Heikoop Cottage Week

Another favorite part of our year is when all the Heikoop clan that can make it, goes to some big-enough-we-hope cottage that we found online (by we - I mean usually Sarah or Ben - and they spend many hours of searching). And this year was the best experience we've had. Yes, there have been nicer places, but this one had enough space, industrial kitchen/commercial dishwasher, a main kinda lodge, and then a motel and another cottage. So we all fit in pretty good.

First picture I took was the morning after we got there - misty lake, and all these pretty ducks...like the one above... until Erik (who was fishing with Hudson and Roobs) saw me and said "mom that's a fake duck"...or "you know that's a fake duck right mom"? Bubble burst.... I moved onto the real deal. :) 

So proud of his fish. 

This is the cottage where Brad & Diane's family, Ben & Deanna's family and us stayed. All the kids were in the basement which actually worked out better than I thought it would. 

It was a simple help yourself breakfast in the mornings, with us all rotating for lunch and dinners. 

Of course Erik was in glory getting to use the trolling motar on Brad's boat and fish away. 

Best of buds - living their best life. 

Henry and Heather's family joined us for a few days which was so great. 

This was Brad's attempt to go wake boarding off the dock - which he is amazing at wake boarding and all that....but with the seadoo pulling him, it wasn't the best takeoff.

But it made us laugh and I caught it on camera - and was a highlight of the week. ;) 

The girl's reaction on the beach to Brad's plunge.

But he made it next time - so all pride was redeemed - haha. :) 

So nice to catch up with all the girls. 

All was peaceful for Will until he saw the camera and then tried to kill the dead duck. :) 

Soccer before supper. 

Having Nel around was lovely - but she was missing her other half. <3

Taking the kids out. And all adults survived. 

Dirty hands and worms. :) 

Having such a great beach was wonderful. Safe - provided many hours of fun. 

Almost all the girls - so while we waited for the last few ones... 

And yes - I looked whacky and pregnant - because I was... more on that later. 

All of the girls together. (missing Marlene and Jennelle) 

Jason was in his glory to splash in the water. He lasted so long.

His playpen while daddy played pool with the other pool sharks. 

One of the said pool sharks. 

Hanging with Brielle.

Making Roobs get in a picture with me. 

Matching cousins (Erik's other shorts were in the wash) but they were triplets.

Morning reads

What mornings looked like. 

An afternoon of tubing was a blast for the kids. 

Ian the dude. 

Master Colin. 

Jason playing with the bin. 

Ben did his exercises by throwing the kids off the dock....which they loved!

But somewhere between up there - and down here... his glasses took a tumble! 

We used the camera a few minutes later to confirm that he actually had them on, while on the dock. Then it was scuba time. Deanna and I did a bunch of diving, but it was Brad that found them. Thankful to God for that!

Still enjoying his tote. 

Love these shots of Jonathan and his boys. 

The latest kiddos - Brielle and Willem 

So much fun on the water. 

The kids (under Deanna's guidance and initiative) had sold peaches earlier in the summer to earn money for ice-cream sundae's at the cottage. So we had toppings and such for all of us to enjoy. 

The peach sellers + a few extra. 

I spent a few minutes at the dock with my girl one evening - 

Sure love this beautiful daughter. 

Oma reading a story to the kiddos. (on some other nights, Heather had read a continuing missionary story to them all, so they felt like it was a routine to all have a story. :) 

On some of the evenings - we played games as adults - had so much fun. Snacks, sometimes a bonfire, singing, or just whatever.

Opa reading to David.

Eden and her sunfish

Us sisters got out for a few hours - went to some random shops in the nearby town, and then went out for lunch. It was so nice just to be together and have it a bit calmer. 

Deanna and Diane headed up a little girls spa time - which they all loved. 

Love Nessa's laugh

While these two boys got buried in the sand. 

A bunch of girls and William swam across the lake - which took about 25 minutes, and James trolled across kinda near us - with Nel and katy in a canoe in case we needed assistance. :) 

My little cutie

Then it was the last morning - a crazy busy time packing up everything... I kinda of dread that part. Yeah - I do. But Nel and Oma looked after the kids for a couple hours so we could  pack. 

Passing our Heikoop fishing award (mug) off to the winner of this year - Brad Bouman. :) 

And off we left!

We had Nelly with us - and stopped to see a friend of hers for a bit, before making it home. 

Another great cottage week. 

Niagara Safarai

In August - we spent a bunch of a Saturday at the Niagara Safari Zoo with our good friends Dan and Kelly and their kiddos. We enjoyed it so much - and I took as many pictures as I could while we handled 11 kiddos between our two families - all 9 and under. 

Abby and Katy

This was us trying to get a picture of Leanne by her "relatives" - LEMURS. A unsucessful shot - but it's real life. ;) 

Kelly and I - while Dan is wondering if we're going to keep up. :)

Getting his bean juice - from the empty cup. 

Everyone crowding around Kelly as she had the snacks. 

James & Dan - good friends. 

Our two families - thanks to a fellow zoo-walker.

These two - thankful for their friendship and encouragement in our lives. 

The highlight of the day was getting to feed the giraffes, and be so close to such beautiful animals. 

Off to see the rhinos - reminded me of the rhino's from Barbar the Elephant - Rataxes... 

Two bears running - and play fighting each other. :) 

Then we all tried to get in on the same train car - but not enough roon, so Kelly and I said - see ya! And we stayed with our youngest two - and took the next train. :) 

This was after losing Leanne at the park. They were just about to board, when I look back about 30 feet away, and see Leanne crying - not knowing where we were... oh dear... thankful we didn't leave her behind. ;) 

We enjoyed lunch at the splash pad - and then it began to look like a downpour was going to come - so we went to the playground, so the kids could get in as much as they could... 

And then it poured - and we ran to our vans. 

Such a lovely day together. 

After this -we went stateside to see Henry and Heather for a few hours, and then back home.

VBS

Another year of VBS - this year I wasn't involved at all - but everyone did such a great job. They had different options to take for kids: arts & crafts, baking, basketball, soccer, woodworking, and drama - which Katie took. And on the last night they had a little performance - with a slideshow and showing what they did. 

Some of the workers. :)