Raymond Pool

We hadn't had the chance to get out to the Raymond pool this summer, so on Matt's day off we headed out there.  The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time.  Anna was able to bring a friend with her too.  I didn't get any pictures of Brendan  -- he was too busy swimming!

Grace is 10!

Grace has been counting down to her birthday all summer!  She was so excited to be in the "double digits"!  We spent the afternoon playing at Mindy's house and having ice cream cake.  Then we went home and opened presents with the rest of the family.  The next day Matt took the three older girls out to Whoop-Up Days and they spent all afternoon going on rides, eating elephant ears, watching concerts and having a great day!  Happy Birthday Grace!!

10km Run

My sister Rachel had been training for a 10km run this summer -- the same one we ran together 2 years ago.  I have been trying to keep up with my running, but when I realized that the run was on the day that I had to be in Calgary picking up Grace and Anna from their camp, I decided that I would just drive the rest of the way up and do the run with her.  I made arrangements for my mom to watch my kids since Matt was working that weekend, and made arrangements to pick the girls up from camp a little early as well.  They were supposed to be picked up at 4pm, but since the race started at 7pm in Edmonton, I figured I needed a little extra time.  There was some miscommunication though, and I wasn't able to get the girls until 4pm, so I figured I had better hustle if I was going to make the race in time.  I was doing ok, until I came up to an accident just before Red Deer and that slowed me down quite a bit.  It took me 20 min to go about 18km.  Needless to say, I was now really behind schedule and ended up getting to the race 10 minutes after it had started.  I was a little stressed from the drive, about being late, and not being able to run with Rachel, but I figured I had come all that way, it would be a waste not to run the race.  It was super hot and muggy and I was already tired when I started, so my time was not as good as I had hoped, but I did it in 1:08, which considering the circumstances, I thought was not too bad.  I did have a great visit with Rachel that evening and was able to go to church with her and her family the next day.  I was a super busy weekend, but I enjoyed it and maybe next time I will be able to plan things a little better!

Calaway Park

Grace and Anna had the opportunity to go to a camp this summer, and we had to drop them off in Calgary where they would be meeting a bus that was coming from Edmonton, and then heading out to the camp.  The meeting place was the parking lot of Calaway Park, and since they were getting the opportunity to go to Calaway Park with the camp on their last day, we decided to take the rest of the kids into the park after we had dropped them off.  Melissa and Mike and their family arranged to go the same day too.  We dropped the girls off at 10am, and headed into the park shortly after it had opened.  The weather was gorgeous and we had a great day.  I was suprised at how well the kids did and we ended up staying until the gates closed at 7pm!  Matt and I took turns with the little kids, and were able to go on some bigger rides with Becky and Brendan.  It was a really fun day!!

Cardston Parade

We took our kids to the Cardston parade this year and my entire family were able to be there as well.  All the cousins had a blast playing with chalk before the parade starts.  They draw big circles with their names in them and enjoy seeing if any horses will leave a deposit in their circle or not. 

It's not only for the little kids either!

 It was a pretty chilly morning, so we were all trying to keep warm -- Bryan looks like he found a great spot!

What a silly boy!

Ben was telling a great story to Grandpa.

Playtime with Spencer.

After the parade was done, we all headed back to Mary Lou and Lennard's home for lunch.  We had yummy corn on the cob, hot dogs and hamburgers, great salads and delicious desserts!

Ben thought the corn was pretty good! 

  I am so glad that all the cousins get along so well.  They enjoyed having their lunch together outside.

Who can resist this cute little baby! 

  Can't wait for next year!

Park Lake

We took the kids to Park Lake on a beautiful warm evening this summer.  There was practically nobody there and it was still quite warm, even that late in the day.  We always have a great time here and I love that the water is so shallow and warm.

Hatch Family Reunion Part 2

We left Sunday afternoon from the Hatch Reunion, and headed up to Edmonton to visit more family.  We stayed at my sister Rachel's house and on Monday we had a picnic with more of Matt's family that weren't able to come to the actual reunion.  My sil had just had a baby 2 weeks prior to the reunion, so we were excited to come and see her cute little baby she had!  We all met at a fun little spray park and the kids had so much fun playing in the water.  It was a really hot day!

My cute little nephew! 

 It was really nice to have a visit with my sister-in-laws!

We tried to get all the grandkids together, but some of them had other ideas!

Matt and his siblings and his mom.  It has been years since they have all been together. 



Hatch Family Reunion 2012

August long weekend is usually the weekend that the Hatch Family has their reunions, and this year was no exception.  We headed out to a location we had never been before, and even though it was way farther than we expected it to be, we really did have a lot of fun. 

 It was pretty cool before the sun came out over the mountains, so we spent some time snuggling in front of the fire.

 Sleeping in a tent is always an interesting experience with kids.  They all stay up way too late, and then get up with the rising sun.  Gideon woke up at about 5:30am, so this is what he was doing at 8:30am.  I wish I could have had a nap with him!

Uncle Kim spent a lot of time pulling load after load of kids around in this wagon.  They had a great time!

 We were so excited to see Matt's Grandpa there.  We weren't sure if he was coming or not, but he made it.  He is now 94 and living in a home in Cold Lake, so we don't see him as often as we used to, so it was nice to have a chance to visit with him here.  Matt's older brothers Victor and Dale were able to make it to the reunion too.  This was the first time that I was able to meet Dale, and I had only seen Victor a handful of times since we were married, so it was great to get to know them better too.

 Saturday afternoon, we headed to a waterfall just down the road.  The trail down was really steep, but we made it!

 Uncle Kelly set up some ropes and the kids had a great time going across the river.

A great time was had by all!!