Doggy Tricks & Yogurt

When you cannot immediately locate your youngest child or your puppy AND there is no screaming, "she's trying to EAT ME!", it's possible that your youngest is feeding the puppy his yogurt.

 

Shasta starts Puppy Kindergarten (that's actually what it's called!) on July 20.  We've been working on some basic manners and she will consistently sit and lie down.  Abby and the boys have been teaching her how to go down the slide :)

Canada Day Party!

We had our 5th annual Canada Party on July 1.  Including our family, we had 43 people over for a BBQ, campfire, and to watch the firework display over Marina Park. A few families had to leave, but several families sat cozily by the fire until the fireworks were set off at 11 pm (dusk in Thunder Bay in early July!)  The number of families that we have invited over the years hasn't really changed that much... we have some new families and some have moved away.  What has increased dramatically is the number of children :)

At the beach...

In yesterday's heat, we decided to call some friends and load up the little Gomers for a beach afternoon/evening.  It was the busiest that I've ever seen Wild Goose (a public beach on lake Superior).  It was a perfect day with heat and a slight breeze...

Abby and Daddy had fun jumping over waves and Jude had fun walking to and from the sandbar. Jordy was intrigued by the female sunbathers and chased his friend Myah around the beach (or was it the other way around?) Anyway, it was a fun way to spend a hot, humid afternoon... Happy Summer!!

One step closer to JK

Jude has been in a parent-child Preschool Play & Learn program through the Ontario Early Years Centre since the beginning of April. Today they "graduated". They've learned about the weather, days of the week & months of the year, letters & numbers. They made butter and went on nature walks. Jude had a taste of what school will be like in September when he starts JK.

He and his good friend Sophie were in the preschool class together...

My little boy is growing up.

A new friendship is born...

...meet Shasta, the newest addition to our family.

Shasta is a rescue dog from a Northern fly-in community. We weren't necessarily looking for another pet right now...

BUT when we happened to see the ad for her shortly after it was posted AND saw her sweet face in the pictures, it didn't take long for the possiblity of getting another pet over the next year or so to get bumped up. We went to meet her and then deliberated over Happy Meals. Our primary concern was for Bij, our 9-year old female cat. She's a beautiful cat, just not a children's cat. She comes out once the kids are in bed. The kids get REALLY excited if they happen to see her dart past them because she generally just keeps to herself in the basement on her washer/dryer-perch. Grammy said that if Bij didn't cope well with a new animal and threatened to run away, she would adopt her.

We wanted the kids to have a pet. Bij isn't really their pet, but mine & Jon's.

We could have opted for another kitten, but it's difficult to keep a cat indoors when 3 children are in and out of the house from the yard so frequently. We didn't want to have to say good-bye to another curious kitty who fell victim to a busy hill street.

And so, we adopted this adorable 10-week old puppy who will likely become a medium to large size dog. I've never had an indoor dog. Ever. I'm not even really a dog-person. But this puppy is wiggling her way into my heart.

The kids are happy. Jon's building fences, in the rain. We're learning how to house-train a puppy, in the rain. I took her to the vet today, with 3 excited-to-have-a-puppy children. We all miss Nala. Jordan still asks where she is and then in the same breath says she's "in the box". We're opening our hearts to another friend.

I love these hands...

... and the man to whom God gave them. I love that the hands that wielded a hammer to build our family a home are the same hands that gently hold me, make pancakes for the kids, dry tears, give tickles, help Abby write letters to the Tooth Fairy, work to support our family, tie shoes, play guitar, hold my hands...

I praise God for these hands, and for the one to whom He gave them...

Saying Good-Bye to Nala

 

When we got home early this afteroon, a neighbour came over to tell us that our Nals had been hit by a vehicle. He had moved her to the side of the house. She was already gone when Jon went to see her. Nala loved being outside and would run out every time the door was opened. She loved chasing birds and trying to catch bugs in her paws. She especially loved being outside when the kids were out. She would jump up on the outside of the kitchen window when she realized that we had come inside (often scaring me if I was standing there doing dishes!) Last week she actually got out on our balcony and jumped up on the roof to get closer to the birds! She usually just stayed in our yard or on the warm sidewalk beside our house... something must have caught her attention to make her cross the street this morning.

She loved to curl up on top of us. Last night she made herself comfortable on Abby's back while we read a story together. Abby loved it. We'd always find her sleeping with one of the kids... she loved curling up with them and they loved her. Abby called her Girly Sweetie and was always excited to see her. She was a sweet kitty and we'll all miss her.

We've had lots of conversations about Heaven and what happens when animals die. Abby made her a cross and gave her a little stuffy. It's been a sad afternoon, especially for Abbs.  Jude cried when he realized that Nala was never ever coming back. 

Good-bye Nals, we'll miss you...