Mid September I - Painting

Dwight, probably thinking, "Stupid Washington houses!"

Fred did actually dare to get on these ladders :)

Loren thinking, "She'll take my bid next time!"

Here's what I've been doing all summer. Well, half of the summer, really. We waited until after Uncle Alvern's left. The 2nd year here we noticed our 30-yr. paint had faded terribly & all the windows were peeling. The 3rd year the paint co. came out and agreed to replace all the paint - just not the labor :)! It was too late to get started. So, this was the summer! Fred Hanko painted all the high parts and Loren VDT came and flashed all the siding since all the caulk had failed too. Dwight is chipping in also - this week he will spray one whole side that has only four windows. He also plugged the holes where the woodpeckers got into our attic. I don't like woodpeckers much anymore! Loren re-caulked all the windows and made our day by showing us that the sider had trimmed them very badly which was why they peeled every year even after I recaulked them (I have painted some windows three times already). In some spots the gaps were way over 1/4 inch thick, even where sides met tops; I was very crabby, but we stuffed backer rod in and hopefully it will hold up now. It's been a real pain in the rear. Right now the high stuff is all done and I have first coat on all the low stuff. Pretty sure it won't get done bf winter. Here are a few "fun" pics to show you how much the house faded!

Early September

Here are a few pics from Calvin's solo ride up Baker. He's been practicing more and more. This weekend (October 10) he and Dwight will take their first trip together down to Anacortes and then take the ferry out and bike around the San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez islands. Oh, and here's a picture John took of himself and Thomas with the self-timer. They are always fooling around with my camera when I am not looking!

August 30 - Sunday School's Over!

I had the best year EVER teaching Sunday School. Our teachers did a topical program this year - each week the children studied an important reformed truth, such as "God is 3 persons" etc., using a Biblical story to illustrate each truth. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to teach this way. Here is what the kids made with their memory verse cards. They were pretty excited...even Courtney, who started the summer out burying her face in the chair and refusing to look at the class :)!

August 20 - RCMP Musical Ride

We went up to Chilliwack to see our friend Darren Hawkins, who is a lead rider in the Royal Canandian Mounted Police Musical Ride. It was a pretty amazing show! We are really glad we got to see him as he retired from the ride and went back to being a regular cop in mid-Sept. He and Juanita have decided to stay in Ontario and not come back to BC; we were blessed to know their family the little while we did...now we just have to figure out how to see them next!

August 19 - Camping at Silver Lake

Calvin finally took John camping up at Silver Lake - they had a really special time and it meant a lot to John. I stayed home with Thomas to keep on painting the house. We had a really special time too, as you can see (it's oil paint and caulk)...argh!

August 16 - Cedar Springs

What is UP with my kids and their noses?!!

No help! No help!

Thomas ruins a perfect daddy-sons shot with a finger up his nose...

Thomas was super slow but he wouldn't let us help him...he just plodded on up!

This might have been when Grandma began to wonder about our definition of a walk...

One Sunday afternoon we took Grandma Den Hartog for a walk around Crystal Springs, up in the foothills past her house. It was a pretty steep hike up to the lookout point, but it was well worth it - you can see all the farms around Sumas and way into the farms in Canada! On the way down we took a different way over some old railway trestles - I held onto Thomas for dear life. I guess there were mines up there?? Thomas slept really well that afternoon!

August 4

This is how Courtney walked around the lake - I'm not sure how she didn't run into a tree!

Cameron and Nikki, on the other hand, are always picture perfect!

This is the best of five - one of them is looking away each time!

John and Courtney always look kind of like they are dating (!) :)

John and Cameron liked playing traffic cop with the little ones.

Leshia asked us along for a day at Lake Padden. The kids played on the playground for awhile and then we walked around the lake. It definitely took longer than ever with that many little ones, but the kids had a great time, and it was beautiful, even tho it was very cloudy and cool.