James and Elizabeth Heikoop

Nail Polish + Girls and Bikes + Boys

Katie likes to do nail polish on the girls - which is sweet - but only allowed outside... :)

Pretty proud of her pink nails.

Amy in her glory.

We got to have Hudson stay with us for a while after his little's sister's entrance. :) Erik and Hudson had a blast together - doing all the guy things.

Such a boy moment - buckling up his helmet.

Little Avelyn

And this little one made her well-anticipated entrance!

Little Avelyn Elizabeth was born to Ben and Deanna and we were all so so thrilled that she is here safely!! Born July 12th, at 7lbs. 13oz.

She has a little of her brother Asher's face - which is a sweet reminder to him.

I got to meet her that morning - such a little doll.

The brave momma and great dad!

Leanne's Three Months

Leanne's accomplishments at three months:

-She's playing with toys - always get excited about this part!

-And rolling over - no more just leave her somewhere...

The little wispy bow came from Glenda - actually the outfit did too -but it was for Amy as a newborn. (the hair bow actually stays on)

Going out West: Part 1(Traveling and in MB)

And the trip began!

About an hour after we began - we heard from the back seat "are we almost there..."! James and I had to laugh...but honestly - it went quite well. The kids had travel binders, (an idea from Breanne - and more stuff printed from Pintrest) books, and movies to watch once in a while - Adventures in Odyssey and Narnia (which Katie loved) so they were mostly well occupied.

I tried to pack super light, and it worked well - one thing I would do for the next longer trip (though honestly - just even for use around town would be great) is a basket/bin for the kid's shoes/sandals - it feels like they always take them off after getting in, and we're always looking for shoes when we stop somewhere.

We stopped at a few McDonald play places for the kids to get some energy out - I began my love of ice-coffee's, Laura threw up on the way - we had another "accident" at a play place, but it did go pretty good. Driving through the nights really helped - and the days didn't feel so long. James and I switched off during the nights, but he did so much driving - so cheerfully. :)

We switched kids around every so often - Laura was the best one to have by Leanne - she would look after her so well.

And then 24 hours later, we made it to Marvin and Marlenes! We just had a nice quiet evening - saw their pigs, calf, and Valerie's Canadian geese that she litterally hatched from eggs. They follow her everywhere - so quick. Then to bed and a fun day ahead.

The kids got to boat out on their pond.

Smelling the flowers

Getting lots of love from Auntie Marlene

Andrea and I took the gator and two kiddo's to scout for spots for the family pictures that night.

Look at her flying hair!

It was Marvin's birthday -so we had a pizza party together - along with some of Marvin's employee's - one who is married to a friend of mine - Crystal. :)

Isn't their home lovely - they have put so much work into it - such a refreshing place.

Kids enjoyed their trampoline.

A sneak peek of some of the pictures I took for Crystal and Phil's family -

and Marvin and Marlene's family.

Then some cake to celebrate.

Waiting for some treats.

Me and Crystal - never guessed that our paths would cross like this again!!

Going out West: Part 2 (Beginning of the Reunion)

We were so so glad when we made it to Alberta!!! Got to the farm around 8 on Tuesday night. Mom had supper ready and we just got all settled in - and the kids explored the toys and dress up stuff.

Mom took me to see Breanne (again hooray!) and Caleigh since they were at their parent's farm for a bit! And I got to meet Caleigh's new little guy too - hadn't seen her since her wedding and now she has four!

Us three with our babies -

Uncle Tim and Leanne

Laura brought me flowers. :)

I had to capture some of the beautiful blooms around - the yellow roses, which are always so symbolic and precious to our farm.

Dad took me to see the Catcus blooming - so pretty.

Dad and Amy hanging out while I took the flower pictures.

I miss Bachelor Buttons.

Andrew and Rebecca came over for supper - Ethan and Erik exchanged some gifts they had brought - such a sweet friendship.

Amy got into makeup.... she thinks mascara is for eyebrows...

...at least it's going in the right direction.

Andrew brought a quad down, so the kids got to have some good times.

Erik in his glory.

I got to help out organize the pantry which I loved - so this is where Leanne stayed while I was occupied.

Playing games.

Then Charissa surprised us a day early. :) That was fun! She only could come down for a couple days, so that was nice to have a little bit more time with her.