of that time that I really felt sick. The rest of the time I just had absolutely no energy and was tired all the time. Along with that the medication I was on made me feel nauseous and slightly worried that I was pregnant again. I'm not...for all you people that think we should have more children. :)

So what have we been up to during all this? Our school year came to a close and we said goodbye to all the students after another good year of learning and growing. Thankfully the learning and growing was not just something the students did but the faculty...and their wives as well. I feel like God has been teaching me a lot lately which is exciting but not always completely enjoyable.



Following graduation the kids and I headed to Saskatoon to spend the week with my family before my cousin Taylor got married on April 23. It was a busy week with all the wedding preparations but we still managed to have some laughs, lots of coffee and the kids had a blast. Liam and Libby were in the wedding as ring bearer and flower girl. Brad and Rachel were in the wedding party and Lindsay was an usher. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so thankful that we could be there to help and celebrate with Taylor & Kirsten.
















Now that we are back home there is much to do for Lindsay at work as he prepares for the golf tournament and chairs the exec committee as Wes is on sabbatical until the end of September. I'm looking forward to gardening, getting some stuff together for a yard sale at my parents house in May and plan to work on Libby's scrapbook while Lindsay reads his newest books for a MA class he is taking in June.

So that catches you up for the most part and I will do my best to get on here more often...now that I am not coughing up a lung!

The Squat

The squat, not to be confused with the often very helpful birthing technique, is how you can often find Libby beside a toy or in this case a snack. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I put the bowl of dry cheerios down on the floor like she's was a Saint Bernard chowing down Kibbles and Bits. I finally had the camera ready this time to capture the sheer talent that my 16 month old possesses. It's equally as fun to watch her wander around the house now that she is practically a walking pro. I think she is aided in this by her tummy being about as big as her diapered bottom. They even each other out so well, creating wonderful balance. Good thing I'm talking about a cute little toddler here. If I was describing anyone past the age of two I could get in trouble. :) Come to think of it, if this is still around when Libby is older she might not be impressed with my candid descriptions. What is a mother's role if not to nurture, guide, love and embarrass...right mom? The story behind that will have to be for another post.