Labour Day Weekend!

We had a very busy weekend happening. Lots going on, and we had to figure out how to do most of everything. The Pitcher side of the family was having a big reunion here in Magrath at the Stake Campground from Friday to Monday. We had to leave Saturday afternoon to go up to Calgary so we could go to Brian and Lisa's ward for Spencer's baby blessing.

So to start I cleaned my little heart out on Friday, just cause I always like leaving  clean house. Plus I packed up the trailer to have it ready by Saturday. Friday afternoon I get a call from Richard asking me to be there for a delivery of toilets, 40 to be exact. No problem, cause we weren't going anywhere. The guy showed up and it turned out he had no dolly or even a lift gate, he was "hand bombing it", as he put it. Which means, we had to unload his truck. Two boxes for every toilet.....80 boxes. They weren't small ones either. I went to work helping him and my kids sat in the garage and watched us. The guy kept telling me I didn't have to do it, but I figured the faster we get this unloaded the faster he's gone, and I can finish packing the trailer. It was a good work out and I was sweating by the time we were done. He told me that my husband owed me! He couldn't believe that I unloaded the truck with him (I kept right up with him!)! Ha ha ha, I think I shocked him!

After supper the kids and I went down to the campground. We stayed for about 1hr and saw a few people. My Aunt and Uncle and cousins drove from Utah and we were able to see them before we came home to put kids to bed.

Saturday morning we were up and went to the campground for breakfast. It was so fun to visit with all my relatives. The kids had a blast finding shells and giving them to the "candy man", which was my Grandpa Pitcher. DJ loved going up to "paw paw" and giving him a shell for a candy. He thought it was great! Then my Uncle David starting shooting off pop bottle rockets. All the kids loved that. My girls got there's ready with balloons attached. DJ wasn't too sure about the whole thing, he jumped everytime it shot off. It kind of scared him and interested him at the same time! He finally got brave enough to give Uncle David his bottle then he turned and booked it back to his dad. It was pretty funny to watch.

After lunch we turned on the water for the water slide. Of course that was a huge hit. I didn't go on it this time just sat at the top and watched everyone. My kids had fun doing it. DJ even went with his Grandpa Paxman. It was pretty entertaining to see the older kids go on it (yup that includes you too Emily!)!! There were quite a few crazy crashes. I'm pretty sure we weren't following the rules of the slide! But everyone had fun.

After that we were ready to take off. Richard went and hooked up to the trailer and we said bye to everyone. We drove up to Okotoks, where I booked us a spot at a campground. I was totally confused and took us to the wrong campground and we had to backtrack. By the time we made it everyone was starving and a little grumpy, including mom and dad! It was 7:30pm by the time we got there and we hurried and unhooked and I made us some supper. Then we went for a bike ride. Our spot was really pretty, we were backed onto the river. We then went to the showers and everyone got cleaned and then we got the kids to bed.

My girls right behind our trailer. It was very pretty with the river right there.



DJ loved playing in the river! I have a hard time getting DJ looking at me for pics! Silly boy!


Sunday morning we had to be out of there by 8:20am. Amazingly we did it with no problem. We made it to the church with lots of time to spare. After our little adventure the day before Richard didn't trust me to guide us to the church without incident. But I did! ha ha! So we were there in time for church and the baby blessing. Spencer is so cute. Of course I forgot the camera at the trailer so I didn't get any pictures. After sacrament meeting we went back to Brian and Lisa's. We had lunch there and then the kids had a blast playing together. We hung around there all day and had fun visiting and eating yummy food. We took the kids to a near by playground and left after having a crazy incident with some other parents. Won't even get into that, but some kids can be so mean. Then when you ask them to talk nice to your kids or not talk to them at all, then they run to their parents and tell them a different story. So yeah, a little crazy! So we just went back home. Sheesh!

We came back to our trailer and walked down to the river. The kids had a blast throwing rocks into the water. Then they eventually ended up in the river. I made them a quick supper and then we started a fire so we could roast mallows! Afterwards we went for a bike ride. This was when we realized that the campground we were in was a little bit scary. It was a creepy place, and very dirty. We didn't realize how big it was. About 80% of the campers actually lived there. The further down we rode the scarier it got. People were drunk and yelling, and just looked scary. Of course that's when my girls spotted a gross looking playground and wanted to stop and play. Richard, luckily, read my mind and didn't stop. We kept going till we got back to our fairly decent spot. Then we packed all our stuff up that was outside our trailer and locked the doors to EVERYTHING! Then we went in our trailer and double locked our doors. Crazy place.

Richard by his amazing fire that he built!

Cadence trying to show me how dirty her feet are....she doesn't believe in wearing shoes!

Abbi insisted on taking a picture of me, so here I am relaxing in the comfy chair!

Cute Brianna always has a smile for the camera!

My cute red heads sharing the comfy chair! Can you see why people asked if these two are twins?! They do look alike and are about the same size!

DJ got in trouble because he kept going too close to the fire. He was not happy with us...can ya tell?! Such a cute pouty face!

Still trying to decide if he should be mad or not!

Roasting some yummy mallows!

Yummy, yummy s'mores!

In the morning we didn't waste any time. We ate and finished packing up. I promised the kids I would take them up to the gate to play mini golf. So we left Richard hooking up the trailer. We started playing golf and the kids were having a blast. Cadence had to go potty so I ran her to the bathroom. We came back and Abbi was gone. She left to go find me. So I told the others to stay and I was running to go find Abbi. As I was talking to Brianna and Cadence a truck came rumbling up the road (coming out of the campground), towards the gate. I was staring at it trying to figure out why there was water spraying out the back. The guy looked at me funny then looked in the mirror and then slammed on his brakes, jumped out and turned the valve off which stopped the spraying. He then ran back and roared off. It was weird but whatever. I walked up to the road to cross and find Abbi. As I was getting closer to the "water" on the ground, the smell about knocked me out. It was then that I realized it wasn't water but sewer that the crazy truck sprayed all through the campground. No kidding, it was gross sewer that he just finished pumping onto his truck and didn't close the valve. Oh it was disgusting. Abbi was on the other side of it and came running toward me. I screamed at her to stop. Richard then came and told me what it was, before I could tell him. He told me to stay with the kids away from the sewer and he was coming to pick us up so we could go right then. We complained to the owners (it was their own truck that did it), but they didn't seem to bothered. Said they were going to spray it down with water! It was disgusting, people were walking in the middle of it and riding their bikes through. I don't know how they couldn't smell it. Anyways we were out of there by 9am. Sheesh, never going there again. The name of the campground was Riverbend Campground, in Okotoks. Just a warning NEVER go there!

Since we left so early we decided to stop in Nanton to take the kids to the train place. We were a little early so we played at the school play ground and had a early lunch. Then we walked across the road and went into the train store. It was amazing. We paid to go in and there were little train tracks everywhere. The kids loved it. They even had areas for the kids to play with the trains. Then the best part was we got to ride on a train. It pulled us all around the gardens and through a tunnel and back. All my kids loved it. We were in there for over an hour. We just lost Brianna at one point. I thought Richard had her and vise versa. When I figured out the mistake I ran to the front gate and there she was standing there. She started crying when she saw me. I felt so bad. But then after I gave her a hug she was fine and wanted to run and see what her sisters and brother were doing. It was a fun place for kids.

DJ driving the fire truck!

Cadence climbing to the top, she was too busy to look at me!

Abbi showing me how she can climb!

Brianna at the top!

DJ driving Thomas the Train!

Cadence and Abbi playing some of the train tracks.

Richard with DJ and Brianna, they are playing with the trains and watching the model trains go by.

One of the model trains coming towards the mountain and tunnel.

My 3 cute girls in Thomas the train!

Crazy picture, but you can see all 4 of my kids in it with Thomas the Train! It was the best that I could do!

Going for our train ride. Abbi and Brianna were together just behind the conductor, this was the tunnel that took us to the alley and back around again.

Abbi, Brianna and DJ on one of the train cars!

Cadence and Richard on the caboose!

We then left and got an ice cream cone for the kids. It was a hot day and a perfect way to cool down. Then we were off again. We got home around 2pm. As we were pulling into our driveway we got a call from our friends the Jenkin's wondering if we wanted to go to Wally's Beach. So we unhooked and packed up a picnic and got swim suits on and were off again! No rest for the wicked!!

So, so hot and waiting for the ice cream cone!

Brianna looks a little mad and Abbi is giving me a look, they just wanted their ice cream!

Oh there's a happy face, cute Cadence!

YEAH for ice cream!

DJ looked like a little orphan in his old stretched out stained shirt that he REFUSED to let me take off of him! Oh well!

Me and my big beautiful eyes!!ha ha!

Cadence cannot eat anything without making a mess!

DJ was sleeping in the cutest position but as I was taking the picture he moved his arms.

We got to Wally's Beach and met my family there. They were there with the boat. It was super hot out and a lot of people were at the beach. It was fun. I got to get a ski in too! The kids went on the tube too. They had fun playing in the muddy sand too! I'm glad we went! Perfect way to end the summer!

Brianna as a cute little mermaid.

Abbi as a mermaid. My cousins, Mikayla and Maddy-Jo worked in the mud to make them both mermaids!

First Day Of Kindergarten!

It happened, my girls grew up!! I can't believe they are old enough to be in kindergarten. They were besides themselves with excitement. They kept asking if it was the Day yet!! So cute. Their first day was actually just an orientation day. I took them in at 9:40 to take their supplies and meet their teachers. They were so excited that it was easy to get them dressed and ready. They told me how to do their hair and they chose what new clothes to wear!

Brianna so excited for her first day!

Cadence all ready to go. Notice her hair clip she put on the collar of her shirt!

Abbi ready to go. She told me exactly how to do her hair!

My mom came over to watch DJ so I could totally focus on my girls. They got their new shoes on and I took their picture before we left. Of course DJ had to be in on the action too. He got dressed in his new clothes and got his new shoes on and put on one of the girls old backpack on and was ready for me to take his picture. Actually Grandma Paxman took it for him!

Grandma helping DJ get his socks and shoes on.

DJ all ready. He was a little sad when we left him. But he had fun playing cars with his grandma!

So away we went. They got to empty their backpacks and find their cubby holes. They were excited to meet their teachers, Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Ralph. Then I went to talk with Mrs. Cook while Mrs. Ralph showed the girls everything. Then they got to do a fun little craft. They didn't want to leave. They got a back to school goodie bag. That totally made their day!

We went and found Richard so they could tell him how their first day went. So funny to watch three little girls trying to tell their dad everything. Talking all over each other and getting more and more excited. We have to calm them down and have them take turns talking. Too funny!

After the Labor Day Weekend then they really started school. They love it and I'm happy about that. We've been either riding our bikes to school or scooters, every day. I have been putting DJ in the jogging stroller and running beside them. Then I run home after we take them in. That's my exercise for the day! Then we usually walk back to get them. They love riding their bikes. It's fun to see them excited each day about what they did.

My three cute girls ready for school. I can't believe how big they are getting.

Another picture without Cadence's hands in her mouth! Abbi was holding her hand for that reason!

Oh funny story about Abbi I wanted to write down. I was reading my book one night and getting ready to go to bed. I heard a noise and saw Abbi wandering around the house. I went to her and asked if she needed to pee or a drink. She said yes to drink. So I walked into the kitchen to get a cup and some water. I heard a noise in the dining room and looked over. There was Abbi standing in front of a stool. She pulled down her pants and panties and was climbing on top of the stool. I ran to her and quickly took her to the bathroom where she went in the toilet! It was so funny. She totally wasn't awake. I then helped her back to bed and she went right back to sleep. Made me laugh!

So that's what happened with school. The mornings have been so nice. DJ and I have been having fun. Starting this week DJ will have speech every Tuesday morning from 10:30-11:15am, and Parent Pre-school for both of us on Thursday mornings from 9-11:30am. The girls go to school from 8:35-11:35am, so that works out perfect. It's fun to do things with just DJ. He loves it too!

Packing The Fun In!

When we got back from Kalispell, I looked at the calender and realized we just had a week left of summer. So I decided we needed to pack in some fun for the rest of the week! So that's what we did.

I took Tuesday to do laundry and get things all put away. Then on Wednesday I packed a lunch and away we went to Wally's Beach. I packed lots of stuff and planned on staying all day. Well we did and the kids had a blast. We got there just after 11am and didn't leave till after 4pm. At this point I was realizing the Cadence was not feeling good. She had been complaining about her ear for awhile and I took her in to the doctors before we went to Kalispell. The doctor was a little shocked at how bad her right ear was. It wasn't a normal infection but swimmers ear infection. So we got drops for her and I did it for 7 days. Anyways the poor girl was kind of miserable so I called and made an appointment for her on Thursday.

The kids playing in the water. We were basically the only ones there for quite a while!

Brianna trying to put the stick into the ground!

DJ and Cadence relaxing in the shade. I was hoping they would both have a nap, but no such luck!

Cute Abbigail!

My MIL met us around 2pm. She had Seth and Jasmine with her. My friend, Carole, and her daughters came and met us around the same time too. So the kids had a blast running around and playing. It was so hot out, so sitting by the water was perfect!

Cadence, Abbi and Jassi having a snack together.

When we came home we brought Seth and Jassi home with us. Shelly came later to show us her new car! She kept telling me that Eric bought her a convertible, and I kept saying, "Oh that's nice." All the while thinking in my head that it was an old junky thing that he needs to fix up! That's all he ever buys, is fixer uppers! Anyways, I was in for a surprise when she pulled up in our driveway. I was literally shocked and speechless! It was a NICE car! She took us for a ride with the top down and I even drove it back. Sweet ride!

DJ going for a ride with Grandma in her cool car. He was so excited to go. Ran up and grabbed her hand and kept saying, "VVRRMMMM" and pointing outside. He wanted to go!

What a sweet car, you deserve Shelly!

On Thursday I took DJ and Cadence to the doctors. Sure enough, Cadence still has swimmers ears. So he told us to keep doing the drops. DJ had an ear infection. We got their medicine then came back home to hurry and pack up the trailer. I hooked onto the trailer and finished loading things up, quickly and pulled it to Cardston. I figured we could camp out at my in laws again. Richard was working in Cardston so it worked out perfectly. Once I got set up we loaded the kids up and took them to Waterton. They played at the spray park and we had a picnic. We were there for about 1 1/2hrs and it started to rain. So we packed up and came back to Cardston. The kids did so good on the way there, but on the way home we had to stop so many times. They were driving us crazy! But we made it!

Brianna, DJ, Cadence, Jasmine, Seth and Abbi in Waterton.

LOVE this picture of Cadence, Brianna and Jasmine! So cute!

Seth and Brianna running through the spray park.

Grandma showing DJ how to spray the gun. He wasn't quite sure about getting wet! But he had fun trying to get others wet!

Cadence running and Brianna smiling at me!

On Friday I got a call from my brother, Brent, saying they were going boating. They wanted us to meet them at Wally's Beach. So we packed up some food and everything and away we went. These 3 days were super hot out. We got there and got set up and the kids started playing. My girls were excited to go for a tube ride. Their cousins were not so sure about the whole thing. It was so nice out. When Tiff and Brent got there we went right out and I slalomed and Brent wakeboarded. It was like glass out. So much fun! We got back and took my girls and Jassi on a tube ride. Then Seth decided he wanted to go. The kids had so much fun taking turns going on rides. DJ, of course, had to be in the boat! His favorite place!

Brianna, Jasmine, Grandma and Cadence going for a tube ride.

Abbi, Grandma and Seth going for a ride.

Jassi thought it was so funny every time Brent would turn. She'd squeal and grab her "handle"!

Cadence looking like a turtle!

Brianna, Jassi, Cadence and Seth all going for a ride together!

There they go. Check out the crazy clouds. We thought it was going to rain on us, but ended up going around!

We took off at about 4pm. We had to get back to get things ready for a BBQ. We got back and gave the kids all a shower and got them clean. Then we had a yummy BBQ. There were some relatives visiting from England. Plus Lisa and Brian came down and we were able to see their new baby, Spencer. So cute! It was fun to eat good food and visit with everyone. Loved that we didn't have to rush home to put kids to bed. We were camped right there. We have used this trailer tonnes this year and it has been so nice!

So that was our fun week. We woke up Saturday and Richard had to go to work. The kids were a little grumpy and fighting, so I just packed up and we came home. It was a fun 3 days with their cousins.