These are the pics Garron has set as our background. I love 'em. Unfortunately right now my normally Jolly Solly is sick and sad. He is teething (molars) and on top of that he has a really bad cold. He went to bed before supper last night and slept through to 8:30 this morning. Its 9:30 now and I just put him back to bed. Poor little guy. Journey on the other hand is doing pretty well. She does have a cold but it hasn't held her down at all. She went to Auntie Manda's last night for a sleep over. Her and Ocean get along great and I think she enjoys having an 'older sister'. Ocean takes good care of her. Well, I really must get going. We are having Auntie Laura's birthday party here tonight and I've got cleaning and cooking to do.

Journey Solace

Journey loves to be outside! She can't come home empty handed either. Flowers, rocks, sticks, pinecones, dandilions, grass, leaves ... you name it and we can think of a way to make it into a creature or a craft.

Our Little Solomon

What a cutie! He's cutting a few molars right now so he's very cuddly, too. The only good part about teething.

Tolman Bridge

A girl and her daddy. Need I say more?

The Last of the Raspberries

I think we've finally picked the bushes clean. Gramma Rish has an enormous row of raspberry bushes that blossom all summer long. She freezies some, makes jam and jello with others and of course lets us eat our fill of fresh ones throughout the season.

Sisters

I don't think I could have two sisters more diverse than my Manda and Sara. They are like two bookends holding the literature of my life together. My Manda is like the anchor bookend. No matter what happens she stands firm for me and I can always lean on her for support. My younger sister Sara is like the bookend that moves to make more room for the next good read. She pushes me to expand my thinking and 'step out'. Together they provide a safe place for me to learn about and be myself. I don't know where (or who) I'd be without 'em. Thanks guys! I love ya.

Amy's version of living on a farm

Journey and Ethan are all the livestock I can handle. When I think of all the work Sara does to keep her pets happy and healthy I thank the lord for a husband who steers me away from such insanity.

Bath Time

A lot of our days end in the tub. Its a great way to wind down and I find the kids sleep better after a good washing. Sol likes to stand or squat ... its very difficult to get him to actually SIT in the bath. Journey is learning to get her face wet but still resists all attempts to wash her hair.
Sol has such bad skin (excema) that we aren't allowed to use any soap on him and have to make sure we lather him in lotion within 3 minutes of getting out of the water.

10% Tuesdays at IGA

On the first Tuesday of every month our local (one and only) grocery store has a 10% sale. We try to make sure we do the bulk of our shopping that day. Journey loves to come with me and push her own little cart. I have to keep a close eye on what ends up in there as inevitably she picks out some stuff that isn't on our list. (:

Fruit Truck

Every Tuesday during the summer and fall there is a 'fruit truck' that comes to Three Hills. It brings fresh fruit and vegetables from BC and parks in the lot at the end of the back alley that runs behind our house. We LOVE to head down and check out the 1/2 price table!! Along with the fruit truck comes the Taber Corn Man. He sells the sweetest corn on the cob I've ever tasted! We'll miss them when they close up shop for the winter. Today Journey bought some apples and berries.

First Day of Preschool

Wow. My little girl is now my 'big' girl. Journey went to preschool today for the first time. We had a 'washing hair' bath last night and even blow dried it so it would look beautiful this morning. Then this morning we had a quick shower, got dressed, put her hair up, had breakfast and brushed her teeth. Then we filled her Tigger backpack with a yummy snack and headed out the door. She chose to ride her tricycle instead of drive. When we arrived at the school and she got right into things. No tears, no shyness ... she acted like she owned the place. I stayed for a few minutes then told her I was going to have to leave. "Ok!" she said. Then after I had hugged her good-bye I was taking a moment to read the notes on the bulletin board and she came up and said "mom you're not gone yet, GO!"
So, I guess she was ready to be on her own. 3 seems a little young for such fearless independence, but ... if you're ready, you're ready. And our little Journey certainly seems ready.

The Ride to School

Journey rode her 'helper bike' to school (named because of the handle out the back that I can push to 'help' her up hills or over gravel). We had to stop at the raspberry bushes around the corner to see if there were any berries left. She only found one and it was too sour to enjoy.

Trains ... our Favorite

At school Journey's first stop was the play house ... followed closely by a trip to the train table. This is where she was when I left her. Oddly enough ... Sol and I played with our train set at home this morning too.

Having Fun Being the "Only Child"

Celebration Lunch

Sol and I took Journey to the Harvest House for some celebratory french fries after school today. We were so proud of her for being such a brave girl on her first day of playschool. She had a great time was only slightly disappointed that the teacher didn't use glue or let her suck her thumb.

Living and Learning

This year we decided to open our home to international students. It helps us financially and we get to learn about another language and culture without having to leave the comfort of our own home. Ren arrived to stay with us on August 27th, just a few short days before classes started. He is an awesome addition to our family. Very helpful and easy going! He is from Japan but speaks very good English. He is in grade 8 now and we hope to be able to host him right through to grade 12. Journey already considers him a brother! When I find him sitting still long enough to snap a pic I'll put one up here.